The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 64

Chapter 64
## Chapter 64. The Great Roc Waiting for a Typhoon (2)

Due to the immense strain my body suffered from channeling Innate Energy combined with the impact of Murong Gang’s strike, I desperately required prolonged recuperation, yet my junior disciples gave me no choice but to wake up prematurely.

“What were you thinking? Have you completely lost your mind?”

After sending Sa-ryeon off to the Murim Academy, I genuinely believed I would be spared from this kind of scolding.

“Innate Energy……. I am utterly at a loss for words. If even a single thing had gone awry while you were attempting that…….”

Ever since Wang So-so began her martial arts training and grasped the true implications of deploying Innate Energy, her relentless lecturing knew no bounds.

“……Honestly, even if your martial cultivation had been entirely ruined, you could have simply come to manage affairs at our merchant guild, which wouldn’t have been a terrible outcome…… Regardless, risking your life in such a reckless manner makes absolutely no sense!”

“……Can you please pick one, whether you are actually disappointed or just deeply concerned?”

“No matter what! My plan was already to inform Father once this Dragon and Phoenix Assembly concluded. Now, of course, the Diancang Sect is on that list right alongside the Mount Hua Sect. I will personally ensure they learn exactly how devastating the financial might of the Wang Estate can be.”

While I wasn’t entirely certain of her specific strategy, since they had crossed the cherished daughter of one of the Four Great Merchants under Heaven, it was highly probable that the Mount Hua Sect and the Diancang Sect were facing a bleak financial future.

“Eldest Senior Brother. You crossed the line this time. Were you truly thinking straight?”

Geum-pyo, who was closest to me in age among the Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers, stepped forward to speak on behalf of the group.

“Those remarks are…… somewhat disrespectful to direct toward your Eldest Senior Brother, don’t you think?”

“They say that repeating a blunder more than three times turns it into a lifelong habit. If you ever pull a stunt like this again, we will secure you tightly to a main pillar of the Taeul Sect and ration you to precisely three basic meals a day.”

Hearing Geum-pyo’s daunting declaration, the gathered junior disciples nodded their heads in absolute unison.

When exactly did their coordination become so flawless during my absence?

“Brother. I am completely serious.”

Kang Yu-seong and Jegal Cheon-gi remained standing off to one side.

Jegal Cheon-gi’s gaze was sharper and more intense than I had ever seen it before.

“This is no laughing matter. If you behave this way again, I will design a Mechanism Formation that surpasses even the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation and lock you inside.”

“…….”

Possessing even ten mouths wouldn’t give me a proper defense, so I merely nodded in submission.

Was I supposed to be grateful for this situation or miserable?

Right as I was enduring this collective interrogation—

An unexpected visitor stepped inside, completely bypassing my Sensory Perception.

The moment I glimpsed her features partially concealed behind a face veil, her identity became instantly clear.

‘I must have truly pushed myself past the limit. To think I remained oblivious to her presence until she stood right before me.’

“…….”

The junior disciples instantly went silent, fixing their hostile stares directly upon her.

It was Murong Seol from the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.

Members of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, who had originally intended to lodge elsewhere, ended up staying within the grounds of the Taeul Sect due to the severe wounds sustained by Jong Byeok-gi and Hwa Jeong-san.

They remained cautious under the watchful eye of Murong Gang and were unable to depart immediately, especially since Jong Byeok-gi’s current state was incredibly precarious.

“Are you feeling better?”

“…….”

Her voice carried a slightly more youthful resonance than what lingered in my memories. While my thoughts spun from the overlapping recollections and left me momentarily speechless, Wang So-so stepped out in front, her expression laced with animosity.

“That is hardly an appropriate inquiry from someone who contributed to this entire disaster, is it?”

Following Wang So-so’s sharp remark, the rest of the junior disciples began projecting open antagonism all at once.

It was plain to see that the younger disciples were treating So-so as their natural commander.

“Before anything else, I wish to extend my sincerest apologies.”

Murong Seol pulled down her face veil and offered a highly respectful clasped hands greeting.

“…….”

The young boys who had just been glaring at Murong Seol twitched uncomfortably upon seeing her face, standing frozen and uncertain of how to react.

Letting out a soft chuckle at their sudden awkwardness, I spoke up,

“Could everyone leave us alone in the quarters for a brief moment?”

“Older Brother!”

“She is a visitor who has arrived at the Taeul Sect. Ought we not show at least the bare minimum of hospitality?”

“But still!”

“It is fine to feel resentful, but Miss Murong Seol was the single individual who actually stood up for us.”

“……I understand.”

As I gently patted Wang So-so’s head, the girl, who had been ready to protest further, reluctantly relented.

After casting one final glare at Murong Seol, Wang So-so spun around aggressively.

Led by Wang So-so, the entire group of junior disciples filed out of the room.

“Please forgive the rude behavior of my junior disciples.”

“……Please don’t be. I entirely comprehend. Had I been in their position, my reaction would have been identical.”

In reality, Murong Seol was the sole member of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly who tried to restrain Jong Byeok-gi and Hwa Jeong-san, yet she carried herself with a deeply remorseful air as if the fault lay entirely with her.

“Is everything not already concluded? I too acted discourteously, so I believe neither of us needs to harbor lingering guilt.”

Beholding her downcast expression brought a twinge of discomfort to my chest.

Thankfully, she appeared to take my words to heart, offering a gentle nod.

“In that case, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“While you were engaged in the Martial Duel with Hwa Jeong-san, what drove you to press the fight so relentlessly?”

“…….”

“From my perspective, it looked undeniable that you possessed the capability to easily suppress Hwa Jeong-san. Am I mistaken in that assessment?”

It felt as though a cherished memory I had long lost was suddenly brought back to life right before me.

‘This was precisely the type of person she always was.’

She possessed a deeply ingrained sense of fairness and morality. Given the recent clash involving the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly to which she belonged, coming here to initiate such a conversation must have felt incredibly awkward, yet she did not falter in challenging what she perceived as improper.

Even during my past life, her departure from the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was triggered by her fierce disagreement with Hwa Jeong-san after Hong Mun-gi succumbed to Qi Deviation.

“Your assessment was completely accurate.”

“If my observation was wrong, then…… wait, what?”

“Great Hero Hwa announced his ‘desire to witness the blade techniques of the Taeul Sword Emperor,’ and I was merely attempting to accommodate his request.”

“…….”

“When Great Hero Jong forced his way into the match, I possessed the choice to conclude the matter peacefully, but I chose not to.”

Faced with my completely unbothered response, a look of utter perplexity washed over Murong Seol’s features.

At this particular period in time, she was merely a young woman barely entering her early twenties.

“For what reason……?”

“My junior disciples were observing the match.”

“…….”

“The senior elders of my sect were watching it unfold as well. In that exact arena, he deliberately brought up the reputation of the Taeul Sword Emperor to humiliate the Taeul Sect.”

“…….”

“With the way things concluded, that attempt at ridicule has transformed into reality, but was Great Hero Hwa not evoking the Taeul Sword Emperor specifically to demean the Taeul Sect?”

Murong Seol’s countenance grew highly conflicted.

“Throughout my childhood, I found myself unable to proudly declare that I belonged to the Taeul Sect. I felt a sense of shame regarding my lineage here.”

Address. “……No, please, hold on a moment…….”

Murong Seol glanced back toward the entrance briefly, looking deeply disquieted as if caught entirely off guard.

Unsure of what was causing her distress, I simply kept talking.

“Because I was plagued by shame and kept it hidden, resentment grew within me, and because I loathed my own sect, I eventually grew to dislike my junior disciples and the elders. Despite the fact that they were all truly my family.”

This was my personal history, an overt reference to the path of my past life.

It was the exact explanation the her from my previous existence had always wished to receive, yet I had never found the opportunity to voice it to her.

“That is precisely why I acted as I did. To ensure that I, my junior disciples, and the elders of my lineage would never look upon the Taeul Sect with hatred. So that we could carry ourselves with pride as members of the Taeul Sect. So that we could truly value every single person within the Taeul Sect.”

“…….”

Murong Seol blinked rapidly, appearing utterly bewildered. For the time being, such a perspective must have felt entirely foreign to her current self.

After all, it was a sentiment likely reserved only for an individual who had experienced losing absolutely everything.

“It is undeniable that I pushed things to the extreme. Attempting to defy the collective presence of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was an error on my part as well. For that specific action, I extend my apologies to you, Miss Murong Seol. However, should an identical scenario arise down the line, my choices will remain unchanged. I will do it to safeguard the individuals who mean everything to me. Even if it requires sacrificing my own existence.”

“…….”

A deep crimson hue rushed to Murong Seol’s face, leaving her looking completely stunned.

She was thoroughly overwhelmed.

Had I acted too aggressively?

Even so, she remained the one person I had yearned for so intensely.

I had no desire to leave behind a bitter impression within her thoughts. Just as I prepared to shift the dialogue toward a considerably more casual subject—

“Waaaaah.”

“Uuuhuhu.”

“Sob, sob!”

The very junior disciples I assumed had returned to their quarters suddenly came bursting back into the room, weeping uncontrollably.

“Eldest Senior Brother! I swear I will never hold any resentment toward the Taeul Sect!”

“Eldest Senior Brother! I intend to follow your example perfectly!”

“Older Brother! I promise to protect you as well!”

“Brother! I am going to construct an flawless Mechanism Formation that absolutely no outsider can breach.”

Swamped by the sudden influx of weeping disciples rushing the space, Murong Seol quickly gathered her composure, gave a quiet nod, and stepped outside.

“Ah, wait…… Miss Murong…… I intended to converse with you a bit longer…….”

“Eldest Senior Brother!!”

“Eldest Senior Brother!!”

“Older Brother!”

“Brother!”

I desperately wished to flee, but my physical form was entirely devoid of energy.

—

Upon exiting the structure, Murong Seol struggled to quiet the erratic thumping within her chest.

‘Why am I reacting this way?’

Since this sensation wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, Murong Seol found herself increasingly disoriented.

From the exact moment Jin So-un unleashed his blade to intercept Jong Byeok-gi, who had disrupted the Martial Duel, Murong Seol’s heart had commenced a frantic rhythm.

Those piercing eyes, the firm set of his jaw, and that singular display had burned themselves into her thoughts, refusing to fade away.

During her early childhood days, there had been a fierce conflict involving Black Path experts that she happened to witness while accompanying her grandfather on one of his random excursions.

On that occasion, her grandfather clearly recognized that defeat was inevitable, yet he never surrendered his noble bearing.

The memory of him standing his ground regardless of the peril had been permanently etched into Murong Seol’s mind as the ultimate embodiment of what a true martial artist should be.

As she dedicated years to honing her own martial skills and interacting with various figures, she gradually realized that the stoic display her grandfather showed was not something just anyone—including herself—could replicate, causing her to stop searching for it entirely.

Yet she had just witnessed that exact same indomitable spirit within the grounds of the unremarkable Taeul Sect.

Even so, there was undeniably a problem with the aggressive manner in which he handled Hwa Jeong-san.

She had approached him with the intent to demand answers regarding that behavior, yet he had openly and shamelessly confessed to everything.

And then he had laid out the unyielding principles that forced him to take such measures.

Hearing his explanation, her logical faculties ground to a halt once more, and her pulse raced wildly.

‘What in the world is happening to me?’

Though she struggled to process her own feelings, she found herself mentally retracing his statements, which strangely felt closer to making sense, when—

“Sister!”

Her internal monologue was instantly shattered, causing Murong Seol’s eyebrows to furrow tightly.

“……You!”

“Whoa! Hold on!”

Catching sight of Murong Seol suddenly advancing with the Soul-Chasing Footwork, Murong Jae-hwa let out a startled yelp and scrambled backward utilizing his own specialized Footwork Art.

Even so, he proved entirely incapable of evading the swift movements of Murong Seol, whose prowess was significant enough to earn her the title of “Iron Sword” within her moniker.

Murong Seol quickly locked her arm securely around Murong Jae-hwa’s neck.

“If your plan was to travel here alongside Grandfather, you ought to have informed me beforehand!”

“Gack……! That hurts! How could I have known you would be loitering around here, Sister?”

Murong Jae-hwa, having barely managed to wrench himself free from Murong Seol’s grip, massaged his bruised throat as he complained.

“Ugh…… I seriously need to consume an Inner Core or something similar soon…… By the way, where are you walking from? I was under the impression this path led straight toward Great Hero Jin So-un’s quarters.”

“……That is correct. I was returning after holding a brief conversation with him.”

“Huh? You already saw him? Did you happen to know?”

“Know what exactly?”

“The fact that Great Hero Jin So-un was the one who rescued Father.”

“……? What are you talking about?”

Murong Jae-hwa tilted his head in confusion.

As Murong Jae-hwa proceeded to detail everything that had transpired up to this point and the specific reasons that prompted him and Murong Gang to journey to the Taeul Sect, Murong Seol’s complexion began to grow utterly bloodless.

“……You didn’t happen to commit some sort of blunder toward Great Hero Jin So-un just now, did you?”

dishonesty. “…….”

Murong Seol turned so completely pale that her naturally fair skin appeared almost ghostly.

“Did you seriously make a mistake in how you treated Great Hero Jin So-un just a moment ago?”

Murong Seol offered absolutely no reply even as the inquiry was pressed once more.

Observing her silence, Murong Jae-hwa began attempting to convince himself otherwise.

“There’s no way…… that can’t be right. Regardless of your flaws, you aren’t the type of individual who would show disrespect to someone who put his own existence on the line to protect Father, right, Sister?”

“…….”

Murong Seol remained entirely mute.

—

The junior disciples continued their loud weeping for a considerable duration.

“What is the meaning of all this racket?”

Kang Chae-seok strode into the room, a deep scowl etched into his features.

“Did someone pass away?”

“N-no, Hall Master, it’s not that!”

“Older Brother! Older Brother!”

“Sob, uuuugh.”

The younger disciples attempted to explain but failed to make sense, cutting themselves off to plunge back into tears.

Kang Chae-seok’s expression turned increasingly annoyed as he remained entirely in the dark regarding the cause.

If this display wasn’t absolute pandemonium, nothing else qualified.

My sole desire was to crawl back under the covers and drift off to sleep.

“Jin So-un. Get up. The Sect Leader has requested your presence.”

“……Understood.”

Unfortunately, that luxury was denied to me.

“……Please take care and come back safe, Eldest Senior Brother.”

Recognizing the shift in gravity, the junior disciples picked up on the solemn mood and quietly retreated.

At long last, the most ancient pledge in the entire chronicle of the Taeul Sect was finally on the verge of completion.

“…….”

Throughout our trek toward the Great Mysterious Hall, Kang Chae-seok kept his expression entirely rigid and maintained total silence.

I could fully appreciate the weight on his mind.

He stood as the most powerful martial artist within the Taeul Sect, and as a consequence, he had constantly been forced to confront the overwhelming might of the wider murim as the primary champion of the Taeul Sect.

It was entirely understandable that finding the right words in this moment would be incredibly difficult.

Every single senior authority figure of the Taeul Sect had assembled within the Great Mysterious Hall.

“Disciple Jin So-un offers greetings to the honored elders.”

“…….”

From Sect Leader Hong Mun-gi down to the aged Elders and the various Hall Masters who served as the pillars of the Taeul Sect.

Every last one of them bore an expression that mirrored Kang Chae-seok’s tense demeanor.

“…….”

A profoundly heavy and solemn stillness gripped the room.

Who was supposed to break the silence?

Neither myself, who carried the responsibility of delivering the Taeul Sword Emperor’s ancient pledge, nor the leadership of the Taeul Sect, who were meant to receive that very pledge, possessed any inkling of how to navigate an event that none of us had ever encountered before.

“…….”

I simply stood there in the quiet, patiently waiting for their internal thoughts to resolve.

Hong Mun-gi, who sat with his fingers interlaced over his mouth, observed me from his elevated seat at the far front of the hall, his gaze filled with immense complexity.

“Jin So-un.”

the second his deep voice resonated—

I braced myself to provide the exact confirmation I anticipated he would ask for.

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Is it an absolute fact that you threatened the Wind Earl Sword-Breaker Senior by demanding to know if he wished to experience a martial artist’s direct punch?”

“That is correct. It was precisely what the Taeul Sword Emperor’s…… Wait, what?”

Even as the confirmation left my mouth, I caught the bizarre nature of the question and cocked my head in confusion.

“You are openly admitting that you threatened the Wind Earl Sword-Breaker Senior by asking if he wanted to taste a martial artist’s direct punch? Is that truly the manner in which I oversaw your upbringing?”

Sect Leader Hong Mun-gi, the assembled Elders, and the Hall Masters all wore expressions of sheer terror, looking at me as though trying to comprehend what kind of unhinged lunatic had infiltrated their ranks.

Off in the distance, Father was frantically making a repetitive gesture of sliding his thumb straight across his own neck.

Instantly, the image of the exact old scoundrel responsible for feeding them this information flashed vividly inside my mind.

‘That old bastard, seriously!!’