The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 74

Chapter 74
## Chapter 74. The Black Flame Dragon Who Leaps over the Trial (2)

“…….”

“……Ahem.”

An uncomfortable quietness enveloped the quarters.

Not just our group, who had come in alongside the youngster, but even the companions of Bang Du-chil, who had previously been shouting up a storm, were currently staring at Bang Du-chil with disapproval due to his thoroughly discourteous conduct.

“I-I only meant, I requested that he recount the events peacefully, did I not……?”

The elderly man had initially held his tongue, and Bang Du-chil’s attempt to force the explanation out had resulted in this chaos.

When our paths first crossed, he had seemed bold and spirited, but I had not anticipated he would be this thoughtless.

“What concern is it of yours whether an outsider survives or perishes…… Ugh.”

The old man, who had been fiercely shouting in his distress, clutched his midsection and bent forward.

“This concerns Twin Curtain Stronghold, does it not?”

“…….”

A heavy cloud of anxiety settled across the old man’s features.

“Did Twin Curtain Stronghold perhaps abduct all the local residents?”

“…….”

The old man maintained his silence.

Just as Bang Du-chil let out another sharp snort and reached forward to seize the old man’s robes, Baek So-ryeong stepped toward the senior with a gentle, clear voice.

“Respected Elder, I am called So-ryeong. It is somewhat awkward to bring this up so suddenly, but my companion recently crushed two mountain fortresses and obtained two First Trial Tokens for the Murim Academy. Therefore, you can speak freely without harboring such terror.”

Upon hearing Baek So-ryeong’s words, the elderly man’s gaze wavered intensely.

He then shifted his gaze to the youngster beside him and released a lengthy, heavy breath.

“As the cruelties of Twin Curtain Stronghold intensified, the merchant collective of Hangzhou attempted to employ roaming martial artists to wipe out Twin Curtain Stronghold. Yet every endeavor collapsed, and following each defeat, the fortress butchered the captured locals they had targeted, displaying their corpses openly within the settlement.”

The state of affairs was far gridder than I had anticipated, leaving everyone in our group completely speechless.

“Famine and deprivation are hardships we have endured repeatedly. We can withstand such trials. But I can no longer bear to witness my own flesh and blood, or the children of my neighbors, brought back lifeless and impaled upon timber.”

Every time an assault force arrived, it was ultimately the common folk who bore the devastating repercussions.

With no protectors to shield them, they were cornered into safeguarding their oppressors purely to survive, a predicament that caused their spirits to rot and wither away.

“Those wretched scoundrels deserve to be slaughtered!”

Bang Du-chil roared at the top of his lungs.

I inquired in a measured tone,

“What tasks do they assign after herding the villagers away? They surely cannot convert simple farmers into brigands of the Green Forest.”

“They claim a handful are integrated among the Green Forest bandits, but the vast majority are taken to perform all manners of menial labor.”

Sustaining nearly a thousand individuals scattered across a mountain terrain was no simple feat.

The sheer volume of provisions needed daily could not be matched by the settlements surrounding Mount Tianmu.

There was zero chance the aggressive and crude Green Forest bandits would prepare their own meals, meaning those taken captive were forced to serve them, enduring an existence below that of beasts.

“Is escape not an option?”

One of Bang Du-chil’s followers tilted his head in confusion and asked, prompting the old man to shake his head despondently.

“Should anyone prove defiant or attempt flight, they make an example of them by reducing the culprit’s home village to ash. With their entire lineages trapped here, how could anyone dare to rebel?”

To put it plainly, they were utilizing a dual-sided hostage system.

“I was aware that the Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds behaved more savagely than typical mountain outlaws, but this completely crosses the line.”

Baek So-ryeong’s lovely brow knit closely together.

“……!”

Without uttering a single word, Bang Du-chil stood up from his bench.

“Everyone, gather your blades.”

Spurred by Bang Du-chil’s hushed, grim tone, his associates also grew solemn and began retrieving their weaponry.

“Did you fail to hear me warn you against taking action?”

Bang Du-chil turned a cold, unfeeling gaze upon the elderly man.

“Old man, is that youngster beside you the sole kin you have left?”

“…….”

“Once the youth reaches adulthood, Twin Curtain Stronghold will undoubtedly claim him. Will you simply accept that?”

The senior’s face contorted with pain.

“Remaining passive ensures endless misery. Such is the fate of the powerless. At the bare minimum, you must demonstrate that you are not helpless prey to be toyed with.”

“What exactly do you intend to do?”

“I shall march with my followers and settle accounts with Twin Curtain Stronghold!”

“Absolutely not!”

“My dear! That is reckless!”

The old man and Baek So-ryeong cried out simultaneously.

It was the predictable outcry of any rational individual.

“If you charge in blindly, the relatives confined within the mountain fortress and the local residents will all be slaughtered! Can you shoulder the blame for that?”

“My dear! Twin Curtain Stronghold commands five hundred fighters in each base, totaling one thousand. We cannot achieve victory with just our small numbers.”

Bang Du-chil’s expression hardened severely.

“So-ryeong, I refuse to yield to anyone. And old man, cast aside your dread. I shall return your kinfolk unharmed as well. I pledge this upon my reputation.”

Bang Du-chil was completely deaf to anyone else’s counsel.

Recognizing Bang Du-chil’s stubborn nature, Baek So-ryeong merely shook her head in dismay, while the elderly man appeared on the verge of collapsing from sheer shock.

“I also stand against this plan.”

“Hm?”

Bang Du-chil and his companions, who were on the verge of stepping through the exit, paused and looked back.

“Who do you think you are?”

“Me?”

I stepped toward the youth and extended my palm, and after a brief, dazed pause, the child deposited a lone silver tael into my hand.

“I am Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect, having accepted a commission from this child.”

“Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect……? You?”

Of late, I had noticed a growing number of individuals recognizing my identity.

The moment Bang Du-chil’s associates caught my name, they commenced whispering in hushed tones among themselves.

“If he is Jin So-un…… The Black Flame Dragon Jin So-un?”

“The ascending figure of the Black Path murim?!”

“The highly deceptive Hidden Dragon?”

The issue was that reputations did not always travel in the manner I preferred.

Disregarding the annoying chatter, I pressed on with my words.

“Regardless of your martial prowess, toppling Twin Curtain Stronghold with a mere handful of fighters is an impossibility. Furthermore, the adversary holds captives.”

Upon listening to my reasoning, Bang Du-chil offered a nod for the very first time.

“As anticipated from the ascending figure of the Black Path murim, are you choosing to align with Twin Curtain Stronghold?”

cruelties“…….”

I am doing no such thing!

From the very beginning, attempting to reason with an individual who placed absolute faith in his personal combat strength was futile.

Turning my gaze toward Baek So-ryeong, I requested,

“Could you assist me for a brief moment?”

“Pardon? Me?”

“If I fail to convince that gentleman, I fear he will march straight to Twin Curtain Stronghold. Should that happen, neither he nor the captives confined there will survive.”

“……Very well.”

Once Baek So-ryeong gave her assent, I gripped her arm and hauled her toward my chest.

“Oh heavens!”

Her form emitted the identical fragrance of violets that I remembered from my past existence.

At that display, Bang Du-chil raised a sharp eyebrow.

“……What do you think you are playing at?”

“Attempt to rescue her.”

“What?”

I raised the Black Dragon Sword, keeping it enclosed within its Sword Sheath, and pressed it firmly against Baek So-ryeong’s throat.

“I commanded you to attempt to rescue her.”

“…….”

The instant Bang Du-chil advanced a single pace with a murderous glare,

I struck across Baek So-ryeong’s throat.

“Ah!”

“She has perished once.”

“…….”

Bang Du-chil’s expression turned utterly frozen as he mobilized his inner reserves.

Wooooong.

Gales began to whip violently around his frame.

Though the Gale Art that Bang Du-chil possessed originated from an enduring Daoist lineage of cultivation, it was structured to violently accumulate massive internal reserves; if wielded improperly, it carried an immense peril of triggering Qi Deviation or crippling the user permanently.

Nevertheless, for Bang Du-chil, whose extraordinary physique known as the Heavenly Dipper Limitless Body could entirely neutralize the hazards of Qi Deviation, it served as the ultimate martial method for compressing and discharging internal energy swifter than any peer.

BOOM!

The immense drawing force of the Gale Mad Demon Fist dragged both Baek So-ryeong and myself toward his position.

Employing the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps, I planted an afterimage behind, evaded the trajectory of the Gale Mad Demon Fist, and struck Baek So-ryeong’s throat a second time.

“She has perished twice.”

“……You scoundrel!”

Bang Du-chil had forged the Gale Fist and Gale Kick, derived from the core Gale Art, into his own personalized combat techniques.

The Gale Whirling Lotus Kick, which had yet to be fully perfected, detonated forward with immense force.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!

Aged woodwork shattered into splinters across the room, and Bang Du-chil’s strikes erupted in every sector, yet they struck nothing but illusions.

Neither Baek So-ryeong nor I sustained a scratch.

“She has perished thrice.”

“……Confound it!”

Bang Du-chil, whose composure was rapidly unraveling, concentrated his True Qi within both palms.

He was preparing to discharge the Gale Divine Palm, a strike capable of deploying his inner force in the most cataclysmic fashion.

“……If you release that strike, this young woman will be caught in the blast as well. Is it your wish to slay her with your own two hands?”

“…….”

The shattered fragments littering the floor vibrated intensely before settling down once more.

The gales that had been swirling around his form dissolved shortly thereafter.

Though his approach had been exposed as flawed, his countenance indicated he could not readily bring himself to acknowledge his error.

“…….”

A heavy quietude also fell over Bang Du-chil’s companions.

“When captives are in play, one cannot act without deliberation.”

Baek So-ryeong concurred with my statement, nodding her head.

“My dear, Young Master Jin speaks the truth.”

“……That does not dictate that we simply remain idle and observe.”

“I am not suggesting we remain idle and observe. I am stating that we require a completely different strategy.”

“Do you possess an alternate strategy?”

Bang Du-chil’s followers along with the Gold, Silver, and Bronze siblings turned their gazes toward me, filled with anticipation.

“Yes. Naturally, I do.”

“What might it be?”

CRASH!

Just as I prepared to elaborate, the sound of structural destruction echoed from beyond the entrance.

Bang Du-chil and the rest of our party immediately rushed out of the eatery.

“Kahahahahaha!”

“Tear it down! Reduce it to rubble!”

“You there! You are coming with us to Fire Curtain Stronghold.”

Roughly a score of outlaws were encircling a residence, dragging a household out while demolishing the property and igniting flames.

Bang Du-chil and his subordinates appeared on the verge of charging into the fray at any second.

“If you intervene at this moment, you will fail to rescue the captives safely.”

Hearing my warning, Bang Du-chil recoiled and glared in my direction with wide, furious eyes.

“Provided they remain breathing, we can retrieve them alive later. But if we strike now, we will be forced to engage while they hold human shields.”

“…….”

I caught the sound of teeth grinding together fiercely.

Bang Du-chil desperately wished to leap forward and crush those outlaws’ skulls.

Perhaps sensing the tension, a few of the brigands altered their course and approached us.

“What’s this? Who do you bastards think you are? Why are you staring at us like that?”

I swiftly shifted Bang Du-chil behind my form and stepped into view.

“Greetings, gentlemen. I am Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect.”

“Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect?”

“Oh…… The Black Flame Dragon……”

Despite being outlaws confined to a mountain hideout, they appeared reasonably informed regarding the dynamics of the murim, viewing me with intrigued expressions.

“What intent brings you to this settlement?”

“Ah, I am uncertain if the news has reached you. Fairly recently, our Taeul Sect integrated the Azure Sky Merchant Guild, did we not? Consequently, we were contemplating establishing trade routes in tandem with an Escort Agency, and were initially assessing the path leading to nearby Hangzhou.”

“Hmm…… If your destination is Hangzhou, your path necessitates crossing Mount Tianmu. Why then have we received no prior word?”

The brigand who rested a massive Great Chopping Saber upon his shoulder fixed a hard stare on me, subtly projecting a coercive pressure.

He was demanding an explanation for why no tribute had been rendered to their faction.

“Ah, naturally, we were on the verge of paying our respects. Haha.”

I rattled a small pouch packed with several silver coins, closed the distance between us, and courteously proffered the funds.

“I am well aware that when an Escort Agency or trading collective traverses that passage for the initial time, they must formally offer introductory tributes. Kindly inform your Stronghold Master that we shall present ourselves formally in short order.”

“Aha, you possess sharp instincts. You seem cut out for trade.”

“You praise me too highly. My gratitude.”

“On another note, what is the deal with that fellow glaring at us as if he wants to pick a fight?”

The outlaw gripping the Great Chopping Saber gestured toward Bang Du-chil with the tip of his weapon.

“Ah, those are our hired Escorts. It has been a brief period since they transitioned to Escort work after wandering the lands, hence their unpolished demeanor. I beg your forbearance.”

“Hmph! To harbor such insolence before the might of Fire Curtain Stronghold.”

The brigand carrying the Great Chopping Saber advanced aggressively toward Bang Du-chil.

Peering up at Bang Du-chil, who towered a full head above him, he barked,

“Cast your eyes down, you dog!”

“…….”

The edges of Bang Du-chil’s mouth twitched violently.

His complexion, flushed crimson, appeared ready to burst from repressed fury.

-If you trigger a conflict now, we forfeit any chance of rescuing the hostages.

Receiving my Sound Transmission, Bang Du-chil glared at me as though I were his bitterest foe, yet he eventually lowered his chin significantly.

“……My apologies.”

“……Hmph! A complete nobody.”

The brigand who turned his back remained oblivious to the fact that Bang Du-chil was staring holes into his spine as if plotting his execution.

Once the outlaws representing Fire Curtain Stronghold departed the area, Bang Du-chil marched heavily toward me and clamped a hand down on my shoulder with enough force to crush bone.

“You had best deliver on the promises you just made.”

“Without question.”

“……Should you fail.”

Bang Du-chil stared at me with an expression overflowing with bitter animosity.

“You will find yourself contending not merely with Twin Curtain Stronghold, but with my wrath as well.”

“I shall handle the consequences.”

“…….”

Bang Du-chil retreated back into the eatery alongside his crew, leaving only Baek So-ryeong outside.

“My thanks, Young Master Jin. Owing to your intervention, I was successful in restraining my companion.”

“It is I who should apologize for being exceedingly inappropriate moments ago.”

“Oh my, think nothing of it. It was rather pleasant to be held within a gentleman’s embrace after such an extended period.”

Flashing a grin as radiant as blooming rapeseed fields, Baek So-ryeong stepped through the doors of the dining hall.