Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

The spring sunlight was very bright. Enough to vividly settle on Jeong Yeon-shin’s dark eyebrows.

It was on the way back from visiting the government office to relay news to various seniors.

He informed seniors like Cheon Myeong spread across South Zhili of the progress. It was something he could do because of being a Desolate Sect Warrior.

The magistrate showed reluctance. Saying time would be needed for messages to reach.

He wanted to send an urgent dispatch to Shandong Province where the main force would be, but crossing an entire province meant speed couldn’t be expected.

‘Nothing can be done.’

He came out leaving the government office behind. Jeong Yeon-shin had to worry about one more thing. It was because of Hyeon Won-chang’s difficult movement.

He had internal injuries. Putting him on a roughly shaking carriage or horse wasn’t an easy decision to make.

‘How should I take him?’

Jeong Yeon-shin returned to the guest room while repeatedly agonizing. On the bed lay the Great Hero of Desolate Sect with narrowed eyes.

Before closing the door, Hyeon Won-chang turned his body slightly. When their eyes met, he smiled and opened his mouth.

“It truly feels like death.”

“The Great Hero’s noble body is concerning.”

Jeong Yeon-shin countered with humor.

The corners of Hyeon Won-chang’s mouth rose further. He seemed to never tire of hearing the honorary title.

Many commoners peeked at the inn wanting to see Great Hero of Desolate Sect Hyeon Won-chang.

“I’ve become a burden.”

“Great Hero Sword Dragon is waiting.”

“Hmm? Lady Wei?”

Jeong Yeon-shin told him about the conversation with her.

At once Hyeon Won-chang’s face distorted. To the point of looking horrific.

“Young Hero Jeong’s heart is like the great sea. It’s very touching! But don’t do it. The Blood Flame Sect is at war with one of the Eight Great Families? They must have sent Death Swordsmen. Didn’t we already see the Seventh Apostle’s martial might last time?”

“An eye flew from my hand.”

Jeong Yeon-shin calmly answered and leaned against the wall.

He stroked the Northern Light and Desolate Sect sword hilts in turn while slowly continuing.

“Adding one hand will be enough. The Namgung family’s masters won’t be idle either.”

They exchanged a few more words.

‘There’s no reason not to.’

Jeong Yeon-shin had already decided. It was about earning merit while protecting a companion’s martial arts.

Hyeon Won-chang couldn’t overcome his stubbornness.

The Great Hero of Desolate Sect was nominally A Radiant Demon Wing master.

Though his appearance looked sloppy, his sense for gauging battle was excellent.

He realized that the longer they argued, the less leeway Jeong Yeon-shin had.

“After the life-saving debt, now I receive favor as a warrior too.”

Hyeon Won-chang rarely showed a serious face as he slightly closed and opened his eyes.

“Then Young Hero Jeong’s worry is this. How to take a living corpse like me to Huizhou.”

“…With about a month’s time, coming back up to Xuzhou from Huizhou won’t have much leeway.”

“Don’t worry about that!”

Though his internal injury was severe, his voice wasn’t dead. Hyeon Won-chang said with a grin.

“There’s a reason why warriors with disturbed qi circulation from falling into cultivation madness are weak to shock. It’s due to mental focus uniformized by long training in true qi operation. Regulating internal energy as usual becomes poison. Not knowing their body is in tatters.”

“Then?”

“My family has the secret technique of the Great Turtle Breathing Method. No ordinary technique. It even solidifies true qi flow to protect internal meridians, and being an assassin’s secret skill, its stability is unmatched even after long time passes.”

He mentioned assassins while talking about family secret techniques.

‘Great Turtle Breathing Method?’

It was said to be an ambush martial art that used internal energy to slow breathing and heartbeat while hiding true qi.

It was an infiltration-type martial art even displayed in Desolate Sect’s martial arts catalog.

Assassin’s secret skill. Jeong Yeon-shin repeated inwardly.

The idea of assassins forming a family was nonsensical.

However, there could be assassins who washed their hands with gold powder and left the murim.

As it was the first time Hyeon Won-chang mentioned anything about his family, Jeong Yeon-shin nodded without showing his thoughts.

A strange relief seemed to appear in Hyeon Won-chang’s eyes. He slowly continued speaking.

“Even buried anywhere in the ground, I just need a breathing hole. Carriage shaking is nothing. No need to worry about me. Young Hero Jeong should focus on displaying his martial arts.”

“An injured person safely hiding… if there’s no problem with escort, that would be really reassuring.”

“Of course! This Desolate Divine Hero won’t become anyone’s burden!”

Hyeon Won-chang laughed heartily before coughing as if blood came up his throat.

Shaking his head and leaving the wall, Jeong Yeon-shin left the room again.

After visiting the government office to borrow fine horses and a carriage, he explained the situation to Wei Ji Myo-hwa.

Her expression clouded at the mention of the Great Turtle Breathing Method. She was heir to one of the Nine Sects at the peak of orthodox sects.

She couldn’t welcome assassin martial arts.

“…You two are heroes. I’ll cover the rear.”

Fortunately, Wei Ji Myo-hwa was broad-minded. She was a great hero who didn’t judge people by martial arts.

Jeong Yeon-shin expressed thanks with a cupped fist salute.

Thus two people and one half-corpse set out on their journey.

* * *

Xuzhou to Huizhou wasn’t close. They were the northern and southern ends of South Zhili.

This time they met many bandits.

Not murim forest bandits. They were commoners driven to use farming tools to harm people due to famine.

Moreover, it was said disasters weren’t limited to famine.

Perhaps because the Blood Flame Sect had risen up, bandits increased as they got closer to Huizhou.

“What would evil sects eat? They just sink their teeth into commoners’ backs.”

Surprisingly, these were Wei Ji Myo-hwa’s words. Only when discussing the Blood Flame Sect did her eyes also show edge.

It seemed their relationship had grown somewhat closer while sharing the not-short journey.

When bandits didn’t try to take lives, they repeatedly sent them away with intimidation. Before they knew it, they reached their destination.

“We’ve arrived.”

Wei Ji Myo-hwa said. The two had just come from actually burying Hyeon Won-chang in nearby ground.

They did so because they had to expect fierce battle.

Jeong Yeon-shin gazed past those guarding the valley entrance.

It was the border of Chizhou and Huizhou. They said it was called Clear Night Valley.

Collisions of energy waves could be felt occasionally bursting from afar. Indeed it didn’t seem like an ordinary scale battle.

“You.”

Those in the distance approached. Five fellows had red hair.

Their identity was clear even before they got close.

One among them took the lead. He was a man with a shaved head and angular jaw.

With energy waves reaching even Jeong Yeon-shin’s skin being quite strong, he seemed like a regular member near swordmaster level.

His martial might was such that some might mistake him for a sect swordsman.

He opened his mouth.

“You fellows’ appearance isn’t ordinary. Even bringing such fine horses and carriage. Leave everything you have here and turn back.”

A well-finished carriage was a luxury item.

Anyone would guess there would be plenty of travel money. The bandits met during the journey thought so too.

However, the Blood Flame Sect fellows stopped at ten steps’ distance.

They didn’t come closer. They thoroughly maintained distance.

‘Indeed the Thirteen Evil Sects.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

He was quite perceptive. He seemed to sense something from Jeong Yeon-shin and Wei Ji Myo-hwa.

Some among the bandits met earlier were different. They rolled away after recklessly approaching trying to do something to Wei Ji Myo-hwa.

“Desolate… blue…?”

Another fellow muttered while slightly stepping sideways. He had sharp eyes.

The fellows’ words burst forth.

“Desolate Sect blue-rank? At that age?”

“Must be born to some noble family. Probably grew up eating spirit medicine like meals. Be careful of single strikes. Their power must be tremendous. We could die if careless.”

“That’s all. Just need to overwhelm with technique. Truly excellent prey.”

They started chattering among themselves.

It was the Blood Flame Sect’s true face. They valued absorbable inner power chunks more than their own lives.

They were even making assumptions seeing Jeong Yeon-shin’s appearance.

‘They don’t know me.’

Distinction lingered in Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes. He seemed to have found one of the Blood Flame Sect’s weaknesses.

They were regular members, not Blood Swordmasters. Fire ants. Far more numerous than swordmasters.

They said evil sects gathered with fanatics were especially places with clear top-down command.

Orders from above, below obeys. No freedom. Information exchange doesn’t occur easily.

The fellows began approaching with big strides. Eventually some even used lightness technique to rush.

They seemed to say first to catch gets ownership.

Wei Ji Myo-hwa stepped forward. It was the moment her palm struck the solar plexus of the one in front.

Waves of true qi rose surging from the gap.

BANG!

Dirt dust scattered in all directions. Energy waves spewing strong winds swept while even scratching rocks.

The fellows rushing together rolled away pathetically.

Jeong Yeon-shin rushed through the aftermath of the Zhongnan Sect’s Azure Cloud Heaven Force Palm.

He knew the battle between the Namgung family and Blood Flame Sect was happening right ahead.

Without delay he stretched his left hand and firmly grabbed one fellow’s face. It was the shaved-head man somewhat close to a Blood Swordmaster.

“Kuk!”

Recently, only Jeong Yeon-shin’s face could hint at his age.

His body refined by the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique rode the flow of time. He was growing remarkably lately.

His body was already close to adult.

His fingers wrapping the fellow’s face were sufficiently long.

It meant he could run while gripping an adult man’s face using inner power.

THUD!

A storm rose under his feet stamping the earth. He felt it the moment he immediately pushed off the ground.

True qi of overlapped Fate Defying Scripture welled up from quadriceps clearly splitting on both sides of his thighs.

It begins.

BANG!

He sprinted holding the fellow’s face. The valley scenery before his eyes scattered past in hundreds of lines.

WHOOSH!

The wind sweeping like striking his ears was tremendously fierce.

He had long thought that to achieve notable military merit, shouldn’t it be incomparably splendid?

Jeong Yeon-shin drew his sword while creating gales with lightness technique.

Sunlight shimmered silver along the wave patterns flowing on the blade.

It was completely instantaneous until rushing into the battlefield. Below the valley was wide like a plain.

Hundreds were swarming while showing off their martial might.

The festival of tremendous martial arts created military spirit like a war of thousands.

He paid no mind. Jeong Yeon-shin jumped down at once while throwing the fellow he was holding.

THUD!

“Wh-what?”

“Who is this guy!”

It was body-protecting moment technique like the elf clan’s unique wrapping wind. Jeong Yeon-shin’s blue clothes fluttered long like an immortal’s robe.

WHOOSH!

At that moment, the sword song’s cry was already rising from the Northern Light sword.

The Blood Flame Sect members who had tormented him so severely began falling while spewing blood.

THUD!

He deliberately stamped the ground hard. The thickly spread dust was torn to shreds by the storm of energy waves that immediately rose.

After landing he rushed again. Following Jeong Yeon-shin’s Northern Light sword, the battlefield’s flow instantly began twisting.

As if an invisible typhoon spread with him at the center, people falling in all directions continued appearing.

Most were instant deaths. It wasn’t power that could be seen as Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial arts level.

The sword song chants adjusted earlier managed not to create victims from the Namgung family.

He penetrated the battlefield in a straight line. In an instant he reached where the Namgung family leadership could be seen.

Various emotions spread across the faces of several elderly people including a kind-looking peerless handsome man, a tanned woman full of vigor, and a middle-aged man with overwhelming spirit.

That’s when it happened.

“Radiant Demon Wing’s Lightning Flash. You managed to return.”

“The face that had lost its soul looks kind, but brought strange martial arts.”

Looking back, familiar fellows were smiling. Even knowing Jeong Yeon-shin’s identity.

Blood Sand Swordmasters with both glossy black and red hair.

The energy waves the two emitted together were extraordinary.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently looked at them. There was a scene clearly drawn before his eyes.

The memory couldn’t be blurred. Because it was the moment of his life’s first escape.

He understood the fellows making scornful expressions.

They were the ones who stood at the front throwing thunderclap bombs at Jeong Yeon-shin during the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

They all possessed madness. They seemed not to care how many regular members died.

“Did you think something could be done working together with the Namgung family?”

One fellow said. He held thunderclap bombs drawn silently like hidden weapons.

The martial artists around showed large signs of flinching.

The moment the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering collapsed, Jeong Yeon-shin at Huizhou’s Lotus Pavilion was the same as them.

Step.

This time was different. Jeong Yeon-shin advanced without stopping.

He knew without looking back. The Namgung family’s supreme masters would be watching this way.

He slowly parted his lips.

“You fellows. Should know for certain.”

While sheathing the Northern Light sword he drew the familiar Desolate Sect sword. The flow between sheathing and drawing connected smoothly.

It was a master’s bearing anyone could recognize. The Desolate Sect sword’s blade naturally revealed itself and began containing sunlight.

He adjusted his grip on the sword hilt once. The cold sensation instantly became hot.

“You who throw first are the traitors. Pay for your sins.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said calmly.