The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything [Novel] Chapter 218

Chapter 218: An Uncomfortable Delegation

They say that when a person is too shocked, their mind stops working.

That was exactly what was happening to me.

“Go to the founding ceremony of the Sahukryeon.”

Jegal Somyeong said it so casually that, for a moment, I thought Sahukryeon was the name of a new tavern near the Martial Alliance.

“Why would I go there?”

The Black Path alliance was forming far earlier than it had in my previous life.

And since the Demonic Cult had yet to emerge, every Black Path sect in the land would flock to its founding ceremony.

At last, an alliance was being formed to stand against the Martial Alliance. Every sect worth its salt would rush to get a foot in the door.

“If it’s a founding ceremony, all the Black Path sects will be there. It makes no sense for an ordinary academy student like me to go.”

And he wanted me to walk straight into that den of vipers?

“What are you afraid of? Aren’t you friends with them?”

“F-Friends? Who said I was friends with them? This is outrageous!”

I was already plagued by all kinds of awful rumors, like how I was an heir to the Black Path or some rising star among them.

And now I was supposed to attend the Sahukryeon’s founding ceremony?

*That would be like pouring oil on a dying fire.*

Only now had the other academy students begun to look at me with less suspicion.

I had barely started earning their respect as their representative, too. I had no desire to attend some gathering just to be met with hostile glares.

“You’re saying you aren’t friends?”

“No!”

“Hmm?”

Jegal Somyeong rubbed his chin as he looked at me.

“Then why did that Sahwang Bongju specifically ask for you to be sent as an envoy?”

“What?!”

That lunatic!

Was he out of his mind?

Even if they had no one else to invite, why choose me, someone who would one day become an elite member of the Martial Alliance and a major enemy of the Black Path?

*Wait… Could he be trying to tarnish my reputation because he fears how quickly I’m growing?*

Faced with something I didn’t want to do, I could only come up with ridiculous suspicions. I quickly pulled myself together.

“A-Anyway, I’m not going.”

“What was that?”

“I’m not an official member of the Alliance yet, and I don’t belong to the Mantong Bureau. I only came to the bureau to help Chief Ma with his work.”

Maeng Juwon, who had been huddled off to the side with one ear turned toward us, gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

I’m not doing this because I like you!

“…I didn’t come here to go to the Sahukryeon. Besides, I’m much too busy with my duties as the academy representative to accept the Chief Strategist’s r-request.”

I had turned him down rather rudely and firmly, but Jegal Somyeong only replied calmly.

“I’ve already spoken with the academy head.”

“Pardon?”

“This time, even if you’re absent, the students won’t be allowed to form their own delegation. Unlike before, a proper order will be issued.”

He pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from a stack of documents and handed it to me.

“That’s your assignment. What does it say at the bottom?”

“…It says, ‘Alliance Lord’s Hall.’”

Why did an order from the Alliance Lord’s Hall look like someone had used it to blow their nose and then smoothed it out again?

“An order issued jointly by the Alliance Lord’s Hall and the Mantong Bureau is absolute, even if the person receiving it is an academy student. Or would you rather go argue your case before the Council of Elders?”

Only the Council of Elders could overturn an order from the Alliance Lord’s Hall and the Mantong Bureau.

But even if I took it to the Council, would those old men really revoke it? They might even give me a shove and tell me to go die while I was at it.

Jegal Somyeong gave me a smug smile.

“So, would you rather be locked up in the Golden Prison, or go?”

I gritted my teeth and answered.

“…Going would be better.”

“Exactly.”

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

What had I done to deserve one miserable ordeal after another?

If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve asked the Hengshan Sect to hold a proper ritual for me.

“But what do you mean by ‘help establish an alliance’ with the Sahukryeon?”

The Sahukryeon was a Black Path alliance formed in opposition to the Martial Alliance. If it planned to ally with the Martial Alliance from the very beginning, there would be plenty of opposition. There was no reason for it to accept the Alliance’s proposal.

And the Martial Alliance was no better. The Black Path—not the Blood Cult or the Demonic Cult, both of which were believed to have vanished—was currently its greatest enemy.

Why would the Martial Alliance be the first to propose an alliance with the Black Path?

“The war with the Blood Cult is dragging on. We can’t let the Sahukryeon see the situation as an opportunity.”

“…”

I steadied myself and spoke as calmly as I could.

“I don’t think I can do it.”

“Why not?”

“They’re an organization formed to keep the Martial Alliance in check. There’s no way they’ll accept me.”

Jegal Somyeong nodded, as though he understood.

“We don’t expect them to accept an alliance either. A cordial relationship between us is probably still a long way off. But at the very least, there must be no war until the fighting in Sichuan is over.”

“…”

“If that happens, we’ll cross a river we can never return across.”

The Blood Cult and the Black Path weren’t exactly natural allies, but neither were they completely at odds with each other.

The Black Path couldn’t be pleased to see the Martial Alliance fighting to wipe out the Blood Cult.

And for the Sahukryeon, this was the perfect chance to strike at the Martial Alliance.

*They might even kill the envoys and use it to declare war…*

If I completed this mission safely, people might suspect me of being a Black Path spy. If I failed, the Sahukryeon and the Martial Alliance could end up at war.

No matter how I looked at it, I didn’t want to go.

But with an official order already issued, there was no point trying to reason my way out of it.

In that case, I’d have to appeal to his sympathy.

I bowed politely.

“But even I couldn’t negotiate such an important agreement with the Black Path alliance. I think you’ve overestimated me.”

“Don’t worry. Your role is limited to ‘helping.’”

“…I’m scared of what might happen to me in the middle of a crowd of Black Path martial artists.”

“You have three jiazi of internal energy. What is there to worry about? You even brought back the Blood Cult’s young leader’s head. Don’t be such a coward.”

Guh…

I’d gone out of my way to earn merit, and now it had shackled me.

And this old man was no pushover, either.

Jegal Somyeong had already begun patting my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. A powerful martial artist will accompany the delegation.”

I made one last desperate attempt.

“W-What about poison? The Black Path might put poison in the food…”

Thanks to the Taeeul True Scripture and my enormous internal energy, I was probably immune to a hundred poisons. But I wasn’t immune to every poison in the world.

Whether or not he understood my concern, Jegal Somyeong nodded.

“I anticipated that and made preparations in advance.”

“…”

What? He’d prepared for that too?

Damn, why was he so thorough?

“Academy Student Jin Soun, make sure there isn’t the slightest mistake in this mission.”

Jegal Somyeong spoke in a sudden, solemn voice, cleared his throat with a dignified “Ahem,” and left.

Maeng Juwon came over and patted my shoulder as if to encourage me, but it did nothing to lift my spirits.

I really didn’t understand. Why did my life keep getting harder whether I tried to climb the ranks or not?

#

The formation of the Black Path alliance sent ripples throughout the martial world.

The Black Path sects began to hope that they could finally repay the Martial Alliance for all the wrongs they had suffered.

Meanwhile, the White Path sects grew wary of the Black Path’s rising strength.

Even within the Martial Alliance, a subtle tension began to spread.

The hardliners argued that they should send warriors at once and erase the Sahukryeon from existence. The moderates, on the other hand, saw no need to overreact to the founding of a single organization.

Despite the public’s clear opinions, the leaders couldn’t take a political stance.

They couldn’t forgive the Sahukryeon, but they had no grounds to punish it when it hadn’t done anything yet.

If the sects wanted to gather and socialize among themselves, it wasn’t as if the Alliance could flip the table and forbid them. Wouldn’t that make the Alliance just another gang of thugs?

Besides, fierce battles were still raging in Sichuan every day.

The Alliance had the upper hand, but the Blood Cult, fighting against the destruction of its sect, was putting up fierce resistance. It would still take a long time to reach its main base and root it out completely.

In the end, the Alliance decided to send suitable gifts, a personal letter from the Chief Strategist, and a small delegation to the Sahukryeon’s founding ceremony.

The hardliners and moderates alike protested in droves. But when they were reminded of the situation in Sichuan, they backed down like dogs called to heel.

Hyeok Mugang lifted his teacup and asked,

“What did the boy say?”

“He made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want to go. But what choice does the brat have?”

Jegal Somyeong looked thoroughly pleased with himself, but a trace of worry crossed Hyeok Mugang’s face.

“I wonder if we’ve placed too heavy a burden on him.”

“What else can we do? There’s no one else we can trust with a task like this.”

It was a mission that would likely fail no matter who went.

At least Jin Soun had influenced the formation of the Black Path alliance. Thanks to what had happened at the Demon Ridge Plateau, he was also acquainted with the Sahwang Bongju and many other Black Path heavyweights. That made him worth a try.

Jegal Somyeong’s expression turned serious.

“We’ll have to bet on his knack for doing the unexpected again.”

Jegal Somyeong disliked putting plans into motion that couldn’t be predicted in advance. The odds of failure were high, and the damage could be severe.

But this time, he hoped they would succeed, even if only by luck.

“If he fails… it means war.”

The Black Path’s resentment toward the Martial Alliance had run deep for a long time.

Now that the Black Path had only just begun to gather its strength, it needed to project power outward, if only to keep its own ranks in line.

The Martial Alliance, meanwhile, couldn’t simply reach out to the Black Path at this point.

Hadn’t the White Path, and the Martial Alliance within it, grown powerful under the pretext of suppressing the Black Path and preserving order in the martial world?

Perhaps war was inevitable.

“I pray we won’t have to spill any more blood.”

Hyeok Mugang’s voice fell heavier than ever.

#

“Senior Brother, hold out your arm. You’ll need to carry your pack.”

“…”

Eunho slipped a strap over my limp arm and settled the heavy bundle onto my back.

“Oh, and don’t forget to bring us souvenirs.”

“…Do you think I’m going on a sightseeing trip?”

Eunho carried on as if he hadn’t heard me.

“I heard there are Black Path martial artists who make all kinds of strange things. When else will we get a chance to see them?”

“…And what happened to you, Geumpyo?”

Geumpyo smiled sheepishly, his clothes in tatters and bruises covering his body.

“I’ve been training my external martial arts lately…”

“…Right. Keep up the good work.”

“Senior Brother, be careful.”

Saryeon stepped forward. At least she was the one who seemed most worried about me.

“See? You’re the only one who—”

“Don’t go smashing people’s heads just because they provoke you. We’ll be in the middle of Black Path territory. Don’t do what you did at the Iron Sword Sect.”

“…”

After receiving my disciples’ heartfelt(?) send-off and saying goodbye to my acquaintances, I headed straight for the Martial Alliance.

*An envoy delegation… An alliance…*

An alliance with the Sahukryeon was certainly necessary.

If another front opened, the martial world would be drenched in the blood of its warriors.

The problem was that no one in the Martial Alliance had a good relationship with the Black Path.

That made me all the more curious about who else had been selected for the delegation.

If they were going to the Sahukryeon to negotiate an alliance, they must be people within the Martial Alliance who could serve as a bridge between the two sides.

And if the negotiations went well, these delegates might later help the Martial Alliance and the Sahukryeon work together against the rise of the Demonic Cult.

*I should remember them.*

When I reached the appointed meeting place, I saw a small caravan.

The escort guards were already checking the carriages, while the porters inspected the horses.

“Um… are you the academy student joining the delegation?”

One of the porters asked, bending halfway at the waist.

I nodded casually.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Ah, this way, please.”

The porter treated me as carefully as if I were someone important.

I looked around and asked,

“Um… have the other members of the delegation arrived?”

“Yes. You’re the last one, Young Master.”

I’d arrived a full two quarters before the appointed time, and they were already here?

The porter led me around the carriages toward the horses, where the others appeared to be waiting.

And the moment I saw them—

“Fuck…”

I stopped dead, swearing under my breath.

At the sound of my voice, a woman turned toward me.

“…Swearing is bad.”

Short and stocky, with long hair as black as ebony and an expressionless face—that was Tang Seohee, whose way of speaking was as strange as ever.

“…”

“Welcome, Venerable Jin. It’s been a while.”

Beside her, the Little Buddha Ilmyeong greeted me with his palms together.

“How dare a mere member arrive later than the delegation leader?”

Last was Ak Byeongbi, who had tried to torture me not long ago after I broke Ak Jupyeong’s leg.

*This is a nightmare.*

I was dumbfounded as I took in the lineup.

A daughter of the Tang Clan who was more ruthless than the Black Path.

The leading disciple of Shaolin, Mount Tai of the martial world, said to be its next abbot.

An ideology examiner who could turn even an innocent White Path martial artist into a Black Path criminal if he found them suspicious.

*What kind of delegation is this?! It’s a punitive force!*

It would be hard to deliberately assemble a group more hated by the Black Path.

“It’s good to see you again.”

Tang Seohee waved without changing her expression.

*I quit! Damn it!*

I’d already hated the idea of going.

Now I wanted to go even less.