The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything [Novel] Chapter 219

Chapter 219: An Uncomfortable Delegation (2)

The Martial Alliance’s punitive force… no, its delegation, was heading north from Wuhan to attend the Sahukryeon’s founding ceremony.

The Sahukryeon was based in Shanxi Province.

To get there from Wuhan, we had to cross Hubei and travel through Henan.

The caravan’s journey had been uneventful. Skilled escorts chose good roads, making travel comfortable, and the Martial Alliance’s banner flew at the head of the caravan to deter minor trouble before it began.

“Still, it’s disappointing.”

Tang Seohee sat atop a horse that somehow looked even bigger than the others. She wore a dejected expression.

“I heard that all sorts of things happen on a caravan journey.”

That’s a terrifying thing to say.

If something happened with this group, we’d be in trouble. We should be trying to avoid every incident we could, and she was talking about looking forward to one.

…Just imagining it was awful.

Tang Seohee’s pout didn’t fade.

“Senior Tang, haven’t you been active in the martial world for quite some time?”

“When I travel with the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, no one dares pick a fight.”

“…Isn’t that a good thing?”

I gave her a puzzled look. Maybe it encouraged her, because Tang Seohee’s cheeks puffed out a little.

“…As a chivalrous hero, I want to punish villains.”

“…”

Good grief. What was with that expression?

I shook my head to clear it.

Hadn’t she played the hero plenty while traveling with the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly?

Why did the Black Path tremble at the very mention of the Goddess of a Hundred Hands?

Because she had killed more people with her own hands than the entire Dragon-Phoenix Assembly had taken down…

“We’re an envoy delegation. It’s better if we avoid getting caught up in that sort of thing.”

Besides, everything up to Henan was practically Shaolin territory, so the Black Path knew to behave itself.

But Shanxi, where we were headed now, was beyond the Martial Alliance’s reach. We had to stay on our guard.

*Still, they picked a clever place.*

I’d expected the Black Path alliance to form near the Dabie Mountains in Henan, just like it had in my previous life. This time, though, it had established itself in Shanxi.

Of course, no matter where it put down roots, it couldn’t escape the Martial Alliance’s influence completely. But Shanxi was a complicated location.

With so many Black Path sects around the Dabie Mountains, the Sahukryeon could use them as a forward base in a fight with the Martial Alliance.

And if it wanted to attack Shaolin, the great northern pillar of the martial world, it could encircle the sect from both the Dabie Mountains and Shanxi.

On the other hand, if the Martial Alliance gathered its forces and marched north to conquer the Sahukryeon, the emperor in Beijing, just next door, would grow suspicious and wonder if the Alliance was plotting treason.

The Martial Alliance would have to watch Beijing before it could attack the Sahukryeon.

*Do they have a strategist among them?*

In my previous life, the Demonic Cult’s attack had come so quickly that the Black Path alliance was thrown together in the blink of an eye. It hadn’t lasted long before falling apart, either.

In this life, the Black Path alliance had formed even earlier and secured a strategic location.

Maybe the course of history really would change this time.

As I was lost in thought, our delegation’s ideological examiner… no, its leader, Ak Byeongbi, spoke.

“Take down the banner from here on.”

“What?”

Ak Byeongbi stared at me with the same displeased look he always wore.

“What? Do you have a problem with that?”

“We’re entering Shanxi. We don’t know what dangers lie ahead, so why lower the banner?”

“If we fly the banner in Shanxi, people may mistake it for a sign that the Martial Alliance has submitted to the Sahukryeon.”

Wouldn’t the usual thing be to do the opposite?

Why risk our safety just to protect our pride?

“With the Sahukryeon’s founding, the Black Path in Shanxi will know that a lot of goods are being moved around. Something is bound to happen.”

Even after my calm explanation, Ak Byeongbi shouted in his usual flat voice.

“Hmph! I’m not afraid of a bunch of Black Path thugs!”

Damn it. This was why I hadn’t wanted to come.

If they’d sent an administrator who knew nothing about martial arts, he would never have suggested taking down the banner.

In the unsettled silence, Ilmyeong’s bald head gleamed as he calmly pressed his palms together.

“Venerable Jin, don’t worry. The Black Path are people too. They won’t bully just anyone.”

What would a monk who knew nothing about the world understand?

As I sighed, Tang Seohee’s eyes lit up for once.

“This is exciting!”

My heart was pounding too. Damn it.

#

After passing Zhengzhou and Luoyang, then crossing Jiyuan, we soon entered Shanxi.

Contrary to my worries, we encountered no serious trouble in the small towns.

*Well, our caravan is an unusual sight.*

A hulking man carrying an iron spear. A monk fingering prayer beads. A young girl in green silk with an ominous aura. What sort of group was that?

Even the local ruffians who strutted around with their shoulders squared wouldn’t dare approach us.

Come to think of it, even the Black Path were wary of people dressed strangely.

No one would dare pick a fight unless they were a major figure, and the major figures probably had no interest in us anyway.

Maybe I’d been worrying for nothing.

*That’s what should’ve happened…*

Gaoping was the first major city we stopped in after entering Shanxi.

As we ate an awkward meal at an inn, a voice reached our ears.

“You bastard, you wanna die? Keep your eyes down!”

“You dog-pawed bastard! Want me to use your guts as a skipping rope today?!”

A common dispute in an inn.

With Black Path martial artists from all over the country gathering for the Sahukryeon’s founding ceremony, fights inside inns were more frequent than usual.

“You son of a bitch! You got a death wish? You know the Sageombang? Their chief is sworn brothers with my big brother!”

“You dog-pawed bastard! You know the Akho Sect? Their sect leader is cousins with my cousin’s friend’s wife!”

As their voices grew louder, members of both groups began getting to their feet. A small scuffle put everyone nearby on edge.

*Still, this probably won’t turn into a real fight.*

If they’d actually wanted to fight, they would’ve drawn their weapons and charged at each other.

But there were plenty of people on both sides. They’d probably keep posturing until it fizzled out.

Just as I decided to ignore them and turned away—

Thuck!

A strange sound was followed by screams that filled the inn.

“Argh!”

“Guh! C-Chopsticks?!”

A wooden chopstick was stuck in each arm of the two men who had started the argument.

Then I heard a voice at my side, tinged with an unusual hint of excitement.

“That’s enough mercy. Don’t hurt anyone else.”

I turned to Tang Seohee in disbelief.

…She was holding a whole bundle of chopsticks.

When our eyes met, she whispered with a faintly proud tone,

“I practiced in case something like this happened.”

*You lunatic!*

They hadn’t even picked a fight with us. They were arguing among themselves. Why throw chopsticks at them?

Before I could find the words, the two men with chopsticks in their arms rolled their eyes and charged at us.

“You son of a bitch! You ambush me out of nowhere?”

“You fucking dog-pawed bastard! You wanna die?!”

With chopsticks stuck in their arms, the Black Path martial artists were looking for an excuse to turn on us. They decided it was easier to attack the four of us—strangely dressed as we were—than to fight the nearly forty people on the other side.

I hurriedly looked at Ilmyeong and Ak Byeongbi.

Ilmyeong calmly rolled his prayer beads as he watched the Black Path martial artists. Ak Byeongbi, meanwhile, slammed his iron spear against the floor as if he were ready to attack at any moment.

You’re the delegation leader! You’re supposed to stop the fight, not join it!

*Ugh… my head…*

I give up.

I’ve done all I can.

I mean, surely the Blood Star, the Goddess of a Hundred Hands, and the Little Buddha wouldn’t get killed by a bunch of Black Path nobodies, would they?

This would just ruin our relationship with the Sahukryeon, wreck the alliance, break the agreement, and start a war.

Sigh.

Just as I felt something snap inside me and sat down to pour myself some wine—

“Huh?”

I noticed a man and woman among the Black Path crowd.

The beautiful woman looked just over thirty, while the gaunt old man beside her looked nearly eighty.

Both of them watched with bright eyes, as if they were waiting for the fight to begin.

Those two…

My head went numb as if I’d been struck.

*The Flame Ghost Consort and the Blood Fiend!*

Their appearances were different, but their habits, movements, and even their eyes were exactly as I remembered them from my previous life.

These notorious Black Path masters had concealed their auras and blended in with the riffraff!

I had no time to wonder why they were hiding here. I shouted,

“W-Wait!”

My voice rang through the inn.

Everyone about to start fighting turned to look at me. I hurried into the middle of the crowd and rummaged through my robes.

“I’m terribly sorry. Someone in our group made a mistake.”

At my sudden change in attitude, the Black Path martial artists narrowed their eyes.

Then they glared at me and pointed to the chopsticks stuck in their arms.

“A mistake?”

“What the hell are you talking about, you dog-pawed bastard?”

I put on my friendliest smile.

“I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. She’s a daughter of the Tang Clan, and she’s practiced her martial arts so much that her hands sometimes lash out on their own in everyday life.”

“A-A daughter of the Tang Clan?”

I could see their eyes waver.

I nodded quickly.

“Yes. You’ve heard of the Goddess of a Hundred Hands of the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, haven’t you?”

“Gasp…”

I took out a gold coin for each of them and held it out.

“I’m sorry. I know money can’t make up for the pain, but isn’t it better to take this than get hurt even worse in a pointless fight?”

The Black Path men hesitated at the sight of the gold coins, then reached out and took them.

“Hmph! Keep her under control! If this happens again, I’ll make you meet the chief of the Sageombang, who’s sworn brothers with my big brother!”

“If you don’t want to meet the Akho Sect leader, my cousin’s friend’s wife’s cousin, then watch yourself!”

“Y-Yes, of course. Of course.”

The Black Path crowd turned and began streaming out of the inn.

Thankfully, the Flame Ghost Consort and the Blood Fiend left as well, unable to hide their disappointment.

“Haa…”

I let out a long sigh and turned around. Tang Seohee and Ak Byeongbi were staring at me with faces full of resentment.

“Why did you interfere? You’ve trampled justice in the martial world!”

She didn’t even realize I’d saved her!

Besides, punishing those men wouldn’t have made the world any more just.

“You… The fact that you care about the Black Path’s losses proves you have Black Path roots!”

Ak Byeongbi, the ideological examiner, glared at me with a look that said he wanted to carry out justice right here and now.

*Damn it, you were all about to die here!*

If I died on this delegation, it would probably be from frustration.

I felt like chanting a Buddhist sutra, even though I hated the thought.

#

We passed Gaoping, stayed overnight in Shangzhi, and headed toward Jincheng.

We stopped along the way to rest and eat. The escort guards watched the surroundings and checked the goods and carriages, while the porters fed and watered the horses and prepared our meal.

Traveling with an escort company was convenient. Other people took care of everything I needed to do.

As I ate contentedly, a timid voice came from beside me.

“Um… is it all right for us to eat with you?”

A middle-aged porter asked. I answered,

“Of course. I think I’d get indigestion if I ate over there. Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“N-No! We’re fine!”

I was supposed to eat with the rest of the delegation, but Ak Byeongbi kept staring at me with such suspicion that I couldn’t get a bite down.

*This trip is going to shave at least a year off my life.*

If someone openly picked a fight, I could knock them down and make sure to get under their skin.

But since that day, Ak Byeongbi hadn’t raised any other objections to me. Even on this trip, he only seemed displeased with me; as a fellow delegate, he treated me properly. That somehow made me even more uncomfortable.

The middle-aged porter dipped his head.

“W-We’re grateful to you, Young Master.”

“What for?”

I’d told the porters and escort guards to speak casually with me, but my status as an academy student seemed to make them nervous.

“You’re always stepping in to stop fights.”

The porter scratched his head awkwardly.

“You have no idea how reassuring it is.”

True enough. When a fight broke out, the weakest people were the first to die.

“Think nothing of it.”

“But I’m worried about what’s ahead. We’ll soon be passing bandit strongholds. And since the banner’s been taken down… I’m worried the delegation leader will let them charge us tolls.”

I looked at him, puzzled.

“Bandit strongholds? Are there many?”

“There used to be only two major strongholds between Shangzhi and Jincheng, but a lot have sprung up this year because of the drought in Shanxi.”

The so-called bandits were probably people who had turned to robbery just to survive.

How long had it been since the harvest, and already people were heading for the mountains?

From what I’d heard, Shanxi’s officials must be terribly corrupt.

“Still, they probably won’t demand much. Especially when they see martial artists with us, they usually won’t come after the caravan…”

I understood what he meant.

“Don’t worry. The delegation’s mission is to reach Taiyuan safely, not to cause trouble along the way.”

Of course, there was one person who blew up like a thunderbolt bomb at the slightest whiff of the Black Path, and another who couldn’t tell martial arts fiction from reality…

But somehow, we’d made it this far without incident.

The porter bowed, his eyes shining with emotion.

“T-Thank you!”

“Thank you, Young Master!”

The other porters bowed too, apparently just as worried.

I realized I’d have to keep my wits about me for their sake.

We had only just left the main road and started climbing an unnamed mountain when an escort guard at the head of the caravan raised his hand to stop us.

“What is it?”

At Ak Byeongbi’s question, the guard pointed ahead.

“There’s a group blocking the road.”

“Bandits?”

“This wasn’t here before. It seems to have sprung up recently. They’re probably people who went to the mountains because they had nothing to eat. What should we do?”

We’d have to pay a toll to pass, or fight if we refused.

Of course, there was no chance the delegation would lose to a bunch of amateur bandits. The guard was probably suggesting that we pay them off.

He knew how cruel it was for a man to go home to his family without food.

But—

“The Martial Alliance neither compromises nor turns back!”

Look at that stubborn bastard.

At Ak Byeongbi’s words, the guard let out a quiet sigh.

The other guards took out clubs instead of their swords, as if they’d expected this. At least they meant to spare the bandits’ lives, even if they wouldn’t give them money.

When we reached the top of the slope, we saw a strange scene.

Several dozen men who looked like amateur bandits were kneeling on one side, while a man and a woman stood opposite them, looking down at them.

Then an unpleasant smell drifted over on the breeze.

*Blood?*

My gaze shifted to a pile of corpses off to one side.

Blood was still dripping from the bodies. They must have been killed recently.

The escort guards quickly lowered their clubs and readied their swords.

The members of the delegation drew their weapons cautiously as well.

“Oh? Who do we have here? Didn’t we meet in Gaoping?”

The beautiful woman who had been looking down at the bandits turned our way and waved.

“What a coincidence!”

A coincidence?

The escort companies might have set routes, but there were dozens of ways to get from Gaoping to Taiyuan.

This was too perfect to be a coincidence.

I looked at the woman smiling as beautifully as if she’d been painted, and at the old man standing ramrod straight.

*Damn it… Were they waiting for us?*

They were the Flame Ghost Consort and the Blood Fiend.