Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time Chapter 422

◈ No pulse (3)

* * *

A lonely sound of footsteps echoed through the dirt.

Damn it.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly descended to the ground and lowered her eyelids for a moment.

Maybe it was because it was a summer forest. The warm moisture felt on my skin, but the sensation under my feet was strange. It felt damp and sticky.

It was the land of the Jeong family.

To be exact, it would be the mountain behind it. The graveyard where the families of large landowners are buried.

‘There was a strange rumor going around in Deungbong-hyeon.’

Earlier, he arrived with Ma Gwang-ik in a city close to Shaolin. It was Deungbong County at the foot of Mt. Sung.

And just as I was about to walk straight to the lodgings of the guests who had business in Shaolin, I heard a rumor that the immortals of the Jeomchangpa were heading to the home of the Magwangikju.

I couldn’t not come. I couldn’t visit the family graveyard last year.

Jeong Yeon-shin was in Sacheon at this time last year. On the day that her maternal grandfather, Mayeon-jeok, attempted to unite with the Blood Flame Cult leader.

‘however.’

He slowly turned his head.

The surrounding scenery is unfamiliar.

At this moment, the few stones in the shape of half-human beings kneeling at the bottom of the hill by the graveyard are nothing.

The words they threw at Baekgi-rin Namgung Hwasin were also worse than the exhalation of a monkey.

A brick wall surrounding my mother’s grave site like a royal tomb.

A warm wind blew against the stone wall for a moment, then blew toward Jeongyeonshin, and a strange atmosphere could be felt from the surface of the wall.

‘Hyeolyeomgyo, bloodyeongnachalsu (血影羅刹手).’

The smoothly cut cross-section was familiar.

The traces of the sharp, hand-crafted waves that cut into delicate pieces. Is there any need to wonder who it is? There is no one else but one person.

It must be the Seven Apostles of the Blood Flame Sect.

‘I don’t feel any waves right now, what are you doing here…?’

The foundation of Jeong Yeon-shin, who has been an adult for a long time, is Jeong Ga-dong-gong.

The key to his martial arts is his mother. No matter what anyone does in this tomb, it cannot help but be felt sensitively.

It was the same even then. The feeling of the hairs on the back of my neck standing up softly.

‘What should I do with you?’

It was a time to reflect anew on Kang-ho’s favor.

“You are the true face of the island.”

An old, worn-out voice pierced my ears. It was clearly a low voice, but it felt like an invisible blade was piercing my mind.

Only then did Jeongyeonshin raise her head.

An old woman appeared, holding a sword stuck in the ground as a cane. She was joined by the swordsman Jeomchang.

After Sogeom-hoo’s death, Hae-ok opened his eyes wide and looked at Jeong-yeon-shin. It was different from when they met while leading his maternal grandfather, who had become Mok-nae-i, and the elders to return to the main castle.

The way he whispered and asked for information was annoying, but now he was busy looking at the hem of Jeongyeonshin’s clothes.

“Who are you?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked.

Some of the disciples of the Jinchangpa were outraged by those words and actions. Anger was evident on each of their faces. However, no one dared to open their mouths.

It must have been because the head of the Buddhist order had stepped forward. It was the law of a prestigious Buddhist sect.

“My name is Geumseonseon.”

The old woman looked at him blankly and said.

That was enough.

It was the same even if there was no other introduction.

If the person who heard this was a true believer, he would make an expression of admiration at this very moment, and if he were a person walking the path of Sima Weido, he would check his own body at this moment to see if his neck was safe.

The mark that Geumseonseon left on the world of martial arts was just as great.

A few years ago, there was a famous anecdote about splitting the Yangtze River estuary in half under the Red Cliffs in response to the combined attack of the Three Immortals of Taemosan Fortress.

At that time, the entire area south of the Yangtze River was filled with such stories. It was even enough to reach the ears of Jeong Yeon-sin, who was practicing Jeonggadonggong in a rural corner of Xinya County, Henan Province.

He slowly took the lottery.

“This is Jeong Yeon-shin.”

Sarak.

The purple sleeves flowed down, emitting a soft light. The old woman, who had been silently watching the scene, slowly opened her mouth.

“In the end, the Emperor’s Palace… has acquired a new purple color.”

“It’s not enough yet.”

“I don’t know whether I should call it a blessing that you are not black, or whether I should be concerned that the bloody winds that will blow through the martial arts world will become even more intense. Isn’t Iphwangseong not a place where you can keep your hands full just because your opponent is an old school?”

“I have never doubted the purity of the old school. As long as the safety of the people is prioritized over the glory of the secular schools, the original school will treat the disciples of the mountain school as immortals.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly.

Is it because he changed his clothes completely? Every word he speaks feels like it carries the weight of a person representing the Emperor’s will.

It may be because I heard from Yong Hee-myeong, the leader of the Shingeomdan, that I was a ‘dignified person’. I even felt a sense of responsibility that I had never felt before.

In fact, the swordsman in front of him was not only speaking and acting indifferently, but he had been observing Jeongyeonshin very closely from the beginning until now.

Even though he has been building a world-class reputation as the best swordsman in the world for decades.

“…I heard you came to comfort my mother.”

“I can’t say that there were no bad winds. However, I intended to show the utmost courtesy.”

At the words of the swordsman, Jeong Yeon-shin turned his head. Towards Masain behind him. As soon as he made eye contact with Maga’s distant relative, he asked.

“What happened?”

“What happened to you? I heard you went to Beijing with the chief priest, but those clothes, could it be… ?”

“You’re wearing blue. It suits you quite well.”

“Why does that suit you… No… Ask.”

Masain slightly bowed his head towards Jeongyeonshin.

It seems like he realized, albeit belatedly, that there were people around him. When Jeong Yeon-shin asked him about what had happened, he answered coolly with a faint smile.

The famous Jeomchang who came here to honor Ma Gwang-ik-ju who had achieved incredible feats in Sacheon, the party led by Ip Hwang-seong who could not sit idly by, the local aristocrats of Namjikrye who had followed them because they had business for Baek Gi-rin Namgung Hwa-shin… … .

Meanwhile, Namgung Hwasin just stood there blankly.

After bowing to Jeong Yeon-shin without showing any sign of surprise, he silently looked down at the Yi Cheon-geom. Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at him and opened her mouth to Ma Se-in.

“It would be a good thing if it was a ritual. You could also practice martial arts.”

“How could we just sit still? If you say Jeomchang Sogeomhu, we don’t know what kind of thoughts he has in his heart, and it’s not right to send only people from the Ta sect to the grave where the mother of the Great Lord Jeong lies.”

Masain said everything he wanted to say, even in a polite tone.

If you scold him wrongly, he will even step on his own leg. Jeong Yeon-shin was convinced that he had a slight advantage in the competition between the gentlemen of Maga.

“Are you in Hanam on a mission?”

“I asked to be allowed to use the Shaolin’s famous secret arts in Hogwang. It was not readily accepted, so I am fighting a defense battle, but I am losing again and again. It seems that the martial artists of Deungbong-hyeon are considering this as a preliminary battle for the Hwasanjihoe… I am ashamed.”

“You’re saying it’s a losing streak?”

Jeongyeonshin’s eyes twitched.

He immediately turned around and grabbed the ticket from Geom-hu again.

“I will mourn my mother alone. I will only accept your gratitude for coming all the way here.”

“… I guess I should listen to my direct blood relatives. That’s right.”

Until the moment the old woman slowly turned around.

Jeongyeonshin did not relax the muscles in her entire body that had been naturally contracted. This was due to the pressure flowing out of Geomhu’s skinny body.

It was like countless needlepoints.

It felt like countless sword strikes were being made, even though her energy was clearly concentrated. Jeong Yeon-shin’s innate senses were piercing through the years engraved on her body.

‘A state where the body and the sky are one… … .’

When Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes became dark and heavy, Geom-hu, who was leaving with his disciples, suddenly stopped.

“It’s very uncomfortable to be turned around like this. I feel like the sword you’re holding will pierce this old man’s rusty waist at any moment.”

Woodduck-

In that moment, Geom-hu’s back straightened.

It was a sight that seemed impossible. Her matted hair instantly regained its luster and turned black, and the wrinkles on the back of her hands outside the sleeves of her clothes became smooth.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the calluses that were like iron armor on his palms.

“I look forward to the volcanic elixir.”

Even the voice flowed like that of a young woman. If Geom-hu were to look back at Jeong Yeon-shin at this moment, he would see a face that was not that of an old woman.

It was different from Banrohwandong. It wasn’t something that could be achieved just by having high martial arts skills.

When enlightenment, chance, and the martial arts you are learning fit together well with fate, it is said that time in the physical body turns back. It is literally the realm of luck.

‘however.’

It seemed like the swordsman had turned back time with just his martial arts skills. So it was temporary.

It was also a scary thing. It meant that Jeongjong’s divine power had gone beyond the chronic state of waiting and had begun to overflow into the vessel of the flesh. It was a purple-colored martial arts world where monsters of great strength ran rampant.

“Please take a look.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said calmly. It was already too late to go out in black. As a purple-clad leader, it was not right to feel only admiration from the opponent.

“It’s not easy. It’s not easy… … .”

Geom-hu shook her head and went down the hill. So-geom-hu and the other disciples of Jeom-chang followed her in silence.

Until then, the Namjikrye nobles who had been kneeling before Jeongyeonshin’s heart continued to move their bodies as if asking for attention.

None of them dared to open their mouths. They made a fuss at the place where the purple-haired mother of the Yellow Emperor was buried.

If you keep spouting nonsense in front of that person, you’ll most likely lose your head. You just have to look at him and ask for mercy.

Jeongyeonshin didn’t see them.

After simply bowing to his mother along with Masain, he locked eyes with Namgung Hwasin, who was guarding his position like a bear.

“Would you like to learn?”

He asked. Like a boy who once saw the poem of the Emperor from a lower eye level than Baekgi-rin. If it were Namgung Hwasin, he would have seen a glimpse of his older brother Cheonggi-rin in Simgeukgi-rin’s sword.

Namgung Hwasin, who had been staring blankly at Jeongyeonshin, shakes his head.

“I don’t know. If I am qualified… … .”

“It’s not something we can decide here.”

Naturally, Ha Dae-han led the party led by Ip Hwang-seong and descended the mountain.

And when I arrived at the old site of Jeonggajang, I saw strangers.

A sight of all sorts of bundles piled up like mountains, and over a hundred people running around, shouting, and moving supplies. The annex of the old Jeonggajang was being used as a warehouse.

There, Jeong Yeon-shin heard something that was almost like a bolt from the blue.

“Who are we? As you can see, this is the headquarters of the Onhasangdan (穩厦商團)…”

“top?”

“Oh, I heard that those in debt to the Jeong family would often come to visit. Our lord bought this land. I heard that the second son of that house sold it… .”

* * *

Recently, a scary rumor has been circulating in the streets of Deungbong-hyeon, Hanam-seong.

It was a topic that spread among local leaders and eventually became an open secret.

There is a story about a group of elders from the Shaolin Temple who gathered in the Songshan Mountains, which are covered with clouds.

It’s not just a rumor that excites people in the martial arts world.

Rather, it was news that those in the business world should listen to. At least, that was what Onha Sangdanju Ha Geum-seong thought.

‘The Great Mount Taishan of the world’s martial arts world!’

The absolute rulers of the Old Gate Sect are having a secret meeting? It would have the same or even greater impact as the gathering of the Seventeen Great Lords of the Ip Hwang Seong.

It wouldn’t be strange if the imperial guard, eunuchs of the Dongchang clan, or even the Zhou clan’s masters were mixed in with the dense crowd of Deungbong County right now.

Where power and danger coexist, there is always a trade-off. It was a common sense that no one could deny.

If they were allowed to do business in Deungbong-hyeon, where all the martial artists in the world were flocking, or if they were guaranteed the safety of the land where they had put down roots by other old factions, the number of people would more than double.

Fortunately, Ha Geum-seong was a good merchant in his own right.

Even though he had accumulated a huge amount of rice, he was not stingy in unlocking the granary. Not only Sinya-hyeon but also many villages in Hanam benefited from this.

As the number of starving people decreased, rumors spread that Onhasangdan was distributing food.

Naturally, the Black Swordsmen and even the fearsome Sima Wei Dao martial artists were entangled, and naturally, the Shaolin Temple came to protect his group.

The process of Onhasangdan carrying Shaolin on his back was as smooth as flowing water.

His invisible status rose and he developed a strong network of connections. At this moment, he was able to hang around the meeting place of the old faction’s leaders.

The only problem is that it was limited.

“Ugh… … .”

Ha Geum-seong, an elderly middle-aged merchant and owner of Onhasangdanju, stopped himself as he was about to kick away a pebble.

It was because I had figured out the intuition of the peerless masters that it was difficult to even make eye contact with them.

We must make one deal. Even if we can’t, we must at least protect the main building located on the old site of Jeonggajang.

How desperately he tried to buy the land that had become cheap after the Pyeonggeom clan swept through. It was land he had obtained by coaxing the second son of the head of the Jeong family who was working there when the Jongnam clan collapsed.

―If you want to rescue your captured nephew, don’t you have to hire a ronin? What can a penniless disciple of Jongnam do?

―…Please hit me more.

‘But the youngest of that family is making great achievements in Iphwangseong.’

Ha Geum-seong was from Shinya-hyeon. The tenant farmers he hired farmed the land of Jeong Ga-jang-ju. Naturally, he passed by the young Jeong Yeon-sin several times.

While looking up blankly at things like Dano Festival swings or Chilseok Day kites, they are considered worthless pastimes.

“He was a weak child.”

It was when he muttered absentmindedly.

“Coming.”

A voice that sounds a little familiar.

The sound of the long-winded people’s breath dissipating was heard from the annex where Ha Geum-seong had been watching from afar. It was the famous sword of the shamanist faction.

One day, when we met in the Shaolin temple, he was the one who passed by Ha Geum Seong as if he were looking at a stone. As the name High Sword suggests, he was an immortal who did not associate with merchants who pursued foreign affairs.

“The prayers have become more devout.”

“Because Ma Gwang-ik is young.”

A skinny old nun and a beautiful Taoist priest came out of the annex.

Even though there was not a single gust of wind, the orange robe and the blue hem of the robe fluttered. It was the long-sleeved Avalokitesvara of the Amipa and the long-sleeved Yangbyeokgeomgun of the Cheongseong.

Likewise, there are absolute beings that Ha Geum-seong has not even been able to speak to.

“You said your appearance changed? You’ve completely transformed.”

It was on the roof of the annex.

Suddenly, without a sound, a woman was standing on top of him, her pure white sleeves fluttering.

Although she was seen from behind, only her long, flowing hair could be seen, Ha Geum-seong guessed that she was the head of the Hwasan faction.

It was because of the plum blossom pattern engraved in purple on the white sleeves. It was not much different from the behavior of the young Taoist priest who had once treated him rudely.

‘Who is coming… …!’

Ha Geum-seong couldn’t bring himself to take another step and just stretched his neck.

Fortunately, the mystery was quickly solved thanks to the plum blossom inspector of the Hwasan faction who ran towards the path under the annex from the other side and the boy Taoist priest who had been recalled earlier.

“Jeong Yeon-shin! It’s been a long time since I waited!”

As expected of a disciple of a prestigious school, his voice was clear and bright. Soon, a long black haired man with a sunset-colored robe appeared beyond the boundary of the path.

Ha Geum-seong’s eyes widened, and he was shocked by the voice of the young Taoist priest.

“Hey, what are those clothes… …!”

Ha Geum-seong stopped listening and returned to the guest house where he had originally stayed.

Then, sitting down, he opened his notebook and wrote in one stroke of a pen an order to transfer land to Yeon-sin of Jeongga, Hanam.

It didn’t take long.