Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time Chapter 549

◈ Magic Mirror (4)

* * *

Retrograde.

Built by the northern tribes.

The two groups that fill the vast outer and inner castles, as if they were their own, are the monsters of the north and the fugitives of the south. The inside and outside of the great castle walls were their world.

Maybe that’s why.

The wind blowing from outside often rubbed against the large stone walls, and the friction sound was unusually heavy.

This is because literally all kinds of air waves were pressing down on the atmosphere.

Han Chinese ronin who use the fortress as their home and practice their sword skills.

The noble warriors who, for whatever reason, find it difficult to associate with their clans.

The Jurchen tribe of Liaodong, whose entire clan was absorbed by the Yao people, has become difficult to find its original form.

Remnants of the once very powerful Yuan Dynasty.

The northern land’s powerful tribesmen silently watched the fugitives coming from the south, then disappeared into the darkness or dragged some of them away silently.

Among them, there are those who are born with extraordinary qualities.

The reverse crucible was a cold furnace.

A winter of famine. A fortress built in the cold northern lands, where powerful clans are mixed together in a disorderly manner.

“What is this… … .”

“God King! How could God King…!”

Among them, the most intimate place is the inner castle of Yeokru Castle.

It has to be overwhelmingly large and magnificent.

The ceiling is a dozen or so jang high, and wide curtains hang in a messy manner, connecting the pillars and the inside of the roof.

On the surface, words such as “Gold” and “Daechung” were engraved in bold letters. Each one showed slight traces of time in a different way.

It was all in Chinese characters.

The reason is that the Yeolulu Castle lord is a mixed race of the Yao and Han Chinese, and the fortress itself, Yeolulu Castle, was a city that absorbed all those who fled from the south.

Each of our different traditions, customs, and way of thinking had to become one in this place.

The dwelling place of one who must suppress all kinds of clans.

Outside, there were several masters known as the masters of the secret arts who were peeking into the castle through the cracks in the windows.

At this moment, separate from the letter they were writing, something big was happening inside the room.

“… the pulse is gone.”

“He is dead. The king has passed away.”

Rough words resonate.

Those surrounding the giant’s body.

Like the corpses lying on the cold stone floor, their appearance was at least seven feet tall.

The warriors of the Yao tribe. They all have bodies that look like they’re made of iron armor.

That was when.

The Taesa is laying the floor exactly three steps above.

“Do you still see him as a king?”

A stranger wearing a silver mask asks, sitting roughly on a tiger skin laid out like a cushion. He is wrapped in a thick fur robe, making it difficult to see his body.

It was Jeong Yeon-shin.

Knock, knock.

Drops of blood dripped down his arms.

The skin on each joint of his clenched fist was torn, and the area between the sleeve and the armrest was soaked with blood, making it clammy.

“… … .”

The powerful people of the Yao tribe keep their mouths shut.

None of them looked at Jeongyeonshin.

It’s not ignorance. Everyone here knows it.

He was simply hesitating to turn to Jeongyeonshin. It was because he was born with a stronger instinct than other nobles.

Saaaaa―

Meanwhile, white smoke was rising from the outer side of Jeongyeonshin’s clothes. It was the heat that the King of Flames, who was now lying in a corpse, had injected into him.

All of that sight made the new form of Jeong Yeon-shin sitting on the throne at that moment something overwhelming.

So much so that it seemed natural for him to look down on the powerful men of a clan bigger than his own.

“Now.”

He said, wearing a silver mask.

“I am the ruler of this land and the king of this land.”

It was a story told with the hem of his clothes dyed crimson. The silence in the room thickened for a moment.

There is no other reason.

Because his words, actions, and demeanor as he sat on the throne after killing the King of Flame and became the Grand Historian were very suitable for the land of the North.

This was the land where even status was determined by martial arts.

The man in the silk robe who had been standing far away, the gatekeeper of the North, also kept his mouth shut.

‘Is one of your parents a Yaoist?’

When he questions.

Jeongyeonshin looked at one of those gathered around the dead Yeomyeolshin King and said.

“Now you are the lord of the reverse castle.”

“… … .”

“The king you served is dead, and I wish to sit on the throne of the new North King. If you do not wish to do so, then tell me now.”

A person who was originally the lord of the castle.

The unusually tall man did not answer those words. His face, which had been distorted since birth, only crumpled even more.

Finally.

He didn’t rush in.

A dry gust of wind howled and repeatedly struck the huge window frame. That was the only sound that could be heard clearly in the room.

* * *

Anyway, things worked out well. That’s what Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

‘Thank goodness.’

Retrograde resistance.

Although it is very crowded, it still overlooks the most noble grand hall in the city.

“… … .”

The very size of the space that spread out beneath the Taesa was luxurious. Everything was huge. It really felt like the inner chamber where the king and his subjects conducted state affairs.

‘The King of the North. He deserves to be called a king.’

At this moment, Jeongyeonshin was hiding all her thoughts behind her silver mask. While enduring the pain that felt like her arms were burning.

It was the aftermath of defeating the northern peerless master of the hot and true energy, wearing the armor of the Heavenly Sword.

Among the kings of the North, he was called the King of Flame.

―You came after killing the famous official, right? Take off your mask and become my confidant. If you don’t want to follow my orders, you will have to prove yourself to be strong.

The first thing Jeong Yeon-shin heard when she met him was that it was utterly absurd.

The head of the Shingeomdanju of Ip Hwang Seong must bow to the village elders, but must not become a subordinate to others. This is the same even if it is a secret operation.

If such behavior is revealed later, the prestige of the entire Yi Hwang clan will inevitably be tarnished.

Yong Hee-myeong and Jeong Yeon-sin were such beings.

The most noble divine sword in the world. Even if you put on a mask right now, its essence will not change.

-Prove it.

After a fierce fight, Jeongyeonshin killed her by striking her with a fist.

He was literally bare-handed, and did not display any of the skills of the Lotus Flower Sword that were now well known throughout the world.

I would say that the price for the injury I received today is very generous.

Because right now, her subordinates are following Jeongyeonshin’s lead and cleaning up the room.

―Okay… Is it okay? I was going to help you out if you got hurt. Right, your hand! Does your hand hurt? If you apply the ointment now, it probably won’t look bad, but if it hurts a lot, you really should tell me.

Shin So-bin’s voice tickled my ears. She was now leaning against the throne right next to where Jeong Yeon-shin was sitting.

Jeong Yeon-shin became serious on the spot.

– Even as a joke, you shouldn’t say things like that. If I get pushed, I should run away.

-Oh, I don’t like it. I have pride, too.

-That’s why the child… .

―You know we’re the same age, right? I’ve always been curious about your thoughts, Grand Master.

Jeong Yeon-shin made a promise. She promised firmly that Shin So-bin would not do anything ridiculous.

Grand Admiral Jeon Woo-rip said that the Northern King was a peerless master.

The reason why the Ming Dynasty’s imperial guard and military were blocking the Great Wall.

In the south, they are comparable to the kings of the palace, the thirteen heavenly lords, or the leaders of the nine great sects.

Tushin also failed to unite the North because of them. Some followed him, while others rebelled against him.

So, Jeongyeonshin had to blend in with them, even if it meant forcing herself to do so.

Fortunately, the northern powers were also places that absorbed Han and Ming fugitives, thereby expanding the martial prowess of the land.

It was really difficult.

There is also the matter of blending in with the North while maintaining one’s prestige.

It’s also possible to fight monsters like the North King with the enemy’s public power.

Still, Jeongyeonshin must hide her true identity. At least until her true comrades arrive.

‘I wonder if Senior Bukgung and Senior Wiji were released safely.’

A time to think about something that doesn’t have an immediate answer.

The blood was wiped away and the body was gone.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently ruled that time and naturally became the leader of the rebels. There was no one who opposed the result of the just life-and-death decision.

The North was a land like this.

―The name Yeokru (役褸) attached to that castle signifies the gesture of our clan that treats the people of your land like nothing else.

What Bukdo said.

Jeong Yeon-shin should now be at the forefront under the name of Yalul. Of course, he had no intention of doing as Buk-do said.

Since he had acquired the status to actively intervene in the situation in the North, he could make large-scale moves in the northern lands and attempt to cause internal collapse.

While being careful not to let other Northern King forces reveal his identity.

‘Rather than that, for now… … .’

I was concerned about the shortcomings I felt while dealing with the King of Flames.

At first he wanted to use a sword.

Firstly, I had a gut feeling that it wouldn’t be easy to deal with King Yeolyeol without swordsmanship and martial arts, and secondly, I didn’t want to deal with a warrior of Yeolyanggong like Taeyeonryong without any skills.

But even after a brief moment of realizing the situation he was in, he couldn’t do that. He had to fight with the Kwon Gak method without the Hwan Gang.

‘and….’

It will have to be that way in the future too.

Likewise, until the Shingeomdan came to this land.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened her mouth. She was looking at the beggar-like man in silk clothes, the northern gatekeeper, who was staring at her blankly.

“Your self-defense weapon.”

“Uh, um…?”

A man who asks questions without thinking.

He had just handed over Jeongyeonshin to the Lord of Hocheonseong, Mama Gwangmyeoldo, and was on his way to the inner castle when he heard the news that the guest he had let through had started fighting the King of Yeomyeolsin.

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

“Does the Heavenly Sword Armor have different abilities depending on the type of qi you have learned? Your self-defense technique and the flame-hot spirit corpse technique were different. Hers was so aggressive that it was hard to call it a self-defense technique.”

Because it was awkward to call the Northern King a king, he was referred to as a corpse, which was quite pleasant to say.

The absolute beings who annihilated countless shaman disciples and all the warriors of the South. If we could change all of their titles of king (王) to corpse (尸), wouldn’t there be fewer sad teachers like Seonje Hyeon Gong Jinin?

Swish.

He raised one arm slightly and then lowered it.

The intense heat had penetrated my inner body. Even though the Dangga siblings had tapped me with the self-defense power and the Jinyeo Hwi Seongcheon were wrapped transparently, it was still like this. Pain was seeping into every tiny wrinkle on my skin.

Meanwhile, the gatekeeper seemed to be in a panic.

“…Why don’t you just tell me the secret?”

“That’s something only those without a case would do. I’m not the type of person to abuse my power by force.”

At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin felt the small toes of Shin So-bin standing next to her curl up. The reason was hard to figure out.

The northern gatekeeper, who had been silent for a moment, opened his mouth again.

“You are right. The Heavenly Sword Glove is a martial art that naturally harmonizes with the internal energy method. No matter what martial art you learn, it will create a deadly form that will leave you with thorns, so it can be said to be the best martial art in the world.”

“Did Tushin create it?”

“If not him, who else? There is only one person in all of history who is so obsessed with fighting. He is the one who can go beyond the martial arts world and even build a country.”

One by one like this.

The Northern martial arts begin to reveal their true nature.

It seemed that all of those things were traces of suicide.

“It’ll be hard to do it with the normal method. If we have to continue the fight.”

Jeongyeonshin, who keeps her head down.

The gatekeeper wiped the surprised look from his face and smiled broadly. I don’t know what his origins were, but his soul itself felt very free.

“That’s the right idea. Right now, the people of Naeseong have acknowledged you for your fight with the King of Flame, but the kings of the North will see you differently. The King of Chigeuk and the King of Yongumsa Temple nearby may request a meeting and make a decision.”

“So that’s what I’m saying.”

“… … ?”

“Is the power of the reverse course mine now?”

King Yeol of the North.

It was a question posed by a man who delved into the customs of the Yao tribe and became their king.

At that moment.

The gatekeeper answered yes with some kind of positive attitude, and then immediately added something else.

“So… what I just said is that you have to be good at politics. It’s about tightroping with your words and actions. It’s also about using the power of the reverse-entry system. When I look at you, you seem like a peerless warrior like Geomseong or Nangseong, but if that’s the case, then I think you have little experience as a ruler… … .”

“I will do well.”

Jeong Yeon-shin declared.

Even if it was the representative of the New Sword Master, it was not a big responsibility for the Northern King, Ye-Lu.