The Genius Warrior Who Remembers Everything Chapter 103

Chapter 103. Great Journey of Avici Screams(2)

When Jwa Dae-gi of the Sojeong Squad had been in Beijing.

That was to say, when he had gone to Beijing as a slave of Nanjing Six Families Manor, following his Young Master, he said he had once seen High Officials and Nobles hunting.

First, the hunters captured wild deer.

Apparently, deer raised on farms were familiar with humans and simply stood still in place, so there was no pleasure in hunting them.

The deer captured that way were starved until the hunting competition began. If they were too energetic, they would be difficult to hunt again.

I had thought they really went through every kind of bullshit.

The deer, it was said, lost their strength and at the same time became so dazed that they could not think straight even when given a few grains.

Then those deer were released, and the hunting competition began.

Generally, the stags or the leader deer were caught first.

It was not because they were the leaders and stood in front of the other deer.

It was because leader deer generally had splendid antlers, and because of those antlers, they were easy to spot. They also weighed more than the other deer, so they could not run quickly.

He had said that while mocking the elite warriors of the Murim Alliance when they were dressed in flashy finery and going out to the Great Righteous-Demonic War, but it was not much comfort to the Sojeong Squad, who were wearing sackcloth.

The reason that story suddenly came to mind now was because the stags in this deer hunt were none other than us.

Ordinarily, those who passed the Third Trial gathered in groups of three or five, each with their own kind, forming massive groups before beginning the Great Journey.

Unlike the previous trials, where the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Five Great Clans, and even the examinees of the One Hundred Eight Peaks had fought fiercely, the Great Journey only required them to reach Murim Academy. Therefore, there was no reason for those whose acceptance was already guaranteed not to cooperate with one another rather than fight.

Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran had met a few people who had passed the Third Trial and tried negotiating, but,

“Yes? What are you asking us to do?”

“Coooperate?”

“Hahaha, Lady Namgung. I never imagined you had become such an amusing person while we were apart.”

“It is not a joke…….”

“Hahahaha. I will escort you once after the exam is over. Hahahaha.”

There was not a single person who agreed.

People who would normally have used every method available just to speak a single word to them now fled wildly as though they were looking at someone with the plague. Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran could not collect their wits before that reality.

To begin with, the number of warriors Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran possessed had been reduced to about twenty percent.

Leaving aside exchanges between sects, there was no one who wanted to shoulder a burden in the middle of an important exam.

If anything, the fact that the Murong Clan had joined them was a fortunate situation.

“And yet we are the ones preparing an ambush?”

“An ambush carried out when it is hardest to predict has the highest chance of success.”

Namgung Seon-hwa let out a small sigh.

After leaving Nanyue, we ran at full speed and passed Puyang in three days.

The people who were startled by our initial speed hurried after us, but they could not keep up with us when we continued running even after night fell. In the end, by the time a day had passed, we had shaken off all the pursuers who had started from Nanyue.

After that, there were some ambushers waiting midway after hearing the news, but our march, now possessing even stronger offensive power with the Murong Clan warriors joining us, showed no sign of stopping.

However, the Murong Clan warriors, who were not accustomed to an all-night operation, kept collapsing one after another. In the end, the first ones to use the steel carriages were the Murong Clan warriors.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes.”

“……As you said, Young Master Jin, it is a perfect place for an ambush.”

Between Hua County and Fengqiu County, Mount Jindan stood beside a river.

The mountain terrain was not high, and since many reservoirs for farming had long been formed there, an official road ran through it.

Since it was the fastest path to Hubei Province through Zhengzhou, it was a place that not only we but also the other examinees would inevitably use.

“But the mountain terrain is too low. At this rate, anyone who has learned a decent martial art could climb the walls as much as they like.”

That was precisely why no mountain stronghold had been established there despite the terrain being suitable for an ambush.

“You don’t need to worry about that. In the past, we caught terrifying bastards here that the Wudang Sect cannot even compare to.”

No matter how outstanding the talents of the Wudang Sect were, they were no match for the Blood Demon Ghost Sword Unit.

-Because your wrong judgment has affected even the exam of your fellow disciples, you must resolve this matter yourself. ……If you fail to resolve it, you will likely spend the rest of your life cleaning the Scripture Pavilion.

The words from the Main Mountain, relayed to him by the Zhengzhou Daoist Monastery Master of the Wudang Sect, were unbearably severe.

‘Damn it…….’

Hyeon Su gritted his teeth.

His own defeat and Hyeon Jin’s defeat were one thing. Since he had been out of his mind after losing to Jin So-un, it was true that he had forced Hyeon Jin to follow bad advice.

However, was Hyeon Hyang’s defeat against Eun-ho or Hyeon Myeong’s defeat against Geum-pyo really his fault?

But his damned junior brothers had turned the cause of this incident toward him, and because of that, if Hyeon Su made even the slightest mistake, he might spend his entire life in the Scripture Pavilion.

“The Entry Tokens taken from us by Taeul Sect will be recovered from Taeul Sect.”

Tae Gun, whose acceptance was guaranteed because he had obtained a Third Trial Token, departed for Hubei Province with the other disciples of Wudang.

Hyeon Su and his remaining junior brothers waited for the moment Taeul Sect left Nanyue.

“We finish this before they reach Qingfeng County and join the procession to Hubei Province.”

“……Yes.”

“……Understood.”

The replies that came back were far from refreshing. Their eyes still looked at him with suspicion whenever he said anything.

“If you are that dissatisfied, then you bastards come up with the plan!”

“……We did not say anything.”

Even if they recovered the Trial Tokens from Taeul Sect, if only four of them undertook the Great Journey, they might not be able to reach Murim Academy.

They had to catch them before they passed Qingfeng County, no matter what.

“……Senior Brother, they are too fast.”

However, as soon as Taeul Sect’s party left Nanyue, they began running at full speed.

“Trigger a battle! In the end, they will have no choice but to stop!”

He had sent several swift-footed warriors to try to provoke a fight, but whether that happened or not, those bastards simply kept increasing their speed like madmen.

Moreover, there was one thing Hyeon Su had overlooked. The other side had a little over one hundred people, but they numbered nearly four hundred.

Naturally, the procession grew long, and at this rate, they would risk being ambushed before they caught Taeul Sect.

“Damn it, reorganize the procession. Send a vanguard ahead so we don’t lose them.”

Those bastards were human too. Even if they ran at full speed, they would have no choice but to stop at some point. As long as the vanguard did not stop them, they could hunt those bastards down whenever they liked.

“Senior Brother, those bastards are not resting.”

“It is already almost the Hour of the Dog.”

“What in the world are they thinking?”

The march that had begun in the morning did not stop even after the sun set and the moon rose. Those bastards were one thing, but the Wudang Sect members were gradually becoming exhausted as well, since they had not eaten even a single meal.

“Stop for now and make simple preparations. Since those bastards are human too, they will sleep. Send an additional vanguard so we don’t miss that moment.”

However, Hyeon Su’s prediction was wrong this time as well.

Those bastards did not sleep and continued moving.

“These mad bastards…… Fine, let us see who wins.”

By the time things had reached this point, Hyeon Su was driven by spite.

Instead of allowing sleep, he gave them time for about two hours of Qi Circulation and Breathing, then continued the pursuit.

In terms of inner arts, Wudang’s members were in no way comparable to Taeul Sect’s party.

If those bastards were thinking of a wheel battle, the ones certain to win were the people of Wudang.

As expected, they finally received word that those bastards had stopped.

“They say they witnessed some of their people entering the valley at Mount Jindan.”

“Is that so?”

They had split half their people off to pretend to keep moving while the other half used an ambush to slow the pursuit.

It was a basic tactic and strategy, and a truly excellent method for a small number to face a large number, but they had chosen the wrong opponent.

“They are looking down on our Wudang.”

According to the vanguard, since a path ran through the center of the mountain valley, it was true that the terrain was favorable for an ambush, but not to the extent that it would become a problem for murim people.

“How much distance has opened between us and the vanguard?”

“They are half a day ahead.”

Had they already grown that far apart? It was difficult to believe that the distance had widened this much when they had only run together continuously for three days.

“Senior Brother Hyeon Su, we need time to recover our fatigue before fighting.”

“What?”

When he turned his head and looked at Tae Myeong, his face was in terrible condition.

“Have we not gone three days without sleeping a wink? On top of that, we have not eaten properly either.”

Only then did Hyeon Su realize that there was a difference in inner arts between his junior brothers and himself.

“After we finish personal preparations for two hours, we depart again.”

“Phew…… Understood.”

Those eyes full of discontent were something that would have been unimaginable in the past.

But even that would end today.

If he recovered the Trial Tokens and showed them the price of insulting Wudang, neither his junior brothers nor Wudang would make a major issue of this matter.

After all, he was someone who had passed Wudang’s internal evaluation, which was said to be more difficult than the Murim Academy Exam.

When the time to depart again arrived, everyone’s faces still looked weary.

A short nap and a meal made of dry rations could not possibly restore their energy like proper rest.

“Endure just a little longer. Those bastards must be tired as well.”

By the time the sun that had been sinking beyond the western mountains had set and the moon had risen, the Wudang Sect was able to reach Mount Jindan.

“Thirty people each are positioned on both sides of the valley.”

“Is there a path to climb above the valley?”

“There is none from this direction.”

“Did they choose this place because the path is blocked?”

“It seems so.”

“What is the height of the valley?”

“The high places are about five zhang, and the low places are about three zhang.”

This was it.

This was where the difference between a Prestigious Great Sect and a weak minor sect arose.

A difference in thought.

That shallow-mindedness of thinking it was high enough because they themselves could not climb it.

For a disciple of the Wudang Sect, a height of five zhang was more than manageable.

“Jin So-un……. What about that bastard? Surely he did not go ahead first?”

“No. He is on the valley side with his junior brothers.”

Hyeon Su nodded, then looked at his junior brothers.

“There was a disruption to the schedule, but we can proceed according to plan. Let us go.”

There would be some damage due to the difference in terrain. However, considering the nearly tenfold difference in numbers and the gap in martial arts, that damage could be overcome as much as needed.

They began unfolding Grass-Skimming Flight from the entrance of the valley.

Nearly four hundred people were moving, yet the only noise that rang out was the sound of leaves brushing together.

After they had gone deep into the valley for quite some time,

THUD.

Along with a vibration that shook the earth, a huge boulder the size of a person fell into the center of the valley.

“It is them!”

Along with Hyeon Su’s shout, dozens of stones the size of human heads fell from both sides.

A few were struck by the fiercely falling rocks and fainted on the spot, but as ordered from the beginning, the others kicked off the ground and ran up the walls of the valley.

“Jin So-un! Where are you!”

The moment Hyeon Su kicked off a huge boulder, he released his inner arts and soared into the sky.

After stepping once on a protruding part of the valley wall, Hyeon Su was soon able to climb all the way above the valley.

However, Jin So-un, who should have been visible, was nowhere to be seen, and he heard a strange sound.

RUUUUUSH.

‘The sound of water?’

He had expected to see Taeul Sect’s party lifting and throwing rocks above the valley, but the sound of water reaching his ears in the meantime was something he had not expected.

How could the sound of water, which should have been heard from a river or stream, be heard in such a dry valley?

The moment he gathered his wits, thinking it made no sense, and tried to swing his sword,

Hyeon Su saw it.

He saw Taeul Sect’s party stop throwing rocks and embrace large trees.

SPLASH.

And he saw a massive surge of water above the valley heading toward him.

“What is this!!”