Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: That's Why Geniuses Are Such a Breed
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Seven days had passed since we set out from Xining.
The carriage never lost speed until we left Qinghai behind and reached the vicinity of Lanzhou in Gansu.
Not only was Flower Shadow's skill at handling the reins exceptional, but the horses showed no signs of fatigue either. It seemed we would arrive in Chang'an in less than a month.
Just like any other day, as I circulated my energy inside the jostling carriage, Flower Shadow spoke up.
"Milord, there's a man with a suspicious appearance up ahead waving at us. What should we do?"
At her words, I stuck my head out the window and looked forward.
In the barren highlands of Gansu, where not even a human shadow could be seen, a single man with disheveled hair was waving at us very slowly.
Honestly, if I'd seen that figure in the dead of night rather than broad daylight, I would have mistaken him for a ghost without a doubt.
"I'll talk to him myself, so stop the carriage just ahead."
I considered ignoring him and passing by, but it could be a life-or-death situation, so I figured I'd at least say something.
The carriage came to a halt, and I opened the door and stepped out.
The man in the odd attire approached me, pressed his palms together in greeting, and continued.
"Pleased to meet you. I am a martial artist of the Murim Alliance. While carrying out a mission, I lost my way and have been wandering like this. If it's not too much trouble, might I humbly ask for your assistance?"
His youthful face and slender build made him seem about my age.
Being affiliated with the Murim Alliance at that age usually meant he was the scion of a prestigious family, but his messy hair and disheveled clothes made that hard to believe.
Come to think of it, his face seemed oddly familiar.
"As fellow martial artists, I can't very well ignore someone in distress. Might I have your name?"
First, I'd offer help while subtly prying for information.
"Ah, thank you. I am Jegal Hyeon of the Zhuge Family. I belong to the Murim Alliance's Military Affairs Division."
Only after hearing his name did I realize what that nagging feeling was.
Jegal Hyeon. I'd thought he looked familiar, but to think I'd run into him here of all places.
"So you're a scion of the Zhuge Family. I am Yi Sowol, known by the moniker Azure Righteous Sword. Since we've crossed paths like this, make yourself at home."
I opened the carriage door and ushered him inside. Forming a connection with this man here was a major gain.
"I've heard of the Azure Righteous Sword moniker myself. They say you're the young hero who appeared in Qinghai recently, and seeing your chivalry now, the rumors aren't exaggerated."
He'd probably known from the start that I was the Azure Righteous Sword.
Maybe a genius like him had orchestrated this meeting entirely, but that seemed like overthinking it.
At any rate, he must have come this far investigating the Demonic Cult. The question was why he'd gotten lost in a place like this.
"Is something the matter?"
Too lost in thought, I'd forgotten he was right there and spaced out for a moment.
"Ah, no, nothing at all. I was just thinking about the rest of the journey."
"If my presence is a burden, feel free to say so. We seem to be about the same age, so no need for formal speech."
Prolonging my thoughts in front of him wasn't wise.
I couldn't read his intentions at all, yet he seemed to see right through mine like an open palm.
"Got it. I'll gratefully drop the formalities then."
He seemed pleased with the informal tone and nodded quietly.
Still no pretenses, as always.
Jegal Hyeon, the Cloud Dragon of the Zhuge Family. The unparalleled genius who ascended to Chief Strategist at the youngest age. And the madman who wiped out his own clan with his own hands.
In his past life, he bore many epithets, but they all boiled down to one in the end.
Mad Demon.
He was the Blood Demon's one and only friend.
I never learned why he exterminated the Zhuge Family in his past life or how he came to be called the Mad Demon.
By the time I first met him, he was already known as such.
I'd lost everything and was flailing in a sense of emptiness, drifting aimlessly when chance brought us together.
Or perhaps, for him, it wasn't chance at all but inevitability.
The world hailed him as a genius far beyond mortal comprehension.
But to me, my first impression was merely that of a madman steeped in heart demons, flapping his wings toward ruin.
I found him dying alone in a deep cave on some remote mountain with no signs of life nearby.
Leaning against his single sword, slumped on the ground, murmuring lowly to himself.
His emaciated body and unfocused eyes made it clear he'd lose his life soon if left alone.
Even now, I don't know why I decided to save him.
Maybe I just thought he resembled me too much.
I brought him food every day and tried talking to him.
He didn't stir at first, but after seven days, he began eating. A month later, he finally responded.
"Why didn't you let me die?"
Those were his first words to me.
"I don't know. Pity, maybe. Or a sense of kinship. I just followed my whim."
The next day, when I returned, he was gone without a trace.
He too had simply followed his whim and left.
That was how our bond began. The meeting of the Blood Demon, stripped of everything, and the Mad Demon, who had destroyed it all.
"Are you heading to the Dragon Phoenix Tournament, brother?"
"That's right. And you, Brother Jegal? What's your destination?"
"What a coincidence. I'm participating in the Dragon Phoenix Tournament as well. We might end up as rivals."
As far as I knew, Jegal Hyeon had already been the Alliance's top strategist before the war even broke out.
So there was no reason for him to join the tournament. Was it mere curiosity?
"In that case, since fate brought us together, how about traveling to Chang'an as companions?"
"I'd be honored."
Jegal Hyeon bowed his head, his face still betraying no emotion.
Even in his past life, changes in his expression were rare.
That impassive face hadn't even twitched in front of the Demonic Cult Leader.
As we chatted amiably and pressed on, the carriage suddenly stopped, and Flower Shadow turned back to me.
"Young hero, bandits are blocking the road. Shall I handle them?"
Today, we were running into people more often than usual.
"No need. I'll go."
Stepping outside, I saw five or six bandits holding spears, blocking the path.
Their spear tips were dull, and their armor ragged, but bandits armed with spears and armor were a rare sight.
Probably deserters or stragglers who'd banded together.
"This is the territory of the Green Forest Thirty-Six Strongholds. Please pay the toll of one silver tael."
The Green Forest Thirty-Six Strongholds was the coalition of thirty-six bandit groups scattered across the jianghu.
Of course, the number wasn't always exactly thirty-six, but they effectively controlled certain territories nonetheless.
Their defining trait? Unlike typical bandits, they shook down even martial artists—probably because their leaders were ambitious.
In my past life, I'd wiped out every group I encountered, to the point their overall chief came to me personally.
"Here's plenty. Now scram quietly."
I pulled ten silver taels from my bosom and handed them over.
Stunned by the generous amount, they hastily lowered their spears, bowed, and retreated.
"Brother, is it wise to let them go like that?"
Back at the carriage, Jegal Hyeon eyed me curiously.
He was questioning why I'd paid them off—generously at that—without a fight.
"Even bandits might not truly harbor evil intent. I've laid the bait; we'll see soon enough."
In my past life, I'd killed every bandit I met without discrimination, but some could surely have been reformed.
Was taking their lives for straying from the path too harsh? I still pondered it sometimes.
"Hm. Indeed."
Jegal Hyeon nodded quietly.
Well, he'd understand completely.
About half a shichen later, a strange presence prickled my senses.
Extending my perception, I saw around twenty bandits surrounding the carriage.
They'd taken the bait.
"I'll handle this."
As the carriage stopped and I stepped out, the bandits approached, led by a burly man whose chin beard reached his chest.
"We already paid the toll."
"Wh-what? Prices fluctuate on the spot, y'know. Just cough up a hundred silver taels, and we'll let ya pass without a fuss."
People are like this. They'd have let us go for one tael without complaint, but the extra sparked their greed—they're gutting the golden goose now.
Foolish pests blinded by avarice.
"Are you the leader?"
"Aye, I'm the chief of this Jade Islet Stronghold, Ha—"
Slash.
Before he finished, a clean slicing sound rang out, and the chief's body split neatly in half.
"Chief!"
I immediately thrust my sword at the bandits we'd met earlier.
Blood Heaven Asura Art: Heaven-Destroying Chaotic Slash.
Swoosh!
Countless slashes accompanied by crimson sword qi poured toward them, soon filling the spot with five mangled corpses.
"Repaying kindness with enmity, you scum."
One exchange.
In a single exchange, the chief and five others became bloody lumps rolling on the ground.
I didn't even wipe the blood from my sword before turning to the rest.
"Eek!"
I took one step, then another, toward them.
"Why are you all trembling so?"
As I approached, they dropped their weapons in terror and fled.
I considered slaughtering them all but decided against pursuit. No need for excessive bloodshed.
I wiped the blood from my blade and boarded the carriage as if nothing had happened.
"No need to chase them?"
Jegal Hyeon stared piercingly at me.
"No point killing foes who've lost the will to fight. I have no desire to become a slaughter ghost."
"But leaving them alive could lead to needless friction with the Green Forest Thirty-Six Strongholds later. Eliminating future troubles seems more rational."
A scion of a righteous clan, spouting unorthodox words.
"That's precisely why I let them live. Bandits picking fights give me excuses to kill, spicing up this dull life, don't you think?"
"Pft, hahaha!"
Jegal Hyeon stared blankly before bursting into laughter he couldn't hold back.
"You're a fascinating one, brother. Truly amusing. Impossible to gauge."
Even in your past life as the Mad Demon, you'd occasionally laugh at me like this.
'The Blood Demon, you're truly entertaining. If not for me, you'd have been called the Mad Demon instead.'
'And that's your idea of a compliment?'
'It is. You're the only one in the world who can make me laugh.'
I had no intention of being funny, yet this was the one emotion the otherwise stone-faced genius ever showed.
What was so hilarious? Geniuses even laugh differently, it seems.
"No martial artist is quite like you, brother."
After laughing heartily, Jegal Hyeon spoke with a faint smile.
That expression felt so familiar that I found myself smiling along before I knew it.
Whether he'll be called the Mad Demon again in this life, I can't say. I'll try to prevent it, but ultimately, it'll be his choice.
Still, I had a feeling we'd become friends once more in this life too.