Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time-Chapter 415: Beijing (7)

"Considering his age, he must have inherited his bloodline even more strongly than that man."

"..."

Jeong Yeon-shin was slightly taken aback. He had spoken from the heart, never expecting such a harsh response. Perhaps he should have been more careful.

‘I hope this doesn’t delay my promotion...’

Despite his appearance, it was difficult to maintain a stern expression in front of such an elderly figure.

At that moment.

"Entering Ipwang Fortress at the age of sixteen, at seventeen, slaying the masters of the Zhuge and Mo Yong clans, the masters of Jinshi Mun and Ten Swords Sect, the lords of Amya Warfare, and then coming to Beijing..."

Saerye Grand Elder, having finished his drink, slowly continued.

"It would be hard to dismiss this as mere boasting."

Clink.

The empty cup was placed before the broken full moon, with only Jeong Yeon-shin’s cup still filled.

A true gentleman was said to avoid the influence of drunkenness.

A faint smile appeared on Saerye Grand Elder’s lips. The shift in his demeanor was astonishing, as though he truly had some connection to the legendary Ma Yeon-jeok.

"I understand your spirit. You are the first person I’ve encountered who remains silent even when drinking beside me, aside from the imperial family."

The giant of the imperial family was indeed an extraordinary individual. Even their condescension felt strangely friendly.

"Is that so?"

Jeong Yeon-shin responded briefly, his words evasive. The face of the high-ranking martial artist from the Great Sword Sect flashed through his mind.

"With such confidence, you could argue for control of the world alongside the imperial family. From this point forward, I will have to reconsider. It wouldn’t be right to withhold proper authority from someone worthy."

"If things proceed in accordance with the natural order, that will be sufficient."

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly.

A smile lingered in Saerye Grand Elder’s eyes.

"Your report from Eunuch Myeong-yeo comes to mind. 'Your bearing is upright, and your words are neat, so I doubt you will cause trouble,' it said. It was a line about how supporting Lord Ma Gwang-ik would not be too difficult... It was a document that was repeatedly discarded and reinstated within the palace."

"..."

Jeong Yeon-shin lowered his eyebrows slightly, remaining silent.

‘Myeong-yeo.’

He mentally pictured the face of the eunuch. In this moment, his perspective widened once more.

By remembering the features of someone destined for greatness, his ability to judge people would undoubtedly deepen.

"Sometimes, a single drink is enough to judge someone. Especially when the observer is a member of the Myeong family. With your many accomplishments, loyalty, and lineage, I will trust in you."

"Trust in me, you say?"

"I may not be able to impose my opinion on someone like the great imperial officers of the Golden Guard, but..."

Saerye Grand Elder poured herself more wine into her own cup.

"The officials of the Ministry of War and the other six ministries say they can distinguish the scent of the paper I use from all others. Those who assist me so skillfully could likely hasten the day when you wear purple robes."

A deep silence hung in the air. Jeong Yeon-shin gazed at her for a moment before slowly speaking.

"I have no interest in rising through external pressure. I am satisfied as long as I maintain fairness in judging the merits of others."

"Ah, I will create such an atmosphere for you."

Saerye Grand Elder spoke with a smile.

She then extended a large hand toward him, a gesture that seemed to signal the end of their meeting.

"This will be the last time I treat you so casually. Go now, before rumors spread that Saerye Grand Elder entertained a young and handsome man in his residence at midnight. It wouldn't be bad for me, but..."

She threw in a joke. Jeong Yeon-shin, who was inwardly repelled, immediately stood up. Before turning to leave, he asked one last question.

"How are you connected to my maternal grandfather?"

"I admired him. At first, he was my political adversary, but his integrity and focus on cooperation and loyalty... I was drawn to a personality I had never seen in the imperial family. He was a man whose authority was as sharp as a blade."

"...?"

For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin lost his words. Saerye Grand Elder, noticing this, added a piece of advice.

"I know that the leader of the Sacred Sword Sect has disappeared in search of the Emperor’s trace. If that's the case, you are likely the most powerful in all of Beijing now. This city has recently seen frequent incursions by magical creatures. You may want to keep an eye on the common folk for a while. You never know—those who have acted rudely without encountering the Sacred Sword Sect may come to apologize to you."

Saaah—

Along with her words, a soft breeze passed through the table. The air felt thick and damp, lingering around the pavilion.

—It seemed that a dangerous spirit might appear.

This was a remark left by the Sacred Sword Sect leader, Yong Hee-myung, for Jeong Yeon-shin. It was also heard that Beijing had become a region dominated by purple forces.

With the Emperor likely leaving after confirming their arrival, Jeong Yeon-shin wondered if he had been told to guard Beijing, now turned purple.

Slowly, he turned his feet.

The quiet night of Beijing swallowed his figure.

***

Since the visit to Ipwang Fortress, the Golden Guard’s Great Officer had been relentlessly bombarded with questions.

The most curious question came from the officers under his command, who were all intrigued by the Sacred Sword Sect Leader and Lord Ma Gwang-ik.

"I’m curious about what it was like when you saw them in person. Could the Sacred Sword Sect Leader truly replace the entire Golden Guard?"

"Just considering his personal martial prowess, he could. You all know the fame of Lord Yong Danju better than anyone."

"What about Lord Ma Gwang-ik? At that age, not only did he single-handedly slay the famed General of Liaodong, but even the Ten Swords Sect Leader... I can hardly believe it..."

"Enough. Do you intend to be trapped in the brainwashing of the Golden Guard? There’s no benefit to speaking of the hottest names in the imperial palace today. It’s better for everyone to keep their silence."

The title "Imperial Sword" originally belonged to the Golden Guard, not Ipwang Fortress.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Naturally, a rivalry between the two factions had developed, especially among the officers of the Golden Guard.

It was no surprise, then, that the Golden Guard’s officers remained interested in Ipwang Fortress. Even now, as they traversed the streets of Beijing under the night sky.

Despite the order to stop talking about it, conversations still continued among the officers regarding Ipwang Fortress personnel. They asked their questions freely, as they were, in private, senior to the Great Officer.

Outwardly stern, the Great Officer of the Golden Guard was known to be one of the most generous figures within the Golden Guard.

Whoosh―!

A dozen or so officers, dressed in bright yellow military uniforms, jumped from one rooftop to another.

It was a type of patrol.

But their roles were different from those of regular soldiers.

It was the responsibility of the Golden Guard. Under imperial orders, they watched for the appearance of threatening spirits.

They had to capture and eliminate them before they harmed the common folk.

Beijing was the second most mystical land in the world, with countless spirits having appeared since the founding of the empire.

But there had been no problems. It had always been that way.

This was thanks to the Emperor, who stood as an unparalleled master.

Moreover, the strong imperial martial artists took the lead in assisting the Golden Guard, who in turn had repelled the invasions of spirits with power equal to that of the Sacred Sword Sect's seventeen generations.

The people of Beijing were unaware of the existence of these spirits. This was the case until the northern Yao tribes had grown stronger.

‘However, now that the majority of the northern masters have left for the Northern Expedition, even the Emperor, who had watched over Beijing...’

A faint worry appeared on the Great Officer’s face.

"Look over there!"

One of the officers pointed straight ahead. A figure stood motionlessly, gazing blankly at the sky from one side of the massive walls of the outer city.

It was the face of a middle-aged man. His pallid skin stood out sharply against the night air.

His body was absent—only the head remained, abandoned on the ground.

The officers’ expressions twisted in horror.

"Who would dare to commit such an act in Beijing...!"

Two of the officers rushed forward. Despite being with the Great Officer, such solo actions were still allowed under the circumstances.

With no knowing what might come from the sides or behind, the remaining officers naturally kept a watchful eye on the surroundings.

At that moment, the middle-aged man’s head abruptly turned toward them. His pale lips stretched wide into a grin.

It was unmistakably a smile.

The Great Officer, observing his subordinates’ backs, suddenly recalled four words.

"Man-faced Spider...! It’s been waiting for us!"

The Great Officer stomped the ground.

Boom!

The energy from his feet, focused through the Yongcheon point, created a massive shockwave.

Golden energy, faintly glowing with the Royal Martial Arts technique, Gold Immortal Eight Forms, swirled around his hands.

In an instant, he passed by his subordinates.

At that moment, the head of the middle-aged man, now attached to the body of a massive, dark spider, rose into the air.

The face ascended endlessly, surpassing even the Great Officer’s head, until it reached an inhuman height.

It continued to rise, swelling larger with every moment. A crackling sound echoed through the air as the skin expanded.

Soon, one by one, the officers of the Golden Guard stopped their flight, their heads turning to the massive form above them.

A strange, ominous laugh resonated through the night.

—Heh... Heh, heh...

The six enormous spider legs, covered in endless fur, twitched in the air, causing ripples in the night air.

The Great Officer stopped, staring upwards.

The creature was as vast as the palace halls themselves. From below, the night sky seemed to tremble with the creature’s looming form.

The Man-faced Spider, a legendary entity passed down through whispers in the martial world, was now before them.

No one knew how it had come to exist.

An entity of unknown origin and immense power.

If it was indeed one of these near-mythical creatures, it could very well think like a human.

The moment the Emperor, who had maintained a powerful presence over Beijing, vanished, such a creature had likely stirred.

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The Great Officer slowly spoke. As if it were the only ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) thing left to say.

—You all return to the headquarters for support!

Suddenly, his ears tingled as two streams of thick darkness passed by him.

The sound of bones and flesh separating reverberated through the eerie silence of the night.

Crack―!

The spider’s front legs pierced through the abdomens of two of the Golden Guard officers. The size difference was so extreme that they appeared crushed.

The Man-faced Spider’s dark limbs, with their strange, unsettling appearance, pressed down on the bodies of the officers, whose arms and legs twitched briefly before collapsing lifelessly.

These were once the very men who boasted that they would grow even stronger by confronting these spirits, just as any martial artist would.

"You bastard!"

Thunder roared from the Great Officer’s right arm. His inner power surged to its peak as he unleashed his martial art technique.

The meridians in his shoulder and down to his index finger were filled with fierce energy.

In an instant, he leaped up and struck the Man-faced Spider’s lower jaw.

Clang―!

It felt like he had struck a stone wall. The sharp, painful recoil shot through his bones as the impact sent a shudder through the air. The Great Officer gritted his teeth in mid-air.

Then, with his hand still pressed against the creature's jaw, he released a wind-like force. It was the Gold Immortal Palm Strike.

The creature's pale skin wrinkled into folds as the Great Officer's energy collided with it.

There was no other reaction.

"..."

The Great Officer of the Golden Guard, propelled by his own energy, hovered in mid-air like a man suspended by invisible spider threads.

This, too, was baffling. How was the Man-faced Spider manipulating its energy?

—Heh... Heh, heh...

The Great Officer’s eyes flickered as he saw the giant face slowly lowering toward him.

Their gazes met.

The Man-faced Spider’s lips spread wide, grinning even more.

Suddenly, it opened its massive mouth wide and engulfed the Great Officer in one bite.