Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

The Seventh Apostle saw and heard clearly. The lip movements of that worthless thing came as distinct voices.

It was due to blood technique’s sensory path. She had activated it wanting to capture even a strand of the small sect leader’s breathing circulation technique.

Her hearing thus sharpened was in the midst of capturing everything.

―It would be good to surrender first and throw yourself to the main family. I’ll let you just wash my feet. I mean it.

The voice of the lowly Namgung mongrel polluted her ears.

STEP.

She took a step. She truly moved unconsciously. She had to punish one who didn’t know their place.

As always, the Seventh Apostle’s movements happened the moment she made up her mind.

She came crashing through the inn’s entrance while wrapped in wind from body techniques.

Before she knew it, she was slowly lifting up Namgung Mi while gripping her cheeks. The touch of powder applied to her face was truly disgusting.

She couldn’t furrow her brow. Because the boy who would create unique divine techniques unmatched under heaven was watching her.

She showed a smooth smile.

“You.”

She felt the stern gaze of the young Grand Teacher who always excited her. The Seventh Apostle thought.

My small noble Grand Teacher, your dignity is my prestige.

“What did you say?”

She asked the Namgung mongrel whose face she gripped.

Namgung Mi couldn’t answer. She could only let out pain-filled breaths while her eyes were wide open.

Silence fell over the inn.

Only fragments of the broken door scattered belatedly with noise. The Seventh Apostle’s appearance was that sudden.

It was even more so due to her overwhelming presence in this place. The explosion of energy waves that rushed in with her movement technique assault was tremendous.

“……”

All eyes in the inn turned to Jeong Yeon-shin’s group. It was a place with many discussing Desolate Sect versus Namgung.

Most seemed to recognize the Desolate Sect martial robes at a glance. Wave-like surprise spread.

“Is that really Desolate Sect.”

“That blue color at that age…”

“More than that, that, that…!”

Masters who could raise energy sense to the extreme were rare beings. There were none in this inn.

However, the Seventh Apostle’s power intimidated people regardless of their level of energy sense.

She naturally emitted an ominous energy that seemed to dig into one’s spine. It was a characteristic unique to powerful evil sect masters.

‘Even her clothes are bright red.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought. The red robe covering the Seventh Apostle’s body was clearly a pure blood robe.

It was strange for a supreme master at the level of Apostle to disguise herself. It would suit her dignity better to hide her presence with accomplished movement techniques.

‘There’s no other choice.’

She had to be driven away. Even if the pure blood robe didn’t have Blood Flame Sect’s mark, it had to be done. He and Namgung Hwa-sin were nominally Namgung Mi’s companions.

‘If we want to maintain the justification for the martial matches…’

The boy met eyes with Namgung Hwa-sin. The exchange of gazes happened in an instant.

That’s when it happened.

“Huuuuk…!”

A groan mixed with breath flowed from Namgung Mi. The Seventh Apostle’s fingers were pressing into her cheeks more and more strongly.

It looked like she was outright torturing her. It seemed her invisible finger techniques had already sealed Namgung Mi’s blood points.

“You’re not answering.”

Like her plain tone, there was no change in the Seventh Apostle’s face. Her face with just a small smile was terrifying.

Even her beauty with silk-like black hair and divine red eyes approached like the appearance of a demon woman.

“……”

The inn completely sank into silence.

With that level of internal master’s true qi loaded grip force, it would take just a moment to crush a face.

Jeong Yeon-shin changed his mind. If Namgung Mi died here, there was room for responsibility to be transferred to Desolate Sect.

He had to persuade the mind of the Seventh Apostle that was hard to grasp. He immediately sent a sound transmission.

―You, what are you doing?

No answer came back. No different from Namgung Mi.

Jeong Yeon-shin stared steadily at the Seventh Apostle. She showed only her side profile without turning her gaze to him.

However, the hand gripping Namgung Mi’s face seemed to no longer apply more force. It meant she was listening.

‘Disgusting blood demon. Can’t read her intentions.’

The boy slightly lifted his right heel while placing his hand on the Desolate Sect sword’s hilt. It was a common sword-drawing stance.

The internal energy was different. The moment he raised Jeong family dynamic technique’s power, solemn energy wrapped around everywhere.

Energy waves also sprouted from Namgung Hwa-sin’s body as he took a similar stance with a hardened face.

A breeze arose indoors. It even contained killing intent.

―It was a promise made on our names.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke again through sound transmission.

―You’ve blatantly broken it now. Three hundred zhang has become one step.

“……”

―I’m very disappointed, Seventh Apostle.

In that moment, the Seventh Apostle’s shoulders shrank. It was an unbelievable sight.

Her slender frame that had been hidden by mighty energy waves became fully visible for an instant.

The pure blood robe didn’t look like a thousand silkworm thread martial robe.

‘Is it a bluff?’

Jeong Yeon-shin calmly watched for an opening. He barely suppressed the impulse to strike with his sword right then.

Rushing in carelessly would invite a counterattack. Was Blood Flame Sect’s noble Apostle deceiving him? He almost couldn’t continue with the next urging.

―Are you saying to forget the martial arts exchange promise?

“……”

―Twelve seconds remain in our agreement for Demin Roaring blood technique and one strike. You mean to cut everything off with your own hands? That’s what your behavior now means.

“No…”

The Seventh Apostle muttered hazily. Even her head tilted slightly downward.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s brows furrowed.

It was very unfamiliar. It was detestable like Namgung Mi.

Though the number of people who died by her hands couldn’t be counted, this was like mockery of them.

How much blood must have gone into cultivating such mighty blood techniques.

Her absurd appearance made him angry. The internal energy raised by Jeong family dynamic technique passed chillingly through the Heaven’s Pillar point at his nape.

It must have been what the Seventh Apostle intended. From her level of controlling distance, she was worthy of being called a Apostle.

‘The opening is obvious. Can I kill her here?’

Jeong Yeon-shin was already raising the Radiant Demon Technique. Semi-transparent paths arose in his mind.

All invisible streams transformed into sword path trajectories in his mind.

The moment sharp lines revealed themselves in his mental image and extended out, they crumbled feebly in front of the Seventh Apostle’s body.

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

It meant no sword technique of the Radiant Sword Style could land an effective hit with one strike. The feeling came from the realm of intuition.

‘Must coordinate attacks with Young Hero Namgung.’

White Qilin Namgung Hwa-sin was one who understood Jeong Yeon-shin’s sense. They didn’t need to discuss the order of techniques.

With their current skill they could fully match hands.

If all sword strikes against the Seventh Apostle were blocked, they needed to create variables first with an exchange of one-second techniques.

It was just when Jeong Yeon-shin was about to strike with a sword draw.

SWISH!

“Because of this.”

The smile disappeared from the Seventh Apostle’s lips as she spoke shortly.

With one hand movement she turned Namgung Mi’s body and grabbed her nape. It was an instant.

Just like that she slammed Namgung Mi’s head down on the table. It was natural like a flowing technique sequence.

BOOM!

“Huh……”

“Just now, was that a sword technique? They say Desolate Sect has many promising rising talents.”

“Truly a feast of accomplished martial arts!”

The crowd burst into exclamations as if watching a neighbor’s fire. Even his striking just now didn’t seem like a strange sight to their eyes.

Perhaps it appeared to them as a Desolate Sect blue-rank master with hand on sword hilt emanating stern bearing in a battle of energy. It was hard to guess otherwise.

‘That’s fortunate at least.’

Jeong Yeon-shin felt both relieved and strange.

None of those in the inn fled their seats. Irregular and strong breaths.

Tension and excitement could be felt simultaneously in their breathing. It came across as determination to witness such masters’ fierce battle if not now, then when.

This city of Huangzhou had three main roads. They were official roads leading to Hubei, Jiangxi, and South Zhili respectively.

As merchant groups and goods flowed heavily, they said many martial artists passed through too. The rumors that only those with great courage went out seemed true.

They didn’t just run away even when masters’ fights broke out.

‘Even the common people’s aspects are quite diverse.’

Apart from feeling his horizons broadening, he didn’t let his guard down. It was hard to take his eyes off the Seventh Apostle with her head deeply bowed.

He didn’t know when she might unleash supreme techniques. Even gathering dozens of fire bombs wouldn’t be as frightening as her.

“Young Hero Namgung.”

“Don’t worry about half a second difference. I’ll support right behind.”

A reliable voice came from the diagonal behind. Jeong Yeon-shin quietly nodded.

It was his first time using a narrow inn as a battlefield. He thought they could respond fluidly with Namgung Hwa-sin’s mastered Unhindered Azure Flow Body.

[TL Note- Azure Flow Body may have been translated as Clear Flow Body in previous chapter.]

That’s when it happened.

STEP.

Suddenly the Seventh Apostle turned her body. Her bearing still looked dejected.

The sight of her lightly stepping and walking out of the inn entered his eyes unrealistically.

―You must come again. I’ll let you land one technique.

It was her sound transmission. She retreated while speaking of making an ambush wager.

After leaving the inn, her presence that had soared driftingly to the roof gradually faded.

Jeong Yeon-shin stood still while gripping the lowered Desolate Sect sword.

‘If those words are true, I should cut off her right arm first. Since she won’t give up her neck.’

He paid no mind to the Seventh Apostle’s hard-to-grasp inner thoughts.

The achievement and merit from taking a Blood Flame Sect Apostle’s head was a secondary matter. Like Namgung Mi, she had to die.

“Oh… the Desolate Sect young master drove away the evil sect spawn.”

“What could their identity be. Looked like Blood Flame Sect.”

“Probably not a blood demon. Wasn’t the hair black? Surely not a Apostle.”

“Weren’t the pupils red…? Not sure. Only saw the side profile of the one-eyed one.”

The spectators couldn’t approach Jeong Yeon-shin’s group easily. They just talked among themselves.

Though they might not know to value their lives, they seemed to treat directly facing masters differently.

The untimely commotion ended blandly. Though the appearance might have been fine, to Jeong Yeon-shin it was an absurd incident.

In the end, he controlled the Seventh Apostle? Jeong Yeon-shin found it hard to accept that.

‘I must stand solely on martial might. Even relying on enemy’s goodwill has limits. This is beyond common sense.’

It was when he was inwardly resolving this. Namgung Hwa-sin, who like the boy hadn’t sheathed his sword, approached.

His expression was complex as he looked at Namgung Mi.

“We should find a physician. Left like this, she’ll have trouble standing for the martial matches.”

“…Yes, we should.”

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly nodded.

A peaceful day passed chaotically. The group couldn’t leave Huangzhou right away.

It was because the mission only had meaning if Namgung Mi could move.

Four days passed.

During that time, they found a city physician to examine Namgung Mi, and rented a separate building at the inn where the three stayed together.

Only Namgung Hwa-sin reacted to Namgung Mi’s groans heard occasionally while sleeping.

‘Is even an enemy still blood kin?’

Jeong Yeon-shin was just silently absorbed in devising new palm techniques and cultivation techniques. He lay thinking.

It was deeper meditation than ever before. It continued until just before dawn’s light gently swept through the guest room.

When the fifth day’s sun illuminated all the land.

Jeong Yeon-shin and Namgung Hwa-sin received a visit from a group of warriors. They brought loud noise even before reaching the inn.

It was like a festival had broken out.

It was energy waves and presence that couldn’t help but be so. Even Namgung Mi’s energy revived.

A sneer lay on her white face as she looked at Jeong Yeon-shin from the guest room bed.

Her expression seemed to speak amid the commotion. Whatever your identity, you must listen to my words.

“Azure Qilin! It’s Young Lord Azure Qilin Namgung!”

“Namgung Se-jin in Huangzhou…?”

“That inn! Weren’t there Desolate Sect warriors there!”

Azure Qilin Namgung Se-jin.

The Namgung family young master came personally after hearing news of his younger sister.