Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Namgoong Hwashin was the last.

That's what Jung Yeonshin thought.

Even after securing a promise from those he met today to journey to Sichuan, he couldn't leave without White Qilin.

That was why he moved immediately. He had parted briefly from Lightning Genius' lineage and sent Lazy Flame Dragon back.

White Qilin, Namgoong Hwashin.

A swordsman born with supreme senses.

Even the internal energy stored in his body was immense, making him a talent capable of contending for the strongest among rising talents.

Jung Yeonshin didn't believe he could defeat Namgoong Hwashin ten out of ten times.

He had never properly sparred with him after consuming high-grade elixirs, but at least two or three losses seemed inevitable.

Perhaps three or four times. Fights were full of variables.

Jung Yeonshin intended to shamelessly ask for his help.

'Sichuan's martial world is perilous.'

It wasn't just made up of riffraff martial artists but was the region where Radiant Demon Squad had gone missing.

Even the elite martial artists of the Nine Great Sects had to tread carefully there. A single high-level expert was desperately needed.

Jung Yeonshin, Namgoong Hwashin, Lazy Flame Dragon.

Ten high-level experts of Lightning Genius' lineage, including Crimson Noon Sword.

And over thirty mid-level experts in white.

Not quite a force that could dominate, but in Sichuan, no one could easily look down on them.

'But, is this really okay? Young Hero Namgoong must be in despair.'

The boy hesitated, even as he knocked on the door.

Thump! Thump!

He grabbed the cold door knocker and struck downward.

It was the Obeying Heaven Squad Pavilion of Desolate Fortress. Like the Radiant Demon Squad, it was unusually quiet inside.

He had heard it was because the Annihilation Squad, along with Radiant Demon Squad, had been dispatched on a mission to Sichuan.

Creak—

The door opened in less than ten breaths. A young girl peeked out.

On her white shoulder garment was embroidered the rough character 'Desolate'. She was a white-rank warrior of the Obeying Heaven Squad.

"Lightning Genius?"

Her eyes slightly widened.

Her slightly upturned eyes were familiar to Jung Yeonshin. He recalled seeing her during his match against Namgoong Hwashin.

Her words as she straightforwardly appraised Jung Yeonshin had left an impression. She was quite bold.

—Senior Namgoong's path seems lonely. You might make a good companion, but I'm not sure.

She had evaluated him during his match with Namgoong Hwashin.

Shin Bin-bin of Obeying Heaven Squad. She was said to be the older sister of Shin So-bin, a junior of Radiant Demon Squad. Naturally, she was the precious daughter of the Desolate Shin Clan.

"I'm here to see Young Hero Namgoong."

Jung Yeonshin spoke calmly. At the same time, Shin Bin-bin's eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"At this hour...?"

"It's an urgent matter."

Jung Yeonshin was the one in a hurry. Visiting unannounced at night was, by all means, rude.

It wasn't his place to point out the tone of a lower-ranking white-rank warrior.

'What's with her?'

Shin Bin-bin, for her part, felt offended. She had disliked this boy, Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin, from the start.

She had let it go when he defeated her senior, White Qilin, in a formal match. Though displeased, it had been a fair competition.

However, the rumors that followed stirred her resentment.

'So he's that greedy for merit?'

She had secretly admired her senior, cheering him on, only to hear that Lightning Genius had monopolized the achievements and fame.

Namgoong Hwashin, it was said, hadn't even resolved a shred of his personal grudges.

Apparently, Lightning Genius had slaughtered all the direct descendants of the Namgoong Clan and walked away.

'Such arrogance. He wasn't even born into a noble house.'

Coming at this hour just to serve his purpose proved her point. It was nearly midnight.

Arrogant and insolent.

An excessively rude and greedy boy.

With his decent looks, outstanding skills, and young age, he had merely disguised his true self.

Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin.

It was easy to picture him quickly accepting a series of challenges and persuading the kind-hearted Namgoong Hwashin with his silver tongue.

Shin Bin-bin's eyes narrowed.

Her words naturally came out sharp.

"Namgoong brother has already retired to his chambers."

She addressed Namgoong Hwashin as 'brother', calling him older brother despite being a white-rank warrior addressing a blue-level expert.

It was a disregard for hierarchy, but Jung Yeonshin didn't care. He had no time to waste on trivialities.

"Radiant Demon Squad, who went to Sichuan, has gone missing. We're forming a rescue party. I came to ask Young Hero Namgoong to join."

"Radiant Demon Squad...?"

For a moment, Shin Bin-bin's eyes flashed with surprise.

It was news that had arrived earlier that evening. She, preoccupied with watching over Namgoong Hwashin, wouldn't have heard yet.

Jung Yeonshin gave a quiet nod.

If they were to depart at dawn, they needed Namgoong Hwashin's confirmation and the immediate approval of the General Affairs Bureau.

"It's urgent. Please deliver the message."

However—

"Hmm..."

Shin Bin-bin pressed her lips tightly together. She showed no sign of stepping away from the door.

Jung Yeonshin's voice gained a trace of emotion.

"What are you doing? What's the meaning of this?"

"Namgoong brother needs rest. He's been severely drained. He's someone who neglected meals and sleep to focus on martial arts, but after returning, he even skipped morning training. Thanks to someone who only cared about merit, without any sense of camaraderie."

Her tone was biting, and she glared at Jung Yeonshin with a sharp look.

Her lashes fluttered ominously, as if she didn't regard him as an equal.

'Has she lost her mind?'

Jung Yeonshin thought so and muttered.

"Merit...?"

A guess formed in his mind.

Shin Bin-bin seemed completely ignorant of the circumstances.

She didn't know that Namgoong Hwashin had been raised as the leader of Namgoong's assassins.

She hadn't heard about the mental restraints placed on White Qilin through arcane techniques.

Otherwise, she wouldn't act this way.

To prevent him from harming his own family, they had imposed mental conditioning.

Had Namgoong Hwashin been fully intact, he would never have agreed to the young challengers' duel.

'He must have confided only in me.'

The boy realized.

Namgoong Hwashin hadn't even shared his private matters with his Obeying Heaven Squad colleagues.

Perhaps he was moved by their duel, recognizing Jung Yeonshin as a fellow martial artist.

That made it all the more impossible to explain to Shin Bin-bin.

"You said Young Hero Namgoong needs rest."

Jung Yeonshin slowly moved his lips.

"...But that's not for you to decide, is it?"

"What did you just say?"

Shin Bin-bin's eyes widened.

Jung Yeonshin decided not to care. The opponent was a junior martial artist.

Even if she didn't know the circumstances between him and Namgoong Hwashin, it was clear that an elite force like the Radiant Demon Squad was teetering on the brink of annihilation.

Shin Bin-bin's attitude was nothing but absurd obstinacy. There was no need to continue the conversation.

'I'll just jump over.'

The boy's gaze naturally shifted upward.

Whoosh!

Did she sense his intent? Energy stirred.

Shin Bin-bin struck first. Before Jung Yeonshin could even leap, her right hand lashed out.

It wasn't that he was slower. She had simply acted first.

An act of insubordination.

Saaak!

A faint breeze blew head-on.

The fluttering white hem of her robe entered his vision.

Shin Bin-bin's golden hand gesture. From within her smooth sleeve, the hilt of a sword peeked out.

Not the Desolate Sword, but a famed blade of the Shin Clan.

While opening the door wide with her other hand, she stepped in quickly.

The refined energy characteristic of noble martial families swept over him.

In Jung Yeonshin's eyes, a flash of sky-blue lightning sparked.

"Not one step..."

The moment she opened her mouth, the boy's figure blurred like a falling leaf.

The wind that surged along his curved path scraped up the gates of Obeying Heaven Squad Pavilion.

The distance closed in an instant. Shin Bin-bin's golden hand gesture didn't even graze Jung Yeonshin's robe.

Bang!

With the force of a thunderbolt, the back of his hand slammed against the side of her head, and her breath burst out, crushed.

Thrown aside like a cannonball amidst the violent gale, Shin Bin-bin tumbled miserably.

"Ugh... Uuugh..."

"You said I crave merit? You're right. I want achievements more than anyone else."

Jung Yeonshin looked down at her coldly and spoke.

"I don't care how you judge me, but I won't tolerate insubordination. Be grateful I didn't deal with you on the spot for wasting my time."

His voice came out harshly.

He couldn't clear up the misunderstanding by revealing Namgoong Hwashin's family circumstances.

He could accept being misunderstood, no matter how people pointed fingers at him.

'Just don't get in my way.'

The faces of Ma Jin, Heon Wonchang, Chung Myung, and Baek Miryeo still lingered vividly before him. As long as no one obstructed him from rescuing them.

His mind was sharper than ever.

He had embedded a sword in his heart. If further harm came to the Radiant Demon Squad's comrades, he was prepared to cut down anyone—no matter who they were.

Sichuan Tang Clan.

Wudang Sect, Qingcheng Sect, Emei Sect.

Ten Perfection Sect, Pure Demon Alliance, Dragon Slayer Alliance.

The Eight Great Clans, Nine Sects, and Thirteen Heaven's major sects competing for dominance in Sichuan.

The Wudang Sect, originally based in Yunan's Wudang Mountain, was said to have entered Sichuan to assist the Qingcheng and Emei sects, which were pushed back by the Thirteen Heavens.

The region was that chaotic.

'I have to suspect everyone.'

Radiant Demon Squad's speed and mobility were exceptional.

If he was determined to flee, no elite force of a single faction could capture him.

Two or more sects must have joined forces to corner the Radiant Demon Squad.

Jung Yeonshin kept his thoughts flexible while his hands remained firm.

Crossing the threshold, he spoke to Shin Bin-bin, who was sprawled and unable to move.

"My comrades are precious to me too."

The boy's voice carried a conviction sharpened like a blade.

As he approached the creation of a new martial technique, his internal energy had risen in quality. His energy now carried intent.

In this moment, using Shin Bin-bin to solidify his resolve, his focus grew even sharper.

His emotions resonated through the flow of his energy.

"...!"

Shin Bin-bin, a white-rank martial artist who had honed her senses, was visibly shaken by his voice.

'Could this... be some kind of misunderstanding?'

However, the boy gave her no chance to continue. He left Shin Bin-bin behind and kept walking.

To recruit the final piece of the expedition, White Qilin, Namgoong Hwashin.

* * *

"I'll go."

Namgoong Hwashin spoke.

Like Lazy Flame Dragon, his eyes were sunken and shadowed.

Gone was the mystical and noble appearance befitting his title, White Qilin.

Despite his swift acceptance, turmoil was evident. His eyes were clouded.

"Thank you."

"No."

Namgoong Hwashin waved his hand as Jung Yeonshin bowed his head. Then, he continued.

"I just... thought swinging my sword might help me feel better. That's the only reason I'm agreeing. Though it's also something I ought to do."

"..."

"And... I apologize for Shin Bin-bin's rudeness. I was slow to sense the disturbance. Perhaps my senses have dulled."

Namgoong Hwashin spoke nonchalantly.

In that moment, Jung Yeonshin realized that White Qilin's temperament had changed.

Despite his cherished junior being beaten and collapsed, he didn't seem to care.

He was no longer the upright scholar-like figure he once was.

Rather, there was a faint trace of Jung Yeonshin's own state of mind reflected in him.

It meant he had become bold, no longer concerned with trivial matters.

'Is this okay?'

The boy wondered.

Two high-level experts and one nameless disciple would lead the rescue party.

None of them were in good condition. They couldn't even pretend to represent the righteous sects.

Even Jung Yeonshin himself, who had set his heart like a blade, was no exception. Namgoong Hwashin also seemed greatly changed.

And Lazy Flame Dragon, always chewing opium poppies and intoxicated, needed no further mention.

'...It'll be fine.'

Leaving Namgoong Hwashin's room, Jung Yeonshin came to a conclusion.

There was no other choice.

Now, they had to race forward.

...Thus, as the lone moon faded along with its dim moonlight, the day of departure arrived.