WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
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◈ A Wandering Warrior's Survival Guide ◈
Chapter 48: They Say You Have to Be Crazy to Make It in the Martial World, So Should I Try Acting Crazy? (1)
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Murong Hyeoncheon had said as much, yet he did not directly teach Cheon Hwi anything about martial arts. As the clan head, perhaps that was only natural.
He merely added a question about Cheon Hwi’s movement technique.
“What do you think of this Meteor Chasing the Moon Movement Technique?”
What did he think? Naturally, he was not asking to hear empty praise such as, It is good, or, It is an excellent divine art.
‘He does not intend to tell me anything, but he will help me reach the answer through questions.’
Cheon Hwi voiced his thoughts in response.
“I hesitate to say this because it may sound presumptuous, but... I feel this movement technique does not quite suit the Murong Clan’s martial arts.”
At that, Murong Hyeoncheon gave a low hum, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. However, Cheon Hwi did not miss the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth.
“It does not suit the Murong Clan’s martial arts?”
“Yes. I only stole and learned this movement technique, so I hesitate to say so, but it did not seem to fit the Murong Clan’s martial arts that I have seen thus far. It felt like a movement technique better suited to swift swordplay or more forceful martial arts.”
“But the Murong Clan has swift sword techniques as well.”
“A martial clan as great as the Murong Clan would find it stranger not to have even one swift sword technique.”
Apparently, that was the right answer. Murong Hyeoncheon even looked slightly surprised.
“Yes, that is right. Then why do you think this movement technique, which follows a different path from the Murong Clan’s foundational martial arts, is regarded as one of the clan’s supreme movement techniques?”
‘Simply because it is a good movement technique? That cannot be it.’
Cheon Hwi considered the passages he had seen in the movement technique manual and the Murong Clan martial arts he had witnessed so far. What made them different?
If the principles of turning and rotation were the heart of the Murong Clan’s martial arts, this movement technique clearly followed another path.
If one were to represent the Murong Clan’s martial arts with a single image, they were fundamentally close to a circle.
Each art contained the principles of turning and rotation, yet together they formed one whole.
A martial principle that received an opponent’s strength, turned it, sent it back, diverted it, and drew it back to its original position. The Returning Star Sword Art was like that, as was the Flying Swallow Twin-Stream Sword. Even the Twin Dragons Whirlwind Fist was ultimately a fist art in which two currents entwined and destroyed the center.
‘If there are martial arts in which lines and points meet and connect, then Murong martial arts connect like a spring as they draw circles.’
Yet the Meteor Chasing the Moon Movement Technique contained a flow that advanced in straight lines and zigzags.
Once it set a target, it taught one to handle the body as though turning the entire body into a streak of starlight and firing it forth.
They were polar opposites.
Why were two martial principles as incompatible as water and fire bound to the same root?
Then Cheon Hwi suddenly understood.
‘Is that why it is necessary?’
Cheon Hwi’s insight did not stop there.
No matter how perfect a circle was, there was an opening before it was drawn. If one broke in before the opponent could seize the center of rotation, Murong martial arts would be cut off before they could even begin.
Conversely, if a Murong martial artist was even half a breath slower than their opponent, there would be no time to draw a circle. That was when the Meteor Chasing the Moon Movement Technique was needed.
‘But that cannot be the whole reason.’
Filling the brief instant in which one could not draw a circle or draw the opponent into a rotation with a straight line? Or using such a movement technique to fill the most unstable weakness in their martial arts? It felt like only half an answer.
In actual combat, it was more effective to abandon a weakness and build upon one’s strengths. What martial art in the world was flawless, without a single weakness? Trying to create a martial art that was perfect in every respect was the same as creating one that excelled at nothing.
Cheon Hwi did not yet fully understand what martial arts truly were. Still, there was one thing he knew for certain. Martial arts were not built on the soft-minded idea that one only had to patch up every weakness.
‘No, that cannot be the only reason. There must be a deeper meaning hidden within it.’
Among the mnemonic formulas contained in the Meteor Chasing the Moon Movement Technique, one line in particular had remained in Cheon Hwi’s eyes and mind.
─ Before the star falls, its light has already entered the eye.
‘Before the star falls, its light has already entered the eye.’
The mnemonic formula related to the Eye Art had lingered strangely in his mind. Before the starlight fell, it entered the eye first. Was it not a line that resembled poetry inserted in the middle of a martial arts manual?
At that moment, Cheon Hwi’s eyes flew open.
‘Ah! Could it be...?’
Murong Hyeoncheon waited for the absorbed Cheon Hwi with quiet anticipation.
He could roughly predict the sort of answers children this age might give based on their understanding of martial arts. That it was meant to compensate for a weakness, or that movement techniques and footwork were naturally meant to increase one’s speed.
The first answer would earn fifty points. The latter would earn zero.
Until now, not one of the clan’s martial artists, including his own household, had given the hundred-point answer he sought.
Yet from Cheon Hwi’s mouth, the hundred-point answer emerged without fail.
“This may sound like nonsense, but could it be an Eye Art and movement technique for mastering Dipper Turns, Stars Shift?”
Murong Hyeoncheon’s eyes widened.
He had not expected Cheon Hwi to identify it specifically as an Eye Art.
“Continue.”
“To draw the circle and rotation axis contained within the Murong Clan’s core martial arts, one must first read the central axis of the opponent’s martial art. Only then can one align the axis, or perhaps the line, of their martial art with the opponent’s and respond through rotation. To master such martial arts, one must quickly grasp the opponent and move one’s body in accordance with their martial art. In other words, finding and reading the central axis of the opponent’s martial art, then responding to it. That is the ultimate essence of the Meteor Chasing the Moon Movement Technique.”
“...”
When Murong Hyeoncheon said nothing, Cheon Hwi continued.
“If the principle reaches its pinnacle and becomes the divine art of turning an opponent’s martial art back upon them to harm them with their own technique, that is Dipper Turns, Stars Shift. Then this seemingly contradictory movement technique makes sense as well. So does why it is called a movement technique rather than footwork.”
Murong Hyeoncheon remained silent for a long while. Heavy silence filled the empty space of the Clan Head Hall.
‘...He saw that far?’
The clan head shuddered, never imagining Cheon Hwi had spent such a long time studying that movement technique manual.
No, even if he had known, he would not have been able to hide his surprise.
Murong Hyeoncheon felt a shiver run through his body. A sense of danger followed close behind.
“That is correct. I will extend my favor only this far. If I ask another question or two, I may find myself in trouble.”
“Thank you for your guidance.”
“There is no need to thank me. You realized it yourself.”
Cheon Hwi gave a deep salute and left the Clan Head Hall.
Without pausing, he gathered a small bundle of belongings and left the Murong Clan without regret.
No one had ordered him to leave the outer compound at once, but Cheon Hwi simply chose to do so.
.
.
.
The sun had set, and darkness was beginning to fall.
Cheon Hwi headed to an escort agency he had not visited in some time. The escort banner, which he had not seen in a long while, looked strangely unfamiliar.
Azure Cloud Escort Agency.
Though it was already late, the escort agency was quite busy.
When he slightly raised the bamboo hat concealing his face, the person guarding the gate asked,
“What business do you have here?”
“I would like to see Chief Escort Gwak Myeong-ho. Tell them I came to return something, and they will understand.”
“May I have your name?”
“Hwi. Cheon Hwi. They will know.”
The gatekeeper’s eyes widened. By now, there were fewer people around Shenyang who did not know the name Cheon Hwi.
* * *
“Are you truly Cheon Hwi?”
“Of course I am. Who else would it be, a ghost?”
“No... That is not what I meant... Never mind.”
Gwak Myeong-ho, the chief escort guard of the Azure Cloud Escort Agency, clearly remembered Cheon Hwi from only a few days ago.
A young man who had seemed barely at the threshold of second-rate. A hired escort guard from wanderer origins whose bearing had surpassed that of any martial artist Gwak Myeong-ho had seen.
But now...
‘He has become a completely different person. Were the rumors true?’
Gwak Myeong-ho had heard the rumors about Cheon Hwi that had Shenyang buzzing, but had only half believed them. Yet after seeing the changed Cheon Hwi before them, Gwak Myeong-ho could not deny it.
‘He has grown unbelievably strong.’
Even the phrase “to view someone with new eyes” seemed insufficient.
Just then, Han So-gyeom, the Guarding Martial Authority’s deputy unit commander, emerged from the darkness with smooth footsteps.
“Just as I thought.”
Cheon Hwi turned around. Han So-gyeom clicked his tongue and continued,
“You brat. If you are leaving the clan, at least say something before you go. Who just leaves like that?”
The Outer Hall Chief Steward had told him Cheon Hwi had quit as an Outer Hall warrior. Han So-gyeom had immediately followed after Cheon Hwi, apparently certain that someone with nowhere else to go would come here at this late hour.
Gwak Myeong-ho sucked in a breath while looking between Cheon Hwi and Han So-gyeom, who had emerged from the darkness.
“Deputy Commander Han! What in the world did the Guarding Martial Authority do to this kid? In only a few months, you turned a green wanderer into a monster capable of breaking the jaw of a first-rate demonic fiend. Did you feed him spiritual elixirs instead of three meals a day?”
Han So-gyeom could not hold back his hearty laughter at Gwak Myeong-ho’s half-joking yet sincere astonishment.
“I did nothing.”
“You did nothing?”
“Exactly. He grew stronger on his own.”
“...?”
“Let us talk inside. Bring out some good liquor.”
“You speak as though it was yours to begin with.”
Even so, Gwak Myeong-ho welcomed the two inside the escort agency.
As soon as the three sat down in a private room, Han So-gyeom spoke. Normally a man of few words, he was unusually talkative around Cheon Hwi.
“You did well to quit as an Outer Hall warrior. I suppose you decided it is time to move over to the Guarding Martial Authority?”
“I never said I was joining the Guarding Martial Authority.”
“Now, now. What a disappointing thing to say. Even if you do not wear the Guarding Martial Authority’s red uniform, there are secret ways to remain connected outside and reap mutual benefits together.”
When Cheon Hwi drew a line, Han So-gyeom lightly tapped the empty cup, tap tap, as if disappointed.
Cheon Hwi merely shrugged instead of answering.
“My goodness. You two keep talking. I will go relieve myself and tell them to get some food ready.”
When Head Escort Gwak left, the playfulness vanished from Han So-gyeom’s face in an instant. After keenly checking the surroundings, he sent Cheon Hwi a voice transmission only he could hear.
“This concerns the demonic qi in your middle dantian and the qualities the Central Plains require.”
Cheon Hwi nodded, signaling for him to continue.
“We want to infiltrate you into one branch of the Demon Cult. Those madmen.”
Cheon Hwi could not help but laugh in disbelief.
The Demon Cult. This time, they were telling him to throw himself naked into the heart of a fire.
Cheon Hwi had some idea of what the Demon Cult was like.
“You really think I have six or seven lives, do you? Do you think I will go die just because you tell me to?”
“Hehehe.”
Even Han So-gyeom seemed embarrassed by his own proposal as he laughed before continuing.
“How is that pushing you to your death? To fully control the demonic qi in your body, you need to steal a demonic art anyway, do you not?”
“...”
“We will thoroughly watch your back from outside. If you infiltrate them and obtain what you need, we can get you safely back out without making you a public enemy of the Martial World...”
“What a very reassuring suggestion. It sounds wonderful for extending my lifespan.”
Han So-gyeom was not offended by Cheon Hwi’s sarcasm in the slightest. It was true, after all.
“They are not the sort to openly advertise themselves as Demon Cultists, so you will not be killed right away. If they were, they would have already been subdued. We are considering placing you somewhere suspicious.”
“What would I do after infiltrating them?”
When Cheon Hwi asked in a lowered voice, Han So-gyeom answered as though it were obvious.
“Until the time is right, you search for information on anything important. Then you identify every possible connection, including their backers, network, and funding. It may sound difficult, but I mean for you to go in and live among them.”
In the end, would he not become a hunting hound to be cast aside without hesitation if his trail was discovered? Cheon Hwi wondered whether accepting this offer was truly right.
Seeing his hesitation, Han So-gyeom continued.
“If you wish to obtain a tiger’s hide, you must enter the tiger’s den. If you wish to obtain a proper demonic art, should you not naturally crawl into their nest?”
Cheon Hwi realized something.
‘They say there are no normal people among Martial World martial artists, but these Guarding Martial Authority bastards are no normal group either.’
They were certainly people who would stop at nothing to produce results.
“If you do not control the demonic qi within you, you will be blocked by the wall of first-rate. You must learn a demonic art. And your qualities are the sort that will draw attention there at once.”
Cheon Hwi raised his cup. The liquor that slid down his throat felt especially bitter and burning.
“Why must I do that instead of using the most straightforward method, learning from another expert who practices a demonic art?”
“Then do you know such an expert? I have already cast aside my demonic art. I can neither teach it nor practice it.”
“Urgh...”
Only now did Cheon Hwi begin to understand why Han So-gyeom had wanted to assign Guarding Martial Authority agents to protect him, why he seemed convinced that Cheon Hwi would be unable to refuse once he heard the proposal, and why he had not told him sooner despite being able to.
After a prestigious martial clan, a branch of the Demon Cult?
Still, this was a Martial World where one either ate or was eaten. Whether it was the greenhouse of a prestigious martial clan or the nest of the Demon Cult, perhaps he only needed to suck every last drop of benefit from it and escape, so long as he could become stronger.
“It sounds like you are telling me to enter a boiling cauldron, fill my stomach, and come out alive.”
“Something like that.”
Cheon Hwi sighed. Han So-gyeom filled Cheon Hwi’s empty cup.
With a tap, Cheon Hwi drained it in a single gulp and asked,
“So where is this boiling cauldron?”
For now, he intended to hear out the mad plan.
A path had a way of appearing anew where one thought it had ended.
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