WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Episode 29: Young So Jang-yun (2)

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[.....She's really something.]

Jo SeongWon sent me a message through sound telepathy.

I had not expected SaMa Yeong to throw Woong Bu into the cesspit.

As if that were not enough, she even looked ready to give him the same beating Ah-song had received from the clan warriors, with a piece of firewood.

She was still fuming, as though she had not vented enough anger.

- I like her.

The SoDam Sword chattered excitedly.

I had felt it from the first time I met her, but perhaps because she was the daughter of one of the Four Great Evildoers, she was certainly uninhibited and very honest about her feelings.

Still...

[It was satisfying to watch, but will this be all right?]

Of course it would not.

I had not even met the Clan Head yet. Causing trouble like this without anyone important around to witness it would only complicate matters.

- At least she did not kill him.

How generous of her, SoDam.

I turned toward the warriors.

“Acupoint sealing has left him unable to get out by himself. Get Woong Bu out right now.”

The warriors grimaced.

To pull him out of the cesspit, they would have to put their hands into it or climb in themselves.

“Are you going to let him drown in a cesspit?”

At my shout, the warriors finally rushed over.

They looked as though they were charging to their deaths.

As soon as they left, I hardened my expression and sent SaMa Yeong a message through sound telepathy.

[Did you act on your own without receiving an order?]

Her face fell at my words.

It seemed she had expected praise.

Under ordinary circumstances, perhaps. But during a mission, she had acted however she pleased without her superior's command, yet she still expected that?

[......I did not like seeing Deputy Brigade Leader being disrespected. And since they treated your servant that way, I thought they needed a lesson. Otherwise, they will keep acting carelessly.]

She sent the message in a dispirited voice.

- She is right. Praise her.

Don't keep egging me on while I'm trying to stay stern.

The SoDam Sword seemed to like SaMa Yeong quite a bit.

Still, I needed to address this properly.

[That is...]

[But I did not kill him!]

Ah...

Yes. Thank you very much.

Whenever I looked at SaMa Yeong, I became more afraid of meeting her father.

How was I supposed to tame this wild horse?

- Is it not strange to expect her to change in only a month, Un Hwi?

The Southern Heavenly Steel Sword had a point.

She was not merely wicked. She had lived her entire life as the daughter of one of the Four Great Evildoers. A month of training in the Blood Cult would not be enough to change her.

Moreover, knowing her identity, neither Evil Heaven nor I had been able to scold her too harshly.

‘I need to change my approach little by little.’

- How?

I had learned something after watching her for a month.

I did not know about others, but she always seemed to be trying to accommodate me.

The problem was that her inborn nature still made her cause trouble.

It would be better to impose limits.

[If this had been a more serious situation, even disciplinary action would not have been enough. Do you understand, Young Lady?]

At my message, she shrank back.

[......I am sorry.]

At least she did not make any more excuses.

Strangely, she seemed more concerned that I was upset than anything else.

[From now on, before you do anything, send me a message through sound telepathy and ask for permission. Do you understand?]

[Is it enough if I ask for permission?]

[Yes.]

[All right. I will definitely ask Deputy Brigade Leader for permission. So do not be angry anymore, all right?]

When I gave a small nod, she smiled brightly.

She wore a Skin Mask, but perhaps because I pictured her original face, a small laugh escaped me.

She really was unusual. Very unusual.

Rewards and punishments had to be clear.

[Still... it was satisfying.]

Her face immediately brightened at my message.

Jo SeongWon furrowed their brow in confusion as SaMa Yeong beamed.

Their gaze seemed to be asking, ‘Were you not scolding her just now?’

“Ughhh!”

“Urgh!”

Woong Bu was dragged out from the latrine.

The warriors looked miserable as they held their noses and dragged him by his clothes.

Ugh. The stench truly was awful.

Despite being the one who caused this, SaMa Yeong held her nose and glared at Woong Bu with contempt.

Jo SeongWon, on the other hand, was completely fine.

They wore the expression of someone for whom this was nothing.

True to their past as a beggar.

- Their resistance to filth is at the Expert level.

That was fortunate.

I sent Jo SeongWon a message through sound telepathy, telling them to release Woong Bu's sealed acupoints.

Jo SeongWon looked at me awkwardly.

Was the smell tolerable, but touching him was not?

What an unusual beggar.

When I glared, Jo SeongWon sheepishly released Woong Bu's acupoints.

Afterward, SaMa Yeong coldly said to Jo SeongWon,

“Stay at least six paces away from me.”

Jo SeongWon looked aggrieved, but I ignored them. Covering my nose slightly with my sleeve, I approached Woong Bu.

“Sorry. My junior martial brother cannot stand injustice.”

“.........”

Woong Bu could not bring himself to say anything.

He had been at fault, and he had nearly died in a cesspit. What could he possibly say?

I asked the frightened man,

“Fine. If you drove him away, do you know where Ah-song went?”

“I-I do not know.”

“Was he in the village?”

“I have not seen him since then.”

Of course.

They had beaten him without hearing his story. Why would they know where he went?

I was relieved he had survived, but where had he disappeared to?

- Are you going to look for him?

‘I will try.’

I would have to hire an information organization or someone similar.

Now for the next question.

“If you demolished the annex, what did you do with Mother's spirit tablet?”

Her spirit tablet had been enshrined in the annex.

They had better answer carefully.

I had somehow endured what happened to Ah-song, but if they had disposed of Mother's spirit tablet, I would not be satisfied until I destroyed the Yiyang So Clan.

Seeing my cold expression, Woong Bu sensed the danger and hurriedly answered.

“M-Madam Ha's spirit tablet was taken to the Hengshan Sect by Young Lady YeongYeong.”

“The Hengshan Sect?”

So YeongYeong was my blood-related younger sister.

If she had taken it, she was likely holding rites for Mother at the Hengshan Sect.

That was at least a relief.

Whether they had placed Mother's spirit tablet in the Clan's ancestral shrine or not, I would have been displeased. But if the Hengshan Sect had it, I could rest easy.

- Your younger sister is at the Hengshan Sect?

That was right.

Unlike me, whose dantian had been damaged by Ki Rampage, YeongYeong was fine.

Her martial talent was even outstanding enough that she became the lay disciple of the Hengshan Heroine, one of the Hengshan Sect's two eccentrics.

The Hengshan Heroine had originally been invited for So JangYun's sake, but chose YeongYeong instead.

- Serves him right.

It certainly did.

I had not seen my younger sister for a very long time.

I wanted to see her, but she probably did not feel the same.

After my dantian was ruined, she had hated seeing me treated like trash by the Clan.

“When will the Clan Head return?”

I had only heard that he was away.

Since things had come to this, I needed to ask when he would return.

The Clan Head rarely left the Clan unless it was for something important.

“......He should return within one or two two-hour periods.”

He had not gone far.

Then it seemed an honored guest was coming.

If the Clan Head had personally gone to see the guest off, the visitor must have been quite famous in the martial world.

- Is that not a good thing?

It was.

It would be even better if there were someone respectable present to serve as a witness.

- ..........

Just then, a ringing sounded in my ears.

Only three of those approaching carried swords.

They had already passed through the Manor's main gate, so they should soon come into view.

SaMa Yeong also sensed their approach and turned her head in the opposite direction.

Six young men and women came into view.

“Ah!”

The warriors spotted them and rushed over as though saviors had arrived.

“You have come, Young Master!”

It was a sight I had not seen in a long time.

The group that had always followed each other around since childhood was still together.

They were members of the Hunan Province Martial World Branch. Since childhood, along with So JangYun, they had tormented me relentlessly.

Jo Gang, Woo JunAk, Do IlChan, Kang HyeSo, Song YangHwa, and So JangYun, the Yiyang So Clan's second son.

In truth, two more people had half belonged to that group.

- Do not tell me...

‘Yes, the twins.’

Song JwaBaek and Song WooHyun had been among them as well.

Who would have thought those who treated me so cruelly would become my fellow disciples?

By now, they too should have arrived at the Jo Hang Song Clan.

Yet their younger sister was here.

“Are those the ones?”

I nodded at SaMa Yeong's question.

She smacked her lips in disappointment.

It was fortunate I had warned her in advance. Otherwise, something terrible might have happened.

Before So JangYun, who led the group as though he were its leader, had even fully arrived, he shouted,

“Who gave trash like you permission to set foot on this Clan's grounds?”

He truly never changed.

Even before my regression, he had been the first to rush over and make a scene.

He had a peculiar habit of not being satisfied until he threw a punch whenever he saw me.

- How did you endure him?

The SoDam Sword clicked its tongue.

Even it seemed annoyed by him.

I gave him a fist-and-palm salute.

“It has been a long time, Brother.”

At my polite greeting, Jo Gang and Do IlChan sneered from behind So JangYun.

“Oh my. The famous Luoyang city Brat came back alive.”

“I heard you were thrown out of the Clan, but you look better than ever.”

They were clearly speaking that way on purpose, despite having company with them.

SaMa Yeong's gaze turned cold at their attitude.

Her fingers twitched, as though she wanted to act at once.

I lightly shook my head to signal that it was not time yet.

“Tch.”

Her face reddened slightly.

She seemed frustrated.

Well, I had told her not to touch them. I had not told her to endure everything.

“You brothers are as unchanged as ever. It seems you enjoyed day drinking with my older brother again. I envy how leisurely you always live.”

“What?”

Do IlChan flared up and tried to get angry.

Someone stopped him.

“Young Master Do, endure it.”

“Young Lady Song.”

It was Song YangHwa, the twins' younger sister, who stopped him.

I remembered her being quite nasty in the past. Why was she stopping him now?

“Young Master So, it has been a long time. During that time...”

Then So JangYun cut her off and shouted at me.

“You trash do not know your place after wandering around outside and bringing back two strays you picked up from who knows where.”

Hmm.

He had not felt like this when I saw him before.

Now that I looked at him, he gave me the same impression as when I first met Song JwaBaek and Song WooHyun.

He was nothing more than an immature brat.

I answered in a calm voice without becoming excited.

“Perhaps because you have been drinking, your words are rather excessive. I think it would be better to meet again after you circulate your ki and sober up, Brother.”

My words left him dumbfounded.

“Ha!”

The boy who used to cower and remain helpless whenever he said a word was now answering back at every turn. That must have enraged him.

His bulbous nose, already red from alcohol, stood out even more.

“Fuuu...”

He let out a long breath.

He truly never changed.

The moment he exhaled, he rushed at me.

He tried to smash my face with his fist.

Without moving from where I stood, I caught his fist.

So JangYun's eyes widened.

He had not expected me to catch a fist infused with his internal energy.

“You? How?”

“We can discuss this later. I do not wish to make things unpleasant before meeting the Clan Head, Brother.”

His face twisted at my words.

It had not even registered with him that I possessed internal energy.

“You filthy lowborn bastard! Who do you think you are calling Brother? I have never considered trash like you my younger brother!”

Before he even finished speaking, he tried to headbutt me in the face.

I released his hand and quickly stepped back.

His expression became uncertain as I evaded him.

He probably could not tell whether I had internal energy or not.

“Brother So, are you going easy on him because you share blood? Why make such a fuss over a weakling?”

“You said you would show us something good, yet you are playing around.”

Jo Gang and Do IlChan kindly egged him on.

Perhaps because he had been pushed back by someone he had regarded as less than trash, his face crumpled in humiliation.

He seemed ready.

I only needed to set him off.

“A lowborn bastard, you say... You still speak as if you have a filthy rag stuffed in your mouth.”

His expression changed again as my polite tone vanished.

“What? This bastard dares to speak to me...”

“It seems you are right to say you have never considered me a younger brother. I was born three months before you, so should you not be calling me older brother instead?”

We were half-brothers, but I had been born much earlier.

Yet, because of the legal wife's pride, I had been forced to call him Brother since childhood.

So JangYun ground his teeth.

His anger reaching its limit, he drew his sword.

“You want me to call you older brother? You filthy bastard must be desperate to die.”

He drew his sword and pointed it at me.

He looked ready to stab my throat at any moment.

Before I knew it, even the warriors guarding the Yiyang So Clan's Manor had gathered around us.

“Young Master So, stop.”

“She's right. They said the Clan Head would return soon.”

Song YangHwa and Kang HyeSo stopped him at the same time.

They seemed worried that something would happen after he drew his sword and radiated killing intent.

Yet people were strange.

The more others told them to endure, the more spirited they became.

“Hmph. Fine. I should take care of that filthy bastard who disgraces the Clan with my own hands. No one will mourn if something happens to him.”

“I would.”

“Hmm?”

SaMa Yeong opposed him at those words.

She had somehow endured not acting, but it seemed difficult for her to endure him insulting me.

So JangYun looked at her and sneered.

“You skinny man who looks like a girl, what good do you think you'll do by interfering? Keep your mouth shut unless you want to get hurt too.”

I almost laughed.

I wondered how he would react if he learned SaMa Yeong's identity.

Sensing the faint killing intent coming from her, I sent her a message through sound telepathy.

[Endure it.]

[......I want to kill him.]

It was fortunate I had warned her in advance.

She was even thinking of killing him.

I gave a fist-and-palm salute toward the group behind So JangYun and spoke with apparent regret.

“I apologize. It seems we have inconvenienced you because of a problem within our Clan.”

After saying that, I spoke to him as though reasoning with him.

“If you put away your sword now, I will let this pass. Please calm yourself.”

His expression completely changed at those words, and he made to rush at me.

“You mongrel!”

“Young Master!”

Song YangHwa grabbed his arm in alarm, but it was useless.

So JangYun shook her off, rushed forward, and swung his sword precisely at my neck.

At that moment, I leaned my head back slightly and avoided his sword.

“What?”

In that position, I seized his face like lightning.

“Ugh!”

Then, just as SaMa Yeong had done, I lifted him into the air.

Startled as his body was raised, So JangYun urgently swung his sword, trying to cut my arm.

But before that, I seized his wrist.

He drew on his Force of ki to shake me off.

But what could he do?

That much Force of ki did not even register.

‘!!!’

His eyes widened as though they would burst from their sockets.

“Arrgh!”

I snapped his wrist.

As his wrist bent in the opposite direction, he dropped his sword.

The group watching could not hide their shock.

“H-How?”

“You learned Martial Arts?”

What foolish people.

They did not even consider that my aura might be greater than theirs.

Then again, they firmly believed my dantian had been ruined and only remembered the trash I used to be. It could not be easy for them to accept.

“Young Master So, please stop!”

This time, Song YangHwa tried to stop me instead.

She was the only one who understood the situation correctly.

I raised my innate life energy, concentrated the power in my eyes, and looked at So JangYun.

His eyes became unfocused.

Then I released the hand holding his face.

I said to him,

“All right. Let us leave it at this.”

He looked at me with unfocused eyes.

“I lost. I apologize for speaking carelessly to you and trying to take your life.”

Song YangHwa and the others looked bewildered.

They had not expected So JangYun to acknowledge defeat, much less apologize to me.

I also lowered my head and gave him a fist-and-palm salute.

“I accept Brother's apology. And I apologize as well for upsetting you unnecessarily.”

The warriors nearby wore strange expressions at my courteous manner.

They must have found it unexpected that I acted so magnanimously toward someone who had caused such a scene.

Then So JangYun's eyes returned to normal.

Seeing me giving a fist-and-palm salute, he looked confused. Then, perhaps because fury surged through him at his broken wrist, he roared,

“You mongrel! Die!”

While I was giving a fist-and-palm salute, he tried to strike my Celestial Spirit acupoint by surprise.

At that moment, SaMa Yeong appeared like lightning and grabbed his wrist.

“What?”

She glanced at me.

I gave a small nod.

Once permission was given, SaMa Yeong smiled brightly and snapped his wrist.

The bone even protruded through his skin.

“Arghhh!”

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