WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Episode 30: Young So Yeong-hyeon (2)

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YeongYeong looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, unable to believe it.

“Brother, your internal energy...?”

It seemed Song YangHwa had not told her.

She still thought my dantian was ruined and had tried to protect me.

- What a good child.

Yes.

I was ashamed to call myself her older brother.

I had never realized YeongYeong was such a thoughtful child.

“Urgh.”

Whoosh!

So YeongHyeon, who had been sprawled on the ground, sprang up with a flick of his waist.

Yes. I had not hit him too hard, so he should be able to endure that much.

I had no intention of ending this too easily.

He had nearly made YeongYeong cry, so I intended to make him pay accordingly.

- How skilled is he?

The SoDam Sword seemed curious.

Judging by the ki he gave off, he appeared to be an Advanced master.

He was certainly more skilled than his younger brother, So JangYun.

Considering the rising talents who represented martial clans and families throughout the martial world, he seemed to be at least average.

I had expected So YeongHyeon to be too enraged to control himself, but he asked with a flustered expression.

“Could it be that your dantian has recovered?”

“Who knows.”

There was no need to tell him.

It would be easier to deal with him if he let his guard down and caused a scene, just like So JangYun had.

Yet my answer made him warier.

- He seems to be holding back.

My expectation that his pride would be wounded after being thrown down and that he would immediately rush me had been wrong.

It seemed I had instead helped him regain his composure.

His eyes shifted.

He appeared to be trying to gauge my level through the ki I gave off.

Once one reached the Expert realm, one could conceal their ki to some extent. Unless one possessed comparable strength, it would be difficult to discern.

- Let out just a little ki and lure him in.

At the SoDam Sword’s words, I circulated the Myeongryun Immortal Art through my Lower Dantian.

This much ki would put me somewhere between Second-rate and Advanced.

The corner of his mouth trembled faintly.

- Looks like it worked.

Just as the SoDam Sword said, relief showed on his face.

He seemed convinced that he was stronger than me.

Shing!

Without a word, he drew his sword and took an opening stance.

Having become certain, he appeared ready to attack.

[Brother!]

YeongYeong sent me a sound telepathy message.

[Just because your dantian has recovered does not mean he will be easy to defeat.]

Ah.

Because I had revealed my ki, YeongYeong must have mistaken my level of Martial Arts for that much as well.

Then again, who would think that I, whose dantian had been ruined, could defeat the young clan head of the Yiyang So Clan, who had consumed Elixirs and trained in Martial Arts for more than ten years, after barely a year and a few months?

Still, it did not feel bad to have my only blood relative worry about me.

[It’s fine. Trust your brother.]

[What do you mean, it’s fine? Something terrible could happen!]

YeongYeong did not believe me easily.

Then it happened.

Seeing that my attention had briefly turned toward YeongYeong, So YeongHyeon lunged.

The fact that he even concealed his presence showed that he was aiming for a surprise attack.

“Watch out!”

YeongYeong cried out and hurriedly drew her sword, intending to block for me.

But I moved faster.

Shing! Clang!

I drew the Southern Heavenly Steel Sword from its cloth-wrapped scabbard and knocked aside the sword aimed at my right shoulder.

Then I swiftly slapped his cheek.

Smack!

His head turned slightly from the slap, and his eyes trembled.

I had held back my internal energy, but it must still have felt unpleasant.

“This is the price for aiming at my younger sister’s cheek.”

“You bastard!”

Using a step, he retreated about two paces and unleashed sword techniques.

It was the So Hyeon Sword Art, one of the three sword styles the Yiyang So Clan boasted of.

It had been a long time since I had seen it.

I casually swung my sword and blocked his techniques.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

There was no need for me to use any sword techniques.

It had been a foolish decision for him to use the So Hyeon Sword Art against me.

Had he used a sword style I did not know, it might have been different. But there was already a gap in our skill, and since I knew this sword style, finding its openings was not difficult.

After blocking only about three movements, I struck the thrusting sword diagonally downward.

Smack!

I slapped his cheek again.

The same left cheek, at that.

“This is the price for insulting the junior martial brother who saved my life.”

“Y-You bastard!”

A harsh curse burst from So YeongHyeon’s mouth as his composure shattered.

After being slapped twice, he was finally showing me what I wanted to see.

Yes. That suited him better.

“Ah!”

Meanwhile, YeongYeong gasped.

She had worried that I might get hurt, but seeing me even toy with him must have astonished her.

The warriors of the main house and So JangYun’s followers felt the same.

“Is that really the Luoyang city Brat?”

“How can he do that against Brother YeongHyeon?”

After So JangYun, the second son, even So YeongHyeon, the eldest, was being humiliated. They were astonished by my ability.

So JangYun had been so weak that I had not received much attention. But now that I was facing someone considered a rising talent of the clan, my performance stood out all the more.

- Un Hwi!

At that moment, the Southern Heavenly Steel Sword called to me.

Then countless ringing voices resounded in my head.

- ...

‘Urgh.’

With so many swords speaking and drawing near, my head could not help throbbing.

I circulated the Innate Cultivation Technique for a moment and concentrated innate life energy in my head. The headache faded.

It was difficult at times like this that the Yiyang So Clan was a sword clan.

But thanks to that, I could tell.

- Un Hwi. Is it them?

Yes, Southern Heaven.

With this many people, the Clan Head must have returned.

- There are three powerful swords among them.

- They are quite strong.

Three swords?

The SoDam Sword and the Southern Heavenly Steel Sword had their own standards for judging a strong sword.

First, swords that had grown alongside owners of great martial prowess.

Second, old treasured swords or divine swords.

No matter how fine their materials were, newly forged swords were treated like newborns by these two.

‘Ah.’

I understood.

One sword naturally belonged to the Clan Head, while the other two must belong to the two great figures of the Hengshan Sect, the Hengshan One Sword and the Hengshan Heroine.

It had been worth dragging things out. They had arrived at just the right time.

Now it was time to reap what I had sown.

“You bastard!”

At that moment, So YeongHyeon, humiliated by the slaps, charged with an angry roar.

His grip on the sword changed.

Having decided the So Hyeon Sword Art would not be enough, he had changed sword styles.

The sword force had grown heavier, carrying an overbearing momentum. It was undoubtedly the So Dongpae Sword, the advanced sword style only the Clan Head and young clan head of the main house could learn.

Unlike before, this was an advanced sword style.

‘Let me see what level it is at.’

I suddenly grew curious.

I wanted to know how formidable the Yiyang So Clan’s advanced sword style truly was.

Clang! Clang!

I blocked each of his sword forms.

Whenever our swords collided, the heavy sword force flowing through them was far from ordinary.

The sword techniques fully carried the essence of heavy sword art.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

However, the person using these techniques was neither more nor less than an ordinary rising talent.

It might have been effective against a swordsman of similar skill, but it was nothing against me.

I easily blocked all fourteen movements contained in his sword techniques.

Then, at the end,

Clang! Tap tap tap!

With a light swing of my sword, I sent him flying back three paces.

So YeongHyeon muttered as if unable to believe it.

“This is impossible. How can someone like you block the So Dongpae Sword...?”

As expected, it was the So Dongpae Sword.

The person he had scorned beyond contempt had blocked even the main house’s advanced sword style. He was so flustered that he did not know what to do.

I spoke to him as if granting mercy.

“If you apologize to those two at once and beg forgiveness for insulting our late mother, I will end this here.”

“Forgiveness?”

Of course, I had no intention of truly being merciful.

Rather, I wanted to provoke him further and make his wrongdoing clear to everyone else.

Creak!

His teeth ground together.

As expected, So YeongHyeon could not contain his anger.

“How dare you speak of forgiveness to me!”

“You’ll regret this.”

At my words, he suddenly seemed to remember something and shouted.

“Now I understand! You have learned some vile unorthodox art. Even if your dantian recovered through heaven’s favor, there is no way your Martial Arts could have improved this much in only a year!”

Ha.

So he could come up with such petty schemes.

It was a typical attempt to frame me.

I had blocked him through sword skill, not internal energy, yet he was saying such things.

The main house warriors began murmuring.

“Then...”

“Is that possible in only a year and a few months?”

“Does that mean he learned an unorthodox art?”

Among Martial Arts, there were arts known as unorthodox arts or demonic arts.

They used strange methods rather than orthodox training methods to increase one’s Force of ki. But their side effects were severe and their limits low, so even among the force of evil, only a very few pursued them.

“He would rather die than admit he is weak.”

“What?”

“The young clan head of the Yiyang So Clan is only this skilled? How pathetic, senior martial brother.”

SaMa Yeong sneered, deliberately speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

This time, she had done well.

Thanks to her provocation, his expression changed.

No matter what excuse he made, he was the young clan head of the Yiyang So Clan and a rising talent who represented its future.

Losing to someone like me, who was not even a famous rising talent, was no different from disgrace.

“A brat like you truly wishes to shorten his life. I had intended to show restraint, considering that a little of the main house’s blood runs through you.”

Was I hearing things?

He had intended to show restraint?

- He really has some nerve.

The SoDam Sword clicked its tongue.

He leaned his body slightly and took a forward-tilting stance.

The rising ki he gave off and the trembling sword tip showed that he intended to use the Ultimate Technique of the So Dongpae Sword.

The killing intent rolling off him showed that it was a sure-kill move.

“If you are so confident, you should be able to block this as well, correct?”

So YeongHyeon spoke as if provoking me.

He was deliberately trying to goad me into receiving his technique head-on.

He was thinking things through in his own way.

“Nothing will change.”

“Insolent!”

Whoosh!

At my words, he launched forward with explosive force.

True to the sure-kill move of the So Dongpae Sword, it carried the essence of heavy sword art while each movement targeted only vital acupoints that could kill in a single strike.

“Watch out!”

YeongYeong cried out in worry.

But there was no longer any need to hide my strength.

Clang!

His first movement collided with my sword.

The instant our swords struck, he tried to connect into the next technique.

Smack!

But in that instant, I slapped So YeongHyeon’s cheek.

This time, I properly put the Force of ki from my Lower Dantian into it.

“Y-You bastard, again...”

He forcibly endured it and continued his sword form.

But I remained where I was and struck it aside by lifting my sword upward.

With his hand raised, another opening appeared.

Smack!

This time, I slapped his other cheek.

His nose had been struck along with his cheek, and blood burst from it.

Creak!

He gritted his teeth and tried to bring down his raised sword, but my fist reached his chest first.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

The blow nearly sent him flying backward.

At that moment, I grabbed his collar, pulled him back, and kicked his shin.

Crack!

His shinbone seemed to have cracked, if not broken.

“Argh! You... you bas...”

Perhaps his fury was greater than his pain, because he still tried to unleash a sword form.

The blade came toward my neck.

But it was already too late.

I struck aside his blade with the Force of ki of eight levels.

Clang!

“Urgh!”

The sword shook violently, and unable to endure the aftershock of my Force of ki, his hand opened.

His sword spun through the air.

The moment he was flustered,

[This is the price for insulting our mother, you son of a bitch.]

“!?”

Thwack!

“Guh!”

I drove my fist into his face with all my strength.

His face twisted to the side, and the sound of teeth breaking rang satisfyingly in my ears.

Sprawled on the ground, he coughed and spat out broken teeth.

His face was a mess.

‘Ha...’

That felt refreshing.

It felt as if some of what had built up inside me had been released.

How much had those brothers tormented YeongYeong and me, and insulted Mother?

[My lord!]

Jo SeongWon’s sound telepathy rang in my ear.

I knew why Jo SeongWon had called me.

The extreme silence around us made it clear who had arrived.

When I turned my head, a middle-aged man in pale green silk robes stood between the warriors of the main house, who had parted to either side. He wore an impressive beard, and his expression was stern.

It was Clan Head So IkHeon.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man and woman in dark blue Taoist robes.

‘The Hengshan One Sword and the Hengshan Heroine.’

It had been a long time since I had seen them.

But they would not know me now.

Before my regression, I had been considered the clan’s disgrace and had never encountered outsiders.

I had met them later, while serving as a Spy in the martial artists’ alliance.

“Clan Head, what is the meaning of this?”

Jo IlHye, the Hengshan Heroine, asked with a frown.

She must have realized something had happened when she saw the So JangYun and So YeongHyeon brothers lying on the ground.

“Who exactly is that young martial hero?”

She looked at me.

As expected of the two great figures of Hengshan, they seemed to have recognized the ki I gave off.

The ki radiating from her was sharp enough to place her among the strongest Expert masters.

‘Strong.’

The Hengshan One Sword was much stronger than her.

He did not carry the overwhelming pressure of Evil Heaven, but he had clearly surpassed the wall of the Expert realm.

By contrast, the ki radiating from Clan Head So IkHeon was nearly equal to Jo IlHye’s, or perhaps slightly stronger.

Of course, one could not judge a battle between martial artists by ki alone.

So IkHeon’s expression was complicated.

He did not answer Jo IlHye’s question.

- Why is he acting like that?

I could not tell for certain either.

Perhaps it was because the child he had discarded as useless had returned stronger.

Then,

“F-Father! It is an unorthodox art! He used a vile unorthodox art!”

So YeongHyeon cried out after spotting the Clan Head, the Hengshan One Sword, and the Hengshan Heroine.

I should have broken his jaw so he could not speak.

Even now, he was trying to explain away his defeat like this.

“An unorthodox art?”

But someone I had not expected reacted.

It was the Hengshan One Sword, Jo CheongUn.

‘Ah!’

I remembered.

Even in the alliance, this man had always been gentle and quite shy around strangers.

But when he saw injustice or faced members of the force of evil or Blood Cult, he changed completely.

“It is not an unorthodox...”

Whoosh!

Before I could explain, Jo CheongUn moved.

In the blink of an eye, he closed nearly fifteen paces.

‘What?’

I knew the Hengshan Sect excelled in swift swordsmanship and movement skills, but I had not expected this much.

He stopped directly before me and spoke.

“Young brother, have you learned an unorthodox art?”

“No.”

“Then why does the young clan head of the Yiyang So Clan claim that you have?”

Because unorthodox arts also negatively affected one’s nature, many members of the force of justice despised them intensely.

Jo CheongUn seemed to be one of them.

Then YeongYeong cried out.

“Senior martial uncle! The young brother before you is my older brother!”

“Older brother? So WoonHwi?”

Jo CheongUn frowned.

Judging by his reaction, he seemed to have heard about me from YeongYeong.

I had thought things might go smoothly, but that was not the case.

“I heard your dantian was damaged. Was that not true?”

He reached for my wrist with a grappling hold.

Although I was suspected of learning an unorthodox art, I could not simply let him inspect my internal energy as he pleased.

I quickly used a step and retreated.

“What are you doing?”

“Your dantian was damaged more than a year ago. How did you reach such a realm in that time?”

Tap tap tap!

Jo CheongUn followed with graceful footwork.

His skill was worthy of someone called one of Hengshan’s great figures.

“Please give me a chance to explain.”

Shing!

At my words, Jo CheongUn drew the sword from his back.

“Do you think words alone will explain anything when you will not even allow me to inspect your internal energy?”

“Are you truly going to do this?”

“If we exchange a few moves, I should be able to tell whether it is an unorthodox art and where it comes from. Draw your sword.”

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The moment he finished speaking, Jo CheongUn’s sword traced a clear sword path as it pursued me.

It was the renowned Clear Wind Sword Formula.

Every Taoist of the Hengshan Sect learned this sword style, but the Clear Wind Sword Formula in his hands was said to be no different from an advanced sword style.

‘There is no helping it.’

Then I would have to prove myself with my sword.

Jo CheongUn’s sword created countless changes like the wind, befitting the name Clear Wind.

To counter it, a similarly supple sword would be best.

‘Flowing Loach Form Sword!’

The third technique of the Stellar Star Sword Art, the Flowing Loach Form Sword.

It was a technique whose changing movements resembled supple willow branches.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Jo CheongUn’s sword collided with mine.

Like willow branches meeting the wind, our swords tangled together in complex patterns.

My palms hurt with every collision.

‘This is different.’

He was on another level from everyone I had faced until now.

Jo CheongUn, one of Hengshan’s great figures, was a master I might barely be able to face after opening my Central Dantian.

How could such supple sword techniques contain this much strength?

I needed to create distance using a changing technique... What?

Whoosh!

Jo CheongUn, who had been exchanging sword techniques with me, withdrew his sword first and retreated.

His abrupt action confused everyone else as well.

Then Jo CheongUn asked me in a trembling voice.

“What is your relationship with the great hero Hoh JongDae?”

At his words, the silent crowd stirred.

Murmur, murmur!

“Hoh JongDae?”

“Did he just say Hoh JongDae?”

The great hero Hoh JongDae.

Even fifteen years later, what martial artist would not know that name?

It was the name of the ruler of Yunnan and peerless sword hero, the Southern Heavenly Swordmaster.

Jo CheongUn asked me once more.

“Tell me clearly. Do you know the great hero Hoh JongDae?”

In response, I respectfully offered a fist-and-palm salute and answered proudly.

“He is my master.”

‘!!!’

The moment I finished speaking, the entire place erupted into an uproar.

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