WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Carefree Tale of Cultivation ◈
Chapter 39: Movements Beneath the Surface
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“Just as the people we planted in the Seol Family reported, it’s something our superiors will like. Suggesting we talk here to confirm it was worthwhile.”
The masked figure spoke in a calm voice as they looked down at the auction below.
Unlike the figure, who seemed entirely at ease, Seol Dan-hwi, seated opposite them, had lost all trace of his earlier confidence. His face had gone ashen.
His eyebrows trembled, but he could not even properly respond to the masked figure’s open declaration that there was a spy among his own blood relatives.
What did that matter now?
Having learned the identity of the person he had assumed was merely a Core Formation elder of the Ghost-Soul Palace, as well as the force behind the Ghost-Soul Palace and its plans, he had only one choice left.
“Now that you’ve heard this much, I believe there is only one answer.”
As though the main discussion had ended, the masked figure leaned back.
They looked down at the Meditation Portrait of a Woman, which had drawn even fiercer competition thanks to Seomun Hyeok’s bid, and the people shouting to claim it.
“It’s troublesome to act personally, but this works out well. A few of our Palace’s ‘disciples’ are fishing at this auction, so we should have them retrieve it.”
Perhaps the light attitude offended him. Seol Dan-hwi spoke in a hoarse voice.
“If the Nam Family and Yeop Family learn of this...”
“A group led by half-baked fools who have barely entered mid Core Formation and formed false cores, is it not? If you cannot even handle a place like that properly, perhaps I misjudged Fellow Daoist Seol.”
In an instant, the masked figure changed. A dangerous aura poured forth with their cold voice, pressing down on Seol Dan-hwi.
And as both expected, Seol Dan-hwi ultimately accepted the proposal in a powerless voice.
He had not realized it at first because of the mask, but this was someone who could defeat him in a direct confrontation, or at least escape unscathed.
Considering that strength and the force behind them, despite having reached late Core Formation, he had no choice but to make a helpless decision.
The masked figure immediately changed the mood again, speaking brightly.
“You’ve made a fine choice! Don’t think of it too badly. Thunder-Burning Mountain is a land of opportunity, is it not? This could be the chance for the Seol Family to rise high. The same may be true for Fellow Daoist Seol’s realm.”
At those words, unfamiliar emotions swept through Seol Dan-hwi’s eyes.
A little expectation, and desire.
Peep.
That reaction was swiftly erased by the strange sound from the masked figure.
The masked figure froze for a moment, then scratched the back of their head as if embarrassed.
“How embarrassing. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t been eating properly... To celebrate our cooperative relationship, might I have something to eat? That one just now looked good.”
The color drained from Seol Dan-hwi’s face, which had been warming with anticipation of future rewards only moments earlier.
‘That damned bird-brain stuffs itself with independent cultivators in the market it runs...!’
Seol Dan-hwi clenched his fist.
Yet with a face even whiter than his clothes, he eventually called in his grandson, who had been waiting outside.
The young man had been wondering anxiously why his grandfather and his guest would call for him.
Peep. Chirp. Caw.
Then he found himself facing three pairs of beaks.
* * *
Jin Hyeon looked wearily at the auction, which was in full swing.
Even after Seomun Hyeok raised the price sharply, the cultivators did not hesitate to raise it further.
Most coveted the Meditation Portrait of a Woman for its ability, but some quietly joined the bidding because they believed the painting hid some unknown value.
And judging by the situation, they did not seem entirely wrong.
“Two thousand spirit stones!”
Seomun Hyeok raised the bid again. Along with the disciples gathered beside him, he released spiritual power as their dharma robes, marked with the Divine Flame Sect’s emblem, fluttered.
It was not particularly aggressive, but due to the nature of their cultivation methods, one side of the auction house was engulfed in sweltering heat.
“Oh my, they’re Divine Flame Sect disciples.”
“Really? Still, what a shame...”
Seeing Seomun Hyeok try to obtain the item even by borrowing his sect’s prestige, the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been cautiously testing the waters withdrew, reluctant to incur the wrath of a great sect’s higher-ups.
“Two thousand five hundred.”
Yet someone continued to bid as though it did not matter.
Jin Hyeon discovered that the voice belonged to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, one who appeared to be of the demonic path.
“If you bid any higher, the painting is yours, Junior.”
With a tattered hood over their head, the cultivator made the declaration in a slow voice. After a slight pause, so as not to seem disrespectful toward a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Seomun Hyeok calmly spoke.
“Two thousand six hundred. I’ll take this painting, Senior.”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator waved a hand as though they had no choice but to give up.
But Jin Hyeon, who was not far from them, noticed something unsettling in their eyes.
‘Something bad might happen.’
Still, Seomun Hyeok had likely prepared for that much already.
Jin Hyeon wondered what secret the painting held for Seomun Hyeok to be so determined to acquire it.
But he probably would not get an answer even if he asked.
Thus, beneath the heated gazes of many people befitting the first highlight item, the Meditation Portrait of a Woman entered Seomun Hyeok’s hands.
Three more highlight items appeared afterward.
The egg of a powerful spirit beast known as the Blue-Sand Bear, which could surpass the second tier once fully grown, was claimed by someone in the upper gallery after numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators competed for it. Jin Hyeon was also shocked to learn that spirit beasts existed which, despite being bears, hatched from eggs.
Another was a formation disk capable of deploying the Five-Dragon Binding Prison Formation, said to be difficult even for Foundation Establishment cultivators to break through.
Jin Hyeon, who had a safe home within his sect anyway, did not care much. But the Foundation Establishment cultivators who appeared to be independent cultivators did not hesitate to spend thousands of spirit stones, perhaps to protect their residences.
The last item was one Jin Hyeon knew well: a Foundation Establishment Pill.
As he watched every late Qi Refining cultivator in the auction house charge in with fire in their eyes, Jin Hyeon recalled what his master had told him.
A Foundation Establishment Pill was a medicinal pill that helped a cultivator who had reached perfection in Qi Refining, the pinnacle of Level 12, transform the spiritual power in their Soul Sea.
But there was not only one kind of Foundation Establishment Pill.
Any medicinal pill that held enough spiritual qi to strike the barrier of Foundation Establishment while also protecting and strengthening the Soul Sea of a Qi Refining cultivator was called a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Of course, such medicinal pills were not common.
Naturally, the Foundation Establishment Pill did not greatly interest Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Yet countless late Qi Refining cultivators called out bids. With the host’s smile stretching from ear to ear, the Foundation Establishment Pill was sold to an elderly Qi Refining, Level 12 cultivator for a higher price than the earlier items.
“Damn it! I had to get it this time...!”
Beside Jin Hyeon, Jin Dojun burst out in frustration.
Jin Hyeon could fully understand how he felt.
Even at an auction of this scale, it was rare for a Foundation Establishment Pill to appear.
For Jin Dojun, who was very close to Qi Refining, Level 12, it must have felt as though his chance at Foundation Establishment had flown away.
But though he and many others expressed their regret, the auction ended there.
The host bid the cultivators a loud farewell and stepped down from the auction platform, saying they hoped to see them again next time.
As the crowd surged out in an instant, Jin Hyeon decided he should leave before becoming embroiled in some pointless incident.
The successful bidders had already begun hiding themselves, and even Seomun Hyeok was nowhere to be seen. Jin Hyeon could not shake the feeling that an ominous air hung outside the auction house.
‘First, I’ll stay somewhere quiet in Pyeongeum City, then return to the sect when the crowds thin out...’
“Junior Brother Jin.”
Jin Hyeon, walking with his head lowered, stopped at Jo Yeongdo’s voice beside him.
“Yes, Senior Brother Jo. What is it...?”
Then he saw the Blue Willow Sect disciples gathered together and looking at him, and a bad feeling came over him.
“Ahem, well... There’s something we need to discuss. I wanted to ask if Junior Brother might be interested.”
Only after entering a restaurant with them and sitting within a sound-blocking formation did Jin Hyeon learn what discussion his fellow disciples intended to have.
...
“So you’re saying we should rob someone.”
At Jin Hyeon’s blunt words, Jin Dojun’s mouth twisted slightly.
He set down the wine cup he had been lightly turning between his fingers, then spoke with an ambiguous smile as though he understood.
“That’s one way to put it, but yes. I know Junior Brother has not been in the cultivation world long enough to be familiar with this sort of thing. But think about it!”
Jin Dojun thumped his chest with a thick hand as though his heart were swelling with excitement.
“The cultivator who obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill is from the Hyeok Family, a small cultivation clan east of Pyeongeum City. There is a Foundation Establishment cultivator there, but they almost never leave the family grounds. A Fellow Daoist familiar with the auction house has assured me that the old man came to this auction alone. What a fine opportunity! If we all join forces, taking the Foundation Establishment Pill from him will be nothing!”
The disciples seated with them nodded vigorously.
Only Jo Yeongdo quietly sipped from his wine cup, perhaps thinking it would be improper to openly show his delight.
Jin Hyeon could not say anything.
After remaining silent for some time, he swallowed the many things he wanted to say and voiced a question instead.
“Then who gets the Foundation Establishment Pill? Will you sell it and divide the proceeds?”
Jin Dojun looked as though he had been struck speechless.
But perhaps he felt this was a matter that had to be settled neatly, so he cleared his throat and answered.
“Ahem. I know Junior Brother’s advancement is very fast, but Foundation Establishment is still far off for you. So I will take the Foundation Establishment Pill first. Ah, of course! Of course, I won’t treat you unfairly. You may divide all the wealth besides the Foundation Establishment Pill, and I will compensate each of you generously with spirit stones as well.”
Perhaps thinking that was insufficient, Jin Dojun even wore an expression that seemed almost servile.
“And Junior Brother Jin, think carefully! Martial Uncle Gwang, your master, is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but would it not benefit you more if the person he directly helped reach Foundation Establishment succeeded?”
It was indeed a sweet proposal.
The other Blue Willow Sect disciples looked as though they could already see the gains they would receive.
Where their eyes had once held the shining intelligence and desire for improvement they displayed while discussing artifact refinement at the exchange gathering, there now lingered only a murky air of greed.
‘No, there’s desperation too.’
Sensing the emotion in Jin Dojun’s intense gaze, Jin Hyeon lost any desire to stop or oppose them.
After all, they had only approached him because his skills seemed decent and they wanted his help.
Even without him, they would seek out the Hyeok Family cultivator who had won the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Still, feeling deeply uncomfortable, Jin Hyeon asked one more question.
“Surely many people have plans similar to yours, Senior Brother. How can you be confident of obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill among all of them?”
As though he had been waiting for the question, Jin Dojun smiled broadly.
“I have a spirit artifact I borrowed from one of the sect’s Martial Uncles. It is badly damaged, practically scrap, but I secured the right to use it once by offering Martial Uncle two high-grade magical artifacts. Even weakened, it is still a spirit artifact. I can easily clear away any other Qi Refining cultivators after the Foundation Establishment Pill. And if you lend a hand, we can handle them even if there are many.”
“I see.”
Jin Hyeon nodded.
Then he looked over their faces and spoke.
* * *
Three days had passed since the auction ended.
Leaving his lodgings, Jin Hyeon took one final bite of this place’s famed fried food, headed out through Pyeongeum City’s gates, and launched the Flatwood Boat.
Then he swiftly flew high into the sky.
Inside and outside Pyeongeum City, there were so few people that it seemed deserted compared to before the auction.
Jin Hyeon did not even want to imagine how many desperate battles had occurred as they returned to their original homes.
‘Come to think of it, did they succeed?’
Jin Hyeon thought of his fellow Blue Willow Sect disciples.
He had refused their proposal to rob someone.
Perhaps that was close to hypocrisy when he had already killed people, but he did not want to abandon in an instant the morality he had maintained since his previous life.
Perhaps he too would pursue desire in the future, but at least not now.
Jo Yeongdo reacted as though he had expected the refusal. The others did not look kindly upon him, but knowing Jin Hyeon would not speak of it outside, they decided to proceed without him.
Jin Hyeon turned his back on the matter, whose outcome he did not wish to know, and waited until Pyeongeum City became quieter.
Then, once it seemed the cultivators had mostly left, he departed Pyeongeum City.
“What nice weather.”
He lay on the Flatwood Boat as he had on the way here, clearing his mind while admiring the clear sky.
Boom!
The Flatwood Boat shook violently from a sudden impact.
The instant he sensed something was wrong, Jin Hyeon sprang to his feet. He poured spiritual qi into the Flatwood Boat, ready to accelerate, while summoning lightning in both hands.
But no follow-up attack came.
Wondering what had happened, Jin Hyeon looked around and soon spotted noise and flashes of light in the middle of the forest below him.
“Are they robbing someone too...?”
It seemed less like someone had targeted him and more like a stray spell technique from a battle had struck his Flatwood Boat.
Clicking his tongue at the absurd coincidence, he was about to leave when he spotted a familiar face among those tangled together below and firing spell techniques.
“Sagong Ryeong?”
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