WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 103: When Young, I Knew Not Sorrow's Taste (8)
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After taking the Profound Enlightenment Elixir, Yeon Sowol saw it.
From one, all things were born,
and all things returned to one.
The energies of heaven and earth interlocked, creating the principles of all creation.
The universe.
From Yeon Sowol's perspective, when he saw Namgung Ujin's sword qi...
‘Isn't that a little careless?’
Rather than being awed by the immense energy packed so densely together, he found it disappointing.
‘All the energies of the universe connect, flow into one another, and cycle endlessly. Isn't energy that has simply been crammed into a large framework, without any such ecosystem, ultimately pointless?’
Of course, that alone would have been immensely powerful against other energies.
Whether it was the pure energy of metal,
or the murky energy of explosive force,
once they collided with something so vast and overwhelming, they would be swept away before they could even display their own nature.
But Yeon Sowol was different.
‘They say it resembles the heavens, so I thought there might be something to learn from it. But its interpretation of the heavens is far too simple. Surely not every sword of the Namgung Family is like this. Namgung Ujin's understanding simply goes no further than that.’
Yeon Sowol had gained enlightenment after taking the Profound Enlightenment Elixir, and he had worked tirelessly ever since.
He carefully classified the qi within him.
He made those energies influence one another, connect, and circulate.
Every day, he refined himself in an effort to create qi that resembled the universe.
The road ahead was long, and he considered himself to have taken only the first step. Still, that was enough.
The instant Namgung Ujin's energy collided with Yeon Sowol's, it broke apart piece by piece and was drawn in.
It was only natural.
Yeon Sowol's energy was like flowing water, connecting, changing, and moving together, while Namgung Ujin's energy was like water held behind a dam.
The moment they met, the dam burst, and the water inside flowed along the channels Yeon Sowol had laid down.
Before that swelling energy could harm him, Yeon Sowol simply hurried to return it to Namgung Ujin.
It became a colossal martial force wave that shook Namgung Ujin to his core. Had Namgung Ujin completely controlled a single type of energy, as other martial arts did, it would not have been this one-sided.
Kwaaaaaang!
“Cough!”
Namgung Ujin was driven back again, vomiting streams of vivid red blood.
The martial force wave that swept through his body had injured not only the minor channels throughout his body, but even the Twelve Regular Meridians, his major meridians.
That was not all. Even the Eight Extraordinary Vessels trembled ominously.
That amounted to a severe internal injury.
Yet...
Even so...
“Kh... Haa...”
Namgung Ujin drew ragged breaths and raised his long sword again.
“The universe...? You said... the universe...?”
People in this world did not know the universe of the twenty-first century.
They had never left Earth, nor had they observed the infinite world stretching endlessly beyond the sky.
Still, the word universe itself did exist.
Yu meant space, and ju meant time. The concept of the universe as the stage of all creation, containing even heaven and earth, had already appeared in ancient texts such as the Huainanzi.
It was simply unfamiliar and vague.
“What... is the universe...?”
It was a concept that existed, but was difficult to imagine.
Even the Thousand Character Classic said so.
Heaven and earth, dark and yellow; the universe, vast and primordial.
Heaven is black.
Earth is yellow.
The universe is vast and desolate.
People looked at the night sky and knew that heaven was black.
They looked down and saw that the soil was yellow.
But there was no other way to explain the universe, so it was simply said to be vast and desolate.
To the people of this world, it was almost like an imaginary concept.
‘He... contains such a universe...?’
It felt absurd.
At the same time, it pressed heavily on his chest.
‘Does that make any sense? But it must, or my sword qi wouldn't be shattering so pathetically and getting pushed back.’
Namgung Ujin felt fear.
He feared suffering internal injuries.
He feared losing before everyone.
He feared Yeon Sowol's sword, which he could not possibly stand against.
But...
He gritted his teeth.
‘I am a legitimate son of a prestigious family.’
He carried his family's name.
He could not make a spectacle of himself.
As Moyong Ha had said, even defeat had its dignity.
“Haaah!”
Namgung Ujin gripped his sword hilt until it creaked and charged at Yeon Sowol once more.
* * *
Kwang!
The long sword sprang backward like a soaring bird. Namgung Ujin, who stood six feet five inches tall, barely caught it.
The veins bulging from his hands and forearms through his torn sleeves trembled violently.
Thud!
Yeon Sowol's foot slammed into Namgung Ujin's lower abdomen.
“Ugh...”
Namgung Ujin spewed blood and staggered back as though his legs had given out.
Crunch!
Then he clenched his teeth, seized the long sword in both hands, and brought it down again.
His clothes were shredded, and his brow had split open, but his downward slash cut through the air in a clean line as if it had been drawn.
Kaaang!
Its trajectory leaped back into the air.
Smack!
Yeon Sowol's palm struck precisely between Namgung Ujin's cheek and temple.
“Guh!”
Blood sprayed from his mouth as Namgung Ujin's head nearly dropped to his side. He stumbled, swayed, and took two steps back.
“Raaah!”
Then he stomped the ground and charged forward again. The sword gripped in both hands flashed into a diagonal slash, then instantly spun in the opposite direction to target Yeon Sowol's neck.
Thump!
It was blocked by Clear Mirror, which Yeon Sowol pressed down gently, and Namgung Ujin nearly pitched face-first into the ground.
Crack!
Yeon Sowol's shoe struck Namgung Ujin's shin.
“Ghk!”
One leg buckled, forcing Namgung Ujin to one knee. Yeon Sowol's instep slammed into the bridge of his nose.
Bang!
With a sound like something bursting, Namgung Ujin toppled backward.
The crowd was silent.
An enormous number of people had gathered to watch the fight, but at some point, not a single voice could be heard.
No, even their breathing was barely audible.
That was how one-sided and brutal the beating had become.
A fight was supposed to be entertaining, but everyone had frozen stiff, unable to say a word.
“Ghh...”
Namgung Ujin rose again.
The spectators sucked in sharp breaths.
They had truly thought he would not get up this time...
“Raaah!”
His clothes were in tatters. His brow and lips had burst open, his nose had caved in, and his hair hung in a bloody mess.
Yet thick veins still stood out on the hand gripping his sword hilt.
Though it had grown much fainter, blue sword qi still rippled along the scabbard. His sword pierced toward Yeon Sowol in a clean trajectory, not much different from before.
Kuuung!
The sword was knocked away, and this time Yeon Sowol's left fist buried itself in Namgung Ujin's stomach.
“Ghk. Ugh... Ugh...”
Namgung Ujin could no longer even spit blood forcefully. He only coughed up clots of blood as though he were being strangled.
“Ghh...”
Yet even in that state...
Namgung Ujin raised his long sword once again.
He held it upright over his head and stared directly at Yeon Sowol with blazing eyes.
Yeon Sowol studied Namgung Ujin with an icy, composed gaze before saying one thing.
“Your arms are shaking.”
They were.
Namgung Ujin's spirit remained unchanged, but his body had clearly reached its limit.
Like a dam that had leaked little by little before finally bursting.
Until moments ago, his stance had not been much different from the beginning. Now, it visibly shook.
“Your knees are trembling too. And your head is lolling.”
His hands shook.
His knees swayed.
His head tipped from side to side.
The shaking was growing worse.
Everyone could see it.
Namgung Ujin had reached his limit.
He did not have the strength left to swing his sword even once.
Namgung Ujin himself felt it too.
“...Have I lost...?”
“You have lost.”
Yeon Sowol declared it calmly.
Namgung Ujin gritted his teeth.
“Yes! I've lost!”
He shouted. His true qi seemed to have run dry, and there was not a trace of cultivated power in his voice. Even so, his blood-boiling cry rang through the street.
“I lost! I, the small-minded fool who picked a fight over someone quoting a line of poetry, have lost!”
What was he trying to say?
Yeon Sowol silently watched Namgung Ujin.
That tall body swayed.
Still, Namgung Ujin did not take a single step. He remained rooted where he stood and shouted.
“I said I'd help Lady Moyong! And then I did nothing but spout dogshit and drink myself stupid!”
Namgung Ujin's eyes grew more bloodshot.
“Even after giving it everything I had, I lost! Completely! I, Namgung Ujin, lost miserably! But!”
Creak!
Namgung Ujin adjusted his grip on the sword hilt again.
Both hands.
The hilt creaked and twisted.
Namgung Ujin stopped shaking.
“...”
“...Huh.”
Soft exclamations rose from the crowd.
Namgung Ujin raised his sword straight again and aimed it at Yeon Sowol.
Despite his ruined appearance.
With the same upright, arrogant stance he had held at the beginning.
“I am the one who lost!”
He screamed, blood spilling from his mouth.
“The Namgung Family did not lose! The one who lost was narrow-minded, rash, weak little me, Ujin! Not the Namgung sword!”
His voice thundered through the street.
“The Namgung Family has not lost! The Namgung sword does not lose! Namgung...!”
Screeech!
Namgung Ujin drew one foot back and poured more force into his stance. He looked as if he might split Yeon Sowol apart along with heaven and earth.
Everyone held their breath.
Everyone held their breath.
Everyone held their breath.
...
...
...At the end of the silent standoff, Yeon Sowol took a step.
Not footwork.
Just a leisurely step, as though he were taking a stroll.
“...?”
Before anyone realized it, Yeon Sowol stood before Namgung Ujin, whose bloodshot eyes were wide open.
“A loser should act like a loser.”
He extended his index and middle fingers. His Sword Fingers lightly pushed Namgung Ujin's forehead.
Namgung Ujin swayed, then fell backward.
Thud!
A heavy sound, like a great tree falling.
“You should lie down.”
Yeon Sowol looked down at Namgung Ujin, sprawled on the ground.
“Still, that last part was rather chilling.”
He raised his head and looked over the spectators.
“Are any of this man's friends here?”
A few people raised their hands.
“Take him away.”
“...Thank you, Young Hero Yeon Sowol.”
Namgung Ujin's friends carefully watched Yeon Sowol's reaction as they hoisted Namgung Ujin up.
Namgung Ujin, his clothes shredded and his face mangled as blood continued to pour down it, dangled helplessly between them as they carried him away.
Countless gazes followed him, but no one laughed at him.
They trembled with shock and fear, then turned their attention back to Yeon Sowol.
The crowd remained silent.
More than a hundred pairs of eyes fluttered like butterfly wings.
At their center...
Pat, pat.
Yeon Sowol quietly dusted off his clothes.
He smoothed the folds of his robe neatly, untied his fragrance sachet, and gave it a few shakes to scent himself.
Then he raised his head.
His face was so clean that it was hard to believe he had just fought.
* * *
Namgung Ujin woke the next day.
After hearing that he had regained consciousness, Moyong Ha came to visit him.
“How is your internal injury?”
Namgung Ujin smiled bitterly.
“It's better than I expected. If I take a good Wound-Mending Pellet and rest properly, I think it will settle within half a month. He probably... went easy on me.”
Moyong Ha looked into Namgung Ujin's eyes.
In truth, she had come both to visit him and to gauge his intentions.
She wanted to make sure he did not harbor ill feelings toward her friend and try anything.
‘...Is he all right?’
She could not tell whether he was acting, but at least on the surface, he seemed fine.
“Lady Moyong.”
“Yes.”
“Once my internal injury has healed, call for me if you ever need my sword. I'll go quietly, help quietly, and return quietly.”
“Why do you need to do it quietly?”
“...Would it be right for a man who lost after forcing a fight to push himself forward? From now on, I need to keep my mouth shut and live quietly in Yuezhou.”
Namgung Ujin had started a fight without justification, then lost on top of that.
No matter what he did now, people would gossip the moment he stood out.
If he treated Yeon Sowol kindly, people would mock him as a dog who tucked his tail between his legs after losing once.
If he continued to oppose Yeon Sowol, they would sneer that even after losing, he had no sense of his place and was still being petty behind the scenes.
Moyong Ha understood his situation and carefully spoke.
“Then wouldn't it be better not to get involved at all?”
“But...”
Namgung Ujin lowered his head.
“...I'm sorry. I said I'd help, but all I did was make trouble.”
A small smile formed on Moyong Ha's lips.
“All right. I'll keep that in mind and contact you when I need help.”
Moyong Ha rose to leave.
Rustle.
The sound of her clothes brushing together.
“Lady Moyong.”
Then Namgung Ujin hesitated before asking.
“My defeat... How was it?”
Biting his lip. Head lowered. Afraid. Barely managing the words.
“...Was it worthy of one of the Five Great Families?”
Moyong Ha looked down at the back of Namgung Ujin's head, then walked toward the door.
Her voice carried a faint smile.
“You were Namgung through and through.”
After Moyong Ha left, Namgung Ujin smiled.
His battered, split face twisted like a steamed bun.
“Ha... It hurts like hell.”
He could not even hold his swollen face. His hand only twitched in the air.
Footnotes:
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