WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 105: When Young, I Knew Not Sorrow's Taste (10)
──────
Among rivers, the greatest is the ten-thousand-li Yangtze.
Among lakes, the greatest is the eight-hundred-li Dongting Lake.
Since ancient times, the two together had been called Jianghu.
It was not a land defined by politics or administration, but one etched into the heart through longing.
A place where those who left home to wander without a destination would naturally gather for a while, then drift on.
Those who came to Dongting Lake naturally converged on Yuezhou. Countless people of the Jianghu passed through it, forming friendships and connections.
Young Jianghu wanderers without money might endlessly flock to Yueyang Tower, but those with experience and wealth saw things differently.
To them, Yueyang Tower was merely a place worth visiting once or twice.
They rented entire pavilions or manors along Dongting Lake and stayed for days at a time, sometimes a month or two. There, they met renowned Jianghu figures they would never have encountered in their own regions and expanded their connections.
Recently, one name had been making the rounds among them.
“I heard some kid named Yeon Sowol beat the Namgung Family’s fourth young master?”
“They say he absolutely pulverized him.”
“Aren’t you curious what he’s like? Should we invite him over?”
They sat in a pavilion overlooking Dongting Lake, leisurely enjoying fine wine and food.
Even the youngest among them were over thirty. In their respective regions, they had each made a name for themselves as skilled martial artists of the Jianghu.
No matter how one looked at it, the Jianghu’s younger generation was roughly comparable to youth or amateur athletes in the twenty-first century. The real thing began at thirty.
The people gathered here were the professionals.
True people of the Jianghu.
Yeon Sowol’s name had gone beyond the younger generation. It was now spoken of even among the Jianghu’s leading figures.
Still, their attitude remained somewhat uncertain.
“I am curious, though. Aren’t you?”
“Exactly.”
“I know his martial arts are impressive, but... he did beat up a young master of the Namgung Family. It makes one wary.”
“That’s true.”
“It’s interesting, but not interesting enough to risk offending the Namgung Family.”
A few smacked their lips in regret, but that was ultimately their cold conclusion.
“Well, his martial arts will have to be watched for a while. Is the Jianghu really a place where one survives on the martial arts one had in youth alone?”
“Quite right.”
Many showed promise when young, only to languish afterward.
Countless others continued to stand out, then suddenly met violent deaths one day.
Outstanding martial arts?
Naturally, martial artists would take an interest, but that was all.
They could see him or not. It made no difference.
Their curiosity went no further.
“By the way, I heard the provincial governor of Yuezhou will impose a travel ban across all of Dongting Lake during the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
“That’s right. It seems some distinguished people are holding a grand feast. They ordered every fishing boat, merchant vessel, and passenger ship tied up at the docks.”
The brief discussion of Yeon Sowol was forgotten, and the conversation quickly shifted elsewhere.
Then the absorbed guests suddenly turned their heads.
“Hmm?”
“What is that...?”
Several dozen young martial artists in white robes came into view, walking solemnly along Dongting Lake.
Their white hems fluttered against the lake’s blue waters, making them look like a painting.
The man at their head, leading them all, was particularly eye-catching. His robes swayed about his tall, straight frame. Though he wore the same clothes as the others, they somehow looked different on him.
Even at a distance, his well-shaped forehead and brows, and sharply carved jawline stood out.
“Goodness. Who are they?”
“Is no one there? Go find out at once!”
“Yes!”
A moment later, the attendant returned in a breathless rush and reported.
“I asked, and they call themselves the White-Robed League. They gathered around a young martial artist named Yeon Sowol, and they said they are on their way to punish the bandits causing trouble in Yuezhou.”
Everyone focused on that one name.
“Yeon Sowol?”
“Then that man is...?”
“He commands all those younger talents with such discipline?”
“So he isn’t only skilled in martial arts...”
A few then frowned deeply.
“They are going to punish bandits?”
“Hmm. I hope these young martial artists aren’t about to cause trouble again.”
“That’s what worries me. If they truly are bandits, it would be worthy of praise, but young people often lose their tempers without properly looking into things.”
“Exactly. If they somehow offend the provincial governor of Yuezhou, the consequences could reach us as well... Tsk.”
Half amazed and intrigued, half concerned, they watched the White-Robed League disappear into the distance in a sea of white.
* * *
“Young Hero Kwon. Select seven men and lead them.”
“Yes, League Leader!”
“...Thank you, Unit Commander Kwon.”
After a brief silence, Yeon Sowol turned to the side again.
“Young Hero Yang. You too, select seven men and serve as a unit commander...”
“By your command!”
“...Thank you.”
That was how Yeon Sowol finished organizing them on the way to their destination.
He had not assigned people at random. He had considered the relationships among Yuezhou’s younger generation, which Moyong Ha had told him about beforehand.
He selected only well-liked people whom everyone respected as unit commanders.
‘It may not seem like much, but it should have some effect.’
It was a measure to give a bare minimum of organization to a hastily assembled group of several dozen people.
In a way, it was only a stopgap measure, but its effect was tremendous. Far beyond what Yeon Sowol had expected.
“Yes, Unit Commander!”
“By your command!”
“Our First Sword Unit will take the lead!”
“Waaaaah!”
What on earth had the appointed unit commanders said to their members...?
Cheers full of enthusiasm erupted from every direction.
“...”
Yeon Sowol had to work incredibly hard to maintain a calm, shameless expression.
People passing by Dongting Lake, people in the lakeside pavilions, all sorts of people saw the sight and offered a comment.
“Goodness... What impressive discipline.”
“Those are the younger talents of Yuezhou who were drinking themselves silly at Yueyang Tower until recently?”
“To possess such a disciplined bearing after only a few days. Young Master Yeon’s leadership is truly remarkable.”
“Look at that composed face. Doesn’t he seem like someone who has done this dozens of times?”
“How can he be like that? He’s only twenty years old...”
“...”
Yeon Sowol desperately maintained his expression in silence.
How long had they walked like that?
They crossed the city walls, and at some point, passersby grew sparse. The pavilions disappeared as well.
As they walked deep along Dongting Lake on a dusty dirt road, the occasional splash of fish breaking the surface was the only sound.
At the end of that road, they came upon a tall wooden palisade blocking their path.
“This is the place...”
Moyong Ha lowered her voice.
Yeon Sowol’s gaze deepened.
“This is...”
“Hmm. They said he was an influential man. It certainly seems so...”
The younger talents of Yuezhou, who had followed so boldly, revealed their tension.
A tall wooden palisade.
Martial artists standing atop it with swords and bows.
It was plainly no ordinary place.
“Who are you? This is Lord Jeon’s manor. If you have lost your way, turn around and leave at once.”
The martial artist atop the palisade glared at them.
Creeeak!
Several martial artists beside him nocked arrows and stared down fiercely.
With his sharp qi sense, Yeon Sowol clearly felt it.
The tension at his back.
The contempt before his eyes.
Amazingly, the martial artists before him were looking down on Yuezhou’s young talents.
Despite being fewer in number and not particularly skilled in martial arts.
They likely trusted in the power of the Lord Jeon they served.
Yeon Sowol took a quiet breath.
‘The testimony is certain.’
He had caught three people.
He had confined each of them in separate cells and interrogated them.
Until all three stories matched.
The information he had obtained that way could be trusted.
Therefore...
Yeon Sowol gripped Clear Mirror at his waist.
The martial artist atop the palisade furrowed his thick brows.
“What do you think you’re doing...!”
He never finished his shout.
Craaaang!
Clear Mirror flashed from Yeon Sowol’s waist and sliced horizontally through the thick wooden palisade.
“W-what?”
“What?”
The entire palisade tilted.
Rumble!
Then it collapsed.
Part of its base had been completely severed, causing the strain to spread through the pillars on either side until an entire section slanted over and caved in.
Creak! Creeeeak!
The sound of twisting wood rang out loudly.
“Argh!”
“Gah!”
The men who had stood atop the palisade rolled across the ground, gasping for air.
“Unit Commander Kwon. Bind them.”
“Yes, League Leader!”
At Yeon Sowol’s command, the young man called Unit Commander Kwon led his seven subordinates forward as if flying and kicked the fallen men.
Thud!
Crack!
Bang!
“Urgh!”
“Gah!”
They struck the main pathways through which internal energy circulated, making it difficult for the men to use their internal energy for a while, then tightly bound their hands and feet with thick rope.
“Move.”
After glancing over the scene, Yeon Sowol flicked his robe and walked inside.
“...!”
His decisive manner deeply impressed Yuezhou’s younger talents. Their fists trembled as they hurried after him, moving even more briskly.
Beyond the palisade was a reed field.
A reed field that stretched endlessly like the sea along one side of Dongting Lake.
Within it were people who had stripped off their shirts and trousers, harvesting reeds.
There was no trace of vitality in the workers.
With dark faces, they cut the heavy, damp reeds, loaded them onto their shoulders, and carried them away.
The waist-deep water was filled with leeches drawn to a feast.
Stomachs, thighs, calves, toes.
The leeches spared nothing.
Whenever the workers emerged carrying reeds, plump leeches swollen with blood dangled from all over their bodies.
“You bastard! Why aren’t you moving faster?!”
Men stood among the workers.
They held long, thin wooden switches, their job being to whip the calves and backs of workers who slowed down.
Smack! Smack!
“...!”
“...!”
The beaten workers did not scream. They knew they would be beaten even more if they did. They only trembled as they clutched their reeds and hurried forward on unsteady feet.
“Stop staggering and walk straight!”
Smack!
The man swinging his switch with relish suddenly looked up.
“Huh?”
He had spotted people approaching in fluttering white robes.
“W-who are you?”
The moment he asked, Yeon Sowol spoke.
“Subdue those holding switches first.”
“Yes, League Leader!”
Before his words had even faded, the men in white scattered in every direction and finished subduing them in an instant.
“...”
“W-what is this...?”
“Who are you? Do you have any idea where this is? This is Lord Jeon’s manor... Gah!”
Several men shouting were silenced by kicks to the solar plexus.
Yeon Sowol walked along the edge of the now-quiet lake. The wind blew, sending his robes streaming behind him.
Thud. Rustle.
As if sensing something, the workers carrying reeds tossed their bundles aside and gathered around Yeon Sowol. Every pair of eyes trembled.
Soon, the families of the missing people slowly gathered behind him.
Their hands shook.
Their wet eyes blinked.
Their breathing came raggedly, as if they had been running, yet their steps were slow and unsteady.
Yeon Sowol looked from one side to the other, then took several steps back.
When he moved aside, nothing remained between the missing people’s families and the workers.
They looked at one another.
“Husband!!!”
A woman cried out and ran into a man’s arms.
“My son! My son...”
An old woman took several steps before nearly collapsing. A worker with his upper body bare hurried over and supported her. Whether it was tears, sweat, or lake water, his face was simply wet.
“...”
One worker recognized his loved ones but did not run to them. Instead, he turned away and peeled the leeches from his body. Bright red blood surged from every bite mark.
“Why are you doing this, husband? It’s me. Didn’t you see me? Please, it’s me.”
A young-faced woman who seemed to have only recently married approached in tears. A man who looked equally young, though his face had been blackened by hard labor, stood with his back turned and sobbed.
As he kept pulling off leeches and wiping the moisture from his face, he said,
“I’m sorry, wife... I’m sorry... I look too pathetic right now... I can’t bear to let you see me like this...”
The young woman wrapped her arms around him from behind. Blood flowing from the leeches soaked into her clothes, but she did not care.
“...”
“...”
Watching the scene, Yuezhou’s younger talents clenched their teeth.
“They really were...”
“They were kidnapping people for profit...”
“How could such a thing exist under heaven...”
The heated mood instantly turned cold and heavy, sinking into their chests.
That was when it happened.
“Who are these bastards?! What mad children dare cause a disturbance in this old man’s manor?! Do you think you’ll leave Yuezhou alive after this?!”
An elderly man appeared with a shrill shout.
He was a gaunt old man riding in a four-man palanquin.
Yeon Sowol turned to him and asked,
“Are you Jeon, the owner of this place?”
The old man shrieked sharply.
“Jeon? Jeon, you say? How dare a fool who cannot tell heaven from earth...!”
Yeon Sowol did not listen to the end of his rant.
“Unit Commander Kwon.”
“Yes, League Leader.”
There was no longer any excited anticipation in the voice answering, “League Leader.” Only cold, settled sharpness remained.
Kwon immediately saluted Yeon Sowol with clasped hands, then turned and shouted.
“It is the League Leader’s command! Make that man kneel!”
“By your command!”
Seven martial artists rushed forward, their white robes fluttering.
“How dare you...!”
The guard martial artists drew their swords and tried to resist.
“No.”
Moyong Ha had already taken up a position behind them. With a light tap to the back of each neck, they collapsed like stiff wooden blocks.
They were not weak martial artists by any means, but Moyong Ha was no ordinary martial artist. She was a blood relative of a prestigious family and a master who had reached late first-rate.
She had even used her specialty to ambush them, so there was no way they could stop her. This was the manor of a local magnate, after all, not a martial sect.
“Argh! Argh! Let me go!”
Before long, all the guard martial artists had been subdued. The man called Lord Jeon was dragged before Yeon Sowol, struggling as he was forced to his knees.
He glared up at Yeon Sowol with eyes filled with venom and growled.
“So you are Jianghu rabble! Do you think you’ll remain unharmed after doing this to me?! The provincial governor of Yuezhou will not let you go!”
Yeon Sowol looked around at the surrounding families for a moment as the man shouted with such sharp fury.
The families who had found the missing people stood holding them tightly, while those who had not found their families stood alone, full of grief and rage.
After watching them, Yeon Sowol turned back.
He looked into the old man’s venomous eyes and smiled crookedly.
“Please keep that same attitude when we reach Yuezhou.”
“What are you talking about?!”
Leaving the old man to struggle and scream, Yeon Sowol turned away and shouted.
“Do not leave out a single person! Find them all! Once we have found everyone, we return to Yuezhou together!”
“Yes, League Leader!”
“Let’s go! The First Sword Unit will search this way!”
The young heroes in white scattered in every direction with perfect coordination, as though they had fought together for years.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
