WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 107: When Young, I Knew Not Sorrow's Taste (12)

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The story of Yeon Sowol and the martial artists in white swept through Yuezhou.

A young master who had appeared like a comet had rallied Yuezhou's younger generation and punished bandits. A chivalrous venture people had only heard of in stories had become reality.

How could their hearts not stir?

At markets, wells, and even in the fields beyond the city walls, people talked about Yeon Sowol and the White-Robed League.

If even ordinary people were so excited, Yuezhou's influential figures and Jianghu visitors passing through the city were bound to be even more fired up.

"Now that's a hero! A hero has to undertake a chivalrous venture! Every two-bit nobody calls themselves a young hero or great hero these days... Ah, this is so satisfying. I thought the younger generation these days had no spirit and only knew how to fool around, but a true hero like this has appeared!"

"You're right. When I heard they were going to punish bandits, I thought we'd be lucky if they didn't cause trouble..."

"Don't you want to meet the young man?"

"Let's send an invitation at once!"

"I'll write the letter!"

"But do you think we'll be the only ones inviting him?"

"Gifts! Let's send gifts! If we send something he really likes, he'll come to us before those other bastards!"

"Good! What should we send?"

"A true hero is bound to enjoy wine! Let's prepare Yuezhou's finest, Green Spiral Wine!"

"Oh! Is that the one brewed with water from Yui Well?"

"That's right. No hero could turn that down!"

It was a clear autumn day.

A messenger raced through Yuezhou's streets with wine and a letter on his back.

Not far away, another group in a pavilion was also talking about Yeon Sowol.

"Those who know nothing will send wine. Young Hero Yeon Sowol... No, that won't do. After what he's done, we should call him Great Hero Yeon. In any case, people will assume that Great Hero Yeon, being such a hero, must like wine."

"Oh? You have another idea?"

"These things shouldn't be guessed at blindly. You need solid grounds. If it were me, I'd send incense."

"Incense?"

"Yes. I heard Great Hero Yeon takes a great interest in incense. He's not just some ordinary hero. He's practically a model gentleman."

"Oh-ho. Then what incense should we prepare?"

"No need to prepare anything. I happen to have some Qinan Agarwood, so rare that even gold can scarcely buy it."

"You're offering Qinan Agarwood as a gift?"

Agarwood incense was the finest incense.

When an agarwood tree was injured, resin seeped out and hardened over hundreds of years.

It was known for its faint, gentle scent of earth mingled with sweet wood.

Qinan Agarwood was a rare variety of agarwood formed only under special conditions.

Its scent was deeper and gentler than ordinary agarwood, with a character all its own that made it even more prized.

Agarwood was already the highest-grade incense, and Qinan Agarwood was an exceedingly rare fraction of even that. It was truly the pinnacle of incense.

Everyone was startled to hear that they would offer such a thing.

Yet the person offering it answered with ease.

"I acquired it for a moment like this, so there's no need to be stingy. Think about it. What if I'm the first person sought out by the young hero everyone wants to meet? What will my standing in Yuezhou become?"

"Of course...! It's because you're so wise that the Silver Hundred Guild is never left out whenever people name Yuezhou's foremost houses!"

"Exactly. You have to build things up one by one like this if you want to secure an unshakable advantage."

A little later, a martial artist raced through Yuezhou's streets with Qinan Agarwood in their arms, incense said to cost far more than its weight in gold.

Autumn foliage and fallen leaves fluttered in every direction on the wind stirred up by their lightness skill.

The same scenes were playing out everywhere.

Some were curious about Yeon Sowol's martial arts.

Some wanted to forge ties with the younger martial artists who had come to Yuezhou through Yeon Sowol.

Others had reasons of their own...

As if competing with one another, they chose gifts and sent invitations to Yeon Sowol.

Messengers carrying precious goods went up and down Yuezhou's streets.

One man watched them.

"Amazing..."

Fingering the embroidered plum blossom pattern on his sleeve, he looked oddly discouraged.

"Master told me to help people in need once I entered the Jianghu..."

He recalled seeing Yeon Sowol lead the White-Robed League through Yuezhou.

The wretched-looking people among them.

Those who had been unjustly abducted and horribly worked to the bone, along with their families.

They were the people in need Master had spoken of.

But he had not worn white that day. He had only watched.

He had heard about the White-Robed League, but shame and pressure had kept him from joining them.

They said they would punish bandits. He had assumed it was only talk.

Young martial artists in the Jianghu always came up with all sorts of fine excuses to gather and drink. He'd seen it plenty of times before.

But it had been real.

"I'm ashamed..."

Still touching his sleeve, the man lowered his flushed face.

* * *

"So you knew all along?"

When Yeon Sowol asked that question, nothing much happened.

The full sixth-rank Prefectural Inspector Commander only stared at Yeon Sowol for quite some time.

That was all.

After a long silence, the official finally said,

"I will decide on your reward later and summon you. You have done very well. Thank you."

The praise came with a respectful fist-and-palm salute.

That settled the matter, at least for the moment.

Those who had been abducted were saved, the corrupt official was escorted away under arrest, and the wicked local magnate would no longer escape punishment.

Everything had ended well.

They had even shared a pleasant drink with those who had done their part in the White-Robed League, then dispersed without issue.

But...

"..."

On the way back to the inn after the after-party, Moyong Ha's expression wasn't bright.

No, she looked openly upset.

"Sowol. Want to have a drink?"

"Huh? Uh, sure."

They entered a nearby tavern after Yeon Sowol accepted the offer he couldn't refuse.

"Wow... That bitch is pretty."

"Yeah. Put her right next to me and heh heh heh..."

A group of thoroughly drunk men started babbling when they saw Moyong Ha enter.

They probably thought they were lowering their voices, but perhaps because of their drunkenness, they were loud enough for everyone to hear.

This sort of rudeness and bad behavior was practically everyday life in a medieval martial world.

‘Damn.’

Even so, Yeon Sowol was about to step in.

When someone insulted a companion, it was a martial artist's duty to stand up for them.

Martial artists weren't known for their patience.

Still, it looked a little pathetic when the insulted person stepped in themselves, so it was only human nature for someone else to do it.

Moyong Ha reacted faster than Yeon Sowol.

"Hey."

Moyong Ha called out to the drunken men.

"What? Did she call us?"

"Heh... Does she like us?"

"Hey. Come sit your ass down here. Pour us a drink."

"I'm Moyong Ha of Liaoning."

"So?"

"Heh heh. A Liaoning girl? No wonder..."

"This is for your treatment."

Crack!

Three silver coins shot from Moyong Ha's fingertips in an instant.

She must have used martial force lightly, because the force behind them was exquisitely controlled.

The instant the silver coins struck the men's foreheads with a clang, white dust burst from their bodies and table.

Their eyes rolled back, and they slowly slumped beneath the table.

The silver coins remained firmly stuck to their foreheads.

"..."

Without another word, Moyong Ha flicked her sleeves and walked with measured steps toward an empty table.

At that moment, someone sitting beside the fallen drunks cautiously reached out to pick up the silver coins.

"Just try touching those."

Moyong Ha's cold warning came without her even looking back, and the person hastily pulled their hand away.

The tavern went silent.

A few people read the room, then quietly got up and slipped outside.

Only the tavern owner fidgeted helplessly.

‘She's being a little rough today... Why is she in such a bad mood?’

This wasn't how Moyong Ha normally handled things. Usually, she acted in a way that earned goodwill from everyone.

Watching her carefully, Yeon Sowol sat across from her.

A little later, the wine arrived, followed by the food.

Moyong Ha downed several cups in quick succession, then sighed and spoke.

"Sowol..."

"Yeah?"

"...I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

Yeon Sowol had never expected an apology.

"This was my business. I started it because I needed to investigate the Demonic Path. But I wasn't capable enough, so you practically took responsibility and led everyone. Of course I'm sorry."

"Ah."

"Eat this."

Moyong Ha used her long chopsticks to place a piece of duck meat, glistening with oil, into Yeon Sowol's bowl.

Yeon Sowol chuckled, drank, and chewed a piece of duck. It was tender.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it? I had my own reasons for stepping up too."

Moyong Ha shook her head.

"No. I should have taken the lead. If the authorities were deeply involved, you could suffer for it."

"The same goes for you."

"I'm the daughter of the Moyong Family Head. No matter how far Hunan and Liaoning are from each other, Hunan's provincial governor can't treat the Moyong Family Head's daughter carelessly."

"Mm..."

Yeon Sowol felt strange.

‘It's true, but... it still pisses me off.’

Thinking about how the Guangdong Martial Alliance couldn't serve as his backing made his chest tighten for no reason.

"So I should have led the way, so that even if conflict arose with the authorities, I could bear it. But I couldn't. Because I wasn't capable enough. Because I couldn't handle Yuezhou's younger generation as well as you could... You took the lead and ended up taking everything on yourself. So I'm sorry. Eat this too."

Moyong Ha moved her long chopsticks again, neatly removed the fish bones, and placed a large, soft piece of fish in Yeon Sowol's bowl.

Yeon Sowol ate the fish as he waved her off.

"I don't want to hear it. Stop apologizing. Oh, but this is good. Did they grill this fish well? No, was it steamed?"

"Sowol."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you provoke the Prefectural Inspector Commander?"

"Ah..."

Yeon Sowol raised his cup and looked out the window for a moment.

The autumn wind was cool, and Dongting Lake's waters were blue.

"I thought it might get some sort of reaction. I mean, the scale was too large for the Patrol Military Inspector to have done it alone. I thought someone higher up might have at least turned a blind eye, so I tested the waters."

"Ha..."

Moyong Ha let out a small sigh. She looked irritated for some reason.

"What if the Prefectural Inspector Commander, or even the provincial governor, really was involved? One sentence like that could make you a target."

"That's a little scary."

"Exactly. Why take that kind of risk? You didn't have to. It would be one thing if I took the risk. But you..."

Only then did Yeon Sowol understand the worry in Moyong Ha's eyes.

Yeon Sowol gave a faint smile.

Listening to Moyong Ha's question, a voice he missed suddenly came to mind, still vivid in his ears.

Yeon Sowol filled Moyong Ha's empty cup.

Then he filled his own.

They clinked cups.

"Just thinking that people like that exist in the world..."

Just before swallowing, he answered Moyong Ha's question.

"It ruins the taste of the wine."

"What?"

Gulp.

"Ah... The wine tastes good."

"You..."

Moyong Ha let out a hollow laugh, then moved her chopsticks again.

This time, it was an even larger, softer piece of fish.

"Eat this."

"Ah, stop giving me food."

"Eat."

They drank and ate for a while, then Moyong Ha suddenly spoke.

"Did I tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Which poem by Li Shangyin is my favorite?"

"I don't think you did."

"Then listen."

Moyong Ha recited two lines of poetry.

Yeon Sowol tried to guess their meaning, then tilted his head.

"That's a little difficult."

"It is difficult."

"Mm... I think I might understand the first line. Does it mean that you only come to understand the meaning of certain feelings after time has passed?"

"Who knows?"

Moyong Ha smiled softly.

"One day, you'll suddenly understand. Anyway, remember it. It's the favorite poem of yours truly, Moyong Ha. If you're a friend, you should know at least that much."

"Okay. Okay."

The mood softened.

Moyong Ha no longer snapped at him, and they happily shared more drinks.

Then a man approached Yeon Sowol.

‘The scent of flowers?’

A faint yet deep fragrance made Yeon Sowol turn without thinking.

The man had a pale face that looked somewhat sickly. He appeared to be around Yeon Sowol's age.

Yet...

‘This person is strong...’

In contrast to his frail impression, his fully refined aura seemed to surpass even Guangdong's Noh Huideok.

Yeon Sowol glanced at the sword hanging from the man's waist and quietly tensed.

The man opened his mouth.

"Um..."

His voice was weak and timid.

Unable to properly meet Yeon Sowol's eyes, he kept glancing aside and lowered his head as he continued.

"I'm... sorry."

Yeon Sowol's eyes widened.

The man continued.

"Um... I'm sorry... that I couldn't help..."

He looked around restlessly.

After blinking a few times, Yeon Sowol opened his mouth.

"Um..."

He considered what he should say, but there was only one thing he could ask.

"Who are you?"

Why was he suddenly apologizing...?

Flustered by Yeon Sowol's question, the man became even more flustered and stammered hurriedly.

"I-I'm Ha Jeop of the Huashan Sect."

"The Huashan Sect!"

Moyong Ha reacted first.

Her eyes sparkled as she greeted him.

"If you belong to the Ha naming generation, then you're a second-generation disciple? You must be close to our age. And your name is Jeop, meaning butterfly. It reminds me of Zhuangzi's story. That's a Daoist name with deep meaning."

"Th-thank you..."

As Moyong Ha made polite conversation, Yeon Sowol couldn't help having a different thought.

‘How can someone's name be...’

Pathetic... no, Ha Jeop.

Footnotes:

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