WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 117: When Young, I Knew Not Sorrow's Taste (22)
──────
Dawn.
The sun had not yet risen, but the whole sky had taken on a bluish glow from the faint light beyond the horizon.
“Fwooooo...”
Bare-chested, Yeon Sowol slowly finished circulating the Willow Serenity Art.
Drops of sweat fell onto the wooden floor.
True Flame coursed through the Twelve Regular Meridians and into the Twelve Divergent Meridians, extending through the Fifteen Collaterals, the netlike collateral vessels, hand meridians, and auxiliary vessels. It spread throughout his entire body before returning to the dantian.
His thoroughly tempered body settled once more.
After circulating his qi and regulating his breath, his body grew pleasantly hot, trapping the heat within the Eight Extraordinary Vessels like a pressure cooker.
Essence-blood, or innate true qi, stirred as it heated up.
Pure essence gradually melted amid that heat and motion, transforming into qi.
Water, fire, wood, metal, earth.
The Five Elements.
The five pure energies that formed the foundation of all qi.
Yeon Sowol carefully wove together the energies of the Five Elements flowing through the Conception Vessel and Governing Vessel.
He did not simply mix them together. He intertwined them so each energy generated and restrained the others, creating unceasing harmony.
Just as the universe cycles: wind makes ripples across water, and sunlight glimmers atop those ripples.
A fish moves its leaf-like fins and leaps above the surface.
A bird snatches up that fish, spreading wings like metal and leaves as it flies high into the sky.
Hot air forms a great wind, and a bird falls in that wind, rots, and returns to the earth.
Whoooom!
Whoom!
Heat haze rose around Yeon Sowol.
Black, blue, red, white, and yellow light flowed faintly around him.
A gentle breeze stirred. Tiny beads of dew formed. Dust settled, leaving swirling trails across the floor in the wind, while fresh life seemed to rise through the grain of the floorboards and pillars.
At last, Yeon Sowol finished cultivating and looked around.
“...It might be a problem if I cultivate indoors from now on.”
Even as he fetched a rag and wiped the dust and dew from the floor, a smile remained on his face.
“It definitely works.”
Energy resembling the universe.
That was what Yeon Sowol sought as his enlightenment into the peak realm.
He had thought he understood it to some degree, but after experiencing the martial arts tournament, he realized that was not the case.
He understood nothing of the immense harmony called the universe.
Simply realizing that had advanced his attainment this much.
“If I get the chance, I want to fight as many peak-realm masters as possible...”
Fighting late first-rate masters had taught him this much. What could he learn by clashing with peak-realm martial artists who had completed their own unique energies?
“Hmm. Still, I should avoid them at first... Right? It would be fine to lose once, but if I get injured... If I exhaust my power... Then I might lose my next challenge and get eliminated... That would be an even bigger loss. Right. At first, I should...”
After the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends were selected, there would be matches between the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.
Yeon Sowol, who had personally created the rules for those matches, smacked his lips.
“Still, if possible, I do want to fight them...”
After thoroughly cleaning the room stained with dust and dew, Yeon Sowol went to the well and washed himself.
He dried off and stepped outside, thinking he might take a walk. That was when he saw Moyong Ha crouching by the roadside.
She was staring at the body of a dead cat.
“Poor thing.”
“...Sowol?”
Moyong Ha looked up blankly. Her eyes held a complicated, sorrowful look.
“Is it because of the cat?”
It was a small cat, not even fully grown. Perhaps a dog had bitten it, because the fur at its nape had been torn away. Dark red blood had dried there.
“...Sowol. You saw those jiangshi.”
“I did.”
“Jiangshi too... Jiangshi, I mean...”
Her thoughts seemed tangled as she searched for the right words.
She finally spoke without taking her eyes off the dead cat.
“They're people who have already died, but opened their eyes again, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then would that person who opened their eyes again... Would a jiangshi be considered the same person as before?”
It was a strangely philosophical question.
Fortunately, Yeon Sowol did not dislike philosophy.
“Hmm. You can’t consider them exactly the same person, but they aren’t a different person either.”
“What does that mean? Are they the same person or not?”
Something in her voice had turned sharp, so Yeon Sowol carefully sorted out his thoughts before answering.
“If I had to choose one... I think it would be more accurate to call them the same person.”
“Why?”
“People are made of essence, qi, and spirit.”
“Right.”
“They have the same body, so their essence is the same.”
“Mm.”
“Their qi has been tainted by baleful qi, so it has changed from before. But a jiangshi’s strength also differs depending on the person’s former realm, so their original qi can’t be completely gone either.”
“Mmm.”
“Even if their spirit has been lost and distorted, a fragment of their former desire, like wanting to return home, still remains.”
Moyong Ha slowly raised her head and met Yeon Sowol’s eyes.
He reached his conclusion with confidence.
“In terms of essence, qi, and spirit, the person they once were remains in every way. So if we have to be precise, they’re the same person. They’ve just changed a lot.”
“...Is that so?”
Moyong Ha sank into thought, then let out a small laugh.
“You’re good with words.”
Yeon Sowol shrugged.
Using a large roof tile beside her, Moyong Ha carefully lifted the small cat’s body.
“I’ll go bury it. And you won’t see me for a while. I’m about to get started.”
“...You’re doing it.”
She meant investigating the Yuezhou government office.
“Yeah. More attention than expected is focused on the martial arts tournament, so the timing is perfect. Once the merchant guilds start putting up their goods as prizes, the atmosphere will get even more heated. Even the martial officials will want to participate.”
“Have you coordinated with the merchant guilds?”
“Miss So Hye took that over. I taught her a little, and she caught on right away.”
“Miss So Hye is sharp.”
“My point exactly.”
Moyong Ha tapped the ground with the tip of her shoe.
“I’ll be back after the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends have been selected, for the next matches.”
“...You need to be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t lived long, but I’ve risked my life around twenty times in my twenty years. I’ve never died even once.”
Yeon Sowol’s expression turned sour.
He remembered hearing something similar from Yi Yubaek.
‘What is wrong with Jianghu people...?’
Moyong Ha saw his expression and laughed.
“You really don’t need to worry. I’m a Moyong. The provincial governor of Yuezhou can’t kill me.”
“But the Demonic Path group working with him is different.”
“I won’t lose to some Demonic Path rabble that’s in bed with the provincial governor of Yuezhou.”
Every word she said made him feel stifled.
Yeon Sowol frowned at her. Moyong Ha burst out laughing again, then lightly turned away. Her movements were so light that he could barely hear her footsteps.
“I’ll be back.”
Whoosh!
The way she leaped onto the building was very different from Windborne Drift, the Windflow School’s lightness skill.
Windborne Drift focused on becoming as light as possible and rising on the wind. Moyong Ha’s lightness skill felt as though she were a swallow flying on the wind with each flap of its wings.
She shot upward in an instant, twisted through the air to change direction, plunged downward, then stretched forward in a free, flowing trajectory.
Not a single roof tile rattled beneath her feet.
“...So that’s possible too.”
Yeon Sowol had mastered Windborne Drift to tenth-stage mastery, yet he still could not imagine moving like that.
Perhaps it was the difference between the fairly excellent Windborne Drift and the supreme-grade ultimate arts possessed by the Five Great Families.
But Yeon Sowol accepted that limitation without stopping.
“...Hmm. Would it be different if I used it like this?”
To draw out more than one hundred and twenty percent of Windborne Drift’s potential beyond tenth-stage mastery, Yeon Sowol stood on the road and continued pondering until the sun rose high overhead.
* * *
The tournament to choose the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends lasted three full days.
They fought all day, then drank at night.
All of Yuezhou remained in a festive mood.
Like any festival, incidents never stopped breaking out everywhere.
Who was stronger, and who was weaker.
Who was more impressive, and who was less impressive.
Martial artists who drank began by chatting happily, but they were easily worked into a frenzy. The sound of clashing blades never stopped.
Those still caught up in the excitement of the martial arts tournament were too busy enjoying the fights to break them up.
It was not only martial artists, either.
Even ordinary cloth shop owners, rice shop owners, farmers, and fishermen who had never learned a single martial art drank and talked before often ending up fighting among themselves.
For the government soldiers and martial officials of Yuezhou, every day was hell.
There were too few people to handle the endless accidents. Some soldiers were even called in from military units stationed outside the city, along with the Prefectural Inspectors directly under the provincial governor of Yuezhou.
Naturally, the government soldiers and martial officials cursed the martial arts tournament and Yeon Sowol, its organizer, every day.
Yet if one listened closely, their curses were a little strange.
“These damned Jianghu bastards! If I had my way, I’d enter that martial arts tournament and sweep every last one of them aside!”
“Seriously. Those Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends or whatever. Can’t we just fight them all one-on-one, beat them senseless, and send them home?”
“Then I’ll take Yeon Sowol!”
“Tch! You junior brat. Wait your turn.”
“Ah. Yes, sir. Sorry.”
They were curses, but the kind that quietly revealed how much they wanted to participate in the martial arts tournament.
It could not be helped.
Work being exhausting was one thing. Something being entertaining was another.
The martial officials too felt great interest and competitive spirit whenever they heard talk of who was stronger in the tournament.
After all that noisy commotion, the selection of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends finally came to an end.
Click.
Yeon Sowol lifted the final name plaque and hung it at the very bottom of the wall of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.
Nine people had earned their places immediately because everyone gave up challenging them. Sixty-three had earned places in the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends based on their number of victories.
Anyone who won three matches automatically secured a place. Since there were many who had won twice, they fought one another in a first-come, first-served series of matches, with the winners filling the vacant positions first.
From the first Fiend to the seventy-second Fiend.
Every position had been filled.
The competition had been fierce until the very end.
The martial artists selected as the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends wore deep pride on their faces.
All one hundred and eight Malefic Stars gathered around the platform.
The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits stood upon it.
The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends stood below.
The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends were visibly unhappy that they still had to look up at the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits.
In that atmosphere, Yeon Sowol opened his mouth.
“You have all watched the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends fight their hardest. Every one of them proved themselves. Now it is time for the seniors of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits to prove themselves.”
Confident smiles appeared.
As though they were saying, Fine, we’ll prove it.
As though their bodies had been itching for a fight all this time.
Yeon Sowol addressed several of them.
“Senior Shin Si-ye. What did you think of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends tournament?”
“Some were better than expected, while others were worse. Still, overall, I think they’ll be worth teaching a lesson or two.”
It was an arrogant statement.
A small murmur rose among the crowd.
But Shin Si-ye was one of only nine peak-realm masters among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits.
She had every right to say it.
Yeon Sowol turned his gaze.
“Senior Stopless Sword. What did you think?”
Stopless Sword Na Seok.
He was a master who had reached the peak realm, Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion, but he had already been fifty when he achieved that realm.
Unlike the other peak-realm masters, who looked much younger than their age, deep wrinkles marked his face.
That only made him seem warmer and kinder.
“I was very surprised.”
He looked at Yeon Sowol.
“The martial arts tournament itself surprised me, but in truth, I was most surprised by Young Hero Yeon.”
His eyes were warm.
“Seeing and hearing are the most important parts of learning. I have spent my life seeking instruction, so I know that better than anyone. Yet Young Hero Yeon grew up in Guangdong, a barren land for martial arts. Even so, you have grown into such a great talent... Your talent is surely remarkable, but I could feel the effort behind it, enough to make me ashamed of myself. There could not have been many martial artists around you worthy of serving as examples. It is truly admirable. A person’s will can overcome even the environment and fate they were born into.”
Stopless Sword Na Seok clasped his hands and gave Yeon Sowol a fist-and-palm salute.
It was the highest praise.
The audience murmured in admiration and nodded. Of course. He was remarkable. Truly remarkable.
Yeon Sowol gave a faint smile and returned the salute.
After hearing from several seniors, Yeon Sowol began explaining the rules.
“This time, we will choose the true Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits!”
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
“The true Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits?”
“Does that mean the current ones are false?”
Yeon Sowol said, “The current Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits have not yet proven themselves. Therefore, they must be tested. Every one of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends must challenge a member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits.”
The rules were simple.
- Every member of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends challenges a member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits to take their position.
- If a member of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends wins, the current member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits is eliminated, and the winner becomes a new member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits.
- A current member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits who wins three times will no longer receive challenges and may securely retain their position. If they wish, they may continue accepting a fourth or fifth challenge.
- So long as they are physically able to fight, each Earthly Fiend may challenge a Heavenly Spirit twice. They may not challenge the same opponent twice.
- If no original member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits remains for the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends to challenge, they may challenge those who defeated former Heavenly Spirits and became new members of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits.
- Any member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits who receives no challenges survives automatically.
After hearing all the rules, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits smiled playfully.
“So you really want us to prove ourselves?”
“Well, we’ll prove it. We’ve been proving ourselves our whole lives.”
Yeon Sowol said, “Then from this moment on, members of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, stand before the member of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits you wish to challenge! The challenge order will follow the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends’ rankings!”
The moment he finished speaking, the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends surged forward.
None of them hesitated or watched for an opening.
They were all first-rate martial artists, confident in themselves.
“What? Why are so many of you standing in front of me?”
Kang In-su, known as a late first-rate master of Iron Sand Palm and other fist-and-kick arts, frowned with displeasure.
No fewer than nine Earthly Fiends stood before him.
“...Do you think I’m an easy target because I fight barehanded?”
At his question, the Earthly Fiend at the front smiled broadly.
“A little, Senior.”
“Ha.”
Kang In-su’s hollow laugh echoed.
The corners of the audience’s mouths rose as they watched.
“That match is going to be fun.”
Then...
“Well, well?”
Shin Si-ye’s lips curved upward.
Three Earthly Fiends stood before her.
All of them were late first-rate masters.
Peak-realm masters had been classified as Heavenly Spirits from the start, so there were no peak-realm masters among the Earthly Fiends.
Yet three people stood before peak-realm master Shin Si-ye.
Among the nine peak-realm masters, Shin Si-ye was the only one with challengers in front of her.
She was also the only female master among them.
Shin Si-ye smiled coldly.
“Do you know what the peak realm is?”
As though she found them absurd, Shin Si-ye bit her lip and placed a hand on her sword hilt.
“Fine. I’ll carve the answer into your bones.”
The audience swallowed again.
This would be so entertaining. It was already so entertaining.
Voices chattered, and throats gulped.
Once the rough matchups had taken shape, everyone’s attention focused on one person.
The only person who had not yet chosen someone to challenge.
Yeon Sowol.
“I wonder...”
“Who will he choose?”
“Won’t he pick someone with the fewest challengers?”
“Then a peak-realm master?”
“Come on. No way.”
“Right?”
As the audience watched with sweaty palms, Yeon Sowol began walking.
Step. Step.
As he approached a late first-rate master with only one challenger in front of them...
“Oooh!”
“He’s saying, ‘I’m the strongest among the late first-rate masters,’ isn’t he?”
“Mm. Mm.”
Everyone exclaimed.
Step. Step.
Yeon Sowol passed them by.
“Huh?”
Tap.
At last, Yeon Sowol stopped in the space before Stopless Sword Na Seok.
Everyone held their breath.
Some covered their mouths and slapped the person beside them with their palms.
Why?
Na Seok was a peak-realm master.
Na Seok’s eyes widened slightly.
“That is unexpected. I never thought you would choose me.”
Yeon Sowol smiled calmly and answered.
“Senior.”
“Hmm?”
“Guangdong is not a barren land.”
“...?”
Yeon Sowol stared directly at him.
For some reason, Na Seok felt as if he could see a blue sea rolling within those eyes.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
