Dropped into Murim with an Instant-Kill Skill - Chapter 13

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 13: In the Jianghu, One Cannot Control One's Fate (2)

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Before he met the Shinheung Three Dogs.

Yeon Sowol had been in a good mood.

Old Jo Manseok, whom he was seeing again for the first time in nearly half a year, looked healthy and generously shared his knowledge of fragrances.

"Using a single scent is the mark of an amateur. At most, people pick one thing, like pine resin, mugwort, star anise, or benzoin, then burn it or dry it and carry it around."

"Hm. I suppose that's where I am right now."

Like the model student he had been in the twenty-first century, Yeon Sowol took out paper, a brush, and ink to write down Jo Manseok's teachings.

"You can only be called intermediate once you know how to create rich scents by burning, steaming, drying, or melting several ingredients, then blending them together."

"That's a high bar for an intermediate."

"It is. To be honest, I'm still only at the intermediate level myself."

At that, Jo Manseok's eyes gleamed.

"But they say a master can make one scent as rich as a blend of many. And when given many scents, they can gather them into a single fragrance."

"One like many. Many like one!"

"I've heard that, in all Shinheung County, only the county magistrate has reached that level."

Jo Manseok did not simply teach him broad concepts and detailed theory. He also brought out the fragrances he owned and helped Yeon Sowol make a scent of his own.

That was how Yeon Sowol acquired incense suitable for burning in his room, as well as a sachet he could carry with him.

"I love it!"

It was not as refined as Yi Yubaek's fragrance, but it suited Yeon Sowol's tastes perfectly.

Jo Manseok smiled warmly.

"Myrrh has a very bitter scent, but it cleanses turbid qi well. Mixing spikenard into that bitter myrrh to add fragrance was a fine choice. Spikenard smells a little sour when used on its own, you see. Yet alongside myrrh, it becomes refreshing. You made an excellent fragrance."

"Thank you."

Delighted, Yeon Sowol held out one tael of silver.

"That's enough. What's this for..."

One tael of silver was a hefty sum, enough for an ordinary grown man to cover his food and lodging in Shinheung County for about half a month, with some left over to have fun.

Jo Manseok tried to refuse with a serious expression, but Yeon Sowol stubbornly tucked the silver into his sleeve.

"No, Elder. My father said that a fragrance is a person's trace, and that two people can never share the same trace. Yet you shared everything you knew without holding back. This one tael of silver is far too meager in return."

"Ha ha. It's only because I'm an old man who'll soon die and has nothing to be stingy about. Ha ha."

Getting one tael of silver was pleasing enough.

But Yeon Sowol's words had also allowed him to accept it with pride, making Jo Manseok even happier.

'Is there anything else I can give him? Ah. That would do.'

He held out a thin booklet to Yeon Sowol.

The secret to avoiding danger in Shinheung County.

"What is this?"

"It's a guide merchants pass among ourselves. We keep one on hand, then give it to merchants from other regions when they come by. I receive guides like this from local merchants whenever I visit another area."

Yeon Sowol blinked. Wasn't this something merchants needed? Wasn't he a martial artist?

"You are a person of the Jianghu. Now that you've become Great Hero Yi Yubaek's foster son, that is what you are."

"Yes. I suppose so."

"But they say that once a person enters the Jianghu, their body no longer belongs to them. Countless eyes in the Jianghu will be watching you. This will help you, then. It'll let you know when you need to act carefully in Shinheung County."

In the Jianghu, one could not control one's fate.

The saying stirred something strange in Yeon Sowol.

Come to think of it, Yi Yubaek had said something similar.

'How you conduct yourself matters more than anything in the Jianghu. Want to roam freely through it? Then you always have to read the room. You need to know when to stand your ground and when to suck up. Remember that. Even the Movement Art you want to learn is a skill built on the same principle.'

Gratefully, Yeon Sowol accepted the <Shinheung Danger-Avoidance Manual>.

"May I read it now?"

"Of course. Ask right away if there's anything you're curious about."

"Yes."

Methods of avoiding danger in Shinheung.

'Maybe it summarizes unspoken etiquette among people and actions that might offend them. Something like that would be useful.'

Flip.

Yeon Sowol opened the booklet.

———

When encountering the following matters in Shinheung County, one must act according to the guidelines written here. Otherwise, one's life and death cannot be guaranteed.

If the streets suddenly grow thick with fog and smell of alcohol, never raise your voice. Walk briskly as though you have urgent business and leave the fog behind. Do not earn their anger, nor their goodwill.

If you see a child in silk clothes crying on the street, do not rush to help.

If the child's body is strangely hot, flee at once.

Even if you hear strange sounds while fleeing, never look back.

Though the child wears silk, the child is absolutely not from a wealthy family, so do not be tempted by greed.

———

"......?"

Yeon Sowol was bewildered.

'Rules horror?'

Napolitan horror stories. A kind of creepypasta where bizarre rules created an especially unnerving feeling.

It was one of the few hobbies he still enjoyed even as a high school senior, since they were short enough to read now and then.

'But why would something like that be in a merchants' guide...'

Yeon Sowol was confused.

"Um... Could you tell me what this means? For example, what happens if you don't quickly leave when fog suddenly fills the street and there's a smell of alcohol?"

Jo Manseok answered seriously.

"I know. It must seem absurd. More so because it doesn't explain the details. But this was made by gathering the testimonies of people who experienced or witnessed such things over ten or twenty years, so it can't be entirely absurd. I myself experienced the first incident. A friend who was with me stayed behind out of curiosity, saying he'd investigate alone... He was bedridden for a month. He couldn't even remember what had happened."

"That's..."

Yeon Sowol felt a little unsettled.

He had thought it was simply a ghost story circulated among merchants, but hearing that Jo Manseok had experienced it himself made it feel different.

"Then why doesn't it explain in detail what happened or how things turned out?"

"It can't be helped. Paper isn't cheap, and explaining every circumstance to merchants from other regions is quite troublesome. The longer it gets, the less likely people are to read it, and the less effective it becomes as a warning. It's more effective to simply write, don't do this."

Once Yeon Sowol heard it, the reason seemed perfectly reasonable.

"Besides, no one person writes this guide alone. Who in the world would do something so tiresome without pay? Everyone simply copies the other guides they see and keeps a copy. Then they add new testimonies whenever they hear them. Naturally, it's difficult to verify every single one. Still, if there are rumors that ignoring something led to disaster, they leave it in."

Yeon Sowol nodded.

He could understand why it had been written like a ghost story.

But still.

'Isn't it too much like a ghost story?'

The account about the second child was particularly creepy.

"Do you have any guesses, at least? What exactly is this child in the second entry... Could it be a ghost?"

Jo Manseok nodded knowingly.

"Ah, that one. There's been a lot of talk about it among merchants lately. Some say it might be time to remove it."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes. I hear there have been almost no related testimonies in the last few years. Some even say Great Hero Yi Yubaek solved that problem completely."

"What? Father did?"

"Great Hero Yi Yubaek may be acknowledged as the foremost martial artist in Shinheung now, but it wasn't always so. There were several bloody incidents before he became Shinheung's foremost martial artist."

"Ah..."

Even now, Yeon Sowol's image of Jianghu people was still little more than gangsters.

That made the phrase bloody incidents sound especially chilling.

'Father is definitely a good person, but he must also be terrifying in some ways.'

Still puzzled, he tilted his head.

"I don't understand how Father's bloody incidents are connected to a child in silk clothes."

"Neither do I. I never experienced that incident myself. But a close merchant friend from another region told me what happened to him. He nearly tried to help a child in silk clothes, but barely survived thanks to this guide."

"Oh. Didn't he tell you the details?"

"It was hard to understand him. He was terrified."

"I see..."

Curiosity and unease rose together in Yeon Sowol as he continued reading the <Shinheung Danger-Avoidance Manual>.

———

Never cause a disturbance at Cheongun Pavilion. If you accidentally earn the resentment of an attendant or courtesan, you must apologize and offer suitable compensation.

If you cannot, you must never be alone from the moment you leave the pleasure house.

Stay with a group at all times. Do not sleep, and remain awake through the night with friends or family.

As soon as dawn breaks the next day, return to Cheongun Pavilion, apologize, compensate them, and settle the grudge.

If, while passing Heavenly Road Mountain, you find someone sitting idly among the grass without doing anything, immediately return the way you came.

No matter how much you stand to lose, do not hesitate. You must flee.

Otherwise, you may be the one sitting there next time.

If you see three young men on the streets of Shinheung County, and the person in the middle is frowning while one is grinning, never make eye contact with the last person.

If you do make eye contact, lower your head at once, move to the side of the road, turn your face toward the wall as much as possible, and pass by slowly.

It is best not to dress conspicuously, so they do not remember you.

From time to time, you may find rice cakes or sweets neatly arranged in fine bowls by the roadside. Never eat or damage them. If you instead add food or precious objects to show your sincerity, something good may happen.

———

The more Yeon Sowol read, the more it felt as though he was entering a maze.

'What is this world? Are there ghosts and monsters here?'

Then again, there was a mysterious power like martial arts, so there was no reason ghosts and monsters could not exist.

'Come to think of it, there were ghosts. The ones that clung to me when I fell here.'

The beings called Ghost Kings had entered his body then, only to be destroyed by the power of the Heaven-Killing Star.

Thanks to that, Yeon Sowol had gained a little of the Ghost Kings' knowledge and could speak, read, and write the language here with ease.

'When I think of it that way, it's not impossible... Still, something feels off.'

Yeon Sowol stared silently at the Shinheung Danger-Avoidance Manual.

Jo Manseok glanced at it, then pointed to one line with his finger.

"Ah. This one is famous, so I can explain it."

He was pointing at the fifth entry, the one about meeting three young men.

"This concerns the Shinheung Three Dogs."

"The Shinheung Three Dogs?"

"Yes. The one who frowns is Resentful Dog, Jeon Taegwang. The one who grins is Laughing Dog, So Cheong. And the one you must not make eye contact with is Mad Dog."

"They're people?"

"Martial artists."

"Ah..."

"He's a particularly nasty bastard. The rumors about Mad Dog are especially foul. There are more than one or two merchants from other regions believed to have been murdered after crossing paths with him."

"What? Then why hasn't he been arrested?"

"There's no evidence, only suspicion. On top of that, Resentful Dog, Jeon Taegwang, who travels with him, is the youngest disciple of the Leader of the Severing Sword Sect, while Laughing Dog, So Cheong, is a division leader of the White Dragon Gang. Neither the authorities nor the martial world can touch them easily."

"That's..."

"That's why I'm giving you this guide. Of course, you don't need to avoid them unconditionally as people like us do. But at least you'll know in advance when you need to conduct yourself carefully."

"That really is true."

It truly was a useful guide.

"Thank you."

Yeon Sowol bowed deeply.

Some parts truly looked like ghost stories, but others could be interpreted as incidents involving martial artists. If so, then there was surely a good chance he would encounter them.

If he continued living in Shinheung County as a fellow martial artist.

* * *

'I didn't think I would meet them this soon.'

On his way home after leaving Jo Manseok's shop, Yeon Sowol clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at the three faces ahead.

The street, which had been buzzing with whispers only moments ago, fell completely silent. Everyone was watching the three men carefully.

The very situation Jo Manseok had warned him to handle cautiously had arrived at once.

As Yeon Sowol drew nearer, sour sweat, stale alcohol, and the faint smell of blood drifted toward him, breaking through the sharp yet fragrant scent of the myrrh and spikenard blend he had made.

'The one in the middle is frowning. One of them is grinning. The last one... Is that him? The one I'm not supposed to make eye contact with.'

The man spat on the ground as if he could not care less. He was moderately tall, with thin lips and a narrow nose.

He was the man Shinheung County's merchants believed was a serial killer, a man who had become a ghost story himself.

Mad Dog.

'Conduct myself carefully...'

Yeon Sowol turned the phrase over in his mind as he stared straight at the man. As he walked closer. The whole time. Without looking away.

"......?"

Noticing his gaze, the man looked back at Yeon Sowol.

Staring.

Neither of them looked away.

"This little bastard... Those eyes."

Mad Dog's face flushed bright red.