WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 131: The Rear Waves of the Yangtze Push the Front Waves (5)
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“Then we’ll accept this much support.”
“Yes. Let’s proceed that way.”
So Hye concluded the negotiations.
Though she had only just turned seventeen, she sat in the seat of honor, with Hunan and Yuezhou’s great merchants lined up on either side of her.
Among all those aged faces, So Hye’s fair, pink-flushed cheeks made her look even more childlike.
“Heheh.”
She had maintained a solemn expression throughout the meeting, but the moment she accepted the agreement bearing the merchants’ signatures, she finally broke into a smile.
Her white teeth showed as she beamed.
The sight was so innocent that the older merchants smiled warmly without realizing it.
She was frighteningly sharp and capable when she worked, so it was rather nice to see this side of her now and then. It made people grow fond of her.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Realizing she had been grinning like an idiot, So Hye touched her cheeks and rose from her seat.
“Please send the promised medicinal ingredients by this evening.”
“Yes, young lady. We’ll make sure of it.”
The merchants bowed, swallowing their laughter.
They were seasoned, cunning merchants, but they all liked So Hye.
This was a deal made in exchange for a share of the profits from the Yuezhou martial arts tournament.
No matter how one looked at it, they stood to gain.
Nobody would dislike making a profitable deal with someone clever, pretty, and adorable.
“Then I’ll be going.”
The merchants watched So Hye leave the room with light, excited steps and quietly laughed again.
* * *
“You seem to be in a good mood today, Lady So Hye.”
It was an expression Yeon Sowol had not seen in a while.
So Hye had been in a foul mood ever since Moyong Ha met that fate.
So Hye touched her cheeks.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Only after realizing she had been smiling foolishly did she compose herself.
“Ahem. I made something.”
“What did you make?”
“An elixir pill.”
Her face softened into a smile again. She could not hide her pride.
“I’ve been watching. Brother Yeon, Young Master Namgung, Young Hero Won, all of you have spirits that are running hot right now.”
Brother Yeon?
Yeon Sowol tilted his head.
It meant older brother, and this was the first time So Hye had called him that.
She did not seem conscious of it, though, so he pretended not to notice. Pointing it out might embarrass her.
Instead, he focused on what she was saying. It was important.
“Your spirits are running hot... I suppose that’s true. Prefectural Inspector General Shin Gilrip said something similar. It can’t be helped. After sending Ha off like that, how could our hearts be at peace?”
“Exactly. My sister went like that...”
So Hye’s expression darkened at Yeon Sowol’s words.
Besides, her speech had subtly become informal, as though she were talking to herself. Yeon Sowol decided to ignore that too.
“It’s true that everyone’s improving rapidly and fighting better than usual because of it, but if this goes wrong, you could suffer a Cultivation Deviation. Or a heart demon might come for you.”
“...I can see that happening. Our spirits aren’t in a normal state, after all.”
Yeon Sowol nodded gravely.
Heart demon.
That phrase gave him chills every time he heard it.
So Hye studied his grave expression, then grinned.
“That’s why I made a new elixir pill! It reinforces your spirit so nothing goes wrong even if it runs hot! I tailored it specifically for Brother Yeon and the others in your current condition. It’s the first time I’ve ever made something like this, but I succeeded on my first try!”
“Oh?”
Yeon Sowol raised his brows.
This had been worrying him already.
‘And it gets solved like this?’
“This!”
So Hye took a round pill the size of a fingernail from her robes.
“Here. Take it!”
She urged him on without realizing she was speaking informally.
Yeon Sowol found himself smiling, but he accepted the pill and swallowed it.
It melted smoothly the moment it entered his mouth, requiring no chewing.
“Mm!”
He felt its effects instantly.
His heated eyes cooled, and his turbulent mind cleared with refreshing ease. His vision opened wide, his nose cleared, and every sensation in his body came vividly alive, as though the grime had been washed from his soul.
“This is...”
As Yeon Sowol looked down at his hand in surprise, So Hye spoke proudly.
“What do you think? It’s good, right? Honestly, this is worthy of being called a masterpiece. Taking it will lower the risk of a heart demon or Cultivation Deviation, but your abilities will actually improve. You’ll also learn and gain insights faster. It can only be used now, in this state where your spirit is burning hot because of overwhelming emotions.”
She had been chattering excitedly, but then suddenly lowered her head again, her shoulders slumping.
“With this... it’ll help. You need to show everyone what you can do at the martial arts tournament... That will help you avenge my sister too... right?”
So Hye looked up at him cautiously.
Without thinking, Yeon Sowol gently placed a hand on her small head.
She had grown comfortable enough around him that her form of address and speech had changed without her realizing it.
His own tone became more relaxed as well.
“Of course.”
“...Right?”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe. I’m happy I could help. I’ll go hand out the rest! Brother Yeon! See you later!”
So Hye waved and hurried away.
Yeon Sowol watched her retreating figure.
There was a three-year age gap between them.
Even though So Hye could overwhelm those around her with beauty rivaling Moyong Ha’s when she sat quietly.
‘She’s still a child.’
She still had that energy unique to children, the kind that sprang right back up no matter how hard one tried to press it down.
Three years made that much of a difference at their age.
Yeon Sowol threw open the window on the second floor of the inn. Looking out over the blue waters of Dongting Lake, he slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.
“So it’s like doping.”
The elixir pill So Hye had given him was that extraordinary. It felt as though it had temporarily expanded the limits of his potential.
“With this...”
The blue waters of Dongting Lake rippled in Yeon Sowol’s eyes.
* * *
The martial arts tournament continued.
After earning five points from Prefectural Inspector General Shin Gilrip, Yeon Sowol continued challenging peak-realm military officers.
Senior Fifth Rank, Flying General Wang Su.
Junior Fifth Rank, Commandant Yi Geumha.
Yeon Sowol did not fall behind against either of them, earning five points from each.
Jin Geol asked, “What did you think of Wang Su and Yi Geumha?”
Yeon Sowol thought for a while before answering.
“They leave a bad taste in my mouth.”
“A bad taste?”
“Yeah. They didn’t feel as straightforward as Prefectural Inspector General Shin Gilrip. I could clearly feel that Lord Shin pitied me and supported me, but those two were different. They seemed displeased about something. It also felt like they were trying to assess me.”
“Then we need to keep watching them.”
“Yeah. They may be in on the Yuezhou provincial governor’s scheme.”
“Then there are two peak-realm opponents we may have to deal with.”
Jin Geol and Yeon Sowol glanced at the two officers at the same time.
If they came into direct conflict with the Yuezhou provincial governor, they might have to defeat those two.
And then, it would not be a martial arts match. It would be a fight to the death.
Jin Geol nodded.
“Good. I’ll gather more information behind the scenes. You focus on the martial arts tournament. How much support you receive here will become our justification.”
Yeon Sowol nodded.
‘It’s nice that Jin Geol understands things so quickly.’
Justification.
That was what they needed most right now.
The Yuezhou provincial governor had ordered them to stay quiet.
But Yeon Sowol could not remain quiet.
He needed to stir things up as he pleased if he was going to uncover the provincial governor’s evil deeds.
Only then could he expose the provincial governor as a criminal and stand against him.
That was why he needed justification.
A reason to act as he pleased without drawing hatred.
A reason to keep receiving people’s warmth and attention.
The martial arts tournament was part of that.
“You be careful too, Jin Geol.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a first-rate master too. Not as strong as you, but still.”
Jin Geol waved a hand and disappeared into the streets of Yuezhou.
The matches continued.
Yeon Sowol continued his undefeated run.
One. Two. Three.
Peak-realm masters fell one after another at his hands.
Each time, people cheered.
The wall between realms was supposed to be impossibly high, yet here, late first-rate masters at Faint Fragrance Unfading were repeatedly defeating peak-realm masters at Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion.
“What did Faint Fragrance Unfading mean again?”
“It means there is a subtle fragrance, and no darkness. They say the harmony of one’s qi deepens to the point where one can see at night as clearly as in daylight, and a mysterious fragrance comes from the body.”
“Good heavens... That sounds like an immortal. Then what about Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion?”
“They say it means the harmony of qi has fully bloomed, like countless flowers blossoming in wild profusion.”
“That sounds incredible. Just from the name, Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion sounds far stronger than Faint Fragrance Unfading.”
“It does. Yet he keeps beating them.”
“And there are two people doing it.”
“Right. Great Hero Yeon and Young Hero Ha Jeop.”
“Young Hero Ha is from the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, so that makes sense. But Great Hero Yeon...”
“Exactly.”
People gathered bits of information from every direction, turning them over among themselves and adding details to their stories.
“So Young Hero Ha wins because of the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Art, that supreme-grade sword art, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“But Great Hero Yeon has no such supreme art.”
“That makes him even more incredible. I heard Great Hero Yeon wins because of his unique qi.”
“Qi?”
“That’s right. They say he possesses a wondrous qi that he did not learn from anyone, but is forging through his own realizations.”
“Good heavens. Then he’s defeating masters of Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion through his own strength alone?”
“That’s why he is a great hero! With no supreme-grade martial arts, only his own strength!”
How remarkable was Yeon Sowol?
People realized it anew whenever they watched Won Huiseung fight.
Clangggg!
Throughout the martial arts tournament, Won Huiseung showed tremendous fighting spirit. He challenged peak-realm martial artists without hesitation, refusing to yield a single step as he unleashed the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven.
His momentum was so fierce that thick beads of sweat constantly dripped from the foreheads of the peak-realm masters facing him.
Yet Won Huiseung could not cross that wall in the end.
Claaang!
Blood burst from Won Huiseung’s hand.
Unable to fully disperse the martial force wave, Won Huiseung rolled across the tournament platform on his back before crashing to a stop.
“Urgh...”
The peak-realm master wiped the heavy sweat from his brow with a sleeve and nodded toward Won Huiseung.
“An incredible sword. As expected of Zhongnan’s Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven.”
Won Huiseung’s entire body trembled, but he rose and cupped his fist.
“I have learned much.”
It was always like that.
Won Huiseung’s matches were always fierce, and they always ended with him battered to rags.
So fierce that everyone watching grew fired up.
So fierce that they found themselves inwardly rooting for Won Huiseung to win.
But in the end, Won Huiseung lost to every peak-realm master.
The people who watched said, “As expected. Great Hero Yeon is the incredible one.”
“Right. The Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven is also a supreme-grade ultimate art. Yet Won Huiseung still loses like that.”
“Really. Won Huiseung is no ordinary man. Yet the masters of Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion who defeat him all fall before Great Hero Yeon...”
As people talked, the number of peak-realm masters Yeon Sowol had defeated rose to four, then five.
Ha Jeop faithfully followed behind Yeon Sowol, but after surpassing four opponents, he finally lost to his fifth.
Yuezhou’s Gatekeeper, Jang Gilho, head of the Silver Hundred Guild.
“I... cannot lose in Yuezhou!”
He showed extraordinary fighting spirit, but after more than two hundred exchanges, he was ultimately defeated by Yeon Sowol by half a move.
Against Ha Jeop, however, Jang Gilho fought for over two hundred exchanges and won by half a move.
“Then does that mean Young Hero Ha is weaker than Great Hero Yeon?”
“Of course. They don’t call him a great hero for nothing.”
“But we don’t know that. Once they actually fight, there’s such a thing as compatibility.”
“Ah, I don’t know. I want to see it. I want to know who would win.”
Yet contrary to everyone’s hopes, Yeon Sowol and Ha Jeop never fought.
Ha Jeop had suffered a light internal injury in his match against Jang Gilho, head of the Silver Hundred Guild. He withdrew from every further challenge.
Thus, only three people remained undefeated in the martial arts tournament.
Hunan’s foremost spear wielder, Jin Hyeogo.
Hunan’s foremost woman martial artist, Shin Si-ye.
And the leader of the White-Robed League, Yeon Sowol.
People called those final three Hunan’s Three Greats.
In Hunan, they were martial arts masters anyone would recognize as accomplished.
Yet one of the three was only a first-rate master.
The rumor spread through Hunan like wildfire, then beyond it into Hubei, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and Chongqing.
“A first-rate master defeated someone at the peak realm?”
“And he isn’t even from the Nine Great Sects and One Gang?”
“Does that make any sense?”
At first, people did not believe it.
But as more and more witnesses spoke up, the story began spreading at astonishing speed.
There was a young hero in Hunan who dressed in white and led rising young talents, and he defeated seniors at the peak realm despite being below them in cultivation.
“A genius has appeared.”
“A real genius has been born in the Jianghu.”
“He isn’t going to win the whole tournament, is he?”
“That can’t be possible.”
The story was all the more widely discussed because it was so hard to believe.
If word had spread that far even into other regions, Yeon Sowol’s standing in Yuezhou had become nothing short of legendary.
“My heart aches whenever I watch Great Hero Yeon fight. Every single move seems filled with his feelings for Lady Moyong.”
Some empathized with Yeon Sowol’s pain.
“There are many heroes with noble aspirations. But few possess both the strength and wisdom to fulfill those aspirations right away. Great Hero Yeon did it. As the leader of the White-Robed League and the host of this martial arts tournament. He completely changed Yuezhou.”
Some focused on Yeon Sowol’s actions.
“I like Great Hero Yeon’s matches. They’re so satisfying. The moment the masters of Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion exchange their first move with him, their pupils waver every time. It’s so entertaining.”
Others cheered for Yeon Sowol’s martial arts.
The martial arts tournament was nearing its end.
“Soon, this enjoyable time will be over too.”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not crying. Something got in my eye.”
“It was all thanks to Great Hero Yeon...”
“Even though he was suffering after losing his friend, he gave us his all to the end.”
“It’s a strange feeling.”
The expressions of Yuezhou’s people were complicated.
They all looked as though they had lived another lifetime, carrying every kind of regret in their hearts.
The rankings of Hunan’s Twelve Experts had nearly been decided.
All that remained was to determine the order among the three undefeated fighters, Hunan’s Three Greats.
The first match began.
Hunan’s foremost spear wielder Jin Hyeogo versus the leader of the White-Robed League, Yeon Sowol.
A larger crowd than ever gathered.
Step.
After meditating all day and honing his mind to a keen edge, Yeon Sowol appeared in the basin where the tournament platform stood.
The white robes he had favored ever since coming to Yuezhou fluttered in the wind, their long hems flowing behind him.
“The leader of the White-Robed League.”
“It’s the leader of the White-Robed League.”
Those who recognized him whispered.
The crowd stirred.
Then,
Flap!
Flap!
Flutter!
People took off their outer garments and turned them inside out.
Who had started it first?
As if they had arranged it beforehand, those wearing colored clothes began turning their garments inside out all at once.
When the white linings faced outward, they seemed to be dressed in white.
The densely packed crowd turned white like rolling waves.
Everyone was clad in white.
Just like Yeon Sowol, dressed in white robes.
They all stepped aside and cupped their fists.
Yeon Sowol, leader of the White-Robed League.
They silently paid respect to his path, what he had done, and what he would do.
“...”
Yeon Sowol looked surprised, but he did not stop walking.
Step. Step.
At an even pace, he descended all the way to the bottom of the basin and stepped onto the tournament platform.
“Hoho. Well, now.”
Hunan’s foremost spear wielder Jin Hyeogo was waiting for him.
His hair and beard were streaked with gray.
He was tall, with broad shoulders.
Looking around, he grinned broadly.
“This is quite something.”
White clothes fluttered in every direction.
Martial artists and ordinary spectators alike, all dressed in white.
The White-Robed League surrounded them on all sides.
Jin Hyeogo alone let black robes hang from his frame.
His black spear rested against his shoulder.
“Now this feels like a fight.”
He grinned fiercely.
Footnotes:
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