Dropped into Murim with an Instant-Kill Skill - Chapter 146

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 146: The Rear Waves of the Yangtze Push the Front Waves (20)

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‘They said he was a Daoist with supernatural powers...’

Yeon Sowol narrowed his eyes.

Goatbeard. He had no internal energy, yet the movement of his spirit just now had been anything but ordinary. It was similar to that of Confucian scholars who cultivated Nature Learning, yet completely different at the same time.

Yeon Sowol stepped on Goatbeard’s thigh, right where he had pierced it with Clear Mirror moments earlier.

“Don’t try anything stupid.”

“Argh!”

Goatbeard shrieked and thrashed about.

As he struggled, he begged.

“Stop! Stop! Fine! I admit it! I admit it! All right, I admit it!”

What exactly was he admitting?

Goatbeard spoke again.

“You’re strong enough! Y-you seem qualified. Fine. I won’t play any tricks. Let’s make a real deal this time.”

“A deal?”

“Yeah. I’ll open the way for you to join our side. I’ll put in a good word with Yang Hoeam too. I’ll speak to the Elder for you!”

“Hah.”

What was he even talking about?

“I’m saying we’ll forgive you! We’ll let everything slide! We’ll accept you!”

It was extremely strange to hear such words from someone writhing about with blood pouring from his thigh.

‘This feels familiar, too.’

Hadn’t he said something similar earlier, before getting stabbed in the thigh? Did he have a bad memory...?

When Yeon Sowol reached for Clear Mirror again, Goatbeard recoiled and screamed.

“No! No! Think about it. You’ve already taken down the water raiders and claimed their spoils. You’ve gained fame too. Isn’t that enough? Do you have any reason to keep fighting?”

“Do I have a reason not to?”

“If you keep fighting, if you kill me here, you’ll definitely die! I’m special! The Elder remembers me too! Kill someone like me, and you’ll regret this day for the rest of your life!”

“Sure. I’ll regret it.”

“No! No, wait! You don’t seem to believe me, but think about it normally! Even on the surface, you’re standing against the provincial governor of Yuezhou right now. This will keep coming back to bite you! Do you really have to take this all the way? I’m telling you, I’ll mediate!”

“...”

As Yeon Sowol fell silent, delight filled Goatbeard’s eyes. He thought his persuasion was working.

“See? See? Let’s end this fight that brings neither of us any benefit. You’ve already dealt with the water raiders and gotten everything you could want. I’m offering you even more. Not just that immense internal power Yi Geuk possessed, but things beyond anything you can imagine! Don’t get emotional. Let’s think calmly and rationally. It’s obvious what benefits you most, isn’t it?”

Goatbeard clutched his pierced leg, cold sweat streaming down his face, yet he still smiled.

He even looked confident.

As though no one could possibly refuse this offer.

In response, Yeon Sowol said,

“That benefits you. Not me.”

“What?”

Goatbeard’s mouth fell open as though he had heard something absurd.

“It benefits both of us! I get to live, and you get to live! You’ll even grow stronger! You’ll receive things beyond anything you can imagine, so it benefits you even more! If that isn’t a benefit, what is? Can’t you do arithmetic?”

“...”

Yeon Sowol did not answer.

Goatbeard snapped in irritation again.

Even while pathetically writhing on the ground, he sounded as though he were lecturing him.

“You little bastard. If you knew who I serve, you wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly on Dongting Lake! Be grateful when I’m generously offering you a way out! I’m opening a path for you to live, and you’re still throwing a fit.”

Yeon Sowol thought,

‘What could possibly be backing him up?’

Why was he so confident?

Since he kept emphasizing Dongting Lake, did it have something to do with the lake?

Come to think of it, Moyong Ha had also floated up in Dongting Lake after she died.

That had been strange too.

There was hardly anyone in Yuezhou capable of catching her.

Could someone be on Dongting Lake?

‘...Who? What?’

Setting those thoughts aside for now, Yeon Sowol quietly watched Goatbeard.

Then a thought came to him.

‘Should I pretend to accept this deal?’

He might be able to get some information.

‘Hm. But I can’t trust garbage like this. There’s no telling what kind of trap he might lead me into.’

It would be better to take him away and torture him.

At that moment, Goatbeard said impatiently,

“No! What’s the problem? I’m offering you enormous benefits! Is it because you don’t trust me? Fine. Then let’s go see the Elder right now. Once you see the Elder, you’ll...”

“Forget it. You can’t give me the benefit I want anyway.”

“What is it? What benefit do you want? I guarantee that if it’s our Elder, then he’ll definitely...!”

“The taste of liquor.”

“What?”

Goatbeard’s eyes went round.

Yeon Sowol spoke right to his face.

“Seeing the faces of scum like you ruins the taste of liquor. That’s a huge loss.”

He pulled the flask hanging from his waist and took several deep swallows.

At the same time, he raised one foot and repeatedly ground it into Goatbeard’s pierced thigh.

“Argh! Aaaagh!”

Looking down at Goatbeard shrieking on the ground, Yeon Sowol snickered.

“On the other hand, crushing scum like you makes liquor taste wonderful. That’s a huge gain. Can’t you do arithmetic? You don’t even know something that simple.”

He pressed down harder with his foot and tipped back the flask.

The liquor was cold, yet hot.

Bitter, yet fragrant.

Birdsong and the blue waves of Dongting Lake made fine drinking companions.

As expected.

It was good.

Now he thought he understood why Yi Yubaek loved liquor so much.

Yeon Sowol hung the flask back at his waist.

“So shut up and come with me.”

He found a rope woven from dry grass nearby to bind Goatbeard.

If he dragged the man away and interrogated him, he would likely get plenty out of him. For one thing, he could learn what this so-called Elder was.

But then,

“Damn it... Damn it. Damn it. Because of some idiot who can’t even do arithmetic, I...”

Goatbeard, who had been crawling along the ground and muttering to himself, suddenly clenched his teeth.

“Ghhk!”

He began foaming blood and stiffened.

“What?!”

Yeon Sowol hurried over, gripped his pulse point, and sent true qi into him.

It was no use.

“A vicious poison...!”

The poison was melting Goatbeard from the inside.

Yeon Sowol tried to burn it away by pouring in True Flame, but it was already too late.

“Grrrk...”

Goatbeard’s breathing drowned in blood.

All that remained in Yeon Sowol’s hand was an ugly corpse, its flesh turned bluish-green by poison.

* * *

Immediately after Yeon Sowol left Yuezhou, Hunan’s prominent martial artists gathered.

In particular, every master who had earned fame during the martial arts tournament was present, and their combined presence was imposing.

Yet the atmosphere inside was grim.

Everyone wore a serious expression.

“Leader Yeon.”

They meant Yeon Sowol, leader of the White-Robed League.

The veteran figures of Yuezhou’s martial world had settled on that form of address after some thought. They wanted to show him more respect than “young master” or “young hero,” but calling someone so much younger than them a great hero felt awkward.

“I don’t think he can avoid punishment this time, do you?”

When Jin Hyeogo, winner of the martial arts tournament, said that, Shin Si-ye, the runner-up, replied.

“Yes. No matter how you look at it, he openly challenged the authority of the provincial governor of Yuezhou. It might be different if he really subdues the water raiders within three days... but that’s impossible.”

Jin Hyeogo nodded heavily.

“That’s right. Dragon King Stronghold Leader Yi Geuk. I saw him once before. He’s definitely... not someone Yeon Sowol can handle yet.”

At those words, Jang Gilho, head of the Silver Hundred Guild, widened his eyes.

The head of the Silver Hundred Guild, known as Yuezhou’s Gatekeeper, had narrowly lost to Yeon Sowol in the tournament and placed fourth.

“What? Senior, you’ve seen him? Didn’t Yi Geuk suddenly appear a few years ago? You met him?”

“I did. It was around last year. I had business at a nearby fishing village and happened to run into him.”

“Huh. Something like that happened? What was he like? From what I’ve heard, he’s terrifying.”

At Jang Gilho’s question, Jin Hyeogo toyed with his cup and spoke quietly.

“To be honest, I didn’t have the confidence to face him.”

“What?”

Everyone was startled by Jin Hyeogo’s words.

Who was Jin Hyeogo?

He was not some master who had appeared out of nowhere.

For seven years, he had been renowned as Hunan’s foremost spear wielder. Then he won this martial arts tournament, becoming known as Hunan’s Sole Hegemon and establishing himself as a master representing the southern shores of Dongting Lake.

And he had lacked confidence?

Jin Hyeogo drained his drink, his expression bitter.

“The force he gave off was like Mount Tai. He didn’t feel human.”

“Didn’t feel human...?”

“That’s right. His internal energy was unbelievable. I only saw him from far away, yet every inch of my skin tingled.”

The veteran masters of Hunan’s martial world looked at one another.

Their faces showed disbelief.

“How is that possible? No matter how powerful a peak-realm master is, how could a mere water raider possess such internal energy...?”

“But that’s what I saw. Honestly, I was afraid.”

“So what did you do?”

“...I quietly backed away.”

The room stirred again.

“Senior Black Spear backed away?”

“I did. So he didn’t attack me. ...At the time, I thought myself fortunate.”

The veteran masters of Hunan’s martial world looked at one another and whispered.

An opponent Jin Hyeogo did not feel confident against.

There was nothing more to say.

Yeon Sowol had been overwhelmingly defeated by Jin Hyeogo.

How could Yeon Sowol possibly defeat Yi Geuk, the Dragon King Stronghold Leader, someone even Jin Hyeogo had been unwilling to confront?

“Yi Geuk was that strong...”

“Leader Yeon will be fortunate if he returns alive.”

“But if he does return alive, won’t that be a problem too? He declared he would do it in three days, but if he comes back barely escaping after a defeat... it will look as though he has insulted Governor Yang.”

“Mm.”

“This has become troublesome.”

Silence settled over the room.

In truth, they all liked Yeon Sowol.

His actions had impressed them, and they had thoroughly enjoyed the martial arts tournament he organized. It was difficult not to feel warmly toward him.

Among them, Jin Hyeogo and Shin Si-ye held especially deep goodwill toward Yeon Sowol.

In a sense, they had benefited most from this martial arts tournament.

This gathering had been arranged by Jin Hyeogo from the beginning.

He had called Hunan’s veteran martial artists together to help Yeon Sowol, who seemed to be in trouble.

When the moment seemed right, he cautiously introduced the matter.

“So, what I’m saying is...”

“Couldn’t we help Leader Yeon a little?”

“Mm. It would be good if we could!”

“But wouldn’t joining the water raider campaign violate Governor Yang’s warning...?”

Opinions were somewhat divided.

They all wanted to help Yeon Sowol, but they could not help being wary of Yang Hoeam.

Jin Hyeogo spoke firmly.

“Suppressing the water raiders is not our responsibility. I mean that we should believe Leader Yeon will return alive, then step forward afterward and ask Governor Yang for leniency.”

“Ah. After he returns?”

“That’s right. Surely we have at least that much loyalty, do we not? The martial arts tournament was fun, wasn’t it? We gained far more than we expected. I believe we all owe Leader Yeon a debt.”

“Mm...”

“Hmm...”

“That is true...”

The others murmured and nodded, as though they agreed with Jin Hyeogo.

“Then, since no one seems opposed, why don’t we discuss it properly? How we should submit a petition to Governor Yang, and whether there are other ways we can help Leader Yeon.”

Jin Hyeogo continued the discussion in greater detail.

Everyone eagerly offered their opinions.

Their feelings toward Yeon Sowol ran fairly deep.

“I think we need to create a proper cause before submitting a petition.”

“A cause? What kind of cause, and how?”

“Isn’t this the old land of Chu?”

“That’s right.”

“Chu had Qu Yuan.”

“Ah!”

Qu Yuan of Chu.

He was regarded as a symbol of loyal patriotism and concern for his country.

He had been right, but wicked officials slandered him and caused him to lose his post. Unable to fulfill his ambitions, he wandered the world before eventually throwing himself into a river.

A song he left behind, the Fisherman’s Song, was famous.

Everyone is drunk, yet I alone am awake.

A song that lamented the world while worrying for his country.

In Hunan, the land of ancient Chu, it was an immortal verse recited time and again.

“In my view, Leader Yeon resembles Qu Yuan in some ways. While everyone else sings of peaceful and prosperous times, he was the first to expose the truth about the water raiders and call for their suppression. The same goes for how he found and punished the vicious Elder Jeon, who kidnapped people and forced them to work.”

“Mm!”

“When you put it that way...”

The others nodded.

“If we emphasize that aspect and successfully make people associate Leader Yeon with Qu Yuan, it will be much easier to petition Governor Yang.”

In this region, Qu Yuan was revered like a god.

If they could link Yeon Sowol to Qu Yuan...

Even if Yeon Sowol suffered persecution at the hands of Yang Hoeam, people would only pity him more because of it.

Yang Hoeam would not be able to ignore that kind of public sentiment either.

Jin Hyeogo nodded in satisfaction.

“Mm! An excellent idea! But that could offend Governor Yang, so I think we should proceed quietly and in secret.”

“Agreed.”

“That would be best.”