WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 20: In the Jianghu, One Cannot Control One's Fate (9)
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“...My body's a little heavy.”
He had pushed himself hard while practicing his lightness skill the day before. Perhaps it was also because he had drunk several cups of alcohol for the first time in his life.
Yeon Sowol quickly got up, opened the window, and lit the incense burner.
A single thread of smoke rose from his personal blend of myrrh and spikenard.
The stale air that had settled overnight drifted away, while the sweet, refreshing fragrance warmed the room.
He savored the scent as he loosened up with the Willow Serenity Art.
More thoroughly than usual, and taking his time.
By the time he was done, well over half an hour had passed.
“Is it already this late? I need to go pay my respects.”
He washed quickly, straightened his clothes, and even made sure to bring his sachet.
“Right. Father told me to bring this too.”
The spiritual elixir Yi Yubaek had given him as a gift, the Dragon Scale Mushroom.
Today was the day he would consume a spiritual elixir for the first time in his life.
“Today will probably be dangerous and hard too...”
Yet he was no longer as afraid as he had once been.
“I'll deal with it when it comes.”
The experiences of overcoming hardship time and again supported Yeon Sowol's heart like solid bedrock.
Breathing in the crisp morning air, he cultivated, deepening his stage of maturity.
“Fwooo...”
Whoosh!
Flames came alive within his body.
The turbid qi mixed throughout his Eight Extraordinary Vessels burned away, and thick white smoke streamed from him.
As the fierce heat tempered bone and flesh, his body grew lighter.
Windborne Drift.
Tap.
The moment he lightly kicked off from the stone step after putting on his shoes, his body floated up. He stepped onto the wall and sprang forward twice, reaching Yi Yubaek's residence in no time.
“Your... attainment in Windborne Drift...?”
Kang Muhyeok, the eldest of the Windflow Three Young Lords and the Windflow Young Lord, stared with round eyes.
At first-stage mastery, one is only light.
At second-stage mastery, one learns to bear weight.
At third-stage mastery, one may wait for the wind and fly.
Those were the words written in Windborne Drift's introduction.
Since tenth-stage mastery marked completion, reaching the third stage meant that one had firmly passed the introductory stage and could begin using the technique in earnest.
Even the quickest learners needed seven days and nights, while the slowest might take a year. It required thought, instinct, and physical practice, so it was never an easy art to learn.
Yet Yeon Sowol's Windborne Drift had clearly reached third-stage mastery.
Seon Jehun, the second disciple and the Gale Young Lord, made a huge fuss.
“Whoa. What's with you? Why are you already at third-stage mastery? Didn't you just enter the Windborne Drift yesterday?”
Then Mo Cheong, the youngest, suddenly puffed out his chest.
“Oh, my. Senior brothers, you didn't know? Sowol was practicing with me yesterday when he suddenly slipped into a state of complete absorption. Then bam! He just rode the wind and flew off!”
His two senior brothers' eyes widened.
“A state of complete absorption? No, that's... Wow. I knew he was a genius, but...”
“No wonder Master seemed to be in such a good mood yesterday.”
Both of them stared at him in amazement.
They did not drag it out for long, though.
Kang Muhyeok gripped Yeon Sowol's right shoulder, and Seon Jehun gripped his left. Each gave him a firm squeeze before passing by.
“Congratulations. Master will be pleased that our junior brother has achieved so much.”
“Wow, our young master is something else. The Windflow School has another source of pride.”
Watching the pair walk ahead so casually, Yeon Sowol felt strangely happy.
Their congratulations were warm and close, without being cloying.
‘...I should work even harder.’
His motivation surged.
Martial arts were so savage and mindless that they almost seemed insane.
Still, the more he endured and worked at it, the faster he improved. It was hard not to enjoy that.
The people around him were growing friendlier too.
Learning martial arts still made him nervous and afraid.
But now, it also excited him.
“Let's go, Sowol.”
“Okay.”
Following Mo Cheong, Yeon Sowol entered Yi Yubaek's residence with his senior brothers.
Yi Yubaek was drinking again today. Holding a small cup, he stared blankly at the sky and drank slowly.
Kang Muhyeok's eyes lit up.
“Are you drinking Jade Crown Red today?”
“Yeah. It worked out that way.”
Yi Yubaek grinned and turned to Yeon Sowol.
“Huh.”
Admiration filled his face.
‘He truly stands apart.’
All of his disciples followed his teachings, keeping their bodies clean and their clothing neat.
But Yeon Sowol gave off a completely different impression.
From the height of the leggings tied around the hems of his trousers, to the length and overlapping front panels of the wandering swordsman's robe beneath them, to the subtle drape and folds of his outer robe, every detail drew the eye. There was an inexplicable perfection to it.
After all, even in twenty-first-century South Korea, Yeon Sowol had been a student known for dressing well.
The way he adjusted lengths and fit, the way his clothes fell on him, carried a sensibility a thousand years ahead of its time.
Those who knew nothing of fashion would simply think, ‘Something about him stands out. Is it because he's handsome?’ and move on. But someone who knew a little, like Yi Yubaek, could see it.
This is exquisite!
‘No matter how much I nag those disciples of mine, they never manage to put themselves together properly.’
Style was not something one could possess without making an effort.
His foster son displayed it as naturally as though he had been born with it, which left Yi Yubaek deeply pleased.
“You... Yesterday's training must have exhausted you, yet you're as consistent as ever. That conduct of yours may prove very helpful today.”
Yi Yubaek nodded deeply once, then turned toward his disciples.
“Today, Sowol will consume the Dragon Scale Mushroom. You three will stand guard for him.”
At that moment, the atmosphere tightened.
Feeling the tension, Yeon Sowol glanced around in confusion.
“Master, are you personally going to perform his qi guidance?”
“Of course. I did the same for all of you. He is my son, after all. How could I treat him differently?”
“But aren't you rushing this? If you intend to guide him yourself, he should prepare more thoroughly...”
“Don't talk nonsense.”
Yi Yubaek hurriedly waved Kang Muhyeok off.
“Anyway, you three stand guard outside. Sowol, come in with me.”
Yi Yubaek went inside.
Yeon Sowol furtively watched the three disciples' expressions.
‘Why is everyone so tense?’
“Come in, quickly.”
At Yi Yubaek's urging, he had no choice but to gather himself and follow.
Inside the room, Yi Yubaek wore an exceedingly gentle smile.
“If you don't mind, would you sit here for a moment? Yes, this close.”
Yeon Sowol felt an unplaceable sense of unease.
‘Is Father in an especially good mood today?’
For now, he did as Yi Yubaek instructed and sat on the floor close to him.
Yi Yubaek smiled softly.
“Yesterday, you learned tempering. Correct?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Today, you will learn bodily cultivation.”
Bodily cultivation.
Cultivating the body. It referred to bodily cultivation in the literal sense.
“Is that the bodily cultivation from ‘cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world’?”
“Goodness! You know that? You truly are clever.”
“...”
Yeon Sowol was certain now.
‘What's gotten into him?’
There was something strange about Yi Yubaek today.
“The characters are the same, but the meanings differ. Confucius said one should first set one's heart right, then cultivate oneself. Martial artists, on the other hand, cultivate the body before refining the heart.”
‘What is that even supposed to mean?’
When Yeon Sowol looked baffled, Yi Yubaek laughed and waved a hand.
“Don't worry about it. I don't know either, really. I've only heard it concerns a realm beyond reach. Anyway.”
Yi Yubaek's smile faded, and he spoke seriously.
“Bodily cultivation refers to permanently tempering the body.”
“Shouldn't that be avoided?”
Yeon Sowol asked instinctively.
Permanently tempering the body? Wouldn't that mean destroying the body altogether? He was fairly sure Yi Yubaek had said that was something one should not do.
Yi Yubaek nodded as he watched Yeon Sowol's confusion.
“Exactly! Your comprehension is outstanding! Very good, Sowol! You're right. But the bodily cultivation of our Windflow School is limited to the meridians. So you needn't worry. Meridians are passages made of qi, not matter. No matter how many times you temper them, it only benefits you and never harms you.”
“I see...”
That was what Yeon Sowol said, but inwardly he thought:
‘Why is he being so kind?’
“Yes, Sowol. Have you been regularly observing the meridians in your body?”
...Have you?
A strange chill ran down Yeon Sowol's spine.
“...Yes. I observed them while practicing the Willow Serenity Art this morning as well.”
“And how were they compared to before you began learning martial arts?”
“They've become much wider and warmer than before.”
“I see. That's how you perceive them.”
Rustle.
Yi Yubaek turned around and showed him his back.
“Here. Place your palm here. That is the Gate of Life acupoint.”
As Yeon Sowol cautiously placed his hand there, Yi Yubaek spoke.
“Send over the energy from kindling the inner fire.”
“Father?”
Kindling the inner fire?
“I want you to examine the meridians inside me. If you move carefully, there won't be a problem. Give it a try.”
‘So that's what this was!’
Yeon Sowol finally understood the reason for Yi Yubaek's gentle tone.
The Gate of Life acupoint was the largest of the gateways through which qi flowed.
Offering it to someone was practically entrusting them with one's life. That explained, to some extent, why Yi Yubaek had been so strangely kind.
‘Well, this really does make you nervous.’
When Yi Yubaek had grabbed Yeon Sowol's Zhangmen Acupoint and sent the energy from kindling the inner fire into him, Yeon Sowol had privately worried that he might melt into a bucketful of broth.
“Go on.”
Even so, Yi Yubaek spoke softly and calmly.
Yeon Sowol swallowed hard and slowly sent over the energy from kindling the inner fire.
Using the energy from kindling the inner fire that he had sent out, he examined Yi Yubaek's meridians, beginning with the Twelve Regular Meridians.
After fifteen minutes had passed.
“Fwooo...”
“Hoo...”
The two sighed at the same time, and Yeon Sowol removed his hand from Yi Yubaek's Gate of Life acupoint.
“They're completely... different.”
“Yes. Now you understand, don't you?”
Yeon Sowol slowly observed his own meridians.
Then he recalled the meridians of Yi Yubaek that he had felt through his fingertips.
“Yes. If my meridians are like a narrow path where sand, gravel, soil, grass, wooden planks, and broad stone slabs are scattered and piled up in every direction... Father's meridians were like a cool mountain trail thick with lush green bamboo.”
Yeon Sowol spoke exactly as he had felt it.
Yi Yubaek was surprised.
“Your qi sense amazes me every time I see it. That was exactly right. The bamboo you sensed is called Chosen Green Bamboo. It means qi like carefully selected bamboo. It is the qi our Windflow School's secret arts can create.”
“Chosen Green Bamboo...”
“Yes. A type of essence qi. Do you remember how many types there are?”
“There were twenty-two Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and one hundred and eight Malefic Stars.”
“Right. Some essence qi is better, and some is worse. Your meridians are currently made of low-grade and lowest-grade essence qi mixed together without order. As one ages, turbid qi accumulates, and that naturally happens.”
“Ah.”
Yeon Sowol realized that he had only dealt with the large impurities piled inside his meridians. He had never touched the pathways of the meridians themselves.
All at once, he felt itchy.
As if he could no longer bear how filthy the inside of his body was.
“But you happen to have the Dragon Scale Mushroom. It is the perfect spiritual elixir for bodily cultivation of the meridians. To put it simply, we will clear out the gravel and sand tangled in your meridians and plant green bamboo there instead. The flow and nature of the energy produced by kindling the inner fire as it travels down those paths will change completely.”
Yi Yubaek took the Dragon Scale Mushroom from Yeon Sowol, placed it in a bowl, and poured hot alcohol over it.
The alcohol had not been hot originally. Yi Yubaek had heated it with internal energy.
Sizzle!
White steam rose over the bowl, carrying a rush of alcohol and mushroom fragrance.
“Through bodily cultivation, you can form a constitution. Once a constitution has formed, the speed of your progress in martial arts changes completely.”
Yi Yubaek smiled slightly.
“A constitution like yours right now is called a disorderly constitution.”
Yeon Sowol quietly nodded.
After observing Yi Yubaek's meridians, he could barely stand his own.
“Let's make it considerably tidier today. I will personally plant green bamboo throughout your meridians. Now! Turn around.”
Yeon Sowol slowly turned his back to him.
‘It's beginning.’
After the Willow Serenity Art, his internal cultivation method, and Windborne Drift, his lightness skill, this was the third lesson, consuming a spiritual elixir and cultivating his body.
‘It'll be hard. But it'll be okay. I can do this.’
Steeling himself, Yeon Sowol asked with resolve:
“What should I be careful about?”
“Hmm. Nothing, really.”
“Pardon?”
Yeon Sowol asked again in surprise.
He tried not to question Yi Yubaek too much, but he could not help himself.
‘There are... no precautions?’
When learning martial arts?
How could that be?
‘That makes no sense.’
“Hmm. There aren't any. Just gather the energy from kindling the inner fire quietly in your dantian so you don't interfere while I apply my stage of maturity. That will be enough. Don't do anything until I finish.”
“Uh... Still, isn't there something I should be careful about? It's dangerous, isn't it? Bodily cultivation is martial arts too.”
Yi Yubaek answered with a broad, relaxed smile.
“Hmm. It is. It is dangerous. But it'll be fine. Martial arts are always somewhat dangerous, aren't they?”
...Aren't they?
His voice was strangely tender.
Yeon Sowol felt his back grow damp with sweat.
Thoughts rushed through Yeon Sowol's mind.
‘Come to think of it, why are the direct disciples standing guard outside...? Why is that necessary...?’
“Now, swallow the Dragon Scale Mushroom. Take it all down with the alcohol in the bowl, without chewing. That's right, that's right. It'll be fine. Don't do anything. Just follow my guidance carefully.”
Reaching around from behind, Yi Yubaek personally placed the bowl containing the Dragon Scale Mushroom in Yeon Sowol's hands.
Before he could quite process what was happening, Yeon Sowol gulped it down.
The bitter, hot alcohol slid down his throat, and the fragrant mushroom scent lingered in his nose. Then Yi Yubaek's voice reached him.
“Then we'll begin. I'll place my hand on your Gate of Life acupoint for a moment. That's fine, right? Ha ha. It's nothing much. You only need to trust me.”
...What?
‘Since when did you ask...?’
The horrified Yeon Sowol tried to say something.
Tap.
Yi Yubaek's palm covered his Gate of Life acupoint.
“From now on, you must not open your mouth. Understood? Please?”
Yi Yubaek's awkwardly gentle voice reached him.
At the same time, scorching energy from kindling the inner fire poured into his Gate of Life acupoint.
The Gate of Life, the very gate of life.
Footnotes:
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