WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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Chapter 27: In the Jianghu, One Cannot Control One's Fate (16)
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<V. Debate Agitator Jin Jogwang>
He earned the sobriquet Debate Agitator because he started fights through discussion.
He would suddenly appear in any town, grab people, and force them into debates.
His questions usually went like this.
"Do you believe the current county magistrate and Guangdong Provincial Administrator are doing their jobs well?"
Naturally, most people had no interest in such debates. But the Debate Agitator would beat them until they gave their opinions.
He would drag several people to the middle of a street or village, make those with differing views argue, and nod along.
"The people must be wise for the nation to stand upright."
Military officers had tried to suppress him several times, only to be defeated and forced to join the debates themselves.
Some of them fiercely criticized their own superiors, the county magistrate and Guangdong Provincial Administrator. Later, they all testified that Jin Jogwang had forced them to do it.
---
"Wow. Seriously, how strong does someone have to be to defeat all those military officers?"
Yeon Sowol turned the page in amazement.
---
<XVIII. The Undeserving One Noh Huideok>
He always humbles himself by claiming his reputation exceeds his ability, but in truth, he subtly boasts and looks down on others. That was why he gained the sobriquet The Undeserving One.
Some said he had once been a lay disciple of a major sect among the Nine Great Sects. Others claimed he had been offered the position of direct disciple but declined. There were many stories, but none of the truth was certain.
Using the excuse that he wished to seek instruction, he traveled around to visit Jianghu people and military officers in every town.
"These days, I find it difficult and confusing to know how I should hold a sword. Would you perhaps be willing to take a look?"
Some readily accepted his humble and earnest request, while others told him to get lost. Either way, their endings were usually similar.
"My master could grip and swing a blade like this, then split a boulder as smoothly as a mirror. But look here. The rock I cut is so rough. I must truly be an idiot. These days, I cannot even hold a blade properly. Yet you, Great Hero, grip yours without hesitation and swing it with such force. I can only envy and admire you. I would like to learn from you."
Everyone burned with anger, but they could not bring themselves to lose their tempers before his overwhelming martial arts. Their faces only turned red and blue.
---
"This is it!"
Yeon Sowol slapped his knee, set down the Jianghu Personage Register: Guangdong Edition, and stood.
Picking a fight with someone out of nowhere.
It truly weighed on his heart, but he had to fulfill his adoptive father's solemn command.
'Phew. But how badly am I going to get beaten this time?'
He had diligently picked fights as Yi Yubaek ordered, but honestly, he was a little afraid of what would happen afterward.
After testing hands with him before, Resentful Dog had clearly been a master nearly two moves ahead of him.
"Mm."
He suddenly thought of the Greater Rejuvenation Pill.
"If I ate that, I could overwhelm Resentful Dog right now, couldn't I? Even that military officer named Jang Wisan I saw yesterday."
That would certainly be the case if even a quarter of the rumors about the Greater Rejuvenation Pill were true.
But.
"Just a little longer. Just endure a little longer."
After taking the Dragon Scale Mushroom,
and studying martial arts more,
he had established a standard of his own.
"To draw out all the power of a spiritual elixir, I need to kindle True Flame first. It will be better for preparing against emergencies, too."
If he ate it right now, he would see incredible results.
They said it could open the path to first-rate even for a third-rate martial artist. How much more would it do for him, now that he was second-rate?
But what if,
'What if I kindle True Flame, become first-rate, and then take it?'
What if he took it after deepening his stage of maturity and accumulating more experience and knowledge of bodily cultivation than he had now?
What if he added True Flame and absorbed the pill's effects completely?
The efficiency would be beyond words.
'Everything I build from now on will come back multiplied when that time comes.'
He always thought that way, but temptation would flare up every so often.
Should I eat it now? If I do, I'll become incredibly strong starting tomorrow. Just how strong would I get?
Still, Yeon Sowol somehow shook off that craving. For a greater reward. And to minimize the risk of a possible Cultivation Deviation.
Yeon Sowol shook his head and headed into town.
To find Resentful Dog again today.
* * *
The streets were plastered with official notices declaring a travel ban along the Jipseong River on the Eighth Day of the Fourth Month.
Yet no one cared about those notices. They were only talking excitedly about Yeon Sowol and Resentful Dog.
"Haah! Did you see that? Did you? What was that guy saying before? That martial artists should be judged by fighting? What does he have to say now? Our Young Lord Yeon didn't lose to Resentful Dog!"
"Exactly. He hasn't even been learning martial arts for a year, yet he fought Resentful Dog evenly."
"Evenly, my ass. Were those white-and-black candies in your face instead of eyeballs? Yeon Sowol got beaten senseless. If that military officer hadn't shown up, he wouldn't have had a single bone left intact."
"Sure, but he didn't fall, did he?"
"That's right. Resentful Dog has trained in martial arts ten times longer than Young Lord Yeon. If he couldn't knock him down, it might as well have been a loss."
"Huh? Did you wear hats often as a child?"
"I did. Why do you ask?"
"Aha. That hat must have stopped your brain from growing. Just as I thought."
"You bastard!"
People argued everywhere again about whose view was right, while Yeon Sowol searched for Resentful Dog again.
"Senior, I wish to seek instruction."
"What is this supposed to be...?"
"This junior is having difficulties with his stage of maturity."
"Ha?"
"I'm serious. Just look at Mo Cheong. He can leap from the spot and land on top of a two-story house, but I can barely get onto a one-story building. It bothers me so much that I have no appetite. I keep wondering if this is all I can be as a martial artist..."
Kwang!
Resentful Dog crushed the ground beneath his feet and charged.
Yeon Sowol bared his teeth and met him head-on.
Fists flew. Kicks flew.
The two fought for an hour and a half.
Yeon Sowol dodged attacks far better than before, and he managed his stamina better as well.
The use of qi sense that he had learned from Eun-yeong, and the use of Willow Leaf Steps that he had learned from Yi Yubaek, had settled into his body a little more during that time.
Resentful Dog ground his teeth.
"...When I first saw you, you couldn't even conceal a trace of killing intent. How did you learn to use qi sense in such a short time...?"
Yeon Sowol already possessed an absurd qi sense. Then, through the bodily cultivation of his superficial collaterals and skin, he had grasped how to use that qi sense almost at once.
Resentful Dog, on the other hand, had carved its use into his unconscious bit by bit through ten years of training.
Their rates of growth in using qi sense during battle were so different that comparison itself seemed pointless.
The difference between someone who used it knowingly and someone who used it by instinct.
Resentful Dog vaguely sensed that difference, and his anger grew even stronger.
"Don't smile. You arrogant brat!"
His viciousness flared hotter.
The fight seemed as though it would go on forever.
Thud!
"I said enough already. Are you going to keep making this official come out in person? Once you've fought enough, shouldn't you know to disperse on your own? I leave you alone, and you just never stop!"
That day's fight only came to an end after the ninth-rank Shinheung County Inspector, Jang Wisan, appeared.
After that fight,
the streets of Shinheung County grew even more heated.
"Did you all see? Today, they really were evenly matched."
"Evenly matched, my ass. Resentful Dog landed two hits for every one Yeon Sowol barely managed."
"But when Yeon Sowol landed one hit, Resentful Dog staggered twice as much."
Those days continued for quite some time.
A few days later.
Then a few more days after that.
Whenever his body recovered, Yeon Sowol ran to Resentful Dog and picked a fight.
Faced with those provocations, Jeon Taegwang, the Resentful Dog, never once said no.
Day by day, their brawls grew more even. Yeon Sowol's name rose higher, while Resentful Dog's was steadily ground down.
Even so, he fought back to the end and never avoided a single challenge.
"You bastard. You think I'm a joke, don't you?"
Grinding his teeth, he traded blows with Yeon Sowol for two or three hours at a time, until they were completely spent.
"...Who won today?"
Eventually, the Shinheung County Inspector would arrive late, yawn, and ask that question. Their fights had become something like a local attraction in Shinheung County.
People whispered among themselves.
"Young Lord Yeon is still a Jianghu person, after all. He's such an upright man, but look how relentlessly he treats Resentful Dog."
"Exactly. These days, I actually feel sorry for Resentful Dog."
"Sorry for what? When I think about how that bastard gathered up young errand runners at the market, took their money, and beat them, I still think this is nowhere near enough."
"Oh my? You've never heard of the immortal who governs martial affairs? My, my. You have yet to hear of the young hero known as the Elegant Young Lord."
"I'm curious whether Young Lord Yeon can defeat Resentful Dog before the Eighth Day of the Fourth Month arrives this spring."
Before long, the third month had passed and winter was ending.
Even in mountain-bound Shinheung County, the spring breeze began to blow softly.
Around then, the people of Shinheung County were often drafted for corvée labor because of the boating excursion on the Jipseong River on the Eighth Day of the Fourth Month.
At home, they made river lanterns to float on the water and sky lanterns to release into the air. They prepared oil and candles for them.
They readied boats for the excursion.
They decorated them.
They prepared food.
They procured metal for iron flowers.
As they exhausted themselves with that poorly paid corvée labor, their hearts grew worn down and their resentment swelled. The fights between Yeon Sowol and Resentful Dog became entertainment that let them vent their pent-up frustrations.
While everyone looked forward to Yeon Sowol and Resentful Dog's next fight, Yeon Sowol had a slightly different thought.
'Somehow... I've grown attached.'
Maybe it was because they had hit each other so much.
Lately, he felt as if he could understand Resentful Dog's heart, too.
That deep inferiority complex and desire for recognition he carried at the bottom of his heart.
One day, Yeon Sowol had a thought. What if, just for one day, they did not fight and had a drink together instead?
"Brother Resentful Dog."
That was when Yeon Sowol saw it.
"...Huh?"
A face twisted more viciously than it had at any of his previous provocations.
"Ah. Um. Brother Taegwang."
"...Huh?"
No, this time he had called him properly, hadn't he?
For reasons Yeon Sowol could not understand, Resentful Dog flew into a rage.
"Die!"
Kwang!
Resentful Dog crushed the ground and charged.
"What?!"
Yeon Sowol hurriedly fought back.
They fought for two hours that day.
Whoosh!
Yeon Sowol dodged Resentful Dog's punch.
Thud!
Using Willow Leaf Steps, he leaped sideways.
The world lurched and tilted,
and when the dizzying inertia pulled at his body in the opposite direction,
Whoosh!
he activated Windborne Drift and tempered his muscles and bones.
Once the inertia dragging at his body was erased, his body curved like a single willow leaf.
Windborne Drift and Willow Leaf Steps.
They had two names, but in the end, they merged as one and formed a single move.
Swish!
Yeon Sowol curled lightly around to take Resentful Dog's flank.
Puck!
He drove his fist into Resentful Dog's side.
Then he planted his foot, accelerated, and sprang from the spot like a branch snapping back. He rolled up his shoulder and swung his head hard.
It was not movement from one place to another, but a change in the direction of force created from where he stood.
At that dizzying acceleration, the scenery around him blurred like an abstract painting.
The fist that had withdrawn from Resentful Dog's side rose like a salmon leaping through the Dragon Gate and met his dipping jaw.
Crunch!
Resentful Dog's head snapped around. Sweat sprayed up in a pale cloud.
Yeon Sowol planted his foot, accelerated, and swept through with a kick at Resentful Dog's unsteady legs.
Crack!
As if he had been hit in a traffic accident, Resentful Dog's body flew through the air.
Thud! Crash!
Yeon Sowol chased after the fallen Resentful Dog to finish it. He raised his fist.
Then,
"Mm...?"
He lowered it.
He held a finger beneath Resentful Dog's nose.
His chest rose and fell calmly.
He had simply,
"..."
lost consciousness.
Resentful Dog was out cold.
"Ah. Um. I was going to have a drink with him."
One day before the Eighth Day of the Fourth Month.
Yeon Sowol had defeated Resentful Dog for the first time.
Thud!
"Who won toda..."
Jang Wisan, who had arrived late, stared blankly at Yeon Sowol.
"You won?"
He clicked his tongue.
"You beat him without even properly learning fist-and-kick arts. Say, have you considered taking the state examination? This official could write you a letter of recommendation."
Yeon Sowol smiled awkwardly.
* * *
The day after defeating Resentful Dog, Yeon Sowol walked through town all day without encountering him.
Instead, he saw only exhausted faces.
The streets had grown filthier.
The people looked dirtier, too.
"Today's the day, right?"
"Yeah."
"Ugh. It's been exhausting."
"Windflow Martial Academy gave us rice and rice cakes for our trouble, at least."
"True. It helped a little, but wasn't that Great Hero Yi Yubaek who gave it to us? The officials just worked us to the bone. They barely paid us anything."
"Exactly."
"Anyway, today is the day, right? The travel ban."
"Yeah. Don't even look toward the Jipseong River. If you're unlucky, they'll flog you."
The people had suffered through all sorts of corvée labor for the Governor-General of Liangguang's boating excursion on the Eighth Day of the Fourth Month.
Yeon Sowol sighed.
"This class system is garbage."
The people of Shinheung County did all the work, but only the powerful got to enjoy it.
"I wanted to see it too..."
It was sure to be a magnificent sight.
Sky lanterns filling the heavens. River lanterns filling the water. A boating excursion amid them.
"Really unfair."
In the Jianghu, One Cannot Control One's Fate.
A person lives in the Jianghu, so their body is not their own.
It seemed free.
Yet it was not.
It seemed as though nothing could restrain them.
Yet that was not true either.
What kind of life was this, where they still had to watch their step and accept restrictions from all sides?
Yeon Sowol shook his head and returned to Windflow Martial Academy.
"They didn't come today either."
Yi Yubaek and his three disciples had been away for several days.
So Yeon Sowol had not been able to tell them that he had defeated Resentful Dog.
"..."
For some reason, he felt lonely.
By now, the boating excursion on the Jipseong River must have begun in earnest.
It would have been nice if they could all watch it together.
He was imagining that as he slowly headed to bed.
Tap.
Small footsteps sounded on the wall surrounding Yeon Sowol's quarters.
"Mm?"
When he turned, Yi Yubaek and his three disciples stood side by side atop the wall.
They looked down at Yeon Sowol with strangely solemn expressions.
"Father?"
"Yes, Sowol. I heard you defeated Resentful Dog."
A bashful smile formed on Yeon Sowol's lips.
"That is what happened."
"You always make progress faster than I expect. Yes. If you're at that level..."
Yi Yubaek clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the moon for a moment, as though weighing something. Then he casually asked,
"Will you come with us?"
"Where do you mean?"
"Isn't it the Eighth Day of the Fourth Month? We should go on a boating excursion."
Yeon Sowol's eyes widened.
There was currently a travel ban on the Jipseong River.
Jang Wisan, the Shinheung County Inspector, had even sent Yi Yubaek an official notice specifically telling him never to come to the Jipseong River.
"Wouldn't we be in serious trouble if we went?"
He had said he would crush them in utter defeat...
Yeon Sowol swallowed the rest of his words, and Yi Yubaek gave a faint laugh.
"Sowol, I told you before. A martial artist's conduct is important. You must know when to defy others and when to flatter them."
"Yes. You did."
"Now is the time to defy them."
Thump.
Why was it?
Yeon Sowol's heart began to race.
"Will you come with us? This is the first boating excursion of this scale even for me. It will probably be a spectacle you'll remember even as your life flashes before your eyes."
"I'll go."
Tap.
Yeon Sowol lightly activated Windborne Drift and climbed onto the wall.
'Though if he wanted me to come, he could have just told me. Why did he have to make it feel so serious before asking?'
He quietly leaned into the night air.
Five people now stood in a row on the wall. Yi Yubaek stood at the far left with his hands behind his back. To his right were Kang Muhyeok, Seon Jehun, Mo Cheong, and Yeon Sowol.
A half-moon hung beautifully in the sky.
Then Kang Muhyeok, Seon Jehun, and Mo Cheong turned to Yeon Sowol and spoke one after another.
All three smiled brightly.
"Welcome to the Jianghu, little brother."
"Congratulations on coming to the Jianghu, young master."
"Sowol, welcome. You've finally come to the Jianghu."
Yeon Sowol looked puzzled.
"All of a sudden? Wasn't I already in the Jianghu until now?"
At those words, the three looked at each other awkwardly.
As though he had asked what air was or how people breathed.
Footnotes:
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