WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 49: In April, All the Flowers of the World Have Faded (20)

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Yeon Sowol saw the man just after leaving the last house on his rounds.

Every household had thanked him for remembering them and insisted he stay for at least one drink. He had one at each place, sometimes two or three, and had ended up terribly late.

Normally, he would have taken the gifts he had received in return back to Windflow Martial Academy, rewarded the laborers for their hard work, and inspected the academy.

Only after that would he have headed for the valley late in the day.

Then some man came running toward him.

Reeking of something sour and foul.

Normally, Sowol would not have openly avoided him, but he would have tried to keep his distance.

The look on the man's face made that impossible.

He was frantic, seething with anger, worried, and filled with resolve all at once.

"Are you Young Master Yeon?"

"Yes. What's happened?"

Sowol immediately sensed that something had gone wrong. Tensing, he waited for the man's answer.

"That dog-bastard Hang Inwoo betrayed Great Hero Yi Yubaek. The bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain joined him and surrounded the people of Windflow Martial Academy."

!!!

Sowol's shoulders jerked. He lowered his stance as if he were about to sprint off at once.

"I came because a man named Jin Geol sent me. He had a message for you."

"......What is it?"

Though his body twitched with impatience, Sowol listened closely.

"He said this."

The man took a deep breath and relayed Jin Geol's words.

"Run."

"......What?"

"Even if you go, you can't turn this around. Even if every martial artist in Shinheung County came, even if there were another Windflow Martial Academy, we still couldn't win. The bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain are far stronger than anyone imagined. Don't get yourself killed for nothing. Retreat, then take revenge later if you must."

Sowol ground his teeth.

What kind of nonsense was that?

"He also said that things keep popping up in this world when you least expect them. So you should just accept it and leave Shinheung County."

"Ha......"

"Honestly, I agree with him. The bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain were no ordinary force. I think the Severing Sword Sect I met on the way here might step in to help Windflow Martial Academy, but...... I still don't know."

Sowol felt all the strength drain from his shoulders.

"......What happened to Jin Geol?"

"......The last time I saw him, he was up in a tree with a bow, shooting at the bandits."

"Ha."

Sowol shook his head.

'And he's telling me to run?'

What a ridiculous man. What a ridiculous friend. Really.

Sowol looked warmly at the messenger.

He must have run without stopping. Sweat covered his face, and his filthy clothes were soaked through. Grimy sweat ran down onto the ground, carrying that terrible stench with it.

Without a word, Sowol stepped forward, gripped the man's shoulders, and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I will never forget that you brought me this message today."

"......No, well. I was paid for it."

Sowol gave a small shake of his head.

Since falling into this world, he had seen and learned many things. He now knew that not everyone who received payment did work worth the price.

No.

In a situation like this, many would consider it only natural to pocket the money and run away.

"Thank you."

Sowol bowed once, then turned.

Whoosh!

He stoked the flames with all his strength and focused on his stage of maturity.

The faint sound of bamboo being struck echoed in his mind. The scent of burning incense lingered in his nose.

His body, tempered almost to its limit, felt light. His steps, kicking off the ground with Willow Leaf Steps, were swift beyond measure.

Whoosh!

Like a weightless gust of wind, Yeon Sowol vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a little dust.

"No! That's the way to..."

The man watched Sowol disappear toward the valley and sighed.

"He's going to die......"

Then, after hesitating, he remembered the gold against his chest.

"......Ugh. Fine. Gold doesn't come easy. The least I can do is collect his body."

Wiping away the sweat dripping from his face with his dirty sleeve, he turned back toward the valley.

* * *

The battle in the valley was nearing its end.

Anyone could see that the Severing Sword Sect and Windflow Martial Academy were losing badly.

"Shin boy, I told you, didn't I? You'd gain nothing and lose everything!"

"......"

What decided the battle was the difference in experience and stamina.

The bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain had experienced countless life-and-death battles, whether they wanted to or not, through their lives as bandits.

By contrast, more than half of the disciples from Windflow Martial Academy and the Severing Sword Sect, though highly skilled in martial arts, had never fought a life-and-death battle before.

At first, the difference had not stood out.

But after a certain amount of time had passed, the gap began to feel like an insurmountable wall.

Even their breathing sounded different.

"Huff...... Huff. Cough......"

"Hoo. Hoo......"

Real combat drained a person's stamina far more quickly than one could imagine.

When an enemy of similar skill swung a blade and came for the kill, the heart raced, breath grew ragged, and the body used far more strength than necessary.

The difference did not show at first, but once one's breathing began to fail, it became impossible to handle.

Windflow Martial Academy's martial arts also relied on feints and varied movements, which drained stamina much faster.

Some inner disciples were now trembling so badly they could barely stay on their feet.

The bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain, on the other hand, still had room to spare.

They had all killed several people and endured many fierce fights, so they had conserved their stamina from the beginning. Bandits also spent their lives climbing mountains, which gave them exceptional endurance.

That was not all.

Bandits from the infamous Eighteen Strongholds who had joined recently were scattered among them, making the bandits' strength even more formidable than anyone had imagined.

There was a reason Yi Yubaek had wanted to gather martial artists from all across Guangdong before facing them.

Thanks to that, even the White Dragon Gang members had overcome their early disadvantage and regained their composure.

As the disciples were pushed back so badly, first-rate masters like Yi Yubaek, Shin Jae-eon, and Kang Muhyeok could no longer focus on their one-on-one fights.

"Fuck......"

Shin Jae-eon spat out a curse.

Windflow Martial Academy's swordsmanship used dazzling footwork to deceive enemies and create openings. The Severing Sword Sect, on the other hand, defeated its foes through the force and skill of the sword alone.

Hummmmm!

A mirage-like aura formed a new blade at the tip of the Leader of the Severing Sword Sect's sword, extending half a zhang.

Sword Qi Beyond the Blade.

It was a pinnacle of qi arts, capable of injuring someone with the energy formed around a blade alone.

Yet the ability itself was not what made him so formidable.

Shin Jae-eon's realm was Fierce Flame Pierces the Heavens. Yi Yubaek, who had already surpassed it and reached Faint Fragrance Unfading, where light shimmered over his sword qi, could use it with ease as well.

Hang Inwoo, who was also at Fierce Flame Pierces the Heavens, could use it without much difficulty.

But neither could use it as efficiently or freely as the Leader of the Severing Sword Sect.

The art of wielding sword qi was one of the Severing Sword Sect's secret techniques.

Sometimes long, sometimes thin, sometimes bending like a whip.

The Leader of the Severing Sword Sect's sword displayed tremendous might in a battle like this, where many fought many.

Even so, wounds kept multiplying across Shin Jae-eon's body.

Slash!

Blood burst from Shin Jae-eon's thigh.

"Agh!"

"Leader Shin! Regretting it now?"

Hang Inwoo blocked him from the front, the bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain struck and withdrew from behind, and disciples were dying elsewhere around him.

The Severing Sword Sect's martial arts lacked the dazzling footwork of Windflow Martial Academy. In a situation like this, it was difficult to endure without injury. For every enemy they hurt, the damage on their own side steadily accumulated.

It had reached the point where they could no longer bear it.

"Aaargh!"

Shin Jae-eon swept sword qi in every direction, forcing his enemies back, then staggered away.

"Haa...... Huff...... Was Heavenly Road Mountain always this strong?"

He raised a blood-soaked sleeve and wiped the sweat from his forehead. A red shadow fell over his wrinkled brow.

"Hoo...... Huff......"

Yi Yubaek could not even speak as he tried to suppress his worsening internal injury.

"Hoo. I'll hold out a little longer. Leader Shin, you should catch your breath as well."

Kang Muhyeok gripped his sword firmly and stepped forward alone. Shin Jae-eon clicked his tongue as he watched his back.

"If you ask me, you're the one who looks about to die."

He was right. Blood dripped from beneath Kang Muhyeok's steady stance, forming a pool at his feet.

At that moment, Yi Yubaek considered his options.

'If I can...... unleash my innate true qi......'

The last image of Eun-yeong flashed through his mind.

If he used all the remaining energy of the Wound-Mending Pellet, he thought he might somehow force open the Eight Extraordinary Vessels and unleash his innate true qi.

'The problem is, I can't do it as steadily as Lady Eun-yeong......'

It was a vicious gamble.

If he mishandled the innate true qi, his whole body could burst into flame. At worst, he would lose even the chance to keep fighting and do nothing but kill himself in vain.

'If I unleash my innate true qi, I must at least take Hang Inwoo with me. If possible, I need to bring one more first-rate master down to the underworld......'

Could he do it? He could not tell.

He had never unleashed innate true qi in his life.

He had never learned how, either. He only thought he might somehow force it through with the Wound-Mending Pellet's energy.

Shin Jae-eon, meanwhile, was preparing for the end in his own way.

"Children."

He spoke to his direct disciples.

"I still don't think we've lost."

"Master......"

"You don't know how tenacious that bastard Yi Yubaek is. I've lived in Shinheung County and watched him for a long time. He's not the kind of man who'll end like this. He's staggering around because of his internal injury right now, but I'm sure he's got another trick up his sleeve. So it isn't over yet."

"......"

"But I think there's a high chance I'm finished."

"Master!"

"So if I die and Yi Yubaek survives, cling to him. We helped him this much, so he won't turn you away. That's the kind of man he is."

"Master!"

"Heh. Great Severing Sword Bumyeong. Middle Severing Sword Inso. Lesser Severing Sword Hyeonseung. You know, don't you? If you live as a martial artist in the Jianghu and die after making a living this long, doing this and that, it's a good death. A good death."

Finally, his gaze turned to Resentful Dog and Jeon Taegwang.

His feelings were complicated.

After several disciples had died miserably, Shin Jae-eon changed his method of training.

Yet Jeon Taegwang, who had grown up under that method, resented him for it.

Because he alone had become the Weak Severing Sword.

Because the whole world laughed at him alone.

Because he wanted to become strong too.

Because he would rather die than be this weak.

A disciple who had gone astray.

The finger that hurt most of all.

Unable to put all of those feelings into words, Shin Jae-eon opened his mouth with a teasing tone instead.

"And our...... Weak Severing Sword. Taegwang, this master has done so much......"

That was as far as he got.

"Fuck."

Jeon Taegwang cursed right in his master's face.

"Hm?"

Shin Jae-eon was taken aback.

"Youngest!"

"Junior Brother! Master is speaking!"

"Taegwang!"

His three senior brothers shouted at him in alarm.

"Fuck, I can't take this anymore. Weak Severing Sword, Weak Severing Sword, always that goddamn Weak Severing Sword. What a load of shit. Every last one of you. My master, my senior brothers. You all think I'm a joke, don't you? You think I'm funny?"

Jeon Taegwang's senior brothers froze.

Had their junior brother gone mad?

What was he saying?

"Taegwang!"

But by then, Jeon Taegwang was already moving.

Before anyone could stop him.

He stomped hard on the ground and used his lightness art to break away.

Leaving the formation by himself, he began charging straight at Hang Inwoo.

"Taegwang!"

"Laugh all you want! Go on! Laugh all you want!"

Ignoring even his senior brothers' cries, his eyes gleamed with a strange madness.

Footnotes:

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