WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 58: When Water Is Too Clear, There Are No Fish (6)

──────

During the half month Yeon Sowol was nowhere to be seen, the Jianghu people gathered in Shinheung County could not stop wondering about him.

"Do you really think Young Hero Yeon is as skilled as the rumors say?"

"Ah, no way."

"No?"

"Right. I got curious and looked into it a bit, you see? They say it's only been a year since he first began learning martial arts. There's no way he's first-rate already."

"Does that make any sense? I heard he is only nineteen. Does that mean he entered the martial path at eighteen?"

"That's what they say."

"You must have heard some nonsense rumor."

"No, apparently it's true. They say he's a tremendous genius."

"Then what, are you saying he swallowed some incredible spiritual elixir?"

"Come on. It makes even less sense for someone to reach a level through spiritual elixirs alone."

"Why not?"

"If he had raised his level through spiritual elixirs alone, would he even be able to control that power properly? Forget exerting martial force, he would be struggling just to handle his own strength and would not even be able to use footwork right. He would be afraid of breaking his bones. If that were the case, he could not have gained such fame."

"So you are saying Young Hero Yeon Sowol is a genius of the age who also consumed a spiritual elixir and has already entered the first-rate realm? After entering the martial path at eighteen and spending only one year on it?"

"Huh? When did I say that? I am saying he is probably only at the late second-rate stage. Because he is a genius. The rumors are exaggerated, that is all."

"Honestly. Everyone else says he is first-rate, but there are always a few people desperately trying to put him down as second-rate."

"No, when did I put him down... No, the people who saw him during that boat trip all say Young Hero Yeon was second-rate at the time. How could he have become first-rate in that short a time? Use some common sense."

"You are putting him down. Look at you even now. We have only just met, so why are you speaking casually to me?"

"Huh? This is just how I talk."

"Then fix it."

"Who are you to tell me that?"

"Who are you!"

Everyone was so interested in Yeon Sowol that the arguments never ended.

Skepticism over whether he was truly first-rate sprang up everywhere.

"Does it even matter whether Young Hero Yeon is first-rate or second-rate?"

"Right. It is an interesting topic, but there is not much substance to it."

"How many first-rate masters have gathered here already? Even if he is first-rate, he would have only just entered the realm. It will not affect the bigger picture."

"Exactly. There are simply too many Jianghu people here."

"Everyone says they gathered for a good cause, but they are all people who live as they please. Can Hero Yi Yubaek really keep them under control?"

Quite a few people passionately argued that Yeon Sowol was not the important issue. The real question was whether the Jianghu people could be properly led.

Some placed their hopes in Yeon Sowol.

Some were simply curious.

Some were sick of hearing so much about Yeon Sowol while nobody discussed practical matters.

With the Heavenly Road Mountain Expedition approaching, the mood among the Jianghu people remained as disorderly as ever.

Yi Yubaek told Yeon Sowol all about it.

"Sowol, I told you before. In the Jianghu, how you conduct yourself is more important than anything."

"Yes."

"Everyone is very interested in you right now. What do you think?"

"It is dangerous."

The corner of Yi Yubaek's mouth rose.

"Does it not excite you? You have reached the late first-rate stage. Do you not want to show those ignorant people exactly what you can do? Mo Cheong would have done so."

"Of course I want to. But the problem is that I have received far too much praise in a short time without actually doing much."

"Why is that a problem? Is it not a good thing?"

Yeon Sowol shook his head slightly as he looked at Yi Yubaek, who asked in a teasing voice.

He recalled one absolute law of human society discovered by the sages of the twenty-first-century internet.

'Overzealous fans breed haters.'

More than anything, Yeon Sowol did not overestimate himself.

He had been the same when studying for the College Scholastic Ability Test.

The first thing needed to improve one's grades was to accurately understand one's own ability. If he blindly overestimated himself and thought he could do everything, his grades would never rise.

"I may be at the late first-rate stage, but that is only the level of my inner cultivation method. My martial arts are still at second-rate. I cannot even control my own strength properly yet."

Yeon Sowol told him how he had barely managed to break through the rock sealing the closed-door seclusion cave.

"I still cannot properly use the harmony of qi. I cannot even use a Movement Art correctly, and I have not even considered wielding qi to exert martial force. If I act up in this state, I will only become a laughingstock for those who want to find fault with me."

"Good."

Yi Yubaek nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes. I was going to speak to you about that anyway. There are still ten days to half a month before the Heavenly Road Mountain Expedition begins. Let us use that time to complete the Small Circulation and learn to control qi."

"What is the Small Circulation?"

"I will teach you step by step. Once you complete it, handling the harmony of qi will become much easier. Then you will be able to carry yourself as a capable early first-rate master. No, with your talent, you could even pass for mid first-rate."

"All the way to mid first-rate..."

"Yes. If you want to properly wield even the power of the late first-rate stage, that will inevitably take a long time. Learning martial arts is not something you can easily skip through. Still, showing the strength of an early or mid first-rate master will be enough for now, so it will be fine."

Yeon Sowol suddenly grew concerned.

"There is something else that worries me. If people learn my level is so high, they might spread rumors that I consumed a powerful spiritual elixir..."

"Why would that worry you? Disciples of the so-called prestigious major sects grow up eating fine spiritual elixirs like meals and drinking them like water. They will simply think Yi Yubaek is a good adoptive father. It will not be a problem."

"Ah."

"Even if it does become a problem, it is better for rumors to say you are an unparalleled prodigy who consumed an incredible spiritual elixir than for your ultimate technique to become known."

"...Yes."

Yi Yubaek had never once asked about the power of the Heaven-Killing Star, nor had he tried to learn about it. He simply referred to it indirectly as an ultimate technique.

"Anyway, do not worry and train hard until the Heavenly Road Mountain Expedition. Rest today and tomorrow first, though. You must properly recover from the fatigue of closed-door seclusion."

"Yes, Father."

"In the end, the Heavenly Road Mountain Expedition is what matters. That matter cannot help but go well. The circumstances are set that way. Do not worry about small problems. Rest well."

"Yes!"

* * *

Yeon Sowol had been ordered to rest for two days.

After undergoing closed-door seclusion training, he was only resting for two days...

Yi Yubaek had repeatedly stressed that he needed to completely let loose, play, and enjoy himself during those two days.

So Yeon Sowol immediately ran to Jo Manseok's shop.

Looking back, Jo Manseok's shop was like a hometown to him.

When he had grown exhausted by the filth and absurdity of this place, when he felt he could not bear it any longer, this was where he had first found hope. Hope that he might still find a way to live, that he might find a way to make a life here that felt like a life people actually lived.

Yeon Sowol always regained his strength at Jo Manseok's shop.

"But sir, I have wanted to ask since earlier. What scent is this?"

Yeon Sowol sniffed the air.

A warm vanilla fragrance hung in the room. It made him feel as if he had climbed beneath the covers of a hotel bed.

White-haired Jo Manseok smiled warmly, wrinkles gathering across his whole face.

"It is benzoin. You wound a benzoin tree, collect the sap, and let it harden."

"Benzoin... I have never heard of it."

"Of course you have not. Since the Black Path of Shinheung County disappeared, trade has become easier and more goods have begun circulating. That is how it finally reached my hands."

"Ah."

Yeon Sowol breathed in the comforting scent of benzoin, then suddenly thought of something.

"Sir."

"Yes?"

"You once told me never to trust Jianghu people."

"Hoho."

"But after spending time around them, I found they have many sides to them."

Yeon Sowol tilted his head back slightly and sniffed the benzoin again.

"Honestly, we might never have smelled this benzoin if not for the Jianghu people."

"That is true."

"If the Heavenly Road Mountain Expedition succeeds, things will become even more prosperous. Then we might have more chances to smell precious fragrances we have never encountered before."

"I suppose so."

Yeon Sowol remembered the free-spirited Jianghu people he had seen at the Jipseong River.

He also remembered the countless Jianghu people who had come to the funeral hall of Gukeun Temple when he had thought the Heavenly Road Mountain Expedition was all but impossible.

"So that is how I think now. There are plenty of madmen among the Jianghu people, and plenty of truly bad people too. But perhaps there are some people, and some moments, when it is all right to trust them."

Jo Manseok nodded deeply.

"Yes. You are right. That is not wrong."

Then he added,

"Trust them halfway, then. Do not trust them completely."

Yeon Sowol burst into hearty laughter.

* * *

Yeon Sowol received some benzoin from Jo Manseok's shop and made a scented sachet.

Once he wore it and stepped outside, he felt reassured.

He had not noticed it as much while in closed-door seclusion, but upon returning to Shinheung County, all the foul smells of ancient China had begun tormenting his nose again.

Whenever he left after making a new scented sachet, he felt as if he had acquired a reliable talisman that protected him from those odors. It put him in a rather good mood.

Humming to himself, Yeon Sowol walked the streets of Shinheung County.

'What is Jin Geol doing, I wonder? Would Mo Cheong know?'

Now that he had made a new scented sachet, he thought it might be nice to call Jin Geol and Mo Cheong over for drinks. Just then,

"Young Master Yeon!"

A man lightly landed in front of Yeon Sowol. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. From his face, Yeon Sowol recognized him as an inner disciple of Windflow Martial Academy.

Yeon Sowol was startled.

"Senior, where are you rushing off to?"

"Young Master Yeon, a huge brawl might break out at the inn down there any moment now!"

"What?"

"I think someone needs to mediate, so I am on my way to inform the Academy Head. One of Young Master Yeon's friends is there as well, so I would appreciate it if you went and calmed them down."

"My friend? Jin Geol?"

"Yes. Then I will go fetch the Academy Head..."

Thud!

The inner disciple kicked off the ground and disappeared into the distance.

Yeon Sowol was dumbfounded.

"A huge brawl? Jin Geol?"

Whoosh!

He hurriedly circulated his true qi and kicked off the ground as well.

The area in front of the inn the inner disciple had mentioned was utter chaos.

At its center, two men stood facing each other in a heated argument.

"I told you already! That Soaring Wing Sword? I can dodge that piece of junk easily!"

A faint haze rose above the man's shoulders, as if he had drawn up his true qi. It meant he was a first-rate master.

The man facing him was also a first-rate master. He was a scholar wearing a battered cap and a patched, tattered robe. A faint haze rose above his shoulders as well as he snorted.

"Ha! What did you say at the beginning? Didn't you agree to use Straight-Line Step in this contest of martial skills?"

"I did."

"Exactly! I'm telling you that Soaring Wing Sword can't be dodged with Straight-Line Step."

"I can dodge it!"

"It seems you don't know what the Soaring Wing Sword is."

The man's face turned red.

The problem was that their argument was not staying between the two of them.

"It is obvious he does not know what the Soaring Wing Sword is!"

"Right. You cannot dodge the Soaring Wing Sword with Straight-Line Step."

"Young Hero Jin is completely right about this!"

A sizable crowd had gathered behind Jin Geol, all agreeing with him.

"Has Hero Seong not said the same thing over and over? If the Soaring Wing Sword is so impressive, why not show it once?"

"Right. They could settle whether it can be dodged or not with one exchange, but they sure do talk a lot."

"Since when do martial artists fight with their mouths?"

Another crowd had gathered behind the man called Hero Seong, taking his side.

The two groups were busy insulting and slandering each other.

"Good grief. Those fools do not even know martial arts. Why should we have to argue with people who do not even know what the Soaring Wing Sword is?"

When someone from Jin Geol's group sharply snapped,

"They are asking you to show it, but you cannot manage something that simple. What does it mean if you cannot prove it?"

Someone from Hero Seong's group indignantly shot back.

"Hero Seong, follow the rules of the contest of martial skills. That is what these contests are for. At the start, you decide what techniques can be used, both sides agree to it, and then you determine victory and defeat by matching wits with those techniques. If we were going to draw swords, we would have drawn them from the beginning."

"No! You are being far too stubborn! I am telling you I can dodge it! That Soaring Wing Sword or whatever it is! Let us try it once!"

"Ah, that's not how a contest of martial skills works. You're not a child."

"What? A child!"

Shing!

The man called Hero Seong drew his sword.

Jin Geol grimaced in disgust.

"Wait, you're really drawing your sword? Honestly, that's disgusting. If you don't want to give up the silver, just say so! Why draw a sword over something like this?"

"You bastard... Draw your sword! Let us find out whether I can dodge the Soaring Wing Sword or not!"

Once the sword came out, the groups behind them grew even more agitated.

"Even if he is Hero Seong, this is too much!"

"Right! There are rules for a contest of martial skills!"

"Country martial artists, honestly..."

"What? Did you just call us country folk?"

"To be honest, it is true, is it not?"

"You bastards! Fine, let us see who is stronger! Is the Jianghu not a place where the stronger side is right?"

"Ugh. Every word you say reeks of the countryside."

"You son of a bitch!"

"Fine. Let us fight. Who do you think would fear people like you who do not even understand martial arts?"

Shing!

Clang!

Swords began coming out all around them.

Yeon Sowol arrived at that exact moment.

Honestly, the sight left him speechless.

'Are they insane...?'

Who would draw swords and prepare to fight over something like this?

There was no time to think. He immediately jumped into the middle.

"Wait! Wait! Please, calm down for a moment!"

Flap!

His robes fluttered as he landed between Jin Geol and Hero Seong.

Everyone recognized him.

"It is Young Master Yeon."

"Young Master Yeon."

"I heard he was recuperating. It seems he is well now."

"We finally get to see Young Master Yeon."

The heated atmosphere, which had seemed ready to explode into a fight, eased slightly.

Yeon Sowol pleaded with them.

"I beg you, please put away your weapons, if only for the sake of this Yeon's face. Are we not fellow martial artists who gathered to subjugate bandits together? If we fight among ourselves here, only the bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain will be pleased."

As Yeon Sowol pleaded so earnestly, the people who had drawn their weapons awkwardly began putting their swords away one by one.

They had come here after hearing the names of Yeon Sowol and Yi Yubaek in the first place. Naturally, Yeon Sowol's words held some weight.

Hero Seong put away his sword as well. He tossed a pouch full of silver.

"Hey, Young Hero Jin. We will have another round later. And then I want you to properly show me what the Soaring Wing Sword is. I am curious. That is why."

He ground his teeth.

"Today, I am only letting this go for Young Hero Yeon's sake. Do not think you can muddle through it. You have to show me at least once. I do not think I will sleep until I see what that damned Soaring Wing Sword is."

After giving Yeon Sowol a brief nod, he turned on his heel and strode away as if brushing dust from his back.

Yeon Sowol realized something.

'...I just incurred a debt.'

Hero Seong was at the first-rate stage, yet had backed down out of consideration for Yeon Sowol's dignity. Yeon Sowol would have to remember this. That was the Jianghu code.

Once he thought that far, a sigh escaped him.

He had expected Jianghu people to be difficult to control after gathering in one place, but he had not imagined it would be this bad already.

Feeling frustrated, Yeon Sowol whispered to his friend Jin Geol.

"Hey, Jin Geol. Why did you make this such a big deal? You could have just shown him that Soaring Wing Sword or whatever it is and settled it."

Jin Geol answered.

"Sowol, there's one problem."

"What?"

"I actually don't know how to use the Soaring Wing Sword."

"..."

"I couldn't help it. I needed the silver..."

"You insane Jianghu man."

Yeon Sowol thought, 'Ah. Jo Manseok was never wrong.'

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried