WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 60: When Water Is Too Clear, There Are No Fish (8)

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The thick fog was strange enough to be unsettling.

Just moments ago, he had been walking through the nighttime streets of Shinheung County, yet now he had no idea where he was.

No.

Yeon Sowol considered the possibility that it had all been an illusion.

He thought he had been walking through Shinheung County's streets this whole time, but when he tried to remember where exactly he had walked, his memories were hazy.

Had he been wandering aimlessly down some unknown road for who knew how long?

‘What kind of ghost story is this supposed to be...?’

The Shinheung Danger-Avoidance Manual advised people not to earn anyone's favor or anger. Just pass through quietly and quickly.

But Yeon Sowol could not do that.

‘This is happening in Shinheung County. I can't just walk past without knowing what it is.’

He now possessed a firm sense of identity as a member of Windflow Martial Academy, Shinheung County's foremost martial academy.

A sort of duty compelled him. Something was happening in Shinheung County, and he could not afford to remain ignorant of it.

‘What if this is related to the Jianghu?’

If it had anything to do with Heavenly Road Mountain, he needed to uncover the truth. If it involved some reclusive master, he needed to greet them and learn who they were beforehand, lest he make a mistake. Or perhaps he could seek their help when the time came.

Yeon Sowol stopped and extended his qi sense in every direction.

Slowly. Carefully.

At last, his qi sense caught something.

It should have been impossible, but after reaching the first-rate, his qi sense had grown capable of reading the energies of the entire world. Against miraculous odds, it succeeded in detecting a presence.

‘People...? As expected. Jianghu martial artists. And extremely accomplished ones at that.’

Beyond the fog, he sensed three people seated around a pavilion.

The moment Yeon Sowol sensed them, they turned toward him as well.

His shoulders jerked. The option of quietly passing by no longer existed.

Only one choice remained. Face them head-on.

“This junior, Yeon Sowol, adoptive son of Yi Yubaek, head of Windflow Martial Academy in Shinheung County, greets his seniors.”

He clasped both hands together and bowed deeply.

“This junior is Jin Geol of Hubei. I offer my greetings.”

Jin Geol quickly followed Yeon Sowol's lead and bowed in the same direction.

Then a voice echoed from within the fog.

[[[ Such polite children ]]]

It was a strange voice.

It thundered in his ears, yet he could not tell where it was coming from. It carried an oppressive force, as though heaven and earth themselves were speaking to him.

Jin Geol's face turned pale.

“S-Six Harmonies Heavenly Voice...?”

Before Yeon Sowol could ask what that was, Jin Geol's voice transmission rang in his ear.

「It is a qi art far more profound than voice transmission. At least the peak realm. Perhaps even higher...」

‘Higher than the peak realm?’

A dull ache suddenly spread through Yeon Sowol's lower abdomen.

‘Why did the difficulty spike so suddenly?’

First-rate masters could throw their weight around anywhere in present-day Shinheung County, yet a peak-realm master had appeared out of nowhere.

Perhaps even someone beyond that!

Compared to the Shinheung Three Dogs, Eun-yeong of Cheongun Pavilion, and the martial artists named in the Shinheung Danger-Avoidance Manual, these people were on an entirely different level.

As his mind spun, another voice rang out.

This time, it was not the Six Harmonies Heavenly Voice, but an ordinary voice. It still resounded clearly through the heavy fog, so it was not truly ordinary, but at least it sounded like one.

“Hey, you arrogant bastard. Why are you showing off your strength the moment you meet young friends of the Jianghu?”

Another voice followed, an old man's rough and cracked voice.

“This is why rich, powerful bastards are no good. Every little thing they do is arrogant and unpleasant.”

The voice that had used the Six Harmonies Heavenly Voice ground its teeth.

“You horse-faced bastard and you beggar bastard...”

Shhhhk!

The fog split apart.

As though struck down by a sword.

Pale walls of mist parted to either side, opening a path toward the pavilion ahead.

Slap, slap.

They must have been near the Jipseong River without realizing it. Beyond the pavilion, they could see the rippling current.

The old man with the cracked voice spoke.

“Well, this worked out nicely. Come over here and have a drink.”

“Mm. Yes, it did.”

“Come sit down already. This venerable self will pour you a drink.”

“Oh, listen to him. ‘This venerable self.’”

“Heh. He called himself this venerable self.”

“Shut up, Beggar. Horse-Face.”

Yeon Sowol and Jin Geol exchanged a glance.

Both of them understood.

This was an invitation they could neither refuse nor evade.

In that case...

“Yes! We're coming!”

“Thank you! I was thirsty anyway!”

The two cheerfully called out as they climbed into the pavilion where the mysterious masters waited.

Three men who appeared to be peers sat there.

A white-haired beggar.

A Daoist with graying hair.

And a broad, grandly dressed elder with a ruddy face and black hair despite his age.

Three empty wine jars lay scattered around them, while three unopened jars sat atop the table.

But something else made Yeon Sowol even more nervous.

‘...They feel ordinary. I can't sense any presence at all.’

Unlike the grandly dressed elder, who gave off a sharp, oppressive air, the old Daoist and old beggar truly gave off nothing.

They seemed like an ordinary beggar who begged in the streets and a normal Daoist who prayed in the neighborhood.

But there was no way they were truly ordinary.

Yeon Sowol felt his back grow damp with sweat. When he turned slightly, he saw cold sweat beading on Jin Geol's forehead as well.

* * *

Yeon Sowol won the three elders' favor in only a few words.

No, before he had even said a few words.

“What polite manners.”

“His qi is well contained. A young man who has devoted himself to cultivating his heart.”

“His actions are measured, and he never strays from propriety. Such bearing is rare, especially in a rural place like this.”

Jin Geol was not much different.

“This friend was properly taught as well.”

“Birds of a feather, perhaps.”

“More than anything, I like his clothes. Yes, clothes should be patched again and again and worn sparingly.”

“You really do sound like a beggar.”

“What did you say, punk?”

The two young men had won over the three elders. That left only one outcome.

“Do you like wine?”

The old beggar grabbed a wine jar and asked.

“Hold on, Beggar.”

“Why, Horse-Face?”

“No matter what, we should know what sort of people they are before giving it to them. We caused this mess because we couldn't finish it ourselves, but this wine is too precious to give to beasts that aren't even human.”

“They don't look like beasts.”

“Still.”

The old beggar clicked his tongue and set down the wine jar. The old Daoist then asked solemnly.

“You two. What matter weighs most heavily on your hearts these days? What do you most wish to accomplish?”

Yeon Sowol and Jin Geol flinched in unison.

Swoooosh.

They both felt it.

The moment the old Daoist finished speaking, the qi of nature began to move all around them. As though it were peering into them, the energy of heaven and earth slowly circled the two young men.

Yeon Sowol had experienced something similar before.

When he first met the Commander-in-Chief of Liangguang at the Jipseong River.

Martial Excellence Earl!

Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince!

Those cries still echoed vividly in his ears.

But...

‘Masters on that level?’

The old beggar and old Daoist before him?

His head swam.

It felt as though he had bowed deeply to a tiger and then stepped right into its den.

Yeon Sowol understood.

He could not mix even the slightest lie into his answer.

They would see through it without fail.

Gritting his teeth, Yeon Sowol told the truth.

“Right now, I am planning to deal with the bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain.”

The astonishing stories he had read in the Shinheung Danger-Avoidance Manual.

The unbelievable events that had occurred while preparing the punitive expedition.

Seo Muryang, Hang Inwoo, Eun-yeong, Resentful Dog...

The old beggar's eyes grew moist.

“See? What did I tell you, Daoist? I said he looked like a good kid.”

“Mm... That certainly seems true.”

The elders' attention shifted to Jin Geol. He answered.

“I only intend to fight alongside a friend who shares my heart.”

A flicker of admiration crossed the elders' eyes.

“He means it. He truly means it.”

“Young indeed.”

“We used to be like that too...”

The three fell silent for a moment, lost in their memories.

Then the first to move was the ruddy-faced elder in splendid clothes.

He seized a wine jar from the table.

“Hold out your cups!”

“Yes!”

“Yep!”

Yeon Sowol and Jin Geol held out their cups without the slightest hesitation.

Even if it had been poison, they might have drunk it without a moment's pause. The elders' presence had completely overwhelmed them.

“This wine was left behind by our friend, who passed away ten years ago. In their will, they asked us to drink every last drop.”

Startled, Yeon Sowol asked without thinking.

“Are we truly allowed to drink something like that...?”

The ruddy-faced elder smiled bitterly.

“Yes. That friend made far too much of it.”

The old Daoist and old beggar joined in.

“They brewed it whenever they thought of us, so there is too much. Even if we drank ourselves senseless throughout their funeral, it would not have been enough. We promised to gather once a year and drink it all away.”

“And this is already the tenth year. Yet three jars are still left. At this rate, we will never finish it.”

“As I said, I will not be able to come next year.”

“See? Look at that. So we have to finish all of it today no matter what... but honestly, I am not confident. It would be better if you two helped us drink it.”

The old beggar spoke, swaying slightly.

Yeon Sowol found that strange.

‘They can't finish just three jars?’

Even Yi Yubaek, who was only in the first-rate, could drink not three jars but three large casks without pause. What wine could he not drink if he burned away the drunkenness with True Flame?

Yet these elders, who seemed vastly more accomplished, were struggling with three jars of wine?

Reading his expression, the old beggar chuckled.

“Heh. You brat. Do you think this is ordinary wine? Daoist, explain it to him.”

The refined-looking old Daoist calmly continued.

“This is wine Seon-a brewed with the utmost sincerity. It works directly upon the spirit. Even if we release the intoxication until a wine fog fills the air, the spirit will still become thoroughly drunk. Whenever we gathered, we used to drink at least two jars a day, sometimes four. This year, we have drunk exactly three jars, and we are already dizzy.”

“This bastard... Who are you calling your Seon-a?”

“I called Seon-a that all my life. A man who met Seon-a ten years after I did is always picking a fight with me.”

“Hmph!”

As the grandly dressed elder and refined old Daoist snarled at each other, the old beggar snatched the wine jar away and filled Jin Geol and Sowol's cups to the brim.

“Anyway, each of you drink two cups. You look like gifted youngsters from this area. You can handle two cups, can't you?”

The other two elders, who had been bickering among themselves, turned their attention back to them.

“Yes. We have given cups to people we liked before, but no one has ever managed two cups.”

“That's right. That's right.”

Yeon Sowol suddenly grew curious.

They had given people cups of this wine before?

Surely not...

“What happened to those who drank this wine?”

“Mm?”

The elders tilted their heads for a moment, looking unsteady with drink, then began talking over one another.

“Most of them did not know martial arts, correct?”

“That is right. We gave cups to those who seemed to have upright character.”

“They probably could not get up for a month.”

“Sounds about right.”

“There were those who practiced martial arts too. The quickest ones woke in a day. The slowest took seven days and nights.”

Cold sweat ran down Yeon Sowol's back.

Only now did he fully understand how the Shinheung Danger-Avoidance Manual had been written.

The elders had offered cups of wine as a kindness, but those who accepted would have been unable to rise for a month...

For ordinary people who needed to earn a living, that was no different from a disaster.

‘So that was why it said not to earn anyone's anger or favor...’

Crazy people of the Jianghu.

Unaware of Yeon Sowol's thoughts, the elders laughed heartily amongst themselves.

“They were fortunate people.”

“Exactly. To drink such precious wine.”

“Even one cup would have changed their lives.”

Yeon Sowol squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.

He met Jin Geol's eyes.

From his expression, Jin Geol seemed to be thinking the same thing.

‘Sowol. Let's drink as little as possible and get out of here.’

‘Yes, Jin Geol. Let's do that. If we collapse, we might not even be able to join the expedition against Heavenly Road Mountain.’

The two gave tiny nods and emptied a cup of wine.

Gulp.

They would drink this one properly, then find some excuse to refuse the next.

But then...

“Huh...?”

Yeon Sowol looked around.

“Where did everyone go?”

The instant he drank a cup of wine, hot fumes struck his nose and head, and the scenery around him changed.

A soft breeze blew.

Warm, gentle, and refreshing.

The wine fog that had filled the area had long since vanished.

Only the quiet sound of the river flowing, slap after slap, reached his ears. He could not tell whether it was the Jipseong River or the Han River.

“What is this?”

At first, Yeon Sowol panicked.

“Is this sorcery?”

Was this not what the legendary sorcery of the Jianghu was supposed to feel like?

But then...

A breeze brushed past, rustling the grass.

For some reason, his heart settled whenever it did.

“Ah...”

Why was that?

It felt as though the tension drawn tight within one corner of his heart suddenly snapped loose.

“This is...”

The warm, gentle energy carried on the wind seemed to comfort Yeon Sowol.

It is all right.

Everything will be all right.

You have worked hard.

Yeon Sowol closed his eyes.

He leaned against the edge of the unfamiliar pavilion and sat down.

He rested his head.

He felt comfortable. Drowsy. Filled with a baseless confidence and joy that made him feel as though everything would work out in the end.

He remained there for a long time, as though trying to cast away all the old exhaustion and fear within him. As though trying to wash away every shock and scream branded deep into his heart.

Then he suddenly rose.

His face was hazy, as though he were drunk.

Slowly, he drew his sword and began to dance with it.

With no purpose.

With no meaning.

Like a child delighted to hold a sword for the first time.

As he moved freely, the interplay of qi stirred around him.

At first, it was clumsy.

Disordered.

But Yeon Sowol continued to swing his sword.

Again and again.

This heaven and earth seemed to have stopped time itself. No matter how long he swung his sword, the warm sunlight did not fade, and the gentle breeze did not stop.

Yeon Sowol forgot everything as he blankly swung his sword.

As though he had been trapped in eternity forever.

Gradually.

Gradually.

The interplay of qi that blossomed around his body began to settle into stability.

The training Yi Yubaek had predicted would take a long time flashed past in this dreamlike moment where time did not move.

...

...

.

“...Ah.”

Yeon Sowol opened his eyes.

A warm, refreshing breeze brushed past the tip of his nose, then disappeared.

“Oh! He's awake! He handled one cup easily?”

“Mm. At this rate, if he does well, won't he drink three cups for us?”

“Perhaps it is because he is such a young man with a well-cultivated heart. He is far more composed than expected.”

The three elders watched Yeon Sowol with delight.

He glanced to the side.

Jin Geol still sat there with his empty cup in hand, eyes closed.

Gulp.

Yeon Sowol swallowed, then cautiously held out his cup.

“May I ask for one more cup?”

“Of course!”

“I'll pour this one!”

The grandly dressed elder took the wine jar from the old beggar and filled Yeon Sowol's cup to the brim.

Over the cup, it seemed as though the moon waned, the Milky Way waned, and another dream waned and sparkled.

‘The Jianghu is broad and lofty. I am still so very small.’

Yeon Sowol stared blankly at the cup.

“I'll be back.”

“Go on, then.”

He swallowed the wine.

Footnotes:

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