WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 66: When Water Is Too Clear, There Are No Fish (14)
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Yi Yubaek's preparations had been thorough.
For more than ten years, he had painstakingly mapped every inch of Heavenly Road Mountain. He had even employed herb gatherers to identify the stronghold's location and the placement of its sentries.
As long as Yi Yubaek possessed that knowledge, Heavenly Road Mountain could no longer serve as a shield for the bandits.
"Gasp...!"
Bursting through the darkness like an owl swooping down on prey, Yi Yubaek clamped a hand over a gaunt man's mouth.
"Mmph!"
The man struggled, but a body weakened by hunger and thirst could not shake Yi Yubaek in the slightest.
Once Yi Yubaek had bound him, the man could only stare up at him blankly.
Yi Yubaek spoke bitterly.
"Wait a little longer. Once this is over, I'll return you to your family."
The Jianghu martial artists following him asked in low voices.
"Who is that?"
"Why is he tied up here in such a state...?"
"...They're tiger ghosts."
Yi Yubaek explained the method the bandits of Heavenly Road Mountain had devised to watch over the vast mountain.
"How could they!"
"Those damned bastards...!"
The atmosphere among the Jianghu martial artists grew heated.
Until moments ago, their spirits had been scattered and unsettled.
They had been dragged awake from a good night's sleep and told they were setting out before dawn. Of course they felt that way.
Yet the moment they saw the tiger ghosts of Heavenly Road Mountain, their mood changed.
They understood exactly what they were fighting for and focused their minds.
"Then we'll continue moving."
The same thing was happening all across Heavenly Road Mountain.
The thirty units formed at the martial assembly climbed the mountain from different directions, silently encircling the stronghold.
Heavenly Road Mountain Stronghold was sunk in deep sleep.
The expedition force immediately subdued the sentries stationed around the perimeter. Perhaps because the stronghold had never been attacked directly before, its defenses were lax, and taking them down went very smoothly.
Once the encirclement was complete and the outer guards had been eliminated, Yi Yubaek infiltrated the stronghold with the units best suited to moving stealthily.
Famous figures from Guangdong's martial world were among them, including Chu Jinhyeok, the Woman-Dressing Official, and No Gil, Already Gone When Seen.
"Search the buildings one by one, starting from the outside. Kill everyone who isn't tied up or imprisoned."
The masters in black night clothes scattered into the stronghold's buildings.
"The bandit bastards have set themselves up pretty nicely."
They had apparently stolen a considerable amount of wealth from Shinheung County, Eunpyeong, and elsewhere. Pavilions stood along the mountain ridge, connected by covered corridors, creating quite a spectacle. With lanterns hanging in the darkness, it looked grand enough to be a castle.
Creak.
Creak.
No matter how skilled they were, they could not cross wooden floors in the dead of night without making any sound.
Whenever the expedition force in black night clothes passed through a corridor, wood groaned beneath their feet, followed by muffled screams.
"Urgh..."
"Ghk..."
It could not be helped. They were martial masters, not assassins.
Little by little, the stronghold grew restless.
"What is it? What's going on?"
A bandit rubbed his sleepy eyes and slid open his door. The instant he met the eyes of a martial artist in black night clothes, he tried to scream.
"Th...!"
Crack!
An expedition member rushed forward and struck the bandit's head clean off.
The martial artist caught the falling body and carefully lowered it to the ground, but...
Thud! Thump!
The severed head struck the wooden floor.
The noise rang out far too loudly.
"Mm..."
"Hmm...?"
More bandits woke from their sleep.
The confused disturbance spread like a wave.
Fwoosh!
Fwoosh!
Lanterns began to light up throughout the stronghold.
Sensing danger, the bandits grabbed their weapons and came outside.
"What is this?"
"What's happening?"
They soon saw their comrades' corpses and came face-to-face with the expedition force.
"I-it's an attack!"
"Enemies!"
Clangclangclangclangclang!
About fifteen minutes after the infiltration began, the warning bell finally rang through the stronghold.
"What kind of lunatics are these?!"
"Stop them!"
"Gather up first! If we stay scattered, we'll be killed one by one!"
The bandits shouted as they blocked the building entrances and corridors, forming defensive lines.
Yi Yubaek watched them with a cold smile.
Tap tap tap tap!
At that moment, loud footsteps sounded behind him.
The expedition force that had surrounded the stronghold from outside was rushing in all at once.
Among them were troops Yi Yubaek had arranged in advance, a small special force borrowed from the magistrate of Shinheung County with the commander tally.
The commander tally could not mobilize a large army, but it was more than enough to temporarily borrow around twenty elite soldiers.
"Archers!"
At Yi Yubaek's shout,
Creeeak!
The swift archers dropped to one knee and drew their bowstrings.
"Uh...?"
"B-bows?"
Archery was a far more difficult and complex martial art than swordsmanship or spear arts.
The bow was not a weapon the bandits of the unorthodox schools would be familiar with.
"Fire!"
Thwack thwack thwack!
"Argh!"
The bandits blocking the corridors and building entrances were pierced by arrows and collapsed.
"Charge! Cut their throats before they come to their senses!"
Drawing his sword, Yi Yubaek took the lead and charged toward the depths of Heavenly Road Mountain.
* * *
"Useless fools..."
Yong Useok stepped out of his bedroom in his sleeping clothes, his cheeks twitching.
His bedroom was the highest and most luxurious room in Cheonro Mountain Stronghold.
From the balcony, Heavenly Road Mountain lay spread beneath him at a glance.
Though it was still night, the stronghold was brightly lit. Martial artists in black clothes were pouring through it, accompanied by the loud screams of bandits.
Yong Useok could scarcely believe it. The enemy had pushed this far inside, and they had known nothing?
'Gukdo. Ma Gukdo. This is why you're rotting away in the countryside.'
Grinding his teeth, Yong Useok drew his saber.
He wanted to go out and slaughter incompetent Ma Gukdo and every bandit on Heavenly Road Mountain himself, but this was not the time.
"Are you there?"
"Yes, Chieftain!"
His subordinates came running in a crowd. There were fifteen of them in total.
These were all that remained of the direct subordinates who had followed Yong Useok from Iron Dragon Stronghold.
That was why he had intended to bring Heavenly Road Mountain under his command and expand his power, but...
No matter how he looked at it, the tide had turned.
There was no point in fighting here. They would only suffer losses for nothing.
Yong Useok made his decision.
"We retreat. Get ready. As long as we secure the war funds, this won't be a bad outcome."
"Yes, Brother!"
In truth, they had already investigated the list of Heavenly Road Mountain's assets and the locations of the storehouses where they were kept. Be prepared for danger before it arrived. That was one of Yong Useok's principles.
Without a moment of hesitation, his subordinates scattered and swept up everything valuable, gold and silver, jewels and pearls, silk and artworks.
They reappeared with large bundles they had prepared in advance slung over their backs.
"Let's go!"
Yong Useok did not look back.
He did not even think of finding Ma Gukdo.
The number and skill of the invading martial artists were formidable at a glance. He had no intention of getting caught up trying to save Ma Gukdo.
All he needed was war funds.
Ma Gukdo had welcomed Yong Useok back to Guangdong with such earnest hospitality after Yong Useok lost his power.
Yet not a trace of gratitude existed in Yong Useok's mind.
He only muttered once.
"Gukdo. Gukdo. If you'd done well, we could have risen together. Even when you're given an opportunity, you can't seize it."
Tap tap tap!
He leaped straight over the railing and landed on the roof. His subordinates followed behind him.
Then a group of people blocked their path.
"The bandits are running away with the treasure!"
"Catch them! We have to stop them!"
"After all this work! We can't let them get away!"
The expedition force.
Their eyes immediately locked onto the huge bundles.
Martial heroes joined undertakings like this with good intentions. That did not mean they would refuse compensation.
They risked their lives fighting. If they did not claim a reward as well, they could not survive in this harsh Jianghu.
"You bastards! Where do you think you're running?!"
The best reward one could gain through battle was spoils of war.
How much wealth and how many valuables must bandits who had ruled Heavenly Road Mountain for so long have gathered?
Naturally, the expedition force that had assembled in Shinheung County had fully expected to divide it once the battle ended.
And now these men were carrying it away?
That was unacceptable.
"Catch them!"
"Don't let them escape!"
Countless martial artists rushed toward Yong Useok and his subordinates.
But then...
"Flies."
Strength and Chaos Saber.
Third Form.
As Though Grasping a Dragon’s Tail, the Saber Runs Wild.
The instant Yong Useok drew his saber, a series of small explosions burst along its blade.
Propelled by those explosions, the saber accelerated and tore through the night air, flashing from every direction.
Clang clang clang!
There were no screams.
Five expedition members who had charged in were cut into pieces and slid down the roof.
Thud. Thump.
Severed arms and legs, upper bodies and lower bodies, fell to the ground.
Even the swords in their hands had been cut in half and rolled across the ground with a clatter.
A hot gust swept past.
The expedition members cried out.
"H-he's creating small explosions with his qi!"
"It's Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion! He's reached the realm of imbuing qi with its own properties...!"
"Peak realm?"
"He's at the peak realm?!"
The expedition members, who had charged in with such spirit, faltered to a stop.
With a cold sneer, Yong Useok kicked off the roof again, intending to leave Cheonro Mountain Stronghold.
"Stop him!"
"Where do you think you're going?!"
People stepped in to block him.
Yi Yubaek.
Chu Jinhyeok.
Already Gone When Seen.
Martial artists renowned even in Guangdong's martial world, considered to be close to reaching the peak realm.
"Move!"
Yong Useok swung his saber again.
Clang clang clang!
The moment the tip of his saber reached its target, a small explosion erupted.
The explosive force made the blade accelerate terrifyingly.
Clang!
"Gasp!"
No Gil's sword was cut in half at once.
The blade continued driving forward, about to split No Gil at the waist as well, but No Gil, a master famed for Movement Art, urgently pulled back and preserved his life.
"You bastard!"
Chu Jinhyeok gritted his teeth and crossed blades with Yong Useok.
Clang! Clang!
Chu Jinhyeok's swordsmanship, properly learned from a general's household, was certainly different.
Although Chu Jinhyeok had yet to rise beyond first-rate, even at its very end, his sword held firm against Yong Useok's savage saber in a way No Gil's had not.
But...
Clang clang clang!
"Ghk!"
Chu Jinhyeok could not keep blocking Yong Useok's saber as it changed direction and accelerated through a succession of small explosions.
Martial force waves burst out one after another, powerful enough to make the tip of the nose sting and the ears ring just from standing nearby.
Chu Jinhyeok fell behind in the speed of his blade and in martial force. His arms trembled as he was forced back.
"It's over!"
Just as Yong Useok's saber was about to split Chu Jinhyeok down the middle,
Clang!
Yi Yubaek's sword knocked it aside.
"You...?"
This was the first time Yong Useok's saber had been deflected.
The martial force unleashed by his saber, having reached the peak realm, was not something first-rate martial artists could endure.
Yet...
"Martial arts of the Daoist tradition, is it?"
Yi Yubaek, the Windflow Sword, made it possible.
If he lacked strength, he only had to guide that strength away and return it.
Yi Yubaek's realm was at the late first-rate stage, but his refined swordsmanship was more than capable of blocking Yong Useok's powerful saber art.
A martial artist's realm was not everything in a fight. At times, the sophistication of the martial arts they displayed decided victory or defeat.
"I'll hold him at the front. Everyone else, exploit any opening you find."
"As expected of you, Brother Yi Yubaek!"
As Yi Yubaek stepped forward, Chu Jinhyeok lifted the hem of his long skirt, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and let out a breath of relief.
"Whew. I made a disgraceful showing earlier. I'll do this properly now."
No Gil returned with a new sword and joined them from behind.
But then...
"How laughable."
Yong Useok sneered coldly and charged forward, crushing roof tiles beneath his feet.
Crash!
He rushed at them with the force of a wild bull.
Strength and Chaos Saber.
Sixth Form.
With Strength to Uproot Mountains, the Saber Flies Swiftly.
Both hands gripping the hilt, Yong Useok raised his saber toward the sky.
Rather than unleashing several attacks at once as before, he released a single, perfectly focused burst of overwhelming force.
"Hmph!"
Yi Yubaek received even that attack alone.
Clang!
Yi Yubaek was pushed back five steps, while Yong Useok took one step back.
"Now!"
No Gil did not miss the opening.
In the instant Yong Useok's body stiffened from the collision, No Gil slipped in with astonishingly swift footwork.
"Die!"
No Gil's sword flew toward Yong Useok's waist, bluish sword qi gathering at its tip.
Boom!
"Hm...?"
The moment No Gil's blade sliced through the hem of Yong Useok's clothes, a small explosion went off.
The qi circulating around Yong Useok's body exploded like gunpowder for an instant, pushing No Gil's sword away.
Clang!
The blade staggered and slid away under the force of the explosion.
Even so, No Gil stubbornly held on, trying to wound Yong Useok with at least the tip of his sword.
Yong Useok twisted his body and avoided even that completely.
"How...?"
Yong Useok smiled.
"You country fool. Don't you know that a peak realm martial artist possesses a protective qi art?"
Slash!
Yong Useok's saber swept out and cut off No Gil's head.
A first-rate master famed throughout Guangdong's martial world as unmatched in Movement Art lost his life in a futile instant.
"Let's go!"
Yong Useok glanced once at No Gil as he slid off the roof, then kicked off the tiles and leaped away.
"Great Hero No Gil!"
"Damn it!"
"I can't believe he even learned a protective qi art. Such an advanced qi art..."
Yi Yubaek and Chu Jinhyeok hurried after Yong Useok, but it was not easy.
Yong Useok gradually broke through the encirclement and escaped Cheonro Mountain Stronghold.
At this rate, they would lose a large portion of the spoils, their greatest gain.
Then...
"What is this now...?"
Yong Useok, who had been advancing without hesitation, abruptly stopped.
"An assassin?"
Yong Useok asked in a tense voice.
A man suddenly stepped out from the shadows ahead.
"...You're sharp."
Recognizing him, Yi Yubaek muttered.
"Sowol..."
Yeon Sowol held the Demon-Severing Sword in his right hand and formed a sword seal with his left.
Yong Useok's brow twitched.
"...This little backwater has all kinds of strange people. What's an assassin-like man doing here, using a Daoist sword art?"
Raising his large saber, Yong Useok looked Yeon Sowol up and down.
As if revealing his tension, waves of hot haze surged from behind his back.
Footnotes:
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