WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 71: When Water Is Too Clear, There Are No Fish (19)

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Before the revolution in information and communications.

Even before movable-type printing and advances in papermaking.

At that stage of civilization, information could not help but spread slowly. Even when it did spread, it was often terribly inaccurate.

Still, there were always exceptions.

Some news traveled incredibly fast.

At the well.

At the washhouse.

At the market.

Among people walking down the street.

Through nothing but voices and gestures.

Murmur, murmur. Murmur, murmur.

Like the hum of a swarm of bees, it grew and spread with a speed that would have startled even a modern person. It was even detailed and remarkably accurate.

The news of the founding of the Guangdong Martial Alliance, the greatest sect beneath Heavenly Road Mountain, was one such story.

"Did you see the plaque?"

"I went to pray before it again at dawn today."

"Huh? Pray? What are you praying for?"

"I stood at a distance, put my hands together, and prayed for evil spirits to stay away and for everything I do to go well."

"Why would you pray to a plaque?"

"Because the Governor-General himself wrote those characters."

"That still doesn't mean you should pray to it. I mean, to people like us, he's practically someone in the heavens, but he's neither a Buddha nor an immortal..."

"Have you ever heard that Buddhas or immortals have money?"

"What?"

"Have you ever heard of Buddhas or immortals throwing their power around in the mortal world?"

"Uh..."

"The calligraphy imbued with the presence of a Senior First Rank Governor-General has come right into our county. Are you saying you won't receive that blessing?"

"Good heavens, I'm late. I'll go over there for a bit."

"Yeah, hurry! They say the blessing wears thin when too many people gather around."

"Oh dear. Oh dear."

Some people were awed by the authority of Seo Myeongeum, Governor-General of Liangguang, who had offered to serve as the alliance's patron.

"They say the Guangdong Martial Alliance is hiring people."

"What does that have to do with us? They'll be hiring martial artists."

"No, they're hiring laborers to build stairs."

"Stairs?"

"Yeah. They're going to find the best routes through Heavenly Road Mountain and lay stone steps so it's easier to travel back and forth."

"Huh. Then it'll be easier to get around even when it rains."

"Exactly! And that's not all. For porters, having stairs or not makes a huge difference."

"That's true. With stairs, your footing is firm and secure!"

"Right. That means we can move a lot more goods!"

"Ooh..."

"Wouldn't it actually be worth paying a toll, then?"

"Of course it would. It'd be better. Heavenly Road Mountain is huge. Having a proper road makes a world of difference."

"Well, what do you expect? Great Hero Yi Yubaek is the one doing it. He'll handle it properly."

"Obviously!"

Others eagerly imagined how Heavenly Road Mountain would change and voiced their anticipation.

"I wish things could always be like this!"

"Carry some rocks, and bam, one silver ingot! Split those rocks into stair stones, and bam, two silver ingots!"

"If I kept earning like this, I could buy land and live well in just two hard years!"

The laborers of Shinheung County beamed as jobs that paid out silver ingots kept pouring in.

"If the road through Heavenly Road Mountain opens up, they'll buy a lot of our goods too, won't they?"

"They'll buy a ton!"

The merchants selling Shinheung County's specialties, dried fruit and fruit preserved in honey, were all smiles as well.

"Call in all the herb gatherers!"

"Gather all the woodcutters!"

"Do you know how bad the stench is by the coast? Once the road opens, our incense will sell like hotcakes!"

"We need to make it in advance!"

"Get the ingredients ready!"

"Mugwort. Sweet flag. Pine resin. Cinnamon bark. Dried tangerine peel. Star anise. Juniper. Tell them to gather everything they can find!"

The artisans who made another local specialty, incense, moved busily.

As the town stirred with excitement, the rural villages around Shinheung County followed suit.

"What? Why has the price of cotton cloth gone up so much? When I went into town, they offered one and a half times as much rice as before."

"They say Heavenly Road Mountain is opening. Cotton cloth will sell well in Yanggang on the coast, so they're preparing early. They can buy Yanggang's salt with cotton cloth too."

"Ah."

"Don't sell the cotton as it is this time. We should weave every bit of it into cloth and sell that."

"That's right. You're right."

From the town to the smallest villages.

Along the twisting mountain ridges.

The news spread like spring flowers.

Anticipation swelled.

Naturally, some people were uneasy.

"But there's no guarantee this will work out, is there? What if that Guangdong Martial Alliance just takes over the place like bandits and charges outrageous tolls? Then it won't do us any good at all."

Yet the trust a person built over many years was a more powerful asset than expected.

"What? Did this bastard just insult Great Hero Yi Yubaek by calling him a bandit?"

"When did I say that? And who are you? I've never seen you before, and you're picking a fight out of nowhere..."

"Who am I? When there was a drought and I didn't even have rice to give my mother, Great Hero Yi Yubaek gave us rice and saved my life!"

"Ack! What are you doing?!"

Unease and cynicism started to crawl out, only to be stomped flat.

All that remained was anticipation. It brought prosperity and activity to the economy around Shinheung County.

The smiles of people working with energy and joy.

Of course, such changes required an enormous amount of money.

Laying steps through Heavenly Road Mountain and building roads was no simple undertaking. Land for establishing a great sect would not appear for free, nor would its buildings rise without cost.

The spoils from Heavenly Road Mountain had been substantial, but a considerable portion had been given to Seo Myeongeum, Governor-General of Liangguang, in gratitude. The spoils alone could not cover the expense.

What was more, Yi Yubaek had not taken money from Shinheung County's merchants, contrary to the original plan, so funds were even tighter.

They had reached the point of selling off all of Windflow Martial Academy's assets to make up the shortfall.

"But that's the right thing to do."

It was because Yeon Sowol had insisted strongly.

"But Sowol, we're still short on money. Even if we sell all of Windflow Martial Academy, we won't have enough. And if we spend all our money, how will we pay the alliance members their monthly wages?"

"We'll collect the rest through membership fees."

"Membership fees?"

"Is Heavenly Road Mountain only Shinheung County's concern?"

Yeon Sowol grinned.

"Nearby, there are Eunpyeong beneath Heavenly Road Mountain, Yangchun, and even Yanggang on the coast beyond them. Aren't all those cities directly connected to Heavenly Road Mountain?"

"That's true."

"We give the sects in those places the opportunity to join our Guangdong Martial Alliance."

"Hmm..."

"Our alliance needs to grow larger than it is now. Managing Heavenly Road Mountain, the largest mountain in southern Guangdong, is no ordinary task. But we can't just hand out the rights we earned in blood for free, can we?"

"So we'll charge membership fees?"

"Yes. We'll bring the factions of Eunpyeong, Yangchun, and Yanggang under us as branches. Then we can even establish a network of carriages, allowing goods to be moved swiftly through our alliance."

"Huh. That's a different way of thinking! Completely different!"

Having seen the complicated society and economy of the twenty-first century, Yeon Sowol could not help but think differently from the people of this world.

Once they had settled on the plan, Yi Yubaek spent money without restraint. He did so even though they had not yet collected membership fees from the southern cities or finalized any agreements.

"A venture needs momentum!"

And so he pushed forward.

Money flowed, expectations grew, and the streets of Shinheung County changed rapidly.

Watching the whole process, Yeon Sowol felt something strange. He remembered a conversation he had once had with Yi Yubaek.

'You will change the world.'

'...Do I have to change the world?'

'That is not your choice. If you do not change the world, the world will change you.'

Back then, he had thought he needed to grow stronger because he feared the world.

Now, Yeon Sowol felt something quite different.

As he looked at the scenery that he and everyone else had changed together.

'Could I change... more?'

When he first fell into this land, he had been horrified by its unreasonable and filthy customs and conditions.

The shock had been vivid enough to still appear in his dreams.

But.

'If I can affect the world like this...'

If he could make the world wealthier, if he could make it safer, then could he not make it cleaner and more sensible too?

Beyond the one household where he lived. A street. A city. And then...

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

Lost in thought, Yeon Sowol quickly straightened his posture.

"Nothing, Father. I was just... surprised to see how people's expressions have changed..."

Yi Yubaek's expression turned playful at that answer.

"What? Do you want to change the world on a larger scale? Beyond yourself. Beyond one household. A street, a city, a whole region! Hmm? Cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. Hmm?"

A chill ran down Yeon Sowol's spine. Yi Yubaek had hit the mark so precisely that it felt as if he had read his mind.

Yi Yubaek's mood improved further when he saw Yeon Sowol's face as though he had seen a ghost.

"Haha. Everyone thinks the same way. I did too. When I first fought those Black Path bastards. When I destroyed the Heat Cauldron Sect. When I emptied my own coffers to feed people who were starving. I thought I could change the whole world."

His smile suddenly faded.

He grasped Yeon Sowol by both shoulders.

"But I couldn't. It was far harder than I thought. To be honest, before you came, all I could do was keep Windflow Martial Academy afloat. But."

His fingertips tightened.

"You can do it. What we're doing now will be the smallest thing you accomplish. You've already created a great sect, so why couldn't you make it into a renowned great sect? Why couldn't you build a great clan? You can do it. You can."

It was an incredibly embarrassing thing to hear. Yeon Sowol was not even twenty yet, and his ears turned red.

Still, he did not look away.

Something in Yi Yubaek's eyes, filled with a strange longing, was kindling a flame in Yeon Sowol's heart as well.

Yeon Sowol simply nodded once.

Yi Yubaek roughly ruffled his hair.

"You brat. Come on, let's go make some money. Just as you said, Windflow Martial Academy's warehouse has been emptied out, so we'd better come back with it packed full."

Yi Yubaek turned around. Behind him stood the disciples of Windflow Martial Academy, the former disciples of the Severing Sword Sect, and the newly joined alliance members, all lined up in ranks.

Yi Yubaek addressed them in a low, booming voice.

"From this moment on! Do not let your guard down for even an instant! Whether it is Eunpyeong beyond that mountain! Yangchun! Yanggang, the great city by the coast! No! Even Danzhou, one of Guangdong's most prosperous cities! Wherever martial artists see us, make them shrink back! Mind your conduct and project an imposing presence!"

He cast his gaze beyond the distant walls, toward the peaks of Heavenly Road Mountain winding away into the distance.

"From now on, we must bring Heavenly Road Mountain and everything along the route to Yanggang under our sphere of influence."

No one answered.

Instead.

Thump!

They all stamped their feet at once.

Mounting his horse, Yi Yubaek whispered to Yeon Sowol.

"Come. Let's go earn your final merit."

Yeon Sowol's eyes widened.

"What do you mean, final?"

"Once this is over, won't you need to study under a master for a while?"

"What?"

"Commander-in-Chief General Chu Seongho of Liangguang wrote you a letter of recommendation."

Yi Yubaek casually pulled out a letter from inside his robes and showed it to him.

"That's..."

"A recommendation to the renowned military clan of the realm, the Hebei Peng Clan."

"Hebei..."

"It's far away. I know. But it's the Peng Clan. True to their name as a military clan, there is no equal in the realm when it comes to cultivation methods that forge explosive power and a strong body. The training would be more than worthwhile even by the standards of the whole realm. You may find another opportunity there as well."

"I..."

Yeon Sowol hesitated for some reason before finally answering.

"...Thank you."

For some reason, his throat tightened.

For some reason, he did not want to be grateful.

Yeon Sowol looked back at Shinheung County.

He looked at the alliance's martial artists marching forward in high spirits.

"Why do you look like that? This is not the end. You are my son, so isn't this your home?"

Yi Yubaek said so.

Even so.

For some reason, Yeon Sowol felt reluctant to leave.

* * *

The Master of the Dark Shadow Pavilion was in an extremely bad mood.

"What the hell are people like that doing in a backwater like this?"

It all began when he detected a strange presence while returning after searching all of Gukeun Temple for the faint scent of Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense.

It was the smell of alcohol.

Not ordinary alcohol, but spirit brew of extraordinary quality.

Though the trace seemed about a day old, its spiritual presence remained.

'This is it!'

He was certain. This presence, so out of place in a rural area like this, had to be connected to Killing Demon's suspicious death.

From that moment on, he focused entirely on tracking that faint scent of liquor.

He left Shinheung County, went all the way up to Danzhou, then followed the river east. Day after day, he desperately chased down that fading presence.

At last, he found them north of Bulsan.

He nearly jumped out of his skin.

'Fuck. Why are things like that here?'

A Daoist bastard. A beggar bastard. Some noble figure.

The instant he laid eyes on them, he stopped breathing.

Then he quietly turned around and slipped away.

Any one of them would have been troublesome, but there were three of them.

If he were caught, it would end in far more than trouble.

'Fuck. Fuck.'

Anger surged through him.

There was not the faintest trace of Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense on them. Even with them right in front of his eyes, there was no scent at all. That meant they had truly never made contact with Killing Demon.

'Does that make any sense? Does it?! People like that were in Shinheung County, Killing Demon died in Shinheung County, and they had nothing to do with it?!'

If he had caught even the faintest scent of the tracking incense, it would have meant they were the cause of Killing Demon's death. He could have simply returned to the main headquarters.

But there was no scent?

That meant starting all over again. Searching Shinheung County all over again.

'Fuck. Fuck.'

He returned to Shinheung County in a foul mood.

Then he heard a rumor.

'Yeon Sowol?'

A young expert who had reached the late first-rate realm before even coming of age.

'Was this it?'

He hurried to search Windflow Martial Academy.

'It's stronger...'

Faint, but unmistakable. The scent of Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense was stronger at Windflow Martial Academy. His heart pounded. Was this tedious task finally about to end?

'Yeon Sowol. Where is Yeon Sowol?'

But he soon learned the truth.

"...He left? A few days ago? Beyond Heavenly Road Mountain? He's going all the way to Yanggang?"

Then.

"...Fuck."

Crossing the mountain again? All the way to the coast?

"Fuck."

The Master of the Dark Shadow Pavilion sat down in the middle of the road.

"Why the hell... Why am I... Why am I here..."

The frustration rose until it became unbearable.

Footnotes:

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