WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 77: When Water Is Too Clear, There Are No Fish (25)

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Wudang's Cotton Palm.

It was a palm art that vied for supremacy under heaven, but of course he could not simply learn it as he pleased.

A mountain-guarding ultimate art was a sect's secret legacy, passed down only to its mountain-guarding disciples.

If an outsider learned it and was discovered, they would have to fight Wudang to the death.

That was why Noh Huideok said,

"Keep it well hidden, then show it to the Alliance Leader when you meet him. I'm sure the Alliance Leader will suggest a good solution."

Yeon Sowol tucked the Cotton Palm Art manual inside his robes. It was not a particularly thick book, yet it somehow felt heavy.

That was not the end of Noh Huideok's warning.

Once they had settled the matter of the manual, Noh Huideok gathered everyone and firmly impressed something else upon them.

"Today, none of us encountered a demonic practitioner."

Some widened their eyes, while others nodded.

"If the demonic practitioner belonged to an organization, pursuers will surely come. How could they sit still after someone that powerful vanished?"

"Ah."

"Ah..."

Only then did those who had been tilting their heads let out exclamations of realization.

"So none of us encountered a demonic practitioner. We only ran into a Black Path fiend and ended up like this. Even that must not be spoken of openly. Keep it quiet, so no one discovers any connection between us and the demonic practitioner's death. We must become a forgotten group that simply passed through. Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded heavily.

"And now, I will return this to you."

Still holding the Demon-Severing Sword, Noh Huideok held it out.

Yeon Sowol accepted it, supporting both the hilt and the blade with his hands.

At that moment,

Crack!

The sharp sound of shattering glass rang out, loud enough to make everyone turn in surprise.

"This..."

Yeon Sowol looked at the Demon-Severing Sword in his hand. Fine cracks ran all across it. With the slightest movement, fragments began falling away.

"It was perfectly fine until just now..."

The moment it returned to Yeon Sowol's hand, it crumbled.

"...It was a spiritual sword. It must have endured until the moment it could return to its owner."

Yeon Sowol blinked.

"Is that possible?"

"You saw it yourself, did you not?"

"..."

That was true. What other reason could there be for a sword that had remained whole until now to fall apart the instant it returned to his hand?

"Demons are beings that overwhelm humans. A sword capable of fighting such demons would not have been forged by ordinary means. It was truly a precious treasure. Thanks to it, we survived."

The Senior First Rank Governor-General of Liangguang had bestowed it upon Yeon Sowol as the most valuable sword in the Governor-General's possession. Such a claim could not have been empty praise.

Yeon Sowol slowly removed his outer robe and carefully gathered the shattered pieces of the sword inside, making sure not to miss a single one.

After wrapping them securely, he placed the bundle atop the cart carrying the dead.

"I owe them so much."

With a sigh, Yeon Sowol trudged to the front of the cart.

He unfastened the harness from the donkey and took hold of the cart's shafts himself.

"We will find a quiet temple near the road to Naryong County and respectfully lay the deceased to rest. I will bury my sword there as well."

Creak.

The cart covered in white cloth began to move.

It carried the bodies of people and a sword.

"Young Master Yeon."

Watching him, Noh Huideok walked over to another cart and began pulling it as well.

"Young Alliance Leader..."

"Great Hero Noh..."

The members of the Guangdong Martial Alliance all came forward to lend a hand, but Yeon Sowol shook his head.

"We cannot all pull the carts. Come on. We need to send them off properly."

The others lowered their heads, some looked up at the sky, and they hurriedly repacked their belongings.

The procession, now half its original size, began moving again.

They headed for Naryong County, where they were supposed to reunite with the others.

* * *

Jin Geol had already arrived in Naryong County.

"Living in that mountain town had me drying out! Now that I've seen water, I finally feel alive again!"

The Guangdong Martial Alliance had split into five groups and headed for Naryong County.

Since Jin Geol did not belong to the Martial Alliance in the first place, he had come to Naryong County ahead of everyone else to have some fun.

Naryong County, which lay along the Naryong River, was not a major city, but it was known as a lively place with a pleasant atmosphere.

It had several elegant pavilions that would be hard to find in a mountain village like Shinheung County. As befitted a city connected to both the sea and the river, it also had plenty of delicious seafood. He had been having a wonderful time. The spoils from Heavenly Road Mountain had filled his purse as well, leaving him with even less to worry about.

Still, after enjoying himself to his heart's content, he had begun to feel bored.

"They should be here soon."

He missed his friend. The Martial Alliance groups from the other four routes had already arrived, but Yeon Sowol's group had yet to show up.

"Hmm. Should I go meet them?"

Jin Geol ambled out through the northern side of Naryong County, in the direction Yeon Sowol would be coming from.

After walking for about half a day, he spotted a group of around fifteen people. The moment he recognized the face of the person at the front, Jin Geol raised a hand high.

"Hey! Yeon Sowol!"

He rushed over. Though his internal energy had reached the first-rate realm, he had not learned a decent lightness skill, so he simply ran with brute strength.

"Why are you so late? I'm planning to leave once I reach Yanggang! That's why I need to have as much fun as I can now! Come on, hurry up!"

Jin Geol grinned as he came to stand beside Yeon Sowol.

Yeon Sowol welcomed him with a happy smile, but the atmosphere felt strangely heavy.

'What is this mood...?'

At first, Jin Geol wondered if Yeon Sowol had taken his decision to leave to heart.

"Ah, don't worry about it. If there are meetings, there are partings too. I wasn't from here to begin with. I only stayed this long because of you. You look like you'll be tied up with the Guangdong Martial Alliance for a while, so I thought it was time for me to leave."

That was why he had gone on and on, yet the oppressive mood weighed on him.

Jin Geol's voice gradually grew quieter.

'Why is it so heavy...?'

No. It wasn't so much heavy as it was fierce.

Despite being Yeon Sowol's friend, Jin Geol felt strangely intimidated by him.

'It's only been a little while. Has his presence changed again already...?'

It was heavy and sharp.

Fierce and immense.

It was not just Yeon Sowol. The entire group he led radiated a taut, threatening presence.

"...Did something happen?"

"You came at just the right time."

Yeon Sowol spoke calmly.

"I'm sorry you came all this way, but go to Naryong County first and pass a message to my father."

He asked Jin Geol to tell his father that they had encountered a demonic practitioner at the transcendent peak realm on the way there, that half their group had died, and that they had to hide the truth as much as possible. The martial artists of the Guangdong Martial Alliance would know, but they too had to be warned to keep quiet and act as though they knew nothing.

Jin Geol's mouth fell open.

"No... No..."

"Hurry."

"Y-yeah. All right."

Jin Geol hurried back to Naryong County.

"..."

Yeon Sowol let out a quiet sigh that was almost too soft to hear, then began pulling the cart again.

Creak. Creak.

* * *

When Yeon Sowol arrived in Naryong County, he could tell that Jin Geol had explained everything properly.

"Let's get on the boat first."

Yi Yubaek did not even give them time to talk.

The group passed straight through Naryong County and boarded a boat bound for Yanggang. This way, the people of Naryong County would never learn that several heroes of the Guangdong Martial Alliance had died before reaching the county.

There was no way to know what had happened to martial artists who had simply passed by.

Flap!

The sails rose.

Wind blew along the river.

The boat carrying the alliance members glided downstream.

Yeon Sowol sat at the bow and blankly watched the scenery flow past.

Nearby, Noh Huideok and Yi Yubaek spoke.

"...You've reached the peak realm."

"No, Alliance Leader. I only have one foot in the peak realm. That said, would it be all right if I entered closed-door seclusion for about a month? I apologize for doing so just as the alliance is beginning to establish itself."

"Of course that is the right choice. With a peak realm master in the alliance, the Guangdong Martial Alliance's position will become as solid as bedrock."

"Especially since you, Alliance Leader, will likely reach the peak realm within a few years as well."

Noh Huideok was about to reach the peak realm.

It was huge news, but Yeon Sowol barely reacted.

Like the passing scenery, their words seemed to drift away as well.

"It seemed that even the martial artists who were second-rate had gained some insight from the battle."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. If things go well, the Martial Alliance will gain more first-rate martial artists."

"Ha. We truly are becoming a major sect."

"It is all thanks to Young Alliance Leader Yeon."

"I never tire of hearing praise for my son."

Those were words that should have made his heart pound.

A force that had begun as a martial academy in Shinheung County was becoming a major sect known throughout Guangdong.

Yet today, that excitement left Yeon Sowol with mixed feelings.

"Father."

After listening in silence, he called out to Yi Yubaek.

"So you finally speak."

The response made it seem as though Yi Yubaek had been waiting for this. Yeon Sowol felt awkward, but he opened his mouth.

"I think I need to leave Guangdong."

Yi Yubaek looked at him silently.

"I heard from Great Hero Noh. Is it because of the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense?"

"Yes..."

"Will another demonic practitioner come looking for you if you remain here?"

"Yes. And more people will die. We may not be as lucky as we were this time."

"Do you think their deaths were your fault?"

"Their deaths were at least partly my fault."

Yi Yubaek did not press him further.

"Then will you leave from Yanggang?"

"Yes. Jin Geol said he would leave by boat from Yanggang as well. I think it would be good to go together."

As he answered, Yeon Sowol turned his gaze away.

He looked at the boat he was on, then at the other boats floating ahead and behind them. All of them had been chartered by the members of the Guangdong Martial Alliance.

"That works out well."

Yi Yubaek said.

Yeon Sowol looked at him with slight displeasure. What exactly was so good about it?

Yi Yubaek smiled and drank directly from the bottle.

The faint scent of alcohol spread on the river breeze.

"Sowol, were you not planning to leave in search of a master anyway?"

"...That's true, but..."

"If you think of it that way, there is nothing bad about this. You are simply going to find a master a little earlier than planned."

"..."

"Besides, you can now seek an even better master."

"What do you mean, better?"

Yi Yubaek grinned.

"Great Hero Noh told me what you obtained."

"Ah..."

"It is an excellent thing. Mountain-guarding ultimate arts are ordinarily passed down only to mountain-guarding disciples. But once you become one, you are bound to that sect forever. You would be that sect's disciple first and a member of the Guangdong Martial Alliance second."

Yeon Sowol already knew that. It was one reason he had been reluctant to seek a master.

Yet Yi Yubaek continued.

"Even that absolute rule has an exception."

Tap!

His hand tapped Yeon Sowol's chest, where the manual was hidden.

"A benefactor. A person who has rendered a great service to a sect may be taught a mountain-guarding ultimate art without becoming a mountain-guarding disciple."

"Then..."

"Anyone who recovers martial arts that were about to fall into the Demonic Cult's hands is more than worthy of being called a benefactor."

"Ah."

"So how is this not a good thing? You can now learn a mountain-guarding ultimate art without becoming a mountain-guarding disciple. Once you are strong enough, you can return to Guangdong."

"You're right!"

Yeon Sowol's voice brightened.

Now that he heard it, things were much better than he had thought.

Yi Yubaek stared at Yeon Sowol's face for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"Sowol, are you still lonely? About leaving Guangdong?"

Yeon Sowol opened his mouth to answer.

He seemed as though he wanted to say no.

But perhaps his throat had gone dry, because no words came out.

He turned his gaze toward the boats floating ahead and behind.

The boats carrying the heroes of Guangdong.

The boats carrying the people who would change Shinheung County and Guangdong.

Yeon Sowol stared at those boats for a long while.

Soon, the Guangdong Martial Alliance would have peak realm martial artists. It would gain more first-rate martial artists, and greater achievements would pile up one after another.

It all drifted away.

With the scenery.

Beyond the river.

Footnotes:

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