WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 78: Blue Comes from Indigo, Yet Is Bluer Than Indigo

──────

Yi Yubaek spoke.

"Don't go straight to Wudang just yet."

Yeon Sowol found that strange.

"Wouldn't it be better to head there directly, when we don't know what might happen along the way?"

Though he said "what might happen," Yi Yubaek understood that he meant the Demonic Cult. As long as Yeon Sowol carried the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense, he could be tracked at any time.

"They won't track you down so quickly. It is hard to imagine a master of that level acting alone and ending up dead. You should worry about Wudang instead."

"Wudang?"

Gulp.

Yi Yubaek raised the bottle and drank. The sharp scent of alcohol spread through the air.

"That's right. Before you go to Wudang, you need to make sure the whole world knows you are Yeon Sowol. You need to make a great many friends."

"Friends...?"

"Brat. No matter how great your insight is, you really don't understand how the world works."

Yi Yubaek smiled with his eyes.

"Shall I be honest? The farther a region lies from the Central Plains, the more its people are treated like country bumpkins. Us martial artists from Guangdong? We're provincial martial artists. We cannot expect to be treated the same as everyone else. You should always be prepared to be looked down on and belittled."

"That's..."

Yeon Sowol felt a surge of indignation, even though he was not really from Guangdong.

"It cannot be helped. That is how they see us. But say some country bumpkin from Guangdong brings them a treasure of the world and asks to be treated as a benefactor. Do you really think they will not have ugly thoughts? If they quietly kill that one bumpkin, they will not have to repay any favor."

!!!

Yeon Sowol's eyes widened.

"N-no way..."

Old Man Jo Manseok's voice rang in his head.

'Never trust anyone in the Jianghu.'

But still.

"Even so, Wudang is famous among the orthodox schools. They are not ordinary worldly people, either. It is a sect of Daoists devoted to cultivation. Would they really do something like bandits...?"

Yi Yubaek gave a crooked grin.

"They probably will not. I do not think they will either."

"Then why did you just..."

"But, Sowol."

The river wind brushed coolly across the back of his neck. For some reason, Yeon Sowol listened with every sense sharpened.

"Don't entrust your life and death to someone else's goodwill. What sin has that person committed, that they should have to make an effort to remain kind?"

"Ah..."

"Never leave yourself defenseless, no matter the moment. The sight of treasure stirs greed. There is goodness in people's hearts, but there is even more evil. Do not test it for no reason."

Yi Yubaek continued.

"They say that when water is too clear, there are no fish. But in truth, fish live just fine in clear water. Look at the southern sea, and you will see it everywhere. So I thought about what that saying really meant."

Slowly, Yi Yubaek's large hand stroked Yeon Sowol's hair.

"Fish do not die for lack of clear water. They die because there is no mud. Because there are no water plants or coral to hide among. So you should always keep them prepared as well. In that clear blue water of yours, keep mud and coral that can conceal you."

"...Yes."

Yeon Sowol slowly lowered his head. The river wind swept through his hair.

"Thank you for teaching me something."

"Oh, don't call it that. It was not some great lesson."

Yi Yubaek took another sip of alcohol.

Deliberately swaying a little, he lightly leaped onto the ship's railing and stared out at the river, dark in the distance.

"Take a ship from Yanggang, then, shortly before you reach Haojing, sail north along the North River. Pass through Shaoguan and cross the Nanling Mountains, and you will reach Hunan Province. That road leads to Wudang, and martial artists from all over the world gather there. It should be more than enough for you to make a name for yourself."

Haojing was the region where Macau and Hong Kong would be in the twenty-first century.

It would be a long journey, passing through that area and traveling north along the North River, which cut through Guangdong from south to north.

Yi Yubaek looked back at Yeon Sowol warmly.

"It will not be difficult. Just do what you have been doing. Just as you made your name in Guangdong, make your name in Hunan. Before long, the entire world will know your name. Then even Wudang will gladly welcome you as a benefactor."

"Father..."

From the wind blowing over the bow, Yeon Sowol thought he could somehow smell the salty scent of the sea.

* * *

Yanggang was a great city facing the sea.

It was so bustling that Yeon Sowol, who had spent more than a year in Shinheung County alone, found himself staring wide-eyed.

Ships large and small came and went nonstop through the harbor, where salty winds blew. Laborers, sweating heavily, shouted for people to get out of the way. Sailors who had disembarked gathered in groups and headed toward the commercial street that stretched right up to the harbor.

Beneath the tiled roofs of buildings two and three stories high, there was every kind of alcohol and food imaginable. Behind them, shops for merchants continued without end.

It was the sort of street where, like a busy neighborhood in twenty-first-century Seoul, people had to watch their steps to keep from bumping shoulders.

Even in a place like that, though, the Guangdong Martial Alliance held great prestige.

"We have been eagerly awaiting the Guangdong Martial Alliance's visit."

Having apparently received word already, people were waiting to greet them as soon as they disembarked.

There were the heads of local sects from Yanggang, as well as an official sent by Yanggang's Junior Fifth Rank provincial governor.

"The provincial governor said you may visit whenever it is convenient."

It was a moment that revealed the Guangdong Martial Alliance's current standing. It also made one look forward to how much farther the alliance would expand.

But Yeon Sowol had to leave.

Yi Yubaek said it would be best to depart as soon as possible, since he was not going directly to Wudang anyway.

As it happened, there was a ship heading to Haojing before traveling north along the North River toward Shaoguan.

Cruelly, it was leaving at once. There was not even a moment to spare.

"..."

Yi Yubaek studied Yeon Sowol's expression and asked,

"Didn't I tell you this was a good thing?"

"But, Father."

Yeon Sowol bit his lip a few times before answering.

"For some reason, it feels like I'm running away. I think that makes it feel worse."

"It feels like you're running away..."

"Yes. Because I am running away out of fear of the Demonic Cult."

He could not remain somewhere he wanted to stay.

He was being driven away by others.

It left him bitter and hurt.

"And..."

There was something else.

"I've grown so attached to this place. Thinking that I have to leave all of this behind makes it worse. Like a dog that lost a fight and had to leave everything behind..."

"You won."

"Yes, I did win, but... in the end..."

"Sowol."

Thump.

Yi Yubaek's fist pressed gently against Yeon Sowol's chest.

"You are not leaving it behind. You have already entered Guangdong and been colored by it. You are not leaving it behind, and you are not leaving."

"..."

Yeon Sowol's eyes asked, Then what am I doing?

"You are carrying it with you."

"..."

"That look says you're not convinced."

"...Thank you for trying to comfort me."

"That is not comfort, you brat."

Smack!

Yi Yubaek struck Yeon Sowol on the forehead.

The blow carried internal energy and hurt quite a bit. Yeon Sowol rubbed his forehead as Yi Yubaek's voice reached his ears.

"Miss Eun-yeong."

...!

"Jeon Taegwang. Sect Leader Shin Jae-eon. The Severing Sword Sect."

!!

"Seo Muryang's Golden Powder Gang. Hang Inwoo's White Dragon Gang. Heavenly Road Mountain."

Yi Yubaek asked Yeon Sowol,

"Can you truly say that you have not taken the martial world of Guangdong into your heart?"

"..."

Yeon Sowol lowered his head.

He could not say that.

"And is it just any ordinary martial world of Guangdong? No. It is its essence! Of the Guangdong martial world, you have taken only its essence and carried it with you."

Yi Yubaek said,

"Blue comes from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than indigo."

Blue Comes from Indigo, Yet Is Bluer Than Indigo.

"You are the true martial world of Guangdong."

Yi Yubaek rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a pouch. It held an even mix of gold, silver ingots, and coins.

"Wherever you are is Guangdong. So go and show them. Show those martial artists of the Central Plains, who treat us like country hicks, how blue the southern sea truly is."

"..."

Yi Yubaek pressed the pouch of spending money into Yeon Sowol's hand.

Even then, he held on tight for a long while.

Looking down at that hand, Yeon Sowol asked,

"Do you think I can do well?"

"Of course. Your sea is already bluer than mine."

Yi Yubaek's hand let go, a little late and a little reluctantly.

The adoptive son prostrated himself before his adoptive father.

The ship spread its sails.

* * *

Whoosh!

Like most ports, Yanggang's harbor sat in a round bay. When one turned their head, hills rose on either side, with waves crashing beneath them.

The ship was passing between the two hills, bound for the open sea.

"Waahaha!"

"This is great!"

"Now that Heavenly Road Mountain has opened, we can sell every fish we catch!"

"This is a chance that will change our lives!"

The arrival of the Guangdong Martial Alliance in Yanggang was joyous news even to ordinary people.

Until now, they had to take boats all the way to Bulsan and sell seafood and salt for a pittance. Now they could sell those goods directly via Heavenly Road Mountain.

What was more, they would be able to buy the fruits, honey, cotton, silk, and various fragrances produced in the mountains at much lower prices.

Yanggang was about to become far wealthier than before.

Celebrations were being held throughout the harbor.

People who had abandoned their work and run outside clinked cups together and sang.

Even as the ship carried him away, Yeon Sowol could hear their laughter and songs.

For some reason, they made him feel even more downcast.

"Sowol. Are you still making that funeral face?"

"...Jin Geol."

Jin Geol staggered over with a bottle in one hand. A man with first-rate internal energy would not get drunk from so little alcohol. He was only putting it on to enjoy the mood.

"I'm happy. We're setting off together, my friend. It's perfect. We get to pass through Shaoguan once more, then head to Hunan."

"..."

"Oh, come on. This calls for alcohol. Here, have a drink."

Jin Geol pulled out a cup, wiped it carelessly on his sleeve, and handed it over. Then he poured the liquor.

It was a strong drink that stung his nose from the scent alone.

"This is expensive stuff. Azure Wave Smile. They say it is liquor that makes you smile as you look upon blue waves."

"...Thanks."

Yeon Sowol accepted the cup, clinked it against Jin Geol's, and tossed it back.

It was hot.

The scorching liquid burned down his throat and into his stomach. A sharp warmth spread through his stomach.

"...Hah."

A hollow laugh slipped out.

It was too strong.

The sharp scent of alcohol in his exhaled breath was almost dizzying.

"See? It makes you smile without even trying."

Jin Geol laughed.

Just as Yeon Sowol was about to answer,

"What's that? Is it liquor?"

"Sniff, sniff. It smells good. Don't tell me it's Azure Wave Smile?"

"Hey, good liquor? Let us have some too. Mine is quite decent as well."

"I've got some good snacks. Meat stir-fried with honey."

People came flooding over.

Yeon Sowol was a little flustered. He was not in the mood to socialize.

But people of the sea were extremely sociable. Besides, songs and the clinking of cups could still be heard from the harbor.

"Ha! What a fine day! Heavenly Road Mountain has opened."

"A chance like this only comes once in a lifetime."

"Exactly. Yanggang is going to change in a big way."

The people who had invited themselves over ignored Yeon Sowol and chatted as they pleased, clinking their cups together. Swept up in the atmosphere, Yeon Sowol awkwardly clinked cups with them a few times and drank.

Jin Geol watched him and smiled.

Then he leaped to his feet and shouted, keeping his balance with ease on the rocking ship.

"Ah, this is nice. We have ended up on the same ship again, so surely that is fate. To commemorate it, I shall sing a song!"

"Oh?"

"Oooh!"

"Excellent!"

"I am looking forward to it."

Jin Geol began to sing, his voice full of hearty laughter.

♬

One laugh across the vast blue sea,

The tides surge along both shores.

Floating and sinking with the waves,

I shall remember this day.

♬

Jin Geol poured the drinks.

For Yeon Sowol. Then for the person beside him. Then for the next.

Each time a cup filled, people laughed.

♬

The blue heavens laugh,

And the chaotic world surges on.

Who has lost and who has won,

Heaven will decide.

The rivers and mountains laugh,

The misty rain sways far away.

The great waves sweep away

The dusty affairs of the mortal world. How much could they ever matter?

♬

The people beside Yeon Sowol clinked their cups.

Then the people beside them clinked theirs.

As cups came toward him from every side, Yeon Sowol hurriedly clinked each one in return.

♬

Though the clear wind laughs and brings loneliness in the end,

A hero's spirit remains in the sunset that falls upon his robes.

All people laugh. No one is lonely anymore.

♬

People laughed heartily.

Liquor splashed from their cups, and sea spray splashed against the ship.

Glug.

Jin Geol filled Yeon Sowol's cup once more.

"This is Yanggang's famous Azure Wave Smile. How does it taste, Sowol?"

Yeon Sowol looked quietly at the cup.

"It is good."

He tossed it back in one gulp and laughed.

Jin Geol had finished singing, but the song kept moving from person to person, carrying on.

♬

The spirit of heroes remains, laughing foolishly, laughing again and again.

♬

Sowol grew drunk.

The sails swelled.

Across the blue southern sea, laughter did not stop.

Footnotes:

The song lyrics are from “A Laugh from the Vast Sea,” the soundtrack theme from the 1990 film The Swordsman.

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