WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 81: I Was Once a Madman of Chu (3)

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After their pleasure boat trip on the Gold River, the people went their separate ways.

Some took the Meiguan Old Road toward Jiangxi Province.

Others took the Sangwol Old Road toward Hunan Province.

Along the way, they told the story to everyone they met.

"Ha... Do you know what I saw at Danxia Mountain?"

"What did you see?"

"I saw a young martial artist from Guangdong, not even of age yet, defeat a rising young talent from Zhongnan."

"Hm? Guangdong? They have a martial world there too?"

"That's exactly what I said!"

The person who had witnessed it firsthand grew excited and raised their voice.

"Do you know how the dispute started?"

"How?"

"That young hero from Guangdong, Yeon Sowol, threw a cup."

"Don't tell me. At a rising young talent from Zhongnan?"

"At his face."

"Good heavens. What could have happened?"

"That's what I'm saying. After landing a sword strike and defeating him, do you know what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"Why didn't you dodge?"

"Good heavens!"

"It was Young Hero Won Huiseung of Zhongnan. After hearing that, his face turned red with shame..."

"Why didn't you dodge? How utterly arrogant."

"He must've meant, 'Why couldn't you even dodge that?'"

"Naturally. They say Guangdong people have awful tempers..."

"That's exactly what I said!"

Little by little, Yeon Sowol's name began to spread through Hunan and Jiangxi.

* * *

The Sangwol Old Road crossed the Nanling Mountains, connecting Guangdong and Hunan.

Blue stone had been laid along its relatively gentle route. Even in the rain, it remained solid underfoot, making it a long mountain road along which countless horses and donkeys carried goods between Guangdong and Hunan.

Rather than using their lightness skills, Yeon Sowol and Jin Geol crossed the Sangwol Old Road at a leisurely pace.

Yeon Sowol had been lost in thought about martial arts.

He had already been pondering the principles of the orthodox and the demonic for some time, but after witnessing Won Huiseung's Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven, his thoughts had only deepened.

It was the first supreme-grade sword art he had seen since arriving in this world, and it had left that strong an impression.

'Even when I learned from the Windflow Sword, I thought it was profound and mysterious. But the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven was on an entirely different level. If the Windflow Sword is a firefly, then the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven is a full moon...'

It was unfair to Yi Yubaek, but he could not think of it any other way.

He had only won because Won Huiseung could not properly wield that sword. What would have happened if he had faced a swordsman capable of fully displaying its true meaning?

'If I dig deeply enough into it, I might gain the insight needed to reach the peak realm...'

In truth, Yeon Sowol had already reached the point where he could attain the peak realm without any particular insight. It was only a matter of time.

For others, late first-rate, Faint Fragrance Unfading, was a great wall. To advance from there into Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion, the peak realm, they had to deepen their stage of maturity and intensely heat every corner of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. That required insight.

Yet after fully absorbing the Greater Rejuvenation Pill, Yeon Sowol's True Flame had grown fiercely hot, and his stage of maturity had deepened on its own. Given enough time, reaching the peak realm was certain.

Still, he did not want to reach it that way.

'I can't just sit around waiting. If I gain insight too, I'll reach the next realm faster and properly.'

Meeting the Master of the Dark Shadow Pavilion had made him feel that even more strongly.

That transcendent peak realm demonic practitioner was someone he could never have defeated without a string of extraordinary luck.

If someone like that came after him again, he could not be satisfied with merely reaching the peak realm. Yeon Sowol became consumed by the desire to gain insight as soon as possible, advance to the peak realm, and challenge the realm beyond it.

'Whew... Still, don't get impatient. Don't get impatient. Now, where was I?'

As he trudged along the Sangwol Old Road, lost in thought, there always came a moment when his concentration hit rock bottom.

Whenever he looked around then, he saw Jin Geol grinning to himself.

"Jin Geol, why are you smiling like that again?"

Without a word, Jin Geol tapped the thick pouch at his waist.

The heavy sound of silver ingots clinking together came from within. It held the fortune he had won at long odds by being the only one to bet on Yeon Sowol during the Gold River boat trip.

Several days had already passed, and he was still delighted by the sound of it.

A little tired of it, Yeon Sowol asked, "...Still? Do you like silver ingots that much?"

"Of course I do."

Jin Geol's eyes gleamed.

"There are forty silver ingots in here. That's four taels of gold! Half of it is yours, so how can you sound so calm?"

It really was a great deal of money. A poor woodcutter in Guangdong might have to work four or five full years to earn that much.

And earning it did not mean being able to hold onto it. They spent their earnings as fast as they came in, and even after four or five years, a poor woodcutter would struggle to have even a single silver coin left in hand.

Naturally, Jin Geol was thrilled to have won such a large sum in a single wager.

"With this much spare money, we can buy spiritual elixirs in Hengyang!"

"Spiritual elixirs?"

That got a reaction from Yeon Sowol too.

Jin Geol smiled meaningfully.

"Yes. Spiritual elixirs. Nanyue, the Southern Peak, is right by Hengyang. It's one of the Five Great Mountains Under Heaven and a holy land of Daoism. Daoist temples line every street in Hengyang, and high-quality elixir pills made by Daoists are everywhere."

"Really?"

Yeon Sowol swallowed.

When he heard the word gold, it had sounded vaguely nice. More money was always good. That had been the extent of it. But spiritual elixirs were different.

'If I take a spiritual elixir now, couldn't I reach the peak realm even faster?'

Another elixir might be less effective because he had already consumed the Greater Rejuvenation Pill, but it could not possibly have no effect at all.

Jin Geol's low voice reached Yeon Sowol's ears as he swallowed back his drool.

"There are all kinds of elixir pills. With enough money, you can pick whichever ones you like. Some awaken the spirit and help you gain insight."

Yeon Sowol's eyes widened.

"Is that true? Something that helps with insight?"

"It's true."

Yeon Sowol reached out and tapped the thick pouch at Jin Geol's waist.

Clink!

A broad grin spread across Yeon Sowol's face.

"That's wonderful to hear!"

"I told you!"

For a while, the two happily rattled the silver ingots in the pouch.

Then Jin Geol lowered his voice and asked in a coaxing tone, "What do you think? There's no better way to make money than betting against rich young masters. So let's do what I said before. Build our reputations, earn money. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"That might be a little..."

Yeon Sowol, who had been giggling, quickly backed away.

Jin Geol's proposal was to crash some suitable gathering, throw a cup, and start another fight. Yeon Sowol simply could not bring himself to do that.

"Ah! Why not? You did fine last time!"

"No! That couldn't be helped!"

The two were bickering as they made their way along the Sangwol Old Road when someone called out from behind them.

"Excuse me!"

A man rushed toward them as though flying.

Whoosh!

Though he had clearly been running at full speed, he lightly slowed just before them. Spreading his arms like a kite to catch the wind, he came to a gentle stop as his robes fluttered around him.

"Young Hero Yeon! Young Hero Jin!"

"Young Hero Won?"

The man who lifted his head while catching his breath was Won Huiseung, a second-generation disciple of Zhongnan.

「What is this? Did he come to get revenge?」

As Jin Geol sent that voice transmission and casually reached for his sword hilt, Won Huiseung hurriedly made a fist-and-palm salute despite his labored breathing.

"I'm sorry. I committed a breach of etiquette. I hurried to catch up, and I apologize for startling you."

Jin Geol's hand paused on the sword hilt.

Won Huiseung glanced at it, then looked at Yeon Sowol.

"Would you mind if I traveled with you?"

"...All of a sudden?"

Yeon Sowol was bewildered.

He did not hold a grudge against Won Huiseung.

Still, their connection was hardly a good one.

Especially after seeing Won Huiseung's face turn bright red at the end, he had thought he might have gone too far.

'I thought I'd definitely made an enemy...'

Yet Won Huiseung wanted to travel with them. Did he have some ulterior motive?

Noticing Yeon Sowol's suspicion, Won Huiseung waved both hands.

"I only say this in case you're concerned, but I bear Young Hero Yeon no ill will. As for Young Hero Jin, there's no need to say it."

"Then why do you want to travel with us?"

"Because I like you!"

Yeon Sowol frowned and took a step back.

Jin Geol did the same.

"No, no! I mean that I had a great awakening thanks to you!"

"An awakening?"

"Yes. After Young Hero Yeon left, I kept turning over those words. 'Why didn't you dodge?'"

Won Huiseung's expression turned serious.

"Then I realized it. I had confined the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven within my own narrow framework. The meaning of the sword art was far greater and broader, but I had become buried in the one meaning I imagined for it. That was why I could not dodge. No. I did not dodge. I had been blind."

Yeon Sowol stared at Won Huiseung.

Honestly, he was surprised.

'He figured all that out on his own?'

Anyone would have taken that remark as mockery, but Won Huiseung had used it as a starting point and found for himself the exact answer Yeon Sowol had wanted to convey.

"That was when I thought, ah, if someone can enlighten me like this, shouldn't I make him a friend? What am I doing?"

Won Huiseung grinned.

"That's why I came chasing after you in such a rush."

Yeon Sowol looked at Won Huiseung's face, drenched in sweat.

Even if Yeon Sowol and Jin Geol had been walking slowly, Won Huiseung must have desperately used his lightness art to catch up to the two, who had left much earlier.

He was sweating so heavily despite being an expert at Faint Fragrance Unfading, a realm where one could regulate body temperature with qi.

As Yeon Sowol looked at him, he suddenly asked, "Then, will you cross swords with me from time to time?"

The insight he sought felt close enough to grasp, yet remained vague. Still, Yeon Sowol thought that witnessing the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven a little more might spark something.

A bright smile appeared on Won Huiseung's face.

"Gladly!"

Jin Geol cut in.

"Good! Then let's drop the formalities. Sowol here will come of age soon anyway. What's one or two years between us?"

Jin Geol was twenty-one.

Won Huiseung was also twenty-one.

Yeon Sowol would turn twenty before long, leaving them close enough in age to be peers by Jianghu standards.

"Come on, Huiseung!"

Jin Geol slung an arm around Won Huiseung's shoulder and gently pushed him forward.

* * *

The journey along the Sangwol Old Road was mostly uneventful, though trouble occasionally broke out.

"Clear the way!"

"Hey! Get lost already!"

A group from an escort agency approached from the opposite direction, their donkeys and horses piled high with cargo as they barked at them.

If Won Huiseung and Yeon Sowol had been wearing the high-quality robes they normally wore, the other side would not have acted so arrogantly. But they were crossing a mountain road, so they only wore comfortable, slightly dirty martial travel clothes and had been underestimated.

Yeon Sowol did not think much of it and stepped to the side of the road.

Jin Geol and Won Huiseung did not.

The two folded their arms and glared at the approaching escort agency group.

The chief escort at the front grimaced.

"What are you doing? I said move!"

Yeon Sowol quietly furrowed his brow.

'What a ridiculous person. They think everyone should naturally get out of their way.'

Even so, he looked at Jin Geol and Won Huiseung and let out a deep sigh.

'Still, do they have to block the road and start trouble again...?'

Jianghu people really were desperate for a fight.

Yeon Sowol lightly shook his head and watched the situation. Even if a fight broke out, he had no intention of joining. Jin Geol was first-rate, and Won Huiseung was first-rate too, so there was no way they would lose. If anything, Yeon Sowol thought it was a little embarrassing.

Then the chief escort's face twisted as they shouted.

"Ha! Have we already made it to Guangdong? Those country bumpkins from Guangdong are always too proud to know their place. Always causing a fucking scene."

At that moment, a stone flew through the air.

Yeon Sowol had kicked it.

It buried itself in the chief escort's forehead.

Smack!

With his robes fluttering, Yeon Sowol charged forward as though flying.

* * *

A few more incidents like that occurred afterward.

Rain began to fall, so they took shelter in an old shrine nearby. They had lit a fire and were drying themselves when a group of strangers entered the shrine late.

At first, they were polite.

"Greetings. We are from the Sword-Washing House of Binzhou, Hunan. Where are our fellow Jianghu travelers from?"

For some reason, Won Huiseung and Jin Geol looked at Yeon Sowol, so he answered on their behalf.

"I am Yeon Sowol of the Guangdong Martial Alliance."

The other side's expression immediately changed.

"Guangdong? Martial Alliance?"

They stepped forward.

"Move aside, you bastards. We're taking the seats inside."

A piece of firewood flew through the air.

Yeon Sowol had thrown it.

It struck the mouth of the person who had been rattling on.

Crack!

Yeon Sowol pounced. Once the matter had been settled, Jin Geol collected compensation for the insult.

"Listen up! This friend is none other than Hidden Sun Sword Yeon Seonhong of Shinheung County, Guangdong!"

"Please stop..."

Yeon Sowol looked pained.

The others fled in a panic.

Those they encountered, along with those who witnessed the fights, began spreading the tale everywhere.

"There's a young expert from Guangdong..."

"When he gets angry, he throws things."

"They say you can't insult Guangdong."

"His name? His name is... Guangdong... Shinheung... Hidden... Ah! They say he's Featherless Arrow Yeon Sowol of Guangdong!"

That was the epithet of Zhang Qing, a hero from Water Margin.

Featherless Arrow.

An arrow without feathers.

He had been a master of throwing stones.

Footnotes:

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