WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 86: I Was Once a Madman of Chu (8)

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No one objected.

Jin Geol and Won Huiseung eagerly agreed to the Hengshan Sect's proposal as well.

"We can save on the cost of elixir pills, can't we? Then we can spend our silver ingots elsewhere."

Jin Geol was delighted.

"Free is free, but the real benefit is getting recommendations for proper elixir pills. If we can find elixir pills that will help us search for the dragon..."

Won Huiseung gazed wistfully at the sky, his eyes burning.

And so, everyone gladly accepted the Hengshan Sect's offer.

"Thank you sincerely. Please follow us."

Near Hengyang, Hengshan Sect disciples dispatched for this operation were lying in wait.

"Yu Hyeon, you're here."

"Yes, Martial Uncle."

As they entered the group, Yeon Sowol was a little surprised. Jin Geol and Won Huiseung appeared fairly composed, but even they were careful in how they carried themselves.

It was only natural, considering the force assembled here.

Two peak-realm experts had accompanied them and were personally directing the operation.

On top of that, there were thirty first-rate experts, including Yu Hyeon, the Soaring Xiang Sword Wolf.

After looking over the group, Yeon Sowol quietly asked Yu Hyeon, "The Hengshan Sect is committing a great deal of strength."

Yu Hyeon nodded.

"That's right. Thirty of my martial brothers and sisters, the Hengshan Sect's second-generation disciples, have been mobilized. That's a little under half of them. Two Martial Uncles have joined us as well. The elders haven't stepped in, but yes, we've committed considerable strength."

Yeon Sowol's eyes widened.

'Wait. Most of this force consists of second-generation disciples?'

Looking again, they really did all seem young.

A sect's strongest experts were usually its sect leader and elders.

Their disciples were called first-generation disciples.

The disciples of those first-generation disciples were then called second-generation disciples.

It varied by sect, but second-generation disciples were generally young martial artists in their twenties to mid-thirties.

In other words, though Yu Hyeon said the Hengshan Sect was committing substantial strength, the force gathered here amounted to less than a quarter of the sect's total power.

The sect leader and elders, the strongest figures representing the Hengshan Sect, were absent altogether. Of the first-generation disciples who formed the sect's current senior pillars, only two had participated.

Not even all the younger, second-generation disciples had been mobilized.

Yet Yeon Sowol still felt overwhelmed.

'This group alone could wipe out the Heavenly Road Mountain bandits and all the chivalrous martial artists of Guangdong from back then, with strength to spare...'

And this was only part of a single sect's power.

This was the foundation of a sect that styled itself among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang.

Without realizing it, Yeon Sowol glanced at Won Huiseung. If the Hengshan Sect, which was not formally counted among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, was this strong, then how powerful was the Zhongnan Sect, a true member of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang?

Something hot rose in his chest.

Yeon Sowol secretly clenched his fist.

'Someday, the Guangdong Martial Alliance too...'

What he needed to do, when he should act, and how he could do it. He could not imagine any of it yet, but his heart still surged.

A clear, vibrant ambition to let the world know that Guangdong's martial world was not to be taken lightly.

"I am Gong So-un, a first-generation disciple of Hengshan. I am in charge of this mission. Young heroes, thank you for joining us in this matter. Hengshan will not forget your help today."

Gong So-un of the Hengshan Sect clasped his hands in salute, his expression solemn.

First-generation disciples were usually middle-aged experts over forty. Yeon Sowol's group therefore clasped both hands and bowed respectfully.

Gong So-un's eyes lit up in admiration.

"Ho. Young Hero Won Huiseung's bearing is only natural, given his Zhongnan background, but you two also carry yourselves like disciples of distinguished schools."

Another expert of similar age beside him added, "Did you say the Jin Family Estate of Hubei and the Guangdong Martial Alliance? I should remember those names. Ha ha."

Unless they belonged to a prestigious sect, it was difficult to find Jianghu people with such ingrained manners.

Those who did not know would not notice, but those who did could roughly guess a person's background from a single hand gesture or the angle of a bow.

The two first-generation disciples of the Hengshan Sect developed an even deeper fondness for Yeon Sowol's group.

"Young heroes, come this way. We'll explain the operation first."

The discussion continued in a warmer atmosphere.

The operation was extremely simple.

"We're the bait."

"That's right."

Since Yeon Sowol and So Hye were unfamiliar faces in Hengyang, they would serve as bait.

Once the fallen Daoists approached and kidnapped them, the Hengshan Sect disciples, Jin Geol, and Won Huiseung would follow their trail, find the enemy's hideout, and strike.

Because the plan was so simple, Yeon Sowol had one concern.

"But there is no guarantee they'll kidnap us."

"Don't worry. You will definitely be kidnapped."

For some reason, the Hengshan Sect experts were certain of that.

"Why?"

"Because you're handsome, and So Hye is pretty."

"...Is that really a reason?"

"Of course. It is believed that handsome and beautiful people are born having received purer innate energy, and that they preserve that energy well as they grow. Not everyone believes it, but some Daoists do. When they see the two of you, they'll surely want to abduct you. They'll think you make fine ingredients."

"Ingredients..."

Yeon Sowol felt sick as he listened. He could not get used to the idea of treating people as ingredients for elixir pills.

"Still, you can't go dressed as you are now. You both need to look ragged, as though you've just come up from the countryside. You should seem like rural siblings who came all the way to Hengyang seeking medicine for their parents."

The moment he finished speaking, So Hye jumped.

"What? Martial Uncle? Ragged? You never said anything about that!"

"Do I need to say what should be obvious?"

"But..."

"Enough."

"Yeees..."

So Hye's shoulders slumped.

She seemed deeply shocked at having to ruin her appearance, even if only for a little while.

'She really does care a lot about her looks. Well, girls her age in Korea were probably similar.'

Yeon Sowol thought So Hye seemed a little immature.

This was a matter of life and death, yet she was upset over something like that.

'She's still young.'

As he gave So Hye another glance, Gong So-un spoke.

"Sniff, sniff. Hmm. Young Hero Yeon, do you happen to carry a fragrance sachet?"

"Yes, I do."

"A fragrance sachet is too valuable for country folk to carry. You should remove that as well."

"Ah."

Without it, every foul smell in the streets would flow straight into his nose.

"Um..."

Yeon Sowol let out a mournful sound without realizing it.

* * *

"Ugh... Ugh... Please don't look at me."

So Hye had braided her hair carelessly and smeared grimy soot across her face. Her worn cotton clothes had been patched several times and were wrinkled all over.

A laugh escaped Yeon Sowol when he saw her.

'She looks like a completely different person.'

The So Hye he had known was quite sharp.

She had been embarrassed after making a mistake with Yeon Sowol, but when she introduced herself as an alchemist afterward, she had been proud and full of confidence.

Yet after removing a little makeup and messing up her face, she looked like this.

Even now, she did not look ugly at all.

Her natural beauty shone through even the grime.

She still looked good enough to make him wonder whether grime had its own aesthetic.

Yet she could not even lift her head.

Yu Hyeon comforted his junior sister.

"Junior Sister, can you really lose heart over nothing but your appearance? Master said so too. Outer beauty is good, but you must cultivate inner beauty along with it. Then you won't have anything to fear even when your face looks a little less attractive."

"Ugh... What even is inner beauty...? What does it look like...?"

"No, how can you ask what inner beauty looks like?"

"I don't know. I don't know."

So Hye hung her head with the most miserable expression in the world and trudged along.

"Sigh... Young Hero Yeon, please take good care of her."

Yu Hyeon clasped his hands toward Yeon Sowol, concern filling his eyes.

Holding back a laugh, Yeon Sowol returned the salute and followed So Hye.

The two entered through Hengyang's city gate without much conversation.

So Hye walked with her head completely lowered, having lost all confidence, while Yeon Sowol frowned.

From the moment they entered Hengyang, Yeon Sowol could no longer laugh.

'Ugh.'

The stench he had forgotten about began creeping in from every direction.

Body odor. Bad breath.

Of course, a single fragrance sachet did not make every smell disappear.

Still, the sachet had been Yeon Sowol's refuge.

Even if the world's foul smells brushed past his nose, the fragrance sachet he carried always smelled pleasant. Whenever things were difficult or exhausting, he would take in that scent and feel his mind clear and his strength return.

Without it, things were more painful than he had expected.

"..."

"..."

The two walked through Hengyang in silence.

To anyone watching, they looked exactly like two country siblings who had come to the city for the first time and were overwhelmed by it.

In that state, they visited a couple of Daoist temples.

They pretended to ask about elixir pills for their parents, pretended to be shocked at the price, then trudged back out into the streets.

「How much longer do we have to keep doing this...?」

So Hye sent a voice transmission.

'Miss So can use voice transmission too. Can all disciples from prestigious sects use it?'

Yeon Sowol clicked his tongue lightly.

He had not learned voice transmission yet.

It was a type of qi art considered a secret technique, so he had never even had the chance to learn it.

Even among friends, one could not ask for a family's or sect's secret teachings.

So Yeon Sowol could only shrug in reply.

He had no idea how much longer they would have to keep this up either.

「Ugh. Still, please let it be today... Huh?」

At that moment, So Hye startled.

Yeon Sowol also smelled something like a strange burning scent.

「This is sleeping incense!」

So Hye's voice transmission struck Yeon Sowol's ear.

They were in a secluded alley.

No one was nearby except So Hye and Yeon Sowol.

「Fall down! Lie there as if you're asleep, and make your breathing as shallow as possible! I'll leave the markers!」

Yeon Sowol slowly sank to the ground.

Thud!

So Hye did the same.

Thud!

Both were martial artists, so they could convincingly act as though they had fainted. Once one learned martial arts, one inevitably had plenty of experience being knocked unconscious.

"Wow... These two are high quality."

"Master will be pleased."

Once the two had fallen, two Daoists walked out from the end of the alley, grinning.

They looked exactly like clean-cut, benevolent Daoists.

But their eyes gleamed like beasts as they looked Yeon Sowol and So Hye over.

"Let's go."

Each Daoist slung one of them over their back.

A small stone slipped from So Hye's hand, but neither noticed it as they disappeared into the alley.

Then,

Swoosh.

Mist rolled into the alley where the two Daoists had vanished. The previously normal-looking path warped and rippled strangely.

The entire alley that had been there moments ago suddenly looked different.

The small stone So Hye had dropped was no longer visible.

* * *

The two Daoists took Yeon Sowol and So Hye beneath one of the Daoist temples.

The entire underground level was a prison for holding people. Iron bars lined both sides, and people huddled inside every cell.

Yeon Sowol and So Hye were thrown into a cell.

Clang!

Once the door was locked and the cell fell dark, they opened their eyes.

"We infiltrated safely."

Yeon Sowol looked around with calm eyes.

The prison was extremely dark, but having reached Faint Fragrance Unfading, and with qi sense that was especially sharp, he could see clearly through the darkness.

People lay curled up beyond every set of bars as if dead. Most were young. There were children who looked around five, and thin men and women who looked barely into their twenties.

Yeon Sowol's mood soured at once.

When he had first come to this world, he had been shocked by its filth and lack of common sense.

But those things were nothing in the face of a sight like this.

All the dark, filthy things that openly happened because of insufficient information and imbalances of power.

This was what truly disgusted Yeon Sowol now.

Yeon Sowol said, "Miss So. Let's rescue the people first."

But something was a little strange about So Hye.

"Uh. Huh? No way. This... Huh? Um..."

She looked around in a panic, counting on her fingers and tapping the walls.

"What's wrong?"

At Yeon Sowol's question, So Hye answered with a face that looked ready to cry.

"A formation array. There is a formation array here."

"A formation array?"

"Uh, this seems like a very large formation array... Ah. I'm such an idiot for only noticing it now!"

So Hye struck her own head with a thump, clearly distressed.

Yeon Sowol did not understand, so he caught her and calmed her down.

"Miss So, calm down. What exactly is the situation? And what is a formation array?"

"A formation array is a form of sorcery that distorts the energy of nature... It seems a very large, hidden formation array has been laid out here."

"Then is there a problem?"

"A huge problem!"

Tears welled in So Hye's eyes.

"If the markers I dropped on the way here were swallowed by the formation array, Martial Uncle and the senior brothers won't be able to find us."

"Oh no..."

"And we won't be able to get out of here either. Even if we leave, we'll lose our way and go around in circles! This is bad. The two of us can't handle those damned Daoists... Wh-what do we do? Ah. I should have studied formation arrays harder... I only studied as much as I needed for alchemy... I'm such an idiot!"

So Hye was terrified.

"But how... How could such a huge, hidden formation array be laid out in the middle of Hengyang? A few fallen Daoists couldn't do this... Could there have been that many fallen Daoists in Hengyang?"

In the middle of enemy territory, with no path to escape and no way to ask her martial brothers and sisters for help, the situation tightened around her neck like a noose.

Then Yeon Sowol asked calmly, "How can you identify a formation array?"

"If you feel carefully with qi sense, you'll notice an unusual flow of energy. Especially here, because this is a prison, the prison's structure itself forms an anchor of the formation array, perhaps to keep it from being discovered... So that no one can break out from the inside..."

Listening to So Hye's trembling voice, Yeon Sowol quietly felt around with his qi sense.

He quickly found what So Hye had described.

'So that was why the flow of qi felt strange.'

He soon found a structure that appeared to be an anchor of the formation array. The prison's stone walls had been stacked in a peculiar way, seemingly using that structure as the formation's anchor.

"What do we do? Once you're caught in a formation array this powerful... Ah... If only I had found it a little earlier... I'm so sorry, Young Hero Yeon..."

So Hye finally began to sob.

Yeon Sowol walked over to one side of the prison and placed a hand against the wall.

Seeing this, So Hye muttered, "It's no use... You can never break out from inside... Unless you're in the peak realm..."

But Yeon Sowol merely tapped the wall and cut a few threads in the flattened world.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the air in every direction became lighter.

"Um...?"

"Huh?"

Yeon Sowol and So Hye turned to look at each other at the same time.

Yeon Sowol asked, "If you destroy one anchor of a formation array, does the whole thing come crashing down?"

"...Huh? Yes? W-well, yes. A formation array is made with everything interlocking organically. The parts connect and create great power together... That's why they are difficult to break... But if one part collapses, the rest will come down too..."

So Hye stopped explaining and stared in shock.

"But what was that? Just now? The formation array's energy suddenly disappeared. What happened? Did you destroy it? The anchor?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Yes? H-how?"

Yeon Sowol was actually a little flustered himself.

He had not expected the entire formation array to collapse at once.

But if he revealed his confusion, he would have too much to explain.

Yeon Sowol kept it to himself and answered gravely.

"It is a secret art of my faction. More importantly, we need to move quickly. If they notice something is wrong, they'll gather. We must hold out until the Hengshan Sect arrives."

Crunch!

Yeon Sowol bent the iron bars apart and stepped out.

So Hye stared after him and muttered blankly, "A secret art of his faction...? Of the Guangdong Martial Alliance...?"

Shock and admiration swirled in her eyes.

Footnotes:

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