WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 40: Western Wind Poison Leg (2)
──────
Yu Jin-sung was an Inspector Censor of the Censorate and the older brother of Jin-hyeok and Mumu.
A great deal had happened in the few days since his dispatch here.
His original orders had been to investigate the arson at Changcheon Martial Academy, uncover the truth behind it, and identify those responsible.
In the end, though, the entire dispatch had become meaningless.
In a way, it was all thanks to Mumu.
‘The world truly moves in unexpected ways.’
Because of Mumu, neither the Imperial Palace nor the authorities got what they wanted.
It was a good outcome.
Perhaps all of this had happened because nobody had accounted for the variable named Mumu.
‘...Just how did Father raise Mumu?’
For the past two days, this had intrigued Jin-sung more than wrapping up the investigation.
Father had clearly said he had found and raised an abandoned infant.
Yet Mumu, who supposedly had not even learned Martial Arts, had accomplished the unbelievable feat of defeating one of the Four Immortal Masters, figures said to stand at the peak of the current martial world.
Even Jin-sung could not help but be shocked.
Still, as time passed, he found himself unable to understand Mumu's strength at all.
‘Does that child have some secret even Father doesn't know about?’
Or was he simply an inherently extraordinary being?
Whatever the case, Jin-sung could only hope Mumu's strength would be used for good.
After all, Mumu was his brother too.
‘Are they not here yet?’
Jin-sung was waiting for someone.
Now that everyone behind the arson had been captured, there was no longer any reason to remain here.
He only had one final task to carry out.
-Knock, knock!
Someone knocked at the door.
Jin-sung rose from his seat.
“Come in.”
-Click!
The door opened, and a girl who looked to be nineteen entered.
She carried an antique bow decorated with unusual patterns on her back. She was none other than Cho Na-yeon, the academy's fifth-ranked third-year cadet.
‘Ah...’
Cho Na-yeon frowned when she saw Jin-sung dressed in an official's uniform.
Jin-sung dropped to one knee and clasped both hands in a respectful salute.
“Inspector Censor Yu Jin-sung pays his respects to Princess Seo, the legitimate daughter of His Highness King Jin.”
Cho Na-yeon was visibly flustered.
Her true identity was Princess Seo, a descendant of the imperial family.
Jin-sung conveyed King Jin's order to her.
“His Highness King Jin has ordered Princess Seo's return to the Imperial Palace. He said he would not accept any objections.”
* * *
The warriors guarding the academy gate guided two visitors with tense expressions: an old man wearing a bamboo hat and face veil, leaning on a Snake Staff, and a woman carrying a pipa.
The warriors kept stealing glances at them. Their visitors were Western Wind Lone Angle Gu Yang-gyeong, one of the Four Immortal Masters, and his daughter-in-law, Jin Hyang.
‘What in the world is going on?’
‘Another one of the Four Immortal Masters came within days?’
Things had only just begun to quiet down, yet nobody knew what this was about.
Unlike the guards, the old man and woman surveyed their surroundings with interest.
Once inside the academy, they could not hide their confusion at the sight of everything carrying on as usual.
Gu Yang-gyeong spoke to his daughter-in-law.
“It seems that Shin hasn't arrived yet.”
“That appears to be the case.”
“Didn't I say this old man might have hurried too much...”
“Father-in-law, it is fortunate, but what would you have done if you had arrived late enough for our children to be caught up in this?”
“Ahem. You're right. Your foresight is always right. Always.”
Gu Yang-gyeong turned his head and clicked his tongue.
He had never once won an argument with his daughter-in-law.
‘Still, it is fortunate.’
They had rushed here after receiving a carrier pigeon from Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong.
The letter said an urgent situation had arisen, but the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle was absent, leaving nobody to calm the Eastern River Sword Sage.
Worried about his grandchildren, Gu Yang-gyeong had hurried to the academy.
Fortunately, it seemed nothing had happened.
‘That Shin fellow is as cautious as the Imperial Uncle, so perhaps it was only natural.’
His daughter-in-law had worried that the Eastern River Sword Sage, Shin Ui-gyeom, would be unable to restrain his anger and cause trouble.
Yet Shin Ui-gyeom and Hong Hwa-yun were the two most cautious among the Four Immortal Masters.
The Northern Heaven Fist Hero and Gu Yang-gyeong himself were far more hot-tempered, despite being older than them.
If even the slightest harm had come to his grandchildren, Gu Yang-gyeong would have already rushed here and turned everything upside down.
Still, it was fortunate that he had arrived early.
No matter what happened, he could now protect his grandchildren.
‘Good.’
If no trouble had occurred yet, there was no need to see the Academy Director first.
Gu Yang-gyeong spoke to Jin Hyang.
“My dear, this old man will see the children before meeting the Academy Director.”
“What? Even if nothing happened, we have come to the academy, so the Academy Director...”
“You go and offer greetings first. This old man will go see the children at once.”
-Whoosh!
Before she could stop him, Gu Yang-gyeong used a movement skill and slipped away.
Jin Hyang clicked her tongue as she watched him vanish toward the dormitories.
‘He's always so fiery.’
She had served him for nearly twenty years, yet he had never changed.
As Jin Hyang shook her head, one of the guards asked in confusion.
“Uh? W-where is Great Hero Gu Yang going?”
“You heard him.”
“Ah...”
“He went to see his grandchildren first. Even I cannot fully control him. I'll meet the Academy Director first and apologize in his place.”
The two guards could not hide their discomfort.
The Academy Director had told them to bring Gu Yang-gyeong immediately. What were they supposed to do now?
“Great Hero Shin was the same. This is quite troubling.”
One guard muttered under their breath.
Jin Hyang, who had heard every word, frowned.
“Wait. Did you just say Great Hero Shin?”
‘How did she hear that?’
The guard was startled.
The guard had known she was no ordinary woman as Western Wind Lone Angle Gu Yang-gyeong's daughter-in-law, but she had heard even that quiet murmur. She appeared to be a formidable master herself.
The guard answered awkwardly.
“W-well, when Great Hero Shin, the Eastern River Sword Sage, came to the academy, he also went all over the academy...”
“What? Great Hero Shin already arrived? Why didn't you mention that?”
“Pardon?”
They had no reason to tell her something she had not asked about.
Jin Hyang questioned the flustered guard.
“Did trouble already break out before we came?”
“What sort of trouble?”
“My brother-in-law, no, Great Hero Shin, did not do anything to the Imperial Uncle's daughter, did he?”
“Ah... No, he did not. That matter was settled well.”
“It was settled well?”
Jin Hyang could not hide her confusion.
Then, contrary to their worries, had the matter gone better than expected, leaving the academy so peaceful?
The guard spoke cautiously to her.
“Have you not heard?”
“Heard what?”
“Huh?”
The guards hesitated over whether they should tell her.
It seemed neither Great Hero Gu Yang nor his daughter-in-law had received the news yet.
Perhaps the academy had been cut off from the outside because the incident had not been completely resolved.
After wavering, one guard spoke.
“The Eastern River Sword Sage, Great Hero Shin Ui-gyeom, fought one of our academy cadets and lost.”
“What?”
Jin Hyang's eyes widened in shock.
What did that mean?
The Eastern River Sword Sage Shin Ui-gyeom had lost to an academy cadet? For a moment, she doubted her ears.
“...Are you joking?”
“It is true.”
“By academy cadet, you mean one of the children enrolled here at Changcheon Martial Academy?”
“Yes.”
“One of those children fought Great Hero Shin Ui-gyeom and won? Was it perhaps an instructional spar without internal energy?”
“No. They fought at full strength, enough to turn the academy's grand plaza into ruins.”
“...That is absurd. You expect me to believe that...”
“It is true. Great Hero Shin suffered severe injuries and is currently being treated in the academy infirmary.”
‘!?’
Jin Hyang was truly confused now.
Even as a joke, it would have been ridiculous.
An academy cadet who had not even reached manhood yet fought the Eastern River Sword Sage at full strength and defeated him.
Could such a thing really happen?
“...Where is the infirmary where Great Hero Shin is?”
It seemed she would have to see it herself before she could believe it.
* * *
Gu Yang-gyeong moved so quickly with his movement skill that no academy cadet could properly catch sight of him once he put his mind to it.
Excited at the thought of seeing his grandchildren after around a year and several months, Gu Yang-gyeong swiftly headed toward the dormitory grounds.
The academy truly was vast.
Even with his movement skill, he had yet to reach Western Wind Residence.
[We would like to name the four dormitories after your epithets. Would you grant us permission?]
[Our epithets, you say?]
[Heh heh heh. Our epithets...]
[Goodness. That is rather embarrassing.]
The thought of Western Wind Residence brought back a conversation he had once shared with the Imperial Uncle.
The Southern Blade Imperial Uncle, who had said he would establish an academy to raise heroes of the next generation, had asked to use the first characters of their epithets for the dormitory names in honor of their achievements.
Everyone acted as if it embarrassed them, but none of them objected.
Whenever academy graduates met outside and spoke of which cohort they belonged to and which dormitory they came from, Gu Yang-gyeong felt relieved they had not refused.
‘Heh heh heh. It feels as if that were only yesterday, yet time truly is fleeting.’
Lost in old memories, Gu Yang-gyeong finally arrived near Western Wind Residence.
He took something from inside his robes.
It was a small device he had personally made to track Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent.
‘Let's see.’
Ordinary Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent faded after as little as fifteen days or as long as three months.
Yet when it came to poison arts and medicine, Gu Yang-gyeong could be counted among the top three in the Central Plains.
The lingering scent would have weakened greatly over time, but he had created a Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent that could last for years within about two and a half miles.
With it, he could find anyone within about two and a half miles.
‘Let's see. Where are my grandchildren?’
Following where the Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent tracker pointed, Gu Yang-gyeong secretly tracked his grandchildren.
Then soon after...
‘Found her!’
He found his beloved granddaughter, Gu Yang Seo-rin.
After around a year and several months, Gu Yang Seo-rin had blossomed into an even more radiant flower.
Gu Yang-gyeong's lips twitched with joy at the sight of her.
His own granddaughter had grown up so beautifully.
‘My precious girl.’
Gu Yang-gyeong had two children, and both were sons.
Perhaps because of that, he especially treasured and adored Gu Yang Seo-rin, his only granddaughter.
If he could have his way, he would never marry her off to anyone and would keep her by his side forever.
What sort of scoundrel deserved such a beautiful granddaughter?
‘This grandfather will find you a match truly worthy of you when one appears. Until then, do not meet any scoundrel.’
Gu Yang-gyeong was about to reveal himself to Gu Yang Seo-rin.
Then he concealed himself again.
It was because Gu Yang Seo-rin held a Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent tracker in her hand.
‘...Hm?’
What was she planning to do with that?
Puzzled, Gu Yang-gyeong silently observed her.
After examining the tracker, Gu Yang Seo-rin began heading somewhere.
Gu Yang-gyeong frowned, sensing something ominous.
He did not know what his granddaughter was trying to do, but it bothered him that she had used Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent inside the academy.
‘Let's follow her.’
He prayed his guess would be wrong.
As he quietly followed her, Gu Yang-gyeong soon spotted three academy cadets huddled together as though hiding in a secluded area.
Had she used Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent just to find those children?
He decided to watch a little longer and assess the situation.
Then...
‘What!’
Gu Yang-gyeong's eyes went wide.
For a moment, he doubted his ears.
‘Should I say I’ve already claimed what’s mine?’
Clutching his chest, Gu Yang-gyeong stared at his granddaughter with blazing eyes.
His beloved granddaughter was openly showing her interest in someone with such boldness.
The very thing he had feared had happened.
‘Which of those two scoundrels is it?’
There were two male cadets.
One was such a pretty boy that he looked more like a girl, while the other looked somewhat stiff but kind-hearted.
‘...If I had to choose, the stiff one seems better.’
A boy with nothing but a handsome face was useless.
Even from a distance, the pretty-faced boy's Martial Arts were only at the second-rate level.
The stiff-looking one, on the other hand...
‘Not bad.’
He looked young, but his foundation in internal energy was quite solid.
He did not appear to come from a prestigious family like those of the Four Immortal Masters or the Nine Great Martial Clans, but he seemed far ahead of others his age.
Gu Yang-gyeong did not know who had raised him, but they had clearly trained him with care.
If his granddaughter liked that boy, he had enough talent to reach the Master level within a few years with Gu Yang-gyeong's help.
‘She does not have poor taste. Then again, whose granddaughter is she? A pretty-faced fellow like that... What!’
Gu Yang-gyeong's eyes went wide again.
Gu Yang Seo-rin had linked arms with the pretty-faced boy.
Then she said something even more shocking.
“Do you want to date your older sister?”
‘Grrrrr.’
Gu Yang-gyeong's face turned red with fury.
He had hoped it would not be that boy, but he could not understand why his granddaughter liked him enough to ask him out.
He had always said that a martial artist's true worth lay in their martial prowess and character.
Had she lost her heart over nothing but a pretty face?
‘Urgh.’
Gu Yang-gyeong clutched his chest.
He wanted to find out at once what kind of scoundrel the boy was.
Judging by his youthful face and the fact that Seo-rin called herself his older sister, he was clearly younger.
Gu Yang-gyeong glared murderously at the boy whose arm Seo-rin held.
What an absurd coincidence.
After finally seeing his granddaughter again, he had to watch her confess to someone right before his eyes.
It was a sight he had never wanted to see.
As he glared at the boy, Gu Yang-gyeong eventually calmed his heart.
The boy was still a child who had not even reached manhood.
‘Yes... Calm down. There must be something about him that caught her heart. Getting worked up over every little thing involving our lovely Seo-rin will only hurt this old man's heart.’
Gu Yang-gyeong steadied his breathing and stared at them intently.
He did not know what kind of scoundrel the boy was, but he was incredibly lucky.
His beloved granddaughter was practically confessing to him with such initiative.
“If there is no woman you have your eye on, date your older sister.”
Seo-rin said it once more.
No, it was good for a woman to be confident, but child, you are being far too forward.
Once was enough. Why say it twice?
Gu Yang-gyeong looked at his granddaughter with troubled eyes.
‘You scoundrel. My granddaughter confessed to you. You should be bowing in gratitude. Why are you only standing there staring blankly...’
“Date you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I really like you.”
“Really? But I don't have any special feelings for you, Senior.”
‘!?’
To his surprise, the boy gave a flat refusal.
Disappointment flickered in Gu Yang Seo-rin's eyes.
‘You little bastard!’
Gu Yang-gyeong could not hold back any longer and stepped in.
-Whoosh!
Leaping down from the top of the tree, Gu Yang-gyeong flew straight toward the boy who had rejected his granddaughter. He grabbed the back of the boy's collar and tried to lift him.
-Smash!
“How dare you humiliate my granddaughter.”
“Huh?”
Mumu, caught completely off guard by the old man who had suddenly grabbed him by the neck, flew helplessly into a tree.
-Crack, crack, crack! Boom!
The massive tree Mumu struck snapped and collapsed.
Startled by Gu Yang-gyeong's sudden appearance, Mo Il-hwa and Jin-hyeok stepped back and watched him with guarded eyes.
Then Gu Yang Seo-rin called out to Gu Yang-gyeong, her eyes wide.
“Grandpa!”
“My grandchild. Have you been well?”
Only after hearing their exchange did Mo Il-hwa and Jin-hyeok realize who he was.
‘W-Western Wind Lone Angle?’
‘One of the Four Immortal Masters?’
The only person who could call Gu Yang Seo-rin his grandchild was Gu Yang-gyeong, Western Wind Lone Angle and one of the Four Immortal Masters.
Surprised by his abrupt arrival, Gu Yang Seo-rin spoke in disbelief.
“Grandpa! What are you doing?”
“That is what this grandfather wants to ask. What do you lack that you would practically beg a scoundrel like that to date you?”
Gu Yang Seo-rin frowned at Gu Yang-gyeong's rebuke.
Then she shouted back.
“Where else am I supposed to find a man like him? Why are you calling him a scoundrel?”
Gu Yang-gyeong thumped his chest with his fist as though his heart were breaking.
“You little brat. Even so, why would you hold onto a boy who only has a pretty face and no substance, asking him to date you when you lack nothing...”
“What do you mean, he only has a pretty face? He is strong enough to defeat Uncle Shin.”
“Defeat Uncle Shin? What are you talking about, Shin... What?”
Gu Yang-gyeong tilted his head.
There was only one person that child could call Uncle Shin.
The Eastern River Sword Sage, Shin Ui-gyeom.
But she said this boy had defeated Uncle Shin?
“What are you talking about? Are you saying the Uncle Shin you mean is that Shin fellow?”
“Yes. That Uncle Shin.”
“...Are you trying to joke with this grandfather? How could a mere brat barely at the second-rate level defeat Shin, who stands shoulder to shoulder with this grandfather...”
-Flinch!
Gu Yang-gyeong stopped speaking and slowly turned his head.
It was where he had thrown Mumu in anger.
Then...
‘!?’
-Crack, crack!
Mumu was getting to his feet, as though loosening a stiff neck, completely unharmed.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
