WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Episode 20: Die Standing, Never Bow (2)

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After years of making painfully little headway, welcome news finally arrived.

A rare, bright smile appeared on Ise's lips as he read Ryu Seonghan's message.

What he needed most right now was information from within.

And someone who could help him obtain it was on the way.

A few days later, Ise made his way deeper into Welcoming Market Town with noticeably lighter steps.

“Hugi! Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

A demon beast tending a stall called out to him.

Ise chuckled good-naturedly and waved.

“Ha ha. I'm going to pay my respects to Patriarch Mu.”

“Patriarch Mu? Going to flatter him again, are you?”

“Come on. I don't expect you to treat me like a senior, so don't tease me like that.”

“It's a joke, a joke.”

The demon beast behind the stall waved dismissively.

Here, Ise was known by the nickname Hugi, short for the Huhuhu-Grinning Oddball.

It had nothing to do with the military maxim of the same name.

It was simply a nickname given to him by people who found him approachable and easy to take advantage of, since he was always chuckling and smiling.

Naturally, Ise had no reason to refuse it.

The more harmless he looked, the less wary others became of him.

In a way, it was a nickname that perfectly described his current situation.

The demon beasts who kindly overcharged newly arrived newcomers, as well as the mortals wandering the streets, had come to see Ise as just another part of the scenery.

Ten years.

That was how long it had taken him to familiarize himself with faces, trade jokes, pass along trivial information, and blend in.

He had spent three of those years on Mu Mujeok.

Patriarch Mu, the Core Formation Realm great demon beast who ruled Welcoming Market Town.

Once Ise had decided Mu was the ideal person to approach, he carefully tested whether Mu could sense his spiritual energy. He layered a Foundation Establishment Concealment Talisman over his spirit-veiling artifact, then slowly wandered nearby.

The conclusion was simple. Unless he deliberately removed his artifacts, Mu could not detect him.

Once he had confirmed that it was safe, Ise began working his way up from the lowest-ranking demon beasts in the family, offering bribes to countless people until he reached Patriarch Mu.

Thanks to that, he had reached the point where bringing a gift earned him a private audience.

“This is a token of my sincerity for you this month, Patriarch.”

“Honestly, you're quite something. I've told you that you don't need to push yourself anymore.”

“How could I neglect to show my sincerity to the Patriarch who works day and night for the sake of this market town? It is a modest sum, but please use it to support the town's operations.”

Patriarch Mu looked Ise over with satisfaction at his respectful attitude.

Mu had grown quite fond of Ise.

At first, he had been suspicious and assumed Ise had some hidden agenda. Yet after watching him live quietly without causing trouble, all while continuously offering tribute, he had gradually set aside those doubts.

Ise was simply a diligent, respectable demon beast.

He was also an enviable talent, having reached the late Foundation Establishment Realm at such a young age.

“Have you given any thought to marriage?”

“It would be more honor than I deserve. Still, as I have said, I wish to complete the Valley's missions and reach the Core Formation Realm before holding my marriage ceremony with pride. I could not possibly risk making your precious daughter a widow.”

Patriarch Mu stroked his beard with a pleased expression.

“Good. I'll make sure you get into the Library Pavilion you asked about. Things have been peaceful for so long that there is little work to be had, but the city walls are repaired once every twenty years or so. I will not miss that opportunity.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Patriarch.”

Ise bowed deeply, then slowly backed away.

As Mu watched Ise depart, his eyes gleamed.

“Such a respectable fellow, unlike most demon beasts.”

He had the talent to reach the Core Formation Realm and then some.

Perhaps he might rise even higher.

If Mu took him in as a son-in-law, married him to his daughter, and bound him to the family, the family could become one of the foremost lay clans.

They might even be recognized as an official branch of the Valley, gain an elder's position, and enter District 1.

The thought of his family soaring to greater heights in his generation was wonderfully sweet.

“Jinpa.”

“Yes, Clan Head.”

“Divide this in half and add it to the tribute we will send to the Valley's Third Elder.”

“Yes.”

Mu Mujeok tossed the thousand or so Spiritual Stones left after the division into a storage chest. Then he began thinking that it was time to choose names for future grandchildren.

* * *

Ise walked through Welcoming Market Town with a painted-on smile, but the moment he entered his residence, his expression went blank.

The Spiritual Stones he had accumulated over the years were starting to run low.

Still, he had made significant progress.

He had become acquainted with most of the influential figures in District 3 and left a favorable impression on them. One had even offered to take him in as a son-in-law.

It would not have been an exaggeration to say that he had gathered all the information available in District 3.

‘It would've been easier if I could disguise myself as one of the Valley's disciples.’

To enter the Essence-Draining Ghost-Demon Valley as a disciple, one had to enter a one-on-one soul-binding contract with a demon beast of a higher realm.

In Ise's case, he would have to serve under a Core Formation Realm demon beast and be bound tightly enough that he would have to die if ordered to.

In other words, once he entered, there would be no way out.

That was how the Valley operated. Those of higher realms bound and exploited those below them through contracts.

Since he was using a false name, making such a contract was impossible to begin with. Even if he revealed his true name, the plan carried far too much risk.

So he had chosen to gain entry to the Library Pavilion through the outside contributor system.

He had slowly approached an influential figure in District 3 who showed interest in him, built a relationship, and focused his bribes on that person.

At last, he had even received an offer to become a live-in son-in-law.

He delayed the marriage by claiming that he was preparing to reach the Core Formation Realm, while dangling enough bait to ensure active cooperation.

Patriarch Mu would somehow find him a way and an opportunity to enter the Library Pavilion.

‘Taking an original cultivation manual out is impossible in principle, but if I can get inside and secure it, perhaps I can find a way to escape.’

If he could learn what mechanism formations had been installed in District 1, escaping on his own might be possible.

As long as the Valley Lord, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, did not personally intervene.

At that moment, a Message Talisman fluttered toward him.

It was from Ryu Seonghan.

When Ryu asked for his location, Ise told Ryu where he lived.

A short while later, Ryu Seonghan entered with a pleased expression.

“Senior! It's been so long.”

“It has. It's good to see you.”

As they exchanged brief greetings, Ise quietly examined the changes in Ryu.

Ryu was still at the early Foundation Establishment Realm.

Yet both Ryu's divine sense and Dharma-Flower Dantian had become incomparably sturdier than before.

Ryu's realm had not changed, but Ryu had clearly grown tremendously, inside and out.

“You disguised yourself as a mortal, yet you still managed to reach this place. That's remarkable.”

Ryu could not hide their admiration.

“Have you made any progress toward your goal?”

“I've established a connection with an influential figure in District 3. I'm still looking into several other possibilities.”

“Are you planning to approach the Library Pavilion as a slave within the Valley, obtain the Two Principles Return-to-Origin Art, and escape?”

Ise nodded, giving only a vague answer.

“Mm... It's too dangerous.”

The pursuit would begin the moment he secretly entered the Library Pavilion.

The defenses of a Nascent Soul sect could not possibly be lax enough for someone to break through alone and escape.

“They may have prepared some vile trick within the warding barriers, and while you cross five city walls, they will surely surround you from every direction.”

“I'm sure they will.”

Ise knew that too. That was why he had been agonizing over it.

He had planned his escape route in detail, but there was no way to judge just how far the arts of a Nascent Soul sect could reach.

Escaping a Core Formation Realm demon beast in an open field was completely different from fleeing the heart of a Nascent Soul demonic sect.

He had never expected a single Foundation Establishment Escape Talisman to be enough.

“What about you? It took you quite a while.”

“There were some things I had to obtain, and I needed time to prepare thoroughly.”

Ryu answered calmly.

“I will enter first, determine the original's location and the exact situation inside, then send the information to you. If possible, I also intend to find the evidence they have hidden myself.”

“The surveillance will be tight.”

“I'm sure it will.”

Ryu answered as if it were nothing.

“If what I intend to do goes well, the Heavenly Ice Palace will approve a war between the Tyrant Sword Sect and the Essence-Draining Ghost-Demon Valley. Senior, you can achieve your goal amid that chaos.”

Ryu's expression did not change at all when the Essence-Draining Ghost-Demon Valley was mentioned.

“Did you find a way?”

Ise's eyes lit up, but Ryu only grinned and brushed aside the question.

“Rather than finding a way, I intend to try everything I can.”

“You need to tell me the details so I can prepare.”

“I have several plans in mind. I'll investigate the circumstances inside first, then tell you through a Message Talisman.”

Ryu was deliberately holding back.

Ise had a vague feeling that Ryu was planning something dangerous.

“Senior, will you release the soul-binding contract now?”

“Fine.”

Without questioning Ryu, Ise found Ryu's contract document and burned it.

Seeing that trust, Ryu gave a faint smile.

“Now, even if some dirty scheme goes wrong and I am tortured, you will not be implicated.”

“You wouldn't...”

Ryu cut him off.

“Will you hold on to this for me?”

What Ryu held out was a storage pouch bearing the seal of the Ryu Clan.

“That's your storage pouch.”

“Yes. It contains most of my wealth, the Wind God Plate you recovered for me, and the treasures of the Ryu Clan that I have gathered over the years. If something happens to me... I would appreciate it if you could find the surviving descendants of my family and deliver it to them. If you cannot find anyone, or circumstances make that impossible, then please use it yourself.”

Ryu truly intended to undertake this prepared to die.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ryu was entrusting another person with the last pride and everything of an exterminated family.

Ise was no fool. He understood what that meant.

“I don't know what you're thinking, but don't do it.”

“Ha ha. This is only in case something happens. Only in case. It's not like I want to die. I am a cultivator with a bright future ahead of me, you know?”

Ryu joked that they would be as careful as possible, but Ise's gaze remained fixed on Ryu without wavering.

“Don't do it. That's an order.”

“I'm sorry, but I no longer have to obey your orders, Senior.”

Ryu picked up the single remaining scrap of the soul-binding contract and smiled freely.

“Keep this as a memento.”

Then Ryu placed the burned remnant of the contract into the storage pouch pressed into Ise's hand.

There was not the slightest fear of death on Ryu's face.

Either Ryu had hardened their resolve enough to risk death itself, or Ryu truly had no intention of doing anything that dangerous.

It was not easy to tell which.

Over ten years, Ryu had become so deeply calculating and inscrutable that they now seemed worthy of being called a high-ranking cultivator.

Just as Ise was about to stop Ryu once more, Ryu took a step back.

“Only now do I finally get to call you by this title.”

Ryu bowed deeply.

“It was an honor to serve you. I pray that you remain well, my lord.”

Ryu did not raise their head for a long time.

In the end, Ise could not say another word.

Footnotes:

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