WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Satori

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◈ Wanderer of the Martial World ◈

Chapter 10

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After completing my Qi Accumulation, I returned to the camp with an uneasy feeling in my heart.

I had somehow restored the internal energy I had spent, and no other problems showed themselves, but my worry would not fade.

It was a Yodan.

An unrefined Yodan.

The dreadful thoughts I had when I first heard about demon practitioners piled worry upon worry in my mind.

Yet, without realizing it, I also began to feel a little hope.

What if, just what if.

What if I could absorb only the inner qi inside the Yodan?

Then, as the senile old man who had taught me the Qi Accumulation Method said, becoming the strongest under heaven would be entirely possible.

The figures of the group lying beneath the moonlight, along with Yi So-gang sitting alone, came vaguely into view.

When would be the best time?

My next turn on night watch would probably be best.

Less than a quarter-hour remained in Yi So-gang's shift, so I would use that time to steel my resolve.

With that thought, I approached Yi So-gang.

"Um..."

Just then, Gwak Ha-jun, who had been lying off to one side, slowly sat up and spoke.

This was a little troublesome.

Since this bastard would naturally know lightness techniques, dealing with him first should have been the proper order. The fact that he was awake irritated me.

Still, I did not show it as I asked him,

"You're awake?"

"Yes... I had a strange feeling."

Had he sensed yokai aura?

By the usual understanding here, no one below the Peak Realm could sense yokai aura.

That was why we had searched through the mountains like that before.

Even so, Gwak Ha-jun having felt something strange either meant that his qi sense was especially sharp, or that even a first-rate martial artist could feel a trace of it.

That gave me a little relief.

If he had sensed yokai aura, it meant that it had leaked outside.

It might have happened because I released it at the end, but I could still hold on to some hope.

"Could you spare me a moment?"

At Gwak Ha-jun's request, I nearly gave a bitter smile without thinking.

If I had not worked to control my expression, he would have seen it.

"Sure."

"Over there..."

He rose and headed deeper into the dark forest.

As I followed Gwak Ha-jun toward the place where he would die, I gave Yi So-gang a slight nod.

The moonlight was not so dim that I could not see Yi So-gang nod back.

The hill where I had cultivated earlier.

Gwak Ha-jun leaned against one of the trees there.

I stopped a distance away, facing him, and he opened his mouth.

"Could you... protect me?"

I looked at him at the abrupt question.

"...You want an escort?"

"Yes."

"No."

I refused firmly.

I had no idea what might happen if I entered Azure Balance Gate under the pretext of escorting him.

If Gwak Ha-jun ordered someone to kill me, my life could end just like that.

"If you don't want to escort me... I have another request."

I was getting a little annoyed.

I had gotten up early, fought a gersu, fled in a panic, and then forced my exhausted body through Qi Accumulation.

My body was demanding rest, and I was a little sensitive from fighting against that demand.

Besides, what more was there to say to someone who would soon be a corpse?

"If something happens to me, I would like you to devise a way for me to escape the county."

"A way to escape?"

I asked him again at the sudden request.

Gwak Ha-jun hesitated briefly before speaking in a strained voice.

"Earlier... when we were fighting Sanhwi..."

More accurately, Wang Gang had fought while you stood there like an idiot.

"Wang Gang pushed me."

"He pushed you?"

"Yes. Toward Sanhwi."

"Hm..."

He could not have pushed you just to make you fight.

On a battlefield where the situation could change in an instant, someone who did that could only be trying to get the other person killed.

"And he swung his sword so I couldn't evade. As if he wanted Sanhwi to kill me... The others may not have noticed, but... I definitely felt it. My side was injured then, too. So when that strange yokai appeared, I barely escaped by taking advantage of Wang Gang's confusion."

"And?"

"Please help me."

I scratched my head.

My first thought was that he might be trying to lead me into a trap.

"If you help me, I will give you whatever you want."

He certainly had some sense. He did not mention that I had tried to kill him earlier, only offering compensation.

"Hm..."

What should I do?

Honestly, if I wanted to remove the threat completely, I had to kill him.

Then I would have to kill all of Yi Pyeong's group and spend at least fifteen days in the wilderness.

Killing the man before me and living in the wild would not be much of a problem.

But... the thought of having to kill Yi Pyeong, Yi So-gang, and Jang Wi kept bothering me.

No matter how heartless the martial world was, people still lived in it. There were bound to be ties between them.

I was no different.

Even if I could kill a benefactor or anyone else to save my own life, I naturally wanted to avoid such a situation if possible.

"Compensation... Why me?"

I asked him again.

"Because you are second-rate, Hero Hwang."

Second-rate.

The dividing line between people with internal energy and people without it.

That made me realize once again that Gwak Ha-jun had truly been raised in a sect.

He had grown up in an environment where prejudice between those with internal energy and those without it could only be strong.

"And... I have no one of my own."

Gwak Ha-jun's voice was gloomy.

I could understand why.

He was cursed at as more than an idle playboy, as a worthless scoundrel. If anyone followed him, they would be the crazy ones.

"I will give you what you want. Money, women, secret manuals."

"Secret manuals?"

My ears perked up at that.

The only martial arts I possessed were the Qi Accumulation Method, an internal cultivation method, and the practical fighting techniques I had created for myself. I needed a proper qi-circulation method and a martial arts manual containing forms that suited it.

"Yes. My family's martial arts... I cannot offer, but the Library Pavilion has many secret manuals. If there is one you want among them, I will give it to you."

Wasn't that too generous?

The offer was so good that it only made me more suspicious.

In this world, people had to attend martial arts schools for years just to learn a basic internal cultivation method.

That was how difficult it was to learn proper martial arts.

"Do you think someone arranged this?"

Wang Gang was certainly arrogant enough to be called the Yeongheung Charging Sword, but would he really try to kill the young lord of his sect on his own?

I did not think so.

It would not be easy to commit such an act without someone behind him.

If he failed as he had today, he would not be able to bear the consequences.

"...Hm..."

Gwak Ha-jun let out a low groan.

I casually placed a hand on the hilt of my straight saber.

So I could strike at once if he did not answer properly.

It seemed better to kill him immediately than fall for his petty tricks.

Before my desire for martial arts grew any stronger.

"I think... it is my mother."

The identity of the person Gwak Ha-jun named.

Strictly speaking, she was not his mother but his stepmother.

I had heard that Gwak Ha-jun's birth mother died young when he was little.

That was why the Young Gate Master had supposedly cherished Gwak Ha-jun even more.

In an era where drinking and gambling were about the only entertainments, rumors about powerful families often passed from mouth to mouth.

That was why I knew it, too.

"My mother has always hated me."

"I seem to recall hearing that her daughter returned this time."

He nodded at my words.

"Yes. Ha-yeon returned from Mount Heng."

The current Sect Leader of Azure Balance Gate's daughter-in-law, and the Young Gate Master's wife, had borne a daughter.

I had heard that the girl had been clever and talented from childhood, so Mount Heng Sect had taken her in as a lay disciple.

And she had returned only recently.

Seeing what had happened today, I could roughly guess what was going on.

It was uncommon for a woman to become a sect leader, but not unheard of. Even if it was not allowed, she could bring a husband into the family and rule as sect leader through him.

"But I don't think it was Ha-yeon. She has always been fond of me, and we have been very close since she returned. She is precious to me."

In the soft moonlight of the dark night, I could see him smiling.

It was even more absurd to see that.

Not simply because Gwak Ha-jun was stupid, but because I remembered what he had done.

The reason Gwak Ha-jun was called not merely an idle playboy but a scoundrel was his strange habit.

Whenever he drank and slept with women, he always used violence.

The courtesans who were merely beaten had gotten off lightly. I had heard that many had been badly injured and could no longer work.

That was why only cheap brothels accepted him now.

Seeing a man like that smile as he said his younger sister was precious to him was ridiculous.

"All right."

"Will you help me?"

"Yes."

His delight was obvious.

"Go on ahead. I'll follow you."

"Yes!"

Excited, he passed by me.

I silently followed behind him.

The fool ahead showed me his back without a thought.

My conclusion was that killing him was simply better.

I had only agreed out loud to make him lower his guard.

Fortunately, this idiot believed me completely.

It was true that I wanted the secret manuals.

Still, I decided against it because I could end up caught in an internal conflict within a sect, and not just any sect but the largest sect in Yeongheung County.

Considering that even the deputy commander of the Azure Balance Sword Squad had tried to kill him, most of the forces within the sect probably already opposed him.

Helping him in that situation would be no different from shouting for them to kill me.

And most importantly, I could not trust the bastard in front of me.

I remembered how he had threatened me for not helping him.

Just as I was about to silently draw my saber.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

The ground shook as a harsh noise approached.

I knew what that sound was.

The hoofbeats of horses.

And they were coming fast.

"Get up!"

Yi So-gang's voice came from ahead, and a startled Gwak Ha-jun quickly ran toward the camp.

I stood where I was, gripping the hilt of my straight saber.

"Jeong-un!"

Then Yi Pyeong called for me from the camp. I let out a quiet sigh and headed that way.

"Over here!"

I called out once I was where they could see me.

Everything encountered in the wilderness at night was a potential enemy.

Not only yokai and beasts, but people as well.

It made no difference whether they were government troops or martial artists from renowned orthodox sects.

Judging by the sound alone, a large number of horses were approaching.

And anyone who rode around with that many horses had to be either the authorities or a major power.

There were more bad things than good about getting involved with people like that, so Yi Pyeong's group moved to hide.

But before they could take a step, the horses reached the camp first.

Several horses blocked the approach into the forest.

Then they surrounded Gwak Ha-jun and Yi Pyeong's group.

Fortunately, I had crouched down before they arrived and avoided being seen.

The camp was lit by the torches held by several riders.

"...Grandpa... no, Sect Leader."

Gwak Ha-jun revealed the person's identity.

"...You."

The problem was that the other party did not look pleased at all.

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