WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Satori

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◈ Wanderer of the Martial World ◈

Chapter 19

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After seeing Yi Pyeong off, I sat on the porch for a while, staring into empty space.

I had become the sort of person who made light of human lives myself, but that did not mean the death of someone I knew would leave me unaffected.

Especially if it was someone I had been somewhat close to, I could not help feeling down.

"Phew..."

A quiet sigh escaped me.

Then a thought suddenly came to mind.

A spirit pill.

Should I have given one to Yi Pyeong?

Spirit pills were quite valuable, of course, but not so valuable that I could not give one to a benefactor heading into danger.

I had decided to teach Gu Deok martial arts, which could be considered more valuable than a spirit pill. That made me think I could have given Yi Pyeong at least a pill.

It was a shame, but I could always earn more money.

Even without pinching every coin and saving it, if I steadily cultivated by absorbing internal energy from Yodans, becoming first-rate would not be far off.

And once I reached First Grade, a status not many wandering martial artists attained, the pay per job would naturally be far greater than it was now.

Besides, if I prepared properly, I could hunt for Yodans even if it was dangerous. It would not be a problem.

I sprang to my feet, then hesitated.

Yi Pyeong had probably already slipped into the market.

That meant there would be plenty of eyes on us even if I ran after him and caught him.

Since I knew Yi Pyeong's plan, I could not act carelessly.

If Yi Pyeong put his plan into action and succeeded, trouble might reach me as well, since I had given him something beforehand.

His visit to my house was not much of a problem.

At this hour, most people in the slums were outside, busy making a living.

Was I too late?

Even so, I went into my room, took a spirit pill, and slipped it into my robes.

I was going to Jin Pal's inn anyway. If I ran into Yi Pyeong, I could find some way to give it to him.

If I did not see him, there was nothing to be done.

With that, I left home.

When I entered an alley in the market, I saw that the coded marks that had been there until yesterday had been erased.

The black market was over.

A strange sense of regret rose within me.

When would it return?

I had not thought to ask when the next black market would open, or how often they were held.

I quickened my pace and shook off the regret.

The market was crowded.

It was noon.

The street stalls were packed with people eating lunch, while shoppers shouted as they bargained in front of stores.

I searched for Yi Pyeong as I moved through them.

Would he be heading toward Azure Balance Gate?

Bump.

"Hey! What the hell!"

A middle-aged man whose shoulder I had bumped turned his head away after seeing the straight saber at my waist.

Smack.

"Ow!"

A child reaching for the pouch at my waist clutched their wrist after a sharp smack and backed away.

When I turned to look, the child had already spun around and fled into the crowd.

As I moved swiftly through the people, I spotted Yi Pyeong ahead.

Just as I hurried toward him, Azure Balance Gate martial artists walking from the opposite direction caught my eye.

I naturally changed course and joined the line at a street stall beside the road.

Then I watched Yi Pyeong from the corner of my eye.

The Azure Balance Gate martial artists appeared to have business with Yi Pyeong, as they were speaking to him.

The problem was that they seemed to be bullying him a little.

Yi Pyeong spoke with them while smiling, scratching his head, and bowing slightly at the waist.

I knew what that was.

Before causing trouble, he was acting foolish to lower their guard.

Then Yi Pyeong left with the Azure Balance Gate martial artists.

In the end, I could not give him the spirit pill.

I felt regretful and sorry, but also slightly relieved.

Several days passed after I met Yi Pyeong.

"Haah!"

This was a storage building behind Jin Pal's inn.

After hearing that I would teach Gu Deok martial arts, Jin Pal had emptied it for us to use as a training ground.

The goods that had been in the storage building were piled outside, almost surrounding it, so I could expect a degree of soundproofing as well.

Jin Pal bowed deeply to thank me for teaching Gu Deok martial arts.

This was a world where people without strength could only be looked down on.

People had to grovel even before third-rate martial artists with no internal energy here.

There were government officials, of course, and people paid nearby martial sects protection money, but that was useless if they were not around when something happened.

Besides, they were not exactly diligent about protecting ordinary people.

I made Jin Pal sit down as he thanked me again and again, then repeatedly warned him never to tell anyone that I was teaching martial arts.

The same went for Gu Deok.

At the very least, until he reached third-rate.

Until then, he could never show that he had learned martial arts.

Martial arts were treasure, and there were always plenty of people who coveted treasure.

I could not protect him forever, either.

Still, once he reached about third-rate, it would be all right if he showed a little of it, though not openly.

People did not deliberately attack a dog that bit.

If someone could leave even a small wound on them, people would think twice before attacking.

Of course, that did not apply to drunks, madmen, or cases where the value of the treasure someone possessed vastly exceeded their strength.

"Stop."

"Huff. Huff."

Gu Deok panted heavily.

Gu Deok was now swinging the broadsaber of the wandering martial artist who had died at the inn, the one Jin Pal had kept instead of selling.

After having Gu Deok focus on the basics for a long time, I spoke quietly.

"Start the Turbulent Wind Saber Method."

"...Yes!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Since Gu Deok could not read, he had no choice but to carve the forms of the Turbulent Wind Saber Method into his body through repetition.

As for the Turbulent Wind Inner-Energy Method, I had him recite the mnemonic formula every day to make sure he had memorized it properly.

Once Gu Deok finished a round of the Turbulent Wind Saber Method, I picked up a wooden sword and stood before him.

Gu Deok set down the broadsaber he had been holding and raised a wooden sword as well.

"What did I say was most important?"

"Distance."

"Right. Knowing the distance your opponent's attacks can reach, and the distance your own attacks can reach, is most important. Knowing your opponent's range is especially important. Only then can you prepare for it."

"Yes!"

Clack!

When I struck Gu Deok's wooden sword with mine, he swung his sword and rushed at me.

Crack!

I knocked his wooden sword aside with force, then drove my foot into his stomach.

Thud!

"Urk!"

Gu Deok clutched his stomach and bent over, struggling to catch his breath.

"The moment you attack is when you leave the most openings. Always think about what comes next. Again!"

Though still gasping, Gu Deok got back up and pointed his wooden sword at me.

Crack! Crack!

Following the forms of the Turbulent Wind Saber Method, I unleashed blows powerful enough to sound different from before.

Gu Deok was continuously driven backward by the force.

"It's fine to step back! But the most important thing is not to lose your center of balance! Do not lean your upper body backward!"

"Nngh!"

Gu Deok gritted his teeth and tried to straighten his upper body, but the continuing attacks only forced him back. He could not immediately regain his stance.

"Ugh!"

In the end, Gu Deok fell backward.

I held out a hand and helped him up before speaking.

"At a time like this, it's better to leap far back and regain your balance. And be careful not to bend your upper body too far forward just because you're being overpowered. Even a small feint will catch you."

"Yes."

"That is why footwork is important. So is the lower-body strength that supports it."

"Yes."

Gu Deok's eyes shone with determination.

Thinking he was doing fairly well, I lightly tapped him on the head once before we resumed basic training together.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sharp sounds filled the storage building.

Other than when I first corrected Gu Deok's stance, I trained alongside him as well.

After about two more hours of training, we left the storage building.

"Thank you, brother."

With his entire body trembling from overworked muscles, Gu Deok thanked me.

I had deliberately trained Gu Deok hard enough to overwork his body.

To an onlooker, it might have seemed like abuse, but it could not be helped.

I could not watch over him for the rest of my life, and as a wandering martial artist, I could suddenly disappear at any time.

"I'm going to wash up!"

"Go ahead."

Gu Deok trained in the afternoon.

We had chosen that time because it was when there were the fewest guests.

It was also when there was the least chance of anyone discovering that he was learning martial arts, and the only time Jin Pal could prepare food and tend to customers alone.

I went around to the back of the storage building.

I stepped onto the goods piled there, checked the alley beyond the wall, then immediately climbed over it.

Was I getting closer to first-rate?

Even right after training, my body felt fairly light.

Sneaking out like this was also a way to avoid being noticed by others.

Even if there were few people around in the afternoon, coming and going too often could arouse suspicion.

I passed through the empty alley and headed home.

"Hm?"

When I arrived, I spotted a figure standing blankly in my yard, looking up at the sky.

"What is it?"

"You're back."

The person who turned at my voice was Yi So-gang.

Yi So-gang seemed to have recovered already. Aside from looking a little pale, Yi So-gang appeared quite well.

"Yes. Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine... Could we go inside and talk?"

"...Yes."

Sensing something unusual in Yi So-gang's manner, I led Yi So-gang inside.

"You can sit here."

I pulled out a chair for Yi So-gang, then sat on the bed.

"Baek So-ok came to see me yesterday."

"What?"

Baek So-ok.

The female unranked wandering martial artist from Yi Pyeong's group.

Had she not gone to the Martial Alliance?

As if answering my question, Yi So-gang spoke.

"She said she did not go to the Martial Alliance at Yi Pyeong's suggestion. She said she had been confined until now, then secretly escaped."

"She was confined?"

"Yes. From what she heard, they said that since they had taught her martial arts, they had ways to put her to use... She said she did not know exactly what it meant, but... you have a general idea, do you not?"

"Hm..."

A pretty young woman.

A woman who had learned martial arts and had enough grit to work as a wandering martial artist would be useful in plenty of ways.

"Jeong-un."

"Yes."

"I had originally intended to leave today."

"...What?"

I looked at Yi So-gang at the sudden remark.

"Yi Pyeong said he was going to visit you too, so you must have heard roughly what was happening."

"..."

"If Yi Pyeong makes a move, whether it succeeds or not... Azure Balance Gate will not stay still. And there was a high chance that I would be included among those they investigated."

Yi So-gang had been with Yi Pyeong's group for quite a long time.

Most wandering martial artists knew that.

I could be in danger too, of course, but I had left Yi Pyeong's group long ago, so I thought I would be all right.

...No. I was in danger.

I had traveled with Yi Pyeong's group during that previous job involving Gwak Ha-jun.

That meant I could be in danger as well.

"But Baek So-ok said something yesterday."

"What did she say?"

"...That Gwak Ha-jun had mentioned your name several times."

"..."

"That is why I came to tell you. And to invite you. Will you leave with Baek So-ok and me today?"

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