WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Satori
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Wanderer of the Martial World ◈
Chapter 27
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When I opened my eyes, Baek So-ok was lying beside me.
Light streaming through the crack in the window made her naked body gleam white.
Without thinking, I grabbed her buttock.
“Mmm...”
Though I had clearly been tired yesterday, this young body still craved hers.
The age of youth.
Just as it had in my previous life, my body faithfully gave vent to its desire, and my mind followed along.
Of course, it was not only because of lust.
The tension drained away, and my oversensitive mind eased.
The persistent pressure of survival vanished as though it had been an illusion.
Something I could lose myself in.
Something that came with pleasure was still remarkably effective.
“Mmm... Gaga...”
So-ok, who had been tormented all night, buried her face in my chest as she mumbled in her sleep.
Stroking her back, I thought about my plans for the future.
For now, I decided to put off going to the Namgung Clan.
I had chosen to head for Hefei only because I had nowhere else to go anyway.
I did want to see Seoryeong, but realistically, there was nothing I could do even if I went.
So it made more sense to settle down here first and raise my realm.
Huangzhou was close to Hefei, so I could go whenever I made up my mind to.
That was the excuse I made.
It was not as though my longing for Seoryeong had vanished completely.
The long years I had spent with her.
For most of that time, I had paid her flower fee and sought only her body, but later, I had felt that our hearts connected.
Even so, it was true that my affection was gradually fading.
Because of Baek So-ok.
Was the amount of affection in a person's heart limited?
It felt as though my feelings for Seoryeong were slowly shifting to So-ok.
Only two days had passed, yet I had become like this. I had no idea what would happen later.
Leaving those complicated feelings alone, I held So-ok and considered my future plans.
After breakfast with So-ok, I left the inn.
The inn was quite far from where yesterday's incident had occurred.
It was to avoid any possible pursuit.
This was a city with a population of tens of thousands.
Outsiders entered often on the merchant ships that came and went every day.
If we had moved this far away, it would not be easy to find us.
Honestly, I was not afraid of that bastard's gang.
Street thugs were all the same.
The problem was that if there were many of them, they could become quite troublesome.
There was also the possibility that they were connected to the unorthodox factions, so I had been careful.
I did not think the authorities would be a problem at all.
They had always been like that.
They might even be pleased that we had gotten rid of some street thugs.
After stopping by the market to buy clothes and change into them, we asked for directions to the wandering martial artist inn.
If we were going to live here from now on, we needed to earn money as wandering martial artists.
It was work I had done in Yeongheung County anyway, so not much would change.
The wandering martial artist inn here was not much different from the one in Yeongheung County.
Unranked wandering martial artists sprawled in front of the inn.
They looked at us as though trying to pick a fight, but turned away as soon as our eyes met.
A few stared openly at Baek So-ok, but none dared make a move.
When we entered, the noisy inn quieted a little.
New faces had appeared, so it could not be helped.
Most of them whispered while looking at us, while some glared intensely.
I met each of their gazes, looked around, and searched for the innkeeper.
“Hey!”
When I looked toward the voice, a bearded middle-aged man pointed to one side with his chin.
Sure enough, an old man sitting at a table came into view.
I gave him a slight nod and approached.
“Who are you?”
“I came to register as a wandering martial artist.”
My record in Yeongheung County would not be recognized elsewhere.
Unless it was a very nearby region, there was no way to prove it.
The same was true even if I had a wandering martial artist badge.
They were easy to forge, so the badge itself meant little.
“One silver tael each. Two taels total.”
The old man held out his hand indifferently.
That was the fee for registering as an Unranked wandering martial artist.
Did he think we were greenhorns?
Well, considering only how old I looked, it was understandable.
“Second-rate.”
“...Hm?”
The old man looked slightly surprised at my words.
The inn suddenly fell quiet.
Soon, whispers rose from behind me.
“Second-rate? At that age?”
“He might be an empty-qi fraud.”
“If that bastard isn't, we should break one of his legs.”
Harsh words flew around, but I paid them no mind.
They would find out soon enough.
“And this young lady?”
The old man pointed at Baek So-ok.
“I’m second-rate too.”
There was no need to hide her realm.
Experience naturally grew with time.
Since the difference in pay between an Unranked wandering martial artist and one at Second Grade was considerable, it was not worth accepting a loss just to conceal our realms.
The back of the inn became noisy again.
“That woman too?”
“They must have come from some rural martial sect.”
“But then why become wandering martial artists? Why not open an escort agency?”
“What kind of escort agency could a second-rate martial artist run?”
“You can be curious, but don't wag your tongues in front of them. You'll get a beating for nothing.”
“Hmph! Let them try!”
The old man looked between us, then rose from his seat.
He had looked small while sitting, but when he stood, his compact, sturdy build showed itself.
“Hmm... Follow me. Jin Pyeong! Watch this place for a moment!”
“Yes, sir.”
We followed the old man out the back of the inn.
There was an open lot behind it.
The old man drew a broadsaber and pointed it at me.
I felt a familiar aura.
So the innkeeper here was first-rate too.
“Come. Try me.”
Without backing down, I drew my straight saber and rushed at the old man.
There was no need to use martial arts.
This was merely a procedure to confirm my realm.
Clang! Clang!
We exchanged several moves.
There were no killing techniques, only perfunctory strikes.
“Enough!”
The old man leaped back and opened the distance, so I sheathed my straight saber.
“Maybe it's because I'm old, but my wrists ache after fighting just a little... Tsk.”
The old man grumbled.
“You are second-rate. Next, young lady. Step forward.”
“Yes!”
Baek So-ok's test began immediately.
“Hah!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Unlike me, Baek So-ok put her martial arts on display.
Her feet moved swiftly, and her sword flashed in dazzling arcs.
“Enough!”
The old man opened the distance again and considered her for a moment.
“That speed and strength are impossible for a woman of your build. Still, it is a little ambiguous. It seems to be because your natural strength is weak... Well, judging by your reaction speed, you are second-rate.”
“Yes!”
Baek So-ok briefly looked crestfallen at his assessment, but once he acknowledged her, she answered brightly.
“Now that I've confirmed it, let's go back inside.”
We followed the old man back in.
As soon as we entered, the wandering martial artists' attention focused on us.
They had apparently been very curious about our realms.
“You may already know this, but even if you're second-rate, you can only begin at Third Grade. Complete five commissions, and then you'll be raised to Second Grade.”
The commotion behind us grew louder.
They must have doubted whether we were truly second-rate.
I already knew what the old man had said.
People said anyone and everyone could become a wandering martial artist, but that applied only to the Unranked.
It was not about status.
It was about skill.
Since someone could lie about it, they began one grade below the grade they actually qualified for.
Their true ability would be exposed eventually, anyway.
“Since you'll be registering at Third Grade, it will be two silver taels per person.”
It was one tael more than the Unranked registration fee.
I paid a total of two taels and said, “Deduct the two silver taels from our next commission.”
We had gained money by killing those street thugs yesterday, but after buying the supplies needed for a commission, our funds would be rather tight.
Still, we had to pay one tael each to have our wandering martial artist badges made.
“Fine. Do as you like.”
Fortunately, the old man accepted my proposal.
“The badges will be ready tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
Before leaving the inn, I looked over the whole place once.
Among the wandering martial artists who avoided my gaze, a few did not.
The bearded middle-aged man who had shown us the innkeeper was among them.
They were probably second-rate.
After memorizing their faces, I left the inn.
As So-ok and I walked through the market, I sorted through what we needed to do once more.
Taking commissions and earning money was the most basic matter.
Before that, I needed to get a rough grasp of how this region worked.
What martial sects existed here, and how the balance of power stood.
We also needed to find a house.
It was difficult to train properly at an inn.
Houses for rent would not be very expensive.
They would probably be cheaper than an inn.
Finally, the most important thing was Yodans.
It would be nice if there were a Black Market, but I could not see any coded marks.
I could not wait around blindly, so I needed to hunt.
My head hurt as I considered how to hunt without So-ok knowing, and what excuse I should make if she caught me.
I could rent a separate house nearby, but I was not sure how she would take that.
“Try this on!”
So-ok took out a rather stylish long robe from a stall selling cheap clothes.
I did not refuse and tried it on. So-ok clapped her hands in delight.
“It suits you!”
She looked so cute that I chuckled. We bought a few clothes and necessary supplies, then headed for a blacksmith's shop.
“Hmm... Do you see this here?”
The blacksmith examined my straight saber.
Following his words, I looked it over closely and saw a few faint cracks.
“I can patch it up, but it will break before long. You're better off buying a new one.”
The blacksmith was right, but I did not have enough money.
Since becoming second-rate, it felt as though financial problems I had never experienced in Yeongheung County were holding me back.
“Patch it for now.”
“Ugh. All right.”
The blacksmith seemed to realize that I was not well off. He took my straight saber and went inside.
In truth, I used weapons longer than most wandering martial artists.
I redirected my opponents' attacks as much as possible.
Naturally, that meant less strain on my straight saber. While others replaced their weapons two or three times, it was enough for me to replace mine only once.
‘He really was strong.’
I thought of the Demonic Cult member I had fought on the ship.
Strength greater than that of an ordinary first-rate martial artist.
On top of that, I had used the third form of the Flowing Current Heaven-Severing Saber Method.
It was a technique that forcefully knocked away an opponent's weapon, so my straight saber must have taken a heavy strain.
“Will it be all right?”
Baek So-ok looked at me with worried eyes.
I nodded, telling her it would be fine.
It was only cracked.
I thought it could hold out a little longer.
Soon, the blacksmith returned with my straight saber.
“Just give me fifty mun.”
I paid without bargaining, then entered a tavern with So-ok to have dinner.
Most people in the world were gossips.
Even those who were not usually like that became more talkative after drinking.
That was why sitting quietly in a tavern let you hear many stories.
Most were useless chatter, but information occasionally slipped out as well.
For people like us, who had only just arrived here, even their complaints were valuable information.
“Are you all right not going back to Yeongheung?”
The thought suddenly came to me, and I asked So-ok.
“It's fine! We can't go back anyway. Besides, nobody's waiting for me there.”
By Yeongheung, I did not mean only Yeongheung County.
I was asking whether her hometown might be in one of the small villages nearby.
If she had family there, she would miss them.
But since she said there was nobody waiting for her, I could tell she had no family.
Because of the wandering martial artists' taboo against asking about the past, I had phrased it indirectly.
“What about you, Gaga? Are you all right not going back?”
“It's the same for me. Even if I went back, nobody would be waiting for me.”
“Hehe. We're the same.”
“We are.”
And so, another day passed.
Footnotes:
“Gaga” is a Korean form of address for an older brother or an older male intimate.
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