Wanderer of the Martial World - Chapter 36

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Satori

◈ Wanderer of the Martial World ◈

Chapter 36

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Forms are important.

That does not mean forms alone are important in combat. Far from it.

Other abilities are even more important, such as the ability to read a situation accurately, the feints I often use, and even simple movements that could be called fundamentals.

Still, when it comes specifically to handling a weapon, forms themselves are, in a sense, the completed product of that field.

Take Flowing Water Line, the first technique of the Flowing Current Heaven-Severing Saber. It consists of three movements: redirecting, moving with footwork, and cutting.

Since each movement can be performed separately depending on the situation, they alone are enough to carry out combat.

That was why So-ok and I sparred, practicing until we became accustomed to our own forms.

"Ah!"

So-ok rolled across the ground.

Huff. Huff.

She sat on the ground, breathing heavily.

She had improved greatly from when we began, but she was still lacking.

Even so, she was stubbornly diligent.

She had never complained about her repeated defeats, and she always tried to absorb what I had to teach with an eagerness to learn.

I found that admirable.

"Are you all right?"

Huff... Huff... "Yes..."

So-ok barely managed to rise, swaying.

The reason for training like this was simple.

It was to carve the forms into our bodies.

So that no matter the situation or posture, our bodies would remember the forms.

Swinging a weapon according to a form was more powerful than simply swinging it.

The reason I had been able to leave even a wound on that bald giant's shoulder was not simply because of my realization. It had also been possible because of the efficacy of the Flowing Current Heaven-Severing Saber Method.

Our training was similar to boxers repeatedly practicing basic movements and combinations such as jabs, straights, and hooks until they became ingrained in their bodies.

Making them come out even unconsciously.

Naturally, the only way to achieve that was through relentless training.

"Let's stop here for today and head out."

"Ah! Yes!"

So-ok's exhausted expression brightened a little.

We wiped ourselves down, then got dressed.

These were the first clean clothes I had worn since coming to this world.

I always wore shabby martial clothes, but this time I put on fairly expensive clothing, along with a blue long robe.

So-ok had done the same.

She wore a white jacket and blue skirt, looking at me shyly.

She had even put on makeup, which made her pretty face look all the more radiant.

"Let's go."

And so, we left the house.

Beneath the steadily darkening sky, So-ok and I walked down the street.

We were on our way to see the Red Cliffs, Huangzhou's famous attraction.

Our first date here made even my numb heart flutter.

There was no grand reason we had come out like this.

After nearly dying, my outlook on life had simply changed a little.

In a sense, I had been given my youth again.

What could be more meaningless than spending my life doing nothing but training, only to meet an unavoidable danger and die?

That was why I thought it would not hurt to relax a little.

Then I realized that So-ok and I had never properly gone on a date together.

In modern times, she would have dumped me long ago.

Of course, this world was far more dangerous than the modern world, and we had to grow stronger to overcome those dangers.

On top of that, each of us thirsted for strength, so we had spent our days doing nothing but training.

"Brother! Look over there!"

So-ok's excited voice tickled my heart.

In the direction she pointed, several painted pleasure boats floating on the Yangtze River shone beneath their lanterns like stars.

"Wow!"

So-ok's eyes sparkled.

No matter that she was second-rate and a wandering martial artist, she was still a woman in her early twenties.

Her bright smile was so beautiful that I unconsciously wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into my embrace.

"Brother, look over there too! It's wonderful!"

So-ok naturally nestled into my arms as she pointed to one side.

The cliffs, brightly illuminated by lanterns placed here and there along them, came into view.

"That must be the Red Cliffs."

"I think so!"

Then, together, So-ok and I rented a boat and joined the sea of stars.

On a small pleasure boat, we clinked cups over Dongpo pork and drinks while taking in the view.

"What did you think of me when we first met?"

So-ok asked, leaning against my shoulder.

"You looked like an Unranked wandering martial artist."

"Hmph."

She pretended to pout.

Come to think of it, you really never knew how relationships between people would turn out.

When I first saw her, I had only thought she was a pretty female wandering martial artist. Yet, after everything that had happened, we had become comrades and lovers.

"I thought you were beautiful."

"Hehe."

So-ok beamed at the compliment.

"What did you think of me?"

"Um..."

After thinking for a moment, So-ok slowly opened her mouth.

"I envied you."

"Hm?"

"At a glance, you didn't seem much older than me, yet you were already Second Grade... More than that, the seniors acknowledged you."

So-ok stared blankly at the cliffs as she recalled that time.

Her clear profile caught my eye.

Sometimes, I found So-ok fascinating.

How could she have such clear skin in a world where cosmetics had not developed?

"And when you fought Yu Sam, I was honestly a little shocked. Even though you were Second Grade, I thought I could take you on."

"Hm... Did I look easy?"

"What? No, it wasn't like that..."

So-ok was flustered by my joke.

"You were tall, but you were not particularly big..."

...So I did look easy.

Well, that was probably why people picked fights with me more often than with other wandering martial artists.

No matter how diligently I did strength training, my muscles did not grow beyond a certain point.

It was something I had not known in my previous life, since I had never worked out this hard back then.

There could be many reasons.

Maybe I was naturally incapable of growing any bigger. Maybe it was because nutrition here was poorer than in the modern world. Or maybe the jobs of a wandering martial artist did not give me enough consistent time to build muscle.

Still, being large did not mean you were good at killing people, so I did not care much.

"My build may not be that large, but other things are."

"What?"

My mind was far older than my physical age.

And yet, I had made a crude joke.

"I know. That."

Even so, So-ok wriggled and burrowed further into my arms.

Tonight might be quite a night.

After getting off the boat with So-ok, we entered a tavern nearby.

It was an upscale tavern, quite a bit more expensive than the places we usually visited.

Now that I was first-rate, I could afford this much luxury.

It had already been fifteen days since the Namgung Clan's commission. My body had recovered, and I had completed two more commissions, so I had some room to spare.

Ten days ago, the wandering martial artists' inn had already raised both So-ok's grade and mine to match our respective realms.

They had done so despite the remaining commissions because quite a few second-grade wandering martial artists had died during the Namgung Clan's job.

Except for those who had not joined that mission and those who had not crossed paths with the Namgung party, every one of them had died.

Perhaps because of that, there was now a serious shortage of wandering martial artists at Second Grade or higher.

We sat by a window with a clear view of the Red Cliffs and ordered drinks and food.

The dishes looked much better than those at cheap taverns, and the alcohol was of decent quality.

A wonderful view, a tavern with a pleasant atmosphere.

And good company.

Amid that leisure, it struck me once more that I had become first-rate.

"So the Namgung Clan's martial artists are chasing the demon practitioners now?"

The conversation from people seated fairly nearby caught my attention.

"Yes. I heard they requested support from the Martial Alliance, so the Alliance will likely join the pursuit. Once Namgung leaves Anhui Province, it will be difficult for them to exert much influence."

"Still, they say they killed the Great Strength Demon and the Blood Demon Wanderer this time. That is good news."

The Great Strength Demon was the bald giant who had chased me.

They said that once the Namgung Clan's Peak martial artists arrived, the demon practitioners had immediately turned tail and fled.

And of the four Peak martial artists, they had only managed to kill the bald giant and the young man who had stood beside the middle-aged person.

In the end, they had failed to catch the middle-aged person who seemed to be their leader, the woman whose hands had transformed into tentacles, and the woman who had killed the Namgung Clan's young clan head.

"Good news, my foot. I'm afraid this may be the signal for the Demonic Cult to rise again."

"Hahaha. You are too fearful. The great sects of the realm are still strong, and the Martial Alliance is at the height of its power. How could those bastards easily invade the Central Plains?"

"Still, who knows what those madmen are thinking?"

The martial world's influence over common people was comparable to that of the government authorities.

No. In some ways, the martial world's influence might have been even stronger.

If the Demonic Cult invaded in the midst of all this, everything would inevitably change.

With martial artists leaving to fight the Demonic Cult, people could be left exposed to the dangers of yokai. And if the Demonic Cult conquered the Central Plains, it would not merely be a matter of being looked down on for lacking strength. It could become a literal hell.

There was no way to solve it, nor could I obtain any proper information.

So I stopped thinking about it.

"This is my first time."

"What is?"

I asked So-ok, who was staring blankly at the Red Cliffs.

"Wearing such nice clothes and sitting in a place this expensive."

At those words, I realized I knew nothing about her past.

All I knew was that nobody was waiting for her in Yeongheung County.

But I could not ask carelessly.

It was taboo among wandering martial artists.

You did not ask about each other's pasts.

"...Where is your hometown?"

Even so, I asked.

I did not think our relationship was so shallow that I could not ask even that much.

So-ok smiled as she looked at me.

For some reason, that smile seemed both sad and happy.

"I..."

"Excuse me, Young Hero."

Just as So-ok began to speak, someone suddenly interrupted.

I turned with slight displeasure, and found a martial artist from the Yang Family Manor standing there with a fist-and-palm salute.

It was a familiar face.

I recognized the martial artist who had insulted me while checking the wandering martial artists, then changed their attitude after I killed the Dark Sheep Sect Leader.

"What is it?"

My answer came out sharply.

The pleasant atmosphere had been ruined just before a conversation that was not easy for wandering martial artists to have.

Naturally, I was not in a good mood about being interrupted.

"I apologize if I have disturbed you... The Family Head wishes to see you, Young Hero, so I have committed this discourtesy."

"..."

I had heard that the Yang Family Manor's former Family Head had died around the time I regained consciousness.

Though the family was small, the death of the head of a martial faction had spread as a rumor, so I knew of it.

I had also heard that his granddaughter had succeeded him.

The granddaughter who had apparently served in some division of the Martial Alliance.

"I cannot leave my seat at the moment. Tell the Family Head that I will visit another time."

It was a gentle refusal.