WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Satori

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◈ Wanderer of the Martial World ◈

Chapter 42

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The carriage traveled down the main road.

The old carriage, along with the equally old horse, was still holding up through the journey.

The joints between the carriage wheels had begun to come apart slightly, and the horse was visibly growing tired, but it was still manageable for now.

We were now near Na-jeon County.

Other than encountering a single Yo beast along the way, we had not faced any particular danger so far.

That was partly due to the nature of Hubei Province.

Wudang Sect and the Zhuge Clan, Hubei's two dominant powers.

Those two enormous forces had made Hubei safer than other places.

Furthermore, the Yangtze River, the center of the continent's trade, ran through Hubei Province, and its prosperity had drawn more martial sects than other provinces.

Perhaps that was why yokai seemed rarer here than elsewhere.

"There's a village over there!"

So-ok leaned out the window and pointed to one side.

A village nestled against a hill cautiously came into view on our right.

Judging by the location Na Hye-rin had described, that was probably Na-jeon County.

Once we rounded the hill, the village that had seemed small quickly grew much larger.

Countless homes stood amid vast fields, each in its proper place.

It carried the full presence of a county with at least ten thousand residents.

And according to Na Hye-rin, there were no other martial sects here.

Only the Song-eum Sect.

It was larger than the Azure Balance Gate in Yeongheung County and more powerful than most sects located in prefectures or regional districts.

The reason was simple.

As it was not a lay martial sect, it could keep every yokai core obtained in the surrounding area.

The dominant factions called Alliance Leaders owed much of their standing to the Yodans they received from their lay martial sects.

In exchange for teaching martial arts and providing support to numerous lay martial sects, they took a set share of their Yodans.

That was why they had more Yodans than they knew what to do with without lifting a finger.

They then used those Yodans to make spirit pills and strengthen their direct lineages.

A sect like the Song-eum Sect could be called a mid-sized sect.

It had a monopoly on all the Yodans produced in one county.

If it also produced even a few secular branches, its influence could continue to grow.

Of course, once it grew beyond a certain point, a major sect would hold it back.

The carriage soon entered Na-jeon County.

It felt similar to Yeongheung County, yet slightly different.

If Yeongheung County was the distribution hub for nearby villages, this was a truly agriculture-centered county.

Its vast fields and the produce they yielded.

And because it was close to Henan, it was also a place where passing escort agencies could rest.

Avoiding the busy villagers and merchants, we headed for the enormous manor atop the inner hill.

The name Song-eum Sect, written in elegant calligraphy above the huge gate, caught my eye.

"Stop!"

A gate guard stopped the carriage.

One of the two guards approached us and asked, "What business do you have here?"

Maybe it was because we had spent nearly three days living in the wilderness and looked like a mess.

The guard's tone as they questioned us was rather arrogant.

Creak.

Then the carriage door opened, and Na Hye-rin climbed down with So-ok supporting her.

"I'm Na Hye-rin of the Dragon-Phoenix Unit's Plum Blossom Group. I've come to see the Sect Leader."

She looked haggard from her poor health and grimy from being unable to wash properly for several days, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty.

Rather, her sickly, pitiful appearance was charming enough to awaken a man's protective instincts.

Not mine, of course.

At Na Hye-rin's introduction, the martial artist stared fixedly at her face.

"Ah! It is an honor to meet the Splendid Phoenix!"

"You know me?"

Na Hye-rin smiled faintly at the martial artist, who had reacted in surprise and given a fist-and-palm salute.

"I once saw you from afar, briefly."

"I see. May we go inside?"

"Yes! Please wait just a moment."

The martial artist quickly spoke to the other guard, who had been watching us at the gate, then went inside.

So they would not let us in immediately as the Yang Family Manor had.

Soon, a middle-aged martial artist came out to greet us.

"I am No Wi-cheon, Chief of the Song-eum Sect's Guest Reception Hall. Welcome, Splendid Phoenix."

"Thank you for the welcome. First, my junior sister has been poisoned. Her condition is critical. Could she see a physician first?"

"Ah! Of course. Please come in."

At No Wi-cheon's words, I drove the carriage inside.

As Na Hye-rin had said, Cho Dan-a's condition was not good.

The poison that had receded due to the general-purpose antidote seemed to be flaring up again, and her face was gradually turning black.

I was no physician, but even I could tell that the poison was spreading through her body again.

When we reached the medicine hall and showed Cho Dan-a to the physician, their expression turned grave.

"We need to expel the poison quickly. Everyone, leave. Something could go wrong otherwise."

At the physician's urging, we went outside.

Na Hye-rin seemed somewhat restless with concern for Cho Dan-a.

Though she remained seated in the carriage, since she was still having trouble moving around.

After some time passed, someone approached Na Hye-rin, bowed, and spoke.

"The Sect Leader has asked to see you now. Please follow me. As for these two, we will prepare rooms for them to rest in."

Na Hye-rin left, and So-ok and I followed someone who appeared to be a servant to a building.

Before long, the servant left, leaving only So-ok and me.

A strange awkwardness hung in the air.

Only a few days.

Could a relationship become this distant in that time?

Then again, if I thought about it, we had only grown close because of what happened over a single night.

"Brother... I'll rest in this room."

"All right."

She entered another room.

A strange sense of disappointment.

Yet that was why I sensed the coming farewell.

I did not know what had been said between her and Na Hye-rin.

The driver's seat had been too noisy with the horse, the carriage, and the wind to hear what they said inside.

Perhaps she had been promised a position in the Martial Alliance, or an opportunity to become a disciple of Mount Hua Sect.

Would it go well for her?

Was this not a world that placed great importance on one's origins?

No. In truth, there was nowhere people lived where origins were ignored.

Because So-ok was a woman from a wandering martial artist background, she might not be able to rise as high as she wanted, and the process would not be easy.

But that did not mean I wanted to call her foolish, tell her to accept her present circumstances, or say she should know her place.

Anyone could take on a challenge.

Compared with my aged mind, how beautiful was her spirit of challenge?

With that strange bitterness lingering behind, I opened the door to another room and went inside.

When I opened my eyes again, red sunset light was streaming through the crack in the door.

I stared blankly at the red light before getting up.

I had washed at the well in the backyard before sleeping, so I was not dirty, but the fatigue from the journey left my body stiff, as though it wanted more rest.

Even so, I got up because I was hungry.

For the past few days, I had eaten only jerky and dry rations, and even those sparingly. The hunger I felt now was enough to force my tired body up.

When I opened the door and stepped outside, the same sight I had seen earlier lay before me.

I glanced at the room So-ok had entered, but there was no sign of movement. She seemed to still be asleep.

I wandered around for a while before finding a place where a delicious smell was coming from, and headed there.

A huge kitchen.

I did not know for certain, but it was probably where meals for the Song-eum Sect were prepared.

I approached the middle-aged woman directing everyone there.

"I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

"Excuse me? Ah."

The middle-aged woman looked me over as though trying to determine who I was, then spoke.

"But who are you?"

"Ah. I came here with Lady Na Hye-rin."

"Ah!"

The Splendid Phoenix's name was widely known, and simply hearing that I had come with her made the woman exclaim in admiration.

"Please wait a moment. I'll prepare a small meal for you."

"I only need something to fill my stomach."

"Then would you like to have some rice cakes first?"

"Thank you."

I took the rice cakes in a small basket outside and sat down wherever I could.

Perhaps because we were on a hill, the weather was quite cool for summer.

The scent of the pine trees surrounding the Song-eum Sect was especially calming.

As I chewed on a rice cake and looked around, I saw a hawk soaring into the sky.

A message hawk.

In a world with yokai, slow birds could not be used to deliver messages.

Apparently, only hawks could deliver letters with reasonable reliability.

The hawk rose swiftly into the sky, circled the Song-eum Sect once, then chose a direction and flew away.

The information Na Hye-rin knew was probably tied around that hawk's ankle.

If it reached the Martial Alliance safely, this flight would soon be over.

I would only know when the time came whether So-ok and I would part ways, but her earlier attitude made it feel almost certain. When that time came, it would likely be over.

I had felt subtle emotions earlier, but perhaps because I had slept, I was all right now.

I had no intention of walking through life alone in this world, but neither did I intend to cling stubbornly to a bond that was not meant to be.

I was staring blankly at the hawk flying away when something suddenly rushed at it from one side at incredible speed.

It soon breathed fire and roasted the hawk.

"...?"

I was dumbfounded by the sight for a moment before quickly coming to my senses.

The birdlike thing that had killed the hawk vanished at once, but I could roughly guess what it was.

A Bifang.

A one-legged bird Yo beast.

I knew it breathed fire, but since it was a Yo beast, its flames should not be that powerful.

But what I had just seen was powerful enough to be clearly visible even from far away.

And the Bifang had been much larger than what was recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

A bad feeling came over me, and my mood sank to the bottom.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Soon, the sound of bells spread through the Song-eum Sect.

Martial artists who had been nowhere in sight rapidly moved toward one place.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and follow them! Don't you know it's a muster order?"

Someone shouted at me as well while I sat there blankly.

Ignoring them, I ran quickly to the lodging.

"So-ok!"

"What's happening?"

Perhaps she had heard the bells, because So-ok was outside as well.

"It seems something has happened."

"Ah!"

So-ok looked startled.

Passing her, I entered the room, slung my bundle over my shoulder, and went outside.

"Sh-shouldn't we go see first?"

"We should."

Moving on our own in a situation like this was more likely to be dangerous.

Especially if my guess was right.

So-ok and I headed toward where everyone had gathered.

The Song-eum Sect martial artists stood in orderly rows. On a slightly raised platform stood an elderly figure with a straight back.

Behind the elder were a middle-aged man and a younger man, and finally Na Hye-rin beside them.

That elder standing in the center seemed to be the Song-eum Sect Leader.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Blue signal flares rose in the distance.

The elder saw them and spoke in a grave voice.

"It seems the Song-eum Sect... no, Na-jeon County has been surrounded."

Perhaps the elder was using internal energy. Though the voice was low, I could hear every word clearly from quite far away.

"It seems what you said was right."

The elder turned to look at Na Hye-rin.

Na Hye-rin stood there with a deathly pale face.

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