Chapter 27: In the Jianghu, One's Body is Not One's Own (16)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27: In the Jianghu, One's Body is Not One's Own (16)
*
He was nicknamed the Debate Brawler because he instigated every fight with a discussion.
He would appear out of nowhere in any given county, grab hold of unsuspecting people, and force them into a debate. His questions usually followed a specific pattern:
“Do you believe the current County Magistrate and the Guangdong Provincial Government are performing their duties effectively?”
Naturally, most commoners had no interest in such political discourse. However, the Debate Brawler would beat them until they were forced to offer an opinion. He would gather groups of people, stand them in the middle of a street or village, and nod in satisfaction as he coerced them into arguing over their differing views.
“A nation stands tall only when its people are wise,” he would proclaim.
Military officers had attempted to suppress him on several occasions, but they were invariably defeated and forced to participate in the debates themselves. Some of them ended up harshly criticizing their own superiors, such as the County Magistrate or the Guangdong Provincial Government. They all later testified that Jin Jo-gwang had coerced them into it.
*
“Wow. Seriously. Just how powerful are his martial arts that he could defeat all those military officers?”
Yeon So-wol marveled as he turned the page.
*
He always feigned humility, claiming his fame was undeserved for his meager skills, but a closer look revealed a subtle boastfulness and a tendency to look down on others, earning him the nickname The Overrated One.
Rumors swirled that he was once a secular disciple of a great faction belonging to the Nine Factions, and that he had been offered the position of a direct disciple but had politely refused. The truth, however, remained uncertain.
Under the pretext of seeking guidance, he sought out martial artists and military officers in every county without distinction.
“Lately, I’ve been confused and have found it difficult to even grip my sword properly. Would you mind taking a look for me?”
Faced with his humble and earnest request, some would readily agree while others would yell at him to get lost, but the outcome was usually the same for both.
“My master could split a boulder as smooth as a mirror with a swing like this. But look here. The boulder I cut is so coarse. I must be a fool. I can’t even hold a sword properly these days. On the other hand, you, Great Hero, grip your sword without hesitation and swing with such spirit. I can only feel envy and admiration. I wish to learn from you.”
His victims would be seething with rage, but they didn’t dare express it in the face of his formidable martial arts; their faces merely flushed between red and pale.
*
“This is it!”
Yeon So-wol slapped his knee, set down the Jianghu Roster, and stood up.
To just walk up to someone and pick a fight... It weighed heavily on his conscience, but it was to fulfill his adoptive father’s strict command.
Sigh. I wonder how badly I’ll get thrashed this time?
He diligently picked fights as Lee Yu-baek had ordered, but he was, in truth, a little scared of the aftermath. The last time they’d crossed hands, Resentful Dog had proven to be an expert at least two steps ahead of him.
“Hmm.”
He suddenly thought of the Great Restoration Pill.
If I take that, I could probably overwhelm Resentful Dog right now, couldn't I? And that military officer I saw yesterday, Jang Wi-san, too.
If even a quarter of the rumors about the Great Restoration Pill were true, then it was a certainty. But...
“Just a little. Just a little longer.”
By consuming the Dragon Scale Mushroom and researching more about martial arts, he had managed to establish his own standards.
“To draw out the full energy of an elixir, I need to kindle the True Fire first. That’s also the best way to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”
Taking it right now would still yield tremendous effects. They said a third-rate martial artist could open the path to becoming first-rate by taking it; what would happen if he, a second-rate, took it now?
But what if...
What if I take it after I’ve kindled the True Fire and become a first-rate martial artist?
What if he took it after his Fire Phase had deepened, after he had accumulated more experience and knowledge in self-cultivation? And what if he used the True Fire to completely absorb the pill’s efficacy?
The efficiency would be beyond words.
Everything I build from now on will come back in a multiplicative form then.
That was what he always thought, but temptation flared up from time to time.
Should I just take it now? If I do, I’ll be incredibly strong by tomorrow. Just how strong would I get?
But Yeon So-wol somehow managed to shake off the craving for the sake of a greater reward—and to minimize the risk of a potential Qi Deviation.
Yeon So-wol shook his head and stepped out into the street to find Resentful Dog again.
*
The streets were plastered with official notices announcing a Confinement Order on the banks of the Jipseong River for the Eighth of the Fourth Lunar Month.
But the people paid no mind to such notices; the only thing they were buzzing about was the story of Yeon So-wol and Resentful Dog.
“Kyahhhh! Did you see it? Did you? Who was that guy from before? The one who said a martial artist should be judged by his fighting? What’s he going to say now? Our Young Master Yeon didn’t lose to Resentful Dog!”
“Right? He’s been learning martial arts for less than a year, and he’s already fighting on par with Resentful Dog!”
“On par? What kind of dog-shit nonsense is that? Are those eyeballs in your face, or are they just black and white sugar candies? Yeon So-wol was getting beaten one-sidedly. If it weren’t for that military officer, there wouldn’t have been enough of him left to bury!”
“Yes, but he didn’t fall, did he?”
“Exactly. Resentful Dog has been training ten times longer than Young Master Yeon. If he couldn’t knock him down, it’s as good as a loss.”
“Huh? Did you happen to wear a hat a lot when you were young?”
“I did. Why do you ask?”
“Aha. So the hat stunted your brain’s growth. I knew it.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Today, too, people were fighting everywhere, arguing over who was right. And today, too, Yeon So-wol was looking for Resentful Dog.
“Senior. I wish to ask for your guidance.”
“What is it this time...?”
“This junior is having difficulties with his Fire Phase.”
“Ha?”
“It’s true. Just look at Mo Cheong—he can leap onto the roof of a two-story house from a standstill, but I can barely get on top of a one-story house. It breaks my heart; I’ve even lost my appetite. I feel so pathetic, wondering if this is all I amount to as a martial artist...”
KRAAANG!
Resentful Dog charged, his footsteps shattering the ground. Yeon So-wol bared his teeth and met him head-on.
Fists flew, kicks were exchanged. The two fought for a good shichen and a half.
Yeon So-wol was much better at dodging attacks than before, and he could manage his stamina more effectively. This was because his application of the Qi Sense he learned from Eun-yeong and the Willow Leaf Step he learned from Lee Yu-baek had settled more deeply into his body.
Resentful Dog ground his teeth.
...When I first saw him, he couldn’t even control his killing intent. How in the world did he master Qi Sense in such a short time...
Yeon So-wol already possessed an absurdly potent Qi Sense. Through the self-cultivation of his floating collaterals and skin, he had instantly grasped how to utilize it. Resentful Dog, on the other hand, had spent ten years of training to slowly etch the use of Qi Sense into his subconscious.
When it came to using Qi Sense in combat, the difference in their rates of development was so vast it defied comparison. It was the difference between one who knows and uses it, and one who uses it by mere feel.
Resentful Dog vaguely sensed this and grew even more furious.
“Stop smiling, you arrogant bastard!”
His venomous aura flared hotter. The fight seemed as if it would go on forever.
Thud!
“I told you to cut it out! Are you trying to make me come out here every single time? If you’ve fought enough, you should know when to disperse. I leave you alone for a second and there’s no end to it!”
In the end, that day’s fight also concluded only after the Junior Rank 9 County Inspector, Jang Wi-san, appeared.
After that fight, the streets of Xinxing County grew even hotter with gossip.
“Did everyone see? They were really on par today, weren’t they?”
“On par, my ass. For every two hits Resentful Dog landed, Yeon So-wol barely got one in.”
“But when Yeon So-wol landed a hit, Resentful Dog staggered twice as much, didn’t he?”
Such days continued for a while. A few days later, and a few days after that. Whenever his body recovered, Yeon So-wol would run to Resentful Dog and pick a fight.
And in the face of that provocation, Resentful Dog, Jeon Tae-gwang, never once said no. Even as Yeon So-wol’s name rose and Resentful Dog’s reputation was chipped away with each passing day, their brawls became more and more evenly matched.
He fought back to the very end and never once avoided a challenge.
“This bastard. You think I’m a joke, don’t you?”
Grinding his teeth, he would trade blows with Yeon So-wol for two, even three shichen a day, until they were both utterly exhausted.
“...Who won today?”
It reached a point where County Inspector Jang Wi-san, arriving late, would ask with a yawn. Their fights had become a famous attraction in Xinxing County.
People whispered amongst themselves.
“Young Master Yeon is a man of the Jianghu, after all. He’s so upright and kind, but look how vicious he is with Resentful Dog.”
“I know, right? Lately, I’ve started to feel sorry for Resentful Dog.”
“Sorry? What’s there to be sorry about? When I think about how that bastard used to gather the young errand boys in the market to steal their money and beat them, I think he still hasn’t gotten what he deserves.”
“Oh my? You haven’t heard of the immortal who governs martial arts? Goodness. You must not know of Young Hero Arang yet.”
“I’m curious. Will Young Master Yeon be able to defeat Resentful Dog before the Eighth of the Fourth Lunar Month this spring?”
Before long, the third month passed, and winter was at its end. A spring breeze began to whisper even in the mountain town of Xinxing County.
Around that time, the people of Xinxing County were frequently conscripted for forced labor for the boat party on the Jipseong River scheduled for the Eighth of the Fourth Lunar Month.
At home, they made floating lanterns to set on the water and sky lanterns to release into the heavens. They prepared oil and candles. They prepared the boats to be used for the party, decorated them, and prepared food. They even procured metal for Striking Iron Flowers.
As their spirits were worn down and their anger simmered from the poorly paid forced labor, the fights between Yeon So-wol and Resentful Dog became a form of entertainment that helped them release their pent-up Heart Fire.
Just as everyone was looking forward to the next fight, Yeon So-wol had a slightly different thought.
I’m kind of... growing fond of him.
Maybe it was because they had traded so many blows. Somehow, he felt like he could understand Resentful Dog’s heart these days—the inferiority complex and the desire for recognition that he held deep in his chest.
One day, a thought occurred to him. For just one day, what if they had a drink together instead of fighting?
“Resentful Dog-hyung.”
At that moment, Yeon So-wol saw it.
“...Ha?”
A face more hideously contorted than at any other provocation he had ever thrown.
“Uh. Um. Tae-gwang-hyung.”
“...Ha?”
No. I said it right this time, didn’t I?
Inexplicably, Resentful Dog exploded with rage.
“Die!”
KRAAANG!
Resentful Dog charged, stomping the ground to pieces.
“What?!”
Yeon So-wol scrambled to fight back. That day, they fought for two shichen.
Hwoong!
Yeon So-wol dodged Resentful Dog’s punch.
Thump!
He leaped to the side, applying the Willow Leaf Step. The world tilted precariously, and as a dizzying inertia pulled his body in the opposite direction—
Whoosh!
He triggered the Flying Wind Drift, tempering his muscles and bones. As the inertia pulling at him vanished, his body bent like a single willow leaf.
Flying Wind Drift and Willow Leaf Step. Two different names, but they ultimately merged to form a single technique.
Whirl!
Yeon So-wol coiled in lightly, taking Resentful Dog’s flank.
POW!
He slammed his fist into his side. Then, planting his feet again to accelerate, he snapped his body back from its position like a tree branch. He twisted his shoulders and whipped his head around.
It wasn't a change in position, but a redirection of force from a single spot. The dizzying acceleration smeared the surrounding scenery into an abstract painting.
The fist that had left Resentful Dog’s side shot up like a salmon leaping the Dragon Gate, rising to meet his drooping chin.
CRACK!
Resentful Dog’s head snapped back, a spray of sweat blooming in the air. Yeon So-wol pushed off the ground, accelerating to sweep Resentful Dog’s now-unsteady legs out from under him as he passed.
Thwack!
As if he’d been in a traffic accident, Resentful Dog’s body flew through the air.
Thud! Kwatangtang!
Yeon So-wol rushed toward the fallen man to finish it. He raised his fist. And then—
“Hmm...?”
He lowered his fist. He brought his fingers to Resentful Dog’s nose. His chest rose and fell in a steady, peaceful rhythm.
He had simply...
“...”
Lost consciousness. Resentful Dog was out cold.
“Uh. Um. I was originally just going to ask for a drink.”
One day before the Eighth of the Fourth Lunar Month, for the first time, Yeon So-wol had defeated Resentful Dog.
Thump!
“Who won toda—”
Jang Wi-san, arriving late, stared blankly at Yeon So-wol.
“You won?”
He clicked his tongue.
“You, who hasn’t even properly learned fist and foot techniques, won. Hey, you. Have you ever thought of taking the imperial examination? I can write you a letter of recommendation.”
Yeon So-wol gave an awkward laugh.
*
It was the day after he defeated Resentful Dog. He didn’t run into him all day, no matter how much he walked the streets. Instead, he only saw tired faces.
The streets had gotten dirtier. The people looked more haggard.
“It’s today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Phew. It’s been tough.”
“Still, the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall gave us rice and rice cakes for our hard work.”
“Yeah. Thanks to that, it’s a bit better, but that was from Great Hero Lee Yu-baek, wasn’t it? The actual officials just worked us to the bone and paid us peanuts.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Anyway, it’s today, right? The Confinement Order.”
“Yup. Don’t even look toward the Jipseong River. One wrong move and you’ll get a severe flogging.”
The people were worn out from all the forced labor for the Chief Daoist of Yanggwang’s boat party. Yeon So-wol lamented.
“This rotten class system.”
The people of Xinxing County did all the work, but only the high and mighty got to enjoy it.
“I wanted to see it, too...”
It was bound to be a magnificent spectacle. A sky full of sky lanterns. A river full of floating lanterns. A boat party on top of it all.
“It’s really, really unfair.”
In the Jianghu, one's body is not one's own.
A person in the Jianghu is not master of their own body. Seemingly free, but not. Seemingly unrestrained, but not. To think it was a life where one unexpectedly had to walk on eggshells and endure restraints.
Yeon So-wol shook his head and returned to the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall.
“He’s not back today, either.”
Lee Yu-baek and his three disciples had been gone for several days. He hadn’t even been able to tell them that he had defeated Resentful Dog.
“...”
He felt a pang of loneliness. The boat party must be in full swing on the Jipseong River by now. It would have been so much fun to watch it together.
He was imagining such things and about to head to bed when—
Tap.
A soft footstep echoed from the wall of Yeon So-wol’s quarters.
“Hm?”
He turned to see Lee Yu-baek and his three disciples standing in a line atop the wall. They looked down at Yeon So-wol with a strangely solemn air.
“Father?”
“Yes, So-wol. I heard. You defeated Resentful Dog?”
A bashful smile formed on Yeon So-wol’s lips.
“It turned out that way.”
“Your achievements always come faster than I expect. Yes. If you’re at that level...”
Lee Yu-baek clasped his hands behind his back for a moment, looking up at the moon as if pondering something, then casually asked.
“Will you come with us?”
“Where to, sir?”
“It’s the Eighth of the Fourth Lunar Month, isn’t it? We have to go to the boat party.”
Yeon So-wol’s eyes widened. There was a Confinement Order on the Jipseong River right now. County Inspector Jang Wi-san had even sent an official notice specifically singling out Lee Yu-baek, telling him to absolutely not come to the river.
“But, if we go, won’t we get in big trouble?”
As Yeon So-wol swallowed the rest of his words, Lee Yu-baek let out a smirk.
“So-wol. I told you, didn’t I? For a martial artist, conduct is important. You have to know when to raise hell and when to suck up.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Now is the time to raise hell.”
Thump-thump.
Yeon So-wol’s heart was pounding.
“Will you come? Even I have never seen a boat party of this scale. It will surely be a spectacle that will flash before my eyes on my deathbed.”
“I’ll go.”
Tap.
Yeon So-wol lightly triggered the Flying Wind Drift and leaped onto the wall.
But he could have just told me to follow. Why did he have to set the mood and ask like that?
He stood still, leaning his body into the night air. Now, five of them stood in a row on the wall. Lee Yu-baek at the far left with his hands clasped behind his back. To his right were Kang Mu-hyeok, Seon Je-hun, Mo Cheong, and Yeon So-wol.
A beautiful half-moon hung in the sky. Suddenly, Kang Mu-hyeok, Seon Je-hun, and Mo Cheong turned to Yeon So-wol and each spoke with bright smiles.
“Welcome to the Jianghu, little brother.”
“Congratulations on entering the Jianghu, Young Master.”
“So-wol. Welcome. You’ve finally entered the Jianghu, haven’t you?”
Yeon So-wol was bewildered.
“All of a sudden? Wasn’t I in the Jianghu this whole time?”
At his words, the three of them exchanged perplexed glances, as if he had just asked what air was or how one was supposed to breathe.