Chapter 3: Reading a Book a Hundred Times Reveals Its Meaning (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: Reading a Book a Hundred Times Reveals Its Meaning (2)
Yeon So-wol had never considered himself a sensitive man. If anything, he was the easygoing sort. He was the kind of person who, upon finding a hair in his soup, would quietly pluck it out and keep eating rather than go through the hassle of complaining.
So, on his first night in this wuxia world, he did his absolute best to endure.
Even with the stray hairs clinging to the blanket.
Even with the suspicious yellow stains.
He really, truly tried to bear it. This wasn't the 21st century, after all. It was a place that resembled ancient China. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. He didn’t want to make a scene and draw unwanted attention.
But.
But!
“Excuse me, Innkeeper. This blanket... it reeks. And it’s a bit… damp.”
The smell was the one thing he couldn’t stomach. In the end, Yeon So-wol sought out the innkeeper and spoke as politely as he could. This wasn’t right. Something was fundamentally wrong here. If a room smelled this foul, it meant they weren't ready to receive guests, regardless of whether this was a wuxia world or not.
In response, the innkeeper simply held out a calloused hand.
“?”
When Yeon So-wol just blinked, failing to grasp the gesture, the man snapped in irritation.
“You want fresh bedding, don’t you? Five mun.”
“...Sir, I’m telling you this because the stench is overwhelming.”
“Right! So you want it changed. Five mun.”
The innkeeper waved his hand impatiently. Yeon So-wol was struck by the cold reality of his situation once again. The 21st-century concept of a “customer complaint” did not exist here. This was a world where, even if your blanket stank of rot, you had to pay if you wanted it swapped.
“Fine. Here.”
Yeon So-wol handed over the five mun. He wasn’t short on cash; he had paid for half a month’s room and board with a single silver ingot and received a hundred mun in change. He just felt a little miserable.
Still, the new blanket was an improvement. It still had a yellow stain, and there was a faint, musty scent of mold, but at least it didn’t reek of urine. There were no stray hairs, either. Yeon So-wol sighed, pulled the covers over himself, and forced himself to sleep.
It was from that moment on that Yeon So-wol’s war against smells truly began.
He could tolerate almost everything else. He could handle the rude people he encountered at every turn. He could ignore the disorderly streets, completely devoid of public etiquette. He could deal with the merchants who clearly thought of nothing but how to rip him off. He could even stomach the unhygienic food.
What choice did he have? If he didn’t endure, he wouldn't survive. That thought forced him to grit his teeth and bear it. If he didn’t acclimate quickly, he would only make himself miserable.
But.
“Ugh.”
The smells were the one thing he simply could not get used to.
The pungent body odor of passersby. The stench of greasy, unwashed hair. The rotten, gamey odor wafting from restaurants. The reek of waste, its source always a mystery. An assortment of foul odors took turns assaulting Yeon So-wol’s very soul. It went beyond turning his stomach; he felt a sickly chill, as if the air itself was making him ill.
After three days, Yeon So-wol reached his breaking point.
…Can I really do this?
Yeon So-wol could say with confidence that he had worked incredibly hard over the last seventy-two hours. He had spent his time gathering information, searching for the best way to begin his martial arts cultivation. Which sect should he aim for? What should he focus on learning? How could he become a disciple? He’d worked harder than when he was cramming for his Seoul National University entrance exams.
But the smell. That damn smell.
Far from getting used to it, the stench seemed to grow more nauseating by the day. His spirit was on the verge of snapping.
Is this right? Do I really have to live like this? Here? Can I… even do it?
Still, Yeon So-wol managed to pull his crumbling will together. He fled the inn as if escaping a fire. He headed for the streets, teeming with scammers who demanded a mun just to spin tall tales. He had to gather information, even if it meant dealing with them. He forced himself forward.
And that was when he met the merchant, Jo Man-seok.
“…”
Yeon So-wol stood frozen at the entrance of Jo Man-seok’s shop.
Is this heaven?
The smell. There was no foul smell!
In fact, there was a fragrance. A sharp, clean scent, like that of herbal medicine, filled the shop and spilled out onto the street. It felt like his soul was being washed clean. Yeon So-wol trembled.
“Who goes there?”
A voice from inside snapped him back to his senses.
“Ah, yes. Sir. Excuse me, but what is this fragrance?” The question slipped out before he could stop it.
He had originally intended to ask about the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall and its master, a man called Great Hero Lee Yu-baek, but the scent was too intoxicating to ignore.
Damn. I’ll have to spend another coin.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If he asked about the fragrance, there would surely be a price. Yeon So-wol fiddled with a mun coin in his pocket.
Just then, the old man with pure white hair tied up neatly, Jo Man-seok, replied.
“Oh? This young friend knows a thing or two. And so neat in his appearance. Your clear eyes lift my spirits. Very well. I’ll share my secret recipe with you. This is an incense made by burning myrrh, cinnamon, and pine resin, mixed in a two-to-one-to-one ratio. What do you think? Quite enjoyable, isn’t it?”
He answered without demanding a single coin! What’s more, as Jo Man-seok spoke, there was no trace of bad breath. Yeon So-wol’s eyes widened. It felt as if the man was radiating light.
Dignity…! So this is what dignity is!
In that moment, he finally understood the true meaning of a word he had rarely used in his life.
“Sir…” Yeon So-wol bowed his head deeply. His shoulders trembled.
“Here now, what’s wrong, young man?”
Yeon So-wol bit his lip hard. Wow. I almost cried just now. He hadn’t cried on the day he was suddenly dropped into this world, yet he was on the verge of tears over a pleasant smell and a bit of politeness.
“Are you all right?”
At Jo Man-seok’s gentle question, Yeon So-wol nodded vigorously.
I want to live like this man.
No matter how senseless and filthy the world was, if he could at least keep his own small corner clean and rational, then he could survive. Yeon So-wol found the courage to live once more.
Become a martial artist. Gain power and money. And then, live like a human being.
*
From that day on, Yeon So-wol visited Jo Man-seok every day. Not only was the merchant a man of dignity, but he was also incredibly knowledgeable. Precious information that others would charge for flowed freely from Jo Man-seok’s lips.
“I’m telling you, you can’t learn martial arts. You have to start before the Age of Learning—fifteen at the latest. Otherwise, turbid qi accumulates, your limbs stiffen, and your qi and blood become completely blocked. Your constitution becomes useless for it.”
“Sir, I must learn martial arts, no matter what.”
“What can you do if it’s impossible? Unless you happen to have a legendary Great Restoration Pill, it simply can’t be done!”
Actually, he did. He had a Great Restoration Pill. But Yeon So-wol didn't breathe a word of it to Jo Man-seok. It was too dangerous.
“Still. I want to try, even if it’s just to see how far I can go.”
“Hmph. I’m saying your achievements will be meager even if you train yourself to death. Even with a Great Restoration Pill, it wouldn’t work right away. You’d have to train like a madman for years just to become a third-rate martial artist—the minimum requirement for your body to even handle the pill. And you want to do it without one? You’ll be stuck at the third-rate level for your entire life. If you’re exceptionally talented, you might barely be called second-rate by the time you reach middle age. Is that the kind of life you want?”
“Yes. Any kind of life. As long as I can learn martial arts.”
“Haa…” Jo Man-seok leaned back. Then, in a much softer tone, he asked, “You said that’s why you came? All the way here from Annam?”
“Yes, sir.”
A young woodcutter from Annam. This was the backstory Yeon So-wol had carefully crafted for himself. The story went that while living as a woodcutter in Annam, he witnessed the martial arts of a warrior from the Central Plains. Deeply inspired, he boarded a ship and traveled past Hainan Island to reach Guangdong Province.
This backstory, crafted with thorough local research using the skills he’d honed for his university interviews, was highly effective.
“Hmm. Your devotion is admirable. It reminds me of the story of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng seeking out the Great Master Hongren…”
Even Jo Man-seok, who had insisted it was hopeless, seemed to soften. This was precisely Yeon So-wol’s aim. This place, Xinxing County in Guangdong Province, was the birthplace of the great Buddhist master, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. Huineng, who had been a woodcutter his whole life, attained enlightenment upon hearing a single line from the Diamond Sutra at the age of thirty-two and traveled from Guangdong to Hubei to seek teaching.
Here in Xinxing County, even a seven-year-old child knew this story well. That was why he had deliberately created a backstory that would evoke it.
But in the end, Jo Man-seok shook his head again.
“But it’s still no good. Buddhism and martial arts are different things. Of course, Great Hero Lee Yu-baek of the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall is not only the greatest in Xinxing but is also said to have a benevolent nature and enjoys nurturing people… but that’s limited to those who show potential. You can only carve what has grain and polish what has luster. Even a man like Great Hero Lee Yu-baek isn’t going to try and make a jewel out of a common stone. Ahem. I’m sorry to say this to you, but…”
“What if I show my sincerity?”
“Sincerity?”
“Yes. When I left home, I sold all of my family’s possessions. Everything my parents left me, too. If I offer it all and beg him to take me in, might his heart be moved, even a little?”
Though he had only been here for a few days, Yeon So-wol had learned quickly. The people here were very sensitive to “sincerity.” Even the dignified Jo Man-seok became kinder than usual on the days Yeon So-wol brought him a gift.
Jo Man-seok’s expression grew serious. “Young man. Are you truly that sincere?”
“Yes. That’s why I came all the way from Annam.”
“…In that case, give it a try. If you go that far, perhaps even Great Hero Lee Yu-baek’s heart will be moved. Besides, your bearing is far from ordinary.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. You don’t pick your nose during a conversation, you don’t cough in my face, and you listen attentively when an elder speaks. You are a rare young man who knows his manners.”
“I-I see.”
“Indeed. So give it a try. But don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t work out.”
A positive response from the wisest person Yeon So-wol knew. It was a one-time interview with no second chances, but with this, it seemed worth the gamble.
I will get into the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall…!
Yeon So-wol steeled his resolve.
“Ah, but that show of sincerity you mentioned. Don’t you dare try it anywhere else. Not the White Dragon Gang, nor the Severing Sword Faction. Only try it once, with Great Hero Lee Yu-baek.”
“Why is that?”
“They might just take your money and kick you out. Great Hero Lee Yu-baek and his disciples wouldn’t do that, but others might.”
“…Do martial sects really do things like that?”
“It’s because they’re martial sects that they do such things.”
“…”
“I don’t know what kind of fantasy you have about the people of the Jianghu.” Jo Man-seok lit his long-stemmed pipe. In this world, it was perfectly normal for even a dignified elder to smoke indoors. Hooo. He exhaled a puff of white smoke and said, “Never trust anyone from the Jianghu.”
At that moment, Yeon So-wol thought, So, the people of the Jianghu are basically just gangsters.
*
Yeon So-wol entered through the main gate of the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall.
Ah…!
The hall was filled with the rich scent of grass and mint. Even the students training with their shirts off didn’t smell. They were all clean and dignified. It was the second heaven he had seen since coming here—a world where common sense prevailed.
Yeon So-wol knew instinctively: I must learn here.
“Hm? Who are you?”
The moment he came face-to-face with a handsome, clean-shaven man in his late thirties, Yeon So-wol’s mind raced. Is this Lee Yu-baek? Yes.
His appearance matched the rumors. And above all, the scent. It wasn’t just the absence of a bad smell; it was a refreshing lemon fragrance and a soft, sweet scent that wafted gently, as if he were wearing perfume. It was the first truly pleasant scent he had smelled since being dropped into this world. There was no way someone like this could be anyone other than Great Hero Lee Yu-baek.
The moment he made his decision, he acted.
Thud.
First, he dropped to his knees.
Slap!
Then he prostrated himself at the man’s feet.
“I greet Great Hero Lee Yu-baek, the preeminent master of Xinxing. This humble one is a woodcutter from the land of Annam across the southern sea, named Yeon So-wol. I have long admired the martial arts of the Jianghu and have braved the perilous journey here to seek your teachings. I beg you, do not cast me aside for my inadequacies. If you would grant me even a single line of instruction, I will regard you as my benefactor for life.”
This, too, was a speech he had polished over several days. Hearing a rumor that Lee Yu-baek revered the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, he had crafted the most respectful phrasing possible and had it reviewed by Jo Man-seok.
Indeed, Lee Yu-baek’s reaction was positive. “Well, look at this one. He knows his manners.”
Lee Yu-baek’s disciples, standing beside him, also smiled.
“He’s a world apart from that punk who came last month. His bearing is neat, too.”
“I know. And he doesn’t smell.”
“Ah, Senior Brother. Last month, you mean that guy, right? The one who said he’d become a disciple if he could beat you in a spar.”
“Yes, that one. I only regret breaking one of his arms. I was far too merciful.”
“Senior Brother, I actually went and found him afterward and broke one of his legs, too.”
“Oh. Well done.”
A cold sweat ran down Yeon So-wol’s back. The level of "common sense" here never ceased to amaze him. But for that very reason, Yeon So-wol, who had prepared himself to act within a sensible framework, was shining brilliantly right now.
Lee Yu-baek was extremely pleased. “A truly rare young man who knows his manners. To think there are youths like this in Annam. It makes one think of Master Huineng… But.”
Lee Yu-baek’s expression turned regretful. “How old are you? You don’t look to be twenty yet.”
“I am eighteen.”
Lee Yu-baek sighed. “You’re too old to begin learning martial arts. Why not look for another line of work? You won’t be able to achieve greatness on the martial path.”
Yeon So-wol kept his head bowed. “I came all this way with my sights set on martial arts alone. I have nowhere to retreat to.”
“One must retreat when the time comes.”
“I have staked my everything and come here for the sole purpose of learning martial arts.”
“Still, when it’s time to retreat…” Lee Yu-baek, about to repeat himself, cut his words short.
Yeon So-wol, head still bowed, had raised a small box.
“What’s this?”
A smile touched Lee Yu-baek’s face as he opened the box. Three yellow gold ingots rested neatly on a bed of soft silk. Yeon So-wol hadn’t been stingy with the money he had. After all, he still had the marble.
Three gold ingots was an impressive sum, even for the wealthy Lee Yu-baek. It was enough for a rural family of four to live on for three years. For Yeon So-wol, with his woodcutter backstory, it was a sum he could only have amassed by scraping together his life savings and his entire family inheritance.
“You. You were truly sincere.” Lee Yu-baek nodded his head emphatically. He tucked the box into his robes and asked, “What martial art do you wish to learn? Do you have something in mind?”
“I wish to learn Qinggong and footwork.”
This was the best option he had found among the information he’d gathered.
“Interesting. Why is that?”
“Because if I learn footwork, I can evade an opponent’s attacks, and if I learn Qinggong, I can escape.”
“You want to learn martial arts to evade and escape? Why?”
In truth, it was because of the power of the Heavenly Killing Star. Since he could kill with a single touch, he had no need for powerful offensive techniques. Instead, footwork to evade attacks and close the distance, and Qinggong to withdraw from a fight, would be far more helpful.
But he couldn’t say this. Yeon So-wol made up a plausible excuse.
“Because if I can just evade and escape, I can avoid seeing a lot of filth.”
“Ha! Excellent. ‘A gentleman does not enter a state that is in peril; he does not dwell in a state that is in disorder.’ Now I see it. I see how I should carve and polish this stone.”
Lee Yu-baek smiled. He held up three fingers.
“Three months. Follow my training for three months. If you do, I will accept you as my disciple. However, if you cannot keep up with the training, I cannot accept you.”
A conditional acceptance. Yeon So-wol immediately prostrated himself.
“Thank you. I will live up to your expectations.”
As he did, he thought, Surely… if I fail after three months, he’ll return the gold ingots, right?
He probably would. One doesn’t earn the title of Great Hero for nothing. He was a man of character, vouched for by Old Man Jo. He was even a man who smelled fragrant.
Please!
Yeon So-wol was desperate. For him, who had fallen from the sky with no foundation to stand on, all he could do was pray.
And so, a path opened for the eighteen-year-old Yeon So-wol. A path to becoming a martial artist.