Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: In the Jianghu, One's Body is Not One's Own (4) 熱 (Yeol) – Heat
鼎 (Jeong) – Cauldron
Yeoljeong (熱鼎) literally translates to "Hot Cauldron."
Yeol refers to the heat of the Innate True Qi received from heaven and earth.
Jeong refers to the body of a child who has just turned six.
A six-year-old child has not yet been tainted by the world's turbid Qi for long, thus retaining a pure and burning Innate True Qi.
If one feeds such a child the proper elixirs at the precise intervals and forces them to practice a specific internal cultivation method, the child's Dantian begins to act as a cauldron, decocting the Innate True Qi within their own body.
The process reaches completion after nine months of refinement through nine distinct stages.
When the "cauldron" is finally opened at the end of this period, one obtains a viscous, golden liquid the size of a thumbnail that emits a thick floral fragrance. This is a supreme elixir of the world, infused with melted Innate True Qi.
Because consuming it extends one's lifespan and drastically deepens one's internal cultivation, it is known as the Flower Life Paste.
"…Pardon? What did you just say?"
Yeon So-wol snapped his head up, his eyes wide.
But Lee Yu-baek did not answer immediately.
With sorrowful eyes, he reached back into a distant but unforgettable memory.
*
Five years ago.
Back then, Lee Yu-baek had not yet earned his reputation as the greatest master in Sinheung, and the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall was not the leading sect of Sinheung County.
At that time, the Yeoljeong Sect held that title, and its leader, Gi Baek-seon, was considered the county's undisputed top expert.
Gi Baek-seon was already over seventy years old, yet strangely, his martial arts showed no signs of decline.
Though the Jianghu is full of wonders, it is hard to believe that a man in his seventies could maintain the prowess of his prime unless he was a legendary master who had achieved the Five Qi Returning to Origin.
Yet, amazingly, Sect Leader Gi Baek-seon maintained his vitality and martial arts as if he were still in his youth, and the prosperity of the Yeoljeong Sect never faded.
Lee Yu-baek simply assumed that was just how things were. Back then, he merely thought it was a remarkable feat of cultivation.
Then, one day.
Lee Yu-baek saw a child crying in the street.
A six-year-old girl dressed in fine silk.
"Child. Are you lost?"
Lee Yu-baek knelt down and gently wiped the girl's tears.
When his fingers touched her cheek, he noticed it was strangely hot—scalding, even.
Then the child spoke.
"Mister... it's too hot. My tummy hurts so much. Grandpa and Grandma said it's okay. But Hye-ah is in so much pain and it's so hot, and they just keep saying it's okay. So I snuck out. It hurts so much, Mister."
"Hmm?"
Lee Yu-baek was flustered as the child collapsed, wailing even louder as if she had been waiting for someone to finally notice her agony.
"Your stomach hurts?"
Lee Yu-baek lightly placed the back of his hand against the child's lower abdomen.
His face hardened instantly.
This wasn't just a fever.
"…Qi Deviation?"
It wasn't a simple temperature; it was a bizarre heat radiating from an innate flame. It was the kind of heat one only felt when something went horribly wrong during mental cultivation, leading to a violent Qi Deviation.
"Over here! I found her!"
"Dammit… This is why I said we should just keep all these brats tied up."
Lee Yu-baek pricked up his ears.
The voices were low and distant, but to Lee Yu-baek, who had already kindled his True Fire years ago, they were crystal clear.
"If we're too forceful, their Spirit withers and turbid Qi builds up in the cauldron…"
"I know, I know, man. I'm just saying it because this keeps happening. Ugh. Look at that. Another guy's already latched onto her."
"I'll take care of it immediately."
"Yeah, do it quietly. Quietly."
Lee Yu-baek's face turned as cold as if ice water had been poured over him.
Spirit. Turbid Qi. Cauldron.
With those three words, he deduced the entire situation.
It was an act of beasts and demons that defied belief.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Oh my. So this is where you were. This is our young lady. Were you protecting her? Thank you. My master insists on rewarding such kindness. If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to my master's house for a moment."
Lee Yu-baek turned around.
A plain-looking man with a genial expression was smiling at him. He was dressed like a servant of a wealthy household.
Then, the man flinched, recognizing Lee Yu-baek's face.
"The Pungryu Sword?"
Lee Yu-baek replied.
"That's right. It's me, you sons of bitches."
Vroom!
He ignited his True Fire, surging his Qi and blood.
Hot Innate True Qi surged through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and the blazing True Fire spread through his Twelve Standard Meridians and Fifteen Collateral Vessels.
Under that intense pressure, his veins bulged against his skin, his sleeves fluttered, and a heat haze shimmered around him.
Crunch!
The head of the smiling man went flying into the air.
The surroundings were still quiet.
Before anyone could notice the blood spraying through the air or find the breath to scream—
Boom!
Lee Yu-baek crushed the ground as he lunged forward. His hand, veins bulging, trembled violently atop his sword hilt.
*
"That's how it happened. I fought until the sun rose the next day. If your uncle, the White Dragon Gang Leader Hang In-woo, hadn't come to help, I would have been the one who died."
A victory.
In a way, it was a heroic tale to be proud of.
But there wasn't a hint of joy on Lee Yu-baek's face, and Yeon So-wol didn't dare to guess the depth of the sorrow in his eyes.
"I couldn't save that child. When I looked for her after the fight was over… she had already breathed her last. I… I couldn't even be there for that poor thing's end."
"…Father."
Lee Yu-baek shook his head, as if telling him it was okay and not to speak of it.
He stared blankly at the sky for a moment before shifting the mood.
"Anyway. You can cross off item number two now. It seems many merchants suffered without knowing why. It's a tragedy."
Flip. Flip.
"And let's see… I saw this earlier as well."
He turned the pages of the ledger and pointed to a passage.
*
4.
If you find someone sitting idly in the bushes while passing through Mount Cheonro, turn back immediately.
No matter how great the loss, you must flee without hesitation.
If you do not, you might be the next one sitting there.
*
"This. This hasn't been resolved yet."
Yeon So-wol felt a tightening sensation in his throat.
"Is that… also the work of men?"
"It is. The bandits of the Mount Cheonro Stronghold."
*
The bandits of Mount Cheonro had come up with an ingenious way to monitor the vast mountain range.
It was simple.
First, they captured people. As many as possible.
They caught unlucky travelers on the mountain paths, or sometimes they even boldly descended to Sinheung County to kidnap people in the dead of night.
After capturing over a hundred people, they poisoned them with Dream Soul Powder.
They called these poisoned captives "Tiger Ghosts."
They scattered the Tiger Ghosts throughout Mount Cheonro, tying them with thick ropes so they couldn't escape. Beside them, they left a small amount of food and water.
And a single thin cord that stretched far into the distance.
There was no Dream Soul Powder left with them.
Abandoned in the bushes, the Tiger Ghosts would waste away toward death. Though food was scarce, they didn't think about hunger. The only thing they craved was the Dream Soul Powder.
A Tiger Ghost, dying in agony for days in the brush, would suddenly feel a surge of ecstasy upon spotting a group crossing the mountain path in the distance.
They would twist their bound bodies and pull the cord desperately.
Tinkle— Tinkle—
A bell would ring in the distance, alerting the bandits that guests had arrived.
Only then would the Tiger Ghost receive their daily dose of Dream Soul Powder.
*
"…"
Yeon So-wol's mouth hung open.
Unable to speak for a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out a sound.
"That… hasn't been resolved?"
"No."
"Then, even now, on Mount Cheonro…"
"They are there. Those poor souls."
"…"
Yeon So-wol simply couldn't understand.
"What about the government troops?"
Lee Yu-baek's lips tightened for a moment before relaxing.
"Mount Cheonro is vast. Even if the entire military of Sinheung County were mobilized for a search, it is large enough for the bandits to hide easily."
Yeon So-wol still couldn't understand.
Isn't that just an excuse?
People were dying miserably.
If there aren't enough troops, they can request reinforcements from higher-ups. If the mountain is too big, they can get help from the herb gatherers who know the paths.
No matter how much he thought about it, there were plenty of ways…
"And haven't I always told you? Conduct is important for a martial artist. Bandits have their own way of conducting themselves."
Yeon So-wol looked at Lee Yu-baek with trembling eyes.
Lee Yu-baek continued.
"Surprisingly, the damage the Mount Cheonro bandits inflict on the common people is not as great as other bandits. It's not a big enough problem to move a larger army. In the coastal villages, entire towns are disappearing due to Wokou raids."
"That's…"
"Furthermore, those bandits shower the numerous officials under the County Magistrate with gold. Even if the Magistrate were determined to uproot the bandits, information would leak through his subordinates."
"…"
Yeon So-wol's insides boiled.
What kind of…
The absurdity was staggering. The frustration of being unable to do anything despite it all was even worse.
He was angry. He wanted to scream.
But—
Endure it.
He tensed his body to hold it back.
What's the point of getting angry in front of Father?
Yeon So-wol knew. Complaining to adults about the world rarely yielded a good reaction.
During his middle school and high school years in his past life, Yeon So-wol had felt plenty of grievances.
Why is the world like this? Why is it so irrational? How can it be so unfair?
He had vented his frustrations to adults several times, but each time, they hadn't taken it well. Yeon So-wol used to think those adults were cold and cowardly.
But one day, he saw his father come home from work, slumped over, drinking a single shot of soju in silence and sitting still for a long time.
His perspective changed then.
Isn't it just as cowardly to aimlessly get angry at and blame adults?
Looking back, the root of his psychology had been "Do something about it."
At least for him, it was.
Since you're the adults, do your jobs right.
But seeing his father's frail shoulders, he suddenly realized.
What can a man like my dad actually do?
Adults, too, were constantly fighting their own limits. To ask them to do better, to change things… they were all just too exhausted.
He understood then why their reactions were so lukewarm when he poured out his complaints. Why they said things like "That's just how the world is," or "It's not that easy," or "You're still young."
He understood. Adults were also just fragile people, struggling and burdened.
Yes. He understood. He knew it well.
If it was like that in the 21st century, how much worse must it be in this savage land of the Jianghu?
But.
Yeon So-wol, even though he knew better, couldn't hold it back this time.
He spat out the surging rage toward Lee Yu-baek.
"Then… isn't that just wrong?"
For one human to do that to another.
"If the people in office are that incompetent and irresponsible… isn't that just wrong?"
It shouldn't be allowed. The people who are in those positions to look after the commoners—if they act like that…
"When a young child dies like that, and innocent people are caught by bandits and treated that way… if they just sit in their warm seats making this excuse and that excuse, saying it can't be helped…"
It's wrong. It's just wrong.
Simply put, it shouldn't be this way.
A world like that… is a goddamn dog of a world.
Yeon So-wol hung his head low.
Dammit.
Self-loathing welled up. Why on earth was he throwing a tantrum like this at Lee Yu-baek?
It's not like it's Father's fault…
Lee Yu-baek looked at Yeon So-wol with an incredibly stoic gaze.
"So-wol."
"…Yes."
Lee Yu-baek spoke.
"That is exactly why I picked up the sword."
Yeon So-wol snapped his head up as if he'd been stabbed.
Lee Yu-baek was not smiling.
"So-wol," he said. "You must become strong. If you don't, the bastards will be the only ones with power."
Pat.
"Movement technique training starts tomorrow. Rest well today."
Lee Yu-baek patted Yeon So-wol's shoulder once and left the training grounds.
The hand had touched him and pulled away, but for some reason, it felt so heavy that Yeon So-wol remained rooted to the spot for a long time.
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