18 - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

〈 Episode 18: Three Monks - Companionship, Ghost Valley (3) 〉 * * * The battle didn’t last long, or rather, it ended so swiftly that it seemed instantaneous. Swoosh— The creature, which was sliced perfectly in half, lay shattered. Its outer shell had melted in several places, and its head seemed crushed as if it had been struck by something. The melted scars on the creature, even though it bore the name of a mystical beast, couldn't withstand Tang Hwaseo's venom, which caused its condition. And naturally, it was Mok Liwon who had split it in two. Tang Hwaseo steadied her breathing as she absorbed the lingering poison from the decapitated creature. ‘Impressive.’ Since escaping, it had been a long time since she had tasted such potent poison. Though it required some time to adapt, it ultimately allowed her to enhance her internal power. That wasn’t all. The creature was certainly a mystical beast possessing a poison gland. If she were to extract and process that gland, it could become a rather valuable alchemical ingredient. As she continued to ponder, Tang Hwaseo smiled faintly. ‘I may resent them, but I sure do utilize their martial arts well, don't I?’ It felt paradoxical to her, pouring out her resentment towards the Tang Family while skillfully utilizing their martial arts. Yet, Tang Hwaseo didn’t feel any shame about it. Because she knew better than anyone that they weren’t adversaries she could handle with mere pride. ‘Use whatever you can.’ With her thoughts in order, Tang Hwaseo looked at Mok Liwon. “Uhmph!” Mok Liwon had already sheathed his sword and was looking at her with twinkling eyes. Though his mouth was stuffed with a poison-dealing pill, she somehow felt she knew what he wanted to say. ‘He must be going on about the martial arts of renowned families again.’ Knowing she was from the Tang Family, how had he reacted? Hadn’t he bombarded her with mind-boggling questions for three hours straight? This was surely an extension of that. ‘His poison-dealing pill is certainly working hard.’ Tang Hwaseo smiled brightly. Upon seeing this, Mok Liwon enthusiastically swung his arms and gave her a thumbs-up. The reason was simple. As she predicted, he was once again marveling at her martial arts prowess. “I understand your eagerness, but let’s put it on hold for now. There are things we need to take care of, aren’t there?” “Uhmph!” “I’ll extract the core and the poison gland. Please wait over there.” Mok Liwon sprinted towards the entrance of the cave with urgency. Watching his flustered, retreating figure, Tang Hwaseo shook her head before starting her work. * As they stepped out of the cave, the familiar damp and foul air welcomed them both. While they momentarily rested at the cave's entrance, Tang Hwaseo showed the core she had gathered inside to Mok Liwon. It was about the size of the medicinal ball Mok Liwon had consumed just before coming here. “I present this to you, dear comrade.” “Uhmph?!” Mok Liwon jerked in surprise. Then, thrashing his arms around as if feeling guilty, he looked conflicted. Would it be accurate to say that his guilty conscience was quite fitting? Tang Hwaseo chuckled as she forcibly placed the core into Mok Liwon's hand. “For me, the poison gland is enough. My body benefits more from the medicine made by processing that poison gland than from this core. Besides, wouldn’t it be right that we wouldn’t have discovered this mystical beast without you, dear comrade?” He was too innocent, almost excessively so. For martial artists, one should know how to fairly claim their share. Yet, with such a soft heart, she worried he'd be easily fooled elsewhere. “Do you understand? In matters like this, you must count meticulously.” “Uhmph…!” An expression of gratitude seemed to surface on Mok Liwon's face. Tang Hwaseo, noticing his nearly teary eyes, inadvertently thought of something. '…A mutt.' He seemed like a mutt who would wag its tail eagerly just for being tossed a single treat. Such a disrespectful thought. Judging it disrespectful, Tang Hwaseo quickly cleared her mind. However, amidst this, Mok Liwon gleefully spat out the poison-dealing pill and spoke. “Thank you, Miss! I may never be able to repay this kindness in a lifetime! I'll always…” “With your heart?” Blinking, Mok Liwon seemed at a loss for words, pondering before finally declaring. “I shall become a splendid hero!” Certainly, there wasn't a better response than one where the goodwill of one party returned as even greater goodwill. Tang Hwaseo burst into laughter at his absurd proclamation. “That’s enough, let’s get going. We’d better move diligently from now on.” “Uhmph!” Mok Liwon, with the pill back in his mouth, answered. They began walking through the Blood Valley once more. * The unexpected gains had lifted the mood significantly. Tang Hwaseo, thrilled with the poison gland tucked in her garment, was in high spirits, and Mok Liwon was equally elated from the mythical experience they shared. All they had to do was exit the Blood Valley. The delightful future seemed to blind them to what they hadn't considered. This was Blood Valley. A place where countless villagers had been sacrificed during a bloodshed twenty years ago. A place left untouched by any group since the massacre. The village they arrived at still bore the horrific remnants of that time. “…” The joy disappeared from Mok Liwon's face. Tang Hwaseo felt it too. Even with a cursory glance, the traces of what had transpired were clear enough to distort her expression. 'Horrific.' The scene was starkly different from the corpses of martial artists she had seen before. A desolate ruin. That was the best way to describe the decayed effort of a village smeared with hardened black blood. The bodies, in what seemed failed attempts to escape, lay as skeletal remains turning away from the village center; some strayed teaming by the sides were seen embracing each other or backs turned to each other. It was a scene of a one-sided massacre. Tang Hwaseo furrowed her brows deeply, observing the scene before looking at Mok Liwon. “…Comrade?” **Translated Notes:** - 인면지주 (Inmyeon Jiju) -> "The creature": This term seems to describe a mystical beast with human features. Decided to keep it mysterious as "the creature" for context. - 내단/독샘 (Naedan/Doksaem) -> "core/poison gland": "Naedan" refers to an internal core within mystical creatures, while "Doksaem" is the poison-sac, characteristic of poisonous creatures. - 목소협(莫少俠) -> "Dear Comrade": Refers to Mok Liwon with affection and camaraderie, fitting the context as generous and friendly. - 소저 (少姐) -> "Miss": A respectful term for a young lady, used by Mok Liwon to refer to Tang Hwaseo with politeness. - 똥개 (Donggae) -> "A mutt": Used metaphorically to describe Mok Liwon's innocent, loyal nature when given attention. An informal, somewhat affectionate term. - 협객 (俠客) -> "Hero": "Hayeop" or "Hero" in translated form fitting for Mok Liwon's aspiration for chivalrous deeds. - Blood Valley (잔혈곡/殘血谷) -> A term already in the list denoting a place marked by past bloodshed. The translation preserved the narrative's flow, characters' intentions, and emotional cues, maintaining an engaging tone for readers. Suggestions for list amendments include names and titles possibly revealed in the story's progression not covered in the list. As if wondering if the scene had shocked him, she called out, but there was no response. Mok Liwon stood with a somber expression, taking in every detail before him. Step— He moved forward, and Tang Hwaseo had a feeling that stopping him would not be appropriate, so she quietly followed behind him. ‘What is he doing?’ Mok Liwon closely observed the skeletons and surveyed his surroundings. He examined traces and the half-destroyed huts, noting even the rusty farm tools scattered here and there as he took in the village. That was it. Mok Liwon was mentally reconstructing what had transpired here. Recalling the stories of Blood Valley he had heard from Mok Seon-oh, when he turned thirteen and had grown a bit, he revisited them in his mind. "Were you able to save the villagers there?" "...We saved as many as we could. But, we couldn’t save everyone." "And then…." On that day, Mok Seon-oh had given a bitter smile. Mok Liwon remembered that whenever the typically proud swordsman made that rare expression, it meant he was filled with regret over something beyond his power. "Do you know, Wona? There are those in the world who've been driven to the edge of a cliff with nowhere left to run. Some want to give up because no matter how hard they try to escape, they see no path to survival." "Was that true for those villagers?" "Yes, they were people who fled to the mountains because they couldn't even keep the crops needed to pay their taxes. They had nowhere left to turn." "You didn’t lead them to safety…." "We couldn't. Or rather, they didn’t want that. There was simply nowhere else for them to escape to." It was a time of childhood innocence. Which led him to wonder. "Should they not have fought back…?" "There’s something you should know." "Yes?" Mok Liwon recalled the words Mok Seon-oh had shared as they gazed at the falling leaves in the front yard that day. "Not everyone has the strength to resist the hardships they face." "Why is that?" "Because they are the weak. Even resistance requires strength. All they can do is cry out. But…." "But what?" "...Even though they're so pitiful, the world does not heed the voices of the weak." * Mok Liwon continued, inspecting the village, taking in each sign along the way. ‘This must have been a fabric shop.’ Would it be right to call it a fabric shop? What remained was barely worth calling scraps, and yet, seeing how they were displayed, decaying, it seemed appropriate to term it that way. There stood what appeared to be a counter, facing away was a mass so blackened and dried that it was impossible to identify its original purpose. Perhaps it was once grass or herbs. It could have been this place’s form of commerce. In the center of the presumed fabric shop was a skeleton missing its vertebrae. Perhaps it had tried to guard this rundown store. Mok Liwon observed it for quite some time before moving towards the butcher's shop next to it. Though there wasn’t a scrap of meat left, it was unmistakably a butcher shop due to the skeleton lying inside it. The thing clutched in the skeletal hand was a butchering knife, and a large hook, likely where meats once hung, was affixed to the wall, leaving no room for other interpretations. ‘This villager must have tried to protect their shop as well.’ Mok Liwon kept walking. He crossed several shantytowns that appeared to have served as shops, through residential houses, and then out towards the periphery. Tang Hwaseo watched him with concern. The man’s steps didn’t falter as he painted the devastation in his mind. Watching him, the woman could no longer hold her words. “Mok So-hyup, let’s stop here….” They needed to leave this place now. Though she knew his heart ached for the devastation they had come across, lingering too long in these emotions could derail their entire plan. Just as she was about to convey her thoughts, she heard a rustle— A sound resonated from somewhere far off. Deliberate and noticeable, it was undoubtedly a footstep. Both seasoned warriors, with their heightened sensory perception, turned to the source of the noise. And then they saw it. “A girl?” A young girl. Though inexplicable, a little girl peeked out from behind a building, only her head visible. Clack— The girl took off running. It was so sudden that distinguishing her facial features wasn’t possible. But what could have mattered more at that moment? Mok Liwon pivoted to head toward the direction she had gone. Tang Hwaseo stopped him in his tracks. “Wait, there's something strange about this.” Tang Hwaseo looked him squarely in the eyes. “There shouldn’t be a girl here. This is Blood Valley, devastated twenty years ago, and as you can sense, it’s filled with fraud and venomous energy, making it impossible for ordinary people to be here. There’s definitely something more.” Mok Liwon stared back at her, then spat out the poison-dealing pill he had been holding. “But it was definitely a girl.” “More accurately, it might have seemed like one.” A slight furrow formed on Mok Liwon’s brow. “What does that mean?” “What did we encounter just before coming here?” “…A mystical beast.” “Exactly. A mystical beast. One that shouldn’t be here.” Following the eerie reasoning she now sensed, Tang Hwaseo shared her hypothesis with him. “It’s only been twenty years. That’s hardly enough time for a mystical beast to appear and grow. Before we saw that girl, I thought perhaps the beast had moved from elsewhere, but….” The girl they had just seen. It pointed towards one undeniable fact. “…Perhaps someone relocated that mystical beast here. To protect this place.” “Then you’re saying….” “It might not even be a girl. Or even a human, just like the mystical beast.” Tang Hwaseo thought. This place harbored someone’s hidden secret, a secret she sensed could bring them no benefit to uncover. “If it’s not human, then what are you suggesting?” “I have my suspicions.” Tang Hwaseo’s gaze shifted to where the girl had vanished behind the building. “This ground is saturated with fraudulent and venomous energy. With all the human remains here. And then there’s something with a human form.” Mok Liwon realized what Tang Hwaseo was alluding to. “…Zombie.” She was indicating. **Translated Notes:** - 강시 (Gangsi) -> "Zombie": Often used in Asian folklore to describe reanimated corpses or the walking dead. It was used here to reflect the unnatural phenomena in the area, tying with the themes of undead guardians. - 포목점 (Pomokjeom) -> "Fabric shop": The term for textile or fabric merchant/store, used here to describe a decayed establishment. The subtle tension and unexpected revelations maintained the narrative flow, enhancing the mysterious atmosphere. Future edits to the translation list may include acknowledging less common mystical or folklore creatures, such as "Gangsi" (zombies/reanimated corpses) known for regional folklore, adding depth to the story's lore through revealing these elements. The suspicion lingered that the young girl might be a zombie born from the unique conditions of Ghost Valley. * The standoff was prolonged. Tang Hwaseo silently prayed that, just this once, Mok Liwon would not succumb to his peculiar curiosity. But Mok Liwon, lost in thought, couldn’t meet her gaze. A tense moment. Tang Hwaseo, eyes tightly shut, continued to pray, but ultimately, her prayers went unanswered. “…I must go.” “Mok Sohyup, please!” “What if she really is a young girl who’s lost her way here?” “If she were, she would have asked for help!” “Perhaps she mistook us for villains.” “…Enough!” Tang Hwaseo shouted, thinking to herself, ‘I need to be firm.’ There was a slim chance the girl was genuine, but it was so slim that it barely existed. Listening to his stubborn insistence might just lead them into unnecessary danger. “We must leave this place. We've already dealt with the creature, but if we stay, we might encounter the person who brought the mystical beast here. Or maybe the very presence of that girl was a lure.” It's obvious, but capturing a creature alive is far more challenging than simply dealing with it. At the very least, the one who moved the beast must be at the peak or even a transcendent level of martial arts. “Mok Sohyup, romantic ideals are fine, but remember, in Jianghu, the most dangerous things are old men, women, and children.” “…” “Answer me!” Mok Liwon remained silent, his mouth sealed tight. Tang Hwaseo felt a tension wring her neck, a sign of the mounting stress, especially since she usually gave in to his stubbornness but couldn’t this time. Just as she was about to speak again— “What you say is morally correct, Miss.” Mok Liwon spoke up. “But it's not what a hero would do.” Thud— Tang Hwaseo stopped in her tracks. It was so absurd that she couldn’t help but let out a breathless laugh. “What do you…?” “Miss, I have always had a question.” Mok Liwon slowly walked past Tang Hwaseo, heading where the girl had disappeared. “I understand what you’re saying. There’s nothing more frightening than a villain masquerading as the weak. They can be the most vicious, and vigilance against them is warranted.” “Mok So….” “But doesn’t that point of view create a contradiction?” Mok Liwon said, stopping in his tracks. “A hero is someone who protects the weak. Someone who becomes a shield for them. But if we follow your words, it means a hero should be wary of the weak.” Mok Liwon shared his musings aloud. It wasn’t a fleeting thought. This dilemma had plagued him ever since he aspired to become a hero and listened to the King of Beggars recount the many aphorisms of Jianghu. “A hero is someone who protects the weak. But the person a hero should be most cautious of is the weak. So, tell me.” It had been an enigma he had struggled to resolve. “If we are wary of those we ought to protect, whose hero are we supposed to be?” Mok Liwon looked at Tang Hwaseo with a bitter smile. Forcing her to halt as well. She had plenty to say. That this situation didn’t apply to his idealistic words and that what he said could unwittingly support the actions of villains. And more. But Tang Hwaseo found herself swallowing the multitude of arguments rising in her mind. Because it was, indeed, a correct principle. It was the very principle that had saved her life. All the words she could think of to counter him wouldn’t come out, so she sighed, changed tack, and posed another question. “…The chance she’s not human is more than ninety percent.” “Then that means there’s a ten percent chance she could be.” “It means there’s a ninety percent chance you’re walking into a trap.” Tang Hwaseo clenched her fist tightly. Even she found her next question irrational, but Tang Hwaseo asked it anyway. “…What if it’s really a trap?” Mok Liwon’s eyes widened. Then, understanding her intentions, he smiled gently, as if granting permission. In a way that was incredibly infuriating, he was strikingly beautiful even in this moment. “It doesn’t matter.” The words that came reflected an undeniable truth. “That's what being a hero is, to take risks like this. And that's why we hone our martial skills.” Once again, it was the truth of the hero’s creed. “It’s for this reason that we sharpen our swords and refine our martial arts.” **Translated Notes:** - 강시 (Gangshi) -> "Zombie": Used in Asian mythology, typically referring to reanimated corpses or spirits given life force, reflecting the eerie atmosphere and contributing to Mok Liwon's resolve and moral convictions. - 귀곡 (Guigok) -> "Ghost Valley": Refers to the location's haunted or eerie nature, staying true to the original mood and context of the story. The translation faithfully captured the confrontation's emotional depth and philosophical undertones while maintaining character integrity and their diverging principles. Updates to the translation note might integrate more concepts of martial honor and the moral landscapes navigating through Jianghu's challenges, as faced by characters like Mok Liwon.