Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 100. The More I Know, the Less I Understand
Dan Yeop blinked repeatedly, his expression bewildered, before stepping down from the bed.
He removed the Geumru Okui and stuffed it into his pack, muttering to himself.
“Why did I fall asleep? Was I really that exhausted? Wait…?”
Now his own words and actions seemed to be repeating themselves, as if caught in a loop.
At the same time, two thoughts flickered across his mind.
‘You can doze off during cultivation, but falling into a deep sleep like the dead—that’s a problem.’
‘But why does this situation feel so familiar?’
He washed his face hurriedly and headed toward the inner quarters.
Even as he walked, he couldn’t make sense of what had happened to him.
He’d never fallen asleep while practicing the Tae Eul Bownyeon Yeongseong Gyeol or the Heart-Stabilizing Cinnabar Work.
The Iwon Gwi Il Gong was no exception.
Incredulous, he found himself muttering without thinking.
“But did I actually fall asleep? Ugh!”
Dan Yeop let out an involuntary gasp.
He remembered those very words he’d just muttered.
“Oh no!”
Was it the clutter of thoughts in his head?
The meatball Dan Yeop had been fishing out with his chopsticks fell into the soup bowl with a splash.
The broth sprayed all the way to his Yeon An Gyeong.
As he casually took off the Yeon An Gyeong to wipe it, Son Yeonhwa, who had been watching him, spoke.
“Brother Dan, your Golden Eyes have faded, haven’t they?”
Dan Yeop, wiping the Yeon An Gyeong, turned to Son Yeonhwa with a dazed expression.
“Hm?”
“Yes, the gold was much deeper before, but it’s different now.”
Son Jiheon, seated beside Dan Yeop, nodded vigorously.
“Seriously? Now it’s not Golden Eyes anymore—it’s Copper Coin Eyes.”
In that instant, Dan Yeop’s mouth fell open.
Now he could be certain.
He had already experienced this exact situation before.
Next, Yu Hwayeong, the mother of those two siblings, would speak.
She’d say it wasn’t Copper Coin Eyes but Copper Mirror Eyes.
And so it came to pass.
“Indeed, though Copper Coin Eyes seems a bit much. It’s closer to Copper Mirror Eyes, I’d say.”
‘What is this?’
As Dan Yeop’s eyes blinked anxiously, Son Yubaek’s voice reached his ear.
“I thought there was a foreign ancestor in the lineage, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“…….”
Now Dan Yeop no longer doubted what was happening to him.
It seemed he had glimpsed the future.
It was different in nature from the Cheonan Tong that the Buddhists spoke of.
He possessed memories of the future half a day ahead of the present moment.
***
Jang An County.
Pobang.
When Dan Yeop, who had risen early, was discussing patrol plans with the Pojol, Do Gyeom, the Hyeonwi, entered with a slightly flushed face.
“Everyone listen! We’ve received word that we’ve located one of the criminals—a woman.”
“Where? What location?”
Jang Ho, the Pojol who had lost Gok Wun to the woman, asked as if he might dash off at any moment.
“The Mannyeon Iron Workshop.”
At that moment, Dan Yeop, recalling the final fate of Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong and Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi, exhaled a quiet sigh.
Even as he did so, Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi continued speaking.
“Since Pojol Dan pointed out that the Mannyeon Iron Workshop was suspicious, I had someone keeping watch. This morning, he spotted the woman there. The way she emerged from her hiding place suggests that, nine times out of ten, she learned of Myeol Do’s death and is trying to flee. We’ll depart for the Mannyeon Iron Workshop in a quarter hour, so prepare yourselves thoroughly.”
“…….”
Afterward, Jin Seung the Pojol mentioned the cooperation of martial artists, but Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi declined, saying their own force was sufficient.
A quarter hour later.
Ten Pojol and thirty Pojol regulars gathered in front of the main office.
Soon the main gate opened, and Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong, Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi, and three Wisa—the Hyeonryeong’s guards—emerged.
Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong’s gaze turned toward Dan Yeop the Pojol.
Dan Yeop looked at Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong with fresh eyes.
The explosion engulfed Jo Hyeonryeong’s face, and the charred corpse overlaid the image.
In the dream, the heavens had seemed indifferent.
But now, knowing the future, I’m honestly not sure.
Life was like the Honwon Geom in that regard—the more you understood, the less you knew.
***
Jwa Seong (the administrative district).
Seon In Bang.
Mannyeon Iron Workshop.
Sasi Jeong (10 a.m.).
The Geum O Wei patrol troops quietly surrounded Mannyeon Iron Workshop.
Right on cue, Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong and Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi rushed in with their Pojol toward the main building of Mannyeon Iron Workshop.
Then Muk Geumgang, the Sodaejang, sprang out and blocked their path.
“Oh my! Sirs! What brings you here so suddenly?”
Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong raised the green Noksaek Eodae showing his rank and answered.
“I am Jo Mujin, the Hyeonryeong of Jang An County. We’ve received information that the person who murdered General Choe Eon is hiding in Mannyeon Iron Workshop. Stand aside at once!”
Muk Geumgang jumped back and waved his hands in denial.
“Oh my! Hyeonryeong! That’s slander from someone! Mannyeon Iron Workshop is merely a smithy! There’s no way a murderer of a general would be in such a place, is there?”
Watching Muk Geumgang’s protest, Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong snorted.
“Hmph! We already have an eyewitness. What are you talking about?”
“It truly isn’t so. Our family has conducted business in this place for nearly a hundred years. All this time we’ve lived by nothing but our reputation. You know this well yourself, Hyeonryeong Jo?”
“They say mountains change in ten years. A hundred years is long enough for anything to change. Wouldn’t you agree?”
At that moment, Muk Geumgang’s gaze fixed on Dan Yeop, who wore the Yeon An Gyeong.
“Dan Yeop, you Pojol! You’re the one who’s framed Mannyeon Iron Workshop!”
At once he pulled a solid steel Daedo from beneath the display rack, and without giving anyone time to stop him, he rushed out.
As Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong and Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi hesitated at this sudden turn, Dan Yeop moved forward to meet him as if he’d been waiting.
Though Dan Yeop moved half a step slower than Muk Geumgang, his momentum was far more ferocious.
Dan Yeop knocked away Muk Geumgang’s Daedo with a single strike, then drove his hand-blade toward the man’s throat.
Clang!
With a wet choking sound, Muk Geumgang collapsed where he stood.
Dan Yeop then stamped down on him as he spoke.
“Slander, you say? Where do you get off spouting such shameless lies! If you just flee, who can prove anything? Why would you accuse an innocent Pojol like this?”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
When Muk Geumgang, now limp from the beating, stopped moving, Dan Yeop’s kicks ceased as well.
Dan Yeop addressed Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong and Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi, who stared at him in shock.
“Seeing Muk Geumgang throw a fit like that, he’s clearly in league with them. The way he raged before the government soldiers tells me he’s relying on something. What if we detail some men to search the shop separately?”
Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong, troubled by Muk Geumgang’s behavior, offered no objection.
He assigned Ma Han the Pojol to clean up after Muk Geumgang and search the shop, then pressed onward with the rest.
***
The inner courtyard of Mannyeon Iron Workshop.
As the government soldiers poured into the courtyard, the sound of hammering ceased.
Soon after, the workshop people came streaming over, gripping Daedo and Hoengdo and other weapons.
Their numbers approached fifty.
Trusting in their superior numbers, the workshop people’s faces turned grim.
To prevent unnecessary conflict, Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong stepped forward alone.
“I am the Hyeonryeong of Jang An County. I’ve come to capture the criminal who murdered General Choe Eon. All who are uninvolved should step aside!”
In that moment, someone from among the workshop people cried out.
“We don’t believe the words of you government dogs! Come any closer and we’ll kill every last one of you!”
Jang Ho the Pojol, unable to bear it, bellowed.
“You madman! Muk Geumgang resisted moments ago and was arrested. Do you still not understand the situation?”
To Jang Ho the Pojol, who was trying to persuade the workshop people, Dan Yeop spoke.
“Pojol Jang, it won’t work. They’re devotees of Cheonryeon as well. If they weren’t, they’d never block government soldiers while armed. Isn’t that right, all of you?”
Dan Yeop’s gaze turned toward the workshop people.
The workshop people said nothing, but the meaning was clear to everyone.
The faces of the Pojol and Pojol soldiers who gripped their weapons twisted.
The workshop vastly outnumbered them.
At that critical moment, the inner door opened and two figures emerged—a man and a woman.
It was Muk Cheolsim the commander and Bul Yeom Seonja.
The moment Jang Ho the Pojol saw Bul Yeom Seonja, he roared.
“Hyeonryeong! That woman is the one who murdered General Choe Eon and Gok Wun!”
At once, a slight disturbance rippled through the workshop people.
They seemed equally unaware of the woman’s presence.
Jo Mujin, the county magistrate, turned to Muk Cheolsim.
“Commander Muk! Explain yourself—what business do you have with this woman?”
Before Muk Cheolsim could answer, Bul Yeom Seonja stepped forward.
“County Magistrate Jo, Commander Muk and the Mannyeon Iron Workshop have nothing to do with me.”
“You murdered officials with daggers forged at the Mannyeon Iron Workshop, and you hid there yourself. Yet you expect me to believe your words?”
Just then Ma Han, a constable, dragged Muk Geumgang forward and spoke.
“Your honor! We discovered gunpowder and oil at the workshop. Muk Geumgang admits he planned to detonate the powder and flee.”
Jo Mujin’s gaze fixed on the woman.
“You heard him? Muk Geumgang went that far, and you claim no connection to him?”
“Sigh! Muk Geumgang, why do you persist in this? I’ve told you countless times not to involve yourself in my affairs.”
…….
Yet Muk Geumgang, bound in ropes, said nothing.
Watching the two of them, Dan Yeop sensed a subtle current flowing between them.
‘Then the Mannyeon Iron Workshop didn’t follow Cheonryeon after all?’
After the workshop’s destruction and their escape, he’d naturally assumed they were part of Cheonryeon’s faction—but now doubt crept in. Perhaps it was something else entirely.
Just as he’d suspected!
Muk Cheolsim, who had been gazing down at his son in silence, spoke.
“County Magistrate Jo, the fault is mine alone. I failed to discipline my son properly, and this is the result. But I swear to you—the Mannyeon Iron Workshop had no part in this affair. That much, I beg you to believe.”
“Words of belief won’t suffice when so much has already transpired. Unless you convince me otherwise, I have no choice but to arrest you all.”
“Bul Yeom Seonja was my son’s betrothed. While he traveled west to apprentice in the blacksmith’s craft, she took her vows. When he returned, he could not forget her, and he’s been caring for her—which has led to all of this.”
At that, Jo Mujin spoke coldly.
“Whatever the reason, aiding and harboring a rebel is a capital crime. If Commander Muk is implicated in this, he too will face severe punishment.”
“I am but an old man with little time left, so it matters not for me—but I implore you to show mercy to my son.”
To Muk Cheolsim’s plea, Jo Mujin made no immediate reply.
The gravity of the matter was one concern, but a formidable opponent stood before him.
Believing the moment of reckoning had come, Bul Yeom Seonja walked to the edge of the platform.
“County Magistrate Jo, you heard him clearly? These people have no connection to Cheonryeon. They merely cared for me out of old affection. So direct your judgment toward me alone—if you have the standing to do so, that is.”
Then Bul Yeom Seonja swept her hand through the empty air.
In that instant, five-colored petals swirled down from the sky on a spring breeze.
It was her Dokmun technique: Spring Wind Flower Rain.
As the constables and patrolmen stared transfixed by the fantastical beauty, Dan Yeop sensed killing intent woven through it and cried out.
“Daggers! Everyone, take cover!”
The constables and patrolmen scattered in all directions like a locust swarm.
At the same moment, the hovering petals plummeted like arrows.
Tap-tap-tap-tat!
As the petals rained down on those too slow to escape, Dan Yeop drew his horizontal blade and swung with all his might.
A crescent arc of sword energy swept across the patrolmen’s heads.
It was the Cross Mountain Cleave, the opening technique of the True Heaven-Earth Blade Method.
Whiiish!
Pap-pap-pok!
The petals bisected by the blade scattered skyward, painting the heavens in five brilliant hues.
They drifted like petals caught in a spring wind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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