Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 107

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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 107. Why did you become a ronin with that face?
That night.
Seonpyeongbang.
Son Taek’s separate residence.
Dan Yeop stared at the backpack sitting on the table for a long while.
A round trip to Baekwol Kingdom would take a full month.
Thinking of the clothes and provisions he’d need during that time, a backpack was essential.
“Besides, I’m uneasy leaving this behind.”
The backpack contained Geumru Okui, a treasure of the Tae Go Sect.
It wouldn’t draw anyone’s notice, but if fire broke out in the residence, it could all burn.
In the end, he began stuffing clothes into the backpack.
He also packed his white notebook and brush case for good measure.
Without the Maha Dam, the backpack swelled quickly.
He’d considered putting things in the Maha Dam, but dismissed the thought just as fast.
It would be different if he were traveling alone.
But living alongside others, he couldn’t use the Maha Dam.
“Still, I should stuff plenty of provisions and wine into it for later.”
He could take them out when no one was around, or when walking by himself.
Even if someone saw, they wouldn’t suspect the eating itself.
“They’d just assume I’d found it somewhere.”
Struck by the thought, Dan Yeop picked up the backpack and headed toward the inner quarters.
He found the light on in the inner quarters, explained the situation to Yu Hwayeong, and she handed him the storehouse key.
He unlocked the storehouse door and stepped inside.
The storehouse held rice, flour, dried meat, and even the Baekwol Myeongju and grape wine that Son Yubaek treasured.
Dan Yeop selected some dried meat and grape wine from the stores.
He didn’t even look at the Baekwol Myeongju—there were only a few bottles left.
It seemed Son Yubaek had been restocking gradually ever since he and Son Jiheon had depleted the supply several months ago.
Strangely, despite packing quite a few things, the backpack remained somewhat slim.
“Remarkable stuff, really.”
He’d have to buy plenty more food and fill it properly when he had the coin.
Soon after leaving the storehouse, Dan Yeop returned the key and went back to his quarters to sleep.
***
The next morning, the main courtyard.
Jin Bo Sangbang.
When Dan Yeop arrived at Jin Bo Sangbang, the main gate stood wide open.
Entering the courtyard, he exhaled silently through his nose.
The grounds were packed with fifty ronin escorts, five sangbang guard swordsmen, two carriages, and roughly sixty horses.
Shortly after, Shin Woo, the head manager and chief of the investigation party, appeared with So Gangmu, the escort commander, and Na Bugang and Na Geumryeong, a pair of siblings.
At Shin Woo’s gesture, guard swordsmen circulated through the yard, distributing horses to the ronin escorts.
Dan Yeop received one as well.
Two carriages laden with cooking provisions had cooks climbing aboard.
Once preparations were complete, Shin Woo and So Gangmu led five guard swordsmen out at the head of the column.
Dan Yeop naturally blended in among the ronins.
To prevent mishaps, the investigation party moved slowly while departing Jang An City.
A beautiful young man like Dan Yeop drew stares wherever he went.
Some regarded him with favor, while others frowned.
With ordinary people, opinions took time to form; with Dan Yeop, most decisions were made at first glance.
It was the same now.
Some ronins spat the moment they saw him, while others offered gentle smiles.
Won Beom, a ronin in his early twenties known as the Ghost Sword, belonged to the latter group.
He approached Dan Yeop’s side and spoke in passing.
“Little brother, I’m called Won Beom. I didn’t see you at the quarters last night—did you stay out somewhere?”
“I’m Dan Yeop. I have lodgings nearby, so I stayed there.”
“Ah! Finding lodgings means you’ve been in Jang An City for a while, it seems. I only arrived five days ago and was still staying at an inn. Where are you from? I came from Sannam Province.”
“I’m from Gwannae Province. I spent most of my time outside the city until last summer, when I moved inside.”
“I see—this is also a chance meeting. How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“What? You’re quite a bit younger than me. I’m twenty-three. Call me brother from now on, will you? That’s fine with you?”
Won Beom winked playfully.
Dan Yeop, taking a liking to his straightforward manner, nodded readily.
“I’ll do as you say, brother.”
“Ha-ha-ha! I’m delighted with this assignment. The moment we set out, I’ve already met capable companions. With ronin numbering like this, the task will be as easy as eating lying down, won’t it?”
“I’ve heard the Naphae Gate is quite substantial, so it may not be quite that simple.”
“Well, they’re still barbarians. People there still walk around half-naked, don’t they? When we arrive, they’ll be so startled they’ll hand over the Geumru Okui at once.”
“I hope that’s how it turns out.”
Dan Yeop, who had fought a fierce battle against the masters of White Funeral Valley the year before, said little in response.
Seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times, after all.
Just then, a woman in her twenties who had been listening to their conversation interjected with a soft touch.
“You’ll regret it if you underestimate the people of Baekwol Kingdom. Haven’t you heard that even the Five Evil Sword Sect doesn’t swagger around in Baekwol Kingdom?”
Won Beom, who had been put off by someone’s interruption, broke into a smile the moment he caught sight of the woman’s beautiful face.
“I am Won Beom. It seems you know quite a bit about Baekwol Kingdom?”
The woman smiled and replied.
“I’m Seo Hwa. I’m originally from Geomnamdo, so I’ve visited Baekwol Kingdom a few times. And for the record, there’s no one walking around naked.”
“Ah! So you’re the famous Beautiful Fox everyone speaks of. I’ve wanted to meet you. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“I’ve been curious about who the Ghost Sword is myself. Glad to meet you.”
For a moment, the gazes of the two locked in midair.
Dan Yeop looked at Won Beom and spoke.
“I didn’t realize you were someone so renowned, brother.”
“Renowned? Don’t say such things. It’s embarrassing if anyone hears. It’s just a nickname that ronin give each other to build up their own worth. It makes the price higher and feels good, like you’ve become something. But there’s no real substance to it.”
Seo Hwa agreed with that assessment.
“The master is right. It’s just that we ronin slap nicknames on each other and puff ourselves up. We don’t even come close to the aliases that murim masters speak of.”
Yet that was false modesty.
It was true that only ronin would know their nicknames, but without real skill, one wouldn’t earn even that.
By the time the three had sized each other up somewhat, the vanguard that had passed through the city gate began to gradually pick up their pace.
***
As dusk fell.
Sixty mounted martial artists and two carriages slowly entered Juji County, nestled in the foothills of Jongnam Mountain.
It was the investigation party from Jin Bo Sangbang that had departed from Jang An City.
An inn that could accommodate as many as sixty-six people—including drivers and cooks—couldn’t possibly exist.
Yet setting loose a band of independent ronin across multiple inns wasn’t feasible either.
Left with no choice, Shin Woo, the group leader, decided they would camp out.
Since it was early summer, no one complained about spending the night under the stars.
Won Beom took the position to Dan Yeop’s left, while Seo Hwa settled to his right.
After becoming acquainted back in Jang An City, the three naturally traveled together.
After the evening meal, Won Beom built a campfire.
Two others joined the campfire circle of the three outstanding men and women who had been sitting together.
“My name is Ja Yun.”
“I’m Chae Wun.”
Ja Yun’s alias was White Wolf, and Chae Wun’s was Blood Butterfly.
Of the five, only Dan Yeop had no alias.
Dan Yeop was the youngest at nineteen, while Ja Yun was the oldest at twenty-five.
Haowen and the ronin had something in common.
That is: people formed bonds quickly, but without depth.
After a half hour, Dan Yeop had become the youngest, and Ja Yun the eldest brother.
Before the campfire died, Ja Yun spoke.
“Brothers and sisters, let’s help one another until we return to Jin Bo Sangbang. One hand can’t do what ten hands can. If the five of us stick together, at least we won’t die. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
In truth, he had joined this group precisely to find companions like these.
Chae Wun, who had come with the same purpose, answered first.
“Of course. We’ll trust and follow only you, elder brother.”
Won Beom, Seo Hwa, and Dan Yeop all nodded.
“That’s good then.”
“Yes.”
“I trust only my elders here.”
As Dan Yeop finished speaking, the last flickering flame suddenly went out.
The five spread out their blankets on the ground, each in their own spot.
Won Beom, lying on his arm as a pillow and gazing up at the night sky, asked Dan Yeop a question.
“Youngest, why did you become a ronin with that face of yours?”
“What should I be doing with this face, brother?”
“A face like yours could just walk into the Five Evil Sword Sect.”
“Your face is hardly unimpressive either, brother.”
“I didn’t have the entrance fee, so I never even came close to the place.”
“I understand. I left home when I was very young and wandered ever since.”
“How old were you when you left?”
“Four years old.”
“Matured early, didn’t you.”
Won Beom asked nothing more.
Poor children running away from home was a relatively common occurrence, after all.
Before long, one by one they drifted off to sleep.
Dan Yeop, who had been drowsing in a haze, jolted awake at a creeping sensation.
He felt a gaze fixed on him from far away in the darkness.
He expanded his Ki Perception.
Just as he’d suspected.
Someone was there, in the direction of the mountain’s shadow.
A familiar sensation washed over him—sharp and impenetrable as iron.
‘Surely not…….’
Hong Jin’s face flashed through Dan Yeop’s mind.
‘Why would he be here?’
Suddenly his parting words echoed back.
―I’ll leave it at that for now. But if you make an enemy of Cheonryeon, I’ll come back and kill you.
Since then, Dan Yeop had left Jang An City, and he wasn’t even conducting an investigation related to Cheonryeon.
So why did Hong Jin’s presence feel so palpable in that darkness?
At last Dan Yeop sat up from where he lay.
He fixed his gaze on the distant mountain’s shadow.
Hong Jin, as if to announce his own presence, made no attempt to conceal that distinctive aura of his.
Rather, whenever Dan Yeop began to relax his guard, a chilling Ki Wave lashed out at him.
That was unmistakably the manifestation of the Intent Damage Technique—the ability to kill by will alone.
Only then did Dan Yeop realize that just as he had been tracking Cheonryeon, Cheonryeon too had been watching him.
‘This has become tedious.’
The thought of a formidable enemy dogging his steps weighed on him more than he cared to admit.
And worse, his pursuer was a master of Cheonryeon, capable of anything at any moment.
Compared to Hong Jin’s danger, the Naphae Gate was nothing.
‘Should I just settle this tonight?’
The instant Dan Yeop hardened his resolve, the opponent’s aura vanished as if by deception.
‘What? What was that?’
Dan Yeop couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
The thought that his mind had been read from such a distance sent chills through him.
‘It must have been coincidence.’
He steadied his breathing and lay back down on the blanket.
Though his bedding was comfortable, sleep eluded him.
Had Hong Jin’s intentions shifted?
Or had he come seeking Dan Yeop for some other reason?
Either way, he needed to resolve this soon, or he wouldn’t be able to endure it much longer.
Dawn broke.
As Dan Yeop was putting away his bedding, Won Beom spoke.
“Why does our youngest look so exhausted?”
“My sleeping arrangements changed, that’s all. I’ll adjust once I get used to it.”
“Well then, adapt quickly.”
“Yes.”
Dan Yeop rolled up the blanket and the Yuan Ling Robe he’d slept under and stuffed them into his backpack.
In the morning light, the mountain appeared even more distant.
That he’d been struck by a Ki Wave from so far away was astounding.
‘The world is vast, and strange talents are plentiful, they say…….’
Standing there with a troubled expression, Dan Yeop soon shook off his reverie.
Just then, the servants who’d finished their morning preparations clanged metal ladles against an iron cauldron.
Dan Yeop approached the carriage along with his four newly acquired companions.
A line of some dozen ronin already stretched ahead of the carriage.
The moment Dan Yeop joined the end of the line, another dozen ronin formed up behind him.
The queue ahead of him gradually shortened.
A man with a savage expression suddenly cut in front of Dan Yeop.
“What’s this?”
At Dan Yeop’s sharp question, the man chuckled and answered.
“Can’t you see? It’s lined up, isn’t it?”

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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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