Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 118

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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 118. So you killed him?
Wang Chung found it difficult to make a quick decision about going to Hwasan.
Now that the Five Evil Sword Sect had suffered heavy losses at the hands of Hyeol Je, for a mere Pokwae like himself to suspect Hwasan’s defender of being involved in the Thousand Buddhas incident?
There was a high chance he wouldn’t even pass through Hwasan’s Mountain Gate.
Moreover, if such a fact became known to outsiders, he might well be beaten to death by the hot-blooded lay disciples of Hwasan.
In the end, Dan Yeop revisited and investigated the house of Yi Myeongmyeol, the Grand General of the Right Guard, together with Wang Chung.
He wanted to examine the marks left on the corpse as well, but since it was summer and the burial had been long ago, he had no choice but to consult the autopsy report.
Four days passed.
During that time, all Dan Yeop had done was investigate Yi Myeongmyeol’s house, read the autopsy report and the investigation records, and go around meeting people connected to the Grand General.
Pobang.
The expressions of the Mannyeon County Pokwaes when they saw Dan Yeop report for duty that morning were not pleasant.
It was because the investigation into Yi Myeongmyeol’s case was stalled.
“Damn it, he’s useless and yet why does he keep hanging around Mannyeon County?”
“Leave it be. Do you think that bastard came here because he wanted to? He came because he was ordered to from above.”
“Then he should conscientiously say he can’t do any more and head back. Why does he stay here and mess with us?”
“Maybe he smeared honey on Mannyeon County.”
“Is there no honey in Jang An County? Why’s he coming all the way out here for that?”
While the Pokwaes were muttering among themselves, an official entered Pobang.
It was Yuk Hang, the County Inspector.
He immediately began lecturing the Pokwaes.
“Hey! You worthless bastards! What the hell are you doing! It’s been two weeks since the Grand General was murdered! And in all that time, you’ve uncovered nothing? How can you call yourselves Pokwaes! Do you know how much that Hyeonryeong drove you people into the ground yesterday, complaining to Seol Yeom, the Surveillance Director? You scum! Major cases have a four-day deadline, and yet you whine about Cheonryeon being difficult! I’ve been lenient with you because of that, and now, nearly two weeks later, you still don’t know who did it? And you have the audacity to pocket the government salary? Wang Chung!”
Suddenly the blame fell on Wang Chung.
Wang Chung answered with a face as if he’d bitten into something foul.
“Yes, sir.”
In the next instant, Yuk Hang rushed forward and kicked Wang Chung’s shin with lightning speed.
“Ugh!”
Wang Chung stumbled backward, rubbing his leg.
Yuk Hang poured curses at him.
“You idiot! You’ve been a Pokwae for twenty years and still can’t get your act together? Crawling to gambling dens every night, I hear? And with that kind of mind, you think you’ll catch a criminal! It’s because blockheads like you occupy the Pokwae position that the Hyeonryeong is losing his mind. Who’s the Pokwae from Jang An County who’s been running around with Wang Chung?”
Though Yuk Hang already knew, he asked to seize the initiative.
When Dan Yeop pretended not to hear, another Pokwae pointed at him and answered.
“County Inspector, this is Dan Yeop, the Pokwae sent in support from Jang An County.”
Yuk Hang glared at Dan Yeop and shouted.
“So you’re Dan Yeop! Are you so young that your ears are already clogged? The County Inspector is asking who you are, and you’re here but don’t answer?”
Only then did Dan Yeop speak.
“County Inspector Yuk, that’s quite enough. I am not your subordinate. I came to help, and if this is how it’s going to be, I cannot work. Shall I tell the Hyeonryeong and head back?”
“What, what did you say? A Pokwae treating this like a child’s game…….”
“I didn’t become a Pokwae because I wanted to. The Hyeonryeong Jo Mujin asked me for help, and I’m merely assisting him for a time. What do you say? Should I tell the Hyeonryeong that I can’t work because of you and return?”
“…….”
Yuk Hang’s mouth went silent, his eyes merely flickering.
The Pokwaes of Mannyeon County might not know yet, but he had heard from Go Haseong, the County Magistrate, that Dan Yeop’s Martial Ability was exceptional.
He had simply tried to suppress him through rank, having thought him docile back in Jang An County.
Since any escalation would only harm himself, he quickly changed tack.
“Me? Blame someone else. I merely wanted to offer a sharp word because several days have passed since Dan Yeop arrived in Mannyeon County with no progress. For major cases, a Pokwae must solve it within four days. But Dan Yeop has now reached the fourth day without even finding a single thread. Isn’t that not me being harsh, but Dan Yeop shirking his duty?”
Dan Yeop had to admit the point was fair, and he simply stared at Yuk Hang.
“Hmph, of course I understand that investigating Cheonryeon is difficult, but put in more effort and produce results. The same goes for the rest of you. Effort is expected—now produce results! Results!”
With that, Yuk Hang quietly left his place.
As Yuk Hang, who had been so imperious, slunk away with his tail between his legs, the Pokwaes looked at Dan Yeop in bewilderment.
But no one spoke to Dan Yeop.
He was still an outsider to them.
Shortly after, Dan Yeop approached Wang Chung.
Wang Chung, who had been nursing his shin, muttered to himself.
“Two weeks is a long time, though.”
“Your County Inspector really works the Pokwaes like a taskmaster, doesn’t he? In Jang An County, the Magistrate’s name is someone we’ve never even heard.”

“He’s the Magistrate’s cousin—a typical case of being strong against the weak and weak against the strong.”
“If you’d known that, you should’ve pushed back harder.”
“You’re young, so you don’t understand the ways of the world. Maybe you have something else to do besides being a Pokwae, but most of us don’t. This is our last job. If we’re thrown out from here, we become beggars. Yuk Hang puts on his show only because he reads his opponent. You came on strong, and he immediately backed down. That’s how the world works.”
“So you just keep taking hits from the County Inspector?”
“Damn it, the fact that the investigation hasn’t advanced in two weeks is a serious problem too. You can withdraw and go home, but we might get beaten. I can’t take it anymore.”
“What shall we do?”
“What do you mean, what? It’s all or nothing now. You don’t sail without leaving port, do you?”
“You want to go?”
“Whether the pot tips or the rice gets cooked, let’s go look. We’ve got no other leads anyway. What do you say? Will you go, or won’t you?”
This time it was Wang Chung, the Pokwae, who posed the question to Dan Yeop.
Dan Yeop wasn’t keen on it, but lacking any other avenue, he agreed.
“Let’s go. Though it may not be the Thousand Buddhas, as you know.”
“Of course. I’m the one hoping it isn’t.”
That was Wang Chung’s honest sentiment.
Even if the Hwasan Sect’s Protector were the Thousand Buddhas, the aftermath would pose its own problems.
Apprehending him outright was thorny enough; considering the relationship with Hwasan thereafter, such complications were the last thing anyone wanted.
***
The next day.
Hwawun County.
Hwasan.
At the foot of Hwasan, Wang Chung posed one more question to Dan Yeop.
“Dan Pokwae, we’re doing the right thing here, aren’t we?”
“Right or wrong doesn’t matter. There’s no other choice.”
“True—Byeok Am Seonin is our only lead. So we meet with him and ask: did you perhaps kill Yi Myeongmyeol, the General of the Right Army, that day? We just ask and leave. Keep him as comfortable as possible the whole time. Agreed?”
“Yes, and stop rehearsing it. I’m afraid someone might hear.”
“Ah, shh. Sorry—I’m just nervous.”
The two men had reached the Mountain Gate.
Two Daoist Priests of Hwasan appeared and blocked the entrance.
One of them soon spoke.
“We are not receiving Incense Guests at present. Please return.”
Wang Chung the Pokwae, being senior, stepped forward.
“We are not Incense Guests, but Pokwae dispatched from Mannyeon County. I am Wang Chung Pokwae, and this is Dan Yeop Pokwae.”
“What brings Pokwae to this sect?”
“We have come to see Byeok Am Seonin regarding the murder of Yi Myeongmyeol, the General of the Right Army. We have questions.”
……
Chongwu the Daoist Priest regarded the two Pokwae with an uncomfortable expression.
He wanted nothing more than to turn them away, but the gravity of the matter left him no choice.
“Wait here.”
Chongwu finally entrusted the gate to his colleague and rushed upward like the wind.
He returned to his post roughly half an hour later.
“Fortune smiles upon you. Byeok Am Seonin does not easily receive even our own sect disciples, yet he has agreed to meet you. Follow me.”
Chongwu the Daoist Priest led the way up the mountain.
Dan Yeop and Wang Chung followed, their expressions troubled.
Unjeong Pavilion.
Byeok Am Seonin poured tea into three cups and spoke.
“The Pokwae from Mannyeon County have questions for this humble old man?”
Wang Chung the Pokwae seemed unable to find his voice and deflected his gaze.
Finally, Dan Yeop broke the silence.
“You stayed at the Mansu Inn a fortnight ago.”
“I had pressing business to attend there, so I remained for a night.”
“That night, Yi Myeongmyeol, the General of the Right Army, was murdered by Cheonryeon’s followers.”
“So the man finally received his heavenly punishment.”
“Heavenly punishment?”
“He murdered one of my subordinates to take his wife, then made the widow his concubine. When the woman later learned of this and sought revenge, he poisoned her with Five Stone Powder, reducing her to a broken wreck, and sold her into a brothel. But that was merely the tip of the iceberg, you see.”
“So you killed him?”
Dan Yeop did not beat around the bush.
Wang Chung, taken aback, fixed a startled gaze on Dan Yeop and Byeok Am Seonin in turn.
Byeok Am Seonin sipped his tea leisurely and replied.
“Why do you think I killed him?”
“Someone saw you entering and leaving through the inn’s window at dawn that day.”
“Men like us often move through windows. It is a common thing.”
“Pray tell what business warranted such discretion.”
“Were I to reveal it, there would be no point in using the window in the first place, would there? Let that be your answer and go.”
“Thank you for taking the time to receive us.”
Wang Chung hastily bowed and rose, nudging Dan Yeop with his elbow.
Only then did Dan Yeop rise to his feet, and he spoke suddenly.
“Perhaps the work of the Thousand Buddhas is a necessary evil. But even so, shouldn’t one use a clean blade?”
“What do you mean?”
“During my time as a Sect Disciple with Cheonryeon, I once met a man who argued that when I suggested a criminal be handed over to the law for punishment, he insisted the criminal had to be killed. His reason was that since the nation, rather than punishing the criminal, was giving him an opportunity to atone for his crimes and be pardoned, he must be executed.”
“And then?”
“I don’t see what difference there is between Cheonryeon shielding a Demon Head like Hyeol Je while claiming they’re ‘washing away past wrongs by executing corrupt officials.’ That’s why I said what I did.”
Byeok Am Seonin sat silently for a moment, thinking, then asked abruptly.
“What did you say your name was?”
“Dan Yeop, a Pokwae from Jang An County.”
“Yes, I remember hearing about it. You’ve resolved several cases involving Cheonryeon, haven’t you?”
“I’ve been fortunate.”
“Where is your sect?”
“Haowen.”
In that instant, Wang Chung’s face showed surprise as he looked at Dan Yeop.
He could hardly believe the fact that Jang An County had appointed a Sect Disciple of Haowen as a Pokwae.
The Pokwaes had exploited Haowen whenever opportunity arose, so a Pokwae from Haowen itself?
Byeok Am Seonin found it quite unexpected, but he gave no sign of it.
“So Haowen had a hidden dragon lurking within it.”
“You honor me with too much praise.”
“Come by when you have time and tell me how the world is turning. Being shut away inside the Mountain Gate can grow suffocating.”
“Of course.”
Dan Yeop bowed respectfully to Byeok Am Seonin and turned to leave.
Once outside the Mountain Gate, Pokwae Wang Chung looked around before asking quietly.
“In your view, did Byeok Am Seonin seem like the culprit?”
“Well, what do you think, Pokwae Wang?”
“Something doesn’t sit right.”
“Why is that?”
“The way he suddenly declared that Yi Myeongmyeol received divine punishment bothers me, and he seems to know far too much detail about the crimes Yi Myeongmyeol committed.”
“So? Is Byeok Am Seonin the Thousand Buddhas?”
“Good heavens! When did I ever say such a thing! Don’t speak recklessly like that.”
Pokwae Wang Chung jumped back in alarm.
If word got out that he’d suggested such a thing, the Hwasan Sect could have him stripped of his position as Pokwae.

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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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