Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 124

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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 124. Why did you help us?
People don’t always make rational decisions.
Sometimes, without knowing it, they arrive at strange conclusions.
That was Dan Yeop now.
He hoped Seok Yeseol and the man wouldn’t have to fight the Pokwae soldiers.
If a battle broke out, he would inevitably become involved, and if that happened, both their lives would be finished.
Dan Yeop wanted Seok Yeseol to live an ordinary life with her betrothed.
He didn’t want to have a hand in the death of someone as upright as her.
So he saved them both.
Because his actions went against the Pokwae’s sense of duty, his mouth tasted bitter.
What he held in his mouth was clearly a Hubingk pastry, yet it felt like he was chewing tree bark.
Meanwhile, Nam Jin watched Seok Yeseol and Dan Yeop with surprised eyes, turning between them.
He had suspected Seok Yeseol and the young man knew each other. But he never imagined the youth’s true identity was a member of the Worim Pockae.
To Nam Jin like that, Seok Yeseol spoke.
“Young Master Nam, please go up first.”
“Understood.”
Nam Jin rose quietly from his seat and climbed the stairs to the upper floor.
Soon after, Seok Yeseol moved to the seat across from Dan Yeop.
Dan Yeop felt awkward but quietly drank his tea.
After a long silence, Seok Yeseol asked.
“Why did you help us?”
“I didn’t want a disturbance to occur.”
“I see. For a moment, I thought, ‘Has this person changed?’ and nearly misunderstood. Still, I’m grateful you spared us the rough treatment.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I mentioned it just now. I was on my way to Jang An City following my betrothed.”
“Then we won’t meet again at the Wi Ha Riverbank.”
……
Seok Yeseol said nothing more.
But now that Dan Yeop had caught her, she was planning to withdraw from this mission.
She had no way of knowing when Dan Yeop might try to arrest her and Nam Jin.
Seok Yeseol rose quietly and left her seat.
When Dan Yeop sat there vacantly, Jeom Soi approached and spoke.
“Master, shall I bring a bottle of liquor?”
“No liquor. Tell me—didn’t a strange old man enter the village today?”
“This place has many people passing through, so I cannot say for certain.”
“Is that so?”
Dan Yeop asked no further.
A horse-face like Hyeol Je’s stands out to people’s eyes. If Jeom Soi said he couldn’t tell, it was the same as saying he hadn’t seen him.
After drinking his tea, Dan Yeop decided to stay the night at the inn.
From early evening, lying on his bed, stray thoughts began to pile up.
Was Seok Yeseol really on her way to Jang An City with her betrothed?
Wasn’t she sent by Cheonryeon to help Hyeol Je?
‘What kind of person is Yi Yeon Tae Sa?’
The Transmission Talisman and the Jade Token—he couldn’t understand them at all.
He was as difficult to comprehend as his master.
‘The Jeommun is different in every way.’
Muttering this to himself, he suddenly took out the Jade Token and examined it.
All that was there was the writing “Transmission Talisman” and a smooth back surface.
The contents written here reach Yi Yeon Tae Sa?
“Honestly.”
Sighing, Dan Yeop put the Jade Token back in his bosom and closed his eyes.
But before even an Ilgak had passed, his eyes snapped open.
“Really now…….”
He was far too curious about whether the man who had been with Seok Yeseol was her betrothed or simply a comrade from Cheonryeon.
Dan Yeop tossed and turned until midnight before finally falling asleep as dawn broke.
***
The next day.
After finishing breakfast, Seok Yeseol spoke to Nam Jin.
“I think we should just head to Jang An City.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Nam Jin stared at Seok Yeseol with bewilderment written across his face.
The Worim Pokwae had vouched for her identity—he couldn’t fathom why she suddenly wanted to leave.
Seok Yeseol lowered her voice.
“Last year in Ha Dong Province, I was arrested by the Pokwae. I was being taken to Jang An City when I managed to escape by luck. The Pokwae who escorted me then—he was the one from Worim Pokwae yesterday.”
“What?”
Nam Jin’s eyes widened at this unexpected revelation.
He’d assumed the man was someone from her past, but he’d had no idea such a thing had occurred.
“When I asked him yesterday why he wasn’t arresting me, he said he didn’t want to cause trouble. He was turning a blind eye so he could capture Hyeol Je. If he notices me again, he’ll arrest me. He mentioned he was headed to Jang An City yesterday, so let’s go there.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to flee somewhere else rather than Jang An City, given those circumstances?”
“Ah, you’re right.”
Seok Yeseol nodded.
Now that her identity was exposed, there was no need to be bound by yesterday’s words.
“Let’s go to Yoju instead and rejoin the followers of the Righteous Path Practitioner Yuk Ki. Wouldn’t it be better to continue our mission that way?”
“Yes.”
Seok Yeseol agreed with Nam Jin’s suggestion.
It was far better than simply disappearing into hiding.
The two hurried through breakfast and left the inn immediately.
Around the hour of Si, early morning—nine o’clock.
Dan Yeop, who had tossed and turned until dawn, came down to the dining hall.
Just as he finished eating, Jeom Soi approached and spoke casually.
“The guests who stayed with you last night left early this morning.”
“And?”
Dan Yeop looked at Jeom Soi with a flat expression.
He couldn’t fathom why the boy was telling him this when his mind was already troubled.
“I just thought you might be curious about it, sir…. At any rate, that’s how it is.”
As Jeom Soi hurried away, Dan Yeop tilted his head in confusion.
The way he’d suddenly asked yesterday about fetching liquor seemed odd, and now it appeared the boy had entirely misread the situation.
‘Honestly, the kid’s nosiness is unnecessary.’
With a bitter smile, Dan Yeop left the inn in haste to search for Hyeol Je.
***
For two days, Dan Yeop followed the Wi Ha Riverbank until he finally arrived at Hamyang.
He continued his investigation for another full day in Hamyang.
Over four days from the Wi Ha Riverbank to Hamyang, he’d been tracking Hyeol Je.
But Hyeol Je had vanished as if he’d ascended to heaven itself—his trail had gone completely cold.
That evening.
While Dan Yeop rested at an inn in Hamyang, a Haowen member arrived.
“Chief Dan, a Sect Disciple receiving treatment at a clinic in Yoju Dongkwan County reported seeing a martial artist who appears to be Hyeol Je.”
“Yoju Dongkwan County?”
“Yes, sir. It’s a distance of two or three days’ travel from here.”
Dan Yeop unfolded the map he’d obtained from the Worim forces.
Yoju Dongkwan County lay far to the north of Gyeongyang County, which Sect Leader Baek Chogong had predicted.
“What’s the name of the clinic?”
“It’s the Jeseui Clinic. A renowned physician operates it in the Yoju region.”
“Have someone watch the Jeseui Clinic from a distance. Hyeol Je might notice if we’re too close, so maintain sufficient distance.”
“Understood.”
After the Haowen member departed, Dan Yeop hastily packed his things.
He obtained a horse at a nearby relay station and galloped northward.
Two days after leaving the Wi Ha Riverbank, Dan Yeop arrived in Yoju.
From there, he rode another half day to reach Dongkwan County.
Early evening.
A young man entered the Cheongsuu Inn in Dongkwan County.
It was Dan Yeop.
After securing a room, he had dinner in the inn’s dining hall.
Having filled his belly with noodle soup and Hubingk pastry, he called for Jeom Soi.
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you know where the Jeseui Clinic is?”
“If you leave the inn and go right, you’ll find it after a good distance.”
“How far is a good distance?”
“It would take you a good quarter hour’s walk to get there.”
“Is there a renowned physician at the Jeseui Clinic?”
“Son Gyeongnak is a doctor. He’s known as the Medicine King. People come all the way from Jang An City seeking his treatment.”
“Oh, he must be quite skilled then?”
“When there’s a clinic like the Jeseui Clinic and even an inn standing before it, that says everything.”
“I see.”
Dan Yeop obtained the information he wanted and headed upstairs to his room.
An hour or so passed.
An old acquaintance came looking for him.
It was Im Song, a Sect Soldier.
“Chief.”
“What? Im Song?”
“Yes, it’s been a long time since we’ve met.”
“What brings you all the way out here? Don’t tell me it’s because of me?”
“Yes, the Sect Leader instructed me to come and help. Hyeol Je is our enemy, after all.”
“That’s true.”
“I was heading north from Gyeongyang County when I heard the news and came straight here.”
“Hyeol Je is still at the Jeseui Clinic?”
“Yes, but there’s a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Strange martial artists have been appearing in Yoju Dongkwan County for the past few days.”
“Strange martial artists?”
“Yes, some of them are staying at the inn in front of the Jeseui Clinic. They don’t look like patients—they seem to be searching for Hyeol Je.”
“Do they know Hyeol Je is at the clinic?”
“I can’t say for certain. But the fact that they’ve been staying for five days now doesn’t seem right.”
Dan Yeop’s expression hardened slightly.
Five days—that was right after Hyeol Je fled Jang An City.
‘Yi Yeon Tae Sa wouldn’t have hired martial artists separately. Could it be Cheonryeon?’
He suddenly recalled Seok Yeseol and that man he’d met at the Wi Ha Riverbank.
‘It looks like Cheonryeon has spread her people to multiple places, just like Haowen.’
But there was one thing that didn’t make sense.
‘Why would Cheonryeon search for Hyeol Je so secretly?’
Hyeol Je was one of Cheonryeon’s Thousand Buddha.
If she’d come to help him, she should have joined him long ago.
Dan Yeop asked Im Song, as if to confirm.
“By now, those martial artists must know Hyeol Je is at the clinic, right?”
“I’d say so. If they didn’t, they would have left by now. They seem to be watching the clinic.”
“You’ve done well. Now that I’m here, tell everyone to withdraw from the clinic. They might draw the attention of those other martial artists.”
“Understood. But Chief…”
“Yes?”
“How did Hyeol Je even know about the Jeseui Clinic? No matter how renowned Son Gyeongnak is as a physician, his reputation shouldn’t have spread all the way to the Gangnam region.”
“That’s strange indeed. It’s a bit too fast to say Hyeol Je just happened to come to Yoju, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s clear he came directly targeting the Jeseui Clinic.”
“We’ll figure it out as we go. Now get going.”
“Yes, sir. Please get some rest.”
After Im Song left, Dan Yeop withdrew a Transmission Talisman from his pocket.
‘Not yet.’
Dan Yeop looked at the back of the Transmission Talisman, then tucked it away in his pocket again.
It was more important to confirm Hyeol Je with his own eyes first.
After a moment of thought, he decided to check out the Jeseui Clinic first.
He needed to know if those strange martial artists Im Song mentioned were from Cheonryeon, and whether Hyeol Je was indeed at the clinic.
Dan Yeop left the inn and began walking down the road.
He’d walked perhaps a quarter hour when—
The sound of metal clashing echoed from the darkness ahead.
‘Hm? Who would be fighting at this hour?’
Dan Yeop began running toward the sound.
Like wind through the darkness, he raced forward—then stopped abruptly.
At that very moment, a bang rang out, and a figure tumbled from a window on the upper floor.
The man who hit the ground lay motionless, seemingly lifeless.
‘Gasp—!’
Dan Yeop’s face stiffened as he recognized the man.
He was the one who had been with Seok Yeseol at the inn by the Wi Ha Riverbank four days ago.

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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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