Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 129

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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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Chapter 129. What business brings you to Mongsan?
Gwannae Province.
Seonpyeongbang.
The Son Estate.
The inner hall.
At dinner that evening, Dan Yeop announced he would be away on official business for several months.
“At the latest, I’ll return before spring arrives.”
Son Yubaek nodded, as if he understood.
“Now that you’re a Pokwae, you’ll have to travel the ten provinces. I don’t know where you’re headed, but do take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”
Yu Hwayeong added a few words.
“Yeop, you’re as good as family to us. You must come back.”
“Yes. Besides, I’ve nowhere else to go.”
“Brother Dan, please be careful. Avoid any danger at all costs.”
At Son Yeonhwa’s words of concern, Dan Yeop smiled broadly.
“You’re right. I’m someone who values safety first. Don’t worry.”
Son Jiheon, usually talkative, said nothing that evening.
After tea, Dan Yeop and Son Jiheon took a walk together.
As they approached the annex, Dan Yeop asked a question.
“Setting me aside—what are your plans?”
“My plans?”
“Yes, you. Are you just going to idle about like this forever?”
Son Jiheon’s response carried a note of hurt feelings.
“Idle? You know how seriously I take my martial training.”
“Listen, friend. A martial artist must train in the martial arts their whole life. Surely you don’t plan to spend your entire existence just training and then die? Even the disciples of Haowen work while they train.”
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
“Oh? What?”
“There’s a martial examination next summer. I’m planning to sit for it.”
“Why? With your grandfather’s recommendation, you could take up a position immediately.”
“A true man must earn his way through his own strength.”
“Your grandfather’s recommendation bothers you?”
“Well, that too. If I went in on grandfather’s say-so, how high would people’s expectations be? Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to live up to that.”
“Sound thinking. With your martial rank, you won’t fail—at the very least, you’ll pass.”
“If I’m going to do it, I should place first. That’s what matters for your reputation.”
“Ha! What reputation do I have to protect?”
“Don’t be modest. You’ll become a Celestial Dragon and soar through the heavens.”
“Stop flattering me. The higher you climb, the more it hurts when you fall.”
“Tell me about Taegeuk Palace instead. So Hyeol Je was beaten badly by Court Lady Yi and had to flee? How can the imperial household have such a master?”
“She’s said to be a descendant of the Soyojong. Keep that between us—there’s no good in rumors spreading outside.”
“Hyeol Je obtained the transmission of Heonyeon Sect, crushed the Oewak Sword Technique with it, yet was beaten like a dog by Court Lady Yi, who descends from Soyojong? So the hierarchy is Oewak on the bottom, Heonyeon above it, and Soyojong above that?”
“I don’t see it that way. Court Lady Yi inherited everything from Soyojong, whereas Hyeol Je only obtained one sword art from the Heonyeon Sect Sword Art. That’s why he couldn’t match her.”
“Still, for one sword art alone to suppress the entire Oewak Sect—how formidable must the complete lineage be? Terrifying.”
“I’ve heard that in ancient times, immortals descended from the heavens and founded the sect lineages.”
“No! Really?”
“The immortals returned to heaven afterward, and their descendants have carried on the lineage.”
“Unbelievable! The Oewak Sect acted like they owned the world, but there were the true masters all along? But why did they hide so quietly?”
“It seems the martial arts of the sect lineages can’t be mastered by just anyone. That’s why the few sect lineages that remained from ancient times have dwindled over time. Only a handful of people survive to maintain them, so they have no choice but to live quietly. If they drew attention, the lineage could break. That’s what I think, anyway.”
“I see. It feels both enviable and hollow somehow.”
“Don’t you think Haowen’s martial arts are magnificent, friend? Anyone can master them, regardless of aptitude.”
“You’re right. Long live Haowen.”
The two bantered back and forth as they walked through the garden for a long time, finally parting ways at the annex entrance.
***
The next day.
Dan Yeop procured a horse at the waystation and headed toward Yozhu.
Whenever the horse seemed tired, he let it rest.
After crossing two counties, the houses vanished and grassland opened before him.
As evening fell, he made a fire in a suitable spot and prepared a place to sleep.
He spread a fur blanket from his pack on the ground, and sitting atop it, found himself thinking of the others—those carefree elder and younger companions.
Perhaps because he was alone, loneliness crept in, and he found himself thinking, ‘Those were good times.’
With a crackling sound, sparks rose skyward from the flames.
While he stared blankly at the flames, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the distance.
A moment later, three figures on horseback emerged from the darkness—two men and a woman.
Two men in their forties and a woman in her twenties.
The three relaxed noticeably upon seeing Dan Yeop.
One of the men, broad-faced and in his forties, stepped forward.
“Young brother, would it be all right if we warmed ourselves by the fire for a moment?”
“Of course.”
With Dan Yeop’s permission, the three dismounted and settled around the campfire.
The woman in her twenties, warming herself by the flames, suddenly asked a question.
“Are you traveling alone?”
“Yes.”
“That takes courage. In times like these, few travel by themselves.”
…….
When Dan Yeop offered no response, the goateed man introduced his companions.
“Since fate has brought us together, let us exchange names. We are men of the Yukhap Bang. The gentleman is Janwoldo, Hall Master of Gwannae Province, I am Seo Ung, a Pokwae officer, and this lovely lady is Yi Cheongwol, called the Red-Faced Beauty.”
“I am Dan Yeop.”
“Where are you headed alone with such determination, Dan Yeop?”
“Mongsan.”
At the mention of Mongsan, the three exchanged uneasy glances.
“What business do you have at Mongsan?”
“I thought I might look into Hyeol Je’s martial arts.”
At Dan Yeop’s casual remark, Seo Ung, the Village Master, blinked in stunned silence for a long moment.
Janwoldo, the Hall Master of Gwannae Province, spoke as though rebuking him.
“Like a moth drawn to flame, hoping for good fortune. Do you truly believe obtaining Hyeol Je’s martial arts is as simple as words make it sound?”
“I’m not expecting to gain anything in particular. I simply thought I’d try my luck.”
“Which sect do you belong to?”
“Haowen.”
At the name Haowen, a strange silence descended upon them.
Yi Cheongwol, the Red-Faced Beauty and Village Master, who had been studying Dan Yeop’s face intently, asked carefully.
“Excuse me—are you perhaps an Instructor of Haowen?”
“Yes.”
In that instant, Janwoldo, Seo Ung, and Yi Cheongwol exchanged rapid glances.
Haowen’s fortunes had changed considerably of late.
It had been systematically crushing the smaller sects of Jang An City, rising steadily in power.
At the center of this ascent stood Dan Bulwi, the Chief Instructor, and Dan Yeop, the Instructor.
Whenever Haowen made a move, the major sects would usually take countermeasures, yet this time they had remained strangely silent.
Janwoldo cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ah, well—now I see you are indeed an Instructor of Haowen. I hear Haowen’s momentum reaches toward the heavens these days?”
Seo Ung quickly took up the thread.
“Their martial arts are not what they once were. From what the younger members say, they rival even our Yukhap Bang.”
Janwoldo and Seo Ung spent considerable time lavishing praise upon Haowen.
Shortly after, Janwoldo, Seo Ung, and Yi Cheongwol bade their farewells and departed.
As he watched the three figures disappear into the distance, Dan Yeop muttered to himself.
“Bland folk.”
They praised Haowen without rhyme or reason, then simply left.
The next day.
Dan Yeop finished his morning meal with dried provisions and mounted his horse once more.
***
Yozhu.
Hwangryong County.
Mongsan.
Dan Yeop arrived at the foot of Mongsan around midday.
Immediately, a group of martial artists blocked his path up the mountain.
Their leader spoke.
“I know not who you are, but you must turn back. Mongsan is closed to all save the Five Evil Sword Sect for now.”
Dan Yeop produced a Golden Seal Badge and displayed it.
“I am Dan Yeop of the Woollim Pokwae, come under imperial command. Stand aside.”
Yu Hyeon, a late-generation successor of the Jongnam Sect and one of the Seven Swords of Jongnam, regarded both the badge and Dan Yeop with troubled eyes.
No matter how formidable the Five Evil Sword Sect might be, they could not obstruct the Woollim Pokwae acting under direct imperial command.
“Why does the imperial court meddle in the affairs of the Martial World?”
Since his counterpart was from Woollim Pokwae, Yu Hyeon raised his tone accordingly.
“Hyeol Je dared commit a royal transgression, so it’s only natural that the imperial court investigates the matter, isn’t it?”
Yu Hyeon, finding no rebuttal, reluctantly stepped aside.
Dan Yeop passed through the martial artists and climbed swiftly up the mountainside.
At the hermitage entrance, Dan Yeop encountered another group of martial artists.
They were disciples of the Five Evil Sword Sect.
Once Dan Yeop revealed his identity, the Five Evil Sword Sect disciples quietly withdrew as well.
Entering the hermitage, Dan Yeop summoned two monks to one place.
“Among you, is there anyone who met with Hyeol Je?”
A monk in his fifties raised his hand.
“He asked to stay for one night, so I showed him to his quarters.”
“That night, did either of you see Hyeol Je leave?”
“We retired early and didn’t see anything.”
“That night, did you hear any strange sounds? Hyeol Je speaking with someone, or what sounded like fighting…?”
“We heard nothing. Both of us sleep deeply, you see. We only found him when we went for our morning walk.”
“I see. I’d like to see the room where Hyeol Je stayed.”
The monk in his fifties led Dan Yeop to a chamber attached to the hermitage.
After examining the room, Dan Yeop departed the hermitage.
In truth, what he’d wanted to know wasn’t what martial arts techniques Hyeol Je might have left behind, but rather whether the monks were aware that Hyeol Je had fought.
If they’d heard the sounds of combat, Cheonryeon and Yi Yeon might have turned their attention toward him.
Fortunately, both monks slept deeply enough that the matter seemed to pass without incident.
As Dan Yeop descended the mountain, the Five Evil Sword Sect disciples sought out the monks and pressed them relentlessly about their conversation with him.
But when the monks’ account proved utterly mundane, the disciples let it go without further inquiry.
***
Coming down from the mountain, Dan Yeop spotted Yukhap Bang members lying in wait at the foot of Mongsan and clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Tsk! With the Five Evil Sword Sect controlling the mountain, they’ll just be burning with frustration.’
Though, viewed differently, the situation might actually work in their favor.
If all manner of sects crowded the hermitage, bloodshed would be inevitable.
Meanwhile, the Yukhap Bang members, spotting Dan Yeop belatedly, rushed toward him.
The Gwannae Hall Master spoke with an excited face.
“Instructor Dan, the Jongnam Sect disciples are blocking the mountain path—how did you manage to get up?”
“I work as a Pokwae on the side, you see. Once I mentioned it was official business, they let me pass without hesitation.”
“Ah!”
Envy filled the faces of the Gwannae Hall Master, Seo Ung, and Yi Cheongwol.
This time, Seo Ung asked the question.
“The hermitage itself—did you manage to reach it?”
“Of course. The Five Evil Sword Sect disciples were guarding that place.”
“Damn it! If the Five Evil Sword Sect is already there, we’ve lost. We were planning to convince other sects to push through the Jongnam blockade. So did you find anything at all?”
“Not a thing. The moment I got there, I felt their watchful eyes, so I came straight down. Five Evil Sword Sect disciples followed me everywhere—I had no chance to do anything.”
“Ah!”
“Damn it! The Five Evil Sword Sect, those bastards….”
“They really know how to ruin things.”
Sighs escaped the lips of all three.
Dan Yeop bid the three indignant men farewell and took his leave.

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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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