Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 26

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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 26. What work will I be doing?
Guan Nei Region.
Chang’an.
Chang’an was a city of grand design.
A great avenue began at the Suzaku Gate in the north-center of the capital and stretched straight to the southern edge, and this was called Suzaku Avenue.
Using Suzaku Avenue as the dividing line, the city split into the Left City to the east and the Right City to the west, and both Left and Right Cities each contained fifty-four wards.
Yang Hoe, the gate official of the Chang’an Market, brought Dan Yeop to Boseon Ward in the Right City.
“This is Boseon Ward. From now on, you’ll be living here. Since you know nothing yet, I’ll arrange lodging for you. If you want to move somewhere better, you can earn money and relocate as you wish.”
“Yes…….”
Dan Yeop looked around with curious eyes.
Boseon Ward was a neighborhood enclosed by a seven-chi-high wall, roughly two meters tall.
“The gates of Boseon Ward open to the drum strike that announces morning and close to the bell toll that announces night. Not just Boseon Ward—all ward gates throughout the capital open and close at those times, so you must be careful.”
“Morning and evening, then?”
“They strike the drum five times at around dawn—five in the morning—and ring the bell five times at dusk—nine in the evening.”
There were slight variations depending on the season and emergencies, but generally the drum and bell were struck five times each at set times.
“And if the gates are closed?”
“If you’re unlucky enough to be caught wandering the city by a Street Inspector, you’ll be thrown in jail; if caught by the Ward Chief, you’ll be beaten. The Street Inspector is an official, but the Ward Chief is a resident—either way, it’s best to enter before the gates close. Well then, shall we go find you a place to stay?”
Yang Hoe led Dan Yeop to the outskirts of Boseon Ward.
When they arrived at a shabby house and he called out, an old man appeared.
Yang Hoe spoke with the old man for a moment, then gestured for Dan Yeop to come over.
As Dan Yeop approached quickly, Yang Hoe introduced him to the old man.
“This venerable gentleman, Dan Yeop here is my cousin on my mother’s side—a good lad. Please take good care of him. Dan Yeop, this is the master of the house where you’ll be staying. Greet him properly.”
The old man smiled and nodded at Dan Yeop.
Dan Yeop, reading the mood, bowed respectfully.
“My name is Dan Yeop. I’m grateful for your kindness.”
“Heh heh, welcome. If Mr. Yang introduced you, you must be reliable. I’ll show you to your room—follow me.”
As the old man turned to leave, Yang Hoe gestured for Dan Yeop to follow, saying:
“You’ll sleep in this house starting tonight. You’ll need to manage breakfast and dinner on your own. Lunch will be provided at the shop, so don’t worry about that.”
Dan Yeop nodded and followed the old man.
True to the shabby appearance of the house, the small room was cramped and smelled of must.
But Dan Yeop barely noticed the room.
His mind was filled with thoughts of seeing Baek Yu Hwa from the market again.
Shortly after, Yang Hoe took Dan Yeop back outside Boseon Ward.
“Now, the place you’re going to is Poshi Ward in the Right City—the Western Market area.”
“The Right City?”
“The area where the Eastern Market is located is called the Left City, and the area where the Western Market is located is called the Right City. You’ll learn other details gradually, so don’t worry about those—you just need to remember Poshi Ward.”
“Is Poshi Ward like Boseon Ward?”
“It is. But if you think of it the same way, you’ll be in for a shock.”
Yang Hoe, who had been heading north along Suzaku Avenue, turned his direction westward.
As they went a little further west, a bustling street opened before them, packed with ornate buildings.
Dan Yeop’s mouth fell open at the sight.
Things he’d never seen before spread across the street, and the people were just as varied—a riot of colors and kinds.
Han Chinese, certainly, but also Turks, Tibetans, Sogdians, Persians, Arabs, and Indians…….
The women passing through the streets were all beautiful, and music drifted down from the tall pavilions above.
The pipa, konghou, cross-flute, bamboo pipe, and janggu—sounds Dan Yeop had never heard in his life.
As Dan Yeop’s eyes began to spin, Yang Hoe pressed his shoulder and said:
“Quite different from Boseon Ward, isn’t it?”
“Incredibly…….”
“Poshi Ward draws together goods and peoples from nations across the world. The area where Poshi Ward sits is called the Western Market, and there are some forty thousand shops in the Western Market alone.”
“Forty thousand? In Poshi Ward?”
“Poshi Ward is not the only ward in the area—there are many wards gathered there: Boin Ward, Geon Bok Ward, Dae Heung Ward, Geum Cheon Ward, Bo Ryong Ward, and others.”
“I see…….”
“The place where you’ll work is in Poshi Ward.”
“Um, Master Yang, is it possible the people who were sent out before are scattered throughout the Western Market too?”
Dan Yeop, curious about where Baek Yu Hwa was, spoke in roundabout terms.
“People sent out before? Ah, they’re scattered across several sections, but they’ll be reassigned to shops in the Western Market soon. Why? Is there someone you want to see?”
“No. I just wondered if I might run into them while working.”
“Unless you’re doing the same kind of work, you’re unlikely to cross paths.”
“What kind of work will I be doing?”
“For now, learn the trade at the Yang Family Fabric Shop.”
“A fabric shop?”
“If you show some aptitude, you might move to a guest house later. The pay’s better there—you get tips from drunk customers. The fabric shop doesn’t offer that kind of thing….”
Yang Hoe trailed off mid-sentence, stealing a glance at Dan Yeop’s expression.
The place where he’d be working was a fabric shop run by Yang Hoe’s own relative, and the owner was rather stingy.
“Ah, yes….”
Dan Yeop didn’t know what Baek Yu Hwa did for a living, so he simply accepted it for now.
Shortly after, Yang Hoe stopped in front of a fabric shop.
“This is the place. Wait here a moment.”
Leaving Dan Yeop outside, Yang Hoe emerged from the shop with a middle-aged man sporting a goat beard.
Yang Hoe then introduced the man to Dan Yeop.
“This is the proprietor of the Yang Family Fabric Shop, Master Yang Bok. Address him as Master Yang. Master Yang, this is the boy I mentioned—Dan Yeop. He’s rather inexperienced, so I’d appreciate your guidance.”
“Master Yang, I’m Dan Yeop.”
“Welcome. Work hard and good fortune will come your way. No Je, now that I’m going to teach this boy, you may go.”
“Understood. Thank you for this. If the boy gives you any trouble, please contact me anytime.”
Yang Hoe nodded respectfully to Yang Bok, took his leave of Dan Yeop, and disappeared.
Standing alone and looking awkward as he glanced around, Dan Yeop heard Yang Bok turn and speak.
“Follow me.”
Dan Yeop respectfully followed him inside the fabric shop.
***
Yang Bok patiently taught Dan Yeop the ways of running a fabric shop.
At first Dan Yeop learned well enough, but as they delved deeper, his true inexperience began to show.
The fabric shop in Poshi Ward was unlike other establishments—it carried far more inventory.
For instance, while ordinary fabric shops mainly sold cotton cloth, the Yang Family Fabric Shop was different.
Beyond dyed cloth and five-color cloth, they dealt in various silks: silk proper, silk damask, silk gauze, and brocade.
But that wasn’t all.
They imported Persian Brocade from the Western Regions, as well as foreign cloth, and even manufactured and sold garments.
On top of that came embroidered cloth, flower trim, scented cloth, mixed silk-cotton, mixed silk weave, and foreign patterned silk imported from the Western Regions….
There seemed to be no end to the names he had to memorize—different types, different prices by length.
No matter how often Yang Bok repeated his lessons, Dan Yeop made no progress, so he had to give up.
In the end, he decided to assign Dan Yeop simpler work.
It was not sales, but soliciting customers.
“…You understand, don’t you? Whenever someone who looks like they have money passes by, what do you do?”
“Invite them into the fabric shop.”
“Exactly. Nothing difficult about it. You can’t tell different fabrics apart or calculate prices, can you? That’s all you need to do. You think that’s everything? If you slip with the scissors while cutting silk, your monthly wage won’t cover it. Your wage is two hundred cash, right? One bolt of silk costs eight hundred. You want to stand there trembling as you cut expensive silk? Or would you rather go out and enjoy yourself while bringing in customers?”
Yang Bok made soliciting customers sound like leisure work.
“I’ll bring in customers.”
Dan Yeop preferred working outside to learning the complex business inside the shop.
Besides, he had no desire to spend more time with the proprietor.
Yang Bok was a nagging man who couldn’t stand to see people idle.
“Go on now. Don’t come back until lunch. Don’t you dare slack off elsewhere. If you’re not visible in front of the shop, I’ll send No Je to fetch you back.”
“Yes.”
Dan Yeop bristled at the threat but said nothing.
Everything felt bewildering anyway; he figured he’d simply do as told.
***
Around midday.
Feeling hungry, Dan Yeop returned to the fabric shop.
Yang Bok glanced at him and spoke.
“Follow the left path a short distance and you’ll see Hyangman Lou. Tell them I sent you, and they’ll serve you food. Go eat and come back.”
“Yes.”
Dan Yeop bowed quickly and hurried outside.
Walking down the left path for a while, he came upon a row of eating establishments.
Cookshops, wine houses, teahouses—the alley was thick with food aromas.
Seeing a teahouse, he suddenly thought of Ha Yong Wol from Gimun.
‘I wonder if Sister Ha works in a teahouse too?’
‘What kind of work would Sister Ha do in a teahouse?’
Lost in such idle thoughts as he walked, he spotted the sign for Hyangman Lou.
“Huh! That’s far.”
Yang Bok had said a short distance, but it felt like he’d walked a quarter-hour.
The moment he spotted Hyangman Lou, his mouth watered.
He quickened his pace toward the restaurant.
Hyangman Lou.
The moment Dan Yeop stepped inside, Jeom So Yi came rushing over and cried out.
“Welcome! Come sit here, please. What can I get you?”
Dan Yeop merely blinked, stunned, unable to get a word in as Jeom So Yi poured out her greeting without pause.
“Sir?”
At Jeom So Yi’s prompting, Dan Yeop opened his mouth with an awkward expression.
“I’m from the Yang Family Fabric Shop…….”
“Ah! Master Yang sent you, did he? Understood. I’ll have it ready in just a moment.”
Jeom So Yi spun around briskly and disappeared into the kitchen.
‘But I didn’t even order anything…….’
Dan Yeop looked around with a deflated expression.
Seeing the food laid out before the other customers, his mouth began to water involuntarily.
He swallowed hard once, twice, and Jeom So Yi reappeared from nowhere, setting a bowl of noodles down on the table before turning to leave.
“Wait—what is this?”
At Dan Yeop’s question, Jeom So Yi turned back and answered.
“Warm Noodle Soup.”
“This is mine?”
“Yes. For the Yang Family Fabric Shop, it’s always one bowl of Warm Noodle Soup. If you want anything else, that’s extra—you’d have to pay separately. Will you be ordering anything more?”
“No.”
Dan Yeop shook his head—he didn’t have a single coin to his name.
So that was it. Master Yang had sent him here without explanation, and there was already a set meal waiting for him.
He picked up his chopsticks and began eating the noodles.
There were plenty of vegetables in the bowl, and it tasted infinitely better than the bloated, overcooked noodles he’d eaten at Byeong Ma Chong.
His stomach was empty enough to make anything taste good, but the seasoning was perfectly balanced—he emptied the bowl without leaving a trace.
He drank every last drop of the broth, yet his hunger remained.
But with no money in his pockets, he had no choice but to leave.
Dan Yeop rose from the table, licking his lips, and stepped out of Hyangman Lou with reluctance in his wake.
‘Once I get my monthly wage, I’ll eat as much as I want.’
The thought that he’d have to go hungry for a whole month made him sigh.

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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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