Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 28

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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 28. I Must Show You What I’m Capable Of
Dan Yeop began displaying the Yuk Moon techniques he had refined one by one.
As before, there was no jarring sensation, and he felt satisfied with the progress.
Most importantly, he no longer felt as though he were wasting time, as he had in the past.
Beneath the moonlight, his form moved with the elegance and beauty of Ga Hee dancing with a sword.
After finishing the Chilsang Dohbop, he fell into thought for a moment.
‘How accomplished must the martial arts of other Bangpa be? Will my refined Yuk Moon techniques hold up in the Gangho?’
If the chance arose, he wanted to observe the martial arts of other sects.
But he doubted such an opportunity would come to a cloth merchant’s clerk.
‘Perhaps I could save money and visit a nearby martial academy?’
But even as the thought formed, he shook his head.
Dun Jae’s parting words came back to him—to make no decisions of his own.
At moments like this, he resented not having control over this body.
‘Tch! That’s exactly why Dun Jae calls me his Shim Ma.’
Clicking his tongue silently, Dan Yeop continued to practice the Taego Sect’s swordwork.
Whether it was Yuk Moon techniques or Taego Sect martial arts, to draw upon them without thinking required endless, grinding practice.
He repeated the Taeheo Munyeong Sword and Muae Sword until dawn broke.
As the sun rose, he took a stick and headed into the kitchen.
The old man apparently never tended the fire pit; the hearth had gone cold.
“If I’m going to cook rice, I’ll need to light a fire first.”
Dan Yeop stuffed kindling and dried grass into the hearth, but lacking a flint stone, he could not coax a flame to life.
He returned to his small room and rummaged through his belongings, but found nothing useful.
“I’m foolish for expecting anything from this old man.”
Muttering to himself, Dan Yeop went back outside to search for something that might serve as a flint.
As he circled the house, the old man, having woken from sleep, emerged outside.
“What are you looking for?”
“Ah, yes. I was trying to light the hearth, but I have no flint stone.”
“My! You must come from a well-to-do family, going about without even a flint stone.”
“Haha! The truth is, I’m poor enough not to have owned one at all.”
“I see. Wait here a moment.”
The old man drew a pouch from a drawer in the wall cupboard and handed it to Dan Yeop.
“A man who can kindle fire well will have women flocking to him. Take it.”
Dan Yeop accepted the pouch with both hands, bowing respectfully.
“These are Pyrite and Iron Pieces from Sichuan—nothing better for striking fire. The previous tenant left them behind, and you may have them.”
“Goodness! Thank you. Why did that person leave behind something so valuable?”
“He had no need for them where he went.”
As he spoke, the old man pointed skyward with his index finger.
He meant the man had died.
“Ah…….”
“You don’t suppose you’d refuse to use something because it belonged to a dead man, do you?”
“Not at all.”
Dan Yeop shook his head with firm resolve, and the old man’s expression brightened.
“Go light that fire. I think you’ll be pleased with how it works.”
“Yes.”
Dan Yeop took the pouch and entered the kitchen.
He struck the Pyrite with the Iron Piece to produce sparks.
The sparks flew onto dried leaves, but the fire would not catch.
Dan Yeop continued striking the Pyrite, but the sparks came only in a loud shower.
At some point, the old man, who had followed him, drew something from beneath the kitchen cupboard and tossed it onto the leaves.
The moment a spark fell upon it, smoke rose and flames burst forth.
Dan Yeop pushed the burning mass into the hearth and asked, “What is this that catches fire so easily?”
“Dried Mugwort Powder. You can use dried bark as well, but Dried Mugwort Powder is the finest. Yet it seems you’ve never tended a fire before.”
“No, this is my first time even entering a kitchen.”
“Learn it well. A man who can tend fire—”
“Will have women flocking to him?”
“That alone falls short. You must master what comes after.”
“What comes after?”
Smoke and flames rose from the hearth.
The old man pointed at the cooking pot and continued.

“Of course you have to cook rice properly. Wash the grain and put it in the pot to boil.”
“Yes, understood.”
Dan Yeop washed the rice as the old man directed and poured it into the cooking pot.
The old man patiently taught Dan Yeop, who had no experience in kitchen work, the basics of each task.
“……There’s pickled cabbage in the kitchen if you want some. But aren’t you from a noble family?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then why are you cooking with rice? I usually eat millet or sorghum…….”
“Ah, I had it with me.”
“Ha! Young and handsome, so your income must be quite good. But don’t spend too much on food. You should save for marriage.”
“Ha, yes.”
Dan Yeop laughed awkwardly.
He had no intention of marrying, having sworn to remain celibate, but he saw no reason to explain that to the old man.
“Try buying grain flour and making Hubbing instead. I myself lived on Hubbing and a bowl of soup when I was your age. If you’d like, I can teach you how to make it this evening.”
“Please do teach me.”
“Come home early then. Now, what’s next? Ah yes, Baekchae Tang would be perfect.”
The old man gathered cabbage and shriveled vegetables as he spoke.
“Baekchae Tang is simple enough. Just chop whatever vegetables are lying around the kitchen and throw them in to boil. Season it with Doushi and salt. Think you can manage it?”
“Yes.”
“Once the rice is done, start the soup.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Dan Yeop performed a respectful bow to the old man.
A look of satisfaction crossed the old man’s face.
“You’re a young man of substance. You’ll go far in life.”
Just then steam began rising from the pot, and the old man quickly scooped out the rice.
Then he set the soup pot over the fire and filled it with water.
“You have to judge the water carefully. Since there are two of us eating, this much is right, but when you eat alone, half of this should be enough.”
Only then did Dan Yeop realize the old man intended to join him for the meal.
‘The rice will be a bit short…….’
He’d only added one handful of grain, and he felt self-conscious about it.
Meanwhile, the old man fetched the salted cabbage.
When the water came to a boil, he tossed the cabbage and wilted vegetables into the pot.
He hummed while he worked, looking quite pleased with himself.
At last the Baekchae Tang was finished.
Dan Yeop carried the food to the table in the courtyard alongside the old man.
A moment later, an exclamation escaped Dan Yeop’s lips as he looked at the spread before him.
“My, this is a proper full table!”
Seeing the rice, pickled cabbage, and soup, he felt a profound sense of gratitude.
It was as though he’d created something from nothing.
When he’d had only raw grain, everything felt uncertain, but now he seemed like a seasoned man of the household.
The old man chuckled and spoke.
“For a first attempt, the rice turned out well. You’ll be quite popular with the ladies.”
“It’s all thanks to your teaching.”
“How about this—we take turns making breakfast and dinner. That way the work is cut in half and it’s convenient for both of us. What do you think?”
Dan Yeop thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“It’s a kind offer, but I’m afraid my eating times aren’t regular.”
Of course it was an excuse.
There was Dun Jae’s warning not to make any commitments, but more than that, it was the difference in what they each had available.
‘He clearly said he usually eats only millet and sorghum.’
Yet Dan Yeop had rice.
Rice against millet and sorghum?
The old man wasn’t his ancestor—it would be too unequal a trade.
“Ah, I see. Well, there’s nothing to be done about it then.”
The old man spoke as though it didn’t matter, but his expression had grown darker.
***
Dan Yeop set out early in the morning, making his way leisurely toward the West Market.
The dazzling city left him speechless.
“Whew! I’d heard Chang’an was magnificent, but it’s truly something else.”
He asked people he met on the main road until he found his way to the Cloth Market District.
Finding the Yang Family Fabric Shop within the Cloth Market District was no simple task.
As he wandered along the main road, peering here and there, it was then that——
“Dan Yeop!”
At the sound of his name, Dan Yeop turned around.
An elderly man with a goat-like beard was gesturing frantically from a distance.
The abacus in his hand told Dan Yeop all he needed to know.
‘That must be Yang Gaju.’
He hurried toward the bearded man and bowed in the manner of Jakup.
“Yang Gaju.”
“Why aren’t you here yet? What are you doing, wandering about like that?”
“Everything looks new each time I come, sir.”
“Now that you’re here, sweep inside and outside the shop, then we can begin work.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dan Yeop found Yang Gaju’s relentless pressure tiresome the moment he saw him, but he hid it well.
The moment his Mugong improved even slightly, he would leave this place behind.
‘While Yang Gaju is here, I’ll do my best.’
He finished cleaning quickly and stepped out into the street.
The farther he got from Yang Gaju, the lighter his heart felt, as if shackles had fallen away.
‘Being in the same space as the shop owner is truly unbearable.’
After standing around for about half a Shijin, Dan Yeop wandered back and forth through the area.
All the while, he inconspicuously trained in the Biryu Footwork, the seasonal technique of the Amun.
The Biryu Footwork.
Its name sounded like a boatman’s footwork technique, but boatmen had no such techniques.
It was only natural—people who lived on boats three hundred sixty-five days a year had no need for them.
He practiced the Biryu Footwork all morning, then ate lunch at the Fragrant Moon Pavilion.
When afternoon came, bored with the Biryu Footwork, he switched to the Cheonri Footwork of the porter’s path.
If Biryu Footwork was a footwork technique, then Cheonri Footwork was a movement art.
Naturally, learning the Cheonri Footwork came with various restrictions.
‘I can’t run freely—it’s frustrating. The Suwol Divine Movement would suit me better than Cheonri Footwork.’
From that point on, he moved about using the Suwol Divine Movement, unnoticed by others.
While he was absorbed in the subtleties of the Suwol Divine Movement, he heard Yang Gaju’s voice from behind.
“Dan Yeop!”
Dan Yeop spun around and rushed toward Yang Gaju.
Yang Gaju glared at him as he spoke.
“Didn’t I tell you not to leave the front of the fabric shop? Did you think I hired you to wander about as you please?”
“Ah, my legs started to ache from standing, so I walked around a bit.”
“Now you’re lying to me. I saw you stand for a short while this morning, and then you’ve been wandering ever since. Do you think making money is so easy? Old Master Yang asked me to take you in, and if you keep slacking off like this, it’ll be difficult for me. It won’t do at all.”
When Yang Gaju spoke harshly, Dan Yeop couldn’t hold back and answered back.
“Slacking off? I think your words are a bit harsh, sir. I’m confident I can do the work entrusted to me well. Isn’t it enough to simply bring customers to the shop?”
Yang Gaju frowned when Dan Yeop, unlike yesterday, spoke back with such boldness.
For a moment, irritation surged in him, but seeing such confidence, his anger quickly subsided.
To solicit customers in the street, that sort of shamelessness was essential.
“You’re right. If you do your work well, no one would say anything even if you tore through the West Market. In that sense, you should prove your ability today.”
“My ability?”
“Bring me customers. If you fail again today, from now on you must not move an inch from the shop front. Is that understood?”
“By… by this evening?”
Dan Yeop’s voice wavered slightly as he repeated the condition.
Since it was now early Shinsi—mid-afternoon—there were only about two Shijins left before the fabric shop closed.
“So all that bragging was just talk?”
But Dan Yeop was a man who had nothing if not confidence.
“What’s so difficult about that? I’ll do it. But you must keep your word too, Yang Gaju.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I bring you customers, I can wander the West Market during work hours.”
Dan Yeop stared at Yang Gaju with the look of someone stating the obvious.

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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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