Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 45

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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 45. Do you believe in ghosts, Mister Sohn?
Dan Yeop rose from his seat with a stretch, as though shaking off exhaustion.
“Ah! Why do I feel so heavy?”
Noticing the oil lamp only then, he muttered with irritation.
“I’ve told you countless times—call me when the sun is up. Countless times.”
It didn’t matter when Dun Jae Dan Yeop slept or woke, but he was different.
When weariness pulled him into sleep, he woke as Dun Jae Dan Yeop.
That’s why he’d asked to be summoned only in daylight.
He’d thought Dun Jae Dan Yeop was finally listening, but here they were again.
“Dan Yeop, isn’t it time you accepted that you and I are bound together now? Are you still too thick-headed to understand? Good grief, what a stubborn one.”
Grumbling, he sat at the desk and unrolled the White Record.
“Let’s see—left that old man’s house and came to Mister Sohn Yu Baek’s place? So this is that annex.”
Dan Yeop continued reading the White Record as he surveyed the interior of the annex.
After reading to the end, he clicked his tongue and muttered.
“Tsk, tsk! So that’s why our Dan Yeop suddenly started doing things he’d never done before—he got spooked by a ghost, did he? Goodness, at that age, still frightened of ghosts. What use is that?”
Presently, Dan Yeop closed the White Record and stood.
Then he began slowly surveying the interior of the annex.
He examined the floor and walls, as well as the desk, bookshelves, and chairs—nothing escaped his scrutiny.
Then, with a sudden leap, he sprang onto the beam above.
The middle of the dusty beam showed a clear patch, as though scraped by something.
“They hung a rope here.”
Dan Yeop drew a fire striker from his robe and struck a flame.
Whoosh!
The beam suddenly blazed with light.
“Just as I thought! A fire striker! Worth its weight in silver, indeed.”
A fire striker was a portable ignition tool that cost a full fifty cash.
After a month of use, it had to be discarded—a precious thing only the wealthy could afford.
Tired of fussing with flint, he’d bought one the moment he received his allowance from Dun Bul Ui, and had been hoarding it ever since.
In the firelight, the beam’s condition became far more visible.
He studied it with the eyes of a hawk.
“Tsk, tsk! I knew something like this was going on when they started talking about ghosts.”
Presently, he extinguished the fire striker and leaped down lightly.
Whoooosh—!
The Ghost Crying Sound recorded in the White Record drifted faintly through the air.
“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”
Dan Yeop calmly opened the door and stepped outside.
The sound vanished as if it had never been.
Dan Yeop stood motionless before the annex, gazing at the moon.
Looking at the crescent moon—thin as a fingernail—he felt oddly lonely.
After standing there for some time, he was just about to go back inside from the cold.
Then, on a sudden gust of wind, that familiar Ghost Crying Sound came from far away.
Whoooosh—!
Dan Yeop’s body shot toward the source of the sound like an arrow.
As the wind died down, the cry ceased as well.
Dan Yeop, looking up at the eaves behind the annex, muttered.
“Ah-ha! So that’s it.”
Soon after, Dan Yeop made his way back to the entrance of the annex.
The next morning.
The Inner Hall.
Dan Yeop shared breakfast with Sohn Yu Baek’s household.
Sohn Yu Baek asked Dan Yeop casually as he passed.
“So, did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes, thank you for your concern. I rested well.”
Dan Yeop said he had rested.
If he slept, his personality would change—so he’d simply endured the night.
“Nothing strange happened last night?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Hmm. Jang No says he saw you dashing out of the annex last night, yet you claim nothing happened?”
Then Dan Yeop fixed his gaze on Sohn Yu Baek and spoke.
“Do you believe in ghosts, Mister Sohn?”
“Confucius was once asked about wisdom by Fan Chi, and he answered thus: ‘To exert oneself in making the common people righteous, to respect ghosts and spirits yet keep them at a distance—that is wisdom.'”
It was a roundabout way of saying ‘neither believe nor deny.’
Dan Yeop nodded in response.
“Which is why he made no mention of mysterious powers and strange spirits.”
“And what of you?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Whether they exist or not.”
Sohn Ji Heon, who had been watching the exchange between his grandfather and Dan Yeop, interjected.
“Then why did such a person leap from the Annex in the middle of the night? Does he suffer from sleepwalking?”
“Ji Heon.”
The middle-aged beautiful woman shot him a look of reproach.
Sohn Ji Heon quickly changed the subject.
“But before that—was it confirmed that Seo Saeng, the Sohn family’s servant, committed suicide?”
Sohn Yu Baek’s face hardened in an instant.
“Are you suggesting he was murdered?”
Unable to contain himself, Sohn Ji Heon burst out loudly.
“Nonsense! If you know nothing, don’t speak at all! Jo Hyeon Ryeong, the County Magistrate of Chang An County, investigated thoroughly and reached his conclusion.”
“Well then, believe it if you wish.”
“What? He was merely a laborer at a fabric shop, how could he possibly—”
“Enough!”
At Sohn Yu Baek’s roar, Sohn Ji Heon fell silent.
Soon Sohn Yu Baek’s gaze turned toward Dan Yeop.
“Mister Dan, such a matter concerns not only Jo Hyeon Ryeong but the Sohn Estate as well, so it is not something to be spoken of lightly. Do you have evidence?”
“Evidence that the corpse was hanged? Or evidence that someone artificially created the Ghost Crying Sound?”
“What! You possess such evidence? Produce it at once.”
“It cannot be brought here—we should go and examine it after the meal.”
Having finished speaking, Dan Yeop returned his attention to his food with unhurried grace.
Even he found the Sohn Estate’s cuisine as pleasing as ever.
Sohn Yeon Hwa glanced sidelong at Dan Yeop.
She had never before encountered a man who showed no deference before her grandfather, a former Regional Inspector of the Sa-ju region.
Even the hot-blooded Sohn Ji Heon could not assert himself before his grandfather, yet this slight youth, who looked as though he might topple with a touch, treated him with such casual ease. It was astounding.
Nor was this observation hers alone.
Sohn Yu Baek himself harbored secret admiration for Dan Yeop’s forthright and magnanimous bearing.
At first he had taken him for a mere scholar of the classics.
Later he learned otherwise, though he had accepted him on Jang No’s word.
As long as the man possessed strength of character and was no criminal, anyone would suffice.
‘Hmm! So he’s not merely a shop clerk, then…’
Could he truly have discovered a clue that Jo Hyeon Ryeong, the County Magistrate, had missed?
Meanwhile, unsettled by Dan Yeop’s words, Sohn Ji Heon gnawed at his lip.
‘What? He wasn’t just talking for effect?’
He had erupted in anger only moments before, and now he merely looked the fool.
‘Damn it! There’s no way such evidence exists. The County Magistrate himself said it was suicide…’
After draining one more cup of tea, Dan Yeop rose to leave the Inner Hall with Sohn Yu Baek.
The household staff of the Sohn Estate followed close behind them.
***
The Annex.
At the entrance to the Annex, Dan Yeop spoke to Jang No, who had followed them.
“Please fetch a ladder.”
Jang No ran off at once and returned with the ladder.
Dan Yeop leaned the ladder against the beam and climbed up first.
He then gestured for Sohn Yu Baek to ascend.
Sohn Yu Baek carefully climbed the ladder and joined him on the beam.
Dan Yeop pointed to a section where the dust had been scraped away and asked a question.
“Seo Saeng tied the rope here, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Notice how the edge of the beam is sharp and angular. When a living person hangs themselves, they struggle against the pain and writhe. The weight of the body causes the rope to leave scrape marks on both edges. But look—it’s clean. This means Seo Saeng never moved at all. In other words, he was already dead when he was hanged.”
Sohn Yu Baek examined the angular section carefully, then spoke to Jang No.
“Bring a rope from the Storehouse—the same kind used that day.”
“Yes!”
Jang No hurried away and returned with a thick rope.
As Sohn Yu Baek wound the rope around the beam, he spoke to Sohn Ji Heon.
“Grab the rope and hang there, thrash about.”
Sohn Ji Heon reluctantly seized the rope but merely went through the motions of struggling.
Seeing his grandson like that, Sohn Yu Baek frowned, but that alone was enough.
Genuine scratch marks had indeed appeared on both sharp upper edges.
Sohn Yu Baek stared at the corners with a stunned expression, then descended the ladder in silence.
Then Sohn Yeon Hwa asked.
“Grandfather, how was it? Were there really marks?”
“Yes, it certainly looks like a corpse was hung there.”
He then turned his gaze toward Dan Yeop.
“You said the Ghost Crying Sound was artificially created?”
“I’ll show you.”
Dan Yeop walked behind the Annex and pointed to a spot beneath the eaves.
An elongated tube was affixed there, invisible unless one looked carefully.
Seeing it, Sohn Yu Baek spoke to Jang No.
“Jang No! What is that? Who put such a thing up there?”
“Master, I have no idea. This is the first I’ve seen of it.”
Dan Yeop explained calmly.
“The sound only comes when there’s a strong wind. Someone seems to have wanted to spread rumors of a ghost.”
Just then, a gust of wind swept through.
Yet no sound came from beneath the eaves.
Sohn Ji Heon cried out triumphantly.
“Sound? There’s been such a strong wind just now, and yet it was silent!”
“Daytime would be when they blocked the air hole. The sound must come at night to seem like a ghost’s doing. Fetch a ladder and check for yourself.”
The Young Laborer hurried into the Inner Hall and returned with the ladder.
As he set it down, Sohn Yu Baek addressed him.
“Jang No is older than I am—you climb up and look.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Young Laborer climbed the ladder and examined the tube, then cried out.
“Master! There’s something plugged into the air hole!”
Soon after, he carefully withdrew something from the tube and climbed back down.
When Sohn Yu Baek took it, he saw it was a leather awl—the kind used for punching holes in leather.
As he examined the awl, another strong wind came racing in.
Whooooosh—
A haunting Ghost Crying Sound swept through the Annex.
Sohn Yu Baek stared at Dan Yeop in astonishment.
In a single day, the man had uncovered what he himself had trembled over for two months.
“Who do you think orchestrated this ghost business, and for what reason?”
“Surely whoever murdered Seo Saeng.”
“The ghost business?”
“Likely to keep people away from the Annex.”
“But what possible grievance could they have against the Sohn Clan? What would drive them to this?”
“It seems they killed Seo Saeng and wanted to steal something. But they appear not to have obtained what they sought. The fact that they created the ghost disturbance to prevent anyone from using the Annex suggests it’s still here.”
“Extraordinary, truly extraordinary. If what you say is true, then whatever they’re searching for should still be in the Annex?”
“Likely so.”
Even last night, watching them repeatedly insert and withdraw the awl made it clear they were still eyeing the Annex.
“Can you find it? If we do, won’t that reveal the murderer’s identity?”
“Finding it won’t be difficult, but whether I can determine the murderer’s identity from it is another matter.”
“Just find it for me. Once I hand it over to the County Magistrate, they’ll stop coming around the Sohn Estate, and that should settle it.”
“You want me to?”
Think about it—the murderers are watching the Annex you use. Wouldn’t that make you uneasy? But there’s more. If they suspect you took it, you’ll be the one left with a headache.”
“Ah, that’s a fair point. I understand. I’ll find it now.”
Dan Yeop walked into the Annex with an air of unconcern.
Sohn Yu Baek followed him, his face worn with anxiety.
Once inside the Annex, Dan Yeop examined the floor and walls for a time, then suddenly began sliding a bookshelf to one side.
Moments later, he withdrew a small rolled scroll from a hollow in the wall behind the shelf and handed it to Sohn Yu Baek.
“If this isn’t something Seo Saeng hid away himself, then this is what they’re after.”
“How on earth did you know?”
“There were drag marks on the floor. Perhaps Seo Saeng didn’t encounter a thief at all.”
“You mean to say…”
“He sought refuge, so he approached Seo Saeng for shelter.”
Sohn Yu Baek laughed bitterly.
The circumstances made it seem as though he were the one who had suffered at that scholar’s hands.

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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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