Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 64

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 64. Following Where the Heart Leads
Na Bugang, the eldest son of Jinbo Trading Company, was spending the New Year among his fellow students from Samun Academy.
It was the so-called New Year’s Day reception.
The attendees were all either children of high-ranking officials or scions of great trading houses.
They’d apparently been drinking elsewhere beforehand—their faces were all flushed and their voices loud.
“I’m telling you, Hwawol House has better liquor than Jayungak.”
“People go to Jayungak for the entertainers, not for the drinking.”
“Well, well! The entertainer at Hwawol House, Okwhan, is every bit as captivating. Trust my judgment on this one.”
“Did you make a reservation? I heard you can’t even catch a glimpse of the entertainers without booking ahead.”
“Of course I did.”
“Oh! So today we get to meet the lady Okwhan?”
“They say when Okwhan plays the pipa and sings, even the birds fall silent. Has anyone here actually seen it?”
“I heard it once from below the pavilion. It was entrancing.”
As Na Bugang walked along listening to his friends’ idle chatter, he suddenly noticed Dan Yeop and stopped short.
Then Ju Seungyong, eldest son of Joyang Trading Company, asked Na Bugang a question.
“What is it? Do you know him?”
“Ah, well… that is…”
Na Bugang fumbled for words to introduce Dan Yeop.
But Dan Yeop spoke first, clasping his hands respectfully in greeting.
“Young Master Na, how do you do? It’s been a while. I actually sold some Won-ryeong Fabric to you last year. We became acquainted then.”
Ju Seungyong studied the young man and spoke.
“So your family operates a fabric shop. Where is it located?”
The moment Ju Seungyong heard “sold Won-ryeong Fabric,” he’d shifted to a tone of casual dismissal.
“It’s not a family business, sir. I was working temporarily at a fabric shop in Posibang. That’s how I came to know Young Master Na.”
“It sounds as though you’ve moved on to other work now—is that right?”
“Yes, I’ve definitely left the fabric shop business.”
Dan Yeop couldn’t reveal his connection to Haowen, so he spoke vaguely.
Ju Seungyong asked, half in jest.
“You’re not working here at this establishment, are you? Your face has that look about it.”
In that instant, Na Bugang’s expression became startled as he looked at Dan Yeop.
It occurred to him that since Dan Yeop was indeed from Haowen, perhaps it was possible.
As the young men stared at him, Dan Yeop hastily waved his hand.
“No, not at all. I was just leaving a New Year’s gathering. I should be going now. Young Master Na, I wish you all the best in the new year.”
Dan Yeop took his leave of Na Bugang and passed through the group of young men.
Na Bugang said nothing at all.
There was nothing to say.
Last winter, Na Geumryeong had—under the pretext of doing what was best for her brother—severed the connection between Na Bugang and Dan Yeop.
Na Bugang had accepted her decision without resistance.
And he’d made a point of not walking through Posibang after that.
Now his heart was in turmoil beyond words.
As he dwelt on the things he’d tried so hard to forget, regret crept in bit by bit.
Was it truly the right decision to keep his distance from him simply because he belonged to Haowen?
Seeing Dan Yeop’s respectful bearing today, he found himself wondering if the fault lay with him instead.
Noticing that Na Bugang’s expression had darkened, Go Seonji spoke up.
“Bugang, what’s wrong? Did that fellow do something to offend you?”
Confronted with Go Seonji’s sharp question—the son of the magistrate of Mannyeon County—Na Bugang flinched.
“Offend me? It’s nothing like that.”
“Your face says otherwise.”
“Come now, I said it’s nothing. Don’t believe gossip. Let’s get back to talking about the lady Okwhan.”
“Why? Suddenly interested? I hear she writes poetry as well—Li Bai himself would pale in comparison.”
The Empire was swept up in a poetic craze these days.
From scholars to entertainers, anyone who didn’t know poetry was treated as a barbarian.
Ju Seungyong let out an exclamation.
“Poetry too? Now that’s something to look forward to. I’ve developed quite a taste for women who compose well these days. The verses of the entertainer Soyeo are exquisite, but I wonder how the lady Okwhan compares.”
Just then, a servant from Hwawol House appeared and ushered the three young men inside.
When the three entered the reserved room and began drinking, the entertainers and Okwhan came in.
Soon Okwhan’s playing and singing began.
Ju Seungyong and Go Seonji bobbed their heads in admiration without cease.
But Na Bugang could not enjoy Okwhan’s pipa playing and song.
Dan Yeop’s words—”Young Master Na”—pierced his heart.
He let the music and singing drift past his ears while he drank continuously.
Go Seonji sensed something amiss in Na Bugang and probed carefully.
“Na Bugang, what’s wrong? Ever since you met that fellow, you’ve seemed off.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
With a slight flush of alcohol warming his face, Na Bugang let his true feelings slip out cautiously.
They weren’t quite close enough for this, but if he didn’t tell someone, he felt he’d burst.
“What is it, then?”
Go Seonji watched him with curious eyes.
Na Bugang was a man of both letters and martial arts, ordinarily proud as they come.
For him to show emotion so openly was wholly unlike himself.
Na Bugang laughed bitterly and spoke.
“There’s this person. If you look at him alone, he’s quite decent. But his family and circumstances—there are real problems there. So what would you do? Would you look only at the person and continue the friendship, or would you keep your distance because of the problems around him?”
Go Seonji countered.
“Wouldn’t it depend on what the problems are? If it were something dangerous like treason, you’d naturally have to sever the relationship.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. Just… not honorable, that’s all.”
“Ah! Then… hmm, it’s ambiguous.”
Go Seonji, who had seemed ready to answer, tilted his head in uncertainty.
There were plenty of people who valued honor as much as their own lives.
It was then that Ju Seungyong interjected.
“Is that so? I think it’s fine. The person’s decent, you say? He’s not caught up in anything dangerously treasonous. Honor—that’s something each person makes of themselves, isn’t it? There are worthless scoundrels even from great families, and decent people even among the common folk. Since I work in trade, as long as there aren’t any messy money disputes, I say it’s fine.”
Go Seonji burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha! ‘As long as there are no money disputes, it’s fine’—truly the words of the eldest son of Joyang Trading Company! But we must think of our friend Na Bugang’s honor. He’s not like you, caring only about money.”
At his friends’ words, Na Bugang’s heart felt all the heavier.
‘Honor…’
His younger sister had stepped in to straighten out Dan Yeop precisely because of his honor.
Just then, the song ended.
Okwhan smiled brightly and showed interest in the young men’s conversation.
“Whatever could be so entertaining that you won’t even listen to my song?”
Ju Seungyong, the gathering’s host, made excuses.
“Ah, I heard your song well enough. My friend just suddenly asked me something: ‘If a person is decent but their circumstances are poor, should you keep your distance?’ What do you think, Miss Okwhan?”
‘Could they be talking about me?’
Okwhan was momentarily flustered, but she didn’t let it show.
She’d seen more than a few righteous moralists posturing in houses like this.
“Is that so? A truly difficult question. Before I offer my thoughts, I’d like to hear the views of these two young gentlemen first.”
“Go Seonji said you should keep your distance for honor’s sake, and I said it’s fine as long as it’s not money troubles.”
“Now wait—when did I say that? I said it was a difficult problem because Na Bugang values honor. I myself don’t concern myself with others’ eyes.”
Go Seonji asserted his position boldly in front of Okwhan.
Okwhan smiled faintly as she listened and spoke.
“If I may offer my view: ‘In the end, the heart goes where it will.’ If others could stop you just by objecting, there would be no difficult thing in this world, wouldn’t there?”
Her words were really a cunning way of saying ‘If your heart is set on me, don’t give up.’
The three young men, each lost in their own thoughts, nodded solemnly.
Shortly after, only the courtesans remained, and Okwhan departed with her pipa.
Ju Seungyong, draining his cup, suddenly asked.
“What was that fellow’s name again?”
“Why?”
“No reason, just—you said he was decent, and he seems to work various jobs here and there. I thought we might run into him again sometime. He’s got a face you don’t forget.”
“His name is Dan Yeop.”
“Dan Yeop, is it? Do you know what he’s doing these days?”
“I only saw him a few months ago, so I don’t know. I’m not particularly interested anyway.”
Na Bugang denied it firmly, and the corners of Ju Seungyong’s mouth rose.
Bristling at this, Na Bugang demanded.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Do you realize that today, the only thing we’ve talked about is Dan Yeop? And you claim you’re not interested?”
“I told you already. His circumstances are a mess. We live in different worlds.”
“That’s all? Listen, ladies—is there a handsome young man named Dan Yeop at Hwawol House?”
The courtesans giggled at Ju Seungyong’s question and answered.
“There’s no one named Dan Yeop at Hwawol House.”
“Is he really that handsome?”
“We heard there was an extraordinarily beautiful young man among the guests in the guest rooms today.”
At the last courtesan’s words, Go Seonji quickly asked.
“What sort of people are they?”
“I’m not certain, but I overheard them mention something about a Martial Sect gathering.”
At that, Ju Seungyong and Go Seonji’s gazes turned toward Na Bugang.
Na Bugang shrugged, as if to say he knew nothing either.
Whereupon Go Seonji, true to his nature as the magistrate’s son, struck at the heart of the matter.
“The surroundings are shabby, they live by different water than we do—and yet they claim to be a Martial Sect? They must be Heterodox, or else Haowen people. How did you, a Hyeonmu Hall disciple, come to know someone like that?”
“I told you already. I bought clothes at the fabric shop where he worked.”
“So that’s how you grew close. Then you happened to learn of his sect and kept your distance after that. Isn’t that so?”
Na Bugang could not lie to Go Seonji, who spoke as though he had witnessed it himself.
“You’re right. There’s nothing more to it, so don’t press further. Now then—tell me, what would you have done in my place?”
The courtesans leaned forward with keen interest, watching the young men intently.
Ju Seungyong spoke first.
“Your master is Yu Musang of the Cheongheok Sword Technique, yes? I’ve heard that man is Heterodox—one would shudder at the thought. Absolutely impossible.”
Go Seonji followed.
“Thinking of the Cheongheok Sword Technique, it’s no simple matter. I’m beginning to understand why you wish to distance yourself from that friend. It reminds me suddenly of what Okwhan once said.”
Na Bugang murmured.
“The heart goes where it will?”
“Yes. Whatever we might say, in the end you’ll do as your heart commands. The heart is mightier than honor, after all.”
Then the courtesans sitting with them each offered their thoughts.
“Oh my, so this was about the young master’s friend all along? Here I thought it was some tale of romance between a man and a woman.”
“I thought you were speaking of Okwhan too.”
“Me as well. This is maddening.”
At the courtesans’ amusing misunderstanding, the young men could not help but laugh.
Thanks to their jest, the somewhat heavy atmosphere lifted.
Go Seonji refilled Na Bugang’s cup, speaking as he did.
“Well? Isn’t a drinking gathering with friends not so bad after all? There’s merit in loftiness, but don’t look down upon such occasions.”
This was something he often said, knowing that Na Bugang habitually avoided mixing with others.
“Well, once or twice a year seems bearable enough.”
Just then Ju Seungyong, as if remembering something, turned to Na Bugang with a question.
“By the way, I heard that Jinbo Trading Company is expanding into Baekwol Kingdom this year—is that true?”
“Who told you that?”
“The head of Taehwa Trading Consortium came to see my father and mentioned that Jinbo Trading Company was eyeing Taehwa’s position, or something like that.”
“Their position? Last year Taehwa lost its trading partner in Baekwol Kingdom and withdrew. They’re in a position where they have to start from scratch.”
“Ah! So that’s why Jinbo Trading Company is pushing into Baekwol Kingdom? It must be no easy place to enter.”
“They wouldn’t be expanding if they hadn’t prepared their countermeasures. Why? Does Joyang Trading Company have its eye on Baekwol Kingdom too?”
“Taehwa proposed a partnership, actually. So we might enter together with them. The people of Baekwol Kingdom are said to be rather rough.”
Na Bugang nodded with an air of indifference.
Yet beneath that composed exterior, his heart was anything but at ease.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————