Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 69

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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 69. Do you like Dan Yeop?
Son Jiheon, who had been studying Dan Yeop’s expression carefully, spoke with hesitation.
“A gentleman’s revenge is never too late even if it takes ten years, as they say. Won’t you be stronger than Hyeol Je in ten years?”
“Me, stronger than Hyeol Je in ten years? I doubt it…….”
On that point, Dan Yeop was skeptical.
He had barely managed to escape being a fool.
Neither his studies nor his martial skills were any better than others’.
It was only because the Bunsimgong had saved him from falling into the Juhwa Ipma that he’d even managed to master the Thousand Character Classic—otherwise, he never would have.
The same held true for his martial training.
Shamefully, he could only trail behind Sim Ma’s coattails.
Perhaps after a century had passed?
He had no confidence he could surpass Hyeol Je in a mere ten years.
“You will become stronger, I’m telling you. Trust my eye for talent. Among our generation, there’s no one who can match your achievements. You’ll certainly surpass Hyeol Je.”
Even with his encouragement, Dan Yeop’s mood did not improve.
Son Jiheon didn’t know the truth about him.
If it hadn’t been for Sim Ma, he would have rotted away in a cloth shop his entire life.
Still, seeing Dan Yeop’s gloomy expression, Son Jiheon spoke again.
“Come now, let’s go out and have a drink or two to brighten your spirits. Alcohol is the best cure for sorrow. I’ll treat. Shall we?”
As he spoke, he grasped Dan Yeop’s arm and pulled him to his feet.
Dan Yeop, bereft of all will, simply moved as the other man led him.
***
Seonpyeongbang.
Hwawunru.
Son Jiheon brought Dan Yeop to the famous Hwawunru in Seonpyeongbang.
The two men settled at a window seat on that floor and drank late into the evening.
Hwawunru was the place where Dan Yeop had drunk with Baek Yuhwa and Im Song.
For the first time, Dan Yeop drank heavily.
Watching him, Son Jiheon launched into a long speech.
“……Friend, what is life anyway? It’s just like the wind—you come and you go. Nobody’s an exception. Ah, blast it, what was I saying? Ah, right—women. You’re still young. You’ll be able to meet a good woman.”
“No, I can’t meet women anyway. They say I shouldn’t.”
“Who said that? Your parents?”
“I have no parents.”
“Then who said such strange things?”
“There is such a person.”
“Perhaps it means you should be careful with women.”
“No, they seem to be teaching me something like the Dongjagong.”
“Who? You?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been learning the Dongjagong?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? If you don’t know, then who does?”
“That person would know.”
“And you don’t?”
“No.”
Drunk, Son Jiheon didn’t sense anything strange and nodded in agreement.
“Well, that won’t do. The Dongjagong takes a long time to cultivate, but once you master it, they say you’ll have no equal, don’t they?”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. If you keep practicing diligently, you’ll achieve what you desire.”
Still, as someone from a noble house, Son Jiheon knew plenty.
Both men, thoroughly drunk, made it home before the gates closed.
When Son Jiheon knocked on the front gate, it was Son Yeonhwa, not the gatekeeper, who came out.
Seeing his younger sister, Son Jiheon asked.
“Hm? Where did the old gatekeeper go, that you’re opening the door?”
“He said he was coming down with something, so I told him to rest. But how much alcohol did you drink?”
Son Yeonhwa quickly steadied Dan Yeop.
Son Jiheon, who had been reaching his arm toward his sister, quietly withdrew it.
“Listen, I’m even more drunk than he is. Besides, Yeop here is a master of both inner and outer cultivation, so you don’t need to help him.”
“Don’t say such things. Can’t you see him staggering?”
“I’m the one staggering more, I’m telling you.”
As Son Jiheon was speaking, his feet tangled and he collapsed to the ground.
At that, Son Yeonhwa’s eyes flashed with indignation.
“Brother, what will Grandfather think if he sees you making a spectacle of yourself? Get up at once.”
“No, Yeonhwa. I’m telling you, I’m someone who needs help.”
“And who told you to drink until you can’t even stand?”
“Dan Yeop drank just as much as I did.”
“Don’t drag Dan Yeop into this when he was minding his own business.”
Son Yeonhwa took hold of Dan Yeop’s arm and led him toward the annex.
Son Jiheon, who had been flailing his hand in the air, lurched to his feet and shouted.
“Hey, you! Blood runs thicker than water, but you’d do this without a shred of loyalty!”
“Hmph! I thought you were fine! Don’t start arguments for no reason—go see Grandfather instead. He’s been waiting since earlier.”
“Grandfather was waiting for me?”
“I already gave you the message.”
With those words, Son Yeonhwa left with Dan Yeop.
Son Jiheon, who had been standing there dumbly, slapped his own cheeks hard with both hands.
After doing so several times, his mind finally cleared.
‘He told me to speak with Dan Yeop—did he want to know what came of it?’
There was no other reason he would wait for him at this hour.
He scratched his head and trudged toward the inner quarters.
Though he had drunk heavily, he had not fallen into complete drunkenness, and his gait grew steadier the closer he drew to the inner quarters.
***
The inner quarters.
Before his stern grandfather, Son Jiheon bowed his head slightly to hide his flushed face.
Son Yubaek, who had been regarding his grandson, spoke first.
“Have you been drinking with Dan Yeop all this time?”
“Yes, sir. As we talked, it seemed I couldn’t help but drink.”
“It seems like more than ‘a bit.’ What reason would drive you to drink until you’re nearly senseless?”
“That concerns my friend’s private life, and I wasn’t sure if I should speak of it.”
When Son Jiheon hesitated, Son Yubaek let out a cold laugh.
“Stop the nonsense.”
“A woman Dan Yeop had an unrequited love for has died. More precisely, she was murdered recently.”
“Tell me more about this.”
Son Jiheon straightened his posture and opened his mouth.
“Do you remember the incident some time ago at Hwacheong Palace where Yi Deokryeong, the Deputy Inspector of the Anseo Provincial Inspector Office, was murdered? On that day, Hyeol Je killed a woman who had nothing to do with Yi Deokryeong. She was someone Dan Yeop had quietly admired.”
“So he’s despairing because his target for revenge is Hyeol Je.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know who that woman was?”
“Sir? Do you know?”
“I met with Jo Mujin, the magistrate of Jang An County, yesterday.”
At the sudden mention of Magistrate Jo Mujin’s name, Son Jiheon’s head snapped up.
“You met with Magistrate Jo?”
“Jo Mujin has been quietly investigating Dan Yeop. He needed to know for certain whether Dan Yeop had any connection to Cheonryeon.”
“Ah, that friend has absolutely no connection to Cheonryeon.”
“I know. Magistrate Jo told me yesterday—Dan Yeop is completely unrelated to her.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Son Yubaek, who had been studying his grandson, suddenly asked.
“Do you know who the woman was that was murdered at Hwacheong Palace?”
“If you mean the woman Dan Yeop had an unrequited love for, I don’t know.”
“The Five Evil Sword Sect had the disciples of Haowen spy on Hyeol Je’s movements. While following Hyeol Je in that matter, several disciples of Haowen were killed. That woman was one of them.”
“Ah…….”
“And Dan Yeop is also a member of Haowen.”
…….
Son Jiheon felt his heart sink at his grandfather’s words.
His grandfather, who valued honor above all, had learned of Dan Yeop’s sect affiliation.
“From your expression, it seems you knew.”
“That is, well, forgive me, Grandfather. I have been learning the martial arts of Haowen from Dan Yeop.”
“Was what you learned from Hyeonmugwan and Elder Gwak of the Jongnam Sect insufficient?”
“Dan Yeop is on a different level entirely. He was the first master I ever encountered.”
“Dan Yeop is a greater master than Elder Gwak?”
“He must be.”
Son Jiheon, whose eye for talent was still undeveloped, could not state it with certainty.
But even that much was enough.
“So the grandson of Son Yubaek is learning martial arts from Haowen?”
“Though the world does not yet recognize it, Haowen’s martial arts are…….”
Son Yubaek cut off his grandson’s words.
“It’s not because Dan Yeop possesses exceptional talent, is it?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“No? How can you claim such a thing? How do you know Dan Yeop became a master only because of Haowen’s martial arts?”
“He completely rebuilt Haowen’s crude martial techniques from the ground up. What I’m learning is his revised version.”
“Dan Yeop reformed Haowen’s martial arts?”
“Yes. Surely you know he’s a genius, Grandfather? He transformed them into something on an entirely different level.”
“Even if that were true, Haowen is still Haowen. Do you think Haowen’s standing will rise simply because of one man, Dan Yeop?”
“I cannot say for certain. But if Haowen has such a man as Dan Yeop, then perhaps one day Haowen too will become a soaring dragon ascending to heaven.”
“So you’re not saying you’ll keep your distance from Dan Yeop after all?”
Son Jiheon stole a glance at his grandfather’s expression.
Unexpectedly, he did not appear particularly angry.
Emboldened by this, he spoke with conviction.
“I was taught that friendship is rooted in trust. As long as Dan Yeop does not betray me, I will never abandon him.”
Son Yubaek, who had been regarding his grandson in silence, suddenly asked,
“Did Dan Yeop himself tell you? That he harbored an unrequited love for that woman?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
A low hum escaped Son Yubaek’s lips.
In the past, Dan Yeop had said he had no girlfriend.
‘So it seems there was a woman he loved in secret.’
Since he was not dating anyone, he had not lied.
And now that the woman was dead, the matter was cleanly resolved.
Dan Yeop might grieve, but from his own perspective, it was not an unfavorable turn.
“If you are Dan Yeop’s friend, you must watch over him from his side to ensure he does not fall into the wrong path. Do you understand?”
“Yes! You need not worry. Dan Yeop is not one to do evil deeds.”
“Hyeol Je was not a villain from the beginning either. You must see to it that Dan Yeop walks the righteous path.”
“Yes, but Grandfather—do you know of Hyeol Je?”
“Hyeol Je was originally a Chivalrous Swordsman of renown in Gangnam.”
“What? A Chivalrous Swordsman? Not a villain?”
“The disciples of the Five Evil Sword Sect who advanced into Gangnam were at odds with Ak Mugun. The Five Evil Sword Sect disciples looked down upon Ak Mugun. In the midst of this, Ak Mugun killed evildoers of Five Evil Sword Sect origin, and from that point on, the relationship between the Five Evil Sword Sect and Ak Mugun became irreversible. The Chivalrous Swordsman Ak Mugun was gradually defamed by the Five Evil Sword Sect, and eventually hardened into a villain.”
“Are you saying mere rumor transformed a Chivalrous Swordsman into a villain?”
“It was not mere rumor alone. Ak Mugun’s own arrogant nature played a role as well. He said that if the Five Evil Sword Sect despised him without cause, he would give them cause to despise him.”
“What?”
“Ak Mugun drew his blade without hesitation in any matter related to the Five Evil Sword Sect. Though the Five Evil Sword Sect is narrow-minded, they are still the leading orthodox sect, and he wielded his sword against them.”
“Good heavens…….”
“It began small, but as time passed, Ak Mugun grew steeped in slaughter. It is no exaggeration to say that the current Hyeol Je is the creation of the Five Evil Sword Sect.”
“I had no idea Hyeol Je carried such a history.”
“If anyone now claimed that Hyeol Je was once a Chivalrous Swordsman, no one would believe it. Just because it is hidden does not mean the brevity of human affairs is unique to Hyeol Je alone—is it?”
“So that is why you told me to watch over Dan Yeop and keep him from the wrong path?”
“Do you think the Five Evil Sword Sect will simply stand idle and watch Haowen rise? Dan Yeop could become a second Hyeol Je. This is why I am telling you to help Dan Yeop stay on the righteous path.”
“Yes, I understand perfectly. I will carve your words into my very bones, Grandfather.”
“Now go and rest.”
“Yes.”
Son Jiheon bowed respectfully to his grandfather and withdrew.
As he stepped onto the veranda, his eyes caught sight of Son Yeonhwa returning at that very moment.
“Where is Dan Yeop?”
“He went to sleep well.”
“You…….”
As Son Jiheon hesitated, Son Yeonhwa’s eyes narrowed.
“Why did you stop mid-sentence?”
Son Jiheon, who had been staring at his sister, suddenly blurted out,
“Do you like Dan Yeop?”
“Don’t say such strange things! If you’re drunk, go get some sleep!”

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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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