Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 82

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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 82. They say he turns into a dog the moment he drinks
Jang Ho was originally from Gangnam Province.
After his father caused an incident, the entire family relocated to Gwannae Province.
His father liquidated his entire fortune and opened a butcher shop at Dongsi, specializing in mutton.
Jang Ho, blessed with a sturdy build, trained in martial arts at a local academy.
His ambition was to become a county magistrate, but he lacked the scholarly temperament for it.
In the end, he inherited his father’s butcher shop.
Yet it was unthinkable that someone of his massive frame, trained in martial arts, should be confined to shopkeeping.
Each day after work, he would habitually visit a tavern and drink until he lost consciousness.
One evening, deep in his cups, he quarreled with other patrons and, true to his name, flew into a fury, pummeling them senseless.
Ordinarily, a one-against-many brawl would have been forgotten, but among those he struck was the administrative clerk of the county office.
The clerk was the de facto authority, overseeing all administrative affairs of the county.
At his complaint, Jang Ho was dragged to the Stone Quarry and forced to labor for three years under penal servitude.
Three years of hard labor truly twisted the course of his life.
The butcher shop was ruined, and no one would hire him.
Yet it seems there is no law that a man must perish.
One of the district administrators, noticing him lamenting his fate day after day at the tavern, took the initiative and recommended him to the Pokae Bureau.
As a Pokae, Jang Ho soared like a tiger.
The merchants who had once dismissed him now groveled before him.
With his massive frame and martial training, he was absolute ruler of the Jangan Pokae Bureau.
Until this morning, that is.
“……And that is what has transpired.”
At Ma Han’s explanation, Pokae Jang Ho asked with a bewildered expression.
“You’re telling me I was beaten unconscious by Dan Yeop?”
“Did you think you’d simply fallen asleep at the bureau?”
In any case, Pokae Jang Ho, now that he was awake, absently wiped his mouth with his palm.
“So where is that bastard now?”
“Appears he was heading toward Nagan County Office.”
“Alone?”
“Three pojols rushed after him, so not entirely.”
“Damn it, what does that pup think he can do?”
Pokae Jang Ho’s face darkened with sudden fury.
A pokae was ordinarily attended by three pojols.
Yet the fact remained that Dan Yeop had gone alone, without aid from other pokaes.
Pokae Jang Ho, who had been investigating the Nagan County Office incident until yesterday, felt his mood sour.
“Will you assist him, sir?”
“Assist whom? Surely you don’t mean Dan Yeop?”
“But you were investigating the Nagan County Office incident until yesterday.”
“The bastard beats me senseless and goes alone? That means he intends to handle it himself. Why should I care for such a man?”
“Has anything surfaced?”
“In just two days? Nothing yet.”
“I see. In any case, my mood’s fouled. How about we finish today’s work and have a drink at Pungwol-ru?”
“Sounds good. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since we’ve been there.”
“There’s supposedly a new courtesan from the Western Regions who’s exceptional.”
“Western Region courtesans, now……”
The conversation between the two pokaes naturally drifted toward ribald jest. Still, the Jangan Pokae Bureau was a decent enough place.
***
Around midday.
Four men entered Nagan County Office.
Pokae Dan Yeop and three pojols attending him.
While pokaes dressed as they pleased, pojols wore deep grayish-blue hemp garments with a cloth bearing the character “Capture” sewn onto their backs.
The unfamiliar pojols attracted the attention of Nagan County Office’s clerks, who began gathering one by one.
Go Sin, the administrative clerk of Nagan County Office, stepped forward before the pojols.
“I am Clerk Go Sin. From which county office do you come?”
He asked because these were not the pojols who had visited before under Pokae Jang Ho.
One quick-witted pojol answered on behalf of Pokae Dan Yeop.
“We are from the Pokae Bureau of Jangan County Office. The pokae here, Dan Yeop, has been assigned to investigate the matter concerning Nagan County Office.”
Clerk Go Sin pointed to the young man wearing dark-rimmed glasses and asked.
“Is that one the pokae?”
As if he had been waiting for the question, Dan Yeop clasped his hands lightly in greeting.
“I’m Dan Yeop, Pokae of Jangan County Office. I’ve come to review the autopsy reports on the deceased.”
Go Sin, the Jubu of the county office, turned sharply away from Dan Yeop with an ambiguous expression.
“Follow me.”
Dan Yeop and three Pojol followed in his wake.
***
The Gongbang.
The room Go Sin led them to was lined on all sides with shelves.
Go Sin extracted several sheets of paper from a wooden chest on the floor and handed them to Dan Yeop.
“The autopsy reports. I tried to deduce the perpetrators’ backing from the murder method, but there was nothing remarkable about it.”
Dan Yeop silently examined the sketches of the bodies and read the descriptions of the wounds.
As Go Sin had said, the marks were unremarkable.
“For the level of martial skill displayed, the method seems rather crude.”
“True enough. Nothing that stands out. But has Jang Ho relinquished his involvement in this case?”
“Was this case under Jang Ho’s jurisdiction?”
“Ah, it seems the handover didn’t happen properly. Yes, Jang Ho visited just yesterday.”
“What became of the bodies?”
“The funeral was held two days ago.”
“Did Jang Ho have a chance to see the bodies?”
“He saw them briefly, the day before the funeral.”
Dan Yeop nodded.
The case had been serious enough that he would have made that verification.
“Has the Hyungnyeong perhaps made enemies among the martial fraternity?”
“Not at all. This Hyungnyeong was actually on good terms with the martial community. A Cheonlyeon insignia was left at the scene, so it’s clearly their work.”
“I’m aware, but I had to ask just to be sure.”
After reviewing the crime scene one last time, Dan Yeop departed Nagan County Office.
***
Jangan City.
Jangan County Office.
Yusi, late evening (five to seven o’clock).
Returning to the Pokae Bureau before the hour of departure, Dan Yeop sought out his predecessor, Jang Ho, as though nothing had transpired.
Jin Seung, who happened to be remaining at the bureau, spoke to Dan Yeop.
“Jang Ho and Ma Han departed a short while ago.”
“But it’s still Sinsi—the afternoon hours.”
“Pokae often have fieldwork, so their departure times are somewhat flexible.”
“Do you happen to know where he went?”
“I heard he was heading to Pungwol-ru.”
“Where is Pungwol-ru located?”
“Why? Are you thinking of meeting him at this hour?”
“I have some questions regarding the Nagan County Office incident.”
“Pungwol-ru is in the Giru district of Daean, in Dongsi. Fair warning—Jang Ho loses all restraint once drink gets hold of him.”
“Is his problem with drink that severe?”
“He once served three years of imprisonment for assault while drunk, back in his younger days.”
“Ah…….”
Dan Yeop felt a flicker of surprise at this revelation.
He’d heard rumors that some Pokae came from criminal backgrounds.
But he hadn’t expected Jang Ho, entangled in his own affairs as he was, to be one of them.
***
After leaving the bureau, Dan Yeop made his way to Daean District.
Yusi had begun, but the sun still hung high in the sky.
“At this rate, it’s practically daytime drinking.”
The brightness was almost offensive—he couldn’t believe it.
So his predecessor had left early to spend the afternoon in a Giru establishment.
Dan Yeop shook his head in disappointment.
Then someone from the crowd approached him naturally and struck up conversation.
“We meet again? Must be fate—care for a drink?”
Dan Yeop glanced back at the man.
It was the middle-aged wanderer he’d encountered in front of the proclamation notice two days prior.
“You’re inviting me? Offering to buy?”
“Ha! Well, of course whoever broaches the subject of drinking buys the first round. What, don’t you know that? Are you fresh from the martial world?”
“If you’re offering, I won’t refuse—but I have business to attend to today.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. Let’s head to Pungwol-ru together. They’ve got some spectacular foreign beauties there.”
Something flickered behind Dan Yeop’s eyes.
Pungwol-ru, of all places?
He’d thought their meeting was mere chance, but now a faint sense of wrongness crept over him.
“As it happens, I was heading to Pungwol-ru myself. If you’d wait while I attend to my business, we can share a meal afterward. How does that sound?”
“It can’t take too long. My time is precious too.”
“Understood. It’s just a matter of a few words—shouldn’t take long at all.”
“Fair enough.”
The man nodded, and Dan Yeop spoke again.
“My name is Dan Yeop. And what might yours be?”
“Ah, don’t be so stiff! The name’s Hwang Biwon. Call me Hwang.”
“So you’re Hwang.”
“I said call me Hwang, didn’t I?”
Dan Yeop and Hwang Biwon bickered lightly as they walked.
***
Daean District.
Pungwol-ru.
Dan Yeop and Hwang Biwon entered together, looking every bit like traveling companions.
Hwang Biwon went upstairs with a servant, while Dan Yeop followed another attendant down an inner corridor.
When they reached the room at the far end, the servant stopped.
Dan Yeop quietly dismissed the attendant and pushed the door open.
Jang Ho, the Pokae, who had been forcing a foreign beauty into an embrace and attempting to kiss her, saw his face twisted.
“Dan Yeop? What in the hell are you doing here?”
Dan Yeop entered and sat across from him without a word.
Jang Ho, seeing no way around it, shoved the foreign beauty away.
The foreign women sensed the sudden tension and merely watched.
Dan Yeop picked up a skewer of lamb and bit into it as he spoke.
“I came to ask you something, Pokae Jang Ho.”
“Get lost. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“Then I’ll go to Hyungnyeong Do Gyeom and tell him that you’re refusing to cooperate, making the investigation difficult.”
“Hah! So this is what passes for a man’s work—running to his superiors like a tattletale?”
“Or should I tell him that since you’re actively obstructing the investigation, it looks like you’re in league with the rebels?”
“You lunatic! When did I ever collude with the rebels? That’s slander!”
“Then answer my questions. You saw the bodies of Hyungnyeong Yi Jasung and his officials yourself, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know, damn it. If you’re so curious, dig up the grave yourself and check.”
“Keep this up and I’ll have you charged with a Treason Conspiracy Charge. Do you think Hyungnyeong Jo would believe you or me?”
At the word “charge,” Jang Ho’s face went through several shades.
He, who had once received three years of imprisonment over a petty brawl charge, felt his heart drop like a stone in an instant.
‘Hell! A charge? What is this bastard talking about….’
Conspiracy charges were notoriously difficult to prove innocent of.
Moreover, his obstruction of the investigation was an established fact.
In times of crisis like these, that alone was a grave crime.
Once charged, his position as Pokae would vanish immediately.
After that, he’d be at the mercy of every wind that blew.
Drunkenness and the terror of the charge made his head spin.
Then Ma Han, the other Pokae, suddenly roared at Jang Ho.
“Pokae Jang! You won’t cooperate with the investigation? What are you doing? How can someone serving the state fail to distinguish between public and private matters? No wonder people say you’re complicit! Cooperate at once!”
In that critical moment, Ma Han switched sides and became Dan Yeop’s ally.
When Ma Han drove in the blade, Jang Ho couldn’t hold out any longer.
“Pokae Dan Yeop, it’s a misunderstanding. When did I ever collude with rebels? Never, I tell you. Ask me anything. I’ll answer whatever you want. You asked if I saw the bodies of Hyungnyeong Yi Jasung and his officials? Yes, I saw them.”
“If you were going to cooperate so readily, why were you so stubborn just now?”
“It was the drink. I wasn’t thinking straight for a moment. The other Pokae all know how bad my drinking problem is. Once the liquor hits me, I become an animal.”
The threat of a charge had broken Jang Ho’s spirit entirely, and now he was as pliable as a tongue in someone’s mouth.

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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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