Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 96

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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 96. Doesn’t seem like a Constable
Jwaseong (Eastern District).
Daeanpang.
Hwawolru.
Two men sat by the window with a fine view, drinking with courtesans.
Ha Yongwol, the Blood Rakshasa of Janwolgak and Patrol Officer Hall Master, and Ja Gyeong, the Village Master.
Ja Gyeong, who had been listening to Ok Hwan’s Pipa performance—a specialty of Hwawolru—suddenly spoke.
“Hall Master, about that Constable earlier. There won’t be any trouble, will there?”
“Constables are just punching bags by nature. Why worry? Isn’t that right?”
Ha Yongwol appealed to the courtesan beside him as if seeking agreement, and she laughed brightly, responding.
“Hehe! You’re absolutely right, my lord. It’s hardly the first time Constables get beaten, is it? Why, even the Chief Administrator and the Clerks beat them. Don’t give it another thought.”
The Chief Administrator was a lower-rank official between the seventh and eighth grades, but the Clerks—the actual administrators—had no rank at all.
So while the Chief Administrator could strike them, claiming that even Clerks did so was an exaggeration.
But no one pointed that out.
Just as Martial World elites despised Haowen, the common people hated Constables.
Even with the courtesan’s reassurance, Ja Gyeong couldn’t shake his unease.
“But these days, officials become obsessed with anything connected to Cheonryeon….”
At that, Ha Yongwol snorted.
“Bah! It would be different if I’d beaten a County Commander. They can’t make a fuss over a Constable taking a few blows. Besides, that whole affair was Jangan County’s mistake in the first place. Even if the County Magistrate came to me directly, I’d barely deign to see him—and now some Constable wants to meddle? Be grateful I didn’t break his bones.”
“That’s true, but the mood in Jangan County seems rather tense….”
“Tense how? What’s a County Magistrate going to do to me? Look, if he gets on my nerves and I crack him and skip off to Gangnam, what’s he going to do then? Send Geumowei all the way to Gangnam just to catch me? Hell, they won’t send troops even when Blood Rakshasa raises hell in Gangnam, so you think they’ll send an army because I dealt with some County Magistrate? They’ll just send more pathetic Constables. But even a hundred Constables are worthless. So there’s nothing they can do about it.”
What he said made sense, so Ja Gyeong nodded along.
The courtesans listening spoke with admiration on their faces.
“Our Ha really is quite the formidable man.”
“My goodness, listening to this gives me chills. No wonder the County Magistrate couldn’t lift a finger.”
Ha Yongwol shrugged and extended his cup.
“Come now, talking like this just tires the mouth. Let’s drink instead. Serve.”
Just as the courtesan beside Ha Yongwol reached for the wine bottle to pour—
Three Constables burst roughly through the pleasure house door.
The proprietor at the counter approached them with a slightly tense expression.
“Oh my! My lords! What brings you here today?”
But the Constables said nothing.
Frustrated, as the proprietor reached to gently grab one of their arms, a young man wearing Glasses stepped inside.
The proprietor thought ‘What’s this now?’ when the youth produced a Constable Badge and spoke.
“I am Dan Yeop, Constable of Jangan County. I’ve received a report that a fugitive is here and have come to apprehend them.”
“Eek! A fug-fugitive?”
The proprietor, face gone pale, stepped backward.
When the word “fugitive” came from a Constable’s lips, no amount of money could smooth it over.
He dared ask nothing further and retreated to his counter, rolling his eyes.
Through the serving girls, word spread quickly through the pleasure house.
One by one, the courtesans slipped away, and the music stopped.
Ok Hwan, who had risen with her Pipa, suddenly caught the arm of a departing serving girl.
“What did you say the Constable’s name was?”
“Dan Yeop, I think? Why? Do you know him?”
“No.”
Ok Hwan gazed toward the entrance with a puzzled expression.
Was that young man in Glasses really the Constable?
She thought to herself, ‘What an unusual Constable.’
“I caught his profile, and he’s quite handsome.”
“A Constable?”
“Yes.”
Ok Hwan let out a soft laugh.
No matter how handsome—he was still a Constable, after all.
Ok Hwan, cradling her Pipa, had almost left when she froze.
The Constable was heading straight toward Ha Yongwol’s table.
“Oh? He shouldn’t be going there.”
Meanwhile, as the young man in Glasses came to a stop beside him as if making a show of it, Ja Gyeong frowned sharply and demanded.
“What’s your business here?”
Ja Gyeong hadn’t asked because he didn’t know who the man was.
Even without that, he’d been on edge over the matter of Jang Ho the Constable.
The constable’s voice was clear enough to hear with just a little attention.
He had simply pressed forward strongly, unwilling to bow to a mere constable.
Dan Yeop produced his Constable Badge and spoke.
“I am Dan Yeop, a Constable of Jangan County Office. I’ve come to apprehend a fugitive named Ha Yongwol. Which of you is Ha Yongwol?”
Ja Gyeong thought he must have misheard, so casually did the constable speak.
“What did you just say?”
“I said I’ve come to apprehend a fugitive named Ha Yongwol. Are you perhaps Ha Yongwol?”
Ja Gyeong sprang to his feet.
“What madness is this! A fugitive? Do you even know who Lord Ha Yongwol is before spouting such nonsense!”
The courtesans and even the blood rakshasa Ha Yongwol turned their attention to the eccentric constable.
“I do indeed. He holds the trifling position of Patrol Officer at Janwolgak. He attacked a Constable of Jangan County Office who was investigating fugitives of the Cheonryeon. By that measure, he can hardly be considered anything but a Cheonryeon sympathizer. Are you Ha Yongwol?”
Ja Gyeong found himself looking toward Ha Yongwol.
If he struck the constable again in such circumstances, he might truly become a fugitive.
Everyone who knew Ha Yongwol thought he would explode in this moment.
But Ha Yongwol did not.
A Patrol Officer of Janwolgak’s standing still had more wit than most.
He had no intention of complicating matters here.
The notion that if things went wrong one could simply kill the County Magistrate and flee to Gangnam was mere bravado, the kind peculiar to Heretical Sect masters.
And Gangnam held no welcoming faces for him—why would he go there anyway?
Ha Yongwol suppressed his anger and spoke.
“I am Ha Yongwol, Patrol Officer of Janwolgak. There seems to be some misunderstanding—I am no follower of the Cheonryeon.”
“Ah, so you are the esteemed Ha. Then why did you attack and wound the Constable who was investigating the Cheonryeon?”
“That happened because the constable failed to show me proper courtesy, nothing more. It has nothing to do with the Cheonryeon.”
“I understand. Nevertheless, you must submit to questioning. Come with me to Jangan County Office.”
Ha Yongwol’s face darkened as he responded.
“I have already explained myself thoroughly. What questioning do you speak of? Stop this nonsense and leave.”
“I cannot simply depart on your word alone. Whether you are guilty or innocent will be determined at the county office.”
Ha Yongwol was no fool.
Once he stepped into the county office, his fate would be decided by the whims of the officials.
“Do not pressure me with baseless talk. I have already shown considerable restraint. Now leave. Go tell County Commander Do Gyeom that if Jangan County Office conducts itself with proper courtesy, I shall be willing to engage in discussion.”
“Lord Ha, respond while I’m still asking kindly. I too am showing great restraint. Jin Pung, isn’t that right!”
As Dan Yeop suddenly shouted, one of the constables behind him answered.
“Yes! That’s right! We are showing great restraint!”
When even the underling began to provoke, Ha Yongwol finally exploded.
He had refrained even when the other constable cowered before him.
Yet now he was to tolerate such contempt right before his eyes?
For those without backing in the Heretical Sect, such a thing was impossible.
“So, given chance after chance, you still cross the line. I shall cut off one of your arms and teach you a lesson for life. Henceforth, choose your words more carefully according to your company.”
Ha Yongwol rose from his seat.
In that instant, Dan Yeop stepped forward and swept his hand through the air.
Crack!
With a sound like a mallet striking, Ha Yongwol’s body spun.
Then came the crash of breaking wood as he fell across a nearby table.
Ha Yongwol scrambled up his torso, drew his blade, and cried out.
“You bastard! You dare ambush me? I can forgive nothing more!”
Ha Yongwol surged forward and his blade struck like lightning.
This was his signature art—the Gwiyeongsalhon.
True to its name, “ghostly shadow,” the blade was invisible to the eye.
But that was only true for the constables and courtesans; Dan Yeop saw every trajectory with perfect clarity.
As Dan Yeop drew his Saber, sparks suddenly erupted between them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ha Yongwol was startled to find his opening stance blocked by a mere constable.
Yet momentum carried him forward—he could not stop now.
He cast aside all concern for pride and unleashed his full arsenal of secret techniques.
From this move to the Hyeolgwangnammun, through to the third form, the Nachalmeljin—
Yet no matter how he rained down strikes, he could not even brush the constable’s robes.
Not even those infuriating Glasses perched on his nose had slipped.
‘He is a greater master than I.’
Understanding struck Ha Yongwol suddenly, and he retreated hastily backward.
Then, breathing heavily, Ha Yongwol asked a question.
“Haa! Haa! Who are you!”
“I am a Constable of Jangan County Office. If you continue to resist, I will have to draw my blade for the safety of my men.”
“Don’t lie to me! There’s no way a master of your caliber serves as a mere Constable!”
“Don’t underestimate a Constable. Will you come quietly, or shall we settle this by the blade?”
……
Ha Yongwol fell silent for a moment, then lowered his Saber.
“Set the blade on the table, if you would.”
Ha Yongwol did as Dan Yeop instructed, laying down his blade and stepping back.
After Dan Yeop retrieved the weapon, he turned to the waiting officers.
“Jin Pung! Bind the prisoner.”
Jin Pung quickly approached and wound ropes tightly around Ha Yongwol.
Ha Yongwol made no attempt to resist, hoping to avoid having his meridians sealed.
But such tricks would never work on Dan Yeop.
Dan Yeop closed in with deceptive ease and struck Ha Yongwol’s meridians with crude, devastating precision.
“Ugh! Argh! Kugh! What are you doing!”
Ha Yongwol trembled, assailed by a pain as if he were being jabbed with an awl.
Dan Yeop answered matter-of-factly.
“Sealing the meridians is standard procedure when apprehending Martial World masters. Simply endure it.”
“What sect seals meridians so brutally!”
“Haowen does.”
That was the truth of it.
Haowen possessed no refined technique for sealing meridians, so Dan Yeop had no choice in the matter.
Before the officers dragged Ha Yongwol away, he spoke to Ja Gyeong.
“Village Master Ja, go at once to the Hall Master and report everything you have witnessed. He will surely clear my name.”
“Understood.”
Ja Gyeong took care not to meet the Constable’s gaze.
He could not afford to give Dan Yeop any pretext to drag him away as well.
Once Dan Yeop and his officers had escorted Ha Yongwol out, Ja Gyeong hastily fled the Pleasure House.
The courtesans of Hwawolru, who had been watching from a distance, began clustering together and murmuring excitedly.
“Was that Ha Yongwol, the Hall Master of Janwolgak, who just got arrested by that Constable?”
“Yes, it was. Sowol and Mihyang were attending to him.”
“I don’t think he’s actually a Constable. What Constable wears Glasses, especially in the middle of the night?”
“Perhaps he was disguising his true identity.”
“That must be it—Jangan County must have hired a master from the Martial World. There’s no other explanation.”
“A master of that caliber working as a Constable? He should at least be a County Commander.”
“Hmm, you have a point. Then what could he be?”
As the courtesans debated Dan Yeop’s true identity, Ok Hwan rolled the name over in her mind.
Glasses, beautiful features, formidable martial skill—this combination of three elements pleased her immensely.
The fact that he was merely a Constable was a minor flaw in an otherwise flawless gem.
‘Dan Yeop, a Constable of Jangan County Office, you say?’

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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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