Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 99

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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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Chapter 99. What should I do?
That evening.
Son Taek.
Inner Hall.
After supper, as Son Yubaek sipped his tea, he suddenly asked Dan Yeop a question.
“What’s been on your mind all this time?”
“Ah, Cheonryeon.”
Son Yubaek nodded as if he understood.
“I hear the Constabulary has had no rest lately because of Cheonryeon?”
“I don’t understand why they would throw their own lives away like that.”
Then Son Jiheon interjected.
“They believe they’re buddhas who will save the world.”
“But sometimes they seem desperate enough that it feels like more than just that.”
Dan Yeop’s thoughts drifted suddenly to Seok Joong-ok and Seok Ye-seol, the brother and sister.
Especially what Seok Ye-seol had said—he still couldn’t forget it.
—Can’t you simply let me die? If things go on like this, I’ll be executed by beheading or quartering.
—Do you wish to watch a righteous person murdered by Great Evil?
—I’ve told you everything about why I killed Yi Ja-seong and the officials. You could return with just our corpses, couldn’t you?
No matter how much he thought about it, those words couldn’t have come from the mouth of someone who truly believed they were a buddha saving the world.
He still didn’t know the motives of Myeoldo and the mysterious woman.
But the expression on Myeoldo’s face in that final moment—so peaceful that it seemed impossible to believe he was a cruel murderer—stayed with him.
A face stripped of all regret, all lingering attachment.
Son Yubaek, watching Dan Yeop quietly, spoke.
“It’s true that Cheonryeon can’t be pinned down to just one thing. Some among them see themselves as buddhas, while others are the families of those who suffered at the hands of corrupt officials. Those you encountered seem to be the latter.”
“That appears to have been the case. When I arrested them, I felt as though I were the one committing the crime. Later, it became painful even to hear what they had to say.”
“Heaven is truly indifferent. There are many upright and capable officials, yet most who hold power are corrupt and incompetent. Cheonryeon is no different. What moves Cheonryeon is not the rage of those wronged by unjust authority—it’s those who believe they themselves are buddhas who will save the world. As a result, their methods grow ever more ruthless, and they no longer distinguish between right and wrong.”
“Then what should I do?”
“What else? If you’re a Constable, you must arrest criminals.”
Son Yubaek did not speak directly about Cheonryeon.
He believed Dan Yeop would find his own way without needing to be told.
After returning to the Separate Building shortly after, Dan Yeop removed the Yeon Angyeong he had been wearing all day.
Troubled in spirit, he suddenly searched for his Baek Cheop and unfolded it.
Just seeing the rough handwriting of his younger self, Dunjae, brought both warmth and a distant ache.
A quiet laugh escaped him as he rose and extinguished the lamp.
Then, retrieving his Geumru Okui from his travel pack, he dressed in it and lay upon the bed.
‘Wearing the Yeon Angyeong all day, and now sleeping in the Geumru Okui—anyone who saw this would think I’d gone mad.’
Soon after, he focused on the incantation of the Iwon Gwi Il Gong.
With a dizzy sensation, a starlit sky suddenly unfolded before his eyes.
The Milky Way flowed like a river, and stars of every hue sparkled.
That wondrous sight was beautiful even to merely gaze upon.
Dan Yeop lost all sense of time, absorbed in the starlit heavens.
At some point, his own body became a star, drifting among them.
From a distance, a woman’s voice reached him.
“……did you?”
‘Hmm?’
Dan Yeop tried to focus on the woman’s voice.
“Young Master, are you awake?”
Only then did Dan Yeop’s senses return; his eyes snapped open and he answered.
“Yes, I’ll be there shortly.”
As the serving maid’s footsteps faded, Dan Yeop bolted upright.
It was the first time he had fallen asleep while practicing the Iwon Gwi Il Gong.
“Good grief! What’s wrong with me? What if someone had seen that?”
He hurried down from the bed and removed the Geumru Okui, stowing it in his travel pack.
“Why did I fall asleep? Was I really that exhausted?”
He might doze briefly by accident, but to sleep so deeply—as if dead—suggested something was wrong.
He washed his face hastily and headed toward the Inner Hall.
Even as he walked, he couldn’t make sense of himself.
He had never fallen asleep while practicing the Taeul Bonwon Yeonseong Gyeol, nor the Heart-Stabilizing Cinnabar Work.
The Iwon Gwi Il Gong was no exception.
Struggling to believe it had truly happened, he questioned himself.
“But did I actually fall asleep?”
Honestly, I can’t be sure.
I’d assumed I drifted off when the serving maid woke me, not long after I began my cultivation work.
Any person would think they’d lost consciousness if eight hours slipped away in what felt like the blink of an eye.
“Oops!”
Was it the tangle of stray thoughts crowding my mind?
Dan Yeop dropped the meatball he’d been fishing out with his chopsticks back into the broth.
In the process, the soup splashed up onto his Yeon Angyeong.
He removed them absently to wipe them clean, and Son Yeon-hwa, who’d been watching him, spoke up.
“Brother Dan, your Golden Eyes have faded.”
Dan Yeop turned from wiping the lenses with a dazed expression.
“Really?”
“Yes. Before, the gold was so vivid, but it’s different now.”
Son Jiheon, seated beside Dan Yeop, nodded emphatically.
“She’s right. Now they’re not Golden Eyes anymore—they’ve become Copper Coin Eyes.”
“That much?”
Then his daughter-in-law Yu Hwa-yeong interjected.
“It’s true, though Copper Coin Eyes is rather harsh. They’re closer to Bronze Mirror Eyes, I’d say.”
A bronze mirror, cast from copper, held just a hint of golden shimmer.
That was why she’d called them Bronze Mirror Eyes.
Even grave Son Yubaek joined in the debate over Dan Yeop’s eye color.
“I’d thought one of our ancestors must have been a foreigner, but it seems that wasn’t the case.”
Dan Yeop laughed awkwardly and put the Yeon Angyeong back on.
His master had said clearly that upon mastering the Iwon Gwi Il Gong, one’s pupils would turn gold—yet here he was.
‘Could this be what happens when the Iwon Gwi Il Gong grows even deeper?’
He was likely the only person who’d ever trained the Iwon Gwi Il Gong while wearing the Geumru Okui, the Taego Sect’s treasure.
Perhaps this was a manifestation of the Banbaek Gwi Jin—the principle that when things reach their extreme, they return to their origin and recover their true nature.
‘Whatever the reason, I’m glad the Golden Eyes are fading.’
Wearing the Yeon Angyeong all day had its share of inconveniences.
The bridge of his nose and temples felt the pressure, which was annoying enough, but wherever he went, people stared at him with strange looks.
The thought that he’d only need to endure this a little longer made his mood brighten.
***
The fortune of the day seemed to favor good tidings, which came one after another.
When Dan Yeop arrived at the Constabulary, County Magistrate Assistant Do Gyeom brought encouraging news.
“Attention, everyone! We’ve received word that we’ve found one of the female criminals.”
“Where is she?”
Constable Jang Ho asked as though ready to rush out that very moment.
This was because the woman he’d been with had been killed by her.
“At the Manyeon Cheoljang.”
The mention of Manyeon Cheoljang made Dan Yeop think briefly of Muk Cheol-sim and Muk Geum-gang, and he exhaled softly.
It was because every person connected to Cheonryeon seemed to meet a grim end.
Do Gyeom continued his report.
“Since Constable Dan said the Manyeon Cheoljang was suspicious, we’ve had someone watching it. This morning, that watcher saw the woman there. The way she emerged after hiding so carefully suggests she almost certainly knows of Myeoldo’s death and is trying to flee. We depart for the Manyeon Cheoljang in a quarter hour, so prepare yourselves thoroughly.”
……
The constables exchanged glances in surprise at the prospect of departing in a quarter hour.
Soon after, Constable Jin Seung asked hesitantly.
“County Magistrate Assistant, are only we going to the Manyeon Cheoljang?”
“Only us? I’ve already requested cooperation from the Geumowi’s Sunrladae through Governor Seol Yeom.”
“But that woman is likely a martial master. Will the Sunrladae be enough?”
“It will be. Are you saying we can’t manage without the cooperation of the martial sects?”
“No, sir.”
“Chang’an District has Constable Dan, it has me, and there are plenty of skilled martial officials. Don’t you know County Magistrate Jo’s character? He thinks it can be done without the martial sects, so we’ll leave them out. Now, assemble in front of the Main Hall in a quarter hour. And note—the criminal is an expert in Hidden Projectile Technique, so make sure your armor is secure. Dismissed.”
Do Gyeom left the Constabulary without a backward glance.
Constables and Constable Servants scattered busily in search of armor to wear over their Battle Robes.
A quarter hour later.
Ten Constables and thirty Constable Servants gathered in front of the Main Hall.
The Constables wore Dujeong Armor, while the Constable Servants wore Chalgap Armor.
But they only protected vital areas like the chest; otherwise, everything was as it had been.
Presently, the Main Hall doors opened, and County Magistrate Jo Mujin emerged with County Magistrate Assistant Do Gyeom and three Bodyguards.
All of them were properly equipped with full armor.
County Magistrate Jo Mujin’s gaze turned toward the Constable Dan Yeop.
Seeing Dan Yeop alone in his battle robe, a meaningful smile crossed Jo Mujin’s face.
Shortly after, Jo Mujin took the lead, with Constables and Constable Servants following in his wake.
***
Jwaseong, the eastern district.
Seonin District.
Manyeon Cheoljang.
The tenth hour of the morning.
Sunrladae soldiers appeared and quietly surrounded Manyeon Cheoljang.
Then Jo Mujin and County Magistrate Assistant Do Gyeom charged into the Main Branch with the Constables.
Muk Geum-gang, the squad captain guarding the Main Branch, started in surprise and rushed out.
“Good heavens! My lords! What brings you here so suddenly?”
Jo Mujin then raised his Green Fish Pouch, the badge of his office, and spoke.
“I am Jo Mujin, County Magistrate of Chang’an District. We have received a report that the murderer of General Choe Eon is hiding in Manyeon Cheoljang. Stand aside at once!”
At this, Muk Geum-gang jumped back and waved his hands in denial.
“Good heavens! Magistrate! That is a false accusation by someone! Manyeon Cheoljang is merely a smithy! How could the murderer of a general possibly be in such a place?”
Seeing Muk Geum-gang’s protest, Jo Mujin snorted.
“Hmph! There is already an eyewitness. What are you talking about?”
“It is truly not so. Our family has operated this business for nearly a hundred years. All this time, we have lived by nothing but our good name. Surely you know this well, Magistrate Jo?”
“The saying goes that mountains change in ten years—imagine what can change in a hundred. Is that not so?”
Then Dan Yeop, wearing Golden Eyes, entered Muk Geum-gang’s field of vision.
“Constable Dan Yeop! You have surely cast a false accusation upon our Manyeon Cheoljang!”
At once, he drew a massive Great Sword forged from solid steel from beneath the display counter, and rushed out before anyone could stop him.
As the Constables stared at Muk Geum-gang in bewilderment, he suddenly changed direction.
His sword flew toward the nearby Jo Mujin.
Whish—!
In an instant, Jo Mujin rolled his body backward using the Cheolpan Gyyo Evasion Technique.
The Great Sword passed barely over his exposed belly.
As Jo Mujin rose on his elbows and drew his blade to counterattack—
Muk Geum-gang suddenly twisted like lightning and bolted toward the Back Gate.
“Stop, you wretch!”
Jo Mujin and Do Gyeom rushed after him at once.
Moments after Muk Geum-gang disappeared through the Back Gate, a deafening explosion tore through the Main Branch.
Boom! Crack—!
Jo Mujin and Do Gyeom, caught in the heart of the blast, flew through the air like fallen leaves.
“Magistrate!”
“Assistant Do!”
Before the Constables could reach the two men, the shattered Main Branch was engulfed in flames.
Crackling—
Constables and Constable Servants drew water from nearby and threw it on Manyeon Cheoljang.
But the fire raged until the Main Branch was reduced to ash.
The Constables left the search for the bodies of Jo Mujin and Do Gyeom to the Constable Servants and entered the Inner Quarters.
But the Inner Quarters were already as empty as a barren anthill.
What greeted the Constables as they emerged empty-handed were the charred corpses of Jo Mujin and Do Gyeom.
Dan Yeop could not make sense of the sudden turn of events.
From the moment they arrived at Manyeon Cheoljang, everything unfolded in rapid succession—no time to think, no time to breathe.
The deaths of Magistrate Jo and Assistant Do weighed more heavily than losing the woman and the people of Manyeon Cheoljang.
These two officials were rare men—both upright and capable.
In this moment, even he found himself agreeing with Son Yubaek’s words: the heavens are indeed indifferent.
Then, from somewhere distant, he heard a woman’s voice, faint and muffled.
“……did you wake?”
‘Hmm?’
Dan Yeop strained to focus on the sound.
“Young Master, have you awakened?”
Coming to himself at last, Dan Yeop opened his eyes wide and answered.
“Yes, I shall be right there.”
As the Serving Maid’s footsteps faded, Dan Yeop sat bolt upright.
“What?”

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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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