The Farmer Who Ended Up Teaching the World’s Greatest Martial Artist - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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| Chapter 10

Yoo Eun-hyun gulped and asked back at So Bi-won’s question.

“So you’re asking me since I was with him?”

“If he had acted alone, I would have to investigate alone, but since he was with the young master, wouldn’t it be fastest to ask the young master directly?”

“That’s… true.”

There was nothing wrong with So Bi-won’s words as he spoke with a smile. Yoo Eun-hyun nodded his head.

“Of course, I have no intention of taking up much of the young master’s time. If you have leisure and it wouldn’t be rude, I would like to ask this favor. This will certainly not be a bad thing for the young master either.”

“Yes. Well… just talking should be fine. Let me see…”

Perhaps it was because he had become accustomed to conversing with others through his conversations with Sa Un-sik. Yoo Eun-hyun didn’t think much of it.

He didn’t know exactly what relationship Sa Un-sik and So Bi-won had, but since they said they weren’t enemies, it probably wouldn’t matter much to tell the story.

The Sa Un-sik that Yoo Eun-hyun had seen seemed like someone who wouldn’t care about such things anyway.

“As for why I’m here alone, this should be enough. That gentleman’s visit was just a coincidence. He said he was traveling around looking for places with good mountain scenery.”

Since what So Bi-won wanted was only stories about Sa Un-sik anyway, Yoo Eun-hyun quickly passed over the story about his own circumstances and began slowly telling stories about Sa Un-sik.

“Mountain scenery… Yes. I certainly haven’t seen a place as good as this one. But what exactly did he find in this place?”

“Originally he was just going to leave. But suddenly after exchanging a few words and looking at a book, he decided to stay here.”

“A book? What book do you mean?”

“This one.”

When Yoo Eun-hyun held up the book containing his farming techniques and handed it to So Bi-won as if to show him, So Bi-won immediately took the book and looked over the cover.

“‘Agriculture is the foundation of the world, the basis of people’s livelihood.’ This is a phrase from an imperial edict in the Records of Emperor Wen of Han.”

So Bi-won muttered while looking at the cover, then lightly skimmed through the whole thing before handing it back to Yoo Eun-hyun.

It wasn’t a book with much content to begin with, and he didn’t seem to have looked at it very carefully either.

Then So Bi-won, who had been looking down as if thinking about something, raised his head to look at Yoo Eun-hyun and asked back:

“Could you perhaps tell me in detail what conversation you had with him?”

“I don’t remember the details…”

Not only had time passed, but Yoo Eun-hyun’s memory wasn’t particularly good either. However, Yoo Eun-hyun tried his best to recall and told So Bi-won about what had happened at that time.

As So Bi-won listened to Yoo Eun-hyun’s story, his expression gradually changed, becoming increasingly strange.

“Oh ho… farming and martial arts… I see. Indeed.”

Yoo Eun-hyun still couldn’t clearly understand what exactly he meant.

But like Sa Un-sik, he could roughly guess that So Bi-won had also gained some inspiration from the farming stories Yoo Eun-hyun had told.

“What happened after he stayed?”

At So Bi-won’s question, Yoo Eun-hyun began roughly explaining what had happened while Sa Un-sik stayed.

Of course, he still couldn’t explain everything completely clearly, but the final exchange he’d had with Sa Un-sik had been quite impressive to Yoo Eun-hyun as well, so he could explain it in quite some detail.

Since Sa Un-sik had told him to keep the talk about martial arts secret, he naturally hid all the events that had occurred when Sa Un-sik tried to persuade Yoo Eun-hyun afterward.

“Selection and focus, and expansion of thought… Ah. It’s regrettable that I can’t clearly know the situation at that time. But enlightenment differs according to circumstances and people… However, one thing that seems certain is that agriculture is indeed the foundation of the world and that principles are contained within it.”

“Is… is that so?”

He had roughly guessed that it was related to martial arts, but Yoo Eun-hyun tilted his head, wondering if it was really as grand as So Bi-won said. And toward such Yoo Eun-hyun, So Bi-won asked back:

“What happened after that?”

“He just said thanks and left. Ah. He did ask if I wanted to follow him, but I refused. I have to farm here.”

“Is that so? Hmm… You’re saying he gave up that easily?”

When So Bi-won looked at Yoo Eun-hyun with a meaningful expression, Yoo Eun-hyun inwardly flinched.

Certainly So Bi-won would know Sa Un-sik better than Yoo Eun-hyun did.

“He did try to persuade me a few more times, but I refused again.”

“Then…”

So Bi-won’s expression hardened seriously as he spoke up to that point. So Bi-won, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, muttered again:

“It could be dangerous.”

“Pardon?”

“No. It’s just talk on my side. It would be better for the young master not to know.”

When Yoo Eun-hyun asked back in surprise at So Bi-won’s words about danger, So Bi-won shook his head and smiled.

Soon, after closing his eyes briefly and falling into contemplation, he made an unexpected yet perhaps natural proposal to Yoo Eun-hyun.

“Young master. If it wouldn’t be rude, I wonder if this old man could stay here for a few days.”

So Bi-won’s question was sudden, but perhaps because this was now the second time, Yoo Eun-hyun nodded calmly.

“Please do.”

“Heh heh. You’re not asking for the reason?”

But perhaps surprised that Yoo Eun-hyun readily nodded, So Bi-won asked back.

To this, Yoo Eun-hyun threw back a question instead of answering:

“Is there something I need to help you with?”

“No. That’s not it. I have absolutely no intention of interfering with what the young master does.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. It’s not like there’s anything here to steal. Even if I can’t properly host a guest, I can’t treat them poorly.”

The biggest reason was that while he had felt a strange awkwardness from Sa Un-sik, he felt relatively less of that from So Bi-won. Above all, Yoo Eun-hyun naturally had to fulfill his duty as the master of a house with no one else around.

“Heh heh. The young master is right. Then I’ll impose on you a little.”

“You can stay here, but if you look up toward the mountain top, there’s a shabby thatched cottage. That gentleman stayed there while he was here… What would you like to do?”

Since So Bi-won seemed curious about Sa Un-sik, Yoo Eun-hyun deliberately added this.

At this, So Bi-won’s eyes opened slightly, then he nodded as if he had been waiting for this.

“That would be what I hoped for. I would appreciate that.”

“Do as you’re comfortable. What about meals?”

“I couldn’t possibly receive meals as well. I’m accustomed to fasting, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

So Bi-won waved both hands modestly.

He thought that going without food for a few days was possible since he was a martial artist. But for someone like that, hadn’t Sa Un-sik eaten all three meals a day, even catching wild animals himself?

Anyway, though he had strange thoughts, Yoo Eun-hyun didn’t insist further.

In the end, that day ended with only an uncomfortable feeling remaining.

*

And the next day, Yoo Eun-hyun finished his preparations and opened the wooden door. As he was about to leave the house, a familiar figure was standing there. It was So Bi-won.

“Please take care of me today.”

With those words, So Bi-won followed behind Yoo Eun-hyun. Sa Un-sik had done the same, so he didn’t think anything particular of it. Yoo Eun-hyun silently began his work.

‘It’s quiet…’

Unlike Sa Un-sik who had asked questions from time to time, So Bi-won just quietly watched Yoo Eun-hyun work without saying a word.

‘Come to think of it, that gentleman was also quiet at first. Well, he’ll figure it out himself.’

Of course, there was nothing bad about the quiet, and since this was something he had already experienced once, Yoo Eun-hyun ignored So Bi-won and focused on his work.

*

And the next day, Yoo Eun-hyun woke up and was leaving the house when he noticed that So Bi-won wasn’t following him, so he glanced toward the thatched cottage.

“Is something wrong?”

Yoo Eun-hyun muttered, but soon turned his gaze away from the thatched cottage.

“He might appear like a ghost again at any time. Let me just do my work.”

Yoo Eun-hyun had already figured out from living with Sa Un-sik that just because someone wasn’t visible didn’t mean they weren’t nearby. He soon began concentrating on his work.

But even after a full day passed until the sun set, So Bi-won didn’t appear. Eventually, Yoo Eun-hyun headed toward the thatched cottage around the time his work ended.

Sure enough, there was no one in the thatched cottage.

However, an old mat was neatly laid on the floor, confirming that So Bi-won had indeed stayed here yesterday.

“Surely he didn’t go back…”

Yoo Eun-hyun left the thatched cottage without any particular gain, and was able to see So Bi-won coming up from the side path below. So Bi-won was sitting on a rock on the side path, leisurely smoking. Somehow it was similar to how he looked when they first met.

Seeing Yoo Eun-hyun coming down from above, So Bi-won smiled and said:

“Heh heh. Did you come to check because you were worried?”

“I wondered if you might have left.”

“I went to take care of some business for a while. After saying I would stay, I couldn’t just leave without saying anything to the host, could I?”

“You don’t need to go that far. Since you came freely, you can leave freely when you want to go.”

“I’m grateful for your consideration.”

“Not at all. Please stay comfortably. Then I’ll be going…”

Since he had confirmed that So Bi-won hadn’t left, that was enough, so Yoo Eun-hyun was about to go down.

But then So Bi-won lightly blew out cigarette smoke and spoke as if to stop Yoo Eun-hyun:

“Young master. Would you have a moment?”

“Yes? What is it?”

Since he had said to ask questions freely, Yoo Eun-hyun asked back quite casually.

Naturally, he thought it would be about farming, just like with Sa Un-sik.

However, the question that came from So Bi-won was beyond Yoo Eun-hyun’s expectations.

“Young master, have you perhaps learned martial arts?”

The question itself seemed to be asked lightly as if it wasn’t particularly important, but Yoo Eun-hyun couldn’t easily answer So Bi-won’s question.

He had experienced this feeling recently.

Asking questions as if testing the other person while already knowing everything… This was So Bi-won’s way of questioning.

Though lying would likely be discovered, in the end Yoo Eun-hyun gave an answer that was neither truth nor lie.

“Why are you asking that?”

“There’s no particular reason. However, seeing the young master’s movements yesterday, they weren’t movements an ordinary person could make, so I was just curious and asked.”

Upon hearing So Bi-won’s words, Yoo Eun-hyun thought ‘Oh no.’ Yesterday when So Bi-won had observed Yoo Eun-hyun without saying anything, he now understood the reason.

‘Can martial arts masters know such things?’

Even when he had left his spot, it seemed So Bi-won had been secretly observing from nearby, just out of Yoo Eun-hyun’s sight. Thinking he shouldn’t lie, Yoo Eun-hyun obediently nodded.

“I haven’t particularly learned martial arts. I only possess internal energy from practicing internal cultivation methods.”

“Is that so? Young master, did you not learn that internal cultivation method from that man?”

At So Bi-won’s question, Yoo Eun-hyun could instinctively tell this was the question he had wanted to ask. And Yoo Eun-hyun momentarily recalled Sa Un-sik’s words—whether advice or warning—not to tell anyone.

Therefore, this time Yoo Eun-hyun had no choice but to lie.

“No. It’s just a breathing technique passed down orally in my family. It supposedly helps with farming…”

“Hmm… I understand. The scenery of this mountain range certainly has something in common with martial arts.”

As he spoke, Yoo Eun-hyun’s gaze met So Bi-won’s, but Yoo Eun-hyun pressed his lips tightly shut as if he had nothing more to say.

Perhaps unable to press further, So Bi-won smiled and exhaled tobacco smoke.

“I see. Your internal energy achievement seems quite remarkable. You couldn’t have gained such internal energy in this short time… I suppose my thoughts went too far.”

Though this was actually internal energy gained in just two weeks, Yoo Eun-hyun shrugged as if So Bi-won’s words were correct and bowed his head slightly in modesty.

‘Phew… He certainly wouldn’t have thought I’d incorporate martial arts into farming. Good grief. Why do I have to go through such things? I should be more careful.’

And toward such Yoo Eun-hyun, So Bi-won also bowed his head slightly as if apologetic and said:

“I apologize if you felt offended. But there’s a reason for this.”

“What reason?”

“I don’t know how the young master sees him, but that man… Sa Un-sik is a villain. I’m only doing this because I’m worried the young master might come to harm.”

Yoo Eun-hyun opened his eyes wide as if surprised by So Bi-won’s words and asked back.

“Come to harm?”

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