The Farmer Who Ended Up Teaching the World’s Greatest Martial Artist - Chapter 2

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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 2

And afterward, Soo Hwa-seon, whose complexion had noticeably improved, got up.

“Still, I can’t block our son’s path to marriage, can I? I need to see him get married too.”

“Haah… I’m an idiot for worrying.”

Yoo Eun-hyun muttered as if exasperated, but inwardly his face showed relief.

It was natural, since Soo Hwa-seon, who had been unwell for nearly a year, had regained her healthy appearance from the past.

“Fine. Since you’re healthy now, I’ll let the lying slide for now.”

“Just for now?”

“Of course. I’m going to keep this stored up so you can never lie like this again, you know? And there’s a more important issue.”

“What is it?”

“Where does someone who was sick until just now think they’re going? If you go, I’m going with you.”

Yoo Eun-hyun stood up firmly as if he wouldn’t listen to any refusal. Feeling his concern for her, Soo Hwa-seon smiled warmly.

“It’s a place that would be difficult for you to go, Eun-hyun. It’s faster and safer for me to go directly. And if you leave too, who will tend the farm?”

“Still…”

Yoo Eun-hyun, who was about to shout at Soo Hwa-seon, hesitated.

He couldn’t help but know it too. That farming has its proper seasons. If you miss the timing, you could completely ruin everything you’ve been cultivating.

When Yoo Eun-hyun showed signs of hesitation, Soo Hwa-seon smiled again.

“Don’t worry. I plan to return as quickly as possible. With my son here, how could this mother leave the house empty for too long?”

Yoo Eun-hyun couldn’t say anything to Soo Hwa-seon, who was stroking his head and back as if telling him not to worry.

As she said, from Soo Hwa-seon’s perspective, she was just going to visit her maternal family, so she would be more worried about Yoo Eun-hyun having to stay alone.

“And after I return… Yes, I should do everything I can for you too. Even if it’s a promise, I can’t lose you like your father.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“I’ll tell you that after I return. Look forward to it.”

To Yoo Eun-hyun’s question, Soo Hwa-seon didn’t answer and just smiled while gently stroking Yoo Eun-hyun’s head.

Yoo Eun-hyun was curious too, but didn’t bother asking more. For now, Soo Hwa-seon’s recovery from illness was the priority.

“Tsk… It can’t be helped. But you have to be careful and come back safely, okay?”

“Of course I will.”

Soo Hwa-seon smiled kindly at Yoo Eun-hyun, who was pouting. And so Soo Hwa-seon packed her things and left the house the very next day.

*

“She said it would take a month… I should have asked where her maternal grandparents’ house is.”

It would be good to prepare for any emergency, but Soo Hwa-seon had never told Yoo Eun-hyun any information about her maternal family since he was young.

All Yoo Eun-hyun knew was that occasionally expensive medicinal herbs for health were sent from the maternal family.

And there were the words of grandfather Yoo Pyo-gyeong that he had mentioned in passing.

─Hehe. Who would have thought I’d see medicinal herbs from a martial arts clan in such a mountain village. It’s all thanks to my daughter-in-law!

“A martial arts clan… It’s not something wicked or… anything like that, right?”

Yoo Eun-hyun, who repeated the words, furrowed his brow.

He had occasionally heard stories that among martial artists, there were wicked groups who easily killed people for their own benefit.

But he immediately shook his head. Just the fact that she married Yoo Dong-gi, who was just an ordinary farmer, showed that Soo Hwa-seon couldn’t be evil. Thinking of his mother that way was itself unfilial.

“It’s probably just some insignificant martial arts clan. How many martial arts clans are there in the world?”

Anyway, Soo Hwa-seon had left, and all Yoo Eun-hyun could do was wait. Telling himself that he was no longer at an age to seek his parents’ embrace, Yoo Eun-hyun headed to the fields.

After all, when waiting for something, working was the fastest way to make time pass.

*

And about a week passed.

Swoooosh.

Quite heavy rain was noisily drumming around. Farmers usually have busy work to do day and night, but when it rained, it was different.

They would maintain waterways in preparation for soil washing down and fields collapsing, or repair farming tools.

Since there wasn’t much else they could do, they could spend time relatively leisurely.

“Ugh, what weather. Really. When I had to use my body, I hated it so much, but now that I’m resting, it’s boring…”

At a high place overlooking the orchard and fields. In a small, shabby thatched cottage, Yoo Eun-hyun opened a book.

Although it was an unsightly thatched cottage that had been used as a storage, it was still a place where one person could stay without difficulty.

“Haaaam…”

But after reading for about half an hour, Yoo Eun-hyun yawned loudly, apparently losing concentration.

It wasn’t because the book’s content was difficult or incomprehensible. To be precise, it was boring because he had read it too many times.

This book, with ‘Agriculture is the great foundation of all under heaven, that upon which the people depend for their livelihood’ written on the cover, was written by his grandfather Yoo Pyo-gyeong and completed through long revisions by Yoo Dong-gi and Soo Hwa-seon. In other words, it contained ‘farming methods with the essence of three generations of the Yoo family’ written in detail. So how could it not be boring?

Yoo Eun-hyun, who had been reading one line and yawning, reading one line and looking outside, finally closed the book.

‘Forget it, let’s just go home.’

Just then, looking outside, the rain was gradually subsiding. Thinking it would stop soon, he was about to prepare to return when Yoo Eun-hyun saw someone climbing up.

“…Huh? A person?”

At the sight of a human figure he hadn’t seen in a while, Yoo Eun-hyun rubbed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

That was because the only outsider who climbed this mountain was the merchant who periodically came to buy crops, Choo Seo-gong.

“It’s too early for Uncle Choo to come…”

But now wasn’t the time for Choo Seo-gong to come.

Not only had it not been long since he had come and gone, but if he had to come again for some unavoidable reason, given his personality, he would have sent word in advance.

So Yoo Eun-hyun was slightly scared, but that was brief, and he soon changed his mind.

With Soo Hwa-seon absent, he himself was now the master of this house. As the master, shouldn’t it be proper etiquette to welcome guests when they visit?

Thinking this way, Yoo Eun-hyun immediately went down and returned home to boil water.

Knock knock.

Just as the water was about to finish boiling, the heavy sound of knocking on the door came as if on cue.

“Who is it?”

To hide his slightly trembling voice, Yoo Eun-hyun raised his voice as he opened the door.

When he opened the door, what was revealed was a tall, middle-aged man. The man’s appearance, wearing a gray jacket with his back straight, looked larger in person than from a distance.

His gray hair was neatly combed back, but his long beard flowed down roughly as if he had forgotten worldly concerns. The light green bamboo tube that kept swaying at his waist was also strangely conspicuous.

‘Somehow… he seems like a person who resembles nature.’

Having farmed for a long time, Yoo Eun-hyun could easily sense the natural energy emanating from the man.

‘How can such a majestic, nature-like energy be felt from a person…’

To Yoo Eun-hyun, who was staring blankly at the man, the man greeted him with a peculiar smile that seemed to twist the corners of his mouth slightly.

“Excuse me. I am a traveler.”

Yoo Eun-hyun finally snapped out of his idle thoughts at the man’s greeting. But hearing the man’s words, he couldn’t help but fall into thought once again.

As mentioned before, except for Choo Seo-gong, Yoo Eun-hyun had never seen anyone climb to this place. He had even less experience seeing anyone passing through.

And what was even more surprising was that although it had been drizzling until just moments ago, the clothes of the man standing at the door showed no signs of being wet at all.

‘What, what is this? Could he be a ghost? But can there be a ghost with such distinct energy?’

As Yoo Eun-hyun’s face was turning pale, perhaps noticing his tension, the man burst into laughter and said.

“Hehe. I am indeed a passing traveler. However… while passing through, the scenery here was so beautiful and the energy so good that I stopped by.”

“Is that so?”

He still had doubts about why someone would be passing through such a place, but Yoo Eun-hyun’s personality wasn’t bold enough to ask such things.

When Yoo Eun-hyun said nothing, the man looked around again and said.

“I see you live here farming.”

“Yes. This is a place that my grand… grandfather and father cultivated for decades.”

“I see. Very admirable. This must be the place in Mount Taishan where natural energy is most abundant. With water flowing gently up and down, and wind crossing over the mountain ridges, there couldn’t be a better place than this… I don’t know much about farming, but in a place like this, anything would surely grow well.”

“Things grow reasonably well.”

Yoo Eun-hyun spoke modestly, but the man added a comment as if he already knew everything.

“Until a few decades ago, this place wasn’t like this. Isn’t that right?”

The man’s insight was remarkable. Anyone would think he was a geomancer who went around examining land. At the man’s words of praise, Yoo Eun-hyun’s tension began to gradually ease.

“Yes. I’m told that grandfather and father dug the land to create waterways themselves, and cut down trees to make paths for wind to pass through so crops would grow well.”

“It’s not something that can be done just like that. It’s impossible without knowing the principles and flow of nature.”

“It’s not that grand.”

Yoo Eun-hyun had no way to confirm whether Yoo Pyo-gyeong had calculated and created this so thoroughly or not.

Still, looking at what was recorded in the book, the possibility was quite high. In fact, Yoo Eun-hyun himself had learned to understand the flow of natural energy and how to arrange and cultivate the land by reading that book.

‘Looking at mother, maybe learning doesn’t guarantee success…’

And to Yoo Eun-hyun, who was still speaking modestly, the man asked back.

“Could I perhaps meet the two people you just mentioned?”

“Why are you asking that?”

Yoo Eun-hyun, suddenly feeling wary, asked back. The stranger chuckled softly as he replied.

“You’ve shown me beautiful scenery, and as a guest, shouldn’t I at least pay my respects to the host?”

But even at those words, Yoo Eun-hyun only maintained his suspicious expression. Seeing Yoo Eun-hyun like this, the stranger added an explanation.

“Do you know anything about martial artists and martial arts?”

“I’ve heard of them. People who have the ability to fly through the sky and split mountains and rivers…”

Though Yoo Eun-hyun had spent his entire life farming while confined to Mount Taishan, he wasn’t so ignorant of worldly affairs that he knew nothing about what was happening in the world. Moreover, since Mount Taishan was also part of the Central Plains, there was no way he wouldn’t know of the Martial Arts World’s existence.

“Hehe. That’s not wrong. If one tried, it wouldn’t be impossible. I am called Sa Un-sik. I come from a place called Daessan, located in the foothills of distant Cheonghae.”

“Daessan…”

At Sa Un-sik’s mention of ‘Daessan,’ Yoo Eun-hyun’s eyes widened greatly in surprise.

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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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