The Farmer Who Ended Up Teaching the World’s Greatest Martial Artist - Chapter 50

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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 50

 

“…Land deed?”

 

Yoo Eun-hyun furrowed his brow and took the paper from Ji Heun-dong’s hand to read it more clearly. Since Ji Heun-dong had offered it for him to see in the first place, he readily handed the paper over to Yoo Eun-hyun.

 

The paper had “Land Deed” written in large letters. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing written on it. Along with the title “Land Deed,” the following content was written below it.

 

[Land Deed]

 

The rights to the land around the third and fourth peaks of Mount Taishan are delegated to the bearer of this certificate on behalf of the landowner.

 

-Shandong Province Buzhengshi An Cheol-jung, seal

 

The gist was simple. What was written on the document was a certificate proving land ownership, and moreover, it was an official document issued by the state.

 

A Buzhengshi is a high-ranking official position that governs an entire province. If such a person had issued a certificate recognizing the rights to this place, its weight went without saying.

 

“Do you understand the situation a bit now? I hope so.”

 

Ji Heun-dong smiled at Yoo Eun-hyun, who was making a dazed expression, as if daring him to say something even after seeing this.

 

But Yoo Eun-hyun still had nothing to say. What could he say here? From what he’d heard, this place originally had no owner. It was just a place Yoo Pyo-gyeong had entered to make a living.

 

Yoo Eun-hyun fumbled with the document as if he couldn’t believe it and asked Ji Heun-dong.

 

“Is this real?”

 

“I’ve heard that forging official documents is punishable by death. I only have one life, so I can’t play such games.”

 

Ji Heun-dong spoke while still smiling. Though he was uncertain, at least the document in his hands appeared genuine with its red seal stamped on it.

 

‘Could it really be genuine? That doesn’t make sense either….’

 

When Yoo Eun-hyun said nothing, Ji Heun-dong tilted his head.

 

“Young Master? I’d appreciate an answer.”

 

“I cannot accept leaving like this. My family has lived here for over 50 years. Does it make sense to just tell us to leave like this?”

 

In the end, all Yoo Eun-hyun could do was be unreasonable. But even Yoo Eun-hyun thought such unreasonableness wouldn’t work.

 

“Of course I understand Young Master’s circumstances, but shouldn’t you also understand ours? If you want to formally object, please visit the government office directly.”

 

“That’s….”

 

When Ji Heun-dong told him words similar to what Yoo Eun-hyun had said yesterday, Yoo Eun-hyun finally had nothing left to say. Seeing Yoo Eun-hyun fall into confusion, not knowing what to do, Ji Heun-dong smiled the smile of a victor. That’s when it happened.

 

“I knew it would come to this eventually. Give it here, child.”

 

“Mother?”

 

Soo Hwa-seon, who had been quietly watching the situation from behind, came forward with a grin.

 

Soo Hwa-seon lightly patted the head of Yoo Eun-hyun, who turned around with a puzzled expression, as if praising him.

 

“You worked hard. From your position, you had no choice. No, rather, it’s fortunate we’re not too late.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Yoo Eun-hyun asked back, but Soo Hwa-seon didn’t answer. She just took the land deed from Yoo Eun-hyun’s hands as if snatching it and stepped forward as if telling him to watch.

 

With the situation turning out this way, Yoo Eun-hyun also quietly stepped back and asked Ju Yu-ryeon, who was behind him.

 

“Did she prepare something when leaving the house?”

 

“Who knows? How would I know? There didn’t seem to be anything special though….”

 

When even Ju Yu-ryeon said that, Yoo Eun-hyun had nothing to do but watch the situation unfold.

 

He silently watched Soo Hwa-seon moving forward.

 

“Is Madam going to make the decision? Young Master certainly seemed quite flustered. I trust Madam will make a quick decision.”

 

Seeing Soo Hwa-seon come out, Ji Heun-dong seemed indifferent whether his opponent was Yoo Eun-hyun or Soo Hwa-seon. He apparently had absolute confidence in his weapon.

 

But Soo Hwa-seon paid no attention to Ji Heun-dong and suddenly sat down heavily on the spot while waving the land deed around.

 

“…Madam?”

 

Ji Heun-dong called out to Soo Hwa-seon in confusion, but she still didn’t even glance at him. Instead, she tore the land deed to shreds and scattered the pieces into the air.

 

Naturally, Ji Heun-dong’s eyes wavered, and soon he raised his voice in horror.

 

“No. Madam. Surely you don’t think that will solve anything? There isn’t just one copy of the document. Doing this won’t make its validity disappear!”

 

“Tell the person in charge to come out, not you.”

 

“Excuse me? What do you….”

 

Ji Heun-dong was flustered by Soo Hwa-seon’s sudden change in attitude, but she still wasn’t looking at him. And when it got to that point, even Yoo Eun-hyun could tell who Soo Hwa-seon was looking at.

 

“Someone you know?”

 

Soo Hwa-seon was staring at the man in silk clothes among the three people behind Ji Heun-dong. Seeing this, Ju Yu-ryeon shook her head slightly.

 

“It’s certain she knows something. But speaking of which, do you know that veiled lady? She’s been staring only at you this whole time.”

 

“That’s what I want to ask. I don’t know any lady like that.”

 

“For not knowing her, she’s sending quite passionate glances your way.”

 

“Shut up for a bit. Is this the time for word games?”

 

When Yoo Eun-hyun snapped at Ju Yu-ryeon, she also grasped the situation and quieted down.

 

Actually, Yoo Eun-hyun was also bothered by the veiled woman’s continued staring and had been trying not to pay attention, but Ju Yu-ryeon’s pointing it out made him conscious of it again.

 

But he deliberately ignored it again and turned his head to look toward where Soo Hwa-seon was.

 

“You didn’t come here just to play games anyway. Come out quickly. There are reasons for everything.”

 

Soo Hwa-seon continued to urge Ji Heun-dong to step back, and when Ji Heun-dong unconsciously glanced behind him, the man in silk clothes that Soo Hwa-seon had been watching slowly walked forward.

 

“Councilor Gong. Will you be alright?”

 

“Being pointed out this directly, I have no choice. And we need to discuss the matter of daring to tear up a document bearing the Buzhengshi’s seal.”

 

The man in silk clothes was a middle-aged man with a neat appearance and a glossy beard. He lightly nodded at Ji Heun-dong’s question and stepped forward with measured steps.

 

“Finally, the person in charge has come out.”

 

“Madam’s words are rather harsh. A person’s character shows in their manner of speech. Will you be alright?”

 

“You don’t look very alright, but I’m fine.”

 

Soo Hwa-seon still spoke nonchalantly, but her opponent seemed accustomed to such conversations and didn’t change his expression at all. He simply cupped his hands and bowed lightly with deeply sunken eyes.

 

“I am Gong Yeo-ak, holding the position of Councilor, assisting Shandong Province Buzhengshi An Cheol-jung. I came today as the Buzhengshi’s representative. It seems you have something to tell me.”

 

“I’m Soo Hwa-seon, Eun-hyun’s mother here.”

 

When Soo Hwa-seon revealed her name, the expressions of the two people in the back visibly changed for a moment.

 

They seemed interested in the name Soo Hwa-seon, but that was all for now—they showed no further interest.

 

“I’m curious what you wish to convey, but may I ask about the reason for destroying a document bearing the Buzhengshi’s seal?”

 

“That’s because it’s no longer needed.”

 

“…What do you mean by that?”

 

Gong Yeo-ak asked sharply, but instead of answering, Soo Hwa-seon rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a paper, just as Ji Heun-dong had done.

 

The completely faded color of the paper suggested it was quite old. Soo Hwa-seon handed it to Gong Yeo-ak.

 

Still looking puzzled, Gong Yeo-ak unfolded the paper Soo Hwa-seon had given him, and the moment he saw it, his seemingly unbreakable composure cracked.

 

“…Land contract?”

 

Startled by Gong Yeo-ak’s muttering, Ji Heun-dong approached him. As Ji Heun-dong read the document Gong Yeo-ak was holding, his eyes began to widen.

 

“According to this document, the land around the third and fourth peaks of Mount Taishan shall be owned by the Yoo Family. This document remains valid until the Yoo Family relinquishes ownership….”

 

Ji Heun-dong’s expression gradually hardened as he read the detailed contents written inside. By the last part, his voice had become almost like he was chewing and swallowing the words.

 

“Notarized. Minister of Households Maeng Gyeong-ji… seal.”

 

When Ji Heun-dong finished reading all the contents, a quiet silence began to hover around them. No one wanted to speak first, but eventually, it was Ji Heun-dong who opened his mouth first.

 

“Is this real?”

 

“Pfft.”

 

At Ji Heun-dong’s dazed words, Ju Yu-ryeon couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Listening to it, wasn’t it exactly the same as what Yoo Eun-hyun had said just moments ago?

 

But Ji Heun-dong’s mind was too confused to notice such things.

 

What they had brought was a simple land lease certificate. But what Soo Hwa-seon had produced was literally content proving ownership of the land. Moreover, if it was the Minister of Households, that was the chief official in charge of the Imperial Palace’s finances, with more authority than a Buzhengshi.

 

And naturally, Gong Yeo-ak had no choice but to know well the authenticity of such documents. Though it had faded somewhat due to age, Gong Yeo-ak stared intently at the official seal stamped on it and muttered while biting his lips.

 

“It’s real… This is the official seal used when the Ministry of Households approves documents.”

 

“Then? Are you saying they’re the real owners of the land?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

“The land delegation certificate you issued us….”

 

“When Heukryeon Trading Company inquired about ownership of this place, we had no information about it. So we also conducted a recent investigation, and based on the documents, there seemed to be no problem….”

 

Soo Hwa-seon, who had been listening up to that point, added a word.

 

“The paperwork must have gone wrong somewhere. Since it’s old, the documents might have disappeared while being transferred. And even though we’re often away, if you had come directly, you would have known people were living here.”

 

“We did conduct that level of investigation. However, there had been no traces of people living here for the past year….”

 

“Still, we paid our taxes faithfully, didn’t we? Though it would be processed through Dolyeon-hyeon.”

 

“….”

 

Since they had even paid taxes without fail, Gong Yeo-ak had nothing more to say. Originally, ownership rights in such remote places often went uninvestigated and became unclear. Since there was no potential for problems, it was natural that administrative reach didn’t extend to such places.

 

But this was entirely their problem. In the end, it was Gong Yeo-ak’s side that was at fault for issuing such a delegation certificate without proper investigation.

 

“Now, will you return that? Why? Are you going to tear it up?”

 

When Soo Hwa-seon extended her hand, Gong Yeo-ak readily handed the certificate back to her. As someone who received the nation’s salary, his conscience wouldn’t allow him to damage such a thing.

 

And as Ji Heun-dong explained a moment ago, this kind of thing wouldn’t be any solution at all.

 

As long as such a certificate exists, if they go to Beijing and do a little investigation, records will come up.

 

Then the matter would become even bigger, and dealing with the aftermath would entirely fall to Gong Yeo-ak, which was absolutely unacceptable.

 

“Councilor Gong?”

 

Watching this, Ji Heun-dong gave Gong Yeo-ak a look as if telling him to come up with some plan. At this, Gong Yeo-ak seemed lost in thought for a moment, then asked Soo Hwa-seon again.

 

“Could you perhaps tell us who brought this document?”

 

“My father brought it about 20 years ago.”

 

“What is your father’s name?”

 

At Gong Yeo-ak’s question, Soo Hwa-seon answered with a subtle smile.

 

“His name is Soo Gyeong-tak.”

 

“…Soo Gyeong-tak?”

 

Upon hearing that name, Ji Heun-dong had a face filled with shock.

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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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