A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 5

5. Unofficial History of the Murim (武林外史) [Tales from the fringes of the martial world]

“Th-that’s not true. I…”

Son Bin, responding to the young man’s accusation, faltered.

He wanted to protest his innocence, to say that the woman had been the one to draw her sword. But the words caught in his throat.

‘How can I, after she helped me…?’

It might even be the truth. The woman, whose name he didn’t even know, had indeed drawn the sword and injured the young man.

However, having received her assistance, Son Bin couldn’t bring himself to betray her.

“So?”

The young man pressed, his face inches from Son Bin’s.

“Was it you, or wasn’t it?”

A hush fell over the inn. Patrons averted their gazes, stealing glances at Son Bin.

No one spoke, no one intervened.

“It’s true that I had a disagreement with this young man,” Son Bin said, his voice steady.

“Is that so? A disagreement, you say?” The young man sneered. Son Bin gritted his teeth and spoke more firmly.

“But it was this young man who first drew his sword and threatened violence. That young woman was merely trying to prevent his outrageous behavior; she bears no fault.”

Son Bin met the young man’s gaze head-on. The young man laughed, a hollow, disbelieving sound.

“Where is that bitch?”

The young man demanded, his eyes scanning the inn. As his gaze swept across the room, people flinched, lowered their heads, and avoided his stare.

But the young woman was nowhere to be seen.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” The young man grinned.

“Then I’ll just have to refresh your memory. Until you do remember.”

The young man spat out the words, then gestured to the other young martial artists behind him.

“Take this one to the branch office. He’s being uncooperative, so subdue him as necessary.”

It was a thinly veiled order to inflict pain. He resented Son Bin’s defiance.

The young martial artists behind him smirked, understanding perfectly.

“Tsk, this guy doesn’t even look like he could throw a punch.”

“Still, beat a dog, and the owner appears. If we rough him up, that bitch might show her face.”

The young men chattered as they advanced. Their tone was casual, almost joking, but for Son Bin, the target of their attention, it was a chilling threat.

“The… the imperial law is clear… how can you treat people so arbitrarily…?”

Son Bin stammered, stepping back.

“Imperial law?” The young man in front sneered.

“I know your type. You usually…”

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes. He gave Son Bin a cruel smile.

“…become very quiet after a few punches to the face.”

The young man advanced on Son Bin, raising a fist as if to demonstrate. His physical prowess, honed through rigorous training, was far superior to Son Bin’s.

If he chose to strike, Son Bin would undoubtedly suffer a brutal beating.

Thud. Son Bin stumbled backward, colliding with something solid.

“I know that very well, too.”

A voice cut through the tense silence of the inn, coming from directly behind Son Bin.

“The less skilled they are, the more they need to show off.”

“Who’s there!”

The young men shouted, their eyes snapping towards the source of the voice. Son Bin also turned to look behind him.

A smirk played on the newcomer’s lips.

A powerfully built figure, his sparse white hair belying his strength, thick arms that looked capable of wrestling a tiger, and a massive black greatsword slung across his back. It was Saja Hyuk.

“Heh heh.”

He looked down at Son Bin and grinned.

“Looks like you didn’t get very far.”

At that moment, Son Bin thought his smile shone with an almost blinding light.

“Who are you?” The young man demanded, his voice strained. Until that moment, he hadn’t even registered Saja Hyuk’s presence.

The other young men behind him also tensed, their hands instinctively moving to the hilts of their swords.

“Hmm, it’s not a very impressive name…”

Saja Hyuk said, a clear sneer in his voice.

“I don’t really feel like telling you lot.”

The young man’s face twisted in anger. However, Saja Hyuk radiated an unusual aura, and the sheer size of the sword on his back gave him pause. He couldn’t afford to be careless, but neither could he back down.

“Are you aware that you’re interfering with the Namgung Clan’s affairs?”

It was a subtle threat, invoking the prestige of the Namgung Clan [one of the most powerful and influential martial arts clans]. Most martial artists would immediately yield at the mention of their name.

“Namgung Clan?” Saja Hyuk’s eyes twitched.

“Ye-yes.”

Smirk. Saja Hyuk laughed again.

“Yes, I can agree with that.”

Saja Hyuk said, a cold glint in his eyes that contrasted sharply with his smiling lips. Son Bin had a fleeting sense of having seen that look somewhere before.

“A careless mouth always invites disaster.”

Whooooosh.

In an instant, an intense pressure enveloped the young men. It was an overwhelming force, unlike anything even those affiliated with the Namgung Clan had ever experienced.

“Ku, kuek.”

Groans escaped their lips. But Saja Hyuk didn’t relent. Instead, he slowly advanced, one step at a time, towards the young men.

As Saja Hyuk approached, the young men’s faces turned ashen. Some were already buckling at the knees.

“S-stop it!”

The voice that rang out came from behind Saja Hyuk. It was Son Bin’s.

“Why?” Saja Hyuk asked, turning his head to fix Son Bin with a cold stare.

“These men were trying to hurt you. Do you know what would happen to you if you were dragged to the Namgung Clan?”

Son Bin swallowed hard. These were people who disregarded the imperial law, who wouldn’t hesitate to abduct and harm others, all under the banner of the Namgung Clan.

Since he had injured their young master, he might not even escape with his life.

“But if we harm them now, wouldn’t we become just like them?”

Saja Hyuk smirked.

“Does a lion become a rabbit simply by killing a rabbit? Your words are nothing but a flimsy excuse.”

Son Bin met Saja Hyuk’s gaze. He was unmoved by Son Bin’s plea. Moreover, his hand, the same hand that had shattered a large rock, looked poised to strike the young men at any moment.

“Anyway, it would be better to stop,” Son Bin said with a sigh.

“If I stop…” Saja Hyuk said.

“Will you listen to me?”

Son Bin shook his head.

“I won’t listen to you simply because you stop.”

Saja Hyuk frowned. But Son Bin wasn’t finished.

“But if you’re willing to have a conversation with me, I will listen to your words.”

Saja Hyuk remained skeptical. Son Bin continued.

“A conversation between equals, with mutual respect.”

“Respect, huh.” A smile returned to Saja Hyuk’s face.

“Good.”

Saja Hyuk lowered his hand. The oppressive energy that had been crushing the young men vanished instantly.

“Kuek.”

“Heo, heok.”

The young men gasped for air.

They had been struggling to breathe under the weight of Saja Hyuk’s power. Their lips, bitten raw, were bleeding.

“Go.”

Saja Hyuk said, his hands now clasped behind his back.

“Today’s humiliation…” The young man wiped the blood from his mouth, his voice tight with suppressed rage.

“I will never forget it.”

“Hmph.” Saja Hyuk snorted.

“I would laugh even if the head of the Namgung family said those words, let alone someone like you.”

The young man’s face contorted with humiliation. But he knew he was no match for Saja Hyuk. He and his companions supported each other as they fled the inn.

“Now, shall we have that conversation?” Saja Hyuk said, turning to Son Bin. His face wore the relaxed smile of a victor. Son Bin sighed softly.

“First, let’s have a drink.”

Saja Hyuk grinned in response.

***

Clang.

Old Man Wang Pal, who had been dozing behind the counter, startled awake at the sound of the bell above the inn’s entrance. He looked up, his eyes widening in surprise.

For a moment, he saw a pale, white face. He thought he was seeing a ghost.

“Eek!” Old Man Wang Pal yelped.

But whether Old Man Wang Pal was surprised or not, Son Bin stumbled into the inn and collapsed at the nearest table. His staggering gait only amplified Old Man Wang Pal’s shock.

“Isn’t he a bit weak?”

At the voice from behind, Son Bin frowned and turned his head. Saja Hyuk entered the inn with a confident stride.

“Weak! Even so, I was… Ugh!”

Son Bin started to protest, then gagged. Saja Hyuk sat down opposite him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“If you’re like this after just a little…” Saja Hyuk frowned slightly and shook his head.

“A little, you say? How many miles is it from Muhan to here…”

Leaving Son Bin to grumble, Saja Hyuk turned to Old Man Wang Pal. The old man, having regained some composure, hurried over to Saja Hyuk.

After taking an order for some light food and a few bottles of alcohol, Old Man Wang Pal scurried into the kitchen, not forgetting to glare at Son Bin, who had given him such a fright.

Son Bin, slumped over and lacking the energy to respond, retched again, then poured himself some tea from the pot on the table.

The tea was cold, but it seemed to soothe him somewhat.

“Hoo.”

When Son Bin, feeling a bit more composed, looked up, he found Saja Hyuk staring at him with his deep, penetrating eyes. Those eyes reminded him, once again, that he was in the presence of an extraordinary individual.

“Ahem.” Son Bin straightened up. He couldn’t be the only one in disarray when Saja Hyuk was perfectly composed. Just then, Old Man Wang Pal returned with the food and alcohol.

“How did you find me?” Son Bin asked.

Saja Hyuk answered, “It’s not a difficult task. For me.”

Son Bin inwardly clicked his tongue at Saja Hyuk’s nonchalant reply. At this point, he knew that Saja Hyuk’s earlier claim that Son Bin had no choice in the matter was no idle boast.

‘I thought it was just boasting from people who like to talk big, but it wasn’t.’

There were people like this in the world. Compared to them, he was just a failed scholar. Son Bin sighed softly.

“So, what do you want from me?”

Saja Hyuk’s hand, which had been reaching for a small cup of alcohol, paused. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice.

“I will have a duel.”

“A duel?” If it was a duel, wasn’t that when martial artists competed to test their skills? Son Bin tilted his head.

“And I will kill them all.”

Son Bin’s face hardened slightly at Saja Hyuk’s words. So, in the end, he meant a fight to the death?

“The ones I will duel with are all strong. And they wield great power. I don’t care about the power they have, but…”

With a bitter expression, Saja Hyuk looked at the cup of alcohol in his hand. Son Bin asked,

“If they have such great power, how can you face them alone?”

Saja Hyuk raised his head, frowning slightly. Then, he spoke again.

“Have you ever heard the term ‘Unofficial History of the Murim (武林外史)?’ [The hidden world of martial arts masters]?”

‘Unofficial history? Like unofficial records?’ Son Bin shook his head.

“Venerable sects and large clans, famous masters. People call these things the Murim [the orthodox martial arts world]. But originally, there are countless hidden things in the Murim besides what is visible on the outside. Among them, the world of those whose martial arts have reached the sky, those who belong to the ‘Heaven Beyond Heaven (天外天) [a realm of martial arts beyond the ordinary],’ is called the Unofficial History of the Murim.”

The look in Saja Hyuk’s eyes shone intensely as he spoke, so much so that Son Bin couldn’t meet his gaze.

‘He, Heaven Beyond Heaven.’

Heaven beyond heaven. It was an arrogant claim, but Son Bin found himself agreeing with it.

“Those who belong to the Unofficial History of the Murim generally do not interfere with the affairs of the orthodox Murim. That’s because it’s annoying, cumbersome, and futile. The only thing they care about is defeating their opponents and advancing to a higher level.”

‘So, they’re like immortals.’

Son Bin didn’t fully grasp what Saja Hyuk was saying, but that was his interpretation. There were people in every field who were uninterested in worldly affairs and fame.

Especially in the world of the Murim, where martial arts were honed to their peak, it would be strange if there weren’t such individuals.

“If they bring in their forces, that’s what I want. If that happens, I can gladly uproot all their forces.”

Saja Hyuk smiled faintly as he spoke.

“But…”

Clack. Saja Hyuk set down his cup.

“I will not forgive it if it doesn’t happen.”

He said, his eyes blazing.

“Who decided to make it not happen? I can never tolerate that.”