A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 34

34. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Clatter.

Stepping into the inn, Son Bin woke the young errand girl who was dozing in the corner.

“Where am I supposed to find women’s clothes in the middle of the night?”

The young errand boy was, unexpectedly, a girl. She wore a troubled expression with a hint of annoyance, but her tone immediately changed when Son Bin handed her some coins.

“There’s a village a bit far from here. If I send someone, they might be able to find some decent clothes. Though, I can’t guarantee they’ll fit.”

After giving her a few more coins, Son Bin received her promise to get the clothes by morning. When the errand girl mentioned that the clothes might not be cheap, Sa Su-yeon spoke up.

“Don’t worry about the price. We’ll pay enough.”

The errand girl’s eyes sparkled at Sa Su-yeon’s words. Because of that, Son Bin had to warn her not to even think about getting paid if she brought back strange clothes.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get them by morning.”

The bright-eyed girl assured him, but Son Bin couldn’t shake off his unease. He also worried about what Jade Dragon might be up to.

‘Well, Sa Ja-hyeok and Sa Su-yeon will check, so I don’t need to worry.’

Still, recalling Jade Dragon from earlier, he couldn’t shake off his anxiety. Anyway, after tasking the errand girl with finding clothes, Son Bin escorted Sa Su-yeon to her room. Sa Su-yeon, about to enter her room, suddenly stopped.

“Perhaps…”

“Yes?”

Son Bin quickly responded. Sa Su-yeon bit her lip slightly and said,

“If I complete that sword, would you take another look at it?”

“Of course.”

Son Bin replied. Sa Su-yeon nodded lightly in gratitude and entered her room, closing the door. Only then did Son Bin let out a sigh of relief.

“Haaah.”

Wobble.

‘Huh?’

Son Bin suddenly felt his legs giving way and leaned against the wall. It seemed that only now was the tension leaving him. He wanted to go straight to his room, but Son Bin still had something to confirm.

“Hoo.”

Regaining his composure, Son Bin gathered his strength again and headed out of the inn.

∴

Son Bin returned to where Sa Ja-hyeok was. Although some time had passed, Sa Ja-hyeok was still standing there as before.

“Are you alright?”

Sa Ja-hyeok turned at Son Bin’s question.

“Is Yeon-ah alright?”

‘Yeon-ah?’

It seemed that Sa Su-yeon’s childhood nickname was Yeon-ah. Actually, Son Bin was also called ‘Bin-ah’ when he was young.

“She’s fine.”

Son Bin answered.

“I see. She would be. She’s a strong child.”

With an attitude that might seem indifferent, Sa Ja-hyeok turned his head back to look at the night sky.

“Wouldn’t it be better to send Lady Sa back?”

Son Bin said.

“Does she want to go back?”

Sa Ja-hyeok asked in a calm voice without turning his head. Son Bin gave a wry smile.

“No, she said she would never give up.”

After a moment of silence, Sa Ja-hyeok turned to look at Son Bin. His deep, heavy gaze turned towards Son Bin.

“Do you want to go back?”

“Haa.”

After letting out a sigh, Son Bin looked at Sa Ja-hyeok.

“Isn’t it impossible to go back?”

Son Bin shrugged.

“I’ve been thinking about it while coming and going, and even if I run away, it doesn’t seem like that Jade Dragon person would just leave me alone since he singled me out. Considering what he’s done so far, who knows what he’ll do…”

Son Bin shook his head. He wanted to escape right away.

But leaving Sa Ja-hyeok and Sa Su-yeon behind didn’t sit right with him, and no matter how he thought about it, the best and most logical conclusion was only one.

“Then wouldn’t it be safest to stay with you? Like someone said, the only way to survive is to move forward. It’s not a method I particularly like, though.”

The last part was almost a mumble to himself.

“Indeed.”

Sa Ja-hyeok smiled faintly.

“You were like that when we first met. You’re…”

Sa Ja-hyeok chuckled.

“Quite an interesting fellow.”

Son Bin gave another wry smile.

“What should we do now?”

“Nothing has changed.”

Sa Ja-hyeok said.

“I said I would wait, so I must go.”

The look in his eyes was heavy and bright.

“Let’s go in.”

Thud.

Sa Ja-hyeok turned and started walking towards the inn. Watching his back, Son Bin thought once again that the father and daughter were really similar in personality.

***

Sa Su-yeon’s new clothes arrived early in the morning. The little errand girl brought three outfits, her arms full.

“Choose the one you like. Oh, this one is really pretty and cool. Try it on. It’ll look great on you!”

The outfit the young errand girl recommended was a colorful Yunnan folk dress. Sa Su-yeon showed interest in the folk dress, touching it, but in the end, she chose a plain outfit similar to what she was wearing.

“The fabric is good, and the person who made the clothes is well-known around here. How is it? Does it fit well?”

Whether it was because of the errand girl’s good eye or because she was a girl herself, the clothes fit Sa Su-yeon well.

The fabric was good as the errand girl said, and the craftsmanship was quite excellent, so Sa Su-yeon paid for the clothes with a satisfied expression. She didn’t forget the errand fee either.

“Thank you.”

The errand girl bowed her head and left with the remaining clothes. And the three of them hurried back on their way.

Clatter, clatter.

There were no attacks that day. The carriage sped along the straight main road without any interference, and there were no particular incidents at the inn where they stopped for a meal.

‘It’s almost unsettling that nothing’s happening.’

That’s what Son Bin thought.

‘Come to think of it, it hasn’t even been that many days…’

It hadn’t been long since they entered Yunnan. But the constant attacks, day and night, had left too strong an impression.

He was worried about who would attack or raid them today. But there were no more such incidents.

Click.

“I’ll go up first.”

After finishing her meal, Sa Su-yeon went straight to her room.

Sa Su-yeon’s clothes, which were a bit bluer than before, suited her well, but Son Bin couldn’t bring himself to say that to her. Sa Su-yeon’s atmosphere had changed since meeting Jade Dragon. The reason was clear.

‘It must be because of his words.’

Jade Dragon’s evaluation of her sword must have been quite shocking.

Sa Su-yeon’s eyes, which had said she would never give up, were not just a momentary emotional reaction. She seemed to be thinking only about the sword all day long.

Thanks to that, the conversation with her had completely stopped. Even when Son Bin spoke to her, he only received formal answers. It was a very disappointing thing for Son Bin.

‘Going out at dawn must have been to train with that sword.’

Son Bin, who was always awake at dawn, happened to see Sa Su-yeon going out the window.

In fact, it was also because he had been looking out the window all night. He had to record what had happened last night, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to pick up the brush.

‘Is it that difficult?’

Son Bin suddenly thought about the Jade Dragon Reverse Scale Strike. Recalling what Jade Dragon had said, it seemed to be a sword move with great significance.

But thinking about the movement Sa Ja-hyeok had made, he wondered if it was that difficult. Above all, wasn’t it a sword that he himself had succeeded in?

‘Well, it’s an incomplete state, but…’

The Jade Dragon Reverse Scale Strike that Son Bin had unleashed once was the same incomplete sword as Sa Ja-hyeok’s. In other words, it was merely a reproduction. But the story was different for Sa Su-yeon.

‘Besides, Lady Sa has to complete it…’

Sa Su-yeon had to complete that incomplete first stance. So the difficulty would be even greater.

Click.

Son Bin raised his head at the small sound. Sa Ja-hyeok was quietly lifting a teacup in front of him.

‘This person is originally quiet…’

Sa Ja-hyeok, who had always been quiet, had become even quieter since entering Yunnan. Thanks to that, even though there were three people in the group, there was no one to talk to.

‘Will tonight be safe too?’

It seemed that Son Bin was the only one worried. Son Bin sighed and lifted his teacup. The warm and soft tea fragrance rose up as if to comfort Son Bin.

The thing Son Bin worried about that night did not happen.

Sa Ja-hyeok woke Son Bin up in the middle of the night for training as always, and there were no sudden attacks or unexpected guests. It was as if they had returned to the atmosphere before Yunnan.

The next day at dawn, Sa Su-yeon went out alone to train her sword. Son Bin, who had also woken up at dawn, organized his records about Jade Dragon, but somehow his heart felt heavy.

Thanks to that, he ate so many snacks to calm his mind that he had to throw away more than half of them. It was a very wasteful thing for Son Bin, as it was quite expensive ink.

The group set off again towards Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The increasingly rugged mountain terrain of Yunnan was unfolding before the group’s eyes.

***

“It’s beautiful.”

Shuffle, shuffle.

Moving slowly, Sa Su-yeon said that as if sighing.

Under the piercingly blue sky, snow-covered mountain peaks rose sharply. Even Sa Su-yeon couldn’t hide her admiration for the alien and beautiful appearance of the snow mountain, as if she were seeing a fantasy.

“It really is.”

Son Bin also said, admiring the towering snow mountain. Beyond the slightly desolate scenery unique to high altitudes, sharp white mountain peaks covered with eternal snow soared into the sky.

The sight of the white mountain peaks shining towards the blue sky was so mysterious and beautiful that one could naturally understand why this mountain was considered sacred.

It was beautiful even from afar, but the majesty of the mountain when viewed up close was truly overwhelming.

He actually wanted to say something more, but he couldn’t find the words to express it.

Adding fancy modifiers would only ruin Son Bin’s feelings right now. Besides, this place is not just beautiful.

‘The third life-or-death duel…’

Jade Dragon said he would wait for Sa Ja-hyeok here. This place is also the location of the third life-or-death duel. Son Bin glanced at Sa Ja-hyeok. But Sa Ja-hyeok’s expression remained the same.

Clatter, clatter.

Flutter.

The horse Son Bin was riding neighed once. It was a sturdy horse that could travel on high mountains or steep valleys, although it looked unimpressive with its short height and short legs compared to ordinary horses.

When Sa Ja-hyeok first brought this small horse and handed it to Son Bin, Son Bin declined. He couldn’t ride a horse alone while Sa Ja-hyeok and even Sa Su-yeon were walking.

However, Son Bin couldn’t keep up with the two of them. Eventually, Son Bin had to get on the horse.

‘To be weaker than even Lady Sa, let alone Sa Ja-hyeok.’

He felt somewhat ashamed. Sa Su-yeon accepted it as a matter of course, though.

Clatter, clatter.

Although it looked small, the horse Son Bin was riding climbed the mountain without hesitation.

At first, he wondered if it could properly support Son Bin’s weight, but it moved silently and steadily, regardless of rough roads or steep slopes.

The only hardships were that it shook a little and his butt hurt more than he thought.

Swish.

The group continued to climb the mountain, passing through narrow paths under gorges where torrents of water rushed and cliffs were cut off. As they climbed the mountain, the trees gradually became shorter and the temperature began to drop noticeably.

Son Bin and Sa Su-yeon, who had occasionally exclaimed in admiration, spoke less and less as they climbed the mountain. And slowly, fog began to set in all around.

How long had they been climbing the mountain? It was when they passed through a short forest and reached a gentle place like a flatland. Son Bin discovered someone standing beyond the thick fog.

‘Huh?’

At first, he thought it was a stone statue standing there. But Sa Ja-hyeok and Sa Su-yeon’s eyes clearly told him that the shadow was a person.

Thud.

Sa Su-yeon stopped at the same time as Sa Ja-hyeok stopped. Son Bin got off his horse.

“Are you.”

A heavy voice was heard through the fog.

“The master of Pa-wol [Eight Desolations]?”

Thud.

Sa Ja-hyeok stepped forward.

“That’s right.”

Thud, thud.

With heavy footsteps, a shadow in the shape of a person cut through the fog and approached. As if cutting through a curtain, a man with a large and sturdy frame appeared.

‘B-Big.’

Son Bin stared at him with a stunned expression. He was a giant, even bigger than Sa Ja-hyeok.

He was bare-chested as if he didn’t care about the cold, and his solid muscles with blue tattoos covered his entire body like armor.

He was bald with no hair, but his white beard and unusually long eyebrows created an atmosphere like a high priest. But he was clearly not dressed as a monk.

“You’ve finally come.”

He said with a deep gaze.

“I’ve been waiting. Master of Pa-wol.”

Clang.

He stopped and crossed his arms. The red armor that wrapped around his arms made a sound. The pieces of armor, covering from his fingertips to his elbows like gauntlets, were subtly dyed red.

“I am Cheolhyeol Kwonwang [Iron-Blood Fist King]. I am also one of the Gunrim Samwang [Three Kings Under Heaven] established by Jade Dragon.”

He smiled faintly.

“I consider it an honor to compete with you today.”

“I don’t dislike strong people.”

Sa Ja-hyeok replied in a calm voice.

“I don’t refuse to compete either. But are you okay with just that?”

Cheolhyeol Kwonwang frowned and gave him a puzzled look. Sa Ja-hyeok looked straight at him and said,

“Martial arts forced by the will of others can never reach the ultimate.”

“Huhu.”

The man who identified himself as Cheolhyeol Kwonwang let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“That’s right. But that’s also the end after this moment today.”

Clang.

He raised his hand. The red armor made a sound.

“Because you are our last Geumje (禁制) [Restriction/Prohibition].”

“Geumje?”

Sa Ja-hyeok frowned.

“That’s right.”

Cheolhyeol Kwonwang said.

“Before defeating you, the Gunrim Samwang can never leave this mountain. This is the Geumje that Jade Dragon has set for us. And today.”

Woo-oong.

A low sound began to flow from his arm, which was surrounded by armor.

“That Geumje will be lifted.”

“Then that’s unfortunate.”

Sreung.

Sa Ja-hyeok’s greatsword, Pa-wol, revealed itself.

“Because that Geumje will never be lifted.”

Woo-oong.

As if answering those words, the greatsword Pa-wol began to let out a low wail.