A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 258

The children flocked to the *Seowon* [a traditional Korean private academy] early in the morning, playing gleefully until classes began.

*Thump.*

Seorin lightly tapped the ball with her foot, sending the brown sphere soaring into the sky.

“Wow, high! High!” the children exclaimed, their eyes wide with delight.

Son Bin had bought the ball as a gift for them. It was made of straw covered in soft leather. Though not very bouncy, it was a wonderful present.

“Wow!”

As the ball fell, the children rushed towards it. The energetic Soso, the green-haired girl, and even Noga joined the throng, running and laughing.

These five children were able to play so well with the others thanks to Seorin, who taught them how to interact and control their strength. If they used their full power, it wouldn’t be a game anymore.

On the other side, a few girls were throwing and catching a cloth ball.

Aeng-aeng, Cheong-a, Hong-a, Sa Su-yeon, and Hyeokryeon Se-hwa were all together. Aeng-aeng especially loved the soft cloth ball with its colorful threads, a welcome change from the leather one.

Dang Wol-a stood a little apart, maintaining an ambiguous distance from the group. She pretended not to be interested, but when a ball occasionally came her way, she casually flicked it back, participating in her own way.

“Kyaa. Hehehe.”

Aeng-aeng hugged the flying ball, her face beaming. Among the boys were Hwang-a and Jang-a, who was, as usual, dozing off.

Son Bin was pleased. The two balls had been quite expensive, but seeing the children’s joy, he felt it was worth every *yang* [Korean currency].

“Lively from the morning,” No-gun muttered, sipping his tea.

“Shall I tell them to quiet down?” Son Bin asked.

No-gun frowned. “It’s nice to see. Why interfere? They’re not harming anyone. There will come a time when you’ll long for this but can’t have it.”

“That’s right. Children grow up too fast,” Old Madam Dang Un-yeong added with a smile, her eyes also warm as she watched the children.

“Um, Elder,” Son Bin said to No-gun, who was intently observing Dang Un-yeong.

“Huh? What is it?”

“Please continue the story you were telling.”

“Story? Ah, right. Where did I leave off?”

No-gun cleared his throat, as if snapping back to attention. “You were saying that there are people who grind their teeth at the mention of the Outer Affairs.”

“Ah, that. Hmm…”

No-gun fiddled with his teacup, gathering his thoughts. “Rather than the Outer Affairs, it’s more accurate to say she holds a grudge against Mu-je. Hwanghak Jin-in [a Taoist title] said it was a love-hate relationship.”

No-gun shook his head. “Sometimes hatred is better. Love-hate is like an inferno, endlessly consuming itself. There’s no escape, and it never ends.”

No-gun’s face turned stern. “Really, she’s a terrible woman.”

“A woman?”

“Yes. She was originally a disciple of the Emei Sect [a famous martial arts sect, often associated with female practitioners], known for their strict Buddhist principles. She possessed an unusually strong pride and obsession.”

Son Bin tilted his head. “Isn’t the Emei Sect Buddhist? It seems strange for a Buddhist disciple to have such a personality.”

“But thanks to that pride and obsession, she achieved greater accomplishments than anyone else. She reached the level of a master in the Outer Affairs at a young age. Her teacher, knowing her temperament, advised her repeatedly.”

No-gun clicked his tongue. “When you think about it, people rarely change. You can believe a mountain has moved, but never believe a person has changed.”

No-gun, who had been muttering to himself, continued, “Having entered the Outer Affairs, she challenged Mu-je to a duel. The result was obvious.”

Son Bin gave an awkward smile. Saja-hyeok wouldn’t have shown any mercy, even if his opponent was a woman.

“I heard it was her first defeat. But their relationship wasn’t bad. In fact, it could even be said to be good. They seemed to acknowledge each other, and there were even jokes that they might break their vows because of it. I think Ok-ryong was the one who said that…”

No-gun shrugged. “But at some point, they turned their backs on each other. I don’t know exactly what happened.”

For a moment, No-gun’s gaze subtly shifted towards Sa Su-yeon, who was playing with the ball.

“I can guess roughly. Of course, the person in question never admitted it.”

Son Bin understood. It must have been when Saja-hyeok met Sa Su-yeon’s mother in Bukhae [an area in Northern Korea].

“After arguing with Mu-je, she broke her vows and left the Emei Sect, returning as Mu-je’s adversary.”

Breaking vows was a serious matter. Son Bin could easily imagine how dire the situation must have been.

“She denied everything about Mu-je, refusing to acknowledge her defeat or accept Mu-je’s martial arts. She even rejected the Outer Affairs.”

“Did she break her vows herself?”

“Probably. But there’s little chance she was expelled. She’s a master of the Outer Affairs. Frankly, no matter what crazy things she did, Emei couldn’t afford to lose her. So, it’s certain that breaking her vows was her own decision. In fact, Emei had to pay a huge price to establish *Beopheo* [Buddhist term, meaning ‘Dharma Protector’] afterward.”

“And what happened then?”

“After breaking her vows, she challenged Mu-je to a life-or-death duel. It was brutal. Hwanghak Jin-in, who watched from afar, was said to have been horrified. It was the first time in a long time that he felt grateful for becoming a monk…”

Son Bin gave a bitter smile. It wasn’t something a renowned Jin-in would typically say, but Hwanghak Jin-in, with his good-natured personality, might have.

“She was defeated, but Mu-je didn’t kill her. After that, she disappeared. But everyone knows she’s not the kind of person to simply vanish.”

Listening to this, Son Bin felt a sudden wave of worry.

“Did she try to harm Su-yeon’s mother?”

No-gun shook his head. “There was something eerie about her obsession, but as far as I know, she never did that. And Mu-je wouldn’t have stood idly by.”

Indeed, Saja-hyeok had said he disliked her, but not that he despised her. Son Bin nodded.

“Could she have joined forces with the government?”

Namgung-hyang had mentioned the government’s involvement with Baek In-rok, and both Namgung-cheon, the former Thunder Sword, and No-gun suspected her.

“She’s the most likely candidate right now. No, in fact, there are other suspicious individuals besides her.”

No-gun sighed. “Not all members of the Outer Affairs are like Mu-je or you, walking the righteous path of martial arts. Of course, no one would simply obey a government official’s orders, but it’s a different story if they’re offered the world.”

Many crave power. Even Gongson-geuk of the Gongson family’s Flying Swords was like that, and Dang Baek-ho of the former Heavenly Outer Four openly displayed such ambitions.

However, they wanted to rule the world, not be pawns of someone else. That’s why they didn’t seek out or align themselves with the government.

“But would the imperial family hand over the world to someone else? Aren’t the government and the imperial family inherently intolerant of challenges or comparisons? Their basic principle is absolute obedience.”

Son Bin agreed. The world belonged to the emperor. That’s why he was called the Son of Heaven, wasn’t he? Acknowledging other powers would be like denying their own legitimacy.

“I see.”

Ultimately, aside from those with personal grudges, no Outer Affairs figures would willingly collaborate with the government in the current situation.

Nodding, Son Bin suddenly recalled a conversation he’d overheard.

‘Huh? Surely…’

The beautiful woman he’d met at the first duel Saja-hyeok had shown him, the one he’d encountered at the inn, seemed to have said something similar.

As Son Bin searched his memory, No-gun asked, “Did a letter arrive from the Namgung family?”

No-gun knew he had requested a letter from Namgung-hyang. Son Bin nodded.

“Yes. Lady Namgung-hyang sent a detailed letter yesterday.”

The letter was quite substantial, containing not only predictions of the major sects’ reactions to Baek In-rok but also detailed records of several alternative courses of action Son Bin could take.

“Ah, and one also came from the Dang family.”

“From the Dang family?” Old Madam Dang Un-yeong asked, intrigued. Son Bin smiled.

“Lady Dang Hwa-ryeon sent it. She included information about Baek In-rok, along with the recent trends of major sects.”

He had never requested such a thing. But Seolgeom Dang Hwa-ryeon had also recognized that this Baek In-rok was unusual.

“And this morning, Se-hwa brought this.”

*Rustle.*

Son Bin held out a book and a letter. The words ‘Baek In-rok’ were clearly written on the book’s cover.

“Former Sword Master Hyeokryeon-wi sent it through Lady Se-hwa.”

No-gun chuckled. “Everyone seems to be thinking along the same lines.”

Son Bin, still smiling, looked up and asked No-gun, “Um, what’s the name of the person who holds the grudge?”

“Didn’t I tell you yet?”

“No.”

Son Bin gave a bitter smile. No-gun sometimes overlooked important details.

“She was originally called Beop-ryeon. The Beop-ryeon incident of the Emei Sect. But now she calls herself Cheonsugeom (Thousand Hands Sword) Neung Cheon-hwa.”

‘Cheonsugeom Neung Cheon-hwa.’

Son Bin’s face hardened. *Cheonsu* (Thousand Hands) must be a name derived from Buddhism. Even though she broke her vows, it didn’t seem like she harbored resentment towards the sect.

The problem was the name Neung Cheon-hwa that she gave herself. *Neungcheon* meant to insult or defy the heavens, making her grudge against Mu-je clear.

“And one more thing,” No-gun continued.

“The person the children we took to Yewon [a famous garden] met is probably that Cheonsugeom.”

“Yes?”

The children they took to Yewon were the Gang-rin and Gang-min siblings, whom they’d met on the way back from Bukhae and accompanied to Hangzhou.

Gang-rin, who was blind and also Son Bin’s *Chilhyeon-geum* [a seven-stringed zither] teacher, had mentioned hearing about Yewon from someone she didn’t know.

“Why do you say that?”

At Son Bin’s question, No-gun shrugged. “Didn’t that blind girl say? She was treated like a man, but she was actually like a woman. If it’s a woman who knows about the Outer Affairs and Yewon and dresses like a man, it must be Cheonsugeom. She started dressing like a man after breaking her vows.”

“Dressed like a man?”

“Yes. Where would you find someone normal in the Outer Affairs? But she’s an especially strange woman. I really don’t like that woman either.”

No-gun’s expression clearly conveyed his dislike.

“Is she strong?”

At Son Bin’s question, No-gun pondered. “Well, if she’s in the Outer Affairs, you can roughly guess. Her signature move, Cheonsu-hyeol-gwan-eum, is quite impressive, but it can’t be compared to Mu-je. So, if you ask if she’s strong, not really…”

No-gun chuckled hollowly. “Oh dear, I’ve become unnecessarily picky, evaluating Cheonsugeom as just so-so.”

No-gun’s eyes turned serious. “Certainly, that was the case in the past. But it’s been over ten years since Cheonsugeom disappeared. We don’t know what she’s accomplished in the meantime.”

No-gun emphasized each word. “So be careful. With her personality, she must have achieved something.”

“I understand.”

“Besides, that woman’s real scary point is something else.”

With a serious look, Son Bin waited for No-gun’s words. No-gun continued, “It’s that she’s terribly unreasonable.”

“Yes?” Son Bin asked, surprised. But No-gun’s expression remained serious.

“She’s unreasonable. She’s originally a smart woman and speaks well, so she never backs down. The Jin-in even said it would be better to face a wall than to argue with her. It’s also the biggest reason why Mu-je hates that woman.”

No-gun shuddered. He thought it was a ridiculous reason, but somehow Son Bin also felt a chill.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Son Bin bowed his head, expressing his gratitude to No-gun.

“Namgung-hyang, that child, said this might be a warning to you.”

At No-gun’s words, Son Bin looked up. No-gun’s serious eyes were fixed on him.

“There are many eyes in the Outer Affairs watching how you will react. Whether you want it or not, your decision will have a big impact on the Outer Affairs.”

Son Bin gave a bitter smile, knowing he couldn’t simply dismiss it.

“What should I do?”

No-gun grinned, and the answer Son Bin expected came: “Whatever you want.”

*Thump.*

Suddenly, a colorful ball flew over. Son Bin lightly raised his hand and blocked it.

“Kyahaha. Teacher got hit!” Aeng-aeng exclaimed, beaming. It seemed the ball had come their way during their game.

“Teacher, sorry!” Aeng-aeng said, waving her hand. She didn’t seem sorry at all, but Son Bin didn’t mind.

“It’s okay. I didn’t get hit,” Son Bin said, throwing the ball back.

“Wow!” Aeng-aeng jumped up, raising her hand high, but she couldn’t catch the high-flying ball.

Sa Su-yeon, standing behind her, caught the colorful ball. Son Bin’s expression softened at the sight of Sa Su-yeon, surprised but happy, with a bright smile.

The ball thrown by Sa Su-yeon drew an arc in the sky. It was her first time playing with this kind of ball, and she was as happy as a child.

Her unreservedly bright smile was so cute, like a young girl’s, that Son Bin couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Not only Sa Su-yeon, but Hyeokryeon Se-hwa next to her was also smiling brightly, and even Dang Wol-a, standing a little apart, had a smile on her lips.

Seorin, playing with the children, also looked radiant. The children of the Seowon, including the five special ones, seemed to have everything they could wish for.

‘Should I have bought it sooner?’

He hadn’t realized they would be so happy, and he felt a pang of regret.

“Wahahahaha.”

Listening to the children’s laughter, Son Bin turned his head and said quietly, a smile on his face, “Since you say so…”

Son Bin raised his hand and placed it on top of the letters and the book about Baek In-rok. They were just papers with words written on them, but now they also represented the hearts of many people who cared for him.

Smiling, Son Bin continued, “Then, shall I do as I please?”

“Hehe,” No-gun chuckled, as if he knew the answer all along. The elegant Old Madam Dang Un-yeong, sitting next to him, also smiled. Shin-ui, who had been silently savoring his tea, chuckled as well.

Son Bin smiled brightly. The lively morning at the Seowon was beginning just like that.