A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 376

376. To Tianzhu

Several days had passed since Son Bin and his group left Moonlit City Valley.

After the green meadows of the highlands ended, the group had to traverse a vast mountain range, mountains surrounding them on all sides.

It felt as if they had entered the heart of a mountain forest, but Hwang Bang-ju clicked his tongue, saying they should be grateful.

“You wouldn’t even dare approach the great mountains south of Seojang. It feels like the sky has built a wall and is commanding, ‘Never cross!'”

Son Bin nodded, recalling the Daesul Mountain Range. Thinking about how small and insignificant humans were before it, he humbly adjusted his collar. Of course, it was also quite chilly in the mountains.

Clatter, clatter.

The small horses, obtained at the mountain range’s entrance, carried the group well along the mountain path.

The road heading west was mostly downhill, making them realize how high the Seojang highlands were. It was also interesting to see the gradually increasing trees and lush forests.

“By the way, that swordswoman…”

Hwang Bang-ju glanced at Geomhee in front of the campfire and asked quietly. Son Bin held a hot teacup and leaned closer to listen.

“I don’t even see a horse, so how is she following us? And she always appears in the evening, so does she not need breakfast or lunch?”

“I wonder?”

Crackle, crackle.

Son Bin tilted his head, listening to the campfire’s crackling.

“Maybe it’s something like light footwork [a martial arts technique for moving swiftly and silently]?”

At that answer, Hwang Bang-ju frowned, looking openly skeptical.

“I’ve heard of light footwork, but doing that all day long?”

It was a story no one could believe. In fact, Son Bin hadn’t seen it himself, so he could only shrug.

“It should be fine. She doesn’t seem to be overdoing it. But the food… hmm.”

Geomhee’s separate actions were her own choice. Or perhaps it was training, or just her preference.

Son Bin glanced at the campfire where Geomhee, Sa Su-yeon, and Dang Wol-ah were sitting.

Even if light footwork was the case, he thought he should definitely check if she was okay with meals later.

“The sky is really nice tonight.”

Suddenly, Son Bin raised his head and looked at the night sky. The sky in the mountains was narrow, but the stars shining in the middle were so beautiful that they couldn’t be compared to any treasure.

The stars filling the clear night sky seemed as if they would pour down at any moment, making it almost scary.

“Indeed.”

Hwang Bang-ju also raised his head and said that. Feeling the warmth of the teacup with both hands, Son Bin enjoyed a leisurely time for the first time in a while.

The mountains were not just forests and trees. Even in the rugged mountain ranges, people were continuing their lives. The small villages they occasionally encountered always welcomed Son Bin’s group and showed them the right path.

Hwang Bang-ju would take out the specialties of Seojang that he had somehow acquired and exchange them for necessities, and sometimes he would be overjoyed, saying he had received very rare medicinal herbs.

“But are we going the right way now?”

Old Man Roh, swaying on the horse, said as if throwing a stone. In fact, Son Bin was also worried about that, so he looked back at Hwang Bang-ju.

There was no next destination on the mark left by Guigyeon Sura, nor on Okryong’s short letter. Well, they were also on an unfamiliar road, so they couldn’t leave place names or city names.

“We need to get out of this mountain range first.”

Hwang Bang-ju glanced around. There were still high mountains everywhere.

“If we go to a place with many people, we might hear some rumors, right? Because they are such special people.”

They were special people. Moreover, there would also be rumors of ‘demons’ or the ‘Demonic Cult,’ so it wouldn’t be too difficult to find them.

“It’s not far now.”

Hwang Bang-ju said with a calm expression.

“In a few days, we will finally be in Tianzhu [ancient Chinese name for India].”

At that, Son Bin was reminded of how far he had come. Tianzhu, of all places. Could he have ever imagined it when he was a scholar?

However, even though the road was unfamiliar, he was not lonely. That was because Son Bin was not alone.

Son Bin looked back at his group. Old Man Roh, who met his eyes first, looked at him with a ‘why?’ expression, and Seo-rin smiled brightly.

Sa Su-yeon also smiled at Son Bin, and Dang Wol-ah slightly bowed her head over her veil. Although he couldn’t see her, Geomhee would also be watching over the group from somewhere.

“Are you tired? Shall we take a break?”

Hwang Bang-ju asked worriedly. Son Bin smiled.

“No. I’m just grateful.”

At that, Hwang Bang-ju chuckled.

“What? I’m doing this all for money.”

“Still.”

Even if he paid the price, it didn’t mean the true value. It was just that the other party agreed.

Even Hwang Bang-ju’s help had more value and meaning than the price he had given him. Not to mention the meaning that Old Man Roh, Seo-rin, Sa Su-yeon, Dang Wol-ah, and Geomhee had for Son Bin.

“Thank you. Hwang Bang-ju-nim [a Korean honorific suffix].”

Son Bin said with sincerity. Hwang Bang-ju coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem, I’m the one who’s thankful. Well, please take care of me in the future.”

At that, Son Bin smiled contentedly. But Hwang Bang-ju’s words were not over yet.

“I’ve never been to Tianzhu either.”

“Yes?”

At that question that came out without him knowing, Hwang Bang-ju shrugged as if it were natural.

“When would I have ever been to Tianzhu? I’ve only heard about it. Going there myself is the first time for me too. Ah, but I can communicate to some extent, so don’t worry. And people will do anything when they’re in a pinch.”

Hwang Bang-ju said confidently. But Son Bin had to give an awkward smile because he felt a sense of unease.

Before he knew it, dusk began to fall on the mountain path, and Tianzhu was approaching as quickly as the lowered mountains.

* * *

It was when the mountain path became quite gentle that Seo-rin, who had been half-dozing on the horse, suddenly raised her head.

“I hear children’s voices!”

Thud.

Seo-rin jumped off the horse and disappeared into the bushes.

“Children?”

Son Bin tilted his head and looked at Old Man Roh. Old Man Roh sniffed and frowned.

“I smell something like food too? There must be a village nearby.”

The direction Old Man Roh pointed to was the direction Seo-rin had disappeared.

“Let’s go.”

It was a welcome thing to have a village.

The group urged their horses along the forest path and soon found a shallow stream flowing quietly. And they also saw Seo-rin laughing with the children at the stream.

“Hyung [Korean term for older brother or male friend]!”

Seo-rin waved happily at Son Bin. The little ones who were huddled around were startled by the sudden uninvited guests, but they didn’t run away because Seo-rin greeted them. However, their expressions still looked uneasy.

Son Bin smiled and waved at Seo-rin. He didn’t go near them, thinking that he might startle the children.

“Shall we wait a moment?”

Hwang Bang-ju and Old Man Roh nodded at Son Bin’s words as he watched Seo-rin.

The group got off their horses and lightly washed their hands and faces in the stream.

In the meantime, Seo-rin laughed and played with the children. Even though they couldn’t communicate, they became friends so quickly.

There were about fifteen children in total. There were boys with their shirts off, and there were girls squatting by the stream and playing.

Whether it was the unique clothing of Tianzhu, the boys were only wearing something like cloth roughly wrapped around their waists, and the girls also looked like they were wrapped in faded old cloths.

“They’re about the same age as the Seowon [private educational institution in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty] children.”

Sa Su-yeon said, looking at the children. Son Bin nodded. Except for their dark faces and the fact that they were all thin, they were exactly the same age as the little ones in Seowon.

“I hope they’re all doing well.”

It seemed that Son Bin was not the only one who thought of the Seowon children when he saw the children. At Sa Su-yeon’s words, Son Bin sighed lightly and nodded.

How long had they been there? Seo-rin, who was playing with the children who were now completely relieved, said to Son Bin.

“Hyung! They want us to go to their village!”

The children’s black eyes all looked at Son Bin. At that sight, Son Bin smiled without realizing it and nodded.

“Wow, let’s go!”

When Seo-rin shouted, the children also raised their hands and rejoiced. As soon as the words were over, the children surrounded Seo-rin and began to rush across the stream.

They clearly spoke different languages, but seeing them like that, it seemed that there was something that children could communicate with each other.

“Indeed.”

Hwang Bang-ju nodded with an admiring expression.

“He didn’t give them food or spend money, but he gained the children’s favor so quickly. As expected, you have to be handsome.”

Son Bin gave an awkward smile. He thought that it wasn’t just Seo-rin’s appearance that the children liked, and Hwang Bang-ju, who was saying those words, was also quite handsome.

“Let’s go.”

Old Man Roh, who was snorting next to him, said.

“We need to see what problems there are here. Whether it’s demons or the Demonic Cult.”

At those words, Son Bin was startled. This area was closer to the Gate of the Abyss. If so, the situation would definitely be more serious than in Seojang.

“Yes, let’s go.”

Son Bin got on his horse. Following Seo-rin and the children who had already gone far away, the group headed to the village.

The village looked shabby even from a distance. Most of the houses were made of wood. There were no tall buildings, and some of the houses were old and partially collapsed.

“What’s wrong with this village?”

Old Man Roh frowned. It was certainly difficult to say that the village’s situation was good. The reason why the children were so thin was because this was a very poor village.

As the group entered the village entrance, the surroundings became noisy. Adults wearing faded, shabby Tianzhu clothes ran over with pale faces and embraced the children, stepping back.

It was a clear act of vigilance.

“Ah, it’s okay. We are…”

Son Bin stopped talking as he was about to answer reflexively. It wasn’t because his words wouldn’t be understood.

It was because the woman who was embracing the child was trembling without even looking at Son Bin.

‘Why is she doing that?’

He understood that they were wary of Son Bin. But this was their village. There was no reason to be so afraid.

It was then. A group of people rushed out of the village.

Thud, thud.

The people who were running in a hurry were old men with white hair. There were a few middle-aged people mixed in, but most of them were old men with dark faces full of white beards and wrinkles.

At least they didn’t seem to be coming out to catch uninvited guests, so Son Bin got off his horse first. Hwang Bang-ju also stood next to Son Bin and waited for the people to approach.

“Nice to meet you. We are…”

It was when Hwang Bang-ju put his hands together and greeted them in Tianzhu language with a smile on his face.

Thud.

The old men and middle-aged people who had run over prostrated themselves on the ground. Then, they stammered and continued to say something incomprehensible.

Not only them. The middle-aged woman who was embracing the child also prostrated herself on the ground and lowered her head. All the adults around were putting their foreheads on the ground and couldn’t even lift their heads.

“Oh, what is this…”

Hwang Bang-ju couldn’t hide his embarrassment. Son Bin was the same.

The two slowly turned their heads and looked back. The people whom the old men were trembling and bowing to were not Son Bin, Hwang Bang-ju, or even Old Man Roh.

The target they were paying their respects to without even raising their heads was Dang Wol-ah.

“What did you do?”

Old Man Roh asked as if throwing a stone. Sa Su-yeon and Seo-rin also looked at Dang Wol-ah with puzzled expressions.

Dang Wol-ah, who was covering her face with a veil, didn’t even move. But there was no one who didn’t know that she was uncomfortable. Even through the veil, her uneasy mood was clearly felt.

Son Bin heard the old man with the white beard muttering something while bowing his head.

“What is this person saying?”

Hwang Bang-ju seemed to have finally come to his senses and looked at the old man who was bowing his head on the floor.

“So, what this person is saying now…”

The old man’s voice was hard to understand. It was because he had his forehead on the ground and was stammering and continuing to speak.

Hwang Bang-ju bent down and listened to the old man. Then, he soon frowned.

“…They’re asking to be saved?”

The group’s gaze turned to Dang Wol-ah once again. But soon, everyone had to turn their gaze away.

It was because they couldn’t dare to face her murderous gaze, even if it was through the veil.

Regardless of that atmosphere, Hwang Bang-ju continued to translate while listening to the old man.

“They don’t have any money. They’re barely making a living, so they don’t have any accumulated wealth, and they can’t earn money because they’re of low status, so they can’t offer anything…”

Dang Wol-ah’s uncomfortable mood was gradually increasing its murderousness.

It was natural for her to be treated like a bad person by people she was seeing for the first time, especially old men and children.

But Hwang Bang-ju’s translation was gradually reaching its climax.

“If you take the men away, the villagers will starve to death. And if you take the women away, what will happen to the children? Please, please have mercy…”

“Ahem.”

Son Bin interrupted Hwang Bang-ju’s translation with a cough. Hwang Bang-ju, who had been concentrating on translating while listening to the old man, finally turned to look at Dang Wol-ah and quickly turned his head with a startled expression.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding.”

Son Bin said softly. He had to soothe Dang Wol-ah’s mood first, but also the people who were terrified.

“Wol-ah Sojeo [Korean honorific title for a young lady] is not that kind of person. And please tell them that we are here for the first time.”

Hwang Bang-ju said to the old man in Tianzhu language.

However, the old man couldn’t raise his head. No, all the villagers were the same.

Even the children were now looking at Son Bin’s group with terrified eyes. Looking at those black eyes that seemed like they would burst into tears at any moment, Son Bin sighed deeply without realizing it.

(Author’s words)

The first betrayal and reversal experienced at a young age. This is a bigger shock than finding out that Santa doesn’t exist.

*The rat tail has grown back! It’s still a rat tail (ㅠㅠ), but I’ll still run hard for the month of June.