A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 490

490. Unfamiliar Visitors

The lord of the Potala Palace, the master of young Bodhicitta, couldn’t stay with the Tang Clan for long. He could only spend a single day with Son Bin. He had traveled the treacherous Great Snow Mountains for that one day, showing how deeply he cared for Son Bin. Tang Hwa-ryun, the Tang Clan’s chief military strategist, brought out fragrant tea, and Son Bin spent time talking with the young lord and the Potala Princess. It was a meeting of only three people, without the Immovable Wisdom King, the Passionate Wisdom King, or even Tang Hwa-ryun. Son Bin recounted his experiences since leaving Seohae, including the events in Cheonchuk [ancient Indian kingdom] and Persia, and even at the ‘end of the world’ as foretold by the Living Buddha.

“…So that’s what happened.”

The master of young Bodhicitta nodded calmly, neither surprised nor doubtful. He spoke as if it were natural.

“There’s always an unseen side to the world. Now that I think about it, how is your land? Their roots must have remained there as well.”

The young lord’s point was astute. Son Bin nodded.

“There were problems, as you said, but fortunately, I resolved them well. Things should be alright for a while.”

He couldn’t say it was over, but he was satisfied that ‘for a while’ was longer than he’d expected. Son Bin didn’t mention the ‘something’ in Gongson Geuk’s abyss. The only one who could understand it was probably the ‘Living Buddha’ hidden in the Seohae Valley.

“You’ve worked hard,” the young lord said with a smile. “Since you’ve closed the gates of Naraka [Buddhist hell], all life in this world owes you a debt.”

Son Bin gave an awkward smile. Suddenly, the world? It felt like a tremendous overstatement and even embarrassing.

“That’s too much for me,” Son Bin said, declining with a smile. But the master of young Bodhicitta maintained his gentle smile. The faint golden light in his eyes made Son Bin feel at ease.

“You’ve gotten better.”

At Son Bin’s words, the young lord’s eyes twinkled.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Your gaze is truly warm now.”

The young lord openly rejoiced. “I thought you would recognize it.”

Even the high monks of Seohae’s esoteric Buddhism hadn’t noticed the change in the young lord—the golden light that lingered in his eyes even when he wasn’t using his power.

“As expected, you are the incarnation of Gandharva [celestial musician], the Great Protector, and the only friend who recognizes me.”

The young lord’s words still embarrassed Son Bin, but the sincerity warmed his chest.

Son Bin turned to the Potala Princess, who was sitting quietly, always smiling and listening attentively to the conversation.

“Have you been well?”

The Potala Princess smiled gently. “Yes, very well. There are still many suffering people I must care for…”

She was a lotus blooming in the sea, a companion to all suffering beings. Her efforts would likely never cease.

“But I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am these days,” she said, gathering her hands on her chest. Her expression was so happy that Son Bin smiled without realizing it.

“It’s all thanks to Young Master Son.”

Her calling Son Bin ‘Young Master Son’ instead of Great Protector showed her sincere feelings, separate from her official position.

“I am grateful as well,” Son Bin said sincerely. Without them, could he have quelled the chaos in Seohae? Even if he had, could he have felt such a rewarding sense of accomplishment?

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Son Bin said, his voice slightly trembling. The master of young Bodhicitta and the Potala Princess responded with not just smiles, but warm affection.

***

Son Bin introduced the Seowon group to the young lord, the Potala Princess, the Immovable Wisdom King, and the Passionate Wisdom King. No-gun, Seo-rin, Sa Su-yeon, and Tang Wul-ah were delighted to see them again after so long. Huk-ryun Se-hwa, Hwa-sa, Princess Kyung-hee, and Sarasvati also showed interest in the guests from Seohae, their eyes shining.

However, the children of Seowon were the happiest. They immediately surrounded the young lord, bombarding him with questions.

“Where are you from?”

“Your head is shaved, aren’t you cold?”

“Cute.”

A-oh, the youngest, said the young lord was cute. Son Bin, about to stop the children, paused when he saw the smile on the young lord’s lips. The young lord, on the contrary, answered the children, his eyes sparkling.

“I am the lord of the Potala Palace and the master of all Bodhicitta. Are you the ones who learn from my friend?”

The young lord’s words still sounded somewhat stilted, probably because he learned the language from books.

“Wow! He said something difficult!”

“He must be smart!”

“I, I can say that much too!”

Ho-doo unnecessarily burned with competitiveness at the children’s admiration. And the young lord wasn’t the only one surrounded by children.

“…Red.”

Jang-ah, who was always dozing off, looked up at the Immovable Wisdom King and said. The Immovable Wisdom King had a red beard, hair, and even eyebrows, so it was understandable that Jang-ah would say that.

Swish.

The large Immovable Wisdom King looked down at Jang-ah with his unique expressionless face. Just being stared at was enough to feel pressure, but Jang-ah, familiar with large figures through the former Sword Demon Huk-ryun-wi, fearlessly reached out and stroked the Immovable Wisdom King’s red robe, muttering, “…All red.”

The sight of the small Jang-ah standing next to the giant Immovable Wisdom King was enough to bring laughter. However, Son Bin cleared his throat and turned his head, thinking it would be rude to laugh. He saw the Passionate Wisdom King cheerfully talking to the women.

“So, I went to see him that night, you see?”

The Passionate Wisdom King, showing off her provocative charm, mixed the local language with that of Seohae. Sa Su-yeon and Tang Wul-ah, as well as Huk-ryun Se-hwa, Old Madam Tang Un-young, Princess Kyung-hee, and Sarasvati, listened with great interest. Even Hwa-sa, initially wary, was captivated. Tang Hwa-ryun, who had always exuded coldness, listened with shining eyes. The Potala Princess even translated for her.

‘Hmm.’

Son Bin suddenly felt worried. It was just a guess, but he had a feeling she was talking about him, especially with the Passionate Wisdom King’s occasional glances in his direction.

‘But I can’t interfere.’

That side clearly exuded an atmosphere of ‘women’s talk.’ It was impossible to interfere, and even listening secretly was unbecoming of a scholar.

Click.

Someone tugged at Son Bin’s sleeve. He looked down. So-so was looking up at him with a dissatisfied expression.

“Teacher, are these pretty sisters all your friends?”

It was a natural question. Not only the Passionate Wisdom King but also the Potala Princess were beautiful. And Nan-hyang, in the Ye Garden of Seo-an, was also quite lovely.

Rustle.

Son Bin knelt, looked at So-so, and smiled gently. “Oh, yes, they are all very pretty. But if you look closely, there are more men.”

He continued seriously, “And So-so, to become friends, it doesn’t matter whether they are men or women.”

That was Son Bin’s carefully prepared finishing blow, but So-so wasn’t convinced. She pouted and said, “But my sister said that women and men can’t be friends?”

‘Ugh.’

Son Bin was caught off guard. That was probably what So-so’s sister, Eun Cho-bin, the young lady of Eunpyo Security Agency, had said. It was something a young lady might say, but there was no way to explain it to the young So-so, and it was difficult to refute.

“Ah, that’s…”

Son Bin stammered. At So-so’s dissatisfied expression, he finally said, “…Hey, shall we go eat something delicious?”

“Yes!”

So-so quickly smiled brightly. But Son Bin’s expression wasn’t so bright. An ominous premonition that he wouldn’t be able to get away with this for long cast a shadow over his heart.

***

The master of young Bodhicitta and the Potala Princess, as well as the Immovable Wisdom King and the Passionate Wisdom King, left for Seohae the next day. The Passionate Wisdom King and the women, including Tang Hwa-ryun and even the Potala Princess, stayed up all night talking. Son Bin decided not to think about what was said.

After the group from Seohae left, Son Bin’s group enjoyed the exotic scenery of Szechuan with the children. The children were excited about the different clothes and food, and the adults were also delighted.

Soon, the day came for Son Bin’s group to leave the Tang Clan.

“Will it be alright?”

Sa Su-yeon, holding a teacup, asked worriedly. Son Bin nodded.

“It’s alright. He’s a bit unique, but he’s not without discernment.”

Still, Sa Su-yeon couldn’t shake off her concern. “But he’s Ok-ryong [Jade Dragon]. It’s not a good idea to visit him with the children…”

She trailed off, but her worry was understandable. Son Bin was unusually lenient towards the young Ok-ryong, even suggesting they go together, saying it was an opportunity to show the children Yunnan. He seemed to feel a sense of familiarity.

“Then shall we ask him?”

No-gun suddenly interjected. Son Bin looked at him, wondering what he meant, and No-gun chuckled. “To the person who knows that guy best.”

No-gun raised his head, looking at the roof of the pavilion where there was nothing.

“Are you there?”

Whirr.

With a low sound, Sword Hee appeared. No one was surprised. Princess Kyung-hee and Sarasvati didn’t find it strange, and Hwa-sa, who liked Sword Hee, just waved. Son Bin was a little puzzled, as it was the first time he’d seen Sword Hee in a long time. He didn’t know that Sword Hee had also stayed up all night with the women. No-gun asked Sword Hee,

“I’m thinking of going to see the young Ok-ryong with the children, what do you think?”

“It’s okay.”

The answer was simple, without hesitation or thought. And the reason was soon revealed.

“I’ll protect them.”

“It’s okay,” Tang Wul-ah said in a low voice from behind. “Me, Hwa-sa, and everyone else are here too. No one can touch the children.”

Sa Su-yeon sighed slightly at Tang Wul-ah’s words.

“Yes, that’s right,” she said with a smile. “Then shall we all go?”

With those words, the next destination was decided. Son Bin’s group and the children left Szechuan and headed for Yunnan.

***

The young Ok-ryong, sitting in a splendid chair, looked uncomfortable. When Son Bin came to visit, he told them to let him in, but then a bunch of small children came along. Moreover, there were unfamiliar faces like Sarasvati. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation.

Swish.

The young Ok-ryong nervously unfolded his jade fan and glared at Son Bin, his eyes full of annoyance.

“What is this all about? Do you think the Blood Dragon Gate is some kind of playground for children? Why did you bring all the Seowon children with you?”

The young Ok-ryong knew who the children were. Although he had been chased away by the former Ok-ryong, he had gone to Son Bin’s Seowon with Han-wol.

“How did you know you brought them all?” No-gun asked casually. The young Ok-ryong’s brow furrowed. He replied curtly, “I saw them then. I already know how many Seowon children there are.”

He didn’t say it, but the intelligent young Ok-ryong knew all the children’s names and ages. The children, looking around the unfamiliar place, finally recognized the young Ok-ryong, who was covering his face with a fan.

“Ah! It’s the cool older brother who came then,” So-so said, pointing at the young Ok-ryong. His painted eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh! Really!”

“That’s right, it’s that brother!”

“But why is he covering his face?”

When the young Ok-ryong was in Seowon, Ok-seon had been taken away from the former Ok-ryong. It was natural for the children, who had always seen his handsome face, to find it strange.

“Hmph.”

Swish.

The young Ok-ryong snorted instead of answering and put away Ok-seon. He looked at Hwa-sa, who was standing calmly among Son Bin’s group.

“I know you hate the former one, but you’ve come all the way here.”

Hwa-sa hated the former Ok-ryong terribly. It was a natural question for the young Ok-ryong, who knew that well. But Hwa-sa snorted, puffed out her chest, and said confidently, “What I hate is ‘that Ok-ryong.’ It has nothing to do with you.”

The young Ok-ryong couldn’t hide his surprise. In the martial world, where enemies hold grudges against the disciples and families of their enemies, Hwa-sa’s words were unexpected.

“You’re soft,” the young Ok-ryong said mockingly, but it wasn’t a true mockery. “But it’s not wrong. Certainly, I am…”

“What’s ‘that Ok-ryong’?” Aeng-aeng asked So-so in a small voice, lowering it as much as she could, but the young Ok-ryong couldn’t help but hear.

“I don’t know either,” So-so answered as if whispering. The young Ok-ryong frowned and turned to his subordinate, Han-wol.

“Han-wol.”

Han-wol, who had been standing silently, immediately knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

Thud.

“Han-wol will obey Ok-ryong’s command,” Han-wol said resolutely. The young Ok-ryong continued in an unpleasant voice, “I can’t have a conversation because of these noisy children. Take them away right now, somewhere they’ll like.”

Han-wol was momentarily flustered. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the young Ok-ryong’s words.

“…Where would be a place the children would like…”

It was rare for him to ask back, but how would Han-wol, who had lived as a warrior of the Blood Dragon Gate all his life, know a place that children would like?

However, the young Ok-ryong frowned. “If I knew that, would I be giving you an order?”

That was true, but the problem was that Han-wol didn’t know any places that children would like. Just as Han-wol was about to muster the courage to say something again,

“I like delicious places!”

“Places that do acrobatics too!”

The children said energetically. The acrobatics came from the impressive performance they saw in Szechuan.

“Did you hear that?” the young Ok-ryong said to Han-wol with cold eyes. Han-wol immediately lowered his head.

“Understood!”

It was a more than resolute answer, but the children whispered to each other at the unfamiliar word ‘understood.’

“What did that uncle just say?”

“Understood? What’s understood?”

“This place is strange.”

At those words, the young Ok-ryong’s eyes narrowed again, but the children’s whispering didn’t stop.

“Whispering in front of people.”

The children fell silent at once at the sharp voice of the young Ok-ryong. He looked down at them and said with stern eyes, “Where did you learn such habits? Is that all you learned at Seowon?”

The young Ok-ryong’s eyes were cold. The children’s necks shrank and their shoulders hunched. His cold voice continued, “This is not a place for you to be. Get out of here. Follow Han-wol to a place that little kids like you would like.”

The children blinked, wondering what this situation was. They seemed to be getting scolded, but the result didn’t seem so bad.

“Oh, then…”

Just as the children were murmuring, Aeng-aeng said absentmindedly, “…He’s a good older brother.”

Aeng-aeng’s clear voice was clearly heard in the main hall. Son Bin quickly stepped forward when he saw the young Ok-ryong’s eyebrows twitching.

“Okay, kids,” Son Bin said to them. If he just left them alone, he thought the young Ok-ryong really wouldn’t stand still. “Go and play with that uncle. Listen to the uncle, and don’t touch anything. Got it?”

“Yes!”

The children answered as if singing in unison. Son Bin was pleased, but the young Ok-ryong frowned and unfolded Ok-seon to cover his face. Han-wol’s expression, who had suddenly become ‘uncle,’ was somehow complicated as well.

Swish.

Han-wol bowed to the young Ok-ryong and then got up and left the main hall. The children also followed Han-wol out of the main hall, huddled together.

“I’m going too,” Shin-ui said, turning his body. Shin-ui had no interest in the Blood Dragon Gate or the young Ok-ryong.

“I’ll go too,” Sa Su-yeon followed, worried about the children. Tang Wul-ah, Huk-ryun Se-hwa, and Old Madam Tang Un-young were the same.

“Oh, if it’s a fun place, I too…”

“I’m going too!” Seo-rin and even Hwa-sa left. Princess Kyung-hee and Sarasvati left their seats naturally without even saying a word.

The only people left were No-gun, Son Bin, and the young Ok-ryong with an unpleasant expression, covering his face with Ok-seon.

“Hmph,” the young Ok-ryong snorted. “It’s quiet now. Then…”

“I should go too,” No-gun said, shrugging his shoulders. “These days, Young-mae told me to pay some attention to her.”

With those words, No-gun strode out of the main hall, following the group. The young Ok-ryong frowned, and Son Bin said, “I’m sorry,” bowing politely and sincerely.

The young Ok-ryong snorted. “Hmph, this much is not a big deal…”

However, Son Bin’s words weren’t over yet. “I guess I should go too. I’ll just check if the children are doing well and come back soon.”

With those words, Son Bin quickly turned and followed the others, lest he miss them.

The young Ok-ryong, left alone, frowned behind the jade fan, but the person he was annoyed with was no longer in the main hall.

(Author’s words) Young Ok-ryong: Hmph! They all run away at my one word!