Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 30

030. Azure Dragon Sword Master of the Extraterrestrial Sanctuary

“Hoo-ooo.”

Yunhyun took a deep breath and put down his brush.

As if a dam had burst, he had wielded his brush, and before he knew it, he had written a lengthy letter spanning over ten pages.

Perhaps because he hadn’t written a report in a while, the sentences that had accumulated in his head seemed to have seized the opportunity to burst forth.

“Now, then, for the signature……”

Yunhyun paused, about to sign his name out of habit.

Come to think of it, he had decided not to reveal his name.

However, sending it as is would also be extremely rude; no matter how he thought about it, he felt he had to sign something.

‘Should I just sign it as Azure Dragon Scholar?’

Yunhyun hesitated.

‘But if I sign as a scholar, they will surely take it lightly……’

No matter how convincing the content might be, if the signature read ‘Azure Dragon Scholar,’ they would surely scoff.

He could almost hear them sneering, ‘What does a scholar know about swordsmanship?’

Yunhyun pondered for a moment. But not for long.

Swish, swish.

Yunhyun’s brush began to dance effortlessly.

“Cast alone in this Forbidden City, a place above the heavens……”

Flick.

“As a scholar of the Azure Dragon Hall, yet destined to wield the sword according to my sworn brother’s will……”

Thud.

After drawing the final stroke, Yunhyun put down his brush.

“Who else could this be but me?”

Yunhyun smiled as he gazed at the signature, clearly written in an elegant script.

“Azure Dragon Sword Master of the Extraterrestrial Sanctuary……”

Living in this Forbidden City, far removed from the mundane world, the term ‘Extraterrestrial Sanctuary’ wasn’t entirely wrong. And since his sworn brother, Ilchungyun, had told him to become a sword master, it couldn’t be said that this didn’t refer to Yunhyun.

“The nuance is surprisingly good.”

Yunhyun, who had been looking at his signature, suddenly raised his head and looked out the window.

‘Oh, my……’

Yunhyun frowned slightly.

In the meantime, the night had deepened, and it was long past the time to retire to his chambers.

However, he couldn’t just leave the letter as it was and go to bed.

“For a literary man, revision is a natural duty. How can one carelessly release a piece of writing that hasn’t been refined?”

Yunhyun straightened the scattered papers and began to reread them.

Lost in the sentences, Yunhyun’s mind no longer registered the fact that it was long past his bedtime.

***

“Hey, Eunuch Park!”

Eunuch Park Gyu stopped at the sound of someone calling him.

A scholar dressed in official attire was hurrying towards him from the other side.

“Oh, my, Scholar Yun.”

Waiting for Yunhyun to approach, Eunuch Park bowed deeply.

Yunhyun also bowed in response to his greeting.

“What brings you here, Scholar Yun? To seek me out like this……”

Eunuch Park tilted his head and said.

Since Yunhyun had called him not at the Munyeongak [a library or hall in the palace], it was clear that he had been waiting for him.

“Ah, well. There’s something I wanted to ask of Eunuch Park……”

Yunhyun said to Eunuch Park with a slightly flushed expression.

“Could you possibly deliver a letter outside the Forbidden City?”

Eunuch Park Gyu tilted his head.

“If it’s just a letter, it’s not as if there’s no one else to ask……”

At Eunuch Park’s words, Yunhyun’s face lit up.

He had thought that Eunuch Park was the only one he could ask, and it seemed his guess was correct.

“Well, then……”

Yunhyun carefully took something out from among the books he was holding.

A letter tied with a beautifully colored string came into Eunuch Park’s view.

Yunhyun held out the letter to Eunuch Park.

“Could you leave this letter at a courier company? It doesn’t matter which one……”

Eunuch Park Gyu stared at the letter Yunhyun held out.

If it were an official letter, there would be no reason to ask him, so it was clearly a personal letter.

A mischievous smile quickly spread across Eunuch Park’s lips.

“Oh-ho, Scholar Yun. What’s this sudden love letter?”

At Eunuch Park’s words about a love letter, Yunhyun’s face turned red at once.

Yunhyun hurriedly waved his hands.

“L, love letter! Don’t say such things. I’m just trying to send greetings to someone I know……”

“Heh-heh-heh, just kidding, just kidding.”

Thud.

Lest Yunhyun change his mind, Eunuch Park quickly snatched the letter from his hand.

“This is quite a sincere letter, isn’t it?”

Turning the letter, which was neatly wrapped in several layers, this way and that, Eunuch Park continued with a playful expression.

“Which young lady is so fortunate, ho-ho-ho.”

“T, that’s not it……. Oh, right.”

Yunhyun rummaged through his clothes and took out a small pouch.

“Th, this is……”

“What’s that again? Are you sending it together?”

At Eunuch Park’s question, Yunhyun said shyly.

“I don’t know how much it costs to leave a letter at a courier company, so I have some silver here……”

Even at a glance, the pouch didn’t seem very light.

Eunuch Park, who had been looking down at the pouch of silver Yunhyun held out, smiled.

“Heh-heh, how can you take out a pouch of silver so easily for just one letter? You’ll be broke in no time, you know?”

However, Yunhyun shook his head.

“No, it’s not like that. I think I’ll be asking you for this favor several more times in the future, so I thought it would be better to leave it with you now, rather than bother you each time. You can keep this and use it to send the letters.”

The reason Yunhyun used the word ‘future’ was because of a thought he had while organizing the letters this morning.

While organizing the letters to send to the Moryong family, the names of several other people flashed through Yunhyun’s mind besides Moryong Dancheon.

They were either experts he had become subtly fond of while reviewing the storytellers’ martial arts records, or people who had unfortunately lost in the martial arts competitions.

Even though Yunhyun didn’t know much about them, he naturally felt their true worth when he heard about their swordsmanship or martial arts competitions.

It was only natural that their names came to Yunhyun’s mind as he was organizing the letters to send to the Moryong family.

Of course, he hadn’t made a decision yet, but there was a high probability that he would send them.

That’s why Yunhyun told Eunuch Park that he would probably be asking for his help several more times in the future.

“Well, if you insist……”

Eunuch Park stared intently into Yunhyun’s eyes, then smiled and accepted the small pouch.

Clink.

“There’s no reason to refuse, ho-ho-ho.”

As Eunuch Park accepted the pouch of silver, Yunhyun finally looked relieved.

“Thank you. Then, please take care of it.”

“Yes, don’t worry, ho-ho-ho.”

Eunuch Park covered his mouth and laughed.

“Then, I’ll be on my way. See you later.”

Before he knew it, Yunhyun was saying goodbye to Eunuch Park and hurrying towards the Geumuiwi [Royal Guard] training ground.

“Yes. Take care, Scholar Yun.”

Eunuch Park bowed, but Yunhyun waved his hand and quickened his pace towards the Geumuiwi training ground.

Watching his gradually receding figure, Eunuch Park subtly fiddled with the pouch in his hand.

Clink.

The sound of silver rang out softly.

For eunuchs with no one to rely on, the only things they can trust are money and power.

Therefore, eunuchs never refuse money that is given to them. No, they rack their brains to get it by any means possible.

So, it was highly unusual for Eunuch Park to refuse Yunhyun’s pouch of silver earlier.

However, the reason Eunuch Park ultimately accepted Yunhyun’s pouch of silver was not because he was greedy for money.

“Pfft. A poor scholar’s pouch of silver……. The day will come when I return it.”

Tucking the small pouch of silver into his arms, Eunuch Park glanced at the sky.

Whoosh.

The wind blew, fluttering Eunuch Park’s clothes. He frowned.

“Sigh, there’s never a quiet day, never a quiet day.”

Muttering to himself, Eunuch Park shrugged his shoulders and hurried away.

The small figure of Eunuch Park quickly disappeared among the magnificent palaces of the Forbidden City.

***

The morning at the Moryong family was quiet.

Warm sunlight was shining on the antique buildings, but within the family estate, there was no movement of people, nor the sound of warriors training.

Rustle.

A slender woman appeared among the tranquil buildings of the Moryong family.

Her steps, with a sense of discipline in each soft stride, belonged to none other than Moryong Mi, the granddaughter of the Moryong family.

Rustle, rustle.

Crossing the silent estate, Moryong Mi let out a small sigh.

‘Hoo.’

It wasn’t like this before.

By now, it would have been bustling with the comings and goings of busy servants and the shouts of disciples, filling the surroundings with energy.

But now, the entire Moryong family was as quiet as if there wasn’t a single person around.

It was an unfamiliar morning for Moryong Mi, but it was a scene she had already grown accustomed to.

‘It’s understandable, though.’

It’s not that there were no people in the family. But everyone was being cautious.

In the current atmosphere of the family, who wouldn’t be watching their every move?

Moryong Mi didn’t blame those servants or disciples.

Creak.

Passing through a small gate, Moryong Mi arrived at the small pavilion where the family head, Moryong Dancheon, resided.

This Manhyujeong [pavilion name], like its name meaning ‘leisurely rest,’ was where the previous family head stayed and spent his remaining years.

But now, it had become the residence of the current family head of the Moryong family, Gwanilgeom Moryong Dancheon.

It was because he had secluded himself here after losing the martial arts competition against the family head of the Cheolga family, Cheol Muwoong.

The meaning was clear. He didn’t want to meet anyone.

However, the current situation of the family was not something that could be resolved by the family head’s seclusion.

“Young Mistress, you’ve arrived?”

There was someone who had arrived at Manhyujeong earlier.

A gray-haired old man bowed politely to Moryong Mi.

Moryong Mi also bowed her head in return.

“Hello, Chief Manager.”

The person who greeted Moryong Mi was Chief Manager Sim, who was in charge of the family’s affairs.

Moryong Mi naturally spoke respectfully to the elderly Chief Manager Sim, who had worked for the family his entire life.

“How is Grandfather?”

In fact, there was no need to ask. Judging from Chief Manager Sim’s troubled expression, it was clear that Moryong Dancheon had refused to meet her again today.

The elderly Chief Manager Sim lowered his head and answered cautiously.

“He seems to be awake, but……”

Chief Manager Sim trailed off.

Even Chief Manager Sim, who was like family, had been turned away by the family head, Moryong Dancheon.

The only people who could meet the family head, Moryong Dancheon, were his granddaughters, Moryong Mi and Moryong Sang-a.

Moryong Mi nodded.

“I understand.”

“Ah, and a letter has arrived for the family head.”

Chief Manager Sim lowered his head and took out a small letter from his chest.

“It arrived late last night from the courier company.”

As Moryong Mi received the letter that Chief Manager Sim held out, she frowned slightly.

“It doesn’t say who sent it. Was there no separate message?”

“No, there wasn’t.”

Moryong Mi carefully examined the letter.

The letter, tied with a fancy string on good paper, looked quite luxurious at a glance.

However, nowhere on the letter was the name or family name of the sender written.

‘Hmm.’

Moryong Mi hesitated for a moment.

After the family head lost the martial arts competition, a flood of letters had poured in for a while.

Most of them were letters conveying comfort and encouragement, but sometimes there were also trash-like letters filled with curses and insults.

And those letters invariably did not reveal their names.

‘Is this all that the Moryong family’s generations of good deeds amount to?’

Even though it was only a portion of the letters, it was only natural that she felt a sense of disillusionment and great disappointment.

Now, letters themselves had become rare, but as Moryong Mi still vividly remembered that painful memory, she couldn’t help but hesitate to deliver this letter to the family head.

“I’ll deliver this myself. Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

“No, there isn’t.”

It was Moryong Mi who was currently playing the role of the de facto family head of the Moryong family.

Of course, it was also possible because of the help of Chief Manager Sim, who knew the family’s affairs like the back of his hand, but Moryong Mi, who was intelligent and discerning, excellently handled the important affairs of the family.

The fact that the family had not collapsed at once despite losing hegemony in Honam [a region in Korea] and the family head’s seclusion was thanks to the deep-rooted strength of the traditional family, as well as Moryong Mi becoming an unwavering central axis.

However, there was no way Moryong Mi could fill the family head’s vacancy entirely.

Moryong Dancheon’s return was an urgent situation.

“Then, I’ll be on my way, Young Mistress.”

As Chief Manager Sim bowed his head and greeted her, Moryong Mi finally lifted her gaze from the letter.

“Ah, how is Brother Moryong Jin?”

The Chief Manager shook his head with a dark face.

“The Head Disciple is still the same.”

“I see……”

A slight shadow also fell on Moryong Mi’s face.