A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 17

17. Entering Seohan (2)

Clack.

As the window opened, the cool morning air flowed in. Sohn Bin quietly took a breath.

“Haa.”

Sohn Bin’s eyes, having not slept a wink, were bloodshot. Several hours had already passed since the martial arts contest last night, but his heart was still pounding.

Whenever he closed his eyes to sleep, the amazing martial arts contest vividly came to mind, preventing him from sleeping and instead making him want to get up and grab a brush.

After repeating the process of lying down and getting up from the bed several times, Sohn Bin simply gave up on trying to sleep. And so, the dawn arrived.

“Hoo-oo.”

Sohn Bin exhaled a long breath. Then, he turned his head and looked at the table.

Scattered papers filled with writing were messily spread out, and the ink, inkstone, ink container, and various sizes of brushes were all laid out.

These were the results of a sleepless night, but they all felt somewhat lacking.

Rattle.

The fairly long papers made a sound. Each one was densely filled with small writing. Sohn Bin carefully gathered the scattered papers.

‘I should probably bind these separately.’

He didn’t dare to transcribe them into a book again now.

Rattle, rattle.

After carefully checking the contents and arranging them in order, Sohn Bin rolled up the records like a scroll and tied them with a paper string.

Originally, he should have attached the papers one by one or folded them into a book, but since he would reorganize them later anyway, he simply made them easy to store for now.

Holding the scroll in his hand, it felt quite thick.

‘Hmm, what should I write?’

Sohn Bin picked up a brush and thought for a moment. But soon, he lightly wrote on one side of the scroll in small letters.

– Conclusion (決), One (一).

After waiting for the ink to dry for a moment, Sohn Bin packed the scroll into his luggage. Once he had finished that, he finally felt hungry.

‘I wonder if the inn’s cook is already up?’

Feeling the need to fill his stomach, Sohn Bin left his room. Walking a little down the hallway and looking down below the railing, he could see a few guests sitting in the inn’s dining area.

‘Oh, there are people even at this early hour.’

Most of them were people who had to leave early in the morning, and as he shifted his gaze, he noticed the familiar figure of Saja Hyuk among them.

‘Hmph.’

Sohn Bin let out a hollow laugh without realizing it. The few people there were all sitting far away from Saja Hyuk.

Perhaps because he had changed back into his martial arts uniform since yesterday, he was seeing a scene he hadn’t seen in a while.

“Did you sleep well?”

Clack.

Taking a seat in front of him, Sohn Bin greeted him lightly. Saja Hyuk, who had been holding a teacup, didn’t say anything.

The teacup in his hand looked particularly small.

“No.”

Saja Hyuk replied in a heavy voice. Sohn Bin, who was pouring tea into his teacup, paused for a moment.

Clatter.

After putting down the teapot, Sohn Bin gripped his teacup. He had a lot to say, but he didn’t know what to bring up.

“That sword……”

Sohn Bin carefully began to speak.

“Would it be alright if I kept it?”

“He gave it to you, and you received it. Do as you wish.”

“Hmm. But I’m not sure if it’s a sword I can handle……”

“The world.”

Saja Hyuk said, lifting his teacup.

“Does it only give you easy things? Some people are crushed by its weight and collapse, some throw it away. And then there are others.”

Saja Hyuk lightly brought the teacup to his lips.

“Who discover their destiny (天命) [heaven-sent mission] within it.”

“Destiny, huh……”

Sohn Bin smiled bitterly.

How could a sword be destiny for him, who wasn’t even a martial artist? Sohn Bin lifted his teacup. He briefly savored the bitter and fragrant tea that spread across his lips, and then said,

“His swordsmanship was a bit different.”

Sohn Bin said, suddenly thinking of yesterday’s martial arts contest. Certainly, Nodo-sa’s sword yesterday was different.

Rather than directly confronting Saja Hyuk’s attacks, it felt more like he was deflecting them. He himself said he was deflecting them.

“I don’t know much, but……”

“You’re right.”

Saja Hyuk said.

“Reading the opponent’s moves and subtly twisting them or attacking a completely different target is called the technique of ‘Lee Hwa Jeop Mok’ (shifting flowers and grafting trees) [a technique of redirecting an opponent’s force].”

“Lee Hwa Jeop Mok, doesn’t that mean deceiving the opponent?”

In the old story, it referred to sending a beautiful woman pregnant with one’s child to the opponent to continue the lineage.

It means taking a flower and attaching it to another tree, meaning a method of deceiving the opponent with clever tricks.

“When one reaches a certain level, one can even control the opponent’s internal energy as one wishes. Being able to control great power with small force is the Law of Four Liang Deflecting a Thousand Jin (四兩撥千斤) [using minimal force to overcome a much stronger opponent].”

“Then that Nodo-sa’s sword……”

“And.”

Saja Hyuk said, interrupting Sohn Bin.

“Those who have awakened to the ultimate Dao are not biased or shaken by anything. That is the Dao of Taegeuk (太極) [the ultimate principle of the universe], and his sword is precisely.”

Saja Hyuk said.

“A sword containing the wisdom of that Taegeuk.”

‘The wisdom of Taegeuk……’

Sohn Bin murmured inwardly. Saja Hyuk called it a sword containing the wisdom of Taegeuk, but he didn’t really know what that meant.

However, he could clearly understand the weight of those words. And Saja Hyuk’s heart as well.

“Is he, dead?”

Sohn Bin asked.

“Yes.”

Saja Hyuk replied quietly.

“He won’t have any regrets.”

Saja Hyuk’s gaze was directed far away.

“Because he finally obtained what he so desired.”

Sohn Bin recalled Saja Hyuk stopping and watching the empty lot for a while when they came down from there last night. Saja Hyuk’s gaze was the same as it was then.

“Let’s go.”

Thud.

Saja Hyuk suddenly got up from his seat and said.

“I don’t like this place.”

“Hoo.”

Sohn Bin let out a soft sigh. And looking at Saja Hyuk, he said,

“Can’t we eat breakfast before we go?”

Saja Hyuk looked at Sohn Bin.

“You’re surprisingly attached to eating.”

“A full stomach makes for a full heart.”

Saja Hyuk chuckled.

“That’s true too.”

Saja Hyuk sat down and gestured to the waiter. After eating a simple breakfast, Sohn Bin and Saja Hyuk packed their luggage and boarded a carriage leaving Seongdo.

The sky, which had been gloomy all morning, finally began to pour down rain as the carriage passed through the walls of Seongdo.

Swish.

Clatter, clatter.

Listening to the sound of the rain hitting the carriage’s shutters, the two left Sichuan without saying a word.

∴

The carriage, which had traveled for several days, arrived in Seohan, the capital of Shaanxi Province.

Leaving behind the exotic scenery and traveling across the wide plains, the fortress revealed its magnificent appearance. It was Seohan, the capital of numerous dynasties in the past and a city filled with countless stories and legends.

The atmosphere of Seohan was distinctly different from that of the Sichuan region. Even the weather was different, and compared to the humid Sichuan, it felt much better.

Moreover, the wide avenues of Seohan, stretching out in an admirable manner, made the city look even larger and more majestic.

The two got off the carriage in a quiet area slightly away from the bustling streets. It was a place where green trees and low, long walls were more visible than ornate and tall pavilions.

The antique black roofs and elegant but well-maintained residences indicated that this was a high-end residential area. Saja Hyuk stopped in front of a particularly old and antique residence with a long wall.

As Saja Hyuk and Sohn Bin approached, an old servant with white hair, who was sweeping in front of the residence’s entrance, stopped sweeping and looked up. Saja Hyuk asked the old servant.

“Who is the current young master (少主) [young leader]?”

The old servant with a head full of white hair looked at Saja Hyuk with a gentle expression. After looking into Saja Hyuk’s eyes for a moment, he soon smiled and replied.

“It is Lady Nanhyang.”

“Nanhyang, huh.”

Saja Hyuk gave a bitter smile.

“That child has become the young master? What about Hwawol?”

The old servant didn’t answer Saja Hyuk’s words and lowered his head.

“Please come in. I will inform the young master.”

The old servant’s actions were polite and dignified. One couldn’t think of him as just an old servant sweeping the yard.

“Let’s go in.”

Saja Hyuk said. Sohn Bin, who had been admiring the old servant’s attitude, nodded absentmindedly. And following Saja Hyuk, he stepped into the not-so-large entrance.

The old servant led the two to a garden-like area located inside the residence. It wasn’t very large, but it was so well-maintained that exclamations came out naturally.

“Oh.”

Sohn Bin exclaimed.

Tall trees surrounded one side of the garden like a screen, and small trees and flowers were neatly arranged below them.

Strangely shaped garden stones and delicate small sculptures decorated various places without being too obvious, and on one side of the garden, there was a small lake and a stream of flowing water.

For a moment, one would forget that this was in the middle of the large city of Seohan.

“Please come this way.”

The old servant led the two to an antique small pavilion (亭子) [a traditional Korean gazebo] on one side of the garden.

A signboard with the name “Swaeokjeong (碎玉亭) [Jade Fragment Pavilion]” was attached, and a small, round stone table and several small, round stone chairs were neatly placed.

Neatly woven bamboo cushions were placed on each chair.

‘A good place.’

Swish.

Sohn Bin thought so without realizing it, and the atmosphere of the garden as seen from Swaeokjeong was good. When the wind blew, the trees swayed slightly, looking like waves.

The falling petals and the sound of flowing water also seemed to cool the heat. It felt like stepping into another world.

“Please wait a moment.”

After the old servant who had guided the two bowed his head and disappeared, a young maid came out and brought tea with rising fragrance. The maid’s appearance was also elegant.

Her natural appearance, neither excessive nor forced, made her look more like a young lady from a good family than a maid.

‘Hmm. Good.’

Sohn Bin savored the fragrance rising from the teacup. The subtle fragrance that seemed to envelop his whole body seemed to naturally relieve his tension.

Dingle.

A small bell sound suddenly caught Sohn Bin’s attention. When Sohn Bin turned around, a beautifully dressed (盛粧) [lavishly adorned] woman was just entering the garden entrance.

Her ornate clothes were made of deep blue silk with silver thread embroidery, and several jade hairpins shone in her black hair, which was twisted up, and the small jade beads attached to the ends of the hairpins shook and sparkled whenever she moved.

The word “beautifully dressed (盛粧) [lavishly adorned],” which means to decorate splendidly, was a perfect fit for the beautiful woman.

Sapak, sapak.

The small jade beads shook whenever she moved.

She, who seemed more suited to the imperial palace, came to Swaeokjeong and quietly lowered her body to pay her respects. Her long eyebrows, slightly lowered, were trembling slightly.

“I greet the honored guests.”

“Such formalities are unnecessary.”

Sohn Bin turned around at Saja Hyuk’s indifferent voice. Unlike Sohn Bin, who had been captivated by the beautiful woman from the beginning, Saja Hyuk was simply lifting his teacup and speaking without even looking at her.

“What about Hwawol?”

The beautiful woman, who quietly raised her body, smiled slightly. The red corners of her lips drew a soft curve.

“As time passes, even the moon flows away.”

Only then did Saja Hyuk turn his head and look at the beautiful woman.

“Hwawol was skilled in the geomungo (琴, Korean zither) [a traditional Korean stringed instrument].”

“I dare not compare myself to the former Hwawol Young Master, but I am not ashamed of my skills.”

“Is that so?”

Saja Hyuk suddenly looked at Sohn Bin and said.

“This is Sohn Bin. He is my companion.”

The beautiful woman lowered her body towards Sohn Bin and politely paid her respects again.

“I am called Nanhyang.”

Sohn Bin stood up without realizing it and clasped his hands together to show his respect.

“I, I am Sohn Bin.”

The beautiful woman, who identified herself as Nanhyang, gave Sohn Bin a small smile. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Sohn Bin cleared his throat and quietly sat down.

Rustle.

Nanhyang stood up in an elegant posture and sat on the stone chair. Then, as if waiting, a maid came in with food. Sohn Bin saw dishes he had never seen before placed on the not-so-large table.

“I thought you might be before your meal, so I prepared something simple.”

Certainly, there wasn’t a large amount. But it wasn’t light enough to be prepared simply. The carefully decorated, luxurious-looking dishes were served in antique tableware, stimulating the appetite.

“We happened to receive some good Noju (老酒, aged liquor) [a type of traditional Korean rice wine] yesterday.”

“Liquor is unnecessary.”

Saja Hyuk said. Even the good food didn’t attract his attention, and he was just sitting quietly, holding his teacup and savoring the fragrance.

However, Sohn Bin was extremely awkward. He didn’t know where he was, and he didn’t know who the beautiful woman named Nanhyang in front of him was, so he couldn’t feel comfortable.

“Many people are looking for it.”

“That is irrelevant to me.”

Saja Hyuk replied in a blunt tone.

“You haven’t changed.”

Nanhyang smiled slightly.

“How have you been?”

“That.”

Saja Hyuk said.

“Have that friend listen to it later.”

Nanhyang’s gaze followed Saja Hyuk and turned to Sohn Bin.

‘Me?’

Sohn Bin was flustered.

‘No, what have I told you?’

“Because he is the one who watches me and records me.”

In an instant, curiosity arose in Nanhyang’s eyes.

“Watches and records?”

“Yes.”

Saja Hyuk replied.

“He is the only person who has been allowed to watch my training in the Hyeoncheon Martial Arts.”

This time, surprise filled Nanhyang’s eyes.

“Is that true?”

Her question was directed at Sohn Bin.

“Ah, yes.”

Sohn Bin nodded. Nanhyang asked Sohn Bin with a cautious look.

“Excuse me, but perhaps……”

“He does not belong to the Murim Association.”

It was Saja Hyuk who answered.

“He is neither my disciple nor does he have any blood ties or grudges with me. He is the person you see.”

“Then what kind of……”

“Didn’t I say?”

Saja Hyuk lifted his teacup.

“He is my companion.”