A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 219

219. Reunion Under the Broken Moon

A small garden, alive with birdsong and blooming flowers. A young nobleman sat leaning against a large tree.

Enthroned in the verdant shade, he languidly waved a fan, the simple gesture as graceful as a painting.

“Is that Hanwol?”

The nobleman, the young Okryong, asked in a low voice.

“Yes.”

Hanwol, the supreme master of the Blood Dragon Gate, knelt before him quietly, head bowed.

“What is it?”

The young Okryong inquired with a languid tone, his gaze still fixed on the garden.

“The heads of the sects and halls within the Blood Peak Alliance, belonging to the Demonic Faction coalition, were attacked last night.”

“Attacked?”

The young Okryong frowned, slowly turning his head.

“I don’t recall ordering you to punish that trash.”

His cold eyes looked down at Hanwol.

“It wasn’t us.”

“Not you?”

“That’s correct.”

A strange light flickered in the young Okryong’s eyes.

“Explain in detail.”

“Last night, the heads of the sects and halls belonging to the Demonic Faction coalition were attacked. The details vary—fractures, poisoning, external injuries, and internal injuries—but all survived, though incapacitated to the point where they cannot move for the time being.”

“Hoo.”

Hanwol continued, noting the young Okryong’s curiosity.

“Most received emergency treatment and hastily left for Guizhou this morning, but some remain in the clinic. After examining their treatment records, it is presumed that the Tang Clan is responsible.”

“The Tang Clan?”

“Yes.”

Swish.

The young Okryong covered his face with his fan and chuckled.

“The Tang Clan… It seems they realized we were behind it. So, is this a kind of warning?”

The young Okryong smiled wryly, thinking of Seolgeom Dang Hwaryeon, the new chief strategist of the Tang Clan.

In Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou, which the Blood Peak Alliance controlled, they openly incapacitated dozens of martial artists in a single night.

This was definitely a warning. A warning that they would not be forgiven if they interfered with the Tang Clan again.

“But isn’t it a bit soft? I thought that woman would have killed them all.”

Surprisingly, no one had died. Was this meant to convey that they did not want an all-out war?

“Or perhaps there’s another meaning.”

The young Okryong pondered. Seeing this, Hanwol asked,

“What should we do with those who remain in Guiyang?”

“Do as you see fit.”

The young Okryong said, seemingly unconcerned. Hanwol bowed his head, accepting his command. Those who remained in Guiyang under the pretext of injuries would face even harsher treatment.

“An uncharacteristic act for the Tang Clan…”

Rustle.

The young Okryong, lost in thought, rose from his seat.

“Perhaps.”

Tap.

Having reached a conclusion, the young Okryong closed his fan. Of course, it was still just a vague guess.

However, his keen senses were convinced that this was correct.

“Perhaps the Tang Clan has chosen Young Master Son.”

Hanwol could not agree with his lord’s conclusion. Hanwol was well aware that Son Bin had come here via the Tang Clan.

However, for Hanwol, the conclusion that the Tang Clan had chosen Son Bin was too much of a leap.

“What about Pawol [a massive black sword]?”

The young Okryong asked, looking down at Hanwol. It was a question about the massive black sword, Pawol, left behind by Saja Hyuk.

“It is already prepared.”

“Really? Good.”

Hanwol thought that the young Okryong’s voice suddenly seemed more lively.

“I will visit Young Master Son this evening. Inform him in advance.”

Hanwol bowed his head, receiving the command in that clear voice.

“Understood.”

Swish.

The young Okryong put one hand behind his back and turned around. He seemed to be admiring the garden, but Hanwol knew that no scenery entered his field of vision.

“Do you have something to say?”

The young Okryong’s voice reached Hanwol’s ear as he lingered. Hanwol spoke cautiously.

“What should we do with Young Master Son?”

“What do you mean, ‘do’?”

The young Okryong frowned and looked down at Hanwol.

“Can you do it?”

That was quite an insult to Hanwol, a supreme master. However, Hanwol did not object to the remark in the slightest.

Hanwol himself acknowledged Son Bin’s sword, which had defeated him at the Namchang Deungwang Pavilion, more than anyone else.

“Being with him is very dangerous.”

Son Bin’s surroundings were truly a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den. Son Bin was dangerous enough, but there was also Namak No-gun, the Sword Saintess Sa Soo-yeon, Seo-rin, and the Tang Clan’s Dang Wora, who wore a veil, not to mention the extraordinary five children.

For Hanwol, who had to prioritize his lord’s safety above all else, it was a situation he absolutely wanted to avoid.

The young Okryong stared at Hanwol silently. Then, he chuckled.

“Do you know this saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

“I do not.”

The young Okryong continued in a low voice.

“He is like a beast lurking in the dark, watching me. If I misjudge him even slightly, I will… have my throat torn out in an instant.”

A man hidden in mystery, like the pitch-black darkness, impossible to see even an inch ahead.

Always seemingly gentle, but a cruel judge who would not hesitate to reveal his sharp teeth at any moment.

Remembering Son Bin’s sword he had seen in Hangzhou, the young Okryong felt goosebumps.

An absolute being that even the Sword Demon could not withstand for a single moment. That was Son Bin.

“That is why I keep him close. It is not a friend, but an enemy, that awakens me from delusion.”

Swish.

The young Okryong covered his mouth with his fan, as if no more words were needed.

However, Hanwol could not agree with those words.

Son Bin was certainly a unique being. But if he were asked if Son Bin aroused caution in him, he could not say that he did.

The True Dragon Great Hyup [a title], Son Bin, always looked straight at his opponent.

There was not a hint of scheming in his eyes. Therefore, he was always clear and, as such, an easy person to understand.

“Then at least you should have them come here…”

“No.”

Before Hanwol could finish speaking, the young Okryong said firmly.

“‘I cannot trust you, so come into my territory.’ You want me to meet him while hiding such thoughts? He is definitely not someone with whom two minds can connect. To be close to him, there can only be sincerity.”

Hanwol thought that the young Okryong’s voice sounded somehow cheerful as he spoke. However, that thought did not last long.

“Leave.”

“Yes.”

Hanwol immediately obeyed his lord’s command. After Hanwol disappeared, the young Okryong, left alone, reached out and caressed a long, outstretched branch of a flowering tree.

“Yes, it is an enemy that awakens me. Only he can.”

The young Okryong’s eyebrows furrowed. He gritted his teeth and spat out as if groaning.

“So, I don’t need friends.”

Snap.

The branch in his hand broke with a sound.

*

*

*

Shin-ui did not return to Son Bin’s residence until midday.

He had been guiding the doctors of Guiyang for several days, and he had treated patients all night last night, but Shin-ui’s demeanor was not at all disheveled.

“Thank you for your hard work, Shin-ui.”

Sa Soo-yeon brought Shin-ui a warm cup of tea.

“Thank you. And please prepare these things.”

Shin-ui handed Sa Soo-yeon a thin letter with the necessary items written on it.

“Yes, Shin-ui.”

Sa Soo-yeon went inside, and Shin-ui sat at a table under a large tree in the garden, as if trying to relieve his fatigue for a moment.

He had returned to get books, medicinal ingredients, and tools, so he did not have much time to rest.

Softly.

Shin-ui, savoring the aroma of the tea, turned his head at the sound of small footsteps. The person walking towards Shin-ui was a slender woman wearing a veil, Dang Wora.

Dang Wora quietly bowed her head to Shin-ui. Instead of answering the greeting, Shin-ui asked.

“Did you do it?”

It was a question without beginning or end, but Dang Wora nodded.

“Is it because I said that the doctors can’t treat properly because of the Demonic Faction guys who act as they please?”

It was not only the merchants who suffered from the Demonic Faction martial artists and the bandits from the mountain and water fortresses.

The doctors were often deprived of important medicinal ingredients, and instead of caring for seriously ill patients, they had to treat the martial artists’ minor symptoms, such as hangovers.

“That’s not the only reason.”

Dang Wora said softly.

“I needed to teach the children how to efficiently incapacitate the weak.”

Shin-ui chuckled. How many people would describe the heads of the Demonic Faction sects and halls, who would frighten ordinary people just by looking at them, as ‘the weak’?

“Well, those children need to know that.”

If those children had really set their minds to it, they would have already turned them into puddles of blood. Shin-ui smiled wryly and sighed softly.

“Hoo.”

Although it was not intended, he had ended up providing Dang Wora with motivation.

After a moment of silence, Shin-ui slowly opened his mouth.

“As a doctor, I can’t say you did well. But at least the doctors of Guiyang will be grateful to you.”

“There’s no need to be grateful. Those people were going to leave Guiyang anyway.”

“Yes. And they would have harassed and harmed innocent people in other places. Since their bodies are injured, they will be quiet for a while, and they will not act rashly because they are frightened by this incident. So, what you did deserves gratitude.”

Shin-ui’s words were certainly correct. However, Dang Wora did not seem to be particularly impressed.

“I did it because I wanted to. There’s no reason to be thanked. And…”

“And?”

Shin-ui asked, wondering if there was another reason. Dang Wora replied softly.

“Because they were the ones who brought that person who dared to be rude to Young Master Son.”

There was still anger in her voice. Shin-ui chuckled.

“Okay, I understand.”

Clink.

Shin-ui put down his teacup and got up from his seat.

“Are you going back to treat patients again?”

“Yes. Ah, and contact the Tang Clan to see if they can send some medicinal ingredients. It’s not hard to get, but there’s a shortage because there are so many patients. And it seems like there are some merchants who are playing tricks in the middle.”

Dang Wora nodded.

“It’s not a loss for the Tang Clan, as they can start trading with the doctors of Guiyang. And it’s good for the doctors here to secure a stable supply source.”

Most medicinal ingredients are expensive. As such, there is a lot of profit left, so it is far from a loss; rather, the Tang Clan should be grateful.

Of course, the Tang Clan’s affiliated merchants would nominally come forward, but if it was Shin-ui’s recommendation, most of the doctors in Guiyang would participate.

Just in time, Sa Soo-yeon brought the things that Shin-ui had asked for. Shin-ui took the luggage and immediately turned around and strode out of the residence.

“It will be over soon today, so I’ll be back by evening.”

Shin-ui said without looking back. Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wora silently saw Shin-ui off.

*

*

*

Clatter, clatter.

As dusk fell, a carriage that was not flashy but quite luxurious stopped in front of a mansion on the outskirts of Guiyang.

“Whoa, whoa.”

Click.

As the coachman skillfully stopped the carriage, the door opened and Hanwol, wearing the Blood Dragon Gate uniform, stepped out. As Hanwol looked around with sharp eyes, the young Okryong stepped out of the carriage.

Swish.

“Is this the place?”

The young Okryong asked, covering his face with his jade fan.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Hmm.”

The mansion was quite large, but the traces of time were evident, as if it were old.

As the young Okryong looked at the mansion, the old wooden gate opened with a sound.

Creak.

The person who appeared from inside the gate was Son Bin.

“Welcome, Clan Lord.”

Son Bin, dressed as a scholar, politely bowed to the young Okryong. The young Okryong closed his fan and clasped his hands in return.

“It feels awkward to hear such a title from Young Master Son. Have you been well?”

It was a wonderful smile that seemed to captivate the eyes of those who saw it, but unfortunately, Son Bin was the only one watching now.

Son Bin also replied with a smile.

“Yes, I have been well.”

Son Bin then greeted Hanwol as well.

“Has Great Hyup Hanwol been well also?”

A strange light flashed in Hanwol’s eyes, whether he was surprised by Son Bin’s greeting or unfamiliar with the title ‘Great Hyup’.

However, he soon bowed his head politely.

“Yes.”

Hanwol replied in a short, thick voice. Son Bin said to the two of them.

“Please come inside.”

“Thank you.”

The young Okryong lightly bowed his head and ordered Hanwol.

“Bring it.”

Hanwol immediately bowed his head and took out a large wooden box from the carriage, placing it on one shoulder. Judging from the heavy weight, one could easily guess what was inside.

“Shall we go?”

At the young Okryong’s words, Son Bin finally took his eyes off the wooden box.

“Yes, please come this way.”

Step, step.

Following Son Bin’s guidance, the young Okryong and Hanwol entered the mansion.

Step, step.

“It’s an old place.”

Son Bin smiled awkwardly at the young Okryong’s words.

The place they were passing through was the mansion’s garden, but even if one looked at it favorably, one could not say that it was well-maintained.

“It has been neglected for a long time, and it is larger than I thought, so it was not easy to clean. It is now only roughly cleaned.”

“Did you clean it yourself?”

“Seo-rin and the children helped, but…”

Son Bin trailed off. He could not ask No-gun or Shin-ui, who was already busy, to clean. Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wora were busy enough taking care of the kitchen.

In the end, Son Bin, Seo-rin, and the children had no choice but to clean. In fact, Son Bin did almost all of it. It was almost like a game for Seo-rin and the children.

“But they do the after-meal cleanup and dishes together.”

In fact, Son Bin did most of the cooking as well. Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wora were not used to cooking. In the end, the two of them took charge of cleaning up and doing the dishes.

The Blood Peak Gold Thread also stayed at this mansion for a while, but she always had to receive treatment from Shin-ui, so she was of little help to Son Bin’s work.

“Oh dear, I should have sent some people.”

The young Okryong said as if he was sorry. However, Son Bin shook his head.

“No. I can do this much, and it’s quite rewarding.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

The young Okryong said, as if he did not quite agree. Son Bin noticed that feeling and added.

“Doesn’t it feel good to see it clean? It’s also quite enjoyable to cook for people you like. Above all, it’s good that I don’t have any distracting thoughts while moving my body.”

“Distracting thoughts?”

The young Okryong’s eyes lit up with interest.

“May I ask what kind of thoughts they are?”

“Well, they’re just distracting thoughts…”

Son Bin replied with an awkward smile.

“Right now… it’s probably thoughts about Pawol.”

“Yes?”

The young Okryong asked involuntarily. That thoughts about Pawol were distracting was an unimaginable answer.

“Then what are not distracting thoughts?”

Thud.

Son Bin stopped walking. He looked up at the sky for a moment and then turned his head towards the young Okryong.

“‘Well done.'”

Son Bin’s voice, which the young Okryong heard, was like a distant echo, or like a whisper in his ear.

“It is to hear those words from him again. And if possible.”

Son Bin smiled.

“I also want to hear the words ‘Not bad’.”

There was something heart-wrenching in that smile.

Something hot, mixed with joy and sorrow, that would shake even the young Okryong’s heart and eventually break it if he was not extremely wary.

Swish.

The young Okryong spread his fan.

“Is that so?”

The young Okryong said in a seemingly clear voice.

But he no longer knew what to say.

That was how much the young Okryong’s heart was shaking.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Son Bin turned his head and started walking again.

“So, what I have to do now is to follow his path. Silently, one step at a time.”

Rustle, rustle.

The young Okryong simply fanned himself quietly without answering. In the meantime, the three of them passed through the garden and arrived in front of the mansion.

A table was already prepared in front of the mansion. Although it was still dusk, Namak No-gun and Shin-ui, as well as Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wora, Seo-rin, and the five children, were all gathered there.

“There was no suitable place to eat together.”

Son Bin said as if making an excuse.

In fact, there was a banquet hall in this mansion, but it had been neglected to the point where he had to give up cleaning it.

Inevitably, he set up a table outside, which had a certain atmosphere, and everyone liked it.

Tap.

The young Okryong, who had folded his fan, first paid his respects to Namak No-gun and Shin-ui. He lightly greeted Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wora, as well as Seo-rin, and the others except Namak No-gun responded to the young Okryong’s greetings.

It was an extremely ordinary and everyday thing, but it was also a very unfamiliar sight to Hanwol.

It was unimaginable to him that his lord would pay his respects to so many people one by one.

“I have prepared a simple meal. If you don’t mind, please join us…”

The young Okryong shook his head at Son Bin’s suggestion.

“No. I know that everyone is waiting, so how can I delay this?”

The young Okryong turned to Hanwol and said.

“Hanwol.”

“Yes.”

Hanwol strode forward and placed the large wooden box in the middle of the table where the group was sitting.

Thud.

The wooden box was placed with a heavy sound.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on the wooden box.

The five children’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, but everyone else had eyes that seemed to be filled with their own regrets. Even Seo-rin’s eyes were complicated.

Softly.

Hanwol stepped back, and the young Okryong approached the wooden box. He reached out and slowly opened the wooden box.

Click.

‘Ah.’

Before the wooden box could be fully opened, Son Bin could feel it. At the same time, fragments of memories that he could never forget, that were so intense, captured Son Bin.

“This is.”

The young Okryong said softly. His voice, which was always confident and relaxed, was trembling faintly now.

“Pawol.”

A crude-looking, massive black greatsword.

It was always with Saja Hyuk and always exuded its powerful presence, and now it was revealing its appearance before Son Bin’s eyes.

Son Bin gritted his teeth. However, Son Bin could not help but see the image of Pawol in his vision blurring.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, a wind wrapped around Son Bin’s entire body. It was a very warm and nostalgic wind.