A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 277

The Great Tempest of Huangshan (黃山 風雲) [Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, is a mountain range in China known for its scenic beauty.]

Swish.

The official road was entirely covered in pouring rain. The bamboo hat he was wearing threatened to be blown away by the wind, and the heavy rain obscured his vision.

Moreover, the thick clouds covering the sky made everything dark, even though it wasn’t yet time for the sun to set.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

The sound of raindrops hitting the bamboo hat was like roasting beans. He was wearing a raincoat, but his whole body was already soaked, so both the bamboo hat and the raincoat had long lost their original purpose. Still, it kept him from being directly exposed to the rain.

“Shouldn’t we find somewhere to take shelter from the rain?”

Old Gun, who was riding alongside him, said. His voice, amplified by internal energy, was clearly audible even amidst the sound of hooves and rain.

Old Gun’s concern was understandable. Riding a horse in the rain not only limited visibility and drained stamina but also increased the risk of falling.

However, Sohn Bee did not slow down.

Clatter, clatter.

“There will probably be a post station soon.”

Sohn Bee said. Even in the heavy rain, it was not a problem for Old Gun to hear such a sound.

“Let’s rest there for a while. The horses are also very tired.”

It wasn’t just people who were in danger. Both horses and people needed to rest.

“Alright.”

Old Gun replied briefly.

In fact, riding a horse in the rain was extremely dangerous. Moreover, pressing on in such bad weather was reckless, even for a skilled rider.

‘A guy who couldn’t even ride a horse properly…’

Old Gun glanced at Sohn Bee and clicked his tongue inwardly.

It felt like just yesterday that he was struggling not to fall off, but now Sohn Bee’s posture while riding in the rain was perfectly steady.

The burden on the horse was also naturally less, so if the weather had been good, they could have skipped the next post station.

Clatter, clatter.

In the pouring rain, Sohn Bee silently rode his horse. The cold raindrops stung his cheeks, but he didn’t care.

How long had it been? The sight of a post station and an inn with lights on began to come into view through the heavy rain.

∴

Swish.

The rain pouring outside the window did not seem to subside easily. Sohn Bee, who had wiped off the moisture with a dry cloth provided by the server, held the hot teacup tightly in both hands. The warmth of the heated teacup warmed his cold hands.

“What should we do?”

Old Gun asked, as if throwing the question out there. He was asking whether to leave as is or spend the night here.

“It’s impossible to travel now.”

Sohn Bee said with a gentle smile. He knew Old Gun’s consideration for him. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t have even thought of riding in the rain in the first place.

“It’s already dark, so it would be better to rest here today. It’s too dangerous for both people and horses any longer.”

Normally, there would still be sunlight left, but now it was as dark as night outside. As Sohn Bee said, it was impossible to travel now.

“Then I should wash up and dry my clothes first.”

Old Gun gestured to the server to get a room and prepare for washing up. Sohn Bee, who had been quietly holding the teacup, said,

“It’s fortunate, though. If the head of Yewon [a group or organization] hadn’t helped us, it would have taken even longer.”

Sohn Bee and Old Gun had been changing horses frequently at the post stations on their way here. Hwa Wol, the head of Yewon, had already arranged for the horses to be prepared. Without her, they would have been delayed even further in finding horses.

“I hope Shin-ui and Old Fisherman are alright.”

“Don’t worry about those guys. They’re not kids; they’ll manage on their own.”

Old Gun chuckled and replied.

Shin-ui and Old Fisherman were following in a carriage. This forced march would be too much for Shin-ui’s stamina. Old Fisherman had decided to come along to protect Shin-ui.

“I’m sorry. I wanted you to have a more leisurely time in Hangzhou.”

“I was getting bored anyway. Don’t worry about it. More than that, what about not being able to see the kids?”

The kids Old Gun was talking about were Kang Lin and Kang Min, the siblings in Yewon.

“I left a letter. And I was thinking it would be better not to see them until their training is over.”

Sohn Bee, who was answering, held the teacup and was silent for a moment. Old Gun asked, as if testing him,

“Why, are you worried about Yeon-ah?”

Sohn Bee’s slightly awkward smile answered instead. Old Gun nodded and said,

“Don’t worry. The location of the Heavenly Four Constellations’ [a group of powerful martial artists] hidden treasure or whatever hasn’t even been revealed yet, right? Even if you wanted to go, you wouldn’t know the location…”

Thud, thud.

Old Gun’s words were interrupted by a person. A young warrior wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat, dripping water, approached Sohn Bee and Old Gun’s table without hesitation.

“What is it?”

Old Gun asked, glaring at the young warrior. But instead of answering, the young warrior politely bowed to Old Gun and Sohn Bee, then took out a thin letter from his chest.

“Seolgeom asked me to deliver this.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Sohn Bee accepted the letter he offered. The letter, wrapped in oil paper to prevent it from getting wet, was handed to Sohn Bee.

The young warrior bowed politely once more to Sohn Bee and Old Gun, then went out into the pouring rain. Some of the guests at the inn showed curiosity, but soon their interest waned.

“Who was Seolgeom again?”

Old Gun asked. Sohn Bee opened the letter and replied,

“She is Young Miss Wol-ah’s older sister.”

“Ah, was she?”

If she was Dang Wol-ah’s older sister, then she was Dang Hwa-ryun, the chief strategist of the Dang Clan.

Rustle.

Sohn Bee’s face hardened slightly as he read the letter. It was only for a moment, but Old Gun couldn’t have missed it.

“Why?”

“Hoo.”

Sohn Bee sighed softly and handed the letter to Old Gun.

“It’s Huangshan (黃山).”

“Huangshan?”

Old Gun scanned the letter he received. Then he soon muttered a curse.

“Damn it…”

“Moreover, it seems it was announced simultaneously three days ago.”

In addition to Seolgeom Dang Hwa-ryun’s letter, there was another sheet that briefly described recent trends. It was probably written additionally while the letter was on its way.

“The story is causing a stir not only in Gangbuk [north of the river] and Gangnam [south of the river] but also in Sichuan and Guangzhou.”

Guangzhou, the southernmost commercial city on the continent, was sensitive to all kinds of rumors, especially news from the Jianghu martial world [the community of martial artists]. That was because the Hyeokryun Clan, one of the Five Great Clans, was located there.

If so, it would have been known in Cheongwon, a nearby small city, as well.

“Huangshan… It’s not implausible, but.”

Huangshan was a famous mountain in the world. It was not just one mountain but a place with dozens, hundreds of peaks and large valleys, so there were countless places where people had never set foot.

No, rather, it should be said that the places where people could go were extremely limited.

So much so that the east, west, south, and north of Huangshan, full of clouds and mist, were compared to the sea, calling them the West Sea Grand Canyon (西海大峽谷) or the Heavenly Sea (天海).

“What do you think?”

Old Gun asked.

Considering the mysterious mountain range of Huangshan, it would not be unnatural for it to be the place where the Heavenly Four Constellations gathered. The problem was that he didn’t know where in the vast Huangshan it was.

“Well, in terms of location, it’s so appropriate that it’s suspicious…”

“Appropriate? In what way?”

“Huangshan is in Gangnam. From the Imperial Court’s point of view, it’s much less of a political burden than if a disturbance occurred in Gangbuk.”

Despite its long history, Gangnam had been treated as a frontier. Just looking at the fact that the capital, Beijing, was biased towards the northeast of the continent, it became clear which region the court considered important.

“Moreover, if necessary, there is sufficient justification to intervene. If armed people cause collective disturbances, the Imperial Court can never overlook it.”

The organized movement of martial artists with swords was certainly something the Imperial Court would consider a threat. Even if they were branded as a group of rebels causing chaos in the world, they would have nothing to say.

In other words, the geographical location of Huangshan meant that it could either cover up the disturbance or highlight it as a serious problem.

“Then is the story of Huangshan false?”

Sohn Bee shook his head at Old Gun’s question.

“I have no proof, but this story is probably true.”

Sohn Bee, of course, was negative about the hidden treasure (秘寶) [a secret or valuable item], but he thought the geographical location of Huangshan was quite credible.

If anyone knew the meeting place of the Heavenly Four Constellations, whether in the Outer Affairs or Yewon, the lie would be exposed immediately, and all plans would collapse.

Kyunghee, the princess, would not take such a risk for such an important matter. And above all, she, as Sohn Bee knew, was not the kind of person to use shallow tricks that would be easily exposed.

However, Old Gun took Sohn Bee’s words a little differently.

“Hmm, well, it wouldn’t be strange if Cheonsugeom (Thousand Hand Sword) Neung Cheon-hwa knew. She was such an obsessive woman.”

Sohn Bee asked this time, looking at Old Gun, who looked uncomfortable as if he was feeling uneasy.

“I know that the Namgoong Clan is the closest to Huangshan among the Five Great Clans.”

It was quite far from Namchang, where the Namgoong Clan was located, but Huangshan belonged to the same Gangnam. Strictly speaking, it could be said to be the Namgoong Clan’s territory.

“Can other sects act arbitrarily even though the Namgoong Clan is there?”

“Is Huangshan the Namgoong Clan’s?”

Old Gun said, as if throwing the words out there.

“In the first place, it’s such a remote place, and there’s no justification to stop them. They can’t stop them either.”

Huangshan was such a rugged mountain area and a remote place with only small rural villages nearby.

Of course, there was no branch of the Namgoong Clan. In the first place, there were no interests for the clan to intervene in.

Moreover, Huangshan was so vast that even if an army came, they couldn’t do anything about it. Controlling this place was impossible, no matter how great the Namgoong Clan was.

“Besides, in this case, you shouldn’t stop them. If you do, you might turn all the other sects into enemies.”

Not only the Four Great Sects but also the other clans would never stand still. Old Gun suddenly looked at Sohn Bee and asked.

“What about that Seolgeom girl?”

That was the same as asking what the Dang Clan would do.

“Hwa-ryun said she would leave it to Young Miss Wol-ah’s decision.”

“Then that means she’ll follow your decision.”

Sohn Bee smiled awkwardly.

“Does it work that way?”

“Of course. But since when have you been calling the Dang Clan’s chief strategist by her name?”

“Huh?”

Sohn Bee was a little embarrassed by the unexpected question. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember when he started calling Dang Hwa-ryun ‘Hwa-ryun’.

‘Was it the last time I went there?’

Nothing came to mind exactly. But somehow, it felt like she was an old friend, so he was calling her that naturally.

“I don’t know. Anyway, I have no reason to tell the Dang Clan what to do. They’ll manage on their own.”

“If so, then you’ll choose to pretend not to know on the surface but secretly send people. The other clans will be the same.”

Old Gun’s conclusion came immediately. Sohn Bee agreed with that.

“What about the Outer Affairs?”

Sohn Bee smiled at Old Gun’s short words. And he answered quietly.

“Isn’t the Outer Affairs a place where you do what you want?”

“Heh, well, that’s true.”

Old Gun chuckled.

“The Heavenly Four Constellations’ hidden treasure… Everyone’s butts must be wiggling.”

The Heavenly Four Constellations. There was no master in the Outer Affairs who could stay still just by hearing that name. Whether they revered the Heavenly Four Constellations or opposed them, it was the same.

Even if they were not interested in hidden treasures, if the Heavenly Four Constellations gathered in one place, they would want to check it out, even if it was just the land they had stepped on.

“This is going to be very interesting.”

The look in Old Gun’s eyes was sharp as he spoke. Sohn Bee quietly turned his gaze to the dark window outside.

Swish.

The rain was still pouring heavily.

Under the thick curtain of water that seemed to cover the whole world, the world was immersed in deep darkness.

*

*

*

“The Outer Affairs is a place where you do what you want.”

Bi-geom (Flying Sword) Gongsun Geuk [a martial arts title], the former head of the Gongsun Clan and a master of the Outer Affairs, said in a dry and rough voice.

“The Outer Affairs is beyond the heavens (天外天) [a realm beyond worldly control]. Even if it’s the Martial Emperor, he has no authority to control the Outer Affairs at will.”

“But will ‘the one who walks the path of the Martial Emperor’ stay still?”

Gongsun Chung, the current head of the Gongsun Clan, said with a stiff expression. He was Gongsun Geuk’s son and the only person in the clan to whom Gongsun Geuk had told about the Outer Affairs.

“Of course, he won’t stay still.”

Gongsun Geuk did not hide his mockery.

“But what can that young brat do? If he thinks he can control the Outer Affairs at will by borrowing the name of the Martial Emperor, that’s a delusion. I’d rather he come out like that.”

The Outer Affairs does not dominate and is not dominated. Even the ‘Martial Emperor’ himself is the same.

If ‘the one who walks the path of the Martial Emperor’ tries to dominate the Outer Affairs, the Outer Affairs will split at that moment. That would be an opportunity for Gongsun Geuk.

“But he won’t do such a foolish thing. Old Gun is backing him up.”

Gongsun Geuk gritted his teeth. The opportunity that came after the long absence of the Heavenly Four Constellations disappeared in vain because of Sohn Bee.

Moreover, the experienced Namak Old Gun was guarding his side. He would never make clumsy judgments or actions.

“But is there really a hidden treasure of the Heavenly Four Constellations in Huangshan?”

Gongsun Geuk raised his eyes at Gongsun Chung’s sudden question.

Gongsun Geuk chuckled. It was because the greed that could not be hidden was flickering in Gongsun Chung’s eyes as he asked.

However, Gongsun Geuk was rather satisfied with such Gongsun Chung.

If you have no greed, how can you covet the world? If you don’t covet, you can’t get it.

“Well, what do you think?”

Bi-geom (Flying Sword) Gongsun Geuk smiled bitterly. He had only revealed a small part of this matter to Gongsun Chung.

Even if he was his own son and the current head of the clan, it was dangerous to show all his cards.

No, in a way, this was rather for Gongsun Chung’s sake. The less he knew, the less danger he would be in.

“I don’t know what’s there. There may be a huge treasure, or there may be the best divine skill in the world. But whatever is there, it will eventually come into our hands. And the more important fact is.”

Bi-geom (Flying Sword) Gongsun Geuk said, looking straight into the greedy eyes of his son Gongsun Chung.

“The world will soon be in the hands of our Gongsun Clan.”

The eyes of Kwik-geom (Quick Sword) Gongsun Chung [a martial arts title] flickered fiercely. Watching him, Bi-geom (Flying Sword) Gongsun Geuk put on a seemingly benevolent smile.

“So you have to follow my words. Just like you’ve done so far. Do you understand?”

To be exact, it would be in the hands of Gongsun Geuk himself, not the Gongsun Clan. But there was no reason to correct it.

“You should carefully select a few trustworthy people and go to Huangshan immediately. This matter is too important to entrust to anyone else.”

In fact, it was too obvious for the head of the family to move directly. But in front of the hidden treasure of the Heavenly Four Constellations, such things were meaningless.

The Four Great Sects and other clans would feel the same way.

“I understand.”

Kwik-geom (Quick Sword) Gongsun Chung nodded as if it was natural. If his father had left him behind, his suspicion would have deepened.

“I will move separately. The guys from the Outer Affairs will definitely come too.”

Other masters from the Outer Affairs would surely come to Huangshan as well. If he clashed with them, it would be disadvantageous to be with the disciples of the sect.

“You should focus on finding the hidden treasure of the Heavenly Four Constellations, but if that’s not possible, it’s good enough to just check the other clans and sects. After all, the showdown will be in the Outer Affairs.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Gongsun Chung, the head of the Gongsun Clan, bowed deeply to receive his father’s will.

While his eyes, which were lowered, were flickering with greed, he did not realize that his father’s eyes, which were looking down at him, were no different from his own.