A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 338

338. The Accident in Seojang, the Land of the Jang Race

After several days, Son Bin and his group finally escaped the Daesul Mountain Range. The steep valleys and treacherous cliff paths receded, and before they knew it, the group had entered a flat expanse that stretched into the distance.

They had arrived at the Seojang Plateau, a vast plain situated at a high altitude, even higher than most mountains.

Clang, clang.

With the monotonous ringing of bells, the group continued. The sound, initially awkward and annoying, had become so familiar that its absence felt strange.

After their long journey, the group’s appearance had changed considerably.

No matter how fine the clothes, they were bound to show wear and tear after enduring the harsh winds, snow, and dust of the Daesul Mountain Range.

Moreover, sleeping on fur hides on the ground inevitably caused wrinkles and creases, making it impossible to maintain a neat appearance. Even Dang Wol-ah’s delicate clothes were not spared.

The issue of cleanliness was even more pressing.

Proper washing was impossible while traversing the Daesul Mountain Range. They lacked spare clothes, so if they hadn’t found a hot spring to rest at, their condition would have been dire.

Nevertheless, the ladies looked remarkably well. How they managed to wash, Son Bin didn’t know, but Sa Su-yeon, Dang Wol-ah, and even Geomhee, who occasionally appeared, looked as fresh as usual.

The Blood Peak Geumsa-ryeon [a high-ranking female warrior] also seemed unaffected. Guigyeon-sura prepared a small amount of hot water every morning and evening, even during their arduous journey.

As a result, the men were the most unkempt. No-gun and Seo-rin, as well as Guigyeon-sura, and even Saja-hyeok, showed the effects of the journey. Son Bin and Hwang Bang-ju were the most disheveled, resembling ‘beggars’.

The only exception among the men was the former Okryong [a title implying past glory]. Not a single piece of his clothing was wrinkled or faded. He looked as if he had just stepped out of a painting.

“It seems we’ve left the mountain range.”

“Rather than leaving it, we’ve entered its embrace,” Hwang Bang-ju replied to Son Bin. He held the reins and continued onward.

“In other words, we’ve ascended to a flat area nestled between the mountains. So, we’re still within the Daesul Mountain Range.”

Son Bin nodded. Hwang Bang-ju was correct. Even now, they could see the white mountain peaks looming above them.

The terrain in front of them was indeed flat, but it was a high-altitude region.

The plants and animals were different, and breathing was difficult for those unaccustomed to the altitude. Careless exertion on the plains quickly led to breathlessness.

A place where only life adapted to the Daesul Mountain Range could thrive.

That was the Seojang Plateau.

Fluttering.

Colorful cloths hung on a string fluttered in the wind at a deserted street corner. It was a religious decoration typical of the Jang race that they had seen frequently.

“Seojang Esoteric Buddhism.”

No-gun spoke dismissively.

“It’s still Buddhism, but distinct from the martial arts of the Jianghu [the martial arts world]. Esoteric Buddhism is inherently secretive, leading to many strange and bizarre customs.”

“What seems strange is due to cultural differences,” Hwang Bang-ju countered.

“Of course, some customs are unacceptable. But there are also many truthful and pure aspects. Moreover, ‘Esoteric Buddhism’ is just what we call it; they believe they are carrying on the true lineage of Buddhism.”

Son Bin looked at Hwang Bang-ju with surprise. He seemed more knowledgeable about Seojang customs than he had realized.

“You seem to know a lot about this place.”

“I can’t sell things if I don’t know,” Hwang Bang-ju said, tugging on the reins.

“Commerce requires understanding. If you don’t understand their likes, dislikes, and reasons, you’re likely to fail. Scholars claim merchants create nothing, but they should try selling things themselves.”

The Confucian hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants implies that commerce doesn’t create anything. Merchants simply move goods and profit.

“Frankly, merchants work a hundred times harder than those who learn to write and try to elevate themselves. Of course, no job is easy.”

Hwang Bang-ju’s words were candid, as if he had held them back for a long time. Son Bin partly agreed and sensed that he was well-read.

He couldn’t make such a rebuttal without knowledge of scholarship.

“That’s true. But Hwang Bang-ju, you seem to have read many books.”

Hwang Bang-ju coughed in response. He realized he had been overly enthusiastic in front of the Seowon [private academy] teacher.

“My family has been merchants for generations, so… I just picked up a few things here and there.”

He hadn’t just picked them up. Hwang Ma-cheol Bang-ju was intelligent and received high expectations from a young age. He received various educations and accompanied his family on commercial trips.

“Thanks to that, I glimpsed things not only here but also in Cheonchuk [ancient India] and Pasa [Persia].”

He smiled bitterly.

“I ended up bankrupt in one fell swoop, so it was useless.”

Thump, thump.

Son Bin and his group moved along the easier road. They said the area would be muddy in the summer, but it was winter, so they didn’t have to worry about that.

Hwang Bang-ju, leading the horse, raised his hand and pointed forward.

“If you follow the road a little further, there’s a small village. It’s the village that saved me before. It’s small but quite livable.”

“Is there anything to eat?”

Seo-rin suddenly asked. Hwang Bang-ju smiled.

“Suyu tea [tea with yak butter] and dried meat are common, but there’s something quite good. There are many precious mushrooms and medicinal herbs here.”

“Mushrooms?”

No-gun immediately showed interest. Hwang Bang-ju said with a triumphant expression.

“Songyi mushrooms [matsutake mushrooms]. The taste is decent, but the aroma is amazing. You can eat them to your heart’s content.”

No-gun’s eyes twinkled at the words ‘eat them to your heart’s content’. Seo-rin also smacked his lips, and Dang Wol-ah’s gaze, following from behind, also secretly shone. Sa Su-yeon, next to her, laughed at their reactions.

“Then we should go quickly.”

No-gun urged them on. Hwang Bang-ju stopped him.

“You don’t have to. It’s almost…”

Hwang Bang-ju’s face changed as he was about to say ‘we’re here’. The small village hidden by the hill, or rather, its roofs, began to appear.

Perhaps because of the white-painted walls and the snow piled on the flat roofs, unique to this place, it didn’t stand out, but it was clearly a village made by people.

But Son Bin couldn’t understand why Hwang Bang-ju’s face had changed. There was nothing obviously wrong.

“That’s strange?”

Seo-rin, with his sharp eyes, immediately muttered.

“It’s collapsed over there.”

Son Bin still couldn’t tell, but he agreed that something was amiss. If people lived there, they wouldn’t have left it in such disrepair.

“Let’s go.”

Hwang Bang-ju said with a stiff expression. He immediately mounted his horse and spurred it forward with practiced skill.

The horse started running quickly. Ignoring the loud bell sounds, Hwang Bang-ju hurried away. The horses behind him were startled, disrupting the line, and No-gun had to quickly calm them.

“I’ll go too!”

Seo-rin jumped forward. Sa Su-yeon, sensing the unusual situation, scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, and Guigyeon-sura stayed close to Blood Peak Geumsa-ryeon.

“Let’s go too.”

Son Bin said. The group hurried along the road, wary of their surroundings. Soon, not only the collapsed roofs but also the village with its doors torn off came into view.

Something unusual had clearly happened.

The village was empty as expected. But it wasn’t damaged by beasts, nor was it attacked by bandits. There was no sign of the villagers, and anything useful had disappeared.

This village had been abandoned.

The group found a decent house and lit a bonfire. The old mud walls blocked the wind, making it warmer and cozier.

“So that’s what’s strange.”

Hwang Bang-ju, sitting in front of the bonfire, said with a serious expression.

“They never abandon the village where they were born and raised. Even after seeing the splendid cultures of Sichuan and Yunnan, they always return after selling their goods. They never leave the village like this.”

Hwang Bang-ju’s expression was grim. The village, which held significant meaning for him, had become like this.

“Could something have happened to the village?”

Son Bin asked. Hwang Bang-ju pondered, then shook his head.

“I don’t know. Moreover, this village isn’t a regular stop for merchants, so I haven’t heard any news at all…”

If it were a village that merchants frequented, he would have heard news through them.

However, the road that Son Bin and his group took through the Daesul Mountain Range was not a normal trade route. Therefore, Hwang Bang-ju had no idea why the village had become like this.

“I’ll have to go to a big village. If we go a few more days, there’s a city called Litang. It’s where we were going anyway, and it’s the biggest place in the area, so we should be able to find out what’s going on there.”

Hwang Bang-ju, muttering to himself, raised his head.

“The road from here isn’t that rough, so there’s not much to worry about. We still have enough to eat. But it’s good to be prepared.”

“Prepared?”

Hwang Bang-ju nodded.

“There must be a reason why the villagers were driven out. Whether it’s beasts or bandits.”

Hwang Bang-ju asserted that they were ‘driven out’. Son Bin, listening, also looked serious, and No-gun, next to him, smiled.

“Don’t worry about that.”

No-gun said with a relaxed expression, but his eyes shone resolutely.

“Because we’re here.”

Son Bin smiled wryly. What problem could beasts or bandits pose to this group?

But Son Bin’s unease remained. Saja-hyeok’s expression, sitting silently, was still stiff.

* * *

The gently rolling hills before them resembled a sea of white waves. But the snow-capped mountains beyond reminded them that this was a land higher than the clouds, the Seojang Plateau.

“This village is also abandoned.”

Seo-rin shrugged and muttered. Behind them, a small village of less than ten houses, similarly empty, receded into the distance.

It wasn’t just the first village. They encountered several small villages over the next few days, all uninhabited. Some seemed to have been abandoned in haste.

“The range is too wide to be beasts or bandits.”

Son Bin agreed with Seo-rin. If a pack of wolves had settled around a village, they might temporarily evacuate to avoid harm. Women and children are especially vulnerable.

But it was strange that several villages had been abandoned over such a wide area. A pack of beasts or bandits couldn’t explain it.

“If we go a little further, there’s Litang. If we go there…”

“Wait a minute.”

Seo-rin interrupted Hwang Bang-ju. He tilted his head and said,

“I hear fighting.”

At those words, Hwang Bang-ju and Son Bin stopped and listened. But they heard only the sound of the wind.

“Where is it?”

At No-gun’s question, Seo-rin raised his hand and pointed.

“It’s over there. The sound of several people fighting and…”

Seo-rin frowned.

“There’s a very disgusting smell. It makes me feel sick. Ugh.”

Seo-rin even retched as if he truly disliked it.

“I can feel it too.”

A slender woman’s voice came from behind. Hwang Bang-ju looked at her with surprise.

It was Blood Peak Geumsa-ryeon. She, who had endured the harsh journey silently with a pale face, spoke.

“There are some very bad things ahead. I can’t hear the fighting, but if it’s true, we should go quickly.”

Despite her words, Hwang Bang-ju looked dubious.

However, Son Bin and No-gun didn’t doubt Seo-rin and Blood Peak Geumsa-ryeon. Son Bin looked back at No-gun, who nodded.

“Let’s go.”

“Shall I go first?”

Seo-rin asked immediately. But Son Bin shook his head.

“It might be dangerous. Let’s go together.”

“Okay. I understand, brother.”

Seo-rin nodded obediently. He didn’t want to go alone to the source of that disgusting smell.

Hwang Bang-ju glanced at Saja-hyeok and the former Okryong. Saja-hyeok remained expressionless, and the former Okryong, hidden behind Okseon, was unreadable.

“I understand. Let’s go.”

Hwang Bang-ju made a quick decision, mounted his horse, and took the reins. It was a small packhorse, but faster than walking.

Clatter, clatter.

Soon, something came into view on the other side of the plain.

“It’s over there.”

At Seo-rin’s words, Son Bin narrowed his eyes, but he could only see something on the white snowfield, indistinctly.

“It’s a carriage.”

The speaker was Sa Su-yeon. With her keen eyesight, she looked at the snowfield and said clearly,

“Four, no, five warriors are fighting to protect the carriage from wolf-like creatures. But those wolves are a little strange…”

Sa Su-yeon’s expression hardened.

“Oh my god.”

Sa Su-yeon saw one of the wolf-like beasts bite the neck of the horse pulling the carriage. But her expression hardened not because of the horse spitting blood and collapsing.

It was because the wolf’s mouth that bit the horse opened so wide that it was unnaturally large. Not just large, but in a bizarre, impossible shape.

“That’s definitely, definitely not a wolf.”

Seo-rin muttered with a stiff expression. He had also clearly seen the scene.

“Let’s go!”

No-gun immediately kicked off the ground and jumped forward. Sa Su-yeon drew her sword and said to Dang Wol-ah,

“Please take care of Young Master Son!”

Tat.

Seo-rin and Sa Su-yeon ran out like the wind with No-gun, while Dang Wol-ah stayed by Son Bin’s side, and Guigyeon-sura guarded Blood Peak Geumsa-ryeon.

“Oh, then we…”

Hwang Bang-ju was momentarily flustered, unsure whether to avoid or approach the situation.

But the decision had already been made.

“Hmph, this looks fun?”

Fluttering.

With a whoosh of wind, the former Okryong soared into the air. Hwang Bang-ju’s eyes widened at the sight of him flying as if weightless.

Thud.

Saja-hyeok also walked forward. Not quickly, but with unwavering steps.

“Let’s go too.”

At Son Bin’s words, the horse he was riding began to move. As if naturally, the horses ridden by Dang Wol-ah, Guigyeon-sura, and Blood Peak Geumsa-ryeon also began to walk in a row.

Seeing them move without hesitation, Hwang Bang-ju, stunned for a moment, hurriedly began to move his feet. He thought he would be left behind if he didn’t.

‘But what the hell is going on over there?’

On the other side of the white snowfield, a small carriage and whatever surrounded it came into Hwang Bang-ju’s view.

Only when he got much closer did he realize that they were five blood-covered warriors and ‘monsters’ resembling wolves but that could never be called wolves.

(Author’s words)

You won’t get experience or gold even if you catch them.