A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 484

484. Wandering the World

The mist surrounding Mount Tai had completely cleared. Standing before the majestic figure of Mount Tai revealed before their eyes, Sun Bin and his group couldn’t help but marvel. In truth, Mount Tai isn’t particularly rugged or tall compared to other mountains. However, as the saying goes, ‘It is not the height of the mountain, but the spirit that dwells there that makes it famous,’ Mount Tai, rising proudly from the plains, displayed its mysterious presence.

“Originally, that verse means that ‘who lives there’ is more important than ‘where you live,'” Sun Bin explained clearly. “So, it means don’t focus on living in a fancy place, but strive to become a virtuous person yourself.”

Old General frowned, looking at Sun Bin, who maintained a bright and gentle smile. Sun Bin’s good mood wasn’t unwelcome to Old General, but the problem was that, perhaps because of it, Sun Bin was talking more.

“Comparing people to gods and dragons is truly excellent writing.”

“Was he always like this?” Old General muttered. But Sun Bin’s stories didn’t stop. After all, how could the tales related to Mount Tai, the most famous mountain in the world, not be endless?

“Come to think of it, there was a time when I was at the academy…”

“Wow! Look at that! What’s that?” Seorin, riding on the back of the Black Leopard, pointed to a nearby cliff and exclaimed. The writing engraved on the steep cliff in a single, flowing stroke resembled a huge scroll.

“The calligraphy is really cool too!” The group’s eyes turned to the cliff, and everyone exclaimed. Sun Bin smiled and began to explain.

“You recognized it well, Seorin. That font is…”

Leaving Sun Bin, who had already changed the subject, Old General glanced back. Seorin wasn’t the only one riding a magical beast. Sarasvati sat gracefully on a white snow leopard, as if she were sitting on a luxurious rug. Princess Gyeonghui also sat stiffly on a red leopard.

“She’s holding up pretty well.”

Princess Gyeonghui had initially wanted to walk down, but Old General had opposed, saying, ‘Going down the mountain is more dangerous than climbing it.’ Consequently, Princess Gyeonghui had no choice but to hold tightly to the red leopard’s fur in a somewhat precarious position.

Old General turned his head again. The steep stone steps were almost behind them, and a fairly flat area stretched ahead.

“We should go straight to Jinan, right?”

The voice belonged to Sa Su-yeon. Old General shrugged and replied.

“Yeah. I left Shin-ui in Jinan. Then I have to go to Hangzhou to meet Young-mae and the kids.”

The children from the academy were currently in Hangzhou, along with Old Madam Dang Un-yeong, Hyeokryeon Se-hwa, Old Fisherman, Hwasa, and Talhondo. As before, the entire academy had left Cheongwon under the pretext of ‘broadening their horizons.’

“Well, at this rate, I don’t know if it’s an academy or just a place to hang out.”

But there was nothing to be done. Fortunately, Hyeokryeon Se-hwa had gained the absolute trust of the people of Cheongwon, so there were no particular difficulties.

“And then?”

At Dang Wol-ah’s sudden question, Old General turned his head. Dang Wol-ah, looking up at Mount Tai, asked quietly.

“Do we go back to the academy?”

Old General quickly understood the meaning of the question.

“Why? Do you want to travel more?” Old General asked with a smirk.

Dang Wol-ah, who had been confined and raised as a poison master of the Dang Clan, loved to explore the world, though she rarely expressed it.

“I’m sad too,” Sarasvati said elegantly, sitting lightly on the pure white snow leopard like a queen in an audience chamber.

Old General noticed the slight sparkle in the eyes of Princess Gyeonghui, sitting on the red leopard, at that remark.

“Well, to be honest, I also want to travel around with Young-mae…”

Unlike Old General, Old Madam Dang Un-yeong had rarely left the Dang Clan. Such freedom couldn’t be allowed for Dang Un-yeong, the younger sister of the previous Clan Lord Dang Baek-ho and the head of the largest faction in the Dang Clan.

“Then let’s do that,” Sun Bin suddenly said. He had been explaining something to Seorin but was now looking at Old General with a smile.

“I also felt a lot this time, how precious the relationships I’ve been allowed to have are.”

Sun Bin stopped walking, turned his head, and looked up at Mount Tai.

“So, I think it wouldn’t be bad to visit them again.”

Sun Bin looked at Old General again.

“Of course, I would be even happier if you would come with me, Elder.”

The smile on Sun Bin’s face was gentle and warm. Old General chuckled.

“Okay.”

Old General said without hesitation.

“Of course, I have to go. If you say let’s go, where can’t I go?”

Sun Bin looked back at the other members of the group and asked.

“Would you like to go together?”

Sun Bin’s question was unnecessary. Sa Su-yeon nodded happily, and Dang Wol-ah also lowered her head quietly. Sarasvati was delighted, and Princess Gyeonghui didn’t refuse, though she didn’t answer. Geomhui remained silent.

“Then everyone…”

“What about them?” Seorin asked. Sun Bin then realized that the three magical beasts were wagging their tails.

“Ah, that’s…”

Sun Bin was at a loss for words. No matter how well-behaved they were, they were still magical beasts. Moreover, these large magical beasts were enough to terrify anyone. They could even breathe fire, couldn’t they? Taking the magical beasts with them was impossible.

“It’s not that there’s no way…”

Princess Gyeonghui sighed quietly.

“If we say they are rare animals to be presented to the imperial family, it will be acceptable for now. But even then, we’d have no choice but to put them in cages or put strong ropes on them. So it’s best to part with these children as soon as possible.”

“Uwooo.”

Seorin looked tearful at Princess Gyeonghui’s firm words. But there was nothing to be done. As Princess Gyeonghui said, putting them in cages or tying them with ropes would be crueler to these magical beasts.

“Ahem.”

Sun Bin cleared his throat and slyly averted his gaze from Seorin and the three magical beasts, quickly hurrying on. In that way, the group quietly returned to the small city of Taean. Mount Tai was only visible from afar, but its magnificent figure remained beautiful.

***

Sun Bin and his group had to stay near Mount Tai for a while without going to Jinan. There was no safe way to transport the three magical beasts by land, so they decided to transport them by sea on Sarasvati’s ship. While Sarasvati’s ship sailed up the Yellow River to the vicinity of Jinan, the magical beasts stayed in the forest near Mount Tai with Seorin. Soldiers were mobilized to strictly block the road so that no one could enter.

Shin-ui, waiting in Jinan, received a summons and came to the inn near Taean where the group was staying. But an unexpected guest accompanied Shin-ui.

“It’s nice to see you again, Young Master Sun.”

Jegeal Gyeong, the precious daughter of the Jegeal Clan, politely paid her respects. She still had the frail but confident appearance he remembered from Hwangsan.

Sun Bin also put his hands together and returned her greeting.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Jegeal. How is your health?”

The question wasn’t awkward because everyone knew the Jegeal Clan had suffered from a strange disease. Moreover, it was a greeting Jegeal Gyeong, who looked sickly, always heard.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”

After greeting politely, Jegeal Gyeong paid her respects to everyone else one by one. When she met Dang Wol-ah, her eyes sparkled with life.

“Nice to meet you, Sister Dang!”

“Sister Dang?” Old General frowned, but Jegeal Gyeong didn’t seem to notice. Jegeal Gyeong even blushed slightly in front of Dang Wol-ah and began to talk enthusiastically. Old General frowned at Shin-ui.

“Why did you bring her?”

“It’s not ‘her,’ it’s my patient. Her name is Jegeal Gyeong,” Shin-ui said bluntly. But Old General’s frown didn’t disappear.

“Don’t tell me the Jegeal Clan told you to bring her?”

“No.” Shin-ui shook his head. “Gyeong-ah has been treated by me before. She heard that I was in Jinan and came to find me. She doesn’t know anything about the matter between Bin and the Jegeal Clan.”

“Really?” Old General still looked dubious. Shin-ui continued.

“She happened to be visiting another branch family on the day Bi Geom came, so she avoided the curse of the Blood Jade [a cursed artifact]. After that, the clan ordered her not to return, of course.”

Sun Bin nodded at Shin-ui’s words. That’s why he hadn’t seen her in the Jegeal Clan.

“After the Jegeal Clan was freed from the curse, she returned to the main family. When she heard I was in Jinan, she came to thank me. It’s known that I treated the strange disease of the Jegeal Clan people.”

“I guess so. If they said they were cursed, no one would believe it,” Old General said matter-of-factly.

“But why did you bring her here?”

“Because she wanted to see Wol-ah,” Shin-ui continued calmly. “When I said I was coming with Dang Wol-ah, she asked me with sparkling eyes if Hwasa was here.”

Only then did Old General understand. Jegeal Gyeong had received help from Dang Wol-ah and Hwasa in Hwangsan. Since then, Jegeal Gyeong had greatly admired Dang Wol-ah, who seemed frail but strong, and Hwasa, who expressed her confidence with her whole body.

“Sister Hwasa…” Old General sighed. “Hwasa would be happy to hear that.”

Despite her violent words and actions, Hwasa was soft-hearted and easily moved. Come to think of it, Hwasa was the one who said it was okay to call Jegeal Gyeong ‘sister’ and to invite her to the academy.

“We can’t just send away a guest who came to visit… Let’s give her a cup of tea and send her away quickly,” Old General said, sounding annoyed. After a while, Jegeal Gyeong was sitting with the group, savoring tea. Present were Old General, Shin-ui, Sun Bin, Sa Su-yeon, and Dang Wol-ah. Seorin had gone to care for the magical beasts, and Sarasvati and Princess Gyeonghui were absent due to other commitments. Geomhui had also disappeared as usual since coming down from Mount Tai.

Clatter.

Jegeal Gyeong quietly raised her teacup with both hands.

“The Jegeal Clan has changed a lot,” Jegeal Gyeong said with a soft smile. “It’s really amazing. No matter how much difficulty they had, I didn’t think those stubborn elders could change this much, you know?”

She spoke as if she couldn’t believe it herself, but in fact, she was the only one surprised. Everyone else already knew the Jegeal Clan had no choice but to change.

“Thanks to that, I also have something to do.”

“Something to do?” Sun Bin asked. Jegeal Gyeong seemed to want to talk to Dang Wol-ah, but Dang Wol-ah only gave short answers, sitting a little away from Jegeal Gyeong, though she didn’t seem to dislike sitting together.

“Yes, teaching children,” Jegeal Gyeong replied with a smile. “I don’t know martial arts, and I can’t say I’m smarter than others. At least, I’m not good enough to overcome my sickness.”

Shin-ui frowned slightly. He knew Jegeal Gyeong was very intelligent but hadn’t had the chance to show it.

“But now I have something to do. Teaching children is something I’ve always wanted to do. Moreover, anyone can come if they want to learn, so it’s really like a dream.”

Jegeal Gyeong’s eyes shone with life. For her, who had spent a sickly and lonely childhood, being with children was a great joy.

“I shouldn’t be so happy considering the clan’s situation, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

As a martial arts clan, the Jegeal Clan was almost in a state of seclusion. But Jegeal Gyeong was so happy with the change in the clan that she overlooked even that sadness.

“The Jegeal Clan will definitely rise again because they’ve taken the right direction.”

“That’s right,” Sun Bin nodded, agreeing with Jegeal Gyeong’s words. “If you walk steadily on the right path, even if it’s slow, you will surely achieve it. Congratulations, Miss Jegeal.”

“Thank you, Young Master Sun,” Jegeal Gyeong replied with a smile, then stared at Sun Bin. Sun Bin looked puzzled, and Jegeal Gyeong suddenly said.

“Originally, I should have bowed to you, but I won’t because Sister Dang seems to dislike it.”

“Yes? What do you mean…”

“But,” Jegeal Gyeong interrupted Sun Bin and continued quietly, “Thank you, really, really thank you, Young Master Sun.”

Jegeal Gyeong’s eyes were filled with sincere gratitude. Sun Bin was at a loss for words and could only answer sincerely.

“You’re welcome.”

Sun Bin said, looking at Jegeal Gyeong with a soft gaze. “I just did what I had to do.”

Jegeal Gyeong smiled. A warmth warmer than the tea in her hand spread throughout her heart.

After drinking the tea, Jegeal Gyeong asked Dang Wol-ah to write her a letter and left.

“You said she didn’t know anything?” Old General grumbled at Shin-ui, watching Jegeal Gyeong’s carriage leave. “She knew everything. Maybe that kid was sent by Pil-ong [a member of the Jegeal Clan] on purpose…”

“That child doesn’t know anything,” Shin-ui said definitively. “She just realized who changed the Jegeal Clan.”

“What do you mean?” Old General frowned, and Shin-ui continued. “Ordinary people find out the cause after hearing the circumstances, but that child grasps the core at once with only a few facts that are superficially revealed.”

Shin-ui turned to Sun Bin. “The reason she said she would come here was probably to check that. After seeing us, she became convinced that the person who brought about the change in the Jegeal Clan is not me, but you, Bin.”

Sun Bin couldn’t hide his surprise. If Shin-ui was right, she must be a truly intelligent woman.

“Still, it’s a relief,” Sa Su-yeon said quietly, “because she got to do what she really wanted to do.”

Sun Bin nodded. Maybe Jegeal Gyeong could be a good teacher.

“It’s a relief,” Dang Wol-ah also said quietly, raising her teacup. “…Because she’s not sick.”

That was a bit out of the blue. Sun Bin turned to Dang Wol-ah with a puzzled expression, but Dang Wol-ah just quietly savored the tea and didn’t say anything more. Sun Bin shrugged. Anyway, he thought it was a relief that it seemed to have ended well.

***

A few days later, Sarasvati’s ship docked near Jinan, having sailed up the Yellow River. The three magical beasts were moved to the ship under the cover of night, and Seorin regretted the parting, hugging their necks.

―Grrr.

“Yeah, we’ll meet again soon, so just be patient for a moment, okay?” Seorin said, stroking the three magical beasts. The magical beasts were first headed south by sea and would finally be moved to the mountainous area of Yunnan [a province in southwestern China]. They had also considered the vicinity of Tian Shan [a mountain range in Central Asia] or Kunlun [a mountain range in China], but they concluded that Yunnan was better because the distance was too far. Yunnan was a region with high mountains, deep valleys, and very rugged terrain, where the magical beasts could live without harming people. It would also be easier for Seorin to visit them than Tian Shan or Kunlun.

“Goodbye! Don’t cause trouble on the ship!”

Seorin waved her hand greatly, seeing off the ship leaving for the Yellow River under the moonlight. The group also took a carriage to Yewon in Hangzhou. Clatter, clatter. Although it was a dark night, the group’s atmosphere was bright. Old General, holding the reins, and Sun Bin, sitting next to him, were all smiling. Mount Tai, towering under the moonlight, quietly watched Sun Bin and his group slowly moving away.