Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 320

Tales of the Spirit Blade – Part 2, Episode 29

“What did you say?”

“There’s no other way. The simplest solution is for me to become a merchant of the Gon family. It would be easier for everyone.”

Saha couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Are you joking? You’re… you’re kidding me, right?”

“If you can’t even come up with ten *nyang* [a unit of currency] of Won Geun’s debt, what else can we do? It’s better for me to go.”

Saha, who had been standing, slumped back into his seat.

In contrast, Gon Sabi was practically vibrating with excitement.

The flush on her face revealed the joy she was feeling.

“But still, how could…!”

“Well, it seems the discussion is over. It’s quite late, so I hope you’ll rest comfortably at our Gonhyang House.”

Creak.

Bang.

“Oh, and Cheon Su-seon, would you please follow me for a moment? Now that you’ve become a *Su-seon* [a type of merchant or attendant] of the Gon family, I’d like to show you around, even if it’s just briefly.”

Cheonbeom nodded in agreement and left, leaving Saha behind in a daze.

Thud.

“The sound of the door is quite… fierce.”

He chuckled in disbelief, then staggered away.

* * *

The Gon family’s Gonhyang House (銀香樓) [Silver Fragrance Pavilion] was brightly lit even at this late hour, with young maidens running around busily.

“What are they doing over there?”

“They’re weaving fabric.”

A considerable number of people were operating looms and weaving fabric.

With the Martial Arts Competition just around the corner, they seemed to be working through the night.

He didn’t know what kind of thread they were using, but even without any special processing, the fabric was smooth and soft.

However, the faces of the maidens making it were drawn and tired, with dark circles under their eyes, as if they hadn’t slept for days.

“Even at this late hour?”

“Yes, because they are *So-seon* [those with a limited lifespan].”

“What does that mean?”

“*So-seon* are destined to die someday, aren’t they? So they work hard before they die. Since they’re going to die anyway, they work hard to receive rewards and enjoy their lives to the fullest before they die, don’t you think?”

Cheonbeom’s expression became strange.

“But aren’t you also a *So-seon*, young lady?”

“I don’t need to work.”

The smile on her face was mischievous.

Her face was still youthful, and the way she thought was like a young girl.

After that, Cheonbeom was introduced to various places and listened to stories.

The Gonhyang House was a palace attached to one side of the Gon family’s estate, and she said that the entire area, about the size of a ministry, belonged to her.

It wasn’t just the land that was in Sabi’s name, but she also collected taxes from the residents and businesses around the Gonhyang House.

There were no elders of the Gon family in this Gonhyang House.

In effect, the Gonhyang area of Yeoui Stream was in her grasp.

“Young lady.”

“Sabi.”

“Sabi?”

“You can call me Lady Sabi.”

“…Lady Sabi.”

She giggled, clearly pleased.

“Why are you doing that? Ah! Just in case, I have a fiancé. Please don’t develop any unnecessary feelings for me.”

She was an absurd girl.

“That’s great. I’ve been spoken for a long time ago.”

“That’s good. If you have any more questions, please ask this child [referring to the servant]. It’s late, so let’s end the night’s entertainment here.”

Gon Sabi said that and returned to her residence.

From beginning to end, she was selfish and only said what she wanted to say.

Cheonbeom was dumbfounded and couldn’t help but laugh at Gon Sabi’s impudent behavior.

She was just a *So-seon* who relied on the power of her family and acted so arrogant, but he was more dumbfounded than displeased.

“I will serve you.”

It was a servant dressed in blue.

He looked like an old man, and his body was so thin that he looked like he would fly away if you touched him.

“Before that, there are a few things I’d like to ask.”

Some time later.

Cheonbeom looked around his residence and sat down on the bed.

‘I know the general story now.’

She was the Gon family’s precious daughter.

The Gon family was said to have had a unique constitution since its founder, with their body sometimes being seawater and sometimes tidal water.

They were a powerful divine beast that could be hundreds of fish, but when they spread their fins, they could instantly turn into a *roc* [a giant mythical bird], encompassing both the sea and the sky, but unfortunately, they had difficulty having children because of that constitution.

The difficulty in having children had been passed down through the lineage, but the current head of the family was said to be much worse.

They had no luck with children for over thousands of years, and after doing everything they could, they finally managed to have Gon Sabi.

“Die Sa, Hide Bi [literal meaning of the name].”

Sabi was also on the verge of death as soon as she was born, but she miraculously survived, so they gave her that name.

Hiding death.

It was a name that evoked the parents’ wish for immortality.

But perhaps because she was a child born after thousands of years, they indulged her in everything, and she became so immature.

“If she’s a child after thousands of years… I can understand it a little.”

“Oh my, you startled me.”
Hwaran, who was already sitting next to the bed, muttered.

He was lost in thought, but he was surprised to hear a voice so suddenly, even though he was a tiger.

“San-gun.”

“What.”

“Can I have children too?”

He flinched.

“…Suddenly?”

“I suddenly became curious. It’ll be difficult, right?”

The back of his neck itched.

As he scratched it, she stared at him, waiting for an answer.

“Well… isn’t it possible?”

“Really?”

For some reason, she was giving him such sparkling eyes. Frankly, how would he know if a sword spirit could have children?

He didn’t know.

But if he told the truth now, he felt like he would get nagged.

“Y, yes, it would be.”

“But how do you know that, San-gun? You’re not a god… Is that really true?”

She was like a picky woman.

Cheonbeom tapped his earring and said.

“You have Yeowi [a type of spirit], don’t you?”

“Ah….”

The Yeowi hanging on Cheonbeom’s ear was a *Seongjok* [a spirit race].

It was a mysterious race where treasures gained spirituality and formed a body.

Seeing that these *Seongjok* also had and gave birth to children, even Hwaran, who was a sword spirit, would not be impossible.

“But why are you curious about that?”

“I can just be curious.”

“Do you want to have a child?”

“Then will you let me have one?”

“…There’s no reason not to.”

When he said it seriously, Hwaran’s face turned red instead. She poked Cheonbeom’s chest as if he was being cheeky.

“That’s enough. A sword spirit having a child… Never mind.”

Cheonbeom stroked Ran’s cheek with a bitter look on his face at her uncharacteristically flustered appearance.

“Why are you doing this? I’m not an easy woman who would fall for such seduction.”

“What seduction are you talking about?”

“You’re writing on that sly face right now that you can make me a child right away, aren’t you?”

Here we go again.

Cheonbeom shook his head and lay down on the bed.

“But, what are you going to do?”

Ran wrapped her body around Cheonbeom, who was lying on the bed. She tapped Cheonbeom’s face with her finger while fidgeting her feet.

“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“Are you going to stay in the Gon family? The San-gun I know wouldn’t do that.”

That was right.

He was just pretending to do so temporarily to overcome the situation.

“Do you have insight?”

“Don’t I look like I don’t have a plan on my face?”

“You really are a fool.”

“Then what’s the solution?”

Hwaran shrugged her shoulders.

“There’s no way I would know. The Gon family’s young lady is quite clever. She’s just reckless.”

He agreed with her words.

She uses a subtle tone that confuses the other person between coercion and common sense to get what she wants.

An ordinary person would have ignored such unreasonable demands, but it was possible for the young lady who had the Gon family behind her.

‘Looking at what she does, it seems like it’s never not worked for her.’

That’s why she’s being so relaxed.

Her personality is also that twisted.

“So.”

She ran her finger along his jawline, which she had been poking, and then stroked his lower lip.

“Are you going to stay in the Gon family?”

“There’s no way.”

He had no intention of continuing to be played by a childish tantrum.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Since he was trapped by a child’s tantrum, it was now time to show an adult’s tantrum.

“You still have a long way to go to grow up.”

Hwaran clicked her tongue at Cheonbeom’s laughing appearance.

* * *

The next day.

Cheonbeom woke up early in the morning and burst into Saha’s room.

“You look terrible.”

He looked terrible, sprawled out on the bed as if he had been drinking.

He hadn’t even taken off his clothes properly, and his eyelids were swollen red.

He wouldn’t even know if someone carried him away.

“I came to talk, but wow….”

He couldn’t say anything in his current state.

He shook his head and closed the door tightly and went for a walk.

He didn’t have anything to do, so he was thinking of taking a stroll around the neighborhood.

‘I can still hear the sound of the loom.’

It seemed like they were still weaving fabric.

He could also hear the sound of various *So-seon* making miscellaneous things.

There were people carving wood, sculpting, and hammering shoes.

There were so many people.

‘There are also *Sang-seon* [those with a longer lifespan].’

Most of them were *So-seon*, but he could also see many *Sang-seon* from time to time.

When he greeted them lightly, one *Sang-seon* bowed his head and focused on his work again.

‘*Sang-seon* are nothing special here.’

Unlike Yongmagol or Sangseo in the frontier, the power that *Sang-seon* had here didn’t seem to be that great.

Even though it depended on the *Sang-seon*, there were quite a few of them working, so he couldn’t help but think that way.

‘Well, even if they’re *Sang-seon*, not all of them are good at fighting.’

Just like everyone has different talents, so do the gods.

Just like Cheonbeom was talented in martial arts, they were talented in alchemy or *yeondan* [elixir making].

“Oh my, what are you doing here?”

“Young lady.”

Before he knew it, Gon Sabi appeared and asked.

She was wearing a palace dress embroidered with red and gold *roc* patterns. It was gorgeous at a glance, and she looked like a seductive woman, as if she had finished her makeup, and the youthful girl had disappeared.

“Not young lady. Now the *Sang-seon* is my *Gaseon* [guest official/attendant]. Now, try calling me properly again.”

“…Lady Sabi, have you arrived.”

“That’s right. Good job.”

Cheonbeom’s eyebrows twitched, but Sabi didn’t notice.

“But where are you going today? Your outfit is gorgeous.”

“I’m going to meet my fiancé. Oh, it’s perfect. Why don’t you come with me, *Sang-seon*? I heard you’re excellent in martial arts….”

She covered her mouth with her sleeve and chuckled.

“I might get to see Cheon Su-seon’s martial arts today. Let’s go.”

She didn’t even listen to Cheonbeom’s answer.

That’s what *Gaseon* meant to her.

Among those around Gon Sabi, there were also the man and woman who had mixed swords yesterday, imitating Unjeok.

They gave him an awkward smile.

Cheonbeom calmly accepted the greetings.

After a while.

As he waited with Sabi in front of the Gonhyang House, a *Cheonma* [a mythical horse] with four eyes and six legs appeared from the sky.

The four *Cheonma* were pulling a carriage while stepping on clouds, and a boy about the same age as Gon Sabi was sitting inside.

“Bi!”

“Gyeong!”

The boy grabbed Gon Sabi’s hand as soon as he got off. Sabi also called him Gyeong and was delighted.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be a son of a high-ranking family.

‘The pattern on the carriage is….’

It was the pattern of Mihu.

Seeing that it was the shape of a ferocious monkey, it was the Mi family, one of the Five Great Families.

‘Birds of a feather flock together.’

They were quite a good match.

Both of them had outstanding looks and wore elegant clothes, so they looked like handsome men and beautiful women on the outside.

“You don’t know how much I wanted to see Bi. There hasn’t been a day since that day that I haven’t missed Bi.”

“Me too, Gyeong.”

The two held hands tightly and looked at each other happily for a long time.

‘Those young bastards are putting on airs….’

But Cheonbeom raised the corners of his mouth as if he had a fun idea.

‘Gon Sabi’s fiancé….’

He might be able to finish things faster than he thought.