Chapter 10: Chapter 10

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The old man who told them to call him Physician Gam took a sip from his teacup. Then, looking out the window, he asked:

“Who did you say you were waiting for?”

Yi Yun, who was sitting on a chair with bandages wrapped around his abdomen, followed the old man’s gaze out the window and replied:

“···Martial Artist Jang. He is the person who saved my life and my son’s life.”

Outside the window where they were looking, a small boy was stroking the back of a horse with a small brush. However, anyone could see that the boy’s attention was not on the horse, but on the wilderness at the entrance of the village.

Physician Gam, who was watching Yi Hwan, gave a dry chuckle.

“Judging by your words, he sounds like a chivalrous hero··· But among those who call themselves chivalrous heroes, I have never seen one truly worthy of being called a hero. Besides, thirty bandits by himself? I doubt he will return.”

“Martial Artist Jang never called himself a hero. And he already defeated over a dozen bandits without taking a single wound. Why do you speak like that?”

Physician Gam turned his smiling face toward Yi Yun and said:

“Because I am someone who utterly despises those so-called martial artists. What do those fellows actually do in the end? They are just murderers who eat good food and kill people. Since you paid money, I will prepare meals for you. But when that fellow named Martial Artist Jang arrives, tell him not to even think about causing a disturbance in this village.”

“···Can’t you tell him yourself, Physician?”

Physician Gam turned around and walked toward the inner room, showing his back.

“I don’t talk to martial artists.”

Yi Yun smiled bitterly and nodded his head. To him, Jang Geon was a savior who saved his life, but to Physician Gam, he might look like nothing more than a trouble maker about to barge into this quiet village. Since they were the ones who suddenly intruded upon land where people lived peacefully, they were the ones who needed to be careful.

He turned his head back toward the window and looked at Yi Hwan, who was absent-mindedly stroking the horse. The kid, seemingly tired of pretending, shoved his hands into his pockets, leaned his back against the hitching post, and stared sullenly at the village entrance.

Looking at the boy, Yi Yun felt worried. Would Jang Geon be able to return? Because he was lying down with a sword wound, he hadn’t properly witnessed his skills. But thinking of his leisure after the fight ended and the way he sealed acupoints with his bare hands, he seemed to be a true master.

Furthermore, it seemed that the last sight of his back had left a deep impression in Yi Hwan’s heart. If not for that, there was no way he would wait like this for someone he had barely exchanged a couple of words with. He hoped that Jang Geon would return safely. Not for himself, but for Yi Hwan.

Yi Yun let out his brief thoughts in a sigh and stood up to help Physician Gam prepare the meal. The money he had given him wasn’t much. An involuntary groan escaped him, but he felt he needed to lend a hand with simple tasks if they were to eat proper food.

Just then, he saw Yi Hwan pull his hands out of his pockets and straighten his posture outside the window. Yi Yun, who was getting up, saw the boy’s brightening expression and, without a second thought, quickly opened the door and walked out.

At the entrance of the village, a man riding a horse leisurely came into view. It was Jang Geon. His clothes were cut here and there, and there was a wound on his forehead above his eye, but overall he looked fine. Perhaps because he lacked a conical hat, his eyes were squinted against the sunlight.

Seeing the father and son who had come outside, he guided Jojo toward them. And looking down at the two, he smirked slightly.

“I’m hungry.”

Physician Gam seemed slightly surprised upon seeing Jang Geon enter the building, but while Jang Geon raised his chopsticks and ate his meal, he did not say a single word. Even while treating the wound on his forehead, he kept his mouth firmly shut to the point where Jang Geon asked Yi Yun if he was mute.

Yi Yun, unable to bring himself to relay what Physician Gam had said earlier, simply smiled ambiguously. It was only after hearing Jang Geon’s words that Physician Gam opened his mouth.

“We’ll rest here today and set off tomorrow morning.”

“If you want to sleep in my house, pay more money.”

Yi Yun wore a shocked expression, but Jang Geon laughed pleasantly and said:

“I thought you were a mute, old man.”

“I’ll speak if I want to speak, and I won’t if I don’t. Enough, if you want to sleep in my house, pay more money.”

“Th-Physician Gam! I will send money by mail later. So for now···”

Yi Yun quickly stepped forward and spoke, but Physician Gam only looked at Jang Geon and said:

“Pay more money, or get out.”

Staring quietly at the old man’s firm face, Jang Geon took out a pouch from his chest and silently handed over coins. After receiving the money, Physician Gam busily tidied up inside the clinic, then walked out the door and said:

“Leave tomorrow morning before I return.”

Yi Yun looked apologetically at Jang Geon as he heard the door slam shut.

“I’m sorry, Martial Artist Jang. It seems he dislikes commotion.”

“It’s only natural to be wary of strangers.”

Having said that, Jang Geon lay down on a long bench to one side and closed his eyes. Yi Hwan, whose eyes had been sparkling with a desire to say something, drooped his lips in disappointment when he lay down like that. Yi Yun felt a small sense of regret, but thinking that Jang Geon must be tired after defeating thirty bandits, he simply comforted the boy by stroking his head.

Waking up early the next morning, Jang Geon and the father and son finished off the leftover food from yesterday and immediately prepared to depart. They re-tied the horse saddle they had untied and tightened their collars against the cold dawn air.

Just then, Physician Gam, who had disappeared last night, appeared. He held out a bundle toward Jang Geon, who was looking at him with blank eyes.

“···What’s this?”

“Are you going to walk around in that state? It’s not like you’re bragging about being a martial artist who loves fighting.”

Inside the bundle was a wide, black outer robe. Jang Geon, who was still wearing clothes slashed by swords here and there, quickly put on the robe and turned to Physician Gam to express his gratitude. But Physician Gam greeted Yi Yun and his son and went inside the clinic without even looking back at Jang Geon.

With a chuckle, Jang Geon adjusted the neat robe. It didn’t look like a new coat, but it was clean and well-washed. He turned his gaze to Yi Yun and his son and asked:

“You said we’d arrive sometime today?”

“Yes, we should. At the latest, we will arrive before evening.”

They thus left the village called Namjak-ho.

The journey that began at sunrise continued with non-stop riding, except for moments when Yi Yun and Yi Hwan needed to rest. As morning passed into afternoon, the land full of dry grass gradually transformed into land filled with damp, green grass. The wide, flat terrain surged more dynamically than before, and gentle streams flowed through deep trenches.

Trees with tall trunks and lush green leaves also began to appear. In Jang Geon’s sharp eyes, deer could be seen fleeing beyond those trees.

“You live in a nice place.”

“My sister-in-law wrote in a letter that farming isn’t easy because there are many pebbles in the soil. So rather than farming, she reportedly owns various shops. She mentioned that many stagecoaches pass through, so there are many outsiders.”

Before long, they were indeed able to see stagecoaches. It wasn’t just stagecoaches. There were people riding horses, people simply walking, small carriages pulled by a single horse, and ox-carts pulled by oxen.

Among them, many martial artists carrying swords and sabers could also be seen. However, as if no one wanted to cause trouble, most of them exchanged light greetings when their eyes met and passed by.

By the time the sun had passed its zenith and leaned noticeably toward the west, they were able to arrive at the village. With small boats docked at the river flowing to one side and countless people coming and going, Cheongsan Valley seemed less like a village and more like a small city. At the very least, it was clear that it was in the process of becoming a small city.

“To own several shops in a place like this. That sister-in-law of yours must have extraordinary business talent.”

“···The two sisters were originally people who exceeded the ordinary···”

Yi Yun muttered bitterly. Thinking about his sister-in-law seemed to bring back memories of his deceased wife. But he quickly erased that expression. He seemed afraid to show it to his son. Fortunately, Yi Hwan was busy watching the people coming and going and did not see his father’s expression.

Steering past the coming and going carriages into the village, they wandered around for a short while. Finding someone in a place they were visiting for the first time without a proper address was certainly a difficult task. But Yi Yun stepped forward, stopping passersby to ask for directions, and before long they were able to find a shop on the outskirts.

A sign reading ‘Seon’s Fabric Shop of Cheongsan Valley, selling beautiful and elegant fabrics’ was visible. In the New Continent, signs written with long, stretched-out phrases were in fashion. The fabric shop following that trend was located on the outskirts of the village, but it wasn’t lacking customers, as people could be seen entering and exiting even now.

After hitching the horse and going inside, a woman was seen tidying up fabrics. Seeing her, Yi Hwan shouted:

“Aunt!”

The woman turned her head to see who was calling her aunt, and her face filled with surprise upon seeing Yi Hwan’s face.

“Hwan! Brother-in-law!”

Seeing the father and son, the woman, who introduced herself as Seon Yeon-oh, immediately closed the shop door and guided them up to the second floor. Yi Hwan grinned continuously, glad to see his aunt, while Yi Yun wore a drained expression, as if he was finally truly at ease.

After hearing about the hardships the father and son had suffered, Seon Yeon-oh immediately pulled out a pouch and handed it to Jang Geon.

“Thank you so much. To save my brother-in-law’s life··· you will surely receive great blessings.”

Jang Geon looked closely at Seon Yeon-oh’s hand as she handed over the pouch, and feeling its heavy weight, he involuntarily looked inside. Inside the pouch were two silver coins and a whole stack of copper coins.

“It seems I have already received the blessing.”

Grinning, he stood up from the chair and asked:

“Could you tell me the locations of the blacksmith shop and the merchant guild here?”

Seon Yeon-oh offered to guide him herself. Yi Yun, who tried to follow, was forcibly laid down by her hands and couldn’t come out, while Yi Hwan tagged along silently. Seon Yeon-oh and Yi Yun didn’t stop Yi Hwan either. The kid had been staring at Jang Geon’s every move since yesterday.

Before stepping out the door, Jang Geon looked at Yi Yun and said:

“Rest well. Make sure to visit a physician later.”

Without waiting for Yi Yun’s answer, Jang Geon walked outside and, for some reason, lifted Yi Hwan up onto Jojo’s back while taking the reins himself. Yi Hwan smirked and said:

“How did you know I wanted to ride Jojo?”

“Just felt like it.”

While they walked under Seon Yeon-oh’s guidance, Yi Hwan, who was pursing his lips, asked Jang Geon:

“Martial Artist Jang, where did you learn martial arts?”

Looking at Yi Hwan’s bright face, Jang Geon turned his head forward again.

“From various people.”

“···Various people?”

“In the Central Plains, there are quite a few martial arts instructors who teach martial arts for money. Even if their own skills aren’t great, they teach well.”

Yi Hwan wore a surprised expression.

“Wasn’t martial arts something you could only learn by entering a sect?”

“There are sects that operate that way. New Continent sects are like that too. The old orthodox sects. But most sects in the Central Plains are just entrance exam academies.”

Yi Hwan tilted his head.

“What’s an entrance exam academy?”

“Academies for the Imperial Army enlistment exam. Because only by entering the Imperial Army can you learn true proper martial arts and earn a salary. That’s where the reason why Imperial Army masters are called true masters begins.”

Hearing those words, Yi Hwan seemed to be thinking about something. The kid, who was thinking deeply for a moment, tried to ask another question, but arriving at the blacksmith shop was faster.

Seon Yeon-oh said:

“Of the three blacksmith shops in Cheongsan Valley, this one has the best skill.”

“Thank you.”

Jang Geon bought a sword at the blacksmith shop without any particular bargaining. He handed over his previously used sword for the price of scrap metal. Because the blade was so notched, that was all he could get for it.

“Shall I take you to the merchant guild now?”

The merchant guild, formed by New Continent merchants to protect their rights and interests, operated similarly to a bank depending on the branch. At the three-story merchant guild he was guided to, Jang Geon exchanged the small debt bond he possessed. It amounted to twenty silver coins. The money he spent buying the sword was multiplied several times in an instant.

He also bought a conical hat from among the sundries sold on the first floor of the merchant guild. It looked newer and firmer than his previous one. He stepped out of the merchant guild with a satisfied smile.

When Jang Geon came outside, Seon Yeon-oh, who was taking care of Yi Hwan, said:

“It’s almost time for dinner. Do you like liquor? There is quite good liquor at home.”

“Thank you for the offer.”

While she wore a puzzled expression at his refusal, Jang Geon lightly lifted Yi Hwan, who was still riding on Jojo, down to the ground. Yi Hwan, who had a blank expression, was startled to see Jang Geon getting onto the horse and asked:

“Mister warrior! Are you really going to just leave?”

Mounting the saddle, Jang Geon smirked at the word ‘mister’.

“Mister? Hey kid, where do I look like a mister?”

Yi Hwan grabbed Jang Geon’s leg.

“Th-stay a bit longer before leaving. My aunt cooks amazingly well. You need a place to sleep too. And also, th-that···”

“You want me to teach you martial arts too?”

“···If possible. And also how to become a martial artist like you, mister.”

Jang Geon bent his waist and stroked the head of Yi Hwan, who was half-teary.

“My martial arts are a fraud learned haphazardly from here and there, so it’ll be hard for you to learn. You’d better ask your aunt to teach you. Your aunt is a master too.”

Seon Yeon-oh, who was looking at Yi Hwan with pity, looked up at Jang Geon in surprise.

“···You have good eyes.”

“I looked at your hands closely earlier. Thanks for guiding the way. Thanks to you, I can leave before the sun sets.”

Bowing slightly to Seon Yeon-oh, Jang Geon straightened his back and put on his newly bought conical hat. And smirking at Yi Hwan, who was looking up at him, he said:

“Live honestly.”

Then he lightly kicked Jojo’s sides. Jojo bobbed his head toward Yi Hwan as if greeting him just as Jang Geon had done, and then trotted off lightly. As it was late afternoon, there were few people on the village main street, so they rapidly moved farther away.

Yi Hwan could not take his eyes off Jang Geon as he moved farther away. Watching the boy from the side, Seon Yeon-oh realized that this child would never forget this scene, and that the boy had gained a dream. And at the same time, that she had found a successor to her fist techniques, which she had thought would be buried in the New Continent. Having thought up to that point, she turned her head to look together at the place Yi Hwan was staring at.

Into the setting red sunset, a warrior and a horse moved farther into the distance.