Well, it’s nothing much. (5)
The disciples of Hwasan looked at the man who had stepped forward.
“Hmm.”
The gazes of the others turned towards him in an instant. And from that alone, together with his supremely confident demeanor, they could guess what sort of position this man held within this academy.
Compared to the others lined up behind him, his attire was not particularly different. Yet, perhaps precisely because of that, the aura unique to him stood out all the more clearly.
The thing was, that aura was…
“Uh…… hm.”
“Strangely, he’s a bit…”
“Right?”
The disciples of Hwasan looked at one another, their faces unable to shake off a certain uncomfortable unease.
“He’s…… similar.”
Their gazes fixed on the man who had stepped forward.
A face whiter than the white shenyi draped over his body, a tall, slender frame, and above all, even the confidence and subtle slyness that lingered on that face.
“Did Nokrim King have a brother?”
“But his face looks completely different.”
“How should I put it… Like Nokrim King, but not sickly, and of noble birth.”
“Ah, that’s exactly it.”
Nokrim King. In other words, if Im Sobyeong had not been born under the roof of a bandit chief, but into a distinguished family, it seemed he might have grown up to be exactly like the man before their eyes.
“Something about this feels a little…”
“I know.”
While the disciples of Hwasan were suffering from that strange sense of deja vu, the Confucian scholar who had stepped forward bowed respectfully to the two old scholars.
“Chief Scribe*, what brings you all the way here making such a burdensome journey? Had you sent word in advance, we would not have committed the discourtesy of receiving you only after you had already entered our gates. Please do not make this disciple feel so ashamed.”
The old scholar who had been called Chief Scribe narrowed his eyes.
“I clearly told you to receive our guests. Have you, who study propriety and benevolence, forgotten propriety itself?”
“How could that be?”
The Confucian scholar replied with a gentle smile.
“It is only that one must know the other party in order to avoid committing discourtesy [비례(非禮)]. I judged it proper to first hear an explanation of what sort of people had come to visit this place.”
The old scholar glared at the Confucian scholar in disapproval before letting out a sigh.
“They are extraordinary figures of Gangho. They are said to be Taoists of Hwasan, from Shaanxi.”
“Hwasan…”
“Have you not heard of them?”
“Oh, there is no way. How could that be?”
The Confucian scholar smiled faintly. Then he swiftly turned to face the disciples of Hwasan and bowed deeply with clasped hands.
“It is the greatest honor to be granted an audience with the swordsmen of Hwasan, whose names are renowned throughout the world. This humble one is a Confucian scholar studying at the Secluded Academy**. My name is Jwa Gohak [좌고학(左苦學)].”
It was flawless etiquette, impossible to find fault with.
And because of that, even Baek Cheon could only return the greeting with a fist-and-palm salute, as though drawn in.
“I am Baek Cheon, a second generation disciple of Hwasan.”
“I have long heard of your great reputation.”
“Long heard…?”
“Yes.”
“Ours, you mean?”
Jwa Gohak laughed heartily and said.
“Haha. Whatever do you mean by that? Hwasan’s reputation has spread even to the foot of remote Mount Tai.”
“I-Is that so?”
The corners of Baek Cheon’s lips twitched without him realizing it. Watching this, the disciples of Hwasan began whispering among themselves.
“He likes this.”
“Very much.”
“Leave him be. He really did feel hurt in Jinan, you know.”
“Now I feel weirdly guilty.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Hanbin-ah.”
Baek Cheon, who at first had seemed to be slightly wary of Jwa Gohak, now clasped his hand with a broad smile.
“I am more than grateful for your warm welcome.”
“Not at all. I am only embarrassed that you would welcome an unknown, insignificant scholar like myself so warmly.”
Jwa Gohak’s gaze slipped past Baek Cheon’s shoulder.
“Ah…. Then that person is?”
“Yes, he is Monk Hye Yeon of Shaolin.”
“Indeed! So that is the prodigy of Shaolin who claimed victory at the Martial Arts Tournament.”
“That is correct.”
“Then… by any chance, that person?”
At Jwa Gohak’s question, Baek Cheon nodded as if it were only natural.
“Yes. The one beside him is Chung Myung, a third generation disciple of Hwasan. He is the one who crossed hands with Monk Hye Yeon in this tournament.”
“Ah, I see. To think I would meet the famed Hwasan Shinryong here, of all places.”
As if fascinated, Jwa Gohak kept looking back and forth between Hye Yeon and Chung Myung.
It was right then, as Baek Cheon was beginning to feel a strange sense of familiarity from the man’s friendly manner, that…
“Well then. What do you think?”
The old scholar called Chief Scribe asked the Confucian scholar.
“And what are your impressions, now that you have met the rising stars of Gangho you sang so highly of?”
At those words, Jwa Gohak answered with the same smile he had worn from beginning to end.
“I can only say that they are just as expected.”
“Just as expected, you say. What do you mean by that?”
“Must I say it?”
“There are times when courtesy must come first, and times when courtesy must be set aside.”
“If you insist.”
Jwa Gohak nodded, then looked straight at Baek Cheon.
“They are indeed as remarkable as I thought.”
“Is that so.”
“And.”
“Hmm?”
A slightly different smile, something strangely peculiar, spread across Jwa Gohak’s lips.
“They are only exactly as remarkable as I expected.”
Baek Cheon’s expression stiffened slightly.
It was difficult to understand what he meant from the words alone, but the tone carried a meaning the words themselves had not quite contained.
And it seemed Baek Cheon was not the only one who had sensed that tone.
“How unbearably arrogant.”
“Well. Is that truly so?”
“…What do you mean?”
Jwa Gohak shook his head.
“It is not arrogance. I do not think there is anything in particular in which I am better than these people. Rather, if we compare person to person, these people are certainly superior to me in every respect.”
“And yet?”
“But that is all.”
A voice that could not have been more resolute. Even So Jung-gyeong seemed intrigued by that answer as he spoke to Jwa Gohak.
“Explain yourself in greater detail.”
“It is not something that requires a lengthy explanation. Consider this: before Confucian learning brought order to the world and distinguished right from wrong, mankind could not escape barbarism. When rivers overflowed, they offered people as sacrifices, claiming they were appeasing the river’s wrath, and when droughts came, they did not hesitate to sever the king’s head.”
Jwa Gohak spoke with astonishing calmness.
“But what of now? As a result of the Sages breaking down the world’s barbarism and dividing right from wrong, people became able to live as human beings. But were the people of the past truly unable to escape barbarism because they were lesser beings than we are now?”
“That is likely not the case.”
“Yes. They merely had no opportunity to learn what was right. I believe the martial learniy of the world are no different from this.”
“So what you mean is that while their natural talent surpasses yours, the martial arts they have learned and practiced fall short of what you have learned?”
“That is correct.”
“…What?”
Baek Cheon stared at Jwa Gohak with a face that said he was so dumbfounded no words would come out.
So this, right now, was…
“What exactly is this guy saying? He twists his words around so much I can barely understand him.”
“So, to put it simply… is he saying Hwasan’s martial learning is barbaric?”
“…I think that’s what it sounds like?”
The other disciples of Hwasan, too, could not hide their bewilderment at Jwa Gohak’s words.
Looking down on Hwasan? Well, that could happen. Of course, as disciples of Hwasan, it was something they could not accept, but the world was vast, so there might well be people who did not think highly of Hwasan’s martial arts.
But Jwa Gohak was not merely belittling Hwasan’s martial arts – he was scorning every martial art under heaven. And he was saying it from the position of a Confucian scholar who disdained martial arts to begin with.
“How can those words possibly be anything but an expression of arrogance?”
At So Jung-gyeong’s rebuke, Jwa Gohak let out a sigh of frustration.
“Grand Secretary, please think about it.”
Then he continued in a tone filled with conviction.
“All things in this world exist upon the extension of scholarship. From the smallest matters of making a living, to the greatest principles that uphold the order of the world.”
“…”
“But look. Among those who say they learn and practice martial arts, where are the ones who truly try to study, research and develop their martial arts properly?”
Jwa Gohak’s gaze turned towards the disciples of Hwasan.
“All they do is bury themselves away in deep mountain valleys, babbling about ascension and enlightenment and other meaningless things. And even when they do learn something slightly superior, they become obsessed with hiding it away among themselves instead of sharing it. Water that is clear at first will still rot if left stagnant for too long. Gangho of today is no different from a vast pool of stagnant water.”
A vein bulged on Baek Cheon’s forehead, and his shoulders twitched and trembled.
He tried to somehow smile, but his twisted face produced only something bizarre.
“Then are you saying you are different?”
“It is not that I am different. The martial learning of this place is different. At the very least, the martial arts here are unlike the state of Gangho, where a handful of people’s experiences and thoughts are revered like sacred relics. Here, we discuss, share, and delve deeply into the matter. Therefore.”
A faint smile once again appeared at the corners of Jwa Gohak’s mouth.
“How could I dare compare it to the martial learning of Gangho, still shackled by the ways of the past?”
“Why, this bastard…”
Just as Jo Geol was about to flare up, Baek Cheon lightly raised a hand and stopped him.
“Sasuk?”
Baek Cheon cleared his throat slightly, then, unlike his failed attempt a moment ago, this time wore a bright smile as perfect as a painting.
“Indeed. I have heard you well.”
“If my words offended you, then I apologize. But facing reality is the prerequisite for moving forward, so I dared let this foolish tongue run loose.”
“Not at all. Criticism is painful no matter when it comes, but is that not precisely why it holds meaning?”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“However, well…”
“…..Yes?”
“Everything you said may well be true… but words alone can even be used to curse Confucius himself, can they not?”
At those words, the corners of Jwa Gohak’s eyes twitched.
“Dojang?”
“I am curious.”
Baek Cheon looked at Jwa Gohak and the corner of his mouth twisted slightly up.
“Whether that criticism you so casually lay out without having properly experienced Gangho truly comes from confidence in your skill. Or whether it is merely the bravado of a pale-faced scholar with nothing but a silver tongue.”
“…”
“They say even Zhao Kuo of the past had no equal under heaven when it came to discussing military strategy with words alone… so what of you, Esteemed Elder Brother***?”
“Zhao Kuo?”
Jwa Gohak’s face hardened.
After all, the implication was clear: someone who pretended to be capable and refined, yet possessed no real skill beyond empty talk.
“Haha, it is rather surprising that even Taoists know the meaning of Zhao Kuo’s military theories.”
“Ah, is that what surprises you? I find your ability to gaze upon the whole world from this secluded mountain valley far more astonishing.”
“Foresight is not something bound by location. Did not Zhuge Wuhou**** look out over all under heaven from within a small room?”
“Indeed, that is so. It is the greatest honor to meet yet another Zhuge Kongming**** here. However, I ask because I am ignorant, but does Confucian learning perhaps lack the virtue called humility?”
“…”
“…”
The two of them glared at each other as if they were about to kill one another. Seeing that sight, Yoon Jong quietly approached Baek Cheon and lightly tugged at his sleeve.
“Sasuk, there is no need to go this far…”
“Yoon Jong.”
“Yes?”
“To be completely honest… I did not really care about tests or anything of the sort. If we failed to pass, then so be it. I thought it would be enough if I did my best in my own way.”
“…All of a sudden?”
“But not anymore.”
“Yes?”
Baek Cheon slowly turned his head and looked at Yoon Jong. With a face twisted like a demon’s, he ground his teeth.
“None of you are going back until I crush every last one of these bastards. Got it?”
“Ah…….”
This fellow has gone off the rails yet again.
This is driving me mad, seriously…
Special Spinoff Chapter 41 >>>
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*상서(尙書) – in imperial China secretary to the emperor, chief scribe (3rd–2nd century BC); imperial chief of staff (2nd century BC to 1st century). The position was established under the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty as a clerk responsible for drafting and editing imperial decrees. Under the Wu Emperor of the Han Dynasty, the position’s status was elevated to something like a chief of staff handling all aspects of imperial governance, initially to undercut the power of the imperial chancellors and censors. With the establishment of the Imperial Secretariat around the position under the later Han, it came to be used as an appositive for positions within the bureau.
**은일서원 – i guess it is derived from previously mentioned Eunildan (은일담(隱逸潭). 隱逸 – secluded/hidden/concealed; 潭 – lake/deep pond). So 은일 – Secluded/Hidden; 서원 – Confucian academy.
***Since Jwa Gohak has been speaking in a kind of old-fashioned way, Baek Cheon also switches his language a bit and uses a term Hyeongjang instead of Hyeong (형장). Which can be seen as an old-fashioned polite form of addressing your Hyeongs/seniors/superiors(if close in age).
****I am thanking here they are making an elaborate joke on Zhuge Liang’s name and titles. There is an idiom 전무후무 제갈무후 (前無後無 諸葛武候) – “The unprecedented Zhuge Wuhou” – which as you can see by hanja is a word play on 후무 (unparalleled/never before never after/unprecedented) and 무후 from 무향후(武鄕侯 – military marquis) Zhuge Liang’s noble title. While 무향후(武鄕侯) shows the military mind of Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Kongming is Zhuge Liang’s courtesy name (an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood). Maybe using Kongming here implies “as being an adult” in kind of a subtly mocking manner? Someone more well versed in Chinese jokes pls correct me if I’m wrong.
About Zhao Kuo, Zhuge Liang and others mentioned – there is plenty of information on the internet.
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