CH 2

The scholar's astonishment was palpable, his face drained of color as he witnessed the scene before him.

The sight of an enormous boulder crumbling under the force of a single punch was something the scholar could scarcely comprehend, even as he watched it happen.

Moreover, the individual responsible for this extraordinary feat appeared to treat it as a casual demonstration.

"Oh, now that you mention it..."

The scholar recalled that this man had brought him here, and the impressive speed he displayed was not solely due to intoxication.

"He's no ordinary individual..."

The scholar came to the chilling realization that the man standing before him was a formidable presence.

"Ahem."

Clearing his throat, the scholar resumed the conversation.

"What is it you want from me? Why have you brought me here?"

Attempting to sound nonchalant, the scholar's voice betrayed a hint of trepidation.

"I brought you here because you were intoxicated, and your words caught my attention."

"What did I say?"

The man replied to the scholar, "What do you mean by 'what nobody knows becomes non-existent'?"

The scholar furrowed his brow, then recalled the drunken ramblings he had uttered earlier, albeit only vaguely.

"Oh, that. It implies that if no one is aware of an event, how can they know it ever occurred?"

No further clarification was necessary, yet the middle-aged man seemed unsatisfied. The scholar sighed and continued.

The phrase was self-explanatory, but the middle-aged man appeared unsatisfied. The servant sighed and elaborated, "Do you know the saying, 'The path to Cheongsa is bright'?" (TL Note: Cheongsa is a term for government buildings)

​

He continued, "It originates from the practice of recording history on bamboo slips. Thanks to the historians who refused to yield to the absurdities of their time and documented facts, future generations are able to learn about the noble scholars who graced this land and the deceitful traitors who lurked within. What isn't documented is forgotten and lost. However, the scent of incense can travel vast distances. What is inscribed on the bamboo slips becomes widely known, providing guidance and lessons for future generations…"

“I see, you're right.” The man's voice interjected, causing the scholar to furrow his brow slightly.

“Indeed, recorded and acknowledged events are accepted as truth, while those that aren't fade into oblivion and cease to exist. So, if no one knows, it becomes nothing, which is precisely what you said.”

As the man spoke, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. Son Bin felt a sense of foreboding.

“Well, now that we've cleared that up, I should be on my way…”

Son Bin couldn't finish his sentence. The man said, “I am Sa Jahyuk.”

Taken aback, Son Bin stumbled as he attempted to salute. “My name is Son Bin, sir…”

“Son Bin?”

The man identifying himself as Sa Jahyuk smirked. “No matter. From now on, you'll write a book.”

“A book?”

Son Bin gazed at him, bewildered.

“A book chronicling everything I've done… no, everything about me. People will read that book, and they'll know that someone like me genuinely existed.”

Son Bin furrowed his brow, puzzled by the man's request.

“So you want me to compose your biography?”

“A biography? Yes, that's a fitting description.”

Sa Jahyuk paused for a moment. “The book shall be titled The Saga of Sa Jahyuk, or perhaps The Epic of the Hero Sa Jahyuk. Hahaha.”

He chuckled heartily, pleased with the title he had devised. Despite his lighthearted demeanor, the proposition sounded utterly absurd to Son Bin.

"Are you still drunk?"

Son Bin furrowed his brow and inquired. Sa Jahyuk, who had been laughing, turned to face him.

"I appreciate your spiritedness. Even water should possess a distinct taste. So, your writing should be imbued with the same spirit. However…"

Sa Jahyuk picked up a sizeable stone and held it out towards Son Bin.

"If you speak thoughtlessly once more…"

Crack!

The stone crumbled in Sa Jahyuk's hand as if it were rotten wood.

"I'll crush your kneecaps like this rock." Sa Jahyuk's smiling face appeared incredibly innocent. Yet to Son Bin, it resembled a grinning demon.

"Do you comprehend?"

Son Bin couldn't respond, his face turning pale.

At the Homun Inn, Wangpal Noya, the innkeeper, was muttering profanities under his tongue when he suddenly stopped. This was because the scholar and the vagrant, who had left the inn, abruptly returned.

The middle-aged vagrant wore a satisfied expression, while the scholar looked as though he'd seen a ghost. Nonetheless, Wangpal Noya was relieved that the two weren't thieves and ran away before paying.

Whether he had read Wangpal Noya’s thoughts or not, the middle-aged vagrant calculated the cost of both men's meals, drinks, and accommodations.

It was surprising that the vagrant even included the scholar's portion, causing Wangpal Noya to reflect on his initial judgment.

However, as the saying goes, he who sleeps with a dragon will wake with fleas. Wangpal Noya, who had fallen asleep, was roused in the middle of the night by the sound of something breaking.

Crash!

The old, massive door of the room splintered loudly, as if it were mere paper. Along with the door, the scholar, Son Bin, found himself lying in the shabby inn's hallway.

"Tsk tsk."

Sa Jahyuk emerged, clicking his tongue and carrying his luggage. However, his expression lacked any sympathy.

"Didn't I tell you it’s useless? Why don't people understand until they experience it themselves… Tsk tsk tsk."

Sa Jahyuk glanced down at Son Bin and spoke.

"You thought you could escape me by sneaking away in the dead of night?"

Son Bin rose from the ground. His already ragged clothes had become even dirtier.

"Heh, that's what I wanted to say to you."

Son Bin, undeterred by Sa Jahyuk's imposing presence, replied as he got to his feet.

"Do you think you can treat someone however you please just because you possess the power to subdue them?"

"Heh, this guy is something else."

Sa Jahyuk remarked in astonishment.

"The one who attempted to flee in the night certainly has courage."

"Although I resorted to such means due to my lack of power, my actions weren't entirely wrong!"

Sa Jahyuk scoffed.

"People who act cowardly often justify themselves with a cause. Does a cause make anything and everything legitimate?"

"Even great sages have hidden away to escape threats to their lives. A bit of compromise isn't disgraceful."

"Compromise isn't disgraceful, but..."

Sa Jahyuk laughed faintly. Gazing at the closed door of Son Bin's room, Sa Jahyuk entered his own room with a satisfied grin. Although his room door was broken and provided no privacy, Sa Jahyuk didn't seem to care.

"Those who bend once will inevitably bend again. I wouldn't call such people cowards," he said.

Son Bin's face flushed momentarily. "Don't insult me without reason."

Sa Jahyuk spoke as if he hadn't heard Son Bin's retort. "There's one thing you're gravely mistaken about."

"Mistaken?"

Sa Jahyuk responded to Son Bin's puzzled expression with a frown. "You think you can escape from me now. But once I've set my mind on something, you'll never be able to elude me."

Son Bin lowered his head. "How arrogant. Who do you think you are..."

"Try it," Sa Jahyuk challenged. Son Bin fell silent and stared at him.

"I mean, test whether you can escape from me."

Son Bin scowled. "What do you mean?"

Sa Jahyuk offered a thin smile. "For the next three days, I won't leave this guesthouse. During that time, you can run away or hide wherever you want."

Caught off guard, Son Bin looked at Sa Jahyuk, who met his gaze with piercing eyes. "You can appeal to the imperial court you trust, seek help from anyone—a powerful family, a master of hiding, or call on whomever you please. But remember one thing." Sa Jahyuk smirked. "After three days, I will find you again."

A shiver ran down Son Bin's spine. He knew that if anyone could do it, it was this man.

"You can go," Sa Jahyuk gestured towards the inn's exit with his chin.

"Is that true?" Son Bin inquired. Sa Jahyuk's eyes flickered. He assumed Son Bin would try to flee immediately after their conversation.

"Yes."

"Phew," Son Bin exhaled softly, roughly brushing his dirty clothes with his hand. He then headed towards his own room.

"Aren't you going?" Sa Jahyuk asked with a curious expression.

"I'm going," Son Bin replied curtly, without breaking his stride. "But it's midnight now, and the road is dangerous. You said you wouldn't chase me for three days, so I'll rest well tonight and leave after a hearty breakfast tomorrow."

Thump.

Son Bin closed the door as he entered his room.

"Huhuh."

Sa Jahyuk smiled to himself. He looked at the closed door of Son Bin’s room and went into his own room, a satisfied smile on his face. He didn’t care that the room was completely exposed due to the broken door.

Wangpal Noya was trapped and unable to move. He had been hiding and observing the entire scene.

"What should I do? Should I change their rooms to a non-damaged one?" He hesitated, but couldn't muster the courage to speak with the intimidating man.

However, he worried that if he left things as they were, the man would cause a commotion, claiming he had been forced to sleep in a damaged room. Wangpal Noya, unable to act, spent a long time wavering.

The next morning, Son Bin descended to the inn's common area early and had breakfast. Sa Jahyuk also came down, and they shared the meal.

Wangpal Noya yawned continuously, having been unable to sleep, but managed to prepare breakfast for both of them. The meal was more meticulously prepared than usual, but it went unnoticed.

Son Bin and Sa Jahyuk sat separately, quietly eating their food. Upon finishing, Son Bin approached Wangpal Noya with his small luggage and gestured to him.

"Um, the payment was made by the gentleman yesterday…."

He accepted the money for the moment, but Wangpal Noya took it nervously, glancing at the middle-aged man.

"I ate and slept, so how can I accept money from someone else? And that guest will be staying here for another three days! Take that into account."

Son Bin deliberately emphasized the words "three more days", watching Sa Jahyuk's reaction.

However, Sa Jahyuk simply continued eating his food calmly. Wangpal Noya, observing the two men, quickly pocketed the money, and Son Bin slowly made his way to the inn's entrance.

Ding.

With the sound of small bells, Son Bin left the inn.

Wangpal Noya, was left awkwardly standing there. He cautiously inquired, "Um, sir. Is there anything you need?"

"Heh."

Sa Jahyuk paused his eating and smiled.

"Well, well. This is quite interesting. It's been a while."

"Pardon?"

Wangpal Noya responded, not comprehending Sa Jahyuk's words. But Sa Jahyuk didn't answer. Because of this, Wangpal Noya had to stand still until Sa Jahyuk finished his meal.

"I might as well die now."

Son Bin leisurely walked a few steps after leaving the inn, then began sprinting once he felt he had put enough distance between himself and the inn.

"Quickly!"

Gritting his teeth, Son Bin sprinted forward. Instead of heading towards Homun, he chose the direction of a village he had passed a few days earlier.

"Taking the Homun route would cost me an entire day, not to mention it's an infrequently used trail," he thought.

Son Bin abandoned his original plan, realizing that with the hermit's incredible abilities, outrunning him on the Homun path was impossible, even if he ran for three whole days.

"I must return to the village, then take a carriage to a larger village. From there, I'll catch another carriage to a major city or metropolis. Hiding among the masses in a big city will make it impossible for anyone to find me. Here at the inn, I'm the only guest, but in a city, there'll be countless others like me."

In a large enough city, he wouldn't even need to hide; with so many people, finding him would be next to impossible.

"Though I loathe resorting to such tactics..."

Traveling by carriage and relocating within the city would be costly. For someone like Son Bin, who had limited funds, this was a bitter pill to swallow. With a frown, he bit his lip as if bracing himself for the inevitable expense.

"Right now, what I need most are swift legs and an unpredictable destination!"

Thud!

His luggage jostled behind him as he continued to run, gasping for breath but refusing to slow down. He couldn't shake the feeling that the dreadful hermit, Sa Jahyuk, could appear behind him at any moment. So Son Bin sprinted away from the inn at full speed, in the opposite direction of Homun.

Thanks to his relentless determination, Son Bin managed to catch the morning carriage leaving the village. By lunchtime, he had arrived at a slightly larger village and immediately boarded a carriage bound for Wuhan.

Once settled in the carriage, Son Bin finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"Phew."

The other passengers cast curious glances at Son Bin as he breathed a sigh of relief inside the carriage. Regardless, Son Bin wiped the sweat off his sleeves and leaned back comfortably, a contented expression on his face.

Son Bin's destination, the city of Muhan, was not only historically significant but also a bustling provincial capital. Known as the capital that connected nine regions since ancient times, Muhan served as a vital hub for both land and sea transportation. The carriage was scheduled to arrive in Muhan in two days, so by the time the coachman departed the guesthouse, Son Bin would be in the heart of the city, where nine provinces converged.

"Damn it," Son Bin muttered under his breath as the carriage swayed. "I wasted money because of that madman." He had opted for a rickety luggage carriage with no roof, a wobbly frame, and a slow horse, as it was the best option given his tight budget.

"Muhan..." he mused. With its numerous historical sites, there would be no reason for Son Bin not to visit the city if he had the leisure. "It's a place I've always wanted to see, but... I suppose I'll have to rough it for a while." Unwittingly, he muttered another curse. Having forgotten about lunch, hunger soon caught up with him.

Yet, Son Bin felt fortunate to have escaped the unhinged man, and he gazed at the passing scenery absentmindedly. As the carriage rocked monotonously, the tension he had carried since morning began to dissipate. Gradually, he started to doze off, his head drooping.

All the while, the coach carrying Son Bin steadily made its way toward Muhan, the provincial capital of Hubei.