The old saying that there is heaven in the sky and Hangzhou and Suzhou on earth is not just a saying.
Among that, Hangzhou’s night was particularly beautiful.
The lake was packed with boats of various colors as if it was sprinkled with jewels, and the splendor of the city seemed like looking at the Milky Way.
In particular, the bars at the riverbank that crosses Hangzhou were considered as one of the best places, so there were always a lot of visitors.
However, there was not a single visitor left in the place loved by many poets and drinkers in the name of a boarding house, the only bar in the riverbank.
“What did you just say?”
At the boarding house that the blood-lion rushed into, were five people trembling including the owner.
“I truly have not taken in any child younger than ten as a guest in the past three d-… two years.”
In the life revived by Yeon Geum-Hong, owner Wang Su-Bong settled with his knees relaxed. Thankfully there was a chair right at the back, so he avoided an unsightly fall on the ground.
“If you’re lying to us, we will destroy not only you but three of your families…. no, your entire clan.”
The energy in her voice made sure it will certainly turn into reality, not just a threat.
“O-of course”
Wang Su-Bong’s confident answer flashed a failure across Yeon Geum Hong’s face. She surely sent him to this place by giving him money, where did the young abolition go?
“First of all, let’s start searching this area thoroughly.”
Yeon Geum-Hong turned around at Seo Seok-San’s words, and Do Pyeong-Su said Wang Su-Bong,
“If we don’t find the abolition you’re dead. If you find the abolition and hurt even a fingertip, you’re dead. If someone or the other harms the abolition, not only the guy who harmed, but you’ll also die.
“W-what did I do wrong? It’s just that the guest didn’t come here, isn’t it…so?
“If something happens to the abolition someone or the other has to take responsibility. Do I have to take that responsibility?”
He had no choice but to shake his head.
If he nodded there he thought he would’ve gotten his head chopped.
“Right, of course, you’re the one to be responsible.”
Seeing the blood-lion leave the boarding house Wang Su-Bong prayed and prayed to God for the safety of the child called the abolition who he hasn’t even met before.
The four of them wandered all around for four hours, but they couldn’t find Geom Woo-bin at the end.
“As he promised, will the owner guy at the boarding house…!”
Yeon Geum-Hong caught Do Pyeong-Su who was heading towards the boarding house.
“Hold on”
“Why?”
“Maybe we’re barking up the wrong tree, aren’t we?”
“I’ve never barked up the wrong tree before?”
“The abolition must’ve not even come here in the first place”
“Then where would he have gone?”
“If not here, where would he have gone?”
Seo Seok-San looked surprised.
“Wait a minute!”
Just in case, Do Pyeong-Su and Jang Man-Dok continued to search Hangzhou, and only Yeon Geum-Hong and Seo Seok-San took the route to Baekrim-mun.
“Did the abolition go back to Baekrim-mun through that route for sure?”
Given Geom Woo-Bin’s situation at that time, the possibilities were low.
Not only Geom Woo-bin was exhausted to the point of fainting but also suffered no small injuries.
Even going to the boarding house of Hangzhou with that body would be tiring, it was hard to imagine going back to Baekrim-mun again.
“You can’t think of him as an ordinary child. He’s an abolition who ran a thousand miles and climbed Mt. Gumbong. There is no way this can be normal”
“And there is no way the master could’ve had an ordinary child as a student.”
The two guys were on their way under the assumption that Geom Woo-bin came down the Mt. Gumbong and went straight away to Baekrim-mun and not Hangzhou.
Even the moon was covered by the clouds, blocking the pitch-black darkness, but nothing like darkness became an obstacle to their standards of martial arts.
They finished off the path Geom Woo-bin had taken for ten days in just one day and saved Hwa Jeok-San. And it took two days to reach Hangzhou.
Geom Woo-bin who was almost half-dead wouldn’t have gone that far in those three days.
If they can’t find Geom Woo-bin by tonight or tomorrow morning with their maximum they’re either on the wrong path or Yeon Geum-Hong’s speculations were wrong.
So, the nervous Yeon Geum-Hong found bloodstains in his visibility.
It was a narrow mountain path for hunters and herbalists to pass through.
Fresh bloodstains were sparkling red on the green grass. The two who made eye contact sprang in the direction of the bloodstains.
And soon they were able to find Geom Woo-bin traipsing weakly through the wild forest. Startled Geom Woo-bin took a pratfall as they sprang in front of him.
Fright and pain flashed through their eyes as they watched Geom Woo-Bin.
It was shocking to see him moving around even though his entire body was covered in blood, one side of their heart was aching to know why.
“You should’ve gone to the boarding house of Hangzhou, why are you here?”
“What about Grandfather? You two should’ve gone to Baekrim-mun to save Grandfather.”
Yeon Geum-Hong let out a deep sigh.
“We’ve already been to Baekrim-mun.”
“What? Already? It’s only been three days…. or has it been four days?”
Geom Woo-bin wasn’t even feeling the flow of time.
“We saved the master.”
Geom Woo-Bin’s body, which breathed a long sigh of relief fell back.
“That’s a relief.”
With that being said, Geom Woo-bin lost consciousness.
“Even though it was painful and tiring he resisted. Looks like we have an incredible young abolition.”
Geom Woo-Bin, who bowed to Hwa Jeok-San’s grave, still had a deep sadness.
“Finally, you left to a peaceful place.”
It could be said that the eight-year-old kid knew something about death because he knew the pain Hwa Jeok-San suffered when he was alive.
“I’m sorry.”
In the monologue directed towards the grave, Yeon Geum-Hong stopped her hands from reaching Geom Woo-Bin’s shoulders.
“If only I was a little faster…… if only I was a little powerful I could’ve saved Grandfather.”
The sadness that remained on Geom Woo-Bin’s face was both grief and self-reflection. Yeon Geum-Hong wanted to say, “It’s not your fault.”, but the words didn’t come out of her mouth.
This situation itself was unfamiliar because she had never consoled anyone in her life. So they had no choice other than wait until Geom Woo-bin recovered his sorrow on his own.
Within an hour, the dark cloud on Geom Woo-Bin’s face cleared away and five of them were found seated facing each other on a wide rock.
“What? I’m an abolition? And not a priest?”
“Yes. You became our master’s first-ever student, and we were accepted as students shortly before the master died. So, you’re our great abolition, right?”, said Seo Seok-San.
“But I’m only eight years old… I know only one thing the master taught me about martial arts.
“Others all are not needed! Master’s first-ever great abolition! That’s the end of it!”, said simple and ignorant Do Pyeong-Su.
Geom Woo-bin let out a breath unlikely to his age.
“The master said you might even make older friends.”
“What? Did master say that?”
“It was six months ago. He said they’re old but they’re not very well informed of what’s happening in the world…”
“What do you mean not being informed of what’s happening in the world. But still, as we’re trustworthy with grudges and favors…”
Seo Seok-San poked his elbow into Do Pyeong-Su’s ribs.
“We’re trustworthy in grudges, not favors.”
“Exactly. We never did a favor to anyone other than master to start with.”
Yeon Geum-Hong joined the conversation.
“Wasn’t there anything else that the master said”
“He told me to guide the priests well so that they don’t commit any more bad deeds, but I’m not sure what it means. Did you uncles and sister understand?”
“HoHoHoHo!”
Yeon Geum-Hong who burst into a pleasant laugh at the title ‘sister’, soon fixed her expression. “Unless someone messes with us we don’t have to go and harm them, so abolition, you don’t have to worry about it. And rather than addressing us as uncle or sister please call us priests in the future.
“But still I’m very young…. you uncles look like you’re around forty and forty-five and sister looks like she’s around twenty-four….”
“HoHoHoHo! Hmm! What’s important is not the age. Now that the master has decided the ranks, if only we follow it as it is…”
The reason Yeon Geum-Hong stopped talking was because of the rumbling sound that came out of Geom Woo-Bin’s stomach.
“The abolition must be hungry.”
As soon as those words were spoken the three people sprang except her. Returning halfway after disappearing into the woods their hands were carrying hunted animals.
Do Pyeong-Su was holding a boar, and Seo Seok-San a roe deer, but Jang Man-Dok was holding a…..
Yeon Geum-Hong shouted fiercely.
“How can you catch a tiger!”
Jang Man-Dok was so reticent to the point it was hard to hear a word a year. Nevertheless, it was thanks to Do Pyeong-Su that he somehow communicated. Do Pyeong-Su knew what Jang Man-Dok wanted to say even with a small change in his expression.
“Tiger meat is used only for medicine! Originally carnivorous animals don’t taste good!”
“I think it’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“I hope you don’t generalize to your unusual taste buds.”
“Since I caught him please it well. If you cook it well even tiger meat will be delicious.”
Jang Man-Dok’s lips twitched as Geom Woo-bin sided with him. It wasn’t hard to finish off the prey since there is a town nearby.
While setting up a fire to grill meat Geom Woo-bin asked.
“But how do we live from now on? We can’t be hunters, right?”
“We’ll make money, it’s not difficult.”, said Seo Seok-San.
“How?”
“We’ll get money if we make an impression in wealthy places.”
“Isn’t that… too direct?”
“They will give it on their own, we’ve never asked them to give.”
“Anyways it’s taking away others’ wealth, isn’t it?”
“If you hate to do that, then we’d rather steal from somewhere, shouldn’t we? Though we might lose our faces a little bit”
Geom Woo-bin shook his head.
“Master told us not to do anymore bad deeds, didn’t he? So, we also should live a normal life. What are priests good at?”
Seo Seok-San replied promptly.
“Killing people. We can kill thirty people before an apple that falls from the tree hits the ground,”
Do Pyeong-Su snorted.
“Huh! Only thirty people? I can even kill fifty people. Jang Man-Dok, did you say you can even kill hundred people? Then I can kill two-hundred.”
Even Yeon Geum-Hong joined the talk.
“If only I had people to kill, I’d go for three-hundred.”
As the numbers kept increasing, Geom Woo-bin intervened when it became thousand.
“You can’t make a living by killing people. Did you forget the last words of the master, to not do any bad deeds?”
“No, but, killing is what we’re good at, it’s not that we’re going to make a living out of it.”
“Then what’s the next best thing you’re at?”
The answer to that question was also quick.
“Brewing alcohol. There is none other than us who can brew alcohol to master’s tastes. He particularly liked my ‘Pungryuju’.
Do Pyeong-Su snapped at Seo Seok-San’s words.
“What nonsense is that! Master’s most favorite was my ‘Hwagogju’!”
Jang Man-Dok expressed his opinion by smashing his fist against the rock next to him.
“How insolent! Looks like you guys have forgotten the fact that Master used to have my ‘Yeogeumju’ all night and pass out in the morning.”
“Ah! I found something for us to do!”
Everyone’s eyes were drawn to Geom Woo-Bin.
“Let’s run a brewery!”
They only blinked with a puzzled expression.
“Why?” Asked Yeon Geum-Hong.
“Do we brew alcohol and sell it to people?”
“Yes. Do you not like brewing alcohol?”
“Of course, I like. Only when I make it for master, ha! Selling our alcohol to just anyone is a little…”
“It makes a lot of people happy, doesn’t it?”
“Sorry?”
“If we’re able to make money and also make people happy, it’s good, isn’t it?”
Geom Woo-bin was fast asleep next to the bonfire and the four others were sitting in a circle on a wide rock. The reason all of them couldn’t carry out an easy talk was because of this difficult situation.
After a long silence Do Pyeong-Su said.
“Should we rather go back to the manor where we lived with the master?”
“And then?”
“I’m certain something will work out.”
“We used up all the money trying to find master, the manor probably has not even been maintained, how do we live there with the abolition?”
In response to Yeon Geum-Hong’s logical refutation Do Pyeong-Su could no longer speak of returning to the manor.
“The abolition could also be in danger out there. You think we have only one or two enemies in Moorim.?”
Seo Seok-San gazed down upon Geom Woo-bin who was sleeping.
“We have to protect him carefully. If something happens to the abolition how are we going to face our master in the afterlife?”
“Protecting him is important too, but shouldn’t we at least be teaching him the martial arts that could protect himself on his own?”
The three others simultaneously nodded for the words of Yeon Geum-Hong.
Just like with Hwa Jeok-San, the blood-lion also had quite a lot of fights regardless of the circumstances.
Many of the incidents were trivial to the blood-lion, so those trivial incidents could’ve hurt innocent Geom Woo-Bin.
“An eight-year-old abolition in our 90s? Oh well!”
Three of their ferocious glances were fixed on Do Pyeong-Su.
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“What do you mean problem. That’s the truth.”
“Don’t forget when our master took us in. If it was not for the master we would’ve been crows in the field before we turned ten. Today we’re here because he took us orphan beggars who had no place to go and provided food and a place to sleep, and he even taught us martial arts. If it’s that person’s last wish, even if he asks us to jump into the fire, we must jump. But he just asked us to take in the young abolition, nothing else, right?”
Seo Seok-San laughed following Yeon Geum-Hong’s words.
“Hehehe! Above that he is smart and handsome, isn’t he? If only you teach him well, he might be the best player of M…”
“Jang Man-Dok is asking if you’re trying to make the abolition as the playboy of the world?”
“In general, a man should know alcohol and have a taste for art. It’s a natural phenomenon for a woman to follow there.”,
“We should make him the world’s best man instead of a playboy. That way nothing goes wrong with the karma we accumulated.”, said Yeon Geum-Hong.
Seo Seok-San glanced at Geom Woo-Bin.
“Then our great abolition will be the world’s best playboy.”