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chapter 27
After lunch, Danyeop returned to the textile shop and diligently tried to attract customers.
However, being naturally introverted, he had no ability to pull in clients.
As a result, he ended up just idly standing around like a mannequin in a suit.
Still, Mr. Yang didn’t call him inside.
“That face will do the work.”
He believed Danyeop’s smooth face alone would attract customers.
Even today, he noticed several passersby glancing at Danyeop and the textile shop.
If just one of them came in, hiring Danyeop would already have been worthwhile.
“Hiring a laborer for a monthly wage of two hundred coins is a bargain.”
Moreover, Danyeop could even attract customers.
Yang waited like a fisherman, hoping to catch something big.
As the sun set, Yang closed the shop.
“Danyeop, where did you say your home is?”
“Bosunbang.”
“The Poshibang shop will close in about two hours. So finish your errands and head straight back to Bosunbang.”
“Um, Master Yang…”
“What is it?”
“Could I perhaps receive part of my monthly wage in advance?”
“Why is that?”
“I need to prepare my own breakfast and dinner, but I don’t have the ingredients.”
“Oh, I see. I must have forgotten. You have no money at all?”
“Yes.”
Yang took out a hundred coins from his purse and handed them to Danyeop.
“If you spend wisely, it should last a month. I’ll note it in the ledger, so don’t complain later.”
It was not an exaggeration.
A measure of rice cost thirty coins, so a hundred coins could buy three measures—enough for a month with some vegetables.
After bidding farewell to Master Yang, Danyeop bought rice and vegetables at the market.
He returned to Bosunbang before the bell rang.
As he entered the old man’s gate, a soft bell chimed from afar.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding—
The old man, coming out into the yard and seeing him, smiled.
“You’re late. Did you buy some greens? You could have used what’s in the kitchen…”
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
“Keep the rice in your room. Someone else might eat it otherwise.”
“Is there someone else?”
“Yes, there’s another person selling water besides you.”
“Water seller?”
“They fetch water from the Dragon Head Canal and supply it to inns, restaurants, and other establishments. It’s surprisingly profitable. If I were ten years younger, I would’ve taken part in it. Hmph!”
The old man clicked his tongue with regret.
Danyeop, hungry, was intrigued by the mention of profit.
“But I don’t see them?”
“When it’s busy, they stay at the inns or restaurants. The heat hasn’t fully passed yet, so they must be busy.”
“I see.”
Danyeop decided to end the conversation and walked into the room.
The old man also returned inside, having nothing more to say.
Once inside the small room, Danyeop reflected on the day.
He had left the Bingma Tomb, rented a room at Bosunbang, and worked at the textile shop at the market.
The sudden change in environment left him utterly exhausted, unwilling to do anything.
Sitting idly, his stomach growled, forcing him to get up.
Though he wanted to sleep, hunger kept him awake.
He went to the kitchen, but the stove was cold, and he couldn’t summon the courage to cook anything.
In the end, he washed a handful of rice, chewed it roughly, swallowed it, and returned to his room.
Even so, putting something in his stomach made him sleepy immediately.
Though the floor had no bed, he was relieved it wasn’t the Bingma Tomb.
The mere thought of the Tomb now sent shivers down his spine.
Yet, despite his exhaustion, Danyeop couldn’t sleep deeply.
The hard floor was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
An uneasy mind also prevented proper rest.
“Is it okay to live like this?”
Working all day at the textile shop and sleeping at night.
The outside world was different from the Bingma Tomb, where one focused solely on martial arts.
People with no one to rely on had to spend time on basic survival, leaving almost no time for martial training.
“Hah! Even daily training barely makes progress…”
Feeling restless, Danyeop got up and went outside.
He found a stick and began practicing the Cheonji Do Law (Heaven and Earth Method).
Fortunately, from the first to third moves, there were no issues.
If even the Cheonji Do Law had faltered, he would have been extremely disappointed.
Next, he practiced the Baekryu Do Method (Hundred Flow Method).
After thousands of repetitions of the first move, the unexpectedly familiar Thunder Trapping move naturally came to mind.
Even after finishing the Thunder Trapping, Danyeop stood still, unmoving.
Clearly, awakening Simma (Spirit Mind) accelerated martial arts progress incredibly.
He had struggled with this move before, but now he mastered it in a single day.
It seemed the genius Simma affected him too.
“Haah!”
Though it was a positive development, a sigh escaped Danyeop’s lips.
Now, there was only one path to advancement within Haomun.
He had to awaken Simma whenever possible, as if practicing continuously.
Learning Baekryu Do Method while working alone at the textile shop?
He now realized it was impossible.
With so little time due to work, even ten years of effort wouldn’t suffice.
He tried recalling the third move but couldn’t remember even a fraction.
“Damn.”
Shaking his head, he trudged back into the small room.
He took out brushes, paper, and ink, and wrote a letter to Simma in the form of a diary.
[…At dawn, I must go to Yang’s textile shop and work. My task is simple: introduce the shop to people outside, and bring those willing to buy inside.]
While writing, Danyeop felt the words were shabby and considered tearing the paper.
But he quickly changed his mind.
If he wanted to use Simma, he had to clearly explain things to avoid ruining his own life.
He added a warning:
[I am my own, so do not decide for yourself. If you act on your own, I will never awaken you again.]
Though unsure whether Simma would comply, leaving a warning brought some peace of mind.
He folded the letter and placed it on the table.
“Next time I awaken, there shouldn’t be a problem with the third move of Baekryu Do Method.”
Thinking this eased his frustration slightly.
He sat cross-legged and recalled the Prajna Mind Method initiation mantra:
“When one perceives the emptiness of the world’s reality, one can overcome all difficulties and reach the true essence.”
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind:
“Am I pushing difficulties onto Simma?”
Using the lack of training time as an excuse, driven by his desire to quickly advance in Haomun.
“No, right?”
He asked himself but couldn’t answer.
“Damn…”
His heart felt heavy, but he didn’t want to stop.
Taking a deep breath, the light thread from his danjeon (energy center) surged upward.
No hesitation—he followed it as if it were the only path.
Bang!
A flash exploded before his eyes, and Danyeop opened them.
“Huh?”
The oil lamp on the small table glowed.
“Where… am I?”
His gaze fell on the letter on the table.
“A letter?”
Muttering, he picked it up and read.
“So you want to believe I am Simma…”
Danyeop couldn’t finish his thought.
He was uncertain whether it was Simma or merely a split personality.
“No, there’s no way such an intelligent Simma exists in the world.”
Muttering, he opened the room door and stepped outside.
Looking at the round moon, it seemed to be mid-September.
“Danyeop has advanced. From an underground tomb to Chang’an City.”
The air smelled noticeably different.
The Bingma Tomb’s air had been heavy, but Chang’an’s was light and clear.
He walked around to observe his surroundings.
The area was filled with large and small houses.
How long had he wandered, admiring the houses?
Distant footsteps echoed.
“Huh? Who wanders around at this hour?”
Curious, Danyeop approached the sound.
Soon, he came face to face with six soldiers of the Golden Crow Guard at the alley entrance.
One of them spoke in an imposing voice:
“Walking around during restricted hours! Are you a thief?”
Startled at being accused, Danyeop quickly turned around.
“Stop!”
But Danyeop wasn’t one to obey.
He stamped the ground and shot forward like the wind.
Papapat—!
Rushing with Cheonli-bo speed, he was like a wild horse.
“Hey! He’s escaping! Catch him!”
“Chase him!”
The soldiers ran quickly, but the distance only increased.
Eventually, as he vanished into the darkness, the soldiers stopped one by one.
“Hah! So fast.”
“Indeed! Faster than a horse, it seems.”
The leader asked:
“Did anyone see his face clearly?”
“He turned too quickly to see anything. Sorry.”
“A young man.”
Officer Gwak turned to the man who said “young man.”
“Do you remember his face?”
“Too fast to see. Sorry.”
“Hmm! Surely not Haomun?”
“Too fast for the usual Haomun technique, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. Only a master from Hyunmugwan or Janwolgak could move like that.”
The names of the martial sects controlling Chang’an were mentioned one by one.
Shaking his head, Officer Gwak gazed into the darkness.
“Whoever it was, it’s clearly connected to the commotion Haomun caused.”
“They say a blood battle occurred at the ancient royal tomb in Munsan yesterday. Maybe he’s busy cleaning up the aftermath.”
“Martial artists, huh…”
Shaking his head again, Officer Gwak retraced his steps, followed quietly by four soldiers.
Having run for a while, Danyeop slowed down when he noticed no one following.
“Ah, seems one can’t wander at this hour. Didn’t know.”
Returning home shortly after, he sat on the porch.
Chang’an felt more stifling than the underground Bingma Tomb.
“So that’s why Danyeop called me out. I thought he was a bear, but he’s a fox.”
The small room smelled of mold.
All day, he worked at the textile shop; at night, he couldn’t leave the house.
Moreover, he had to prepare his own meals.
A reality even he wanted to avoid.
“He wants to improve his martial arts to escape quickly, huh?”
Danyeop nodded.
His bond with Danyeop the slow learner was mutual.
“But the elder once had a butterfly dream. He didn’t know if he dreamed he was a butterfly or if the butterfly dreamed of him. You say you’re Simma, but I think you might be Simma. Still, I’ll respect your will not to decide anything.”
Finally, he picked up a stick from the yard and began slowly practicing the martial arts of the Six Gates.
