TPM 28

chapter 28

Dan-yeop unfolded one by one the martial arts techniques of the Six Gates that he had refined.

As expected, it didn’t feel awkward, and he was satisfied.

More than anything, it was good that he no longer felt like it was a waste of time, as he had before.

Under the moonlight, his movements were elegant, even beautiful, like a graceful sword dance performed by a master.

After finishing the Chil-sang sword method, he paused in thought.

“How impressive are the martial arts of other sects? Would the Six Gates techniques I’ve refined be recognized in the martial world?”

If he had the chance, he wanted to observe the martial arts of other sects.

But would a fabric shop clerk like him ever get such an opportunity?

“Should I save up and at least visit a nearby martial instructor?”

But he quickly shook his head.

He remembered the warning from the dull-witted Dan-yeop: “Don’t make any decisions.”

At times like this, he regretted not having control over his own body.

“Tch! That’s probably why dull-witted Dan-yeop calls me Simma.”

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Dan-yeop continued practicing the Taego Sect sword techniques.

Whether it was Six Gates martial arts or Taego Sect techniques, one had to train relentlessly to use them without conscious thought.

He practiced Taheo Muyeong Sword and Muae Sword repeatedly until dawn.

When the sun rose, he grabbed a stick and entered the kitchen.

The old man apparently didn’t maintain the fire; the stove had gone cold.

“To cook rice, I’ll need to start a fire first, right?”

Dan-yeop stuffed firewood and dried grass into the stove, but he had no flint, so he couldn’t light it.

He returned to his small room and searched through his belongings, but found nothing.

“I was foolish to expect anything from this guy.”

Grumbling, Dan-yeop went outside again, searching for something that could be used as a flint.

As he circled the house, the old man, awakened from sleep, came outside.

“Looking for something?”

“Ah, yes. I’m trying to start a fire in the stove, but I don’t have flint.”

“Oh! So you’re from a family with some means? Going around without a single flint.”

“Ha ha ha! Actually, I’m so poor I don’t even have flint.”

“I see. Wait a moment.”

The old man pulled a small pouch from a drawer on the veranda and handed it to Dan-yeop.

“If a man can at least start a fire well, women will follow. Take it.”

Dan-yeop received the pouch politely with both hands.

“This is magnetite and iron fragments from Sichuan. Nothing works better for starting a fire. The previous resident left it behind, and you can use it.”

“Oh! Thank you. Why did they leave such precious things behind?”

“They went somewhere they didn’t need it.”

The old man pointed to the sky with his index finger, implying the previous owner had died.

“Ah…”

“You’re not superstitious about using dead people’s belongings, are you?”

“Not at all.”

Dan-yeop shook his head firmly, and the old man smiled in satisfaction.

“Go and try lighting the fire. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“Yes.”

Dan-yeop entered the kitchen with the pouch and struck the magnetite with the iron fragments to make sparks.

Sparks flew onto the dry leaves, but the fire wouldn’t catch.

He continued striking, producing sparks, but still no fire.

At some point, the old man appeared behind him, retrieved something from under the cupboard, and dropped it onto the leaves.

When the sparks fell on it, smoke and flames rose.

Dan-yeop pushed the burning material into the stove and asked,

“What is this? Why does it catch fire so easily?”

“It’s powdered dried mugwort. You could use dried tree bark, but mugwort works best. I see you’ve never started a fire before.”

“Yes, it’s my first time in a kitchen too.”

*”Learn this well. Even just being good with fire…”

“Women will follow?”

“That alone isn’t enough. You need to do the next step well.”

“The next step?”

As smoke and flames rose from the stove, the old man pointed to the pot and said,

“Naturally, you have to cook the rice well. Wash the rice and put it in the pot to boil.”

“Yes.”

Dan-yeop washed the rice and put it in the pot as instructed.

The old man taught him various things since it was his first time in the kitchen.

“…There’s some pickled cabbage in the kitchen; you can eat that. But really, are you from a wealthy family?”

“No.”

“If not, why are you cooking rice? Normally, I eat millet or sorghum…”

“Ah, that was what I had on hand.”

“Ah! Young and handsome, I see you earn well. But don’t spend too much on food. Save it for your future marriage.”

“Ha ha, yes.”

Dan-yeop smiled awkwardly. He had no intention of marrying soon, but didn’t bother mentioning it.

“Whenever possible, buy flour and make pancakes. When I was your age, I saved money with just pancakes and a bowl of soup. If you want, I can teach you how to make them tonight.”

“Please do.”

“Come back before it gets late. Now, what should we make? Right, Baekchae Soup should be easy.”

The old man gathered cabbage and withered vegetables.

“Baekchae Soup isn’t complicated. Chop whatever vegetables you find and boil them. Season with fermented beans and salt. Can you do that?”

“Yes.”

“Once the rice is ready, boil it together.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Dan-yeop bowed respectfully to the old man.

The old man smiled in approval.

“You’re a young man with solid roots. You’ll succeed greatly.”

When smoke began rising from the pot, the old man took the initiative, scooping rice and adding water to the soup pot.

“Use the right amount of water. Since it’s just the two of us, this much is fine. If eating alone, half would suffice.”

Dan-yeop realized the old man intended to place a spoon on his table.

“The rice might be a bit short…”

He had only added a handful of rice, aware of the old man’s scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the old man took out salted cabbage and added it to the boiling water along with the withered vegetables, humming cheerfully.

Finally, the Baekchae Soup was ready.

Dan-yeop carried the food with the old man to the table in the yard.

He let out an exclamation at the sight of the meal.

“Wow, this is a proper spread!”

Rice, pickled cabbage, and Baekchae Soup—it felt overwhelmingly satisfying.

It was as if he had created something out of nothing.

Having only raw rice before seemed hopeless, but now he felt like an accomplished homemaker.

The old man chuckled.

“For a first try, the rice is done well. You’ll be loved by women.”

“All thanks to your teaching.”

“How about we take turns making breakfast and dinner? It’ll halve the work and be easier for both of us. What do you think?”

Dan-yeop shook his head after a moment.

“It’s a good suggestion, but it would be difficult. I don’t eat at regular times.”

Of course, it was an excuse. Not only had dull-witted Dan-yeop warned him not to decide, but also there was a difference in resources between him and the old man.

“He said he normally eats just millet and sorghum, while I have rice. Using rice against millet and sorghum? That’s too uneven a trade.”

“Ah, I see. Then there’s nothing I can do.”

The old man spoke as if it were no big deal, though his expression wasn’t entirely happy.

Early in the morning, Dan-yeop left the house and leisurely walked toward the West Market.

Seeing the dazzling city, he couldn’t close his mouth.

“Whoa! I’d heard Chang’an City was magnificent, but it really is incredible.”

He asked people along the main street to find the Four Seasons Fabric Shop.

Finding the Yang family’s fabric shop was no easy task either.

As he wandered along the street, peeking here and there, someone called out.

“Dan-yeop!”

He turned to see a goat-bearded old man waving energetically from afar.

Seeing the abacus in his hand, he immediately knew.

“That must be Master Yang.”

Hurrying over, he performed the proper bow.

“Master Yang.”

“Why are you wandering around? You should come straight here.”

“It all seems new today.”

“Once you’re here, sweep the shop inside and out and get to work.”

“Yes.”

Although Dan-yeop felt slightly overwhelmed by Master Yang’s forceful presence, he didn’t show it.

If his martial arts improved even slightly, he would escape from here.

“I’d better behave while Master Yang is around.”

After quickly finishing the cleaning, he went back out into the street.

Once away from Master Yang, he felt as if a weight had been lifted.

“Being in the same space as the shop owner is really tough.”

Dan-yeop lingered around for about an hour, practicing the secret movement Biryubo, related to the “season of human trafficking,” without drawing attention.

Biryubo.

Though the name suggested a waterborne technique, the “river people” had no such techniques—they lived on boats all year round.

He practiced Biryubo all morning and had lunch at Hyangmanlu.

By afternoon, he grew bored of Biryubo and switched to the porters’ Cheonribo, a speed-based technique.

While Biryubo was a secret movement, Cheonribo was more like an agility technique.

Naturally, practicing Cheonribo came with various restrictions.

“I can’t run freely… Cheonribo feels too restrictive. Suwolshinhaeng might be better.”

From then on, he moved around using Suwolshinhaeng without others noticing.

As he immersed himself in its subtleties, he heard Master Yang’s voice from behind.

“Dan-yeop!”

He hurriedly turned and ran to Master Yang.

Master Yang glared and said,

“Didn’t I tell you not to leave in front of the fabric shop? Do you think I hired you to wander around on your own?”

“Ah, my legs hurt from standing, so I walked a little.”

“Now you’re lying. I saw you standing briefly in the morning, then wandering afterward. Do you think making money is easy? I brought you here at the request of Elder Yang, and it’s a problem if you slack off like this.”

Dan-yeop couldn’t hold back and replied.

“Slacking off? That seems a bit extreme. I’m confident I can do my job well. All I have to do is guide the customers, right?”

Master Yang frowned at Dan-yeop’s bold reply.

For a moment, he was irritated, but seeing his confidence, his anger subsided.

To attract customers in the street, that level of audacity was necessary.

“You’re right. As long as you do your job well, who cares if you move around the market? In that sense, I want to see your ability today.”

“Ability?”

“I mean bringing in customers. If you fail again today, you won’t be allowed to leave the shop front anymore. Understood?”

“Today…?”

Dan-yeop’s voice trembled slightly. It was early afternoon, around 3 PM, leaving only about four hours until the shop closed.

“Was all that bragging just empty words?”

But Dan-yeop, without confidence, was nothing.

“Well, if it’s not difficult, let’s do it. And Master Yang must also keep his word.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I bring in customers, I can move around the market during work hours.”

Dan-yeop looked at Master Yang as if this were obvious.