You’ll Come To Know Soon, Too (1)

“Well, everyone is strange.”

The physiognomist tugged at his mustache, his face saying he couldn’t make sense of it.

I heard they met on the road from Shaanxi, and there was a strange common thread. Some had thrown away their fortunes, some were barely scraping by, but each of them…

“People whose hardships are this obvious aren’t common. So why are such folks all gathered in one place?”

It was enough to make one exclaim the place was cursed.

“So is that bad?”

“Not necessarily. They’re not the type to drag others into their suffering. They’re closer to people who bring fortune if kept nearby. Think of it as fate: a fallen tree beside them will eventually stand upright.”

“Then there should be no problem.”

The inspector nodded as if relieved.

He knew how skilled that physiognomist was. If the man judged them benign, accepting them all shouldn’t be an issue.

“Problem… a problem, huh.”

“Why do you say that?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

The physiognomist waved his hand sharply.

‘I should be able to say something.’

To right a fallen tree means to remove the bad and spread the good. It sounds all positive, but…

‘If you are on the ill side, it means the pillar roots will be uprooted.’

How could he say that—telling them it would be better if they weren’t decent people so they wouldn’t accept it.

“Anyway, thank you. Here’s a token of gratitude.”

“Thank you. Please call me again. If there is a next time, that is.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing.”

The physiognomist gave a crooked smile and turned away.

Mount Hua’s disciples murmured in admiration at the sight.

“He’s incredibly skilled.”

“Right. I thought folks like that were all frauds.”

“…Isn’t it wrong for a Taoist to say that? If you think about it, physiognomy is part of the mystic arts.”

“What are you talking about? We don’t deal with that stuff.”

“Hmm? I heard both are kinds of study based on yin-yang and the five elements.”

At Jwa Go-Hak’s remark, Yoon Jong shrugged and explained.

“It’s not entirely wrong, but Mount Hua isn’t particularly tied to yin-yang and the five elements. The place that makes yin-yang and the five elements its mainstream is Wudang; we’re closer to the xian path. That’s why Mount Hua doesn’t practice divination.”

“So that’s why the sect lacked money? They learned mystic arts but had no way to make money?”

“Huh? Uh… oh?”

Yoon Jong’s mouth dropped open. So that was the problem…

“Did these brats come here to play or what, with all this chatter!”

At that moment, the chief inspector strode over, irritation on his face.

“There are no other issues, so I’ll accept them for now. But remember this: if someone can’t do their work properly or tries tricks, they’ll be beaten and driven out… What, who’s that child?”

The chief blinked and looked at Yu Han-Bin standing beside Baek Cheon.

“Since when have you been here?”

“From the beginning.”

“Huh? Why didn’t I know?”

“…Earlier there were so many people.”

“I see. That’s not the point. Why is he there?”

“Because he’s with our party…”

“Party?”

The chief narrowed his eyes for a moment.

“If he’s brought to a place like this, it seems he has no one to look after him. Don’t tell me we’ll have to feed and lodge that child too?”

“Well…”

Mount Hua’s disciples were about to object when Yu Han-Bin stopped them.

“Um, wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“Come here for a moment. Just a moment.”

Yu Han-Bin stepped forward, grabbed the chief’s sleeve, and pulled him into a corner. The chief looked bewildered by the confident action but was led away.

In the corner, Yu Han-Bin and the chief whispered to one another.

“…What are those two doing?”

“I wonder.”

“That man keeps changing expressions by the moment…”

“What on earth are they talking about?”

It didn’t take long to satisfy their curiosity.

Suddenly, the two who had been whispering returned as if nothing had happened.

The chief cleared his throat and, with a slightly awkward smile, spoke as Yu Han-Bin resumed his place without a word.

“It happens that… ah, right. The young masters’ sleeping quarters needed attendants, and their ages seem to fit… Let’s hire them on the side for now. But know this: we can’t pay them as much as an adult.”

“Of course. That’s only natural.”

“Ahem. Right, everyone, unpack at the lodging. Don’t waste time.”

The chief turned on his heel and walked briskly away.

All eyes then turned to Yu Han-Bin.

“…What did you do?”

“Ah, nothing particularly big.”

“Hm?”

“I checked before coming and that man had three sons. The second seems to have been neglecting his studies and gone astray lately.”

“…So?”

“I said I’d straighten the boy’s mind and make him study. It’s all good. I’m happy to get a job, that man is happy his son will settle down, and the son will study and make a name for himself.”

Mount Hua’s troupe stood open-mouthed.

“Y-you seriously believe that? That stern-looking fellow?”

“Pshaw.”

Yu Han-Bin waved his hand and beamed.

“Getting him to believe that is the skill.”

“…”

“Tsk. It’s a pity. If this were not Beijing but Henan, I could’ve used this as a pretext to make a good profit.”

Baek Cheon turned and looked at Chung Myung.

“Well… I don’t know if it’s something to say now, but.”

“Hm?”

“Is it really right to force that kid to study?”

“…”

Chung Myung couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“Anyway, the infiltration went well.”

“If you pin it down, Han-Bin did it all though.”

“…So I’m a bit uneasy about it too.”

“Sasuk. Don’t frown. You really look like a bandit.”

“…”

Baek Cheon swallowed his boiling indignation. Who was this all because of in the first place…?

“In any case.”

Complaining was pointless. If they wanted to leave quickly, they had to get what they needed here as fast as possible.

“I’ll say it again: absolutely do not get caught.”

“Well, that’s obvious…”

“We say the obvious because it’s obvious! How many times have we ever done that obvious thing properly?!”

That shut everyone up. If they had any conscience, they couldn’t answer.

“We’re not the only ones here. So absolutely do not cause Sago. Until we’ve properly uncovered what’s happening here, keep silent as a dead mouse. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I said I understand.”

“You! You little brat, you! You know who this all started because of, right? If you cause Sago, I’ll really tell the sect leader and have you locked in the repentance hall for a year.”

“Yeess, yeess. Oh my, how frightening.”

“Grrk…”

Yu Han-Bin watched Baek Cheon clutching the back of his head and shook his head. Was trusting these folks really the right thing to do?

“Is it here?”

Mount Hua’s disciples snickered at the lodging the chief had shown them.

“What kind of servant lodging is this so grand?”

“So that’s when you use the phrase ‘like a whale’s back.’”

“Just how much money does a person have.”

Mount Hua’s entourage had seen wealthy places. Even Shaolin alone was surely far richer than this.

But this place felt different.

Those people were simply rich; these people were something else.

“If you can’t flaunt your wealth, is there molten lava boiling in your belly…?”

From the pavilion to the furnishings, everything seemed needlessly lavish. The odd feeling of displeasure made Mount Hua’s group frown.

“For a bastard like this to be a ‘Ministry of Revenue’—no wonder the country is like this.”

“Do you think it’s just him?”

“What’s surprising? Those retired great officials have made their own paradises and play the immortal’s game.”

“Ahem.”

Jwa Go-Hak had nothing to add and kept clearing his throat.

Of course, the corrupt officials and indulgent Confucian gentry here were a different sort, but to outsiders they’d all look the same. Saying anything would only get you beaten.

“But… it is certainly strange.”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Glancing around, Jo Gul spoke up.

“Too many goods are coming in.”

“Isn’t that just because business is good?”

Jo Gul shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“You might think so, but it’s different. When a trade house reaches this scale, it usually has main products, and once clients are secured they receive certain goods in bulk.”

“I suppose…”

“But here the incoming goods are too varied, and those bringing them don’t particularly look like merchants. So, to conclude…”

“Bribes?”

“Not necessarily, but they don’t look like items meant for sale.”

“Hmm.”

Baek Cheon frowned and thought for a moment.

“I get what you mean. But what I don’t understand is… if even we, who have been here less than a single Siachen, can notice it, wouldn’t most people notice? Doing such a thing so blatantly…”

“That’s what power is.”

Before Baek Cheon finished, Jwa Go-Hak spoke.

“Power doesn’t let ordinary people do what they can’t; that’s more like wealth. Power makes it so ordinary people can do things they shouldn’t do without concern.”

“…”

Jwa Go-Hak sighed and continued.

“People notice? What does that matter? Even if they know, there’s no one to report the ‘Ministry of Revenue’. The country has one law, but that law is applied differently to different people.”

“Does that make sense?”

“What can you do—it’s reality.”

Jwa Go-Hak’s eyes sank.

“So we must change it. By any means.”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung tilted his head as if puzzled.

“Why not just beat them up?”

“…That only replaces the current people with others. Unless you change the system itself, such evils will keep appearing.”

“Then beat them again.”

“Then again…”

“Then beat them again.”

“…”

Chung Myung kept tilting his head as if he couldn’t follow.

“If you keep beating them and beating them, it eventually gets resolved, though.”

“Uh…”

“Isn’t it just a matter of guts? In the end, you just need to make it clean.”

Facing an insurmountable wall, Jwa Go-Hak looked to Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon tapped his shoulder and said,

“It will still be hard to accept.”

“Still?”

“From my experience, sometimes the solution that seems the hardest is actually the easiest.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. You’ll soon find out anyway.”

“That’s right.”

“Now it’s too late to back out.”

Mount Hua’s disciples left the dazed Jwa Go-Hak and headed toward the lodging. Only the uneasy Jwa Go-Hak lingered a moment before hastening after them.

It was just as they stepped into the lodging.

“Well. Newcomers, eh.”

Those already occupying the room greeted them with broad smiles.

“You all thought about a welcome rite, right? This isn’t an easy place, so steel yourselves.”

“…”

Chung Myung, at the front, glanced at Baek Cheon.

“A bit of bickering among servants isn’t really conspicuous behavior, is it?”

“…Why do you ask? You’ll do as you please anyway.”

“Right?”

Chung Myung grinned.

“Now then, let’s see whether this place can be settled or not.”

Chung Myung clenched his fist, his face bright.