A Gentleman Doesn’t Lie. (1)

Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter were holding each other’s hands as they set out on the road again.

They looked like close siblings.

“Child, what do you think of the man called Man-ho whom you met earlier?”

“A good person.”

Yu Seol was nodding her head with a firm look.

Yu Jinsan, who was watching this, burst out laughing.

“You said he seemed like a bad person when you first saw him.”

At that moment, her eyes narrowed intensely.

“That’s because he was glaring fiercely and set fire to someone’s house. But it would have been terrible if he had been caught and beaten.”

“Right. Acting rashly could have led us to wrongfully harm an innocent person. To be a great person, one must see what others cannot.”

“Like Grandpa?”

“Okay. No matter how powerful one is, if your vision is narrow, one cannot walk on the right path. You know what Grandpa is trying to say, right?”

“Yes. I will definitely become a great person one day.”

Perhaps it was because he had imparted a lesson to his granddaughter, but Yu Jinsan felt warm-hearted.

Their steps, carried by the refreshing spring breeze, were as light as if they were flying.

Yu Jinsan wanted to speed up, and before they knew it, they were reaching their destination.

Quite a few things happened since leaving Hunan, but everything seemed to have passed in a flash.

Yu Jinsan, who stopped himself, took a breath and said,

“If we go a little further, we will be able to meet the person we are looking for.”

The two were walking slowly and discovered this deserted village. According to the information, Sima Hyun’s residence should be at the end here.

“What kind of person is that guy?”

“I’m not sure myself. But he’s definitely no ordinary individual.”

“Why? Is he good at fighting?”

“If it were a matter of strength, what would there be to worry about with you by my side?”

“Then?”

There was no reason to hide it.

Yu Jinsan spoke the truth.

“He was one of the most famous scholars in Sichuan, but now that he has stepped out of the world, he doesn’t meet people often. In addition, he hates lies and is stubborn, so he got named Sima Hyun.”

“…What if he doesn’t want to help decipher the martial arts book?”

“I don’t have the confidence to outwit him in a battle of wits. But there must be some way. Let’s just confront him and see.”

Before they knew it, a quiet house surrounded by a low wooden fence appeared.

For a renowned scholar’s residence, it seemed small.

At the entrance, a middle-aged man wearing a robe was sweeping the front yard.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

His movements were precise, and the path of the broom seemed almost like a sword path. Even at a glance, it felt like he had learned Murim.

He was probably a warrior under Sima Hyun.

“…Is the noble man inside?”

For those who practiced teaching, ‘noble man’ was the highest honorific title.

Yu Jinsan spoke politely, but all he got back was silence. The warrior with the broom just looked at him.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

He couldn’t believe that they were being ignored right from the start.

He just wanted to grab him by force, but trying to solve it with force could have side effects. Since he was a stubborn person, he would not give in to any threats.

While Yu Jinsan was thinking about what to do, his granddaughter stepped forward.

“Mister. The yard is so clean, so why are you sweeping it?”

Upon closer inspection, the man was ceaselessly sweeping a ground devoid of even a single fallen leaf.

His actions, repeated as if he had lost his mind, made them curious.

But then, as expected, there was no answer.

Yu Jinsan, who had a lot of experience, whispered to his granddaughter what he had picked up from somewhere.

“Not everything in this world is as it appears. He might be sweeping his heart.”

“Heart?”

“Uh. When the heart is clean, anguish and distracting thoughts vanish, and the mind achieves its best state, enabling the true effects of meditation to be realized.”

Was it Yu Jinsan’s muttering that caused it? Suddenly, the man’s movements stopped.

“You’re not ordinary kids. The Elder is busy, so head back today.”

Though eliciting a response was an achievement of sorts, the result was not satisfying.

With the dismissal given, they couldn’t just insist on staying without good reason.

“We understand.”

Reluctantly, the grandfather and granddaughter turned to leave, their shoulders drooping.

He never thought that getting through a guard would be this difficult.

It was when his concerns deepened…

“Grandpa. Cheer up. They are busy today, so we can always meet tomorrow.”

“No. If we come back tomorrow, it could just be the same.”

“Then what do we do?”

Yu Jinsan looked at the distant sky and answered softly.

“There is this saying, ‘three highs and lows.’ It is said that Yu Bi also visited Zhuge Liang three times and begged him to win his heart. If one continues to visit and be sincere, won’t they meet one day?”

For now, he only had to try. There was no other way than that.

At that time, his granddaughter asked with a bit of shock.

“Who is Yu Bi?”

“When you think about it, he’s also an ancestor of our family. Oh, wait, there is no need for Grandpa to tell you.“

“Hm? Then who do I ask?”

“Ask the man stroking his beard behind you. Since he’s the sworn brother of the man.”

Yu Seol turned around at her grandfather’s jest, but only the wind brushed past.

“Hmm.”

Yu Jinsan smiled silently for a long time. These days, teasing his granddaughter was his only pleasure.

“Nice. Let’s get a room first. Let us go so that Grandpa can tell you about the story of the three loyal brothers.”

“Really? It sounds fun. Let’s go quickly.”

Thus, the grandfather and granddaughter spent the day at a guesthouse in the nearby village.

The next morning, the two visited his residence again with light steps.

As expected, he didn’t meet them that day either.

The next day was the same, and the day after that too.

As time passed without any results, his granddaughter’s patience began to show cracks.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be three attempts? We’re already on our sixth.”

“I guess it won’t work. Grandpa will go today, and I will go alone to settle the score.”

“No, I will come too.”

The grandpa and granddaughter shared identical thoughts and minds.

Whenever they faced tough situations, hadn’t the two always worked together to overcome them? And no one is stopping them now.

Together, they took solemn steps and visited the thatched house again.

“Do you have time today?”

The reaction from the guy guarding the entrance was as expected.

“The Elder is a little busy, so please head back for today.”

The answer was no different from before.

But now, even Yu Jinsan couldn’t step back.

“Then I will wait here. Please let me know when he is finished with his business.”

“…”

The man who was sweeping the yard didn’t even respond.

And so, Yu Jinsan and Yu Seol sat cross-legged next to each other.

It was an eternity of boring time.

-Why did you follow me? I said I would go alone.

Worried about his granddaughter sitting motionless, Yu Seol, upon receiving the message, said,

-Grandpa would be bored alone.

-I don’t know how long it will take. If it’s too hard, you can head back first.

-No. I can stay in this same position for ten days.

Yu Seol’s concentration was already beyond human capability. If she set her mind to it, she could probably do so for an infinite amount of time.

The problem, however, was with Yu Jinsan.

Sitting there with an alert mind wasn’t easy for him.

Time would pass quickly if they could cultivate, but they couldn’t do that in this unsafe place. Wouldn’t it be great if he were able to freely cultivate qi like Yu Seol?

Yu Jinsan looked at his granddaughter, who was in a trance, with envious eyes.

‘I’ll try to hold on as long as possible.’

Yu Jinsan surrendered his heart to the wind with the mindset of a monk and meditated.

And then, neither of them moved.

From the third day onwards, the expression on the guard’s face while sweeping the yard changed. This was because the children were enduring a trial that he himself couldn’t withstand.

And on the 4th day, Yu Jinsan felt the man approaching them closely and observing them.

‘We’re not dead yet, you bastard.’

He came from time to time to check if they were alive or dead.

The same happened on the 5th day.

“The Elder says he has some time to spare now. And he always keeps his word, so hurry up.”

After investing more than ten days, to be told their business must be concluded within a mere moment felt like an outrage. However, there was no time for complaints.

“Now, it’s time. Stand up, Seol.”

Yu Jinsan first relaxed his stiffened body. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t do something like this again.

At that moment, his granddaughter got up with sleepy eyes.

“Ahh. Want us to come in?”

Was it because she had been cultivating all this time? Yu Seol had no idea how much time had passed.

Moreover, unlike her wearied grandfather, she seemed even more vibrant.

Yu Jinsan took the lead, shaking his head.

“Right, hurry inside.”

Creak!

The guard opened the door to the hut and stepped back.

Inside, an old man could be seen moving his brush.

What was surprising was the speed at which he worked. The brush was full of vitality, like a fish in water.

Swish!

Sima Hyun put the brush down and turned to the entrance.

Yu Jinsan was seeing this for the first time but was shocked. This was because he could sense the strength of a skilled warrior.

But he was certain of one thing—this man hadn’t learned martial arts.

Then how was he able to display such a presence? He was curious about how much learning and enlightenment it would take to achieve this.

Breaking the silence, Yu Seol spoke first.

“Hello, Grandfather.”

At that time, Sima Hyun turned over the hourglass and said,

“Fine. You have time before all the sand falls. For what reason did you want to see me?”

Yu Jinsan took out and handed over the book he had brought.

“Can you decipher this? This is ancient Sanskrit.”

Sima Hyun, who was looking through it, made an expression that conveyed something unique.

“A book of great renown, stolen from the heavens… Though I’m not versed in martial arts, this seems extraordinary. How did you come by this?”

“We got it from Mount Song.”

He handed back the book, saying,

“Deciphering this isn’t difficult for me, but that one action will have an impact on the world. If you harbor evil intentions, who will take responsibility?”

Yu Jinsan took a quick look at the hourglass.

Time was passing quickly, and he had no time to think.

“We are not good people. But I have never done anything that went against humanity or righteousness.”

At that moment, a smile appeared on Sima Hyun’s face for the first time.

“If you had tried to lie about it, I was planning to reject you right away. I like your answer, so I will give you a chance.”

“…?”

A brush and a piece of paper were held out to a confused Yu Jinsan.

“Write the most important letter in the world here.”

Having to choose just one letter out of the thousands of Chinese characters?

Yu Jinsan felt conflicted, but there was only one chance.

And this man was supposedly one to never go back on his word. So, if he wrote something wrong, that would be it.

‘The most important one. I guess it depends on the person interpreting it, right? Then is he saying he would help if I shared the same values as him? That is absurd…’

The hand holding the brush wasn’t moving. Before he knew it, the hourglass was close to being half empty.

‘Scholars usually say that people are the most important thing. Then people? Hmm, to become a true person, one must first have morality. Then… Taoism, no, wouldn’t love—the feeling of love—be more important? No, it cannot be this easy.’

As he continued to think, there seemed to be no end.

It felt like he wanted to break the brush.

At that moment, he heard his granddaughter say,

-Grandpa, open the bag which Mister Man-ho gave.