Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Reunion
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The old man known as Bang Old Man prayed faithfully once again today.
Bang Old Man was a devout Buddhist.
In the Central Plains, Confucianism was undoubtedly the most powerful religion, followed by Daoism. But in the northwest frontier like Gansu Province, Buddhism held strong sway.
Or more precisely, it was split evenly between Buddhism and Islam.
The Huangbo Clan—one of the Eight Great Families based in Nanju, Gansu’s capital city—was also devoutly Buddhist.
But Bang Old Man hadn’t always been this pious, offering prayers every single day.
It was only about a year ago that he began his daily devotions.
After enduring some horrific event on a winter day just like this one.
A small mountain village near Baek Eun County.
His late wife’s hometown, where a storm of bloodshed had descended.
Bang Old Man had been thrust from the heart of that slaughter, fleeing the village with a girl on his back.
‘Poor children… may you all be reborn in paradise.’
Innocent boys and girls wounded by adult greed, ultimately losing their fragile young lives.
Bang Old Man had belatedly realized why they had to die.
Money.
A silver mine lay hidden near that mountain village.
The common wisdom held that Baek Eun County’s silver veins were exhausted, but after last year’s massive earthquake shook the earth, a new vein supposedly emerged from the twisted ground.
A previously unknown deposit deep underground must have been exposed.
And the first to discover it were the warriors who suddenly appeared in the village and established the Silver Sword Sect.
Mining without state permission—known as clandestine extraction—was far too grand an operation for a trifling group like the Silver Sword Sect to handle alone.
So they brought in the Rampaging Demon Heaven.
And to curry favor with them, even a little, they slaughtered the young beggar children.
Was it because winter had arrived?
The gruesome scene from that day felt especially vivid to Bang Old Man today.
“…Getting old means I can’t even control my own heart.”
Wiping away tears that threatened to fall, Bang Old Man stepped out of his home to earn his daily bread.
Even after relocating to Nanju, his trade remained the same: apothecary owner.
It might seem odd for a man from some nameless village to run a shop in a great city like Nanju, but surprisingly, he had a fair amount of savings.
He also had the silver ingot she’d given him that day… but he hadn’t touched it.
The treatment costs for the boy she’d entrusted to him had come straight from Bang Old Man’s own pocket.
Instead, he kept the silver ingot she’d left as a sort of spirit tablet.
Hoping it might soothe the restless souls of those dead children—the blood money she’d claimed in vengeance for their lives…
“Oh, Bang Old Man. You’re here? Early today, aren’t you?”
“Old folks don’t need much sleep, you know.”
“Ack, Old Man Chae from the next market sleeps like a log.”
“That’s just him being lazy.”
In the apothecary district, Bang Old Man exchanged his usual banter with the middle-aged herb merchant before preparing to open shop.
But his counterpart seemed intent on dragging out the conversation today.
“By the way, the imperial exams are coming up soon, right?”
“Already?”
The civil service exams were held every three years as a rule.
As far as Bang Old Man knew, it wasn’t time for the regular provincial trials yet.
“I mean the spring exams. Spring exams, not the autumn ones.”
“Ah, the medical exams.”
“Guys like us selling herbs— what exams do we care about besides the spring ones?”
The middle-aged man chuckled, rubbing his fingers together lightly.
“Got your stock ready? It’s peak season.”
“The yamen will have their own supplies anyway.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. Official procurements go to the big trading houses. We’ve got to hook the examinees.”
Before the exams, candidates bought herbs to practice with.
The provincial exams focused on theory, but ambitious students aiming beyond to the next level couldn’t skip hands-on practice treating patients and dispensing medicine.
And the young medical students challenging the spring exams all dreamed of becoming imperial physicians.
“We’ve gotta make a killing this time.”
“Forget it. What glory is left for this old body? I’ve got no inventory to worry about anyway.”
“Ah… ahem, you saw through me?”
Caught red-handed, the man looked embarrassed.
Leaving the conversation behind, Bang Old Man settled into his usual morning routine.
The apothecary district buzzed with preparations for the once-every-three-years windfall, but his own shop remained quiet.
His place would likely pass the day just like any other.
The same routine, closing up as usual, a prayer to Buddha before bed, and drifting off…
“Bang Old Man!”
A shout shattered that future in an instant, jolting him fully awake.
The caller was, in a word, bizarre.
A pitch-black mask shaped like a bird’s beak jutted out, paired with ragged clothes that barely covered half his body, stained with blood splotches everywhere.
Honestly, if someone like that called out to Bang Old Man on a dark night street, he’d probably piss himself or faint.
‘What is this? Has Rampaging Demon Heaven finally come to kill me?’
But this was Nanju?
Huangbo Clan territory, where the dragon coiled?
“Old Man, you’re in Nanju, not Baek Eun County?”
Only upon hearing the second voice did Bang Old Man dimly guess the identity behind the ghastly garb.
“Aso… ni?”
“…? Who else would it be?”
……I thought you were an assassin.
§
Wi Sowol belatedly realized she was still wearing her mask when she saw the ghastly look on Bang Old Man’s face.
Her joy at the reunion had gotten the better of her.
And now it was so habitual that she sometimes forgot whether it was on or off.
“Let’s go inside first. I was planning to close up shop today anyway.”
Bang Old Man quickly shuttered the apothecary and led Wi Sowol to his home.
Once inside, she removed her beak mask.
“Whoa…”
Bang Old Man let out a long sigh.
He’d wondered about the freakish mask, but now it all made sense at a glance.
‘The child’s growth was fast, but still.’
To change this much in just a year.
“You should always wear the mask out. Or at least a veil.”
“Is that so?”
Wi Sowol’s soft response made Bang Old Man notice yet another change.
It was gentle.
That day, when she’d returned drenched in blood, her words had been ice-cold and emotionless.
But now her tone was much warmer, conveying—even faintly—that she was a person capable of feeling, just like anyone else.
“You must have a lot to tell me.”
What had changed her? Why return to Gansu?
But before any of that, one thing needed addressing first.
“Where’s Ban Brother?”
The boy.
The lone young beggar who’d survived that day.
He wasn’t with Bang Old Man now.
Wi Sowol scanned the sparse furnishings of his home and knew it instantly.
“He left.”
“…No way.”
“No, no. He’s alive. Perfectly fine.”
Bang Old Man waved his hands frantically in reassurance.
Even under her steady gaze, he began recounting the tale step by step.
“The moment he woke, he asked for you. We’d already reached Baek Eun County by then, under a physician’s care.”
The boy, wounds so deep he could barely move, had struggled to rise anyway.
Bang Old Man told him the girl had already left.
“Recovery took months.”
The physician called it a miracle.
Thanks to the boy’s sturdy constitution, Bang Old Man’s lavish use of rare herbs, and solid first aid.
Once he’d barely mended, the boy realized his own shortcomings.
A guide appeared then.
“Do you remember? I told him to head to the Beggars’ Sect branch.”
“Yes. There’s a branch in Baek Eun County, so report the situation and seek their aid.”
“That’s right.”
Wi Sowol had warned of possible pursuit by Rampaging Demon Heaven, urging him to seek the Beggars’ Sect’s help.
They’d wonder who had wrecked their profitable Silver Sword Sect.
Bang Old Man remembered her words and acted on them.
A connection formed.
“Ban lad became a disciple of the Beggars’ Sect.”
“A disciple of the Beggars’ Sect?”
“He’s a bit old for it, but they don’t fuss over age. And they said his frame and aptitude are outstanding. With his spirit and resolve, he’s bound for greatness.”
Wi Sowol agreed.
The Ban Clan boy had real martial talent.
A child facing down an armed adult and winning his sword proved it.
Honestly, the beggar kids had survived as long as they did because he led them.
Had he been a touch more selfish, he could’ve slipped into the city alone and made his way.
“I see. The Beggars’ Sect… the Beggars’ Sect, huh.”
Not a bad outcome.
Born a beggar, no hazing worries. Acknowledged for his talent, he’d learn key techniques within.
‘The Beggars’ Sect arts should suit Ban Brother well.’
She’d considered placing him as a retainer or house guard for the Huangbo Clan, but such roles had limits.
Unless he married into the family as a son-in-law…
‘That might’ve been better?’
Ban Brother was fairly handsome, so it wasn’t impossible.
“And once he joined, he said he’d find you through them.”
Ah, of course.
The Beggars’ Sect was an intelligence network before it was a martial sect.
Born to see, hear, and speak of the world.
If his goal was finding Wi Sowol, no better choice existed.
“…I see.”
The first fate she’d altered in this new life still endured.
A faint thrill ran through her at the connection unbroken.
“But why did you come to Nanju, Old Man?”
If Ban Brother recovered in Baek Eun County, no need to trek this far.
“Well, you were right to worry.”
Bang Old Man had wanted to at least recover the young beggars’ bodies.
Calling himself a lay monk, he returned to the village and built their graves.
Word reached the Rampaging Demon Heaven, who were investigating the Silver Sword Sect massacre.
“The Beggars’ Sect in Baek Eun County helped at first, but as the conflict escalated, it got dicey. Had to flee to Huangbo Clan’s backyard here in Nanju.”
Baek Eun County fell under Huangbo influence too, but snatching one old man unnoticed was feasible for them.
Pulling it off in Nanju would slap the Huangbo Clan’s face—even Rampaging Demon Heaven would hesitate.
“Might be headed for open war with the Huangbo Clan anyway, but nowhere safer than Nanju.”
“Smart move.”
Wi Sowol still remembered her past life, where Rampaging Demon Heaven killed Bang Old Man.
Fleeing to Nanju was an impeccable decision.
“We’ve talked too much about me. So, why return to Gansu?”
Bang Old Man eyed her with concern—wouldn’t Rampaging Demon Heaven be hunting her?
Wi Sowol replied calmly, unperturbed by such rabble.
“To take the exams.”
“The exams? Spring medical ones?”
“Yes.”
Bang Old Man rose cautiously from his seat.
“Old Man?”
“Wait here. I’ll grab some herbs real quick.”