Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Flowers Bloom on Medicinal Herbs
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‘Damn it.’
Han Ibi spat curses at himself as he returned to his lodgings.
‘I must’ve gotten too excited reading that weird memoir about whether I’m So Hae-ah or So Hae-nim or whatever. I ended up blurting out questions I shouldn’t have.’
Because of that, Han Ibi had even received Bok Yeon-hwa’s eviction order.
At a time when he should’ve been sticking close to her side without a moment to spare...
In that case, Strategy 2-2 could be called a failure as well.
‘Buttering up a sulking Bok Yeon-hwa with flattery... That’s impossible for a real man like me.’
Then he thought again.
‘Actually, soothing her at all might be impossible... I’ll just have to wait until her anger cools on its own...’
That was right.
The trait of Bok Yeon-hwa that Han Ibi had grasped was the classic “tough exterior, soft interior.”
Meaning, if he waited, it might resolve itself.
Han Ibi thought.
‘Well, everything’s gone to hell anyway. All my carefully laid plans are falling apart... What the heck am I supposed to do now...’
Han Ibi clutched his head and sat on the bed, lost in deep thought.
About half a shichen later...
Han Ibi suddenly sprang to his feet and muttered.
“In the end... that’s the only way.”
At the same time, he burst out of his room and hurried off somewhere.
He’d felt it last time too, but the village at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain was incredibly quiet.
Well, mountain villages were all like that, he supposed...
‘But Demon Valley Mountain’s marketplace was overflowing with energy...’
He stood in place, waiting for someone to pass by.
He must have waited at least one shichen... and finally spotted the person he’d been waiting for.
It was an old man with a hunched back, walking with a roughly made staff from a thick tree branch.
Han Ibi said,
“Hello, Elder?”
The old man stopped warily and replied,
“Heh heh. Hello there...”
The old man squinted at Han Ibi’s face, furrowing his brow as if trying to remember who he was.
Seizing the moment, Han Ibi quickly said,
“Elder, I have something I’d like to ask.”
“...Go ahead.”
“So... Elder, do you happen to know where the home of old man Gu, the herbalist, is around here?”
The old man’s expression softened a bit as he nodded.
“Ah... you mean Jeong-deok.”
Hmm... So the old man’s name was Jeong-deok. Full name Gu Jeong-deok, then?
The old man laboriously turned his body, extending an arm stiffened by age with great effort, and said,
“Up~ that hill over there, there’s a lone house. It’s a bit far, but not hard to find.”
Han Ibi brightened and bowed his head deeply.
“Oh, thank you, Elder. Truly, thank you. Take care.”
The old man smiled warmly at the words.
“Heavens, I don’t know whose son you are, but it’s refreshing to see a young man these days with such good manners.”
As he planted his staff firmly into the ground with a ‘thud’ to turn away—
Han Ibi noticed the old man’s gaze landing on his blue martial robes.
The old man asked with a stern expression,
“By any chance... are you a Qingcheng Sect disciple?”
Han Ibi waved his hands frantically.
“N-no, not at all. I am a guest of the Qingcheng Sect, but due to certain circumstances, I’m just borrowing these clothes.”
“Hmm. That’s a relief, then.”
The old man smiled again and continued,
“That friend Jeong-deok absolutely despises Qingcheng Sect people. Truly... despises them. If you were one of them, I was about to tell you not to even dream of going there.”
“No, no. Besides, the herbalist Elder and I are already acquainted. He even told me to come find him at his place.”
“Well, if that’s the case, no problem then. I’ll be off...”
The old man shuffled away in slow motion.
Han Ibi thought,
‘He really seems to have a grudge against the Qingcheng Sect... But why on earth does he live here, of all places? So strange.’
And with that, he headed toward the hillside cabin the staff-wielding old man had pointed out.
Han Ibi thought,
‘Wow! This is incredible. It looks like the garden of some high official’s estate...’
That was right.
Around the herbalist’s cabin, flowers bloomed in a dazzling array of colors, displaying their vibrant beauty.
A breathtaking sight.
Even as Han Ibi walked the stone path curving toward the cabin, he couldn’t stop his eyes from darting everywhere.
But...
‘Hm? They’re beautiful, sure, but something feels a bit limited...’
That was it.
Han Ibi realized.
Though it looked complex at first glance, there were really just three main types of flowers.
One red. One yellow. And the last, white.
Han Ibi’s Herbal Encyclopedia blared noisily.
‘Sigh... As expected of a herbalist... He’s planted medicinal herbs all over his front yard like crazy. Heh heh heh. Well, if digging isn’t enough, planting’s another way.’
According to the Herbal Encyclopedia...
The red one was ‘pomegranate flower.’
The bright yellow was ‘lesser celandine.’
And the plain white like mourning garb was ‘goat’s rue flower.’
Come to think of it, none of these three were commonly used for ornamental purposes.
But seeing them bloom together like this, their charm was no less than any decorative flowers.
Of course, that was largely thanks to the skill of the owner who had planted them so harmoniously.
Lost in such thoughts, Han Ibi soon arrived at the herbalist Gu Jeong-deok’s house.
Behind the house, there was a structure that looked like a shrine.
In this era, having an ancestral shrine at home wasn’t anything rare.
‘He should be home...’
Thinking that, Han Ibi called out lightly to announce himself.
“Is the owner home?”
He waited a moment, but no response. Han Ibi called louder.
“Anyone there?”
Creeeak!
The rickety wooden door slid open slowly, revealing a familiar figure like a doll.
A face he knew from the door crack.
It was the herbalist old man he had shared life-and-death struggles(?) with against that bear.
Han Ibi greeted him joyfully.
“Hello, Elder.”
Gu Jeong-deok recognized him and acknowledged.
“Well, if it isn’t you. You really came all the way here.”
Of course. Gotta collect that money.
But without showing it, Han Ibi said,
“I hope I’m not intruding by coming so suddenly.”
Gu Jeong-deok flung the door wide with a laugh.
“Intruding? Nonsense... I told you to come. Enter. Luckily, I was out late yesterday, so I’m resting today.”
Han Ibi followed the old man inside.
A pungent smell assaulted his nose. And more smell.
But it was all too familiar.
Wasn’t it the stench he’d grown sick of inhaling while living with Song Myeong-cheon?
At the same time, the Herbal Encyclopedia piped up, conducting an orchestra of notifications.
Somehow, thoughts of his master flashed by unbidden, and Han Ibi couldn’t stop them.
As if reading his mind, Gu Jeong-deok said good-naturedly,
“First-timers plug their noses... but to herbalists like us, this smell is more savory than any perfume. Hahaha.”
Yeah...
He didn’t seem like such a bad guy after all.
Meeting him like this so normally.
Then the herbalist old man said,
“Here for the money?”
An unexpected straight shot.
As expected of an old man with some story.
Han Ibi smiled awkwardly.
“Ah... well, you could say that.”
“It’s either yes or no, what’s this ‘you could say’? Young folks these days have no backbone...”
Yes... But Grandpa, you’re not switching to boomer mode, are you? And you’re not overreacting just because you’re scared I’ll demand the money!
Then Gu Jeong-deok said,
“You got paid well, so don’t worry.”
“Good to hear.”
“The apothecary was shocked when I said you caught the Pa Cheon-ung. Haha.”
Gu Jeong-deok kept bursting into laughter as if it was hilarious, continuing,
“That Hwang fellow should’ve seen you smash the Pa Cheon-ung. What a shame I was the only witness. A man headbutting a beast...”
“Aigoo, don’t talk about that elsewhere. It’s embarrassing.”
“Anyway, you took down that ferocious Pa Cheon-ung in one go.”
“No more piggyback rides... I mean, palanquin rides. It’s embarrassing.”
Clink!
A bundle of coins lay tossed on the table.
He wasn’t used to the money system here, but... it looked like quite a lot anyway.
Gu Jeong-deok said,
“Here. I’ve been waiting for you to show up.”
Seeing the money bundle, Han Ibi felt his resolve waver a bit.
‘Should I... just take it and go...?’
But he shook his head inwardly and said,
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
At Han Ibi’s unexpected words, the old man looked puzzled.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Truth is... I’m not a Qingcheng Sect disciple. If anything, I’m their guest. I said I was Qingcheng that day because it was complicated to explain, and villagers treat Qingcheng Taoists well by default. Sorry.”
Gu Jeong-deok nodded faintly.
“Well, things happen in life. Anyway, you’re my benefactor, so I wouldn’t make an issue of it.”
“I’m relieved you say that... But...”
Han Ibi trailed off, swallowed, and continued.
“...You can keep this money.”
Now the old man was startled.
“What? You don’t trust me? I split the bear gall bladder money exactly in half. No room for doubt.”
What about the money from the other parts...?
“If you doubt, we can go to the apothecary together.”
Of course, you’ve probably squared it with Mr. Hwang already. But I won’t ask about that today. What I really want is...
“That’s not it. You must have noticed too, Elder.”
Gu Jeong-deok and Han Ibi’s gazes locked for a long time, unyielding.
Finally, with a deep sigh, Gu Jeong-deok looked away first.
“As I thought... You need the Yi Ham Jong-su root?”
Han Ibi nodded quietly.
The old man added in a more serious tone,
“The sick one... is your friend?”
Han Ibi nodded again. Gu Jeong-deok said,
“Then that person isn’t Qingcheng either, like you.”
Han Ibi met Gu Jeong-deok’s eyes for a moment, then shook his head.
This old man had a knack for seeing through lies.
His insight was sharp.
Unexpectedly, the old man let out another massive sigh, as if the ground might cave in.
“I wish you’d lied. My judgment of people is spot on... I had a feeling it’d come to this.”
As Han Ibi’s eyebrow twitched, the old man added,
“If you’d lied... I might’ve pretended not to know and handed over the Yi Ham Jong-su root.”
Han Ibi said,
“Then couldn’t you overlook it this time? I beg you. That friend is a young girl from the Qingcheng Sect. She’s poisoned and wandering on the brink of death.”
Not really life-or-death, but... a white lie like this should be fine...
Gu Jeong-deok looked up thoughtfully for a moment, then met Han Ibi’s eyes.
“I swore an oath my whole life never to help Qingcheng Sect people.”
(To be continued in the next chapter)