The Fields of Mount Dae
“We've arrived! Everyone off!”
At the call of arrival, Yoo Eunhyeon was the first to leap from the cart. One by one the others climbed down after him and started toward the farm grounds. Gazing at the paddies and fields that stretched along every path, Yoo Eunhyeon quietly swallowed a breath of admiration.
“Pretty wide, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s really huge.”
When Mo Cheoldong spoke as if showing off his own fields, Yoo Eunhyeon nodded naturally.
It was no wonder. Across the broad plain at the foot of the mountain, rice, barley, and wheat stood planted in neat rows, while all manner of crops grew lush along the mountain slopes as well. Even at a glance the scale was considerable.
“Where will we be working?”
“It differs a bit from farm to farm, but the plots are more or less fixed so we don’t go too far. Can’t waste time just getting around.”
“So it’s not a fixed job, then.”
“You’ll move every two or three days—sometimes as long as five—and take on this and that. That’s the idea.”
Mo Cheoldong answered, and Yoo Eunhyeon gave a small nod. Midway through, Yoo Eunhyeon suddenly turned his gaze toward a presence he had just sensed.
This energy…
It was a presence he was certain he had felt before. When Yoo Eunhyeon stood rooted in place without moving, Mo Cheoldong followed his line of sight.
“So you felt it too. That over there is the place called Daesan. Where the Demonic Cult is.”
At Mo Cheoldong’s words, Yoo Eunhyeon narrowed his eyes. Steadying his breath, he at once sensed the layered natural energy.
Definitely extraordinary. The natural energy is all tangled together… Just how many masters are gathered there?
Centered on the mountain, a force like storm and earthquake intertwined shook his entire body. It was an energy whose power he could not even begin to gauge.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
But only for a moment. At Mo Cheoldong’s call, Yoo Eunhyeon had no choice but to turn back. Unable to hide his uneasy expression, he finally set his feet in motion again.
The walk did not take long. Passing lightly between the fields, Yoo Eunhyeon and the party arrived at a fairly spacious building.
“From now on you’ll stay here and work for a month. The ten of you present will form one group and share the same room. As for the rest of the miscellaneous details, there are experienced hands among you, so figure it out yourselves.”
The Heokryeon Sanghoe staffer tossed out the words in a tone thick with annoyance, then left as if he had nothing more to say.
“All right, let’s head in.”
The moment the staffer vanished, Mo Cheoldong stepped inside as though he had been waiting for it. Yoo Eunhyeon and the others followed after him.
“Whew. First we need to air the place out and clean a bit. Tools could use some care too. Everyone lend a hand.”
As if proving that this being his third time was no empty boast, Mo Cheoldong immediately found the work that needed doing and bustled about. Yoo Eunhyeon and the rest, taking their cues, followed and helped.
“All right, claim your spots and make your beds. Use the blankets piled over there.”
Mo Cheoldong said, looking at the bedding stacked in the corner. He was the first to grab a few blankets and lay out a place for himself on the left side of the center. Watching him, Yoo Eunhyeon muttered inwardly.
There are fewer places to hide things than I expected…
He had lived in far shabbier places, so communal living itself was no great hardship for Yoo Eunhyeon. What worried him most was storing the Doyakju he had packed among his belongings. In a space this open, a thief’s hand could easily reach it, so he could not take his eyes off it.
While Yoo Eunhyeon was lost in thought surveying the surroundings, Mo Cheoldong spoke in a low voice.
“Anyone willing to handle the cleanup? Just take the dishes down to the nearby stream and wash them.”
Yoo Eunhyeon’s eyes lit up for an instant. He sensed the perfect chance to use dishwashing as an excuse to roam freely outside. Without a moment’s hesitation he raised his hand high.
“I’ll do it.”
Apparently pleased with the attitude, Mo Cheoldong nodded and gave a low chuckle.
“Then I’ll show you where the stream is. Follow me.”
Yoo Eunhyeon quietly slipped the Doyakju into his things so no one would notice, then followed silently after Mo Cheoldong.
Every footstep seemed to sink into the wind—a moment of stealthy movement.
“All right, everyone up! No time to dawdle!”
It was still before sunrise. Cold air filled the building. The others tossed and turned as if not yet fully awake, but Yoo Eunhyeon lightly shook himself off and rose from his place. After quietly putting his morning things in order, he stepped outside.
“What’s with that bastard being late again?”
“Forget him. That’s just how he is.”
“Damn it. Looking at the state of things, today’s work’ll start a quarter-hour late too.”
Outside, Mo Cheoldong and the experienced hands were sitting on the ground cursing someone. Yoo Eunhyeon could not tell why, but the atmosphere was not one for asking. He simply loosened up a little and waited.
“Hm. I’m a bit late.”
Exactly a quarter of an hour later, a copper-skinned man ambled into view through the crowd. His hands and arms showed clear sinews from long years of handling farm tools; with his solid lower body and rough skin, the very air of a “farmer” seemed to roll off him at a glance.
Standing before the group, the man cleared his throat and squared his shoulders broadly.
“Since there are some new faces, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Won Ilchu, the foreman in charge of overall farming for Group Six here.”
Won Ilchu lightly thumped his chest as he introduced himself. From his speech and manner alone, his temperament was plain to see.
“All right. No time to waste. Follow me quickly.”
Won Ilchu checked the time by looking at the sun and urged the others on as he strode ahead. For early-morning farm work it was rather late, yet the march continued as it was. Watching him, Mo Cheoldong grumbled under his breath so no one else could hear.
“Damn bastard. Who’s the one who’s late…?”
From the way everyone muttered a word or two, Won Ilchu’s reputation was clearly not good. Yoo Eunhyeon likewise barely swallowed the words that tried to slip out and followed after him.
“Today we clear weeds. You all know how, so I won’t bother explaining. That far is today’s share. Get started right away!”
Stopping in front of the field, Won Ilchu pointed toward the distant foot of the mountain, and the newcomers’ faces turned the color of dirt in an instant. The expanse was so vast its end could scarcely be guessed. It was only natural to wonder whether it could even be finished in a single day.
Yet Won Ilchu paid no mind whatsoever to the newcomers’ shocked expressions. After a slow yawn he walked over to the shade of a nearby tree, leaned against it casually, and closed his eyes.
“Same as ever. That damned bastard.”
Mo Cheoldong muttered as much, then straightened the back he had been bending. He clapped his hands loudly for the workers to see.
“Come on, move it, move it! There are ten of us, not one or two—pulling weeds shouldn’t take long, right?”
At Mo Cheoldong’s words, Yoo Eunhyeon lifted his gaze a little and swept his eyes over the broad field. A strangely excited air seemed to hang about him at the long-awaited farm work.
If I put my mind to it, I could finish this easily in a day.
Ever since learning martial arts, farm work had become even easier for Yoo Eunhyeon. An area of this size was already familiar from working it alone back on Mount Taesan. Humming a little tune, he took up a hoe and began the work at a leisurely pace.
I’m not doing it alone, so I need to moderate my speed. If I go too fast they’ll just pile more work on me.
Even so, Yoo Eunhyeon’s hands as he pulled weeds were skilled. It looked as if he were roughly yanking out the roots, yet he subtly changed his method according to the type and continued. Some weeds needed the roots fully removed or they would last longer next time, while others would not grow back even if simply crushed. Among them were kinds that became fertilizer when buried in the soil.
Working almost in a trance, Yoo Eunhyeon suddenly raised his head and checked his surroundings.
Oops… Did I get a little too into it?
Even though he had meant to take it easy, his concentration had put him about half a field ahead of the others. As he paused to loosen up and catch his breath, Mo Cheoldong caught up to him.
“Hoo. Must be the youth. You’re pretty fast. But even so, if you burn yourself out from the start you won’t last the afternoon.”
“Haha… I must have gotten impatient without realizing it.”
“Looks that way. Work has to be done properly. You did well, but I can see some that weren’t fully pulled.”
When Mo Cheoldong pointed it out while examining the spots he had passed, Yoo Eunhyeon was briefly flustered but soon bowed his head.
“Better to do it right once than twice. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“That’s the way. All right, let’s get back to it.”
Yoo Eunhyeon did not bother explaining why he had worked that way. He had no desire to draw unnecessary attention. Giving a rough nod, he took up the hoe again and began digging out the weeds around him.
After pulling more than his share of weeds, Yoo Eunhyeon straightened his back and lightly caught his breath. Looking around, he saw the other workers still had a long way to go. Some of the newcomers were even just yanking weeds halfheartedly or scattering them about in a rush.
But if the work is this slow, shouldn’t a farming expert step in and adjust things a bit?
Yoo Eunhyeon glanced at the sleeping Won Ilchu, then asked as he followed the slightly ahead Mo Cheoldong.
“Hyung-nim. That man—was his name Won Ilchu? What kind of person is he? Is he a farmer?”
As if he had been waiting for the question, Mo Cheoldong looked once at Won Ilchu and frowned at the corners of his eyes.
“A farmer, my ass. He’s a one-of-a-kind, thoroughly detestable bastard!”