A Life Must Be Upright
The time isn’t fixed, you see.”
Of course, it was an excuse.
There was the warning from the Dunce Dan Yeop not to decide anything, but the bigger reason was the difference in ingredients between himself and the old man.
‘He definitely said he only eats millet and sorghum on a regular basis.’
On the other hand, the Dunce Dan Yeop had rice.
Rice in exchange for millet and sorghum?
The old man wasn’t his ancestor; the trade was far too one-sided.
“Ah, is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”
The old man spoke as if it were no big deal, but his expression was clearly displeased.
Dan Yeop left the house early in the morning and strolled leisurely toward the Western Market.
The sight of the dazzling city left his mouth hanging open.
“Whoa! I’d heard Chang’an Castle was incredible, but it really is something else.”
He asked people he met on the main road and eventually found the cloth shop.
Even locating the Yang family’s fabric store among the many shops wasn’t easy.
He was walking along the street, craning his neck this way and that, when—
“Dan Yeop!”
At the sound of someone calling him, Dan Yeop turned around.
An old man with a goat beard was waving his arms wildly from a distance.
The abacus in his hand gave it away immediately.
‘That must be Patriarch Yang.’
He hurried over to the goat-bearded elder and offered a polite bow befitting a junior.
“Patriarch Yang.”
“What took you so long? Why were you wandering around like that?”
“Everything looked new to me today.”
“If you’re here, start by sweeping inside and outside the shop and get to work.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dan Yeop felt slightly put off by Patriarch Yang’s immediate barrage of orders, but he didn’t show it.
After all, the moment the Dunce Dan Yeop’s martial arts improved even a little, he would leave this place.
‘Patriarch Yang, treat me well while I’m here.’
He quickly finished cleaning and stepped back out onto the street.
Once he was away from Patriarch Yang, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
‘Being in the same space as a shop owner is truly unbearable.’
After standing for about half a shichen (one hour), Dan Yeop began pacing back and forth.
At the same time, he discreetly practiced the Flying Stream Step—Haomun’s signature footwork.
Flying Stream Step.
The name sounded like something from the boatmen’s sect, but that sect had no footwork techniques.
It made sense; people who lived on boats three hundred and sixty-five days a year had no need for them.
He trained the Flying Stream Step all morning, then went to Fragrant Mist Pavilion for lunch.
By the afternoon, he had grown tired of it and switched to the Thousand-Li Step used by porters.
If the Flying Stream Step was a movement technique, the Thousand-Li Step was a lightness skill.
Naturally, practicing the Thousand-Li Step came with many restrictions.
‘I can’t run, so it feels stifling. Maybe the Water Moon Swift Movement would be better than this?’
From then on, he moved about using the Water Moon Swift Movement without anyone noticing.
He was deeply immersed in the mysteries of the technique when Patriarch Yang’s voice rang out from behind him.
“Dan Yeop!”
Dan Yeop spun around and hurried back to the man.
Patriarch Yang glared at him with fierce eyes.
“Didn’t I tell you not to leave the front of the fabric shop? Do you think I hired you so you could wander wherever you please?”
“Ah, my legs were getting sore from just standing there, so I walked around a bit.”
“Now you’re even lying. I saw you standing for only a short while this morning before you started roaming around again. Do you think earning money is easy? I only kept you on because Elder Yang asked me to. If you keep slacking off like this, it’s going to be a problem.”
When Patriarch Yang spoke harshly, Dan Yeop couldn’t hold back and shot back.
“Slacking off? Isn’t that a bit too much? I’m confident I can do the job I was given. All I have to do is bring in customers, right?”
Patriarch Yang frowned at the way Dan Yeop was talking back so firmly, unlike the day before.
For a moment he felt a surge of anger, but seeing the young man’s overflowing confidence, his irritation faded.
To solicit customers on the street, that level of shamelessness was practically a requirement.
“You’re right. As long as you do your job well, who would complain even if you ran all over the Western Market? In that spirit, you should show me your ability today.”
“My ability?”
“Bring me a customer. If you come back empty-handed again today, you will not be allowed to move even a single step from the front of the shop from now on. Can you do that?”
“Today… within today?”
Dan Yeop’s voice trembled slightly as he asked.
It was already the beginning of the Hour of the Monkey (3 p.m.), leaving only about two shichen (four hours) until the fabric shop closed.
“All that big talk, and it was just empty words after all?”
But Dan Yeop was a man who became a corpse the moment his confidence was taken away.
“What’s so hard about it? Fine, let’s do it. But you have to keep your word too, Patriarch Yang.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I bring in a customer, I’m allowed to walk around the Western Market during working hours.”
Dan Yeop stared straight at Patriarch Yang with an expression that said, Isn’t that obvious?
A Life Must Be Upright
Dan Yeop was a beautiful youth.
So lovely that even another man might feel a slight flutter in his chest.
And now that beautiful youth had stepped onto the street with clear purpose.
Yesterday’s Dan Yeop had avoided making eye contact with people.
No matter how beautiful one was, if they wouldn’t even look at others, it was hard to approach them.
But today’s Dan Yeop was different.
He smiled brightly and kept meeting the eyes of every passerby.
He even flashed them charming little smiles whenever they looked back.
End of the Hour of the Monkey (5 p.m.).
A young man and woman entered through the main gate of the market district.
They were the son and daughter of Na Jin-geum, the guild master of the Jinbo Trading Company located in the Eastern Alternative District.
The young man’s name was Na Bu-gang. A former disciple of the Xuanwu Temple, he carried a heroic aura that drew the eyes of countless women.
His younger sister, Na Geum-ryeong, attracted even more attention than her brother.
Beneath her elegantly arched crescent-moon eyebrows were eyes with a striking contrast between black and white—deep and clear like a lake. Her straight nose and plump, cherry-red lips created an elegant yet vivid beauty.
Na Bu-gang, who preferred quiet surroundings, fanned himself with a white fan and spoke.
“Geum-ryeong, don’t you think it’s about time you started walking around with a boyfriend?”
“I would if I had one.”
“If you keep going around with me every day, you’ll never get one.”
“Oh! Is that supposed to be a boast?”
“Haa! Then how about spending time with girls your own age?”
“Almost all the girls my age are already married.”
“Tsk!”
Na Bu-gang clicked his tongue and strode ahead.
“Brother, wait for me!”
Na Geum-ryeong hurried after him.
At that moment, three young ladies came walking toward the siblings from the opposite direction.
“That guy was pretty good, right?”
“I think he’s the most handsome man in the Western Market.”
“Western Market? I’d say he’s the most handsome in all of Chang’an Castle.”
“Did you see his eyes when he smiled? I thought my heart would stop.”
“But he’s probably just a clerk, right? He was standing in front of that fabric shop the whole time.”
“Definitely a clerk. His clothes looked pretty shabby.”
“They say clothes make the man, but if even his clothes were that nice…”
The girl who had been speaking with a dreamy expression suddenly met Na Bu-gang’s eyes.
Na Bu-gang immediately gave her a gentle smile.
But the girl simply passed by him with an indifferent face.
“Ahem, ahem.”
When Na Bu-gang cleared his throat in embarrassment at the unfamiliar experience, Na Geum-ryeong asked,
“What’s wrong? Something stuck in your throat?”
“It’s nothing. You heard what those girls were saying just now, didn’t you?”
“I’m not really interested in that sort of thing.”
“They said he’s the best in Chang’an Castle.”
“Did I ever say I don’t look at faces?”
“No?”
The siblings slowed their steps as they chatted and walked down the main road.
They had spotted the young man the girls had been talking about moments ago.
Na Bu-gang quickly assessed him.
‘Hmm!’
He looked less like a man and more like a beautiful youth.
When their eyes met, the other party smiled and approached them.
Since he hadn’t heard any of the earlier conversation, Na Bu-gang unconsciously froze.
In the Analects, Confucius said:
A person’s life must be upright. If one lives without uprightness, they are merely lucky enough to avoid disaster.
Dan Yeop, who had learned morality from books, spoke with confidence.
“Young hero, I grew up as an orphan alongside other parentless children. I recently found work at a fabric shop, but I made a bet with the owner. If I can bring in a customer today, I will be granted freedom of movement. If not, I must stand like a stone statue in front of the shop for an entire year. If you have the time, would you please help this struggling junior by visiting our fabric shop? I will make sure you can purchase whatever you need at a reasonable price.”
Na Geum-ryeong looked back and forth between her brother and the young man with a dumbfounded expression.
In all her life, she had never heard such a speech.
Moreover, the shameless fellow hadn’t even glanced at her once.
He had gone straight for her brother as if he had planned it from the beginning.
For some unknown reason, she felt a sting of defeat, and her face grew hot.
What was even funnier was her brother Na Bu-gang’s reaction.
The man who usually hated getting involved with others simply nodded.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
Na Bu-gang and Na Geum-ryeong followed Dan Yeop into the Yang family fabric shop.
A short while later, the two siblings emerged from the shop.
Patriarch Yang and Dan Yeop followed them out and bowed deeply in farewell.
Once Na Bu-gang and Na Geum-ryeong had disappeared, Patriarch Yang hurriedly went back inside the shop.
For some reason, Dan Yeop followed him in as well.
Patriarch Yang looked at him with a puzzled face.
“What?”
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?”
“Promise? Ah, of course not. If you can bring in customers, there’s no need for you to stand in front of the shop. However, you must still clean in the morning and evening.”
“Understood. Since they were my first customers, please treat them well.”
“I’ve had my business in the Western Market for thirty years. Stop worrying about pointless things and just do your job properly.”
Only then did Dan Yeop turn and head outside.
“Goodness, acting all proud just because he brought in one customer…”
Though he grumbled, the corners of Patriarch Yang’s mouth were curled upward.
Dan Yeop wandered through the Western Market, purchasing the items he would need for dinner.
He bought lard from the oil shop and flour from the grain store.
The grain store owner had recommended flour because it was used to make flatbread.
Carrying the lard and flour, Dan Yeop returned to the Yang family fabric shop.
This was because Patriarch Yang had told him to clean the shop in the morning and evening.
Once Dan Yeop finished cleaning, Patriarch Yang closed the shop for the day.
Returning to the Bo-seon District at dusk, Dan Yeop began preparing dinner.
Although he went in and out of the kitchen to prepare the meal, the old man who had promised to teach him how to make flatbread for dinner never appeared.
‘He must be sulking because I wouldn’t prepare the meal with him.’
Dan Yeop gave a bitter smile at the old man’s obvious behavior.
“Even if you act like that, it doesn’t mean I can’t make it.”
The grain store owner had not only recommended flour for the flatbread but had also taught him how to make it.
Dan Yeop first lit a fire in the stove using a flint.
Then he lightly greased the pot with lard and spread the kneaded flour thinly inside.
The flatbread was finished in no time.
Next, he made the cabbage soup exactly as he had learned the day before.
He carried the completed flatbread and cabbage soup to the table and ate at a leisurely pace.
How should he put it?
The sense of stability made him feel good without even trying.
The morning had felt so bleak, yet now he even had the luxury to think about the future.
‘I should train my martial arts as much as possible in my spare time.’
He couldn’t let himself grow complacent just because he had secured a way to make a living.
In the dog-eat-dog world of the Jianghu, he had no idea when or how he might encounter high-level experts, so he needed to raise the level of his martial arts.
After finishing his meal, Dan Yeop first checked his surroundings before beginning martial training.
The old man’s house was in a secluded area, so he didn’t have to worry about being seen. That was convenient.
Still, just in case, he moved to the backyard.
While Dan Yeop was deeply focused on training the martial arts of the Six Gates, the sound of footsteps came from the front yard.
‘Is it the old man?’
But that thought didn’t last long.
“Elder!”
At the voice calling for the homeowner, Dan Yeop quickly came out to the front yard.
Soon his eyes met those of a man in his thirties standing in front of the wooden veranda.
The man in his thirties spoke first.
“