Flutter—
A small flag was fluttering in the wind.
It held the absurd phrase of God of Misfortune and Luck.
The house on which this was hung was a hall made of intact cassia wood, and a flag there alone created an atmosphere like that of a fortune teller’s house.
Swish!
Yet, there were so many people around it. Actually, this was the house of a fortune teller, and they were all people who came to get their fortune read.
At first, the boy who had been fortune telling at a stall in the street surprised everyone who came.
Among them, there were merchants who earned a lot and officials who were suffering from illnesses.
As such people began to come and smile here as they heard their fortune, the name of the boy spread widely.
Thus, this fortune telling house was for this boy who managed to guess things right.
“Brother, do we have to go this far?”
Asked a woman with an upset face while in a long line at the corner of the street.
The perception of fortune telling had not always been very good. On average, nine out of ten of them basically lied to their customers with random guesses.
Occasionally there were people who said they were really smart and managed to read things correctly but not all. Right away this house and its design all felt fake to her.
She also did not like the fact that she had to speak of her family matters to lowly people.
“I know what you are worried about. However, depending on the situation, the skill of making a hen scream can also be used correctly.”
The man nodded.
The anecdote he said did not matter as it was from a warring period, but he seemed like an educated person.
“Kwak Gu was thinking about it a lot, and after having his fortune read, he made a big profit. He healed the daughter of elder Lee Pan-daek who was expected to die and also helped a man find his lost child. Wouldn’t it be safe to say there is some talent here?”
Lee Pan-daek was a famous person in Hangzhou who held a high position.
Yu Gam-seo was a local merchant known to be powerful, and they came to know of this young shaman who could see the future.
“Brother, it could all just be luck. Usually, they receive help from third rate intelligence groups like a Lower District Sect or get taught by…”
“Isn’t that skill as well? Didn’t the person at least put in effort to get the results out? Wouldn’t they have found a way to get information out in one way or another?”
The woman objected to the man by shaking her head.
“Whatever the reason, what it means is that the boy is solving things. And be it any means or status he holds, results are what I see. And it should be the same for you.”
“I feel like this is a waste of time…”
“Even if it is a waste of time, this can be a test to see if we can find the solution to our problem or get a clue, it is worth a try.”
“I get it…”
She finally decided to agree with the words of her brother. But still, she did not like this. And so, the two of them were silent and waited for their turn to come.
“Next person, please come in.”
After a while, a servant came and guided them to their seats, and they moved in cautiously.
After moving past the beaded curtain, they looked at the wooden chair attached to the wall.
“Please wait just a minute.”
Following the words, they sat down.
They could hear the voices from inside, and it seemed like someone was enjoying it. Thanks to that, the two could naturally overhear the conversation.
“So what should I do?”
A middle aged man desperately asked the boy.
He recently found out about the affair of his wife and was so angry that he decided to kill himself.
“Make some medicine.”
“…Medicine?”
The middle-aged man was shocked.
The situation was one where a wife had cheated on her husband, but they were of a formidable status.
The medicine he was talking about is a balancing tea, which was used to create balance within and restore their health.
But the young shaman said,
“If you hand the tea to your wife, where will she use it? Of course, she would take it to the man she is cheating with.”
“Yes.”
“That is what you should aim for.”
The man seemed more puzzled at his words.
“If you drink too much tea, of that medicine, even if the body is fine at one point, it will eventually get sick. For example, it creates diarrhea.”
“Then, young shaman…”
“So, bring the concentrated version of the tea to your wife. The stronger the desire for youth the man has, the more two of them will share it. After having day long diarrhea, they will be out of energy, and that time–-!”
The boy said with a smile.
“You will be able to catch them in the compromising situation you have been waiting for.”
“Ah…”
The old man looked fine now.
He had countless days of unsuccessful attempts to confront them. Moreover the man was known to be good at fighting, so he could not get rid of him.
However, if they were exhausted, he could catch them in the act and even kill them if he wanted to, or maybe report them and have them punished as well.
“Forgive me for not trusting you.”
Tuk
The man bowed his head and began to pour out all the money to one side of the place.
“Now, next.”
The boy gestured he could leave and opened a fan while a couple, a man and woman, came in and sat down.
There was a moment of silence as the two stayed silent, not sure on who should speak first.
Seeing that, the boy smiled.
“Are you here to pick a fight with me? If not speak.”
“Can you guess?”
“What?”
The boy narrowed his eyes.
But when he saw the man put up a silver coin in the safe-like box, he nodded.
“Well, sometimes there are those who test my skills, wondering if these skills are real or not.”
“I am sorry.”
“It is fine. This is not something which is rare. What should I see?”
Shh
The boy folded his fan and opened his eyes. The man seemed a bit shocked at this as the boy looked a lot younger now.
And his eyes, they seemed so clear.
“Are you from a warrior family?”
“…Ah!”
“How do…?!”
The man was surprised and so was the woman.
It was because their clothes did not seem like that of a martial arts family. But the young shaman managed to figure out the truth despite them having dressed differently.
“You are wearing the uniform of common officials, but with the silk materials used for his robes, he seemed to be from a family which puts importance on appearances.”
Tap
And the boy tapped his palm with the fan as he looked at the two.
“Looking at the sun blood point around the eye, it is difficult to say that you mastered martial arts. Even so, there are traces of energy usage in both the eyes, so the achievement has to be low, but you seem like those who train sincerely. So I thought you were from a warrior family.”
“Ah…’
“…”
They did not say much at the answer as anything more would be like disproving what was being said.
The boy added,
“You came looking for someone?”
“…!?”
“…Huh!”
Both of them were surprised again.
It was so precise, it was as if he could see through their hearts.
“Well, I don’t see this as some power so don’t be this surprised. I can tell you moved over rough terrain in a short time considering your stained shoes and dirt on your clothes. You came right here… so I thought it has to be for a person.”
“Yes. But the person we are looking for has nothing to do with ghosts.”
The man confessed.
“To put it bluntly, we are looking for a master.”
“A master? Then you should find a promising swordsman family. Why look for me?”
“That, our situation is…”
From then on, the man began to speak.
The Munam Jong Family—
Located in the north of Shaoxing City, this was a city in the south of Hangzhou, and the origin of Shaoxing too, one of the eight major cities of the central plains.
The head of the Munam Jong Family is Jong Suk-Myung, who was a well known scholar. He had an excellent ability to know many things.
As his name became known to many, people from all over the nation flocked to hear from him.
And Jong Suk-myung didn’t drive them out, but instead, he would accept them all and speak with them. Of course the evil ones were an exception.
In an instant, the number of people who joined him began to increase, and soon it went out of control.
“And the problem is?”
The boy asked while scratching his chin with the fan.
“A woman called Jabi entered into the fray, and the woman he had taken as a concubine had shown her true colors when the head of the family’s health had deteriorated.”
“And the woman has a son?”
“Yes.”
“Since she is a concubine, the son was raised, and then he could be pushed to be the son of the family head.”
“Yes. And normally the family head has to be from the Jong Family only.”
“A rough rule. Did the confrontations happen?”
“Yes.”
The man called Jong Ri-heon added a couple more words.
He felt the need to mediate and suggested that a match be done.
Within the 15 days, three masters will be put to the test, and the one who wins the final round, will win the title.
“Why a match though? Isn’t that a disadvantage to a scholar family?”
The boy asked.
“We didn’t have a choice then. Because the people on their side were pushing for it. On the surface it seemed better to invite proper warriors from other clans, so it seemed like a good method. Furthermore, there was no way he could win over us when it came to knowledge, so he proposed such a thing.”
Jong Ri-heon, who studied all his life, ended up being hit at a vulnerable point.
And the woman next to him, Jong Rimi, was also learning other things over martial arts, so it was only now that they understood why their achievements until now were so insignificant.
“Hmm.”
The boy rubbed his chin hearing this.
It seemed like he knew something and could come with a solution.
“So, you need a warrior who can win no matter who they go against?”
“Right. We are quite desperate here.”
Jong Ri-heon’s eyes were wet, and it showed how anxious they were.
“Well, you said three… you couldn’t get one too?”
“No. We do have two.”
When the boy asked, Jong Ri-heon was curious and asked.
“Will you not ask who it is?”
“Why? I don’t think they are worth mentioning or asking…”
It was then.
“Do not speak so carelessly. They are…”
“Enough.”
When Jong Rimi tried to intervene, Jong Ri-heon asked her to shut it. In such an atmosphere avoiding fighting is a priority.
“Well, I know a good person too.”
“Are you serious?!”
The face of Jong Ri-heon brightened. And the wetness around disappeared.
“But there is a problem.”
“What problem?”
“It will cost a lot of money.”
The man just nodded at it.
“That doesn’t matter. Do you know how much he wants?”
At those words, the boy, Songhwa, frowned.
If they were desperate, where would they draw the line?
Songhwa opened his mouth and said,
“How desperately do you need it?”
If it was an amount he was to receive, it would be better to take as much as possible.
In the evening—
Songhwa stopped at a closeby station.
The postal service was a place which transferred documents between counties and cities, and many people come and go to this service.
“You are here?”
“Here it is.”
“Oh… thank you.”
An elderly man came out and bowed his head. He was the one in charge of the work in this place.
And the reason why he bowed so politely was due to the donations made.
Exactly one month as of today—
“Yes. Did the hawk come by any chance?”
“The red one? Yes, it is here. Been here for a while.”
“Uh?”
Songhwa walked to where he was guided to, and between the stable of horses, there was a large iron cage higher up from the ground.
There was a hawk holding onto it.
“Is that it?”
“Yes.”
Songhwa gave him extra money.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you young shaman.”
After he disappeared, Songhwa approached the red hawk.
The guy was a heavenly bird, which was a spirit beast that could fly a thousand li in a day. And there are very few of them.
He removed the parchment from its feet and released him into the sky.
“Well.”
Songhwa looked down at the contents of it. He looked at the building on the other side for a while and said,
“I need to deliver this to Master quickly.”
And hiding his presence, he began to move his feet.
Exactly one month and one day had passed since Songhwa, Imugi, and Seol-Hwi came to Hangzhou.