As Prophet - Chapter 46
Only Krnovel
Episode 46. Jin Dong-hee
As Dalcheon came out, a military officer came running.
“This is a message from the magistrate to wait a moment.”
“why?”
“I’ll show you around for a moment.”
The officer took Dalcheon to the back of the palace. The empty courtyard was filled with the spring sunlight.
“Welcome. My family does not have much experience, so I cannot recognize you.”
“I am not a noble person. I am young and lacking.”
The magistrate dismissed the people and sat down side by side on the small veranda.
“My younger brother failed the military service examination every time. This is his third time failing, so if he fails again, it will be over ten years.”
“How old are you now?”
“I’m twenty-seven. I really want to pass the civil service exam next year.”
Dalcheon smiled brightly.
“Do you know how to read and write?”
“Of course.”
“I know how to ride a horse and shoot a bow.”
“Of course.”
“Please send it to me. I will make sure you pass.”
“thank you.”
The magistrate held Dalcheon’s hand and was delighted.
“But by the way, earlier… … .”
“What was that just now?”
“The officer who guided the nobleman is my younger brother.”
“ah.”
“I brought you here as a secret agent because I have no military power. You neglect your studies to help me with my work.”
“Please send it to me after work tomorrow. I think it will be fine.”
“Thank you. Thank you.”
I was worried about the lawsuit, but I got a student. He is a bit old, but considering the average age of those who passed the military service examination, he is not too old.
As Dalcheon was leaving after saying goodbye, the magistrate escorted him to the entrance.
“I hope he doesn’t get beaten with a stick for that innocent crime.”
“The verdict has already been reached.”
“People seem weak, I’m worried.”
“You are doing this even though you are an innocent person.”
“It must have been very difficult. Please show mercy.”
The magistrate told the officer to go and study starting tomorrow in front of Dalcheon and had Dalcheon greet him, and the officer expressed his gratitude in a firm manner.
* * *
The next day, he came to the school building in the same clothes he wore when he worked. Dalcheon greeted him with a smile.
“Are you here? Thank you for your kindness yesterday.”
“thank you.”
“My name is Dalcheon.”
“This is Jin Dong-hee.”
The carpenter who came out early was explaining the work for today, but he waved his hand and said that he would do it later. Dalcheon opened his palm and pointed to the training ground.
“I want to see the sword.”
“What should I do?”
“I think Joseon tax law is good.”
“All right.”
He went to the training ground, took out his sword, and slowly unfolded his swordsmanship. It was a typical swordsmanship style of Joseon, but it was inevitable that each region would have slight differences. I mainly looked at his momentum rather than his movements.
Jin Dong-hee, who completed the examination without losing a breath, looked at Dal-cheon with a burning gaze. He was asking, “How am I?”
Dalcheon looked out across the misty morning air, where mist was rising. There was no answer. From the vantage point of the master, everything looked the same. Dalcheon found it more difficult to distinguish who was who.
“There is no bow?”
“It is on horseback.”
“The target is over there. Try shooting.”
Jin Dong-hee went down, put on his bowstring, and mounted his horse. He shot his bow while running up a slightly sloping hill. The first shot missed, and the second shot hit the center of the target. He ran up close and shot, and he turned his horse’s head and ran, turning his upper body to shoot, and he did it perfectly. Dal-cheon tilted his head. There was no reason for him to have fallen in the past.
As he was coming closer on horseback and getting off, a group of boys came up from below.
“hello!”
“Hello, teacher.”
“Have you had a good night?”
“Wow, it’s the general!”
These guys came faster than the instructor. Because it was fun. I saw their uniforms and shouted, “General.” I tried to explain that Dalcheon was a student like me. Maybe that’s the future these kids want.
“Please bring your horse and come to the training ground.”
“All right.”
* * *
Dalcheon lined up the noisy children and made them assume a riding stance.
“This is good.”
“Ahhh.”
“Kiyooooooo!”
All sorts of noises could be heard. But what was interesting was Jin Dong-hee’s behavior. He brought the horse and stood next to the children. Dal-cheon briefly introduced him to the children.
“He’s new. He’s working in the military. He’ll be taking the military service examination next year.”
“Wow!”
The children screamed and jumped around.
“Equestrian stance, one corner!”
The children did it while making faces. Soon, an hour passed. When I started the paldangeum, they stood facing east toward the sun and started slowly, and Jin Dong-hee followed suit.
* * *
It is not something that is performed. It is emphasized and repeated because you have to study it to advance. It is probably because you cannot advance no matter what you do that you think there may be another way to become a master.
While I was ordering the kids, the trainers came. There were only children, but when I saw one adult, Mukhyeong’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, there are more people?”
“He is the magistrate’s younger brother, and he is working as a secret agent in Yangju County. He will be taking the civil service examination next year.”
* During the reign of King Sejo, it was promoted to Yangju-mok, but was changed to Yangju-hyeon.
“How many times have you fallen?”
“They say three times.”
“Ahem. You don’t know where you fell?”
“Oh, you didn’t ask that.”
“Do you do the same?”
“We do the basic training the same way, but then we split up.”
“What should I do?”
“I think it would be necessary to take the test for all subjects.”
“I will make sure you pass.”
“haha.”
Mukhyeong stood in front of the children playing the paldangeum and started together. Dalcheon called Baek Ijeong. This was because another adult student had arrived. They had to see if they should do it together or separately.
“We need to talk now.”
“Please speak.”
“You should decide what you want to aim for, young lady. This type of physical training is better if you have a goal.”
Baek Yi-jeong was lost in thought. What could he be asking? I was afraid that he would tell me to stop, that I shouldn’t do it anymore.
“I had a lot of thoughts because of the Imjin War. I thought I should be of help to my father, and while helping him with various things, I thought it would be good to have military power. Then I saw Confucius Dalcheon. I saw a person who reached the end of what military power could do, and I hoped to be like him.”
Dalcheon closed his eyes tightly. He said that he wanted to become like a mountain man.
“Self-perfection through martial arts… … That is the purpose of study.”
“Is that so? Perfection? Perfection of personality, no, perfection of existence, perfect self-contained… … .”
“… … .”
“It’s hard to explain in earthly terms. I want to say, ‘What kind of absurd dream would a guy who cuts people with a sword or something have?’ But it’s right to see him as a Taoist. So, Miss, do you want to become… a Taoist?”
Baek Yi-jeong’s eyes narrowed. It’s hard to say exactly what it is. When he heard the word Taoist, he thought of a man with the appearance of a mountain grandfather, leaning on a large cane, and asking, “Is this your axe?” He chuckled to himself.
“It’s hard to say exactly. I just want to say that I wanted to be like him.”
It’s the same thing I said at first. There’s no use asking more.
“Let’s think about it. Yes. Goals seem easy to set, but they are difficult. It’s hard to know what I truly want. It seems like this, but it’s a little different, and when you think you’re going to achieve something and run toward it, it turns out it’s nothing special. Goals are usually a projection of our desires. Some people run toward something they love their whole lives. There are also many cases where it’s not and it’s already too late. People who set their goals on worldly desires often end up regretting it when they see the light of day falling from their eyes.”
“Are you saying that I should seek the law of the world beyond?”
“Wouldn’t it be good to aim high?”
Dalcheon didn’t ask for an answer right away, but Baek Yi-jeong felt a strong sense of alienation. She rushed into it, thinking that she had to do this, but it wasn’t something that could be done in a day or two. It was a serious matter that required a whole year. When you see people who quit studying in the middle, it’s easy to think that’s when studying ends. However, going down usually means failure, not the end of studying.
“I don’t know. I believe in my heart that I should do it, but since you asked, I don’t know how to answer. I will think about it deeply.”
Dalcheon smiles brightly. It’s not like he expected that to happen.
“Put your worries on the tip of your sword. Studying eventually becomes a matter of the heart. If you can find a place for your complicated and capricious heart, it will be different.”
“Thank you. Thanks for the guidance.”
Baek Yi-jeong, who turned around and left, thought that this was his guidance. I thought that he was just torturing us without teaching us, but I thought that I shouldn’t be dissatisfied. Baek Yi-jeong, who received the assignment, went to the west side where the students were and started to walk. Thoughts become study, and thoughts arise while studying. Cutting off thoughts is studying, and forgetting even that is how studying becomes deeper.
On the other hand, the newcomer couldn’t help but be puzzled by the strange combination. It was understandable that most of the students were children, but there was one woman, and Hundo was also a student who wanted to learn. Secondly, the teacher was too young. He said he was only 15, but his face looked even younger. However, everyone bowed and respected him, and even the less educated workers lowered themselves before him. Thirdly, Hundo Mukhyeong was someone who didn’t need to learn. He had already mastered martial arts. Nevertheless, he would often approach Dalcheon and ask about martial arts. Dalcheon would casually throw out strange words as if answering a Zen question, and as soon as he left the room, he would grab his hair and become absorbed in it.
Lastly, the woman was not ordinary. She did not seem to have been trained for a long time, but she swung her sword in a fluttering manner as if she was dancing. She wore a top and skirt and danced in a fluttering manner, and sometimes it was dizzying to the eyes as if a fairy had descended. Sometimes she held a very long spear and moved it with difficulty, and it did not stop because of its weight and length.
In addition, the movements of the workers were also infused with consideration for those studying. However, all these disparate things came together as a single whole. It was awkward, but if you looked at it from a different angle, it seemed quite natural, and at the center of it all was Confucius Dalcheon.
When morning study was over, Jin Dong-hee reported that she was going back to Dal-cheon.
“I have to take care of Hyun’s business in the afternoon.”
“Ahem, I see. That’s too bad. I wish I could invest more time.”
“Thanks to the consideration of the magistrate, I am now able to study. Instead, I will come early in the morning.”
“But I have one question. You failed three times. Where did you fail? I’m not trying to dig up some embarrassing corner, but I’m curious about where you should focus your future studies.”
“Once I failed the article, once I failed the martial arts and the recitation of the Gyeongguk Daejeon, and once I failed the gichang.”
“Are you good at riding?”
“Yes, you can ride with your eyes closed. I came riding early in the morning. The way there shouldn’t be any difficulties.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, I have a question… … . How should I pay for it?”
Perhaps it was natural, but Dalcheon blinked.
“Oh, I didn’t think of that.”
“The village school is funded by the entire village or by the local leaders.”
“Do you know how much the Seo family academy in Seodaemun charges?”
“It is a very famous place where a scholar who was a former high-ranking official teaches. I don’t know much about it, but I understand that they pay a considerable amount of money. Do you think that is the amount?”
“Ahem, the cost of passing the exam in the past… … Ahem, I will discuss it with the instructors and let you know.”
“All right.”
As Jin Dong-hee went down, he saw Mukhyeong swinging his sword at the place where the students had finished. However, his feet did not seem to touch the ground. The person was flying, and the sword and the person moved as one.
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