Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Filial Piety

Educating the Three-legged Crow was not difficult.

Apart from the abilities it possessed, the thing’s body was no different from an ordinary crow, and after stroking its head a few times with my fist it quickly shouted surrender and submitted.

『Gyaaak! I understand! You are human! Not a strange force and turbulent spirit! This seat was ignorant!』

“Now words get through.”

『Justifying one’s stubbornness with violence is a nature unique to humans! You are an excellent human!』

“Don’t look down on humans when you’re a yokai!”

『Gyaaak!』

By the way, what to do with this thing?

Is it okay to let a strange force and turbulent spirit go?

“You, why were you captured by the Heavenly Net? Did you do some bad thing?”

『This seat’s purpose in life is to give advice to others. Right after being born into the world I gave advice to the first passing person, but that person was a member of the Heavenly Net and captured me for the purpose of use!』

“Hmm, suspicious.”

『This seat does not lie!』

According to the sharpened intuition after internal energy formed, it seems believable.

But since it is not 100% certainty the worry was unavoidable, yet unexpectedly the Three-legged Crow first offered an unexpected proposal.

『This seat wants to be with you.』

“What do you mean?”

『I heard that humans keep those with useful abilities as subordinates. This seat’s ability is useful, so make this seat your subordinate.』

“Why on earth?”

『Because this seat’s ability is useful the Heavenly Net will try to recover this seat again. Also, since under them I learned a lot of information about other strange forces and turbulent spirits, it is clear they will come to recover me in order to keep the secrets.』

“So because with your strength there is no way not to be captured again you will stick to me.”

『That is so. They treat this seat as a tool, and I refuse such a life.』

Thinking of what I have seen so far, the treatment in the Heavenly Net seems not to have been good.

When wandering the world soon, if this thing is there it will be helpful because it knows a lot.

“Fine, you can follow.”

『Really!? Oh! I will serve you as boss!』

“Am I a bandit?”

『Then I will call you the supreme.』

“...Just call me boss.”

Before returning to the village, I asked a few things I was curious about.

“The human-faced tiger thing said some fragrance comes from me—did you smell it when in the village?”

『I do not know. However, the possibility that a Heaven-grade made empty words is slim.』

“Why?”

『Does a human lie to ants? Unless it is a child, a patient suffering from madness, or a severe eccentric, they do not.』

“Is the difference between me and the tiger thing also at the level of ant and human?”

『Because I do not know the boss’s limit I cannot know, but if forced to compare it looks like the difference between a tiger and a one-day puppy.』

I know that I am weaker than the thing so there is no big shock.

Rather, since a thing of that level will protect the village it is reassuring, but I need to confirm whether the promise was really kept.

‘Come to think of it, this thing is also a strange force and turbulent spirit?’

I headed toward the village entrance with the thing.

The moment I passed a place where one more mountain still had to be crossed, the back of my head tingled slightly.

‘It’s the thing’s energy!’

I looked around but naturally the thing was not there.

‘Is this the countermeasure the thing spoke of.’

For me it was only to the extent of the back of the head tingling, but the Three-legged Crow started thrashing.

『Gyaaak! S-scary! Must flee!』

When I forcibly brought it, it had already slipped from my grasp at some point and could not enter further from the entrance, and even hiding it in my chest was the same.

‘With this, even items possessed by ghosts or yokai will not be able to enter the village.’

Not just unable to enter, but seeing that it fears, it will come to avoid our village.

Even Daoist Mu Gyeong’s keepsakes the Time-Passing Stone, brush, and fire-seizing tool do not work, so even if a strange item without ego accidentally enters the village will be safe.

‘It really kept the promise.’

Then now I just need to keep the promise.

“Hey, you can’t enter the village, right? Then play in the surrounding forest. If needed I’ll come out and call you.”

『Understood.』

Before entering the house, reflecting my face in the well the burst fine blood vessels had all healed.

Opening the room door, Father who had stayed up all night and returned greeted me along with the meal table.

“Son! Where did you go! There hasn’t been work these days!”

“I just woke up at dawn and went for a walk.”

Around the time the meal finished, Yul came looking.

“Shin oppa! Let’s play!”

“Sure, what shall we play?”

“Hehe! Mom gave me pocket money so let’s buy and eat dumplings!”

Around lunch I walked the market with Yul.

I bought snacks with my money and shared them all with the village children, and afterward we played hide-and-seek.

“Aigoo, I’m sorry. I forgot that the firewood had all run out.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not a difficult thing.”

“Thanks to you it finished quickly so it’s fortunate. Here’s the wages. Your father must have gone to the gambling den again, so eat dinner at our house and go.”

In the quiet evening I split firewood for Grandpa Kang’s house, and ate dinner together with that family’s members.

“Oh, is it Shin? It’s late at night so go in carefully.”

“Shin-ah, take this. It’s pancakes made at home and they are delicious.”

“This Shin fellow! Why haven’t you been coming to the village school these days! You need to rise to an official post!?”

After greeting the villagers, I returned home and looking at the star-twinkling sky made a resolution.

“Travel.”

Exactly one month left.

“Let’s leave right on the first day of next year.”

* * *

Finishing the resolution I started preparing for the time of departure.

First I devised an excuse to tell Father.

‘Even in this era Father would not permit traveling alone at fourteen.’

Should I diligently save money, recruit one martial artist, and put on an act of becoming a disciple?

Should I leave lightly leaving only one letter saying ‘As a great man I wish to unfold my dreams’?

After pondering for several days a good idea came to mind and I took action.

“Schoolmaster, I wish to rise to an official post.”

“Yes! Finally! Heaven has heard my prayers!”

The schoolmaster rejoiced with a brightened face.

“I want to go take the civil service exam right next year—is it possible?”

“You can take the child exam. First let us aim to become a student and pass the first test! With you you will soon become a talented scholar and be able to take the provincial exam as well!”

I have no intention of really becoming an official.

With such an excuse I plan to leave the hometown and wander the world.

Father will be greatly pleased that his child has left to study to become an official, so is this not also filial piety?

“Keuheuheu, if you go to Nanjing you will be greatly surprised. Seeing the big world and broadening one’s knowledge is also an important virtue for a scholar, so when you go see and learn many things.”

Of course in the end contact will be cut off and I will end up committing unfilial conduct.

For that time let us practice filial piety in advance now.

“...”

“Why are you like that?”

“No, it is nothing.”

But what is this nagging feeling?

While listening to the schoolmaster’s story, I felt a sense of incongruity like having swallowed a thorn, difficult to pinpoint.

Even after several days passed I ultimately could not figure out what was nagging.

‘Let’s just train.’

I will be dealing with strange forces and turbulent spirits while traveling alone, so I need greater martial power than now.

But unexpectedly internal energy did not accumulate well and my heart became impatient, so when I asked the Three-legged Crow about this the thing answered.

『Why does the boss perform qi circulation in the village? Is there not the mountain where Taowu slept?』

There is no way a thing like Taowu would sleep on an ordinary mountain, so that place will be an auspicious site.

Following the thing’s words and going to Hundred Beasts Mountain, unlike before there were many beasts and energy overflowing was clearly felt.

‘It’s real. Internal energy accumulates in an instant?’

If qi circulation done in the village accumulated a speck, here it accumulates almost 10 times faster.

“You, you really are useful?”

『This seat has said several times that I am a useful existence.』

“Yes, thank you. Even if I want to give a reward there is nothing suitable to give.”

『Waiting only around the village is boring—can I go far?』

“You can, but you know you must not be caught by people?”

『If this seat does not wish to reveal its form ordinary humans cannot see this seat.』

“You must not give advice either.”

『It is fine. Advice does not have to be given only to humans.』

A few days passed and an interesting rumor spread.

Wild boars and deer avoided traps and mocked hunters from afar.

Sparrows hid in the granary and secretly stole and ate rice grains.

Birds keep dropping bird droppings on the heads of hunters who hunt birds.

‘Even if words get through because they are the same beasts, can beasts act intelligently?’

This too is the mystery of strange forces and turbulent spirits.

While training like that, and also to spend time with Father who I will soon part from, I did not forget to practice filial piety.

“Father, is there something you want to do?”

By the way, what filial piety would be good to do for Father?

“Gambling?”

“Not that.”

“Ahem! I-it was a joke! For me anything I can do with my son is good!”

But thinking carefully, doing together what Father likes most might be true filial piety.

“No, it’s fine. Let’s go to the gambling den together once.”

“Really? For real!?”

Whether fourteen is considered fully grown, or as long as there is money even a child does not matter.

Because it is that kind of era I was able to enter the gambling den without any restriction and memorized all the rules while listening to Father’s explanation.

“How is it? Have you learned how to do it all?”

“Yes, it’s not difficult.”

Under the bowl, the sound of dice rolling is heard.

The appearance of the dice rolling while bumping here and there is drawn in my mind, and I can clearly see what number came out.

“Father, you said if you win only enough money to buy one majigi of field you will quit gambling, right?”

“Huh? T-that’s right?”

The new gambling table just starting.

I took out all the money I had and put it on the table.

“You must keep the promise.”

Three days later.

A sign was erected in front of the gambling den.

[Lee father and son entry prohibited]

[Lee Juhwang and Lee Shin, the two people cannot enter this establishment!]

Money to buy ten majigi of field was a bonus.