Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Hundred Battles Hundred Defeats (1)

The last day of the year.

When the day before departure arrived, the villagers gave well-wishes.

“You said you’re going to Nanjing? You’ll do well.”

“If you fail the civil service exam, apply for the military exam right away. Unless the examiner is blind, you’ll pass for sure.”

“If the Nanjing fellows look down on you as a country bumpkin, show them clearly what the fist taste of Jangnak Village is like!”

Most were encouragement to do one’s best, but there were those who were not.

“Waaah! Shin oppa! Don’t go!”

“Yul-ah, don’t cry and congratulate him. It’s a good thing for Shin oppa.”

“Yul doesn’t know that! Waaah!”

Especially the schoolmaster laid out admonitions instead of well-wishes.

“Wang Yun of the Later Han cut down Dong Zhuo and established a great merit under heaven, but his loyalty and righteousness were excessive and he forgot tolerance. The remnants begging for mercy counterattacked because there was no forgiveness, Wang Yun died, and the emperor became a puppet again. Subsequently, the world became a chaotic age where warlords contended, so the Later Han missed the opportunity and could never rise again.”

As a senior of the civil service exam there was no advice, and it was all talk about my personality.

“Wang Yun’s loyalty and righteousness are correct. However, just because the action is correct does not mean the result is also correct. If Wang Yun had shown mercy at that time, the Han royal family might have recovered and there might have been no chaotic age.”

I understand with my head.

The problem is that the body does not follow.

“The affairs of the world are like that. That is why Confucius mentioned the Five Constants and emphasized the Middle Way.”

A person who is excessively benevolent is looked down on by others.

A person who is excessively righteous unnecessarily increases enemies.

A person who is excessively polite is misunderstood as a cunning person.

A person who is excessively wise is suspected of being a scammer.

A person who is excessively trusting is easily used by others.

“In learning, one must be wary of excess more than deficiency. I hope you see the world, experience it, and gain enlightenment.”

Finally I returned home to see Father.

Since being banned from the gambling den he had no energy at all, so my steps would not leave.

‘That was not my intention.’

The side that caught the one who was trying to stop after winning only enough money to buy one majigi of field was the gambling den.

-Ahem! Trying to win alone and run away!? You’re still young and have no commercial morality! Sit down right now!

And then they stingily banned entry.

I wonder if I should have let him lose, but failing to restrain myself at the sight of Father cheering and rejoicing every time he won money is my mistake.

“Shin has come.”

But today he is overflowing with energy.

There were dark circles under the eyes, but color returned to the face and vitality sparkled in the eyes.

“Take it. I carved it myself.”

What Father handed over was a small white and smooth die.

“I made it by carving deer bone. It’s not bad, right?”

“Your handcraft is good. You could make a living with this?”

“While making this I also put down all desire for gambling. How can a father walk with his head held high if he does not keep a promise made with his son?”

“Are you really okay?”

“I already bought the field. From next year I have to work hard, so there is no time.”

It was a good die that was light and solid and could be rolled anywhere.

“As one lives life, moments when it is hard to choose are bound to come. Do you know what is needed then? It is luck. When such a moment comes, if no answer comes out at all, roll the die and choose. If things go well that is good, and if they do not go well do not blame yourself and blame this father who told you to roll the die.”

It was a truly father-like gift.

“It does not matter even if you do not pass the civil service exam! We can just farm together and live well like until now! So do not feel burdened and come down anytime if it is hard!”

“Do not only look at books but look at the world. Nanjing has many people, so accumulate new experiences and govern your mind.”

“Waaah! Shin oppa! Don’t go!”

Thus I left the village.

“I’ll be back.”

Promising a day when I will return again someday.

* * *

“Haa, going up to the capital to take the civil service exam? Amazing.”

I coincidentally met on the mountain path a peddler who usually visited the village often.

When I told my circumstances, the peddlers said the way happened to be the same and naturally accompanied me.

“If you take a boat down from Imcheong County it is quick to Nanjing.”

“Is world experience the first time? Imcheong County is not as much as Nanjing but it is also large and splendid so your eyes will open wide. Staying for a while and sightseeing before going to Nanjing will also be study.”

Thanks to that the road was not boring.

In the middle I glanced around and whispered in a small voice.

“Three-legged, are you listening?”

『This seat is not three-legged but Three-legged Crow.』

“It’s a nickname, you.”

『Then I permit it.』

“Is there a strange force and turbulent spirit in Imcheong County too?”

『The information on strange forces and turbulent spirits this seat knows does not include location.』

“This useless bastard.”

『The boss’s tongue that tears this seat’s heart is a strange force and turbulent spirit.』

I thought that with only this thing I could easily find strange forces and turbulent spirits, but I have to put in the legwork.

『Instead, if there is a trace of a strange force and turbulent spirit this seat can confirm it.』

Our village came like that too, right?

In the end it was impossible to confirm before arriving at Imcheong County, so I used the classical method.

“Ghost stories and legends of Imcheong County? Peculiar rumors or bizarre stories are also fine?”

“Haha! Stories are our specialty! When there are no goods we make a living as idle talkers!”

A county magistrate who married a virgin ghost who died unjustly.

A fisherman who deceived the angry river god and obtained great wealth.

A rich man who became greedy and received heavenly punishment from a Daoist and became a beggar.

‘Stories that do not give much inspiration even when heard.’

Just as I was getting bored with the featureless stories that could be heard anywhere, one person said.

“Ah! If it is a legend of Imcheong County, isn’t there that person?”

It was a story that completely captivated the mind of me who was a martial arts novel maniac.

“Hundred Battles Hundred Defeats Jang Unryong!”

* * *

A couple living in Imcheong County had a conception dream.

It was a dream of one dragon roaming above the clouds, and the parents who dreamed the same dream foresaw that they would give birth to an extraordinary child, and in fact gave birth to a child the next year.

“Your name is Unryong. Jang Unryong! Grow up and become a dragon that swims above the clouds!”

Like the conception dream the child was clever and became a talented scholar at twelve, passed the provincial exam at thirteen and became a recommended man, and it was clear that he would soon pass the metropolitan exam and become an official.

“Is that a martial artist! Really cool!”

But one day, after seeing martial artists’ sparring in the marketplace he became completely absorbed and gave up studying.

“I will become a martial artist too! I will become the number one under heaven!”

The parents did not permit it, and Jang Unryong ran away from home and wandered the world.

With his outstanding head he learned the basics of martial arts, tempered mind and body, created martial arts himself, and then sought experts from various places and applied for sparring.

“This late learner of the martial world Jang Unryong requests teaching from senior!”

But Jang Unryong had no martial talent.

His martial arts were shallow, and compared to the time invested in training his body movements were poor.

“Senior! Please one move!”

“Please give teaching to this late learner!”

“I beg you! Please spar with me!”

The consecutive defeats were no longer counted after a hundred times, and the experts he met also laughed at him and did not deal with him.

“There is still much lacking in me! I must return to my hometown, seclude myself in training, and gain enlightenment!”

He returned home after several decades, but his parents had already passed away, and the household had been ruined long ago so there was no one to welcome him.

Living alone in the mountains like a beggar and training for another several decades, one day an old expert who visited Imcheong County heard the rumor and sought Jang Unryong.

“He did not fight a hundred times and lose a hundred times. He fought a hundred times and learned a hundred times. I wish to hear what he learned and realized.”

As a result of living together for a month, sparring with Jang Unryong and also sharing stories, the old expert left Imcheong County while saying bitter words.

“What on earth did you learn your whole life? Even a thug or ruffian would have better martial skill than you, and even an official of a shabby military office would be brighter in martial principles than you. If you are using being a martial artist as an excuse to live as a loafer it is disgusting so I hope you stop!”

Nevertheless Jang Unryong is still training in the mountains.

Even though everyone ridicules him as Hundred Battles Hundred Defeats.

Even though a senior evaluated his talent.

“I will become the number one under heaven!”

Truly pathetically, he is still chasing a vain dream in the mountains.

* * *

“Is this a true story?”

“Of course. Even now he should be training in a mountain near Imcheong County? Even though he is now over seventy.”

“In Imcheong County they call people who chase vain dreams or do not know their place Unryong.”

An interesting story but it does not seem related to strange forces and turbulent spirits.

‘Even if the ceiling is low the martial artists of this world are superhuman, so there will be many people who challenge.’

There will be just as many people who cannot become martial artists due to lack of talent, and the person called Jang Unryong is merely unable to give up his dream like an exam wanderer and continues to challenge.

“Here! This is Imcheong County! How is it? Big, right?”

“It is time to part. You said you would tour this village and then take a boat, right? We will go now.”

“Thank you for the many teachings on the way. Sell many goods and become rich.”

I parted from the peddlers and wandered Imcheong County.

It was certainly a large city I had never seen before, but compared to a modern city it was at the level of a slightly bustling countryside.

“How is it? Do you see traces?”

『It seems like there are and it seems like there are not.』

“Really useless.”

『Stop the act of stabbing this seat’s heart with your tongue!』

At this rate there is no choice but to use the classical method again.

‘Let’s go to an inn.’

I entered an inn three times larger than the village inn and looked around.

“Hey! Waiter! Order here!”

“Yes! Waiter Jang Sam is coming!”

Wow, a real waiter!

Our village and the neighboring village are not large villages so the inn owner directly took orders and served.

‘Seeing a real waiter right in front of me gives a different feeling.’

I quietly raised my hand and followed the lines seen in martial arts novels exactly.

“Waiter, one bowl of somyeon and one plate of dumplings please.”

“Yes! Order received!”

Hunger is the best side dish and it was really delicious.

“Phew, I ate well.”

『Boss, didn’t you say you came to obtain information?』

“That’s right, there is no place as good as an inn for seeking information.”

This is also something seen in martial arts novels.

“If it is not a sect’s secret story but hearing various rumors, isn’t an inn perfect?”

Quietly listening and capturing the surrounding noise.

The voices mixed and collided here and there were nothing more than noise, but when concentrating the mind the sensitive senses unraveled the voices twisted like a thread and clearly captured them.

“Haha! Brother! Have a drink!”

“Senior brother, did you hear that story? About Hundred Battles Hundred Defeats, they say his energy has dropped a lot these days and he is frail?”

“If you eat too much somyeon and dumplings you get sleepy even during the day. Why is that?”

Listening to various idle talk for a long while.

It was not a bizarre rumor, but I heard a story that could not just be passed over.

“They say a great famine has occurred in Hebei. How great a famine it is, the fellows who were doing banditry in that land have come over this way.”

“I heard that news too. They are hiding in various places in the mountains and plundering, right? What is the government office doing not catching those fellows!”

“If our county also had a large sect the martial artists would have handled them, but it is really regrettable.”

After hearing the story I left the inn.

‘Bandits.’

It is not only strange forces and turbulent spirits that are bad.

‘I need to beat them up.’