Chapter 36 — The Taoist Appears! (3)
Cheongun, huh.
I've never heard that name before.
Doyul rejected Cheongun's proposal without hesitation.
"No."
"Why are you refusing so quickly?"
When Doyul turned to leave with a blank expression, Cheongun followed right behind him.
"A proper scholar should know how to enjoy refinement, keep nature as his companion, abandon stubborn prejudice, and greet unfamiliar encounters with an open mind."
"And where exactly is that written?"
"My master taught me."
"...Your master really said that?"
Cheongun snickered.
"Actually, no. My master isn't particularly fond of refined amusements either. I simply thought meeting you was such a rare opportunity that I'd try forcing the issue."
"..."
Doyul stared at him for a moment.
Then ignored him and kept walking.
"W-Wait! At least tell me why you're refusing!"
"I'm not interested in vulgar games that toy with ignorant people. Is that answer sufficient?"
At Doyul's dry reply, Cheongun grinned and stepped in front of him.
"...What are you doing?"
"You are mistaken about two things."
"Excuse me?"
"First, I only asked you to make a wager with me. I never said we had to play the shell game."
"Then what kind of wager are you suggesting?"
"Anything is fine. We can wager whatever you like, on whatever sort of contest you like. After all, who am I?"
"...A swindler?"
Shake, shake!
"A Taoist. A Taoist. You see, a true Taoist enjoys refinement, takes nature as his companion..."
"Didn't you just say a scholar was supposed to do that?"
"What's good is good. Scholar, Taoist, what difference does it make? Come now, let's keep an open mind and enjoy a little wager..."
Doyul felt exhausted just listening to him.
"Please move."
"At least hear me out! I'm actually terrible at gambling. Who knows? You might make a fortune off me!"
Doyul glared at Cheongun.
"Why would I listen to someone who takes coins from ignorant villagers by deceiving them?"
"...Second."
Cheongun smiled mischievously.
"You say I deceive ignorant villagers and take their money."
"Do you have any proof?"
"Of course. You were obviously..."
"Would you like to see for yourself?"
Cheongun returned to his spot.
People immediately crowded around him again.
They had clearly heard Doyul's criticism, yet they gathered without hesitation.
Doyul blinked.
...Why?
Why are they still interested?
"Me first! Let me try first!"
"Hey now! Wait your turn!"
"Hahaha! It's been ages since we've had some entertainment!"
Seeing Doyul's confusion, Donggu spoke.
"Young Master, the people here already know."
"...Know what?"
Donggu smirked.
"They're not foolish enough to actually believe he's a Taoist."
Doyul stared at him.
"...Then they know it's a trick, but they're still letting themselves be fooled?"
"They're not being fooled."
"Huh?"
Shk, shhk! Shhk!
"Come, come! Take your guess!"
"Hmm... I'll choose this one!"
Cheongun flipped over the bowl the farmer had chosen.
There was nothing underneath.
Then how is that not being fooled...?
Yet the people's reaction was nothing like Doyul expected.
"Aha! I got it wrong! Hahahaha!"
"Tsk, are your eyes getting bad with age?"
"Move aside! It's my turn now!"
"...Ah?"
As Doyul watched everyone laughing, Donggu continued.
"It's entertainment."
"One pun is so little that it takes a hundred just to make one nyang."
"No one's stupid enough to believe they'll really get jade for a single pun."
"They're just enjoying the game."
"In a small county like Yeongsan, entertainment is hard to come by."
"...!"
Just as Donggu said, even those who lost money were smiling.
The spectators were laughing loudly too.
The whole area was filled with a cheerful mood.
I see...
At that moment, a young boy timidly approached Cheongun and held out a coin.
"Oh! Our next guest is a little gentleman!"
"But I won't go easy on you. Are you sure?"
Nod, nod!
The boy tightly placed his single coin down.
Cheongun suddenly became intensely serious.
"This time, I'll go all out."
Shk! Shhk! Shhk!
His hands had already been fast before.
But this time, they moved so quickly Doyul could barely even follow the afterimages.
"Come on. Isn't that a bit much against a kid who's only trying to have fun?"
"That's not it either."
"...What?"
"Real moves hidden inside feints. Feints hidden inside real moves."
"He's a master."
"What are you even talking about...?"
"U-Umm..."
The boy had completely lost track of the coin.
As he hesitated between the bowls, the surrounding adults began shouting advice.
"Just choose one!"
"Right! Maybe luck will be on your side!"
"Th-Then... this one!"
The boy nervously pointed to the first bowl.
Cheongun grinned.
Then he flipped it over and pretended to be shocked.
"O-Oh no! There's jade under it!"
"Gasp! I'm ruined!"
"......!"
Doyul's eyes widened.
Donggu leaned over and whispered.
"...There wasn't any jade under that bowl."
"Right before he lifted it, he slipped the jade underneath with his hand."
"What?"
Doyul carefully looked at the boy's clothes.
They were worn and shabby.
His situation was obvious.
He deliberately... let the boy win?
Cheongun, however, acted as though he had suffered a terrible loss.
He collapsed dramatically onto the ground.
"Oh no! Oh no! My business is ruined for the day!"
The spectators burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Some gambler you are!"
"At this rate you won't even earn enough for your travel expenses!"
"Hahaha! Taoist, that must hurt!"
"......!"
The boy's face flushed with joy.
Cheongun placed the jade in his hands and patted his head.
"My goodness, our little guest completely defeated me."
"Here. It's yours."
"Th-Thank you!"
The child bowed.
Cheongun immediately resumed his shameless act.
"Oh dear, oh dear! I've been thoroughly beaten by a sharp-eyed guest!"
"Now I won't even be able to buy rice for my little brother!"
"Gyeol-ah, forgive me! Your older brother promised he'd buy you meat on the way home...!"
His exaggerated lament made the spectators toss him whole nyang.
"Haha! That was fun. Add this to your travel money!"
"Tsk! I thought we'd get more entertainment out of you. Here, take this as the price of the show!"
"Come now, you can't let that precious little brother of yours go hungry!"
"Oh my! Thank you, thank you!"
Watching the coins pile up one after another...
And watching the man continue his exaggerated performance...
Doyul finally realized that he had been wrong.
And at the same time...
...Is he the one?
A new possibility occurred to him.
Cheongun soon packed everything away.
He dusted off his clothes and approached Doyul.
"You said your name was Kang Doyul, Yulli?"
"This time, allow me to ask you something."
His playful demeanor vanished.
His expression became unexpectedly serious.
"Do you perhaps consider games like this in the marketplace beneath you?"
"Something only lowly people would enjoy, unfit for refined scholars?"
Doyul studied the changed atmosphere around Cheongun before answering slowly.
"No."
"I merely misunderstood what you were doing."
"I never thought such entertainment itself was contemptible..."
"Ah, apologies for interrupting, but I'm not a scholar."
"I'm a Taoist."
Doyul stared at him with an exhausted expression.
"...Yes. Of course."
"I simply failed to understand Taoist Cheongun's intentions."
"If everyone is enjoying themselves together, then I see nothing wrong with it."
Doyul bowed his head.
"I believe I judged you too harshly."
"My apologies."
Cheongun immediately brightened.
"Oh! Excellent! Very good!"
"Then how about that wager with me?"
"No. I still refuse."
"...Huh?"
Cheongun had clearly thought everything was finally going his way.
Doyul's immediate rejection left him speechless.
"Why? Why are you still refusing?"
"It's just one little wager!"
"If I win, I only want to ask one small favor from you!"
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Doyul smiled and started walking away.
Cheongun hurried after him.
"No, wait! What kind of response is that?!"
"I could give you money!"
"I could give you jade!"
"If there's something else you want, I could give you that too..."
Donggu carefully watched Doyul's expression.
"Young Master? What are you thinking?"
"...I'm going to watch him for now."
"...Watch him?"
Doyul organized several facts that were difficult to ignore.
First.
The Yeongsan land case would have been extremely difficult for the people involved to solve on their own.
That means there was a strong possibility that someone from outside, someone with enough power to intervene, was supposed to resolve it.
"Yulli! Scholar!"
Second.
If that's true, then considering the timing, the appearance of a strange outsider around the same time Park Jeongdo filed his petition is suspicious.
Especially when that outsider is clearly not ordinary.
"Hey! When someone is talking to you... Ah, right. When a Taoist is talking to you, you should at least pretend to listen!"
Finally.
He acts frivolous, but he isn't shallow.
He cares about ordinary people.
And the fact that he casually gives away expensive jade and confidently says he can offer almost anything suggests...
"Seriously, you even inherited that magistrate's impossible stubbornness!"
"How long are you planning to follow me?"
"Huh?"
There's a good chance this man is an important character.
For now, I should keep watching.
The fact that Doyul's classmates had never mentioned anyone named Cheongun still bothered him.
But there might have been some reason they deliberately avoided talking about him.
Cheongun blinked.
Doyul smiled.
"I'm rather busy right now."
"And I already have enough money to live on, so I don't need yours."
"Then what do you want?"
"Do you wish to rise in the world and make a great name for yourself?"
"Not particularly."
"...Hmm?"
"To do what should be done and remain faithful to the present."
"That's enough for me."
"Just as you found your own answer, I merely follow what I'm good at and what I believe I should do."
"...Ah!"
Even after being rejected repeatedly, Cheongun only seemed more delighted.
He continued following Doyul.
"Let's go together!"
Judging from his behavior, he's probably connected to Kim Jiseok.
Rather than dancing to his tune, it would be better to ask Kim Jiseok about him first.
If I go along with whatever he wants, who knows how he'll trap me.
"I'm going to the government office."
"You can't simply stroll into an official office as though it were your own house."
"Why not?"
"A Taoist's path is wherever his feet take him. The sky is my roof and the earth my blanket. I wander freely beneath heaven."
"Since I'm here anyway, I might as well greet the magistrate..."
"At this rate, you'll ask the magistrate to make a wager with you too."
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Haah..."
Doyul felt completely drained.
Meanwhile, at the government office...
Yeoni lowered her head with a stiff expression.
"...Yeol-ah."
Crouched on the floor, she muttered softly.
"I want to see you."
"But..."
"I don't want to see you."
Even as she longed for the younger sibling she might soon meet...
Yeoni pulled her mask even tighter around her face.
