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Chapter 44: This Time, a Monk [2]

“Oh my goodness!”

He was infuriated on having unknowingly eaten the beef from that sick cow. He had just now been thinking of Wonhyo and the lesson that it taught.

He thought it was tasty while eating it, but now, it seemed to have been smelly and foul all of a sudden.

“Why?” Dolseok asked while blinking his small eyes.

His face was innocent, and he did not do anything wrong to be fair. But, Ganghyuk was angry anyway.

“Son of a…No. It is fine. Let’s go.”

All of them had the same thing, so what was the use to talk about it now?

‘It is all the same when it is in the body…The same thing.’ He tried to console himself.

While walking, he thought he should ask the question that had been in his mind ever since he heard about their destination.

“Where are we going now? Where is the monk?”

“Eum… It is in Anseong.”

“Anseong? The place with the mayor who had hemorrhoids?”

The mayor had visited Ganghyuk while sitting on a cushion on the saddle. He had yelled as soon as he arrived and even hit Dolseok’s head. Finally, he returned to Anseong after the operation.

‘When he was healed completely, his personality changed as well.’

How difficult it must have had been for him because of the painful bowel movement! So, when it was resolved and he had no more pains or bloody stools, he became quite meek.

Moreover, he actually sent a thank you letter later on, along with some dried fish.

“As we are going there, let’s meet him as well.”

“Do you really want to see him?” Dolseok seemed to remember the unpleasant hit.

“Why not? It will be great. He will treat us well for sure.”

“Ahem… Treat…”

“Yes, he will have some good rooms for us. I don’t like the inns very much.”

There was a saying, “There is no place like home’, and it was true in Joseon as well. The inns here were all shabby, and served very humble food, which was just too much to tolerate for Ganghyuk, considering that even ‘delicacies’ in this era weren’t all that great.

‘Furthermore, they gave me meat from the sick cow.’

He felt quite unpleasant while thinking of it even now. He would have dealt with the hostess instead of Makbong if he had not met up with Heo Jun…in a different way, of course.

“Isn’t the government office better?”

Dolseok nodded in response. He was a servant, but he served a rich nobleman. Hence, he did not have to suffer much hardships.

On top of that, his life had been even better than before recently, much better than other commoners.

“Yes, I think so too.” Yeoju agreed. She did not have to suffer much hardships either. Even though she lived in a small and shabby house, she was a noblewoman nevertheless.

“If you know the mayor, it is a good thing to visit him.”

Yeoni and Makbong did not mind it. They thought that an inn was still a good place, as they did not mind sleeping even on the road. Anyway, they would not object to Ganghyuk’s opinion.

“Ok, let’s go.”

…

It was a long way from Gwanggyo to Anseong. So, they could only enter the village some time after the sunset.

Seeing them, a few soldiers approached, looking very cautions. They were sure that Ganghyuk was a nobleman from his appearance.

He had four escorts and a big carriage behind him; he seemed to be a tycoon.

“May I know who you are?”

Ganghyuk would answer quickly if he were what he used to be. But now, he was a nobleman in Joseon.

Hence, Ganghyuk looked down from the horse with dignity. As a tall man was looking down from the horse, the soldiers felt a bit overwhelmed.

They retreated and asked him again.

“May I know who you are?”

He thought he should answer at this point. But, the person who answered was Dolseok, who loved this kind of scene, and hence had a big smile on his face.

When could he speak to soldiers with dignity if not at this time?

“He is Scholar Baik Ganghyuk from Baik family in Suwon. He has come to meet your mayor.”

“Ah, I will guide you, sir.”

“Ok.”

The soldier walked forward even though he tilted his head. He did not like the situation where a servant ordered him, but Ganghyuk seemed to be a very high-ranking nobleman.

Additionally, one of them had actually recognized Ganghyuk.

“He, the very person…”

“Who?”

“You remember that the mayor visited Suwon for a few days…”

“Ah, the very Baik?”

“Yes, I saw him at that time. I am sure he is the one.”

“Ugh… We may be killed if we do something wrong.”

Rumors and memories could be easily twisted. Ganghyuk’s image in Anseon was obsessively tyrannical. It was said that not only mayor, but the governor also followed Ganghyuk’s order because he showed his spirit.

Of course, he had countered the mayor, so it was not a groundless story.

Because of this rumor, the soldiers showed a politer and more favorable attitude.

“Here, sir.”

“Good!”

Even though Dolseok gave a presumptuous answer, they did not protest.

“I will report your arrival, sir.”

“Ok.”

The group stopped in front of the door while the soldier went in through the side door.

When Ganghyuk reached the place, he got a little worried. He had not made an appointment before the visit after alld.

“He will receive us, right?”

“Pardon?”

Hearing Ganghyuk’s remark, Dolseok showed an unappealing face. He exercised his authority by relying on his master, but the master was worrying now.

What did he want him to do?

“I received a letter, but I do not remember if I replied.”

Probably, he had not replied. He did not remember writing many letters at that time. Therefore, he had been rude to the mayor twice: when he examined him, and when he did not reply to his letter.

‘We do feel bad if even a simple text message is not answered.’

When a message was read and then no reply came back, people would usually get angry. Hence, Ganghyuk felt a late regret.

Dududu!

However, it was found to be baseless anxiety.

“Haha, you came here, Dr. Baik.”

The mayor dashed out to meet him, looking much better.

“Ah, how are you, sir?”

Ganghyuk used polite language; one good turn deserved another after all.

“I am good. It seems that I get to live a new life thanks to you.”

“That is good to hear.”

He thought that he was quite fortunate. If the latter had not greeted him with such vigor, the soldiers would have thrown them out irrespective of his status.

“Well, come on in. What is that?” The mayor pointed at the carriage and asked.

They seemed to be herbs, given the aroma he could sense. He had become interested in herbs after the disease. Furthermore, these herbs were brought by Ganghyuk, who had the fame of being an excellent doctor.

‘Good. I will give some.’

He could not receive his hospitality for nothing.

“I came from Mt. Gwanggyo to get some herbs. This angelica root and licorice are very good. Have some.”

As he had made up his mind, he could tell a lie as smoothly as water flowing downhill. With that, he recommended the mayor some cheap herbs. He could not give expensive herbs such as Moniliform rhizome, Solomon’s seal, or Glechoma longituba after all.

That kind of generosity belonged only to the governor. Additionally, dearer herbs had too strong effects, and might not necessarily be restorative.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” The mayor seemed not to know the medicines very well, considering how glad he was to get such cheap herbs.

“Fellows, prepare the food. We have guests.” The mayor shouted to the servants working in the government office. It seemed that he did not have a private house, unlike the governor.

It might have been because he had not been in the office for a long time, or he preferred staying in the official residence.

“Sorry for visiting you without prior notice.”

“No, you are always welcome. What brought you here?”

If he said he was visiting to see the mayor, the mood would be more favorable, but he could not tell such a lie. After all, he would have to send a letter and let him know that he was coming in that case.

“I came to see a monk from Mt. Geumgang. Of course, I wanted to visit you as well as I was here.”

“Ah, he is hot these days.”

“Is that so?”

“He preaches very well. I listened to some of his preachings and I thought that it made sense.”

“Oh!”

“There should be a lot of people. Show this, and it will help you.”

He gave Ganghyuk a token with the seal of the government office.

Although the mayor had been a hemorrhoids patient and showed his temper at that time, he was a Confucian scholar nevertheless.

If a Confucian scholar said such words of praise at the time when Confucianism was promoted and Buddhism was oppressed, he must be indeed a great monk and a priest of virtue.

Ganghyuk thought that it was worthwhile to go and see the monk.

‘He must not be a living Buddha probably.’

He did not know what would make a living Buddha though, as he was ignorant in that field.

“You must have traveled a long way, so you should retire for the day and take a rest.”

“Thank you!”

The mayor gave them separate rooms. Yeoju hesitated for a while, but soon followed Dolseok. If she tried to be treated as nobility, it might divulge her secret.

If they knew that she was a girl…

After all, she had already changed into servant’s clothes a long time ago.

…

“Somebody sent it to me from Jeonnam. It is really tasty.”

“Wow! I did not think of having this here.”

The dish that the mayor pointed at was Soy Sauce Marinated Crab, with roes in it.

“Thank you!”

“I thought you would not eat it. But, you seem to be enjoying it.”

“I love it.”

“Haha…Have you ever had the chance to eat it before? I heard that you were native to Suwon. Well, we have plenty here. Help yourself, please.”

“Yes, thank you.”

On the table were a lot of good dishes, such as salted fish, dried abalone, dried octopus, and dried pollack. Ganghyuk could not stop eating because he had had rice and soup every day for quite a long time.

At the same time, the mayor offered drinks constantly, but himself got drunk first.

Ganghyuk looked at the major, who was snoring at this point.

“Ha, the man is really changed.”

He was a totally different man from the one who had visited the clinic.

“I have good food here. Tonight, I can drink alone with all this good food.”

But on a second thought, he was not really alone. There was a moon in the sky, in the glass, and the half open eyes of the mayor.

…

“Wow! There are a lot of people.” Dolseok murmured while shaking his head. Even Yeoni, who had lived her whole life in the marketplace, was surprised by the crowd. Not to mention of Yeoju…

“It is first time for me to see such a crowd.”

She held the cloth of Ganghyuk tightly in order not to be left alone. It seemed that she had held it secretly a while ago, but Ganghyuk felt it because she grasped hard out of tension.

‘It may damage my clothes…’

It was a silk robe. If it were to be damaged, it would cost a lot to repair or replace. Ganghyuk looked back, but did not say anything and then walked forward.

And that was because of her facial expression at that moment.

She might have cried for real if he had said something. Ganghyuk was not a guy to make a woman cry after all.

‘I can buy a new one.’

He had the money, so there was no need to worry too much.

“Here we are.” Yeoni shouted while standing on her toes. In the direction where her finger pointed out was a banner with ‘Chiljangsa’ written on it.

It was said that it was destroyed during a Japanese invasion and then rebuilt.

“There is a man there.”

“Sir, can you see the man?” Makbong looked at him with envious eyes. He climbed on a stone and stood on his toes, but in vain.

“Yes, I do. But, he is too far, so I cannot see him clearly.”

“Let’s go.”

Dolseok, who wanted to see the monk badly, ran forward. And thanks to him, they could reserve some good places. Although they had to stand, they could at least see the priest of virtue with a glance.

…

“The best teacher who can teach you is your mind.” The monk preached with dignified voice. His eyes were full of passion, and he had really well-built body. His voice was appealing and worth paying attention to.

But, it was not the thing that Ganghyuk paid attention to.

“What do you think of him?”

“He is wonderful! He is quite special!” Dolseok answered with excitement. Apparently, Dolseok was very religious, though Ganghyuk did not know about that.

“I mean, he looks sick.”

“What? Is it because you are a doctor? In your eyes, everyone is patient.”

“No. I am sure that he has something wrong with him.”