Chapter 437

“What is this little brat up to?”

Is this kid already trying to stray from the path of learning?

“Jang Myung?”

Qing’s hand shot out as his eyes squirmed.

Jin Jangmyung gazed at the delicate fingers offered to him, trembling with anticipation—

“Ah! A butterfly.”

Suddenly, he jerked his head to chase after a butterfly.

This kid? Is he saying he doesn’t want to study?

Jin Jangmyung’s ridiculous escape attempt from academia would have to be dealt with later.

“Ah, right! Master, here’s a heartfelt gift from your disciple.”

“Heh, what’s this? You brought all this?”

Cheon Yu-hak snatched the box from Qing before he could retract it, just in case he might want it back.

Inside were three brush pens: one thin, one medium, and a very thick one—brand new, never used.

Cheon Yu-hak chuckled after brushing his hand over them.

“What’s this? Is it from a noble family? Seems fairly valuable, huh?”

“Eh, I found them on the way.”

“Sure, this much is worthy of being my disciple. From whose hands did you snag them?”

“Eh, it’s not like that.”

These were the brush pens given to him by the Literary Uncle next to Gakdawi when they were in Guangxi.

A sort of recycled gift.

No, not recycled.

It’s a ‘redistribution’ of the gift.

Since Qing hardly writes, and when he does, there’s often paper and a brush already in front of him, it’s not like he’d need fancy brush pens anyway.

So, it’s better to let someone who can use them go ahead.

“Thanks, I’ll put them to good use. But why didn’t you look for something fancier? You know, like those types with coral bodies and gold leaf on them?”

“Eh? You have that taste? Flashy, huh?”

“No. It’s just that then people would ask, ‘Where did you get such a gaudy brush pen?’ So I could boast that my disciple gifted it to me.”

“Are you seriously saying you want a gaudy brush pen just to brag?”

“Heh. Is filial piety such a trivial thing? Giving something to brag about is a form of filial piety.”

Even though it was just a passing remark, there was a great wisdom felt.

Qing’s expression was a bit sour.

“Hm. Strange. You keep acting wise like someone learned, and I can’t get used to it.”

“Intelligence doesn’t just come out of the blue. It should flow naturally; if you try hard to feign knowledge, being all full of yourself is just foolishness.”

Naturally, I remember faces that come to mind.

Yeah, Je-gal Lee-hyun is quite foolish.

And Sama Chun-bong? That guy is beyond pitiable.

Compared to that, look at Seolga.

While claiming he’s not a smart person, the guy oozes the refined air of an educated individual the moment he opens his mouth.

Except when he’s harassing someone, of course.

Hmm. Now I wonder if the future of the Zhengpai Martial World is truly okay like this?

The two brightest brains apparently have that attitude?

Qing raised concerns about the bleak future of the Zhengpai Martial World.

Well, they can handle it.

Shaking off his disturbing thoughts, Qing pulled out another item from his sack.

“Ah! Right. Also this.”

“Hmm? What is it? A handkerchief? It’s too fancy for a man’s handkerchief—oh, this is a Treasure Map?”

“Wow! You recognized it right away?”

“Let me see. At first glance, I have no clue. Where did you get this? The origin of a Treasure Map is the most important, you know.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because it’s gotta be in the hands of someone significant for it to be seen as a real treasure map. Ever been to a night market? When the market opens, there’s always a couple of guys claiming to sell Treasure Maps. Can you trust something like that?”

“Oh, then how about this? It belonged to the Great Chief of Green Forest.”

“The Great Chief of Green Forest? Hehe.”

With that, Cheon Yu-hak’s face lit up with a big smile.

“What’s got you so happy? You look ten times happier than when I gave you the brush pens earlier.”

“Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

“Is the Treasure Map really that great?”

Cheon Yu-hak smirked, turning his lips slightly as he replied.

“Dude, it’s not that I’m thrilled just to get a Treasure Map from my disciple. It’s that my disciple got it from the Great Chief of Green Forest! What an accomplishment! You’re a proper thief now! What kind of legendary thief sneaks around stealing a Treasure Map? You too have become a full-fledged thief. I might as well retire now.”

So, the oh-so-great potential shintu thief stealing from the Great Chief of Green Forest itself is heartwarming and impressive.

“So, let’s hear the story behind it. How did you get it? How did you even find out there was a Treasure Map? You went all the way to Cheonjasan to think about stealing it. Hehe.”

Honestly, Cheon Yu-hak is delighted.

Proud and impressed.

A mere rookie shintu manages to steal a potentially troublesome Treasure Map from the world’s bandit chief; how could that not be exciting?

Surely he heard rumors about the Treasure Map, realized his duty as a shintu, and risked everything to sneak in up Cheonjasan—

“Well, I just took it, you know?”

“……?”

Cheon Yu-hak’s brain momentarily stalled.

“Just took it, you say?”

“Well, I was sightseeing around Zhangjiajie, you know. Ah, have you heard of Zhangjiajie? The scenery there is truly breathtaking; it looks like it’s from another world, with mountains shaped like giant fists—thousands of them!”

“Hey! Lower your hands a bit. What if someone sees? What’s with all this hand gesturing?”

“Oops.”

Qing swiftly hid his hands to cover up his terribly unwholesome mountain punch.

Still, at least he learned something.

So, this is how they write ‘punch’ in the Central Plain!

Then came the bloody battle with the Green Forest gang.

The tale of how a passing Zhengpai female warrior laid waste to the bandit thugs, clearly heralding her heroic exploits.

Once the story concluded, Jin Jangmyung’s eyes sparkled like the stars.

“Sis, you’re amazing! Incredible! A supreme master!”

“Right? I told you all along.”

“Oh my. So, disciple, you took down the Green Forest?”

“Eh, not quite. Is there only one or two bandits in the world? Sure, the chief died, and I took out some other masters, so now they all might think twice before crossing paths with me.”

“Oh dear.”

Cheon Yu-hak rubbed his forehead.

Forget whether it was even possible.

Usually, when one kills and returns with treasure, they don’t call it ‘stealing’.

What kind of potential shintu is that?

Not just a thief; he’s a thief-murderer, actually.

Thinking about it, he’s not just a thief-murderer.

He’s a supreme thief-murderer.

“Why did I tell you to be a thief then? Why did you end up a robber instead?”

“Uh, what if we say I stole lives? If I’m ridding the world of bad guys, then stealing the lives of those worthless bandits can be seen as doing a good deed, right?”

“Hmm.”

Cheon Yu-hak let out a long sigh.

“I now understand why Master asked me to study.”

“Oh, really?”

Qing’s expression brightened.

Cheon Yu-hak continued.

“I’ve read countless scriptures from the sages. Many of them are nonsensical. Laozi once said, ‘Heaven’s net is vast and wide, but it misses no one.’ Do you know what that means?”

“Hehe.”

Qing chuckled. Meaning he didn’t know.

“Heavens may seem lenient, but they don’t miss even the smallest misdeeds.”

The heavens’ net is the judgment of one’s evil deeds.

The leniency implies that judgment may not always seem perfect.

But Laozi added that even so, no one can escape their wrongs, and the consequences of misdeeds will inevitably come back.

But does the world truly work like that?

Do the righteous get rewards, and the wicked get punished?

Not really.

The heavenly net is too loose, allowing the villains to slip through with ease.

Laozi surely told some tall tales that even dogs wouldn’t believe.

He probably felt terribly awkward every time he spoke it, too.

“Hmm.”

“Therefore, Sima Qian said, uh, no, let’s save this story for later.”

“You’re not saying Sima Qian himself suggested we save it for later, right?”

“Yeah. Anyway, if you’re so convinced you did the right thing, why do you lack confidence in your voice, can’t bear to look your master in the eye—it was me who wiped out those bandits. I split them right down the middle so they can’t cause trouble again. Aren’t you proud to say that for the glory of your family?”

“Um. Well…”

Qing hesitated.

But it was like a thorn stuck in his throat, nagging at his nerves without letting a proper answer out.

It was fun after all.

If someone had to die for him to live, then killing those who deserve it to reap some joy while building a bit of good karma?

What a world where no one is hurt and both Qing and the urinals are happy—that’s a true completion of a world where nobody gets hurt!

Of course, bandits aren’t people, so they don’t count as ‘anyone’.

It’s not that evil must be killed.

It’s that evil can be killed.

The subtle difference, that small difference is monumental.

“Laozi wasn’t a naive, simple fool who would spout nonsense that even dogs wouldn’t believe, right? Did he earnestly believe what he said—that all sins ultimately return to the sinner’s own lot, and people should lead good lives and avoid misdeeds?”

“Of course?”

“Laozi himself didn’t believe it. Yet, he had to. He knew it was all just a huge lie. During the chaotic Warring States period, amidst overflowing evil acts, he had to spread the message of good and retribution wide and far. So Laozi boldly made those statements. He was aware of his lies but moved forward without a hint of embarrassment.”

Cheon Yu-hak patted Qing on the back.

“If you believe it’s right and necessary, even if it deceives the whole world, you should move forward unabashed.”

Such impressive words coming from a scholar of the Hall of Literature.

But if you think about it in the context of a potential shintu?

You might say it’s all grand talk coming from a lowly thief.

Is the implication that you’re saying it’s completely fine to steal others’ possessions without a trace of shame?

“Hmm. I’m not sure. What does it mean to believe it’s right and necessary? Is it for me? Or for the world?”

At that, Cheon Yu-hak grinned mischievously again.

“That’s why you need to study. Once you experience the struggles of countless ancient scholars from the Hundreds of Schools and Thousands of Teachers, you’ll be able to find your own conclusions.”

Going round and round, this all just comes back to studying.

Still, after hearing this, I somehow feel like I should study earnestly.

That’s the tactic of renowned lecturers.

Before class, they hit you with words that grip your souls.

But.

But where are we?

This is the Hall of Literature’s Taehak.

Currently the highest-ranking educational institution in the Central Plain, where everything from foundational knowledge to applications is thoroughly taught, you could say it’s like a graduate school for Qing’s hometown.

Cheon Yu-hak stood firmly behind them.

The scholars of the Hall of Literature took turns presenting on given topics, questioning and discussing their interpretations as the class went on.

“There’s a white horse. If a white horse is a horse, is a black horse not a horse? What about a yellow horse? Then can we say that a white horse is actually not a horse? What I’m saying is, because a white horse has the attribute of ‘white’ added to it, it designates a very specific kind of horse, and thus, while white horse and horse are the same word, they’re technically different kinds of horses. Therefore…”

“Lady, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you think just because you’re talking, everything that comes out is true? Should I shove a carrot down your throat?”

Qing’s snarky comment made everyone around him stifle their laughter.

A clueless Qing couldn’t grasp what any of this meant.

While everyone else has been taught about simple things, like the distinctions between ‘white horse’ and ‘black horse,’ Qing sat there completely lost, laying on the ground in utter confusion.

Whether it’s a white horse or a black horse, isn’t the best horse one that tastes good?

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