Habuk Pengga Swordsman Genius - Chapter 496



Only Noblemtl

496. Tiger in front, wolf in back (3)

Hanbin nodded with a kind face at Choi Yu-ji’s question.

“Go ahead, Master Choi.”

“To liven up the banquet today, we decided to bring a bottle of wine from our families each.”

“Alcohol… … Didn’t you already return the alcohol to the temple?”

“Why are you like that? Don’t you have a bottle of alcohol that you secretly brought?”

“Well, there is, but… … .”

When Hanbin made a trembling expression, Choi Yuji hurriedly stepped back and continued speaking.

“It’s just a formality, so feel free to bring whatever alcohol you like.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Only then did Hanbin nod.

“Then I’ll see you in two hours. I hope this will be a time when we can open up to each other. Haha.”

Choi Yu-ji smiled awkwardly, seemingly relieved.

Hanbin also smiled faintly at that laughter.

After that, Choi Yu-ji left after drinking a cup of tea.

Choi Yu-ji left the room and kept coughing in vain as she moved further and further away.

As soon as his presence disappeared, a small boy who had been reading a book from behind quietly approached.

“Master, that guy. There’s something fishy about him.”

“Haha, you saw it too. But what was so suspicious?”

“You can tell just by looking at it that she’s forcing herself to smile. It looks very unnatural.”

“Haha, So-gun has a good eye for detail.”

Hanbin patted Sogun’s head.

For a moment, So-gun purses his lips as if he is deeply moved.

Seol-hwa, who was watching from the side, chuckled.

“Our little boy has grown up a lot.”

“I was already big, sis.”

The little prince picked up the book with a look of despair on his face.

To anyone who saw it, it would have seemed like the everyday life of an ordinary literary family.

Hanbin looked at the scene with a satisfied expression.

* * *

After finishing their meal, the students headed to Manwolgyeong (滿月鏡) where the Jukrim Chilhoe was held.

Manwolgyeong was one of the famous attractions of Confucian academies.

Manwolgyeong was a round pond surrounded by a bamboo forest.

What was interesting was the rock in the middle of the circular pond.

The sight of the white rock positioned precisely in the center of the pond reminded me of the saying, “a painting of a dragon dotting its eyes.”

A single white dot appears even purer in the clear water.

If you looked at it from above, you couldn’t help but feel like the moon was floating in a mirror.

Thanks to this, the pond came to be called Manwolgyeong.

“… … That’s the origin of Manwolgyeong. If you look at it, it’s said that this is where Baek-i stretched his hand toward the moon reflected in the water.”

Hanbin finished explaining to Seolhwa and Cheonghwa, who were walking side by side.

Seolhwa opened her eyes wide and asked.

“How on earth did Confucius know such a thing?”

“Someone told me.”

This wasn’t something I knew from memories of a past life.

It was a story told by Geummirang of Manhyanggak.

The information from Geum Mi-rang, the person in charge of Haomun in Gunja-hyeon, was more extensive than expected.

I even know all about the new bathrooms here.

“Who is it?”

“therefore…….”

Hanbin was about to answer when he popped his head out.

“Sister!”

“Oh, that’s surprising. Why are you suddenly like that?”

“Your sister said so.”

“What did I say?”

“Confucius knows everything, so it would be impolite to ask.”

“ah.”

Seolhwa opened her mouth wide enough to make her jaw drop.

Hanbin tilted his head at their appearance.

Seolhwa said something similar a while ago.

But I didn’t know that Cheonghwa would remember those words and use them like this.

Cheonghwa wasn’t the type of person to remember every passing story.

Has your personality changed?

Hanbin tilted his head and looked at So-gun, who was writing something behind him.

The little prince would occasionally stop, unfold the paper, and pick up his brush.

This was a change that had been visible for a week.

Since he was a young man who had said that he wanted to study from the Thousand Character Classic, he thought that he would just practice writing whenever he had time.

But lately it has become serious.

I never put down my brush for even a moment, so I was worried that something might go wrong.

Until now, Hanbin had never approached Sogun while he was studying.

Of course, it was because I was afraid of being a nuisance.

Today I had to check what Sogun was studying.

Hanbin killed his presence and went behind Sogun, who was crouching at the back.

“Sogun, what are you doing now?”

“Oh, Your Majesty.”

The boy is startled and hurriedly hides the paper behind him.

But the paper was already in Hanbin’s hands.

Hanbin snatched the paper and quietly looked at its contents.

Hanbin looked back and forth between the paper and the small group.

The content written on the paper was the conversation they normally had.

Why was So-gun writing such a nonsensical content while sweating profusely?

Hanbin was genuinely curious about that.

“Why on earth are you copying such useless stuff?”

“That, that… … .”

“No. If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.”

“That’s not it… … My sisters told me to do it.”

“Snow flower and blue flower?”

Hanbin looked at Seolhwa with eyes full of suspicion.

At that gaze, Seolhwa ran towards Hanbin like lightning.

“This is a transcript that will be organized later.”

“Dialogue? Why do you need that?”

“Because I’m going to make a book of quotes later.”

“Quotes? Tell me in detail what they mean.”

“I’ll just show you.”

When Seolhwa looked at Cheonghwa, Cheonghwa took something out of her bundle.

It was a book.

Cheonghwa handed the book to Hanbin without saying a word.

Hanbin, who received the book, checked the cover first.

At that moment, Hanbin’s eyes widened.

It was because of the absurd title of the book.

-True Dragon’s Sayings

“What the heck… … .”

“I told you last time.”

As Seolhwa laughs awkwardly, Cheonghwa, who is next to her, nods.

Hanbin also remembered only then.

That is to say, they are writing down their own quotes.

In passing, he said he would make a book of quotations out of it.

At the time, I thought it was just a prank.

At Hanbin’s serious expression, Seolhwa asked with an apologetic expression.

“Shall we stop now? Your Majesty?”

“No. You can continue. If possible, focus on saying things you think are cool… … .”

“Really?”

“Instead, write only things that can leak out!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As Seolhwa smiled brightly, Cheonghwa, who was next to her, clapped her hands.

Their appearance was unfamiliar to the small group.

Where in the world would someone be so shameless as to enjoy creating their own quotes?

But I still had to stick with it, so I had to do as I was told for now.

In fact, the little soldier felt like his wrist was going to fall off.

He kept on playing with the brush without stopping, so his body was not spared.

What’s interesting is that he mastered the Thousand Character Classic perfectly in just three days after he started recording his conversations.

The speed at which I write there has also become unimaginably fast.

Although he had been told to write down only the important points, Sogun had no idea what was important in their conversation.

For that reason, I wrote down all the conversations on paper.

The boy thought that if he stayed here, he might become a famous calligrapher.

The little prince looked at Hanbin like a baby bird waiting for food.

Hanbin snickered at that gaze.

“You can stop writing now. I guess my sisters were just trying to help me learn the Thousand Character Classic quickly.”

“Your sisters?”

The little prince turned his head and looked at Seolhwa and Cheonghwa.

Seolhwa scratched the back of her head at that gaze.

“Wow, Confucius really sees through people’s hearts.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Hanbin quickly turned his head.

It was to hide his embarrassed expression.

In fact, Hanbin didn’t know if there was really such an intention.

How can one know everything about the world?

Hanbin quietly walked up to Manwolgyeong.

At the full moon, many students had already settled down.

Yang Seok-bong waved his hand and called Han Bin.

“Here it is. I reserved a seat for you.”

“Thank you.”

Hanbin nodded and winked at Seolhwa.

To anyone who saw it, it seemed like a signal to take a rest.

But Seolhwa’s eyes lit up.

Seolhwa quietly led Cheonghwa and Sogun to a corner seat.

For a moment, Seol-hwa was nowhere to be seen.

Only So-gun was sitting in a corner, admiring the full moon.

The eyes of the little boy looking at the full moon shined brightly.

This was not your typical pond.

If it were a pond, the water would have stopped flowing, but the water in the Manwol-gyeong was flowing to the right of the edge.

In fact, the leaves in the full moon mirror were flowing as if they were placed on a flowing river.

As it revolved around the white stone in the middle, it looked like a whirlpool.

The sight of the vortex slowly spinning around the full moon was spectacular.

From what the students had to say, it was clear that this place was only open for a few events.

The students were also curious and looked at the leaves floating on the edge of the pond.

Choi Yu-ji stood up amidst the commotion among the students.

“The Jukrim Chilhoe is a place where many Confucian scholars gather to show off their writing skills. Today, I hope you can show off your hidden skills to your heart’s content. First, we will compete in calligraphy.”

As soon as Choi Yu-ji finished speaking, the Confucian scholars’ escorts prepared writing brushes and ink next to them.

Everyone was waiting for their turn, with their pens and ink in front of them, in the same posture as if they were taking an exam in the past.

At that moment, Hanbin glanced back and gestured towards Cheonghwa.

Only then did Cheonghwa remember and she quickly grabbed the bundle and ran to Hanbin.

“I’m sorry, Master. I prepared it here.”

Cheonghwa unpacked her bundle and took out a pen and ink.

It was originally Seolhwa’s job to do this, but she had now disappeared under Hanbin’s instructions.

Seolhwa asked Cheonghwa to do this.

But I was so absorbed in the sight of the full moon that I forgot.

The little boy behind me followed me without realizing it and just blinked.

Hanbin looked at Sogun.

“Young master, sit here.”

“yes?”

“I have a bad arm, so sit here and write sentences for me.”

“Huh? How could I… … .”

“Haven’t you been trying hard all this time?”

“Exactly one week?”

“That’s enough.”

The eyes of the students watching their conversation grew wide.

As the students started to make a fuss, Choi Yu-ji stepped forward.

“What are you doing now, Master Peng Hanbin?”

“What are you doing? Didn’t my maids, or rather my escorts, receive recognition as Confucian scholars from Dean Jang Yu-jung?”

“That qualifies you to participate in class… … .”

“Dean Jang Yu-jung said that all the events at Yulim Seowon are an extension of academic studies.”

“hmm.”

“Then I take it you have no complaints.”

“… … .”

Choi Yu-ji looked at Han-bin without saying anything, then a good idea occurred to her and she continued speaking.

“Then will this child drink the punishment wine?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

When Hanbin nodded, Choi Yuji looked at Sogun.

“Hmm, I guess I can’t drink either.”

“Well, we’ll take care of that. How about we make a bet while we’re at it?”

“Wh, what kind of bet are you talking about?”

When the word bet came up, Choi Yu-ji, who remembered having been hit once before, stuttered.

Hanbin continued speaking nonchalantly.

“I’m talking about that contract from last time. If this child ever gets to drink the punishment, I’ll cleanly erase that contract.”

“Oh, is that true?”

“Yes, instead!”

Hanbin smiled meaningfully.