Habuk Pengga Swordsman Genius - Chapter 548



Only Noblemtl

548. The Master of the Stakes (3)

Hanbin nodded and looked at the secretaries.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“… … .”

The scribes said nothing.

I just blankly stared back and forth between Yori and Hanbin.

The reason they were surprised was not because they had passed the state exam safely today.

It wasn’t because the food was so delicious that it almost broke my legs.

The reason they were truly surprised was because of Hanbin’s warm words.

Hanbin said no more.

He just nodded with a warm smile.

It meant to tell him to hurry up and enjoy his meal. He quietly looked at each of the waiters.

The scribes who saw those eyes felt their hearts swell with emotion without realizing it.

In fact, Hanbin’s warm gaze was not directed at the secretary.

Hanbin was looking at the dots indicating the knots the secretaries were holding.

In Hanbin’s eyes, Gugyeol was like a well in the middle of a desert.

Now, finally, the points representing the knots are complete.

Now is the time to reap the rewards.

The ‘wisdom’ knot is different from other knots in that it can be obtained by receiving the other person’s recognition.

Having to accept defeat from the heart was like having a match end on an off-stage stage where the opponent had to admit defeat.

That was when.

Hanbin’s eyes widened.

This is because the Dragon Scale Sword Technique floating in the air began to sparkle.

Hanbin’s gaze turned to the pages of the Yongrin Sword Technique book, and the in-depth chapter opened.

[Advanced]

[… … ]

[Wisdom: fifty-one]

Suddenly, the number of knots in the deepening section began to change.

Hanbin urgently checked the dots that appeared on the secretaries’ bodies.

There was no change at all in their bodies.

Then the number of knots went up again.

[Wisdom: fifty-two]

The increase in the number of stray dogs was something to be welcomed with open arms.

The problem is that we don’t know the cause.

What on earth is the cause?

Even as Hanbin was worrying, the number of knots continued to rise.

[… … ]

[Wisdom: fifty-nine]

The rising numbers showed no sign of stopping.

After a moment of hesitation, Hanbin smiled brightly.

Who would refuse someone who offers them expensive elixir?

Of course, you may be reluctant because you don’t know what the other person’s intentions are.

Right now, I don’t even know who the other person is.

It was a blessing that the news came in like this.

Jang Moon-soo asked cautiously after seeing Han-bin’s ever-changing expression.

“Your Majesty, what is the matter?”

“Hmm, I’m proud of you all. You’ve worked hard.”

“No. Through this study, I learned how scary a frog in a well is.”

“You’re scared of frogs… … What does that mean?”

“A frog in a well thinks the well is the sea. I was the frog in the well. I will gladly receive your teachings in the future.”

When Jang Moon-soo bowed his head, the other secretaries also bowed their heads.

Hanbin smiled at that sight.

“You will be returning to your family in a few days. But… … .”

When Hanbin trailed off, Jang Moon-soo spoke urgently.

“Please continue speaking. I will listen carefully.”

“If I pass the state examination this time, won’t I have to leave my family?”

“Master, do you think I will pass?”

“I have confirmed your ability to pass the civil service examination and win others over in your sentences.”

“What, what do you mean? How do you know the sentence we wrote?”

It was when Jang Moon-soo opened his eyes wide.

A new figure as white as snow appeared next to him.

At that moment, Jang Moon-soo was surprised and leaned back.

The moment he was about to fall over with the chair, a white figure caught him.

“Sir, why are you so surprised?”

“Wow, it’s Seolhwa!”

The new identity was none other than Seolhwa.

Seolhwa was smiling brightly while holding a candy and a skewer.

Since this wasn’t the first time that a story had appeared like this, Jang Moon-soo laughed and thought that it was time for it to happen again.

It was only when I came to Cheonsujang that I realized how skilled Seolhwa was.

However, Jang Moon-soo treated Seol-hwa’s innocent appearance as before.

Jang Moon-soo nodded after seeing the story.

If it was her martial arts, she could have looked into the contents of the answer sheet without anyone knowing.

Then the fairy tale said:

“Confucius would probably say it’s a secret.”

“Haha, you’re not curious. I think I’ve already found the secret, Seolhwa.”

“Really?”

“Well, I don’t think that’s important right now… … .”

“What is important, Mr. Secretary?”

“Even if we pass the provincial exam, we won’t leave the family for the time being.”

After finishing speaking, Jang Moon-soo turned his gaze to where Han Bin was.

He nodded toward Hanbin.

Then he continued speaking in a small voice.

“My lord.”

The secretaries around him also bowed their heads at Jang Moon-soo’s words.

“I will serve you as my lord.”

Their words were sincere.

Those who live in this world and acknowledge themselves.

There was no one to awaken his abilities.

Their minds were unconcerned with the outcome of the trial.

Pushing someone to the point of death or fainting was something that could only be done with a great deal of sincerity.

There was respect in the looks they gave me.

In an instant, the dots that appeared on their bodies began to fade.

The dots on their bodies flow into the Yonglin Sword Technique floating in the air.

Those points would become a criterion within the Yongrin Sword Technique.

At that moment, the number of knots increased at an even faster rate.

* * *

Same time.

There was someone more surprised than Hanbin.

It was Jang Yu-jung.

But he didn’t show it on the outside.

I just quietly looked at the answer sheet in the middle of the examiners.

The first thing that caught my eye was the handwriting.

It was almost as if light was flowing out of the font.

It was gorgeous and elegant, and each stroke seemed alive.

I’m sure I’ve seen this handwriting somewhere.

That too, recently.

The handwriting on that piece of paper was none other than Hanbin’s.

What was even more surprising was that the sentence began with the character ‘자’.

For a moment, Jang Yu-jung’s mind went blank.

Who is the student who was running around trying to catch the answer sheet blowing in the wind?

At that moment, Jang Yu-joong raised the corners of his mouth.

I don’t know what kind of results this answer sheet will produce, but it clearly has the county magistrate and the examiners flustered.

You can go back to Cheonsujang and ask about the whole story.

Jang Yu-jung quietly looked at the county magistrate and the examiner.

The magistrate and the examiner looked at the answer sheet placed in the middle and shook their shoulders slightly.

I’ve never seen a sentence like this before.

How about the sentence there?

The relationship between the ruler and his subjects and between parents and children was expressed as a right, not an obligation.

I’ve never seen this kind of logic before.

The problem was that there was no way to refute this logic.

It was clear that this answer sheet had to be the winner.

But the winner has already been decided.

But the sentence itself was too great to be covered up like that.

If there was a family that could write such a sentence, it was definitely not an ordinary family.

That was when.

One of the judges shouted.

“There is no name!”

“What does that mean?”

When the magistrate asked urgently, the examiner pointed to the bottom of the answer sheet.

In that moment, the magistrate’s eyes widened.

As the examiner said, the examinee’s name was not there.

He said that he couldn’t give it to me even if I wanted to.

Once there was a justification for not awarding the title, the magistrate was able to look at the document with peace of mind.

At that moment, the magistrate’s eyes grew even wider.

When I cleared my mind, that sentence seemed even more amazing.

They admired the sentence for a long time after that.

Then one of the judges said,

“I guess I can’t give you the position of Jangwon since you don’t have a name, right?”

“Then what should we do?”

The other judges frowned.

Everyone perked up their ears because they couldn’t hide their feelings of being impressed by the answer sheet but also uneasy.

“Wouldn’t it be better to bring this sentence to the palace?”

“That’s a good idea.”

All the judges agreed with him.

The magistrate nodded at their words.

“I agree with that too.”

If this answer sheet had been written by a high-ranking official or someone related to the palace, it could have been found out later.

So, reporting it first will help prevent any potential disputes later.

So the discussion about the answer sheet was concluded.

The magistrate, having come to his senses, remembered Jang Yu-jung’s existence.

He searched through his pockets again and took out a thick pouch.

The county magistrate, holding the sack and looking around, tilted his head.

Because Jang Yu-jung disappeared.

* * *

Two days after the incense ceremony ended.

The morning dawned at Cheonsujang as if nothing had happened.

They packed their breakfast early in the morning and left Cheonsujang.

The place they arrived was the wall of a government office.

On the wall of the government office, the names of those who passed the provincial civil service examination were written in bold letters.

The secretaries of Habukpengga walked slowly to the wall.

Hanbin and Jang Yu-jung also headed towards the wall.

This poem was not only important to the secretaries.

There was also a bet between Hanbin and Jang Yu-joong.

In addition, there was a bet between the students from Yulim Seowon.

In front of the wall, students were crowded together, leaving no room to step.

Most of the students turned away with their heads bowed.

Jang Moon-soo and the secretaries who had finally reached the front narrowed their eyes.

Jang Moon-soo’s eyes widened as he checked the wall.

The rest of the secretaries opened their eyes wide and looked at Jang Moon-soo.

Then he began to focus his gaze on the wall again.

The eyes of the scribes who were moving their heads up and down wavered.

At the same time, they lowered their heads.

For a moment, their eyes immediately came alive.

They were smiling in an unknown way.

Hanbin looked at Jang Yu-jung at their appearance.

“I lost. A bet is a bet, so I will keep my promise.”

It was as expected.

In the Hyangsi exam, it was not possible to pass with just ability.

Luck had to be on my side.

Of course, among the luck, the luckiest one was having good parents.

In some ways, it was half a success.

Only the name of one of the clerks was written on the wall.

It was Jang Moon-soo.

If his abilities were up to par, Jang Moon-soo should have passed the civil service examination before entering the Habuk Pengga.

Fortunately, Jang Moon-soo barely managed to make it to the very end of this year’s Hyangsi.

One person… … .

Hanbin lost this bet.

But whether he won the bet or lost, Hanbin had a plan.

Jang Yu-joong saw Han Bin’s expression and smiled while brushing his beard.

“Haha, I lost the bet.”

“What do you mean?”

Hanbin opened his eyes wide.

The result was so clear, but Jang Yu-joong’s attitude of claiming he lost was strange to anyone who saw it.

The secretaries also knew about the bet between the two.

They also focused on the conversation between Hanbin and Jang Yu-jung.

The same was true for the students from Yulim Seowon.

Jang Yu-jung continued speaking while everyone’s eyes were focused on him.

“I checked all the answers in the exam. By my standards, all the secretaries here should have passed… … So, I have a suggestion.”

“… … .”

No one answered during the session.

They all stared blankly at Jang Yu-jung.