Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Everyone Must Stand Alone Someday (2)

Dam Ho asked:

"Are you not afraid of me?"

Bang Jin-bo answered:

"At first I was, but I'm fine now. Heh heh!"

Dam Ho found Bang Jin-bo strange. Even adults could not meet his eyes and turned their heads away, yet only Bang Jin-bo circled about him, displaying endless curiosity.

In truth, Bang Jin-bo was curious about everything concerning Dam Ho. Sometimes he was frightened, but he was certain that Dam Ho would not harm him.

"How did you end up in that place?"

"Where are you going?"

"How old are you, brother?"

Bang Jin-bo asked Dam Ho incessantly.

As his questions continued, Cho Su-gwang and Oh Gi-o's expressions grew increasingly haggard. They feared that if Dam Ho grew annoyed, he might do them harm.

But Dam Ho showed no reaction, for reasons they could not fathom. He lay on the wagon all day long, staring blankly at the sky, and Bang Jin-bo chattered beside him without ceasing.

When his questions ran dry, the boy spoke of himself.

Losing his mother in childhood, wandering the Central Plains with his father, and traveling to the Western Regions—all of it he recounted in meticulous detail.

The lonely boy Bang Jin-bo talked, and Dam Ho, accustomed to silence, simply listened.

People found their pairing peculiar. They were utterly disparate, and yet somehow complementary.

When the sun reached its zenith, Cho Su-gwang ordered his party to rest briefly. Thanks to this, the people of the Silver Lotus Trading Company could at last catch their breath.

While everyone rested, Dam Ho approached Cho Su-gwang. His mere presence made the man tense.

"What can I do for you?"

"Can you dispose of this?"

Dam Ho produced something from his bosom and offered it to Cho Su-gwang. The moment he identified the object in Dam Ho's hand, Cho Su-gwang's eyes went wide.

It was a stone the size of a child's fist, shaped like a cat's eye, radiating a brilliant glow.

"Is this— a cat's eye stone?"

Even night-luminescent pearls had grades. The cat's eye stone, which resembled a feline's eye, was among the most precious of all—a treasure of treasures.

Cho Su-gwang had heard of its existence but had never actually seen one.

"M-may I… touch it?"

Dam Ho handed him the stone.

Cho Su-gwang's hands trembled as he took the cat's eye stone.

'This is genuine. A treasure that no amount of money could purchase.'

If he brought this to the Central Plains, wealthy men would come bearing tens of thousands of gold. The cat's eye stone was an item that anyone with wealth would covet.

A glint of greed appeared in Cho Su-gwang's eyes.

If he could possess this stone, he would commit even murder for it. If he killed Dam Ho now and swallowed the stone, he would be rich beyond imagining without lifting a finger.

But the moment he looked at Dam Ho's face, that thought vanished into thin air.

Though hidden behind the tangled hair, the light in Dam Ho's eyes, glimpsed in passing, was terrifying beyond measure.

The man was one whom even the martial artist Oh Gi-o feared. Not only was taking it by force impossible, but he had no desire to provoke a grudge unnecessarily.

"I will be honest. This cat's eye stone is worth at least thirty thousand gold taels."

"Thirty thousand?"

"That is the minimum estimate. If you find the right buyer, it could fetch as much as a hundred thousand."

Dam Ho's eyes lit up.

The cat's eye stone was one of the night-luminescent pearls embedded in the cavern's ceiling. Still, it seemed he would need money upon reaching the surface, so he had brought two of the finest quality.

What he had offered Cho Su-gwang was one of them.

"Can you dispose of it?"

"To sell this, you would need to enter the Central Plains."

"The Central Plains?"

"Indeed! It would be impossible in a small county. You would need to sell it in the provincial capital at the very least."

"Would you buy it yourself?"

"I am tempted, but I have only ten thousand gold taels in my possession. That would not come close to the value of your cat's eye stone. However greedy a merchant I may be, I am not so shameless as to offer so little."

"Then I will sell it to you for ten thousand."

"Truly?"

Cho Su-gwang's voice trembled involuntarily.

'Not a calamity, but a god of wealth?'

Dam Ho nodded.

In any case, he owed Cho Su-gwang and the Silver Lotus Trading Company for the comfortable transportation. He was indeed in their debt, and more to the point, selling the cat's eye stone himself would be exceedingly troublesome. It was easier to think of it as settling a debt.

"Please… wait a moment."

Cho Su-gwang hurried to the wagon in which he rode, lest Dam Ho change his mind. There, in a pouch, lay his entire fortune.

"These are trade drafts from the continent's most reputable exchange. Six drafts of one thousand taels each and thirty drafts of one hundred taels. The remaining thousand is in silver taels—please verify."

Dam Ho nodded and tucked the pouch into his bosom without verifying the amount.

The fact that he did not even check the sum when conducting a transaction of ten thousand taels gave Cho Su-gwang a momentary look of regret. He realized the man had no sense of finance at all.

He wished he had bargained harder. But he quickly shook his head.

Everything in moderation. If he pressed too hard and offended the man, there was no telling what consequences might follow.

Cho Su-gwang hastily stowed the cat's eye stone in his own bosom, fearing Dam Ho might change his mind and ask for it back.

"Where is the nearest village?"

"Why do you ask?"

"If I travel with you, many will be uncomfortable. Let us part ways at the next village."

Cho Su-gwang brightened.

"A little further north from here lies Turfan. It is a developed settlement where merchants traveling to the Western Regions always stop. We happen to be headed there as well, so you may accompany us that far."

"So be it."

"If we hurry, we should arrive by this evening. Please endure a little longer."

Dam Ho nodded and returned to his seat. Bang Jin-bo was the first to greet him.

"Brother, this is for you."

"What is it?"

"Dried meat. I made it myself. Heh heh!"

Dam Ho looked at Bang Jin-bo for a moment, then accepted the dried meat.

"My thanks."

"When you feel peckish, just eat some and you'll be fine."

Bang Jin-bo, seemingly shy, handed over the dried meat and ran off toward the others. Bang Woo-gwang, who had been standing nearby, gazed after his son with a wistful expression.

Bang Woo-gwang bowed to Dam Ho.

"Thank you. For accepting a young child's kindness."

"…"

"I tried my best to look after him, but he must be quite lonely. That is why he behaves toward you in that manner…"

Bang Woo-gwang trailed off.

To him, the merchants of the Silver Lotus Trading Company were like family. Of course, they treated Bang Woo-gwang and his son well. But that did not resolve his fundamental loneliness.

The merchants were each occupied with their own work, and the guards did not serve as companions for the young Bang Jin-bo. Bang Woo-gwang himself was not the talkative sort.

In the end, Bang Jin-bo had no choice but to endure his loneliness alone. As that loneliness accumulated, perhaps it had led him to show curiosity even toward a frightening figure like Dam Ho.

Dam Ho leaned against the wagon and closed his eyes.

Bang Woo-gwang no longer found him frightening. Rather, he seemed forlorn and lonely.

"Hoo!"

Bang Woo-gwang let out a long sigh.

After a brief rest, the Silver Lotus Trading Company was underway once more.

Cho Su-gwang drove the party forward, and as a result, they arrived in Turfan before evening.

Turfan was an oasis city situated in the southern basin of the eastern end of the Tianshan mountain range. The water that flowed from the Tianshan formed a vital reservoir for the people and travelers who dwelled here.

Around the oasis, buildings of yellow earth stood in rows. They were mud houses constructed from the local loam. For that reason, the landscape of Turfan felt somewhat desolate.

Upon entering the city, Cho Su-gwang spoke on behalf of the group.

"This is Turfan. You may stay in any of the buildings around the oasis."

"Can I purchase a horse?"

"The livestock market is held on the outskirts. If you go there, you will be able to buy one. If you mention the Silver Lotus Trading Company, they will treat you well."

"My thanks."

"Then I wish you good fortune."

Cho Su-gwang hastily clasped his hands in farewell and moved away from Dam Ho.

He wished to spend no more time with Dam Ho, lest the man change his mind.

He led his party to a fairly large inn within the oasis. It was a place they always visited when passing through.

Bang Jin-bo approached Dam Ho.

"Brother, are we already parting?"

His face was on the verge of tears.

Dam Ho thought that Bang Jin-bo was deeply emotional. That was why he spoke more coldly.

"We cannot travel together in any case. It is better to part sooner rather than later."

"Brother?"

"Learn cooking well from your father."

With those words, Dam Ho turned away. Bang Jin-bo stood staring after Dam Ho's receding figure.

It was then that someone placed a hand on Bang Jin-bo's shoulder.

"Are you that saddened?"

"Father?"

"As he said, he is not a man who belongs with us. If we travel together, it will be uncomfortable for him, and for us as well."

"But…"

"He is a man of the martial world. There is nothing good that comes from entanglement with martial artists. You know well enough how dangerous they are. Your mother was also at the mercy of their…"

"I understand, Father."

Bang Jin-bo cut his father off.

Bang Woo-gwang, only then realizing his mistake, looked at the empty air. Bang Jin-bo seized his father's hand and tugged.

"Come on. Everyone is waiting."

"Very well."

Bang Jin-bo glanced back once. But Dam Ho had already vanished.

'Brother!'

Turfan lay between the Central Plains and the Western Regions—a waystation that merchants traveling between the two must always pass through—so finding an inn was no great difficulty.

Dam Ho entered a small inn in a secluded corner. The innkeeper started slightly.

Dam Ho's appearance was wretched beyond measure.

His tangled hair concealed his face entirely, and dust covered his shoulders.

'Is he a beggar?'

The thought crossed the innkeeper's mind in that instant.

At that moment, Dam Ho produced a silver tael from his bosom. The innkeeper's eyes lit up.

He hurried over.

"Welcome."

"Give me a room."

"How many days will you be staying?"

"Two."

"Understood. And, of course, you will be wanting meals?"

"Mm."

Dam Ho nodded.

"Very well. Please follow me."

The innkeeper led him to a room.

The room, built of mud bricks, contained only a crude wooden bed. Rough and plain though it was, it still exuded warmth.

The innkeeper smiled.

"And if you open this…"

He threw open a door on one side of the room. A well was visible.

"You may bathe there."

"Mm."

"If you need anything, please call."

"Bring me scissors and a knife."

"Understood."

Dam Ho flicked a finger. A silver tael flew toward the innkeeper.

"Will that suffice?"

"That is more than enough!"

The innkeeper grinned and rushed out.

A single silver tael from Dam Ho was more than enough for over a month's lodging. The fact that Dam Ho would stay only two days meant a handsome profit.

Having lived almost entirely cut off from the world, Dam Ho had no sense of the value of money. He did not know how potent the money he carried was, nor what it could purchase in the outside world.

Dam Ho stripped and approached the well.

Splash!

He poured water over his entire body.

The dust and filth clinging to his body seemed to wash away with the fatigue.

Standing in his dripping state, Dam Ho remained motionless for a long time. He did not move until the wind had completely dried his soaked body.

Only after a considerable time had passed did Dam Ho re-enter the room.

On the bed were the scissors and knife that the innkeeper had brought.

Snip, snip!

Dam Ho began cutting the hair that had obscured his face. Locks of hair piled up at his feet.

As the hair was cut away, the face it had hidden was revealed—a face obscured by a beard.

Dam Ho then took the knife. The blade traced the line of his jaw.

Scrape, scrape!

Beneath the tangled hair gleamed a feral gaze. Beneath a sharp nose, lips pressed tightly together. And a jawline angular and hard.

For the first time in twelve years, his face was revealed to the world.