Episode 27: There Comes a Time When Everyone Must Stand Alone (2)
Light Novel: Volume 2 Episode 27
Manhwa: Chapter 26-27
Chapter 1 Episode 27. There Comes a Time When Everyone Must Stand Alone (2)
Dam-ho asked,
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Bang Jin-bo replied,
“I was scared at first, but now I’m fine. Hehe!”
Dam-ho found Bang Jin-bo strange. Even the adults couldn’t look him in the eye and were quick to turn their heads away, yet Bang Jin-bo alone lingered around him, endlessly showing curiosity.
In truth, Bang Jin-bo was fascinated and curious by everything about Dam-ho. There were moments when he felt afraid, but he was convinced that Dam-ho wouldn’t harm him.
“How did you end up there?”
“Where are you going?”
“How old are you?”
Bang Jin-bo bombarded Dam-ho with questions.
As his questions continued, Cho Soo-kwang and Oh Ki-oh’s expressions grew increasingly pale. They worried that if Dam-ho found the boy annoying, he might lash out.
However, strangely enough, Dam-ho showed no reaction. He spent the entire day lying in the wagon, staring blankly at the sky, while Bang Jin-bo chattered endlessly beside him.
When his questions ran out, Bang Jin-bo started telling his own stories.
He talked about how he lost his mother as a child, how he traveled across the Central Plains with his father, and even his experiences in the Western Region.
Bang Jin-bo, a lonely boy, talked, and Dam-ho, who was used to silence, simply listened.
To the others, their interaction seemed odd. It felt deeply unnatural, yet at the same time, strangely fitting.
When the sun rose in the middle of the day, Cho Soo-kwang ordered the group to take a short break. Thanks to him, the people of the Silver Lotus Merchant Group were able to get a chance to rest.
While everyone was relaxing, Dam-ho approached Cho Soo-kwang. Just standing near him was enough to make Cho Soo-kwang tense up.
“What is it?”
“Can you sell this for me?”
Dam-ho pulled something from his robes and held it out to Cho Soo-kwang. The moment he saw the object in Dam-ho’s hand, Cho Soo-kwang’s eyes widened in shock.
A stone, about the size of a child’s fist, scattered radiant light like a cat’s eye.
“This is… C-Cat’s Eye Stone?”
There are different grades of lightstones. Among them, Cat’s Eye Stones, resembling the eyes of a feline, were the most precious of all—an unrivaled treasure.
Even Cho Soo-kwang had only heard of such an item. This was actually his first time seeing one in person.
“C-Can I hold it for a moment?”
Dam-ho handed the Cat’s Eye Stone to him.
Cho Soo-kwang’s hand trembled as he touched the Cat’s Eye Stones.
‘This is the real thing. A treasure that money alone cannot buy.’
If he took this to the Central Plains, there would be countless wealthy individuals willing to throw fortunes at him just to obtain it. A Cat’s Eye Stone was something that anyone with money would desire.
A glint of greed flashed in Cho Soo-kwang’s eyes.
He felt as though he could even commit murder just to claim it. If he killed Dam-ho right here and took the Cat’s Eye Stone for himself, he could earn tens of thousands of gold coins in an instant.
But the moment he looked at Dam-ho’s face, those thoughts vanished.
Though his face was partially hidden behind his disheveled hair, the gleam in his eyes was terrifying.
This was a man whom even Oh Ki-oh, a trained warrior, feared. Not only was it impossible to take it away by force, but Cho Soo-kwang had no desire to create a vendetta with such a dangerous individual.
“Hah… I’ll be honest with you. This Cat’s Eye Stone is worth at least thirty thousand gold coins.”
“Thirty thousand?”
“Yes. And that’s the bare minimum. If you find the right buyer, you could even get a hundred thousand.”
A sharp light flickered in Dam-ho’s eyes.
The Cat’s Eye Stone was one of the lightstones embedded in the ceiling of the underground cavern. Knowing that he would need money once he was outside, Dam-ho had taken the two finest ones he could find.
The one he handed to Cho Soo-kwang was one of them.
“Can you sell it?”
“To do that, we’d have to enter the Central Plains.”
“The Central Plains?”
“Yes! It would be impossible to sell it in a small town. At the very least, we would need to go to a provincial capital to find a buyer.”
“What about you? Would you buy it yourself?”
“I’d love to, but all I have is ten thousand gold coins. That’s nowhere near enough to match the value of your Cat’s Eye Stone. No matter how greedy I am as a merchant, I’m not shameless enough to take advantage of you like that.”
“Then I’ll sell it to you for ten thousand gold coins.”
“Are… are you serious?”
Cho Soo-kwang’s voice trembled with excitement.
‘Not a disaster… but a god of wealth?’
Dam-ho simply nodded.
In any case, he had been able to travel comfortably thanks to Cho Soo-kwang and the Silver Lotus Merchant Group. In a way, he owed them a debt, and more importantly, selling the Cat’s Eye Stone himself would be an unnecessary hassle. Thinking of it as settling his debt made it easier to part with.
“J-Just wait a moment!”
Fearing that Dam-ho might change his mind, Cho Soo-kwang hurried to his wagon. There, he retrieved a pouch containing all of his wealth.
“These are banknotes from Dae-ryuk Trading House, the most trusted financial institution in the Central Plains. There are six notes worth one thousand gold coins each, and thirty notes worth one hundred gold coins each. The remaining thousand gold coins are in silver. Please check them out.”
Dam-ho simply nodded and tucked the pouch into his robes. He didn’t even bother to check and count the amount inside.
Seeing this, Cho Soo-kwang momentarily felt a pang of regret. He realized that Dam-ho had no real sense of money.
If he had known this, he could have bargained for a lower price. But he quickly shook his head.
It was always best to know when to stop. If he got too greedy and offended someone like Dam-ho, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the consequences.
Not wanting to take any chances, Cho Soo-kwang hurriedly tucked the Cat’s Eye Stone into his own robes, fearing that Dam-ho might suddenly change his mind and ask for it back.
“Where is the nearest village?”
“Why do you ask?”
“If I stay with you, I’ll only make things uncomfortable for everyone. I’ll part ways at the next village.”
Cho Soo-kwang’s face lit up with relief.
“If you travel a little further north from here, you’ll reach Turpan. It’s a highly developed city where all merchants heading to the Western Region make a stop. Since we’re on our way there as well, you can accompany us until we arrive.”
“Alright.”
“If we hurry, we should reach it by this evening. Please bear with it for a little longer.”
Dam-ho nodded and returned to his place. The first to greet him was Bang Jin-bo.
“Brother, here.”
“What is it?”
“It’s jerky. I dried it myself. Hehe!”
Dam-ho looked at Bang Jin-bo for a moment before taking the jerky.
“Thank you.”
“You can eat it whenever you get hungry.”
Seemingly embarrassed, Bang Jin-bo handed over the jerky and quickly ran off toward the group of people. Bang Woo-gwang, who had been standing nearby, watched his son’s retreating figure with a sorrowful expression.
Bang Woo-gwang then bowed his head slightly toward Dam-ho.
“Thank you… for accepting the kindness of a child.”
“……”
“I tried my best to take care of him, but it seems he was lonelier than I thought. That’s probably why he’s so drawn to you…”
Bang Woo-gwang trailed off.
To him, the merchants of the Silver Lotus Merchant Group were like family. Of course, they treated him and his son well, but that didn’t mean they could fill the void of loneliness.
The merchants were always busy with their own affairs, and the escort warriors never had time to entertain a young boy like Bang Jin-bo. And Bang Woo-gwang himself wasn’t the type to be overly affectionate or talkative.
In the end, Bang Jin-bo had no choice but to nurse his loneliness alone, and perhaps it was this accumulation of loneliness that made him curious even about someone as terrifying as Dam-ho.
At some point, Dam-ho had leaned against the wagon and closed his eyes.
Bang Woo-gwang no longer found him frightening. Instead, he looked lonely, as though he were burdened with solitude.
“Hah…”
Bang Woo-gwang let out a quiet sigh.
After a brief rest, the Silver Lotus Merchant Group resumed their journey.
Cho Soo-kwang urged the group forward, and as a result, they were able to reach Turpan before nightfall.
Turpan was an oasis city located in a southern basin at the easternmost end of the Tian Shan Mountain Range, near Bogda Peak. The water flowing down from the Tian Shan Mountains gathered in the lush green fields, serving as a precious water source for both the locals and passing travelers.
The oasis stood at the center of Turpan, surrounded by rows of yellow-earth buildings. These were mud-brick houses built from the local loess soil, giving the entire city a somewhat desolate and barren appearance.
As they entered Turpan, Cho Soo-kwang spoke on behalf of the group.
“This is Turpan. You can stay in any of the buildings around the oasis.”
“Can I buy a horse here?”
“There’s a livestock market on the outskirts of the city. You’ll find one there. If you mention that you were introduced by the Silver Lotus Merchant Group, they’ll treat you well.”
“Thank you.”
“Then, I wish you good fortune.”
Cho Soo-kwang hurriedly cupped his fists in salute before quickly distancing himself from Dam-ho.
He had no desire to stay around Dam-ho any longer. There was always the possibility that he might change his mind, and Cho Soo-kwang had no intention of testing his luck.
Leading his group, he headed toward a large inn nestled deeper within the oasis. It was a place they always stayed whenever they passed through.
Just then, Bang Jin-bo approached Dam-ho.
“Brother, are we already parting ways?”
His face looked as if he was about to cry.
Dam-ho thought that Bang Jin-bo was an affectionate child. That was precisely why he chose to speak even more coldly.
“We were never meant to travel together. It’s better to part sooner rather than later.”
“Brother?”
“Learn to cook well from your father.”
With those final words, Dam-ho turned away. Bang Jin-bo could only stand there, staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.
“Are you really that disappointed?”
“Father?”
“As he said, he is not someone who belongs with us. If we traveled together, it would be uncomfortable for both him and us.”
“But…”
“He is a warrior of Jianghu. There is nothing good that comes from getting involved with their kind. You know very well how ruthless they can be, don’t you? Your mother… she too…”
“I understand, Father.”
Bang Jin-bo cut him off.
Only then did Bang Woo-gwang realize his mistake and turned his gaze toward the sky in silence. Bang Jin-bo gently pulled his father’s hand.
“Let’s go. Everyone is waiting for us.”
“…Alright.”
Before leaving, Bang Jin-bo glanced back one last time. But Dam-ho had already disappeared and was nowhere to be seen.
‘Brother…!’
It wasn’t hard to find a guest house in Turpan, as the city was a stopover between the Central Plains and Western Region, a place where merchants traveling between the two must stop by.
Dam-ho made his way into a small, secluded inn tucked into a quiet corner of the city. The moment the innkeeper saw him, he flinched.
Dam-ho’s appearance was far too unkempt.
His disheveled hair completely covered his face, his clothes were in tatters, and his shoulders were covered in dust from the long journey.
‘Is he… a beggar?’
For a moment, that thought crossed his mind.
Just then, Dam-ho took out a silver coin from his robes. The inn servant’s eyes sparkled.
He hurried over immediately.
“Welcome, sir!”
“I need a room.”
“How many nights will you be staying?”
“Two.”
“Understood. And I assume you’ll be dining here as well?”
“Mmm!”
Dam-ho gave a small nod.
“Alright. Please follow me.”
The inn servant led him to a room.
It was a simple space with mud-brick walls and only a wooden bed. Crude and plain, yet it still carried a sense of warmth.
The inn servant smiled.
“And if you open this…”
He swung open a small door on one side of the room. A well came into view.
“You can take a bath there.”
“Mm.”
“If you need anything, just call for me.”
“Bring me a pair of scissors and a knife.”
“Understood.”
Snap!
Dam-ho flicked his fingers, and the silver coin flew toward the inn servant.
“Will that be enough?”
“It’s more than enough!”
The inn servant grinned widely before dashing outside.
With that one silver coin, Dam-ho could have easily stayed at the inn for a month or more. But since he was leaving in just two days, the inn servant had just landed a profitable deal.
Dam-ho had no sense of money. Having lived completely isolated from the world, he neither understood the true power of wealth, nor what the money in his hands was worth.
Now alone, Dam-ho removed his clothes and approached the well.
Splash!
He poured cold water over himself.
As the dust washed away, so too did his fatigue.
Dam-ho stood there for a long time, soaking wet. He didn’t move until a breeze blew in and dried his wet body completely.
Only after some time had passed did he finally step back inside.
Waiting for him on the bed were the scissors and knife the inn servant had delivered.
Snip! Snip!
Dam-ho took the scissors and began cutting away the long, unkempt hair that had been hiding his face. Strands of hair piled up at his feet.
As his messy locks fell away, the beard-covered face beneath was revealed.
Next, Dam-ho picked up the knife. With slow, deliberate movements, he guided the blade along the contours of his jaw.
Swish! Swish!
Through the mess of tangled hair, his sharp, beast-like eyes gleamed. Below the defined bridge of his nose, his firmly pressed lips remained unwavering. And beneath them, his chiseled jawline stood strong.
After twelve long years, his face was finally revealed to the world.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!