The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Just because the word ice is in the name of ice tanghulu doesn’t mean it’s a cold snack.

However, at first glance, it did seem like it might be made of ice.

That’s because it’s a snack made by coating bright red hawthorn berries with syrup until they harden.

Its glistening appearance seemed enough to captivate the hearts of many children.

A blind woman named Yeong-yeong seemed to make and sell this tanghulu herself.

“Tanghulu was originally a food from the imperial palace.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. It is said that an emperor of the Song dynasty had it made for his cherished concubine, the Empress Huang.”

Yeong-yeong likely didn’t know that Yi-gang, not too long ago, had been in the imperial palace and had even confronted the Heavenly Demon, a descendant of the Song imperial family.

“Right? And it tastes quite wonderful, too.”

“I’ll take one… no, make it two.”

At Yi-gang’s words, Yeong-yeong’s face lit up with joy.

Tanghulu is made by melting precious sugar onto the berries.

Because of this, it’s quite expensive for a snack.

“That’ll be three mun per piece, so six mun in total.”

“Here you go.”

Yi-gang gave Jeong Myung a nod instead of calling his name.

Jeong Myung, catching on, took out some money.

After all, it was only three mun copper coins per piece.

“Here, have one too, sir monk.”

She and Beop Jae seemed to have a fairly close relationship. She intended to give Beop Jae a free one.

Beop Jae waved his hand firmly in refusal, but the blind Yeong-yeong persistently held out the tanghulu.

In the end, Beop Jae accepted it reluctantly.

Then, he offered copper coins, intending to pay this time.

Yeong-yeong shook her head, refusing to take the money, but since Beop Jae couldn’t hear her, he firmly extended the coins.

The same little back-and-forth from earlier played out in reverse.

‘Look at them.’

Yi-gang thought to himself, biting into the tanghulu.

Crunch!

The thickness of the sparkling sugar coating was perfect.

It had a satisfying texture without the broken sugar shards being too bothersome.

His teeth broke through the sugar layer and then sank into the hawthorn berry.

A soft bite followed by a crunch as the berry crumbled.

Hawthorn berries naturally have a strong sour taste.

The sharp tanginess brought Yi-gang to his senses, perfectly complementing the sugar shards.

Yi-gang’s impression was straightforward.

“…Delicious.”

“Right? I spent a long time perfecting it.”

It wasn’t something thrown together hastily.

Even if it was just a snack sold on the streets, putting effort into it made all the difference.

Yeong-yeong’s circumstances didn’t seem favorable, but she appeared to be someone who gave her best to her work.

Just seeing that bright smile hinted at her character.

There weren’t any other customers, so the only sound here was of people nibbling on tanghulu.

Beop Jae quietly enjoyed his tanghulu as well.

As Yeong-yeong wiped down the cart holding her tanghulu with a cloth, she spoke.

“It’s fortunate you came today, sir monk.”

“…”

“I might not be able to sell for a while.”

Yeong-yeong knew that Beop Jae couldn’t hear.

So, she didn’t expect him to understand her words.

In reality, Beop Jae could guess what she was saying by watching her lips.

“Why stop selling something this good?”

Yi-gang asked on behalf of Beop Jae.

He was curious if there was some sort of situation involved.

However, Yeong-yeong just smiled gently and replied.

“Something came up. But it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing.”

“…I see.”

She didn’t explain the details of this “situation.”

Yi-gang nodded and let it pass.

“I’ll come back again next time.”

“Oh, yes…!”

Yi-gang, Jeong Myung, and even Beop Jae.

They moved away from Yeong-yeong.

Only after they were out of Yeong-yeong’s sight did Beop Jae act.

He grabbed Jeong Myung by the collar and shoved him against the wall.

“Eek…!”

As a startled Jeong Myung looked at him, Beop Jae frantically signed.

‘It’s an absolute secret! Don’t tell anyone!’

“U-understood.”

‘Swear it on Buddha!’

“I swear… I will.”

Only after Jeong Myung promised to keep the secret did Beop Jae let out a sigh.

Then he asked Yi-gang.

‘Why did that fool Beop Jin tell him about my situation?’

The fact that Beop Jae went to meet his younger sister once a month was a secret.

It was a clear violation of the precepts, and if caught, it would lead to trouble. He wouldn’t have told Yi-gang for no reason.

“He asked me to help you, Venerable Beop Jae.”

‘Such unnecessary meddling…’

“From what I’ve seen, it seems like needless worry. Is there a problem?”

‘…’

Beop Jae seemed worried about his younger sister who was left alone.

But to Yi-gang, it didn’t seem like a big issue.

As long as he didn’t get caught, it wasn’t a problem. Besides, it didn’t seem like there was anything he could do to help.

However, Beop Jae hesitated.

‘Actually, there is a problem.’

There was a reason why he, who wasn’t fond of Yi-gang, said this.

‘It’s a problem beyond the power of me or my senior brothers.’

“What kind of problem?”

‘Regarding… Yeong-yeong…’

The younger sister, whom he hadn’t seen in a very long time, was left alone.

His blind younger sister couldn’t even recognize her hunched and deaf older brother.

Beop Jae, who had been watching her with worry, was recently hit by a shocking revelation.

‘I found out she has someone she’s promised to marry.’

“…”

Yi-gang remained silent for a moment.

Beop Jae had spoken so seriously that he thought it must be a major issue.

“…Well, that’s good news, isn’t it?”

‘…’

“She had no one to rely on, so finding someone to lean on and build a family with is surely a good thing.”

Shouldn’t it be something to celebrate?

But Beop Jae still didn’t look pleased.

‘It’s not that simple. First of all…’

With a suggestion to see for himself, Beop Jae led Yi-gang back to the place where Yeong-yeong had been earlier.

This time, they stayed at a distance and watched from afar.

Since Yeong-yeong’s vision was poor, there was no worry of being noticed.

Yi-gang sighed as he quietly observed.

His nose itched, and he wanted to scratch it, but he couldn’t move his arms, so it wasn’t possible.

Yi-gang blew air through his mouth to push his bangs away, and Beop Jae gave him a nudge.

‘That guy… No, look closely at that man!’

Yi-gang focused his gaze to observe Yeong-yeong.

A man was approaching.

He was a tall young man with a lean, muscular build.

His shirt was loosely open at the front, revealing tattoos and scars on his chest.

Though he was quite handsome, his long, narrow eyes gave him a rough look. He seemed to be chewing on something.

The scars scattered across his knuckles and body suggested he had been in a fight not too long ago.

No matter how you looked at him, he seemed like a reckless, ruffian type.

He stood in front of Yeong-yeong’s stall and suddenly shouted.

“Hey! Who gave you permission to sell here?!”

The way he shouted confirmed he was indeed a ruffian.

Jeong Myung’s face hardened, and Beop Jae’s expression twisted in discomfort.

Yi-gang watched the situation with a peculiar expression.

Yeong-yeong’s response to the ruffian was simple.

“I got permission from myself.”

She smiled softly, pulling out a tanghulu and placing it in his mouth.

The man eagerly took the tanghulu into his mouth.

“You surprised me.”

“Hahaha! Yeong-yeong!”

The man, who had initially seemed like a ruffian, burst into playful laughter and embraced Yeong-yeong.

Yeong-yeong also laughed and hugged him back.

Their closeness made it obvious to anyone watching that they were in a romantic relationship.

‘Did you see that?’

“Yes.”

Beop Jae quickly signed with agitation, as if something was weighing on his heart.

‘I think Yeong-yeong has gotten involved with a bad guy!’

Yi-gang chuckled.

At that, Beop Jae snorted in irritation and fumed.

‘Sure, if he were a decent person, I would wish for Yeong-yeong’s happiness! But! I absolutely cannot allow her to be involved with a ruffian like that!’

“Let’s go somewhere quiet to discuss this.”

Yi-gang said this and led the way.

Beop Jae snorted again for a while, then followed after Yi-gang.

It hadn’t been long since Yi-gang started learning sign language.

However, it was impressive that Yi-gang had managed to understand Beop Jae’s sign language in such a short time.

Beop Jae, who was enthusiastically signing to Yi-gang, suddenly realized this.

But that didn’t mean Yi-gang could understand sign language perfectly.

Moreover, since he lacked both hands, there were limits to conveying his intentions through lip movements alone.

When discussing or asking important matters, written communication was very useful.

Jeong Myung, sitting beside Yi-gang, held a brush and conveyed their conversation.

Thanks to him, Yi-gang could understand Beop Jae’s words in detail.

Especially about Yeong-yeong’s fiancé, whom Beop Jae had investigated.

“His name is Yi Gyu-jin. He’s twenty-three. So, he’s younger.”

‘That’s right.’

“He’s tall and well-groomed. He seemed rather handsome, suited for a young woman.”

‘What good is it for a man to be handsome? If he doesn’t get any foolish ideas and stray, we’d be lucky. Ideally, a man’s looks should be ordinary, allowing him to lead a family steadily with a simple personality…’

Yi-gang looked at Beop Jae with a gaze that seemed to say, ‘Is that something a monk should say?’ and Beop Jae quietly put down the brush.

“Isn’t this a good thing? Seems like a fine match between a beautiful couple.”

‘You really don’t understand the world, do you?’

“What do you mean?”

‘The world is a harsh place. A place where you must endure three thousand worries and cannot escape the suffering arising from the five aggregates.’

“I don’t know Buddhism, so please explain it simply.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He wasn’t a Divine Monk, so Yi-gang had no intention of engaging in a Zen debate with Beop Jae through sign language.

After a moment of silence, Beop Jae spoke bluntly.

‘Why would a healthy, handsome young man from a respectable family pursue a woman who has no family and poor eyesight?’

Yi-gang noticed Beop Jae’s hands tremble slightly.

From what Beop Jae had discovered, it was the young man who initially pursued Yeong-yeong.

He had persistently courted her, buying tanghulu every day.

At first, Yeong-yeong had refused, but gradually, his persistence won her over.

And about a month ago, the man had proposed to her.

“Are you viewing him with too much prejudice, Ugly Buddha?”

‘Moreover, from what I’ve found out, that young man isn’t engaged in any respectable work.’

“Is he some kind of ruffian?”

‘Yes, it seems that way.’

Yi-gang tapped his foot.

He thought it over.

The young man certainly appeared to have some martial skills. Though, it wasn’t proper martial arts, more like the rough techniques ruffians would train in.

And his appearance and the tattoos on his body didn’t give off a trustworthy impression either.

“So, what is it that you want from me, Ugly Buddha?”

‘…’

The Divine Monk had advised to extend as much goodwill as he expected in return to sway the Ugly Buddha’s heart.

However, Yi-gang thought this method wasn’t bad either.

After all, an exchange where both parties get what they want seemed fairer.

‘Find out what kind of person this young man, Yi Gyu-jin, really is, and if he turns out to be a villain…’

Beop Jae hesitated for a moment before adding.

‘If he’s truly a wicked person and a ruffian, separate him from Yeong-yeong.’

“Alright.”

Yi-gang responded firmly.

The reward he would receive was already determined.

‘I will teach you the method to master the Heavenly Ear, although even I haven’t fully mastered it.’

The Heavenly Ear was one of the six divine abilities in Buddhism.

It was a supernatural ability that allowed one to hear sounds ordinary people couldn’t hear, something Beop Jae was currently training in.

It might sound absurd to learn the art of hearing from a deaf man, but Yi-gang thought it was precisely the right answer.

At that moment, Jeong Myung asked cautiously.

“Benefactor Yi-gang… is this really okay?”

“Will you help me?”

“Well…”

Jeong Myung wore an uneasy expression.

At that, Beop Jae widened his eyes and clung to Jeong Myung.

Jeong Myung sighed deeply and then nodded.

“It doesn’t seem like a wicked act… so I’ll follow you, benefactor.”

“Good. We can stay in Dengfeng County for a day or two, right?”

“Yes, that should be fine.”

“I can handle this quickly.”

It was only a matter of investigating one young man in the village.

Yi-gang stood up and looked Jeong Myung and Beop Jae over.

Gray robes and a shaved head. Anyone would recognize them as monks from Shaolin.

Since he wasn’t going to travel alone, he would need to go with them.

As if making a decision, he spoke to Jeong Myung.

“Have you ever worn a wig?”

“…No.”

“You can try one this time.”

“Amitabha…!”

Jeong Myung closed his eyes tightly and chanted the Buddha’s name.

For the first time, he felt resentful toward the Divine Monk who had ordered him to assist Yi-gang.