“That’s a relief. Ah, but… as you know, the innkeeper has funding issues with the court right now…”
“Haha, I know.”
With no money to pay for goods, why would I ask for travel expenses? I just shook my head and smiled.
“Just a letter of introduction. And if you could grant me passage through the imperial roads…”
It’s also a point of pride for the empire, and I needed the travel permit that could only be used after going through events related to the empire in Heavenly Bright Moon.
Using this would significantly reduce travel time in Heavenly Bright Moon, and he seemed satisfied with my request.
“Of course, I should gladly make that happen. If you’re taking the imperial road to Cheonghoe, it’ll take at most two days, even if it’s long. The imperial roads are well-maintained, so you won’t be going around mountains or passing through dangerous areas.”
“Sounds great. Please let me have it.”
“Hahaha! Thank you! I really owe the innkeeper a lot every time.”
“Are we not in it together? Hahahaha!!”
“Hahaha!! That’s right! Hahahaha!!!”
“Hahahaha!!”
I laughed heartily enough to leave the local leader’s room shaking, and he chuckled along. It struck me how this kind of mutual support was what formed true bonds.
After meeting with the local leader, I returned to the inn, thinking that I should be out for a while and started catching up on unfinished work.
I have reliable subordinates, and if anything goes wrong, I can always ask the local leader for help.
I could delay things like organizing the inn’s accounts; even if I missed a few, it wouldn’t be a big issue, and the current hired help or Jeomsoi could take a few days off without causing any special problems.
Those guys had been faithfully doing their jobs even while I was busy shuttling back and forth for other matters.
As I worked through the remaining tasks and finished evening training, I suddenly heard a commotion from a distance.
As planned, the Hongseong disciples were arriving.
Let me see. Counting casually, it seems everyone’s here except for the Sword Saint.
“Welcome, everyone.”
I went out to greet them personally. Sure enough, the Sword Saint wasn’t here, and leading them was the grand disciple, Hongryeon.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Thank you! Innkeeper!”
I exchanged greetings and guided them to the room.
Naturally, it was the banquet hall we used last time.
“Here we are.”
As soon as we entered the banquet hall, Hongryeon handed over a stack of papers. It was an evaluation report on the Wall Gok Dan.
It seemed like it had been meticulously written, packed with information.
Taste, the flow of internal energy during breath regulation, confirmations of martial arts effectiveness every three days, and various pros and cons were elaborately detailed.
“This will satisfy the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild and allow for improvements.”
“I don’t see any areas needing improvement, though…”
“I’d like to consider the taste a bit. Anyway, everyone’s worked hard. Eat and drink to your heart’s content.”
“We will eat well!!”
Hearing my disciples cry out, I stepped back. But Hongryeon caught me.
“How about joining us for a meal?”
“I’d like to, but I have a few things to take care of and need to finish them by today.”
Hongryon paused briefly, looking intently at me.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“Uh, yeah. Can you spare a little time later?”
That should be easy enough.
The noise of the Hongseong disciples chattering began as they started their meal.
Some of the guests frowned at the noise, but recognizing the might of the Hongseong clan, they just chuckled and wished them to enjoy their meal.
As expected, everyone loves being part of Hongseong which has Sayoon.
I smiled contentedly while running the inn, and when the number of guests decreased a bit, I went upstairs.
Considering I’d be leaving early tomorrow morning, I needed to start packing my things.
As I was preparing various stuff, I heard a soft knock on the window.
When I went to check, I saw Hongryeon sitting in the backyard, throwing little pebbles at the window.
I stuck my face out the window, and Hongryeon, gazing over, began to wave her hand. I should hurry down.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Haha… no.”
“Why didn’t you eat more?”
“I ate enough, you know?”
She spoke with a rather stiff tone, which was concerning considering the name ‘Nakhil Sword Hongryeon’ didn’t match her current mood. Is something wrong?
“Why are you so tense?”
“Haha…”
With a dry laugh, Hongryeon swallowed hard. After staring at me intently, she sighed.
Only after taking a deep breath did she look me in the eye and say, “Can I hold your hand?”
Why get so tense over something like that?
I stretched out my hand, and Hongryeon carefully took it. For a martial artist, her grip was surprisingly gentle.
“Hmm…”
For a while, she fidgeted with my hand and checked my pulse, then nodded as if she found some certainty. Then, unlike before, she said very firmly, “Now let go.”
A breeze blew in our backyard, where only the two of us were. I felt a chill and tried my best to smile.
“Ah, no! I didn’t mean that.”
It seemed she finally realized what she had said. Flustered, Hongryeon quickly started explaining.
“After the last incident with the dark faction, I’ve been thinking. About what I can do for you. So I considered teaching you martial arts. Even if Hongseong Divine Art can’t be learned by you, there are quite a few useful techniques stored in Hongseongmun.”
“So?”
“So, I was sorting through those to teach you. But after you left last time, my Master spoke.”
Finally calming down, Hongryeon, still holding my hand, said, “There are hardly any martial arts that suit you as much as Chae is suited for Taijiquan.”
“Does that mean I can’t learn anything other than Taijiquan?”
“Not exactly. Ogeumhee is learning too, after all, right? But when it comes to martial arts, my Master’s judgment is more right than anything else. It would be better to evaluate whether to add anything after it’s assessed by high-level masters. It seems like the martial arts at Hongseongmun don’t satisfy my Master’s eyes.”
There was no trace of mischief in her words.
As she said, learning martial arts is quite a dangerous endeavor.
What is Qi cultivation?
It involves accepting the power of nature and converting some of that immense power into your own, accumulating it.
That’s why the reverse cultivation is dangerous. You’re artificially injecting a powerful force.
Of course, the Ogeumhee and Chae’s Taijiquan I’ve learned are based on Daoism, so they follow the natural order.
It’s slow-growing, but in the end, it aligns with nature, making it relatively safe, and at the finale, you could see a grand transformation.
Unlike the reverse cultivation.
But that doesn’t mean it’s completely safe.
No matter how slowly I accumulate inner strength with Ogeumhee and Chae’s Taijiquan, worst-case scenarios like falling into a trance cannot be ruled out.
Just like you leave the rice to the rice shop and the medicine to the pharmacist, it’s best to ask a master before learning martial arts.
Nodding as I listened to Hongryeon’s explanation, I asked, “Didn’t Chaejin explain this?”
“A similar explanation was given.”
“That’s a relief. I thought she’d just teach it willy-nilly.”
I casually diverted my gaze. Hongryeon giggled and squeezed my hand tighter.
“That said, I don’t think it’s wise for me to impart other martial arts.”
“I trust the Sword Saint.”
“I do too.”
With a smile, she pointed at my chest.
“It’s best to learn martial arts when you’re young. But as far as I know, you started recently. Of course, Chae’s Taijiquan suits you well and grows quickly, but isn’t it still difficult? That’s because of the stagnant Qi accumulated in your meridians.”
“That’s great! But as far as I know, you just recently started practicing martial arts. Of course, Chae has a knack for Tai Chi, so her growth is fast, but still, isn’t it tough? And that’s because… there’s stagnant energy built up in your blood vessels.”
“Ah, I see. So, what you’re saying is…”
“Yeah. I’m going to help you release some of the stagnant energy trapped in your blood vessels, even if it’s just a little. Of course, this isn’t related to martial arts—it’s just about making your body a bit healthier. And to completely get rid of the stagnant energy, you’d need to do this consistently for decades… but let’s talk about that later.”
“That’s impressive. Is that all the effects?”
“You’ll have better stamina. It will be easier to learn martial arts. And it’s really good for men… Ahem. Anyway, you’ve worked hard to learn this from me. So please don’t refuse. I racked my brain over what to do for you.”
“If it’s a burden, I might have to decline.”
“This is nothing for someone of my caliber. Who do you think is standing in front of you?”
With a grin, Hongryeon flashed a confident smile, revealing her white teeth as she caught the light from the inn.
“I’m Nakilgeom Hongryeon.”
Nodding at her prideful attitude, I thought, why would I refuse? It’s surely a means to protect my body, and if it’s good for my health, it’s better to accept it.
As I nodded, Hongryeon slowly let go of my hand and firmly gazed at me.
“What are you doing? Don’t hesitate.”
“Uh, so? How much do I need to take off?”
Aren’t you supposed to take everything off when doing this kind of thing? This was something even Heavenly Bright Moon didn’t cover, so I didn’t know what to do.
Seeing my confusion, Hongryeon kept her mouth shut for a moment before finally saying, “J-just take off your top!! Just the top, and sit over there.”
I nodded at her shout. After removing my top and sitting cross-legged on the earthen floor as she instructed, Hongryeon calmly placed her hands on my back.
“…You have a pretty wide back.”
“Well, I’m built like this.”
“Hehe. It doesn’t seem to be just that.”
A soft voice came from behind me, and at the same time, I felt warmth from Hongryeon’s hands on my back.
“Don’t talk. Just accept the flow I send. Naturally. And don’t forget that I’m right next to you.”
Nodding, I simply bobbed my head and closed my eyes. A ticklish warmth started from my back and spread through my whole body.
How long had I been sitting there?
I couldn’t hold back the nausea rising up inside me and ended up heaving it out.
“Ugh.”
What came out was a gray, slimy mass. After spitting it out, Hongryeon calmly said, “Alright, that’s enough for today. Let’s continue next month.”
“Next month?”
“If we do it too often, it might harm your blood vessels. Of course, someone of my level wouldn’t have that problem, but it could be burdensome for you and might even hurt.”
“Then it looks like I’ll have to wait with a smile until then.”
“Haha. Right. Anyway, I’ll be entering a week of seclusion training starting tomorrow.”
“Suddenly? Did you gain something?”
“Did I gain something…? Yeah.”
Smiling brightly, she shrugged her shoulders.
“I found something I should aim for.”
Looking up at the night sky, Hongryeon’s eyes were clear, not the exhausted ones I had seen before—they were eyes that saw her future.
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Indeed. And I’ve already asked Ryuhyun and Hyunhwi to take care of the incense bags and herb garden, so they’ll handle it well. Don’t worry too much.”
“Why would I worry about something the Nakilgeom is doing?”
Hongryeon had never disappointed me in her work so far. Plus, we are the Sayoon Corps, after all.
Satisfied with my answer, Hongryeon chuckled and stood up.
“Oh, and while I’m going into seclusion training and leaving other tasks to my sisters, I’ll still be patrolling for a while… So, you know, that isn’t a bad thing, is it?”
“That wouldn’t be something you dislike, right?”
While subtly checking my reaction, Hongryeon wriggled her fingers. I shook my head at her.
“That can’t be true, can it?”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
The conversation came to an end. As I started to put on my clothes, Hongryeon watched and then tried to head inside, only to suddenly stop in her tracks.
“Ah, but who are you going with? If you need an escort, I can ask the others to help…”
“I decided to go with Chae Soja.”
“…Who?”
“Chae Soja.”
I thought she would know since I went with Chaejin to Yangwiseong last time.
Is there something strange about that?
I noticed Hongryeon’s expression becoming subtle and snapped my fingers. I almost forgot to bring this up.
“By the way, you mentioned that the seclusion ends next week, right? If it’s okay, could you make some time afterward? I have a place I would like us to go together.”
“No, rather… huh?”
“There’s something I need, but it’s an item that can only be obtained by going there in person. I’d like to ask for your help. Also, I’d prefer to bring one more disciple along. It would be better if it’s someone who hasn’t been to the Murim before.”
“Uh… Sayoon hasn’t been to the Murim yet…”
“Then let’s go together. I think it’ll take a few days, so let me know if that works for you.”
“…Next week?”
“If possible, next week.”
“Me, Sayoon, and you, the three of us?”
“Just the three of us.”
“…Three. Travel. Three. Travel. Three. Travel… But where are we going…?”
“It’s not far from here to a place called Changun-gwan. They say it’s a must-visit for those experiencing their first outing in the Murim, and there’s a law tool given only to those who have been there directly. I need that…”
Honestly, I’m not even sure if I really need it.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, it enhances the blacksmith’s skill to get better quality weapons. I wonder if that will even be the case…
But if I have the time to go, it’s best to check it out.
And above all, Sayoon really wanted to visit Changun-gwan.
Most sects send their disciples there when they’re making their first outing in the Murim. The scenery is nice, and there are plenty of things to see.
But after her sect was destroyed and all her close friends died, she couldn’t afford to enjoy a trip like the others.
By the time she could get over that and do something resembling a trip, Changun-gwan had already been completely burned down due to various incidents.
In chapter 4, there was an event with other protagonists, and when they mentioned visiting Changun-gwan during their first outing, Sayoon said, in a dry voice, that she wanted to go too.
At that time, not just people like me from the Sayoon Corps but also the scheming forces were fired up.
What kind of nonsense is this for someone who was already suffering?
Is this how a decent human being behaves?
What color is the blood of those who made sure she couldn’t even go to a place everyone else visited like Changun-gwan?
Then, can I afford to miss this opportunity? I must take her along while I can.
“Changun-gwan… The others have all been there at least once, and Sayoon really did want to visit it…”
“That’s even better. Won’t Sayoon be happy if you go with her?”
That’s true. Sayoon always hoped to travel with her Senior Sister, who had been through a lot, hoping that she could rest a little.
I also want to repay her for her recent hardships.
“I’ll cover the travel and escort costs, so let’s go together, Hong Soja. You should take a break too, it’ll be nice.”
“…Okay. Please.”
“Great. Now, let’s head inside and eat some more. It’s going to be a long night for seclusion training tomorrow, so you need to be fueled up, right? And don’t even think about breaking your promise.”
“Uh. Huh? Uh, yeah! You too!!”
I watched Hongryeon dash inside before returning to my room. I still had things to do.
I need to finish up quickly so I can get some sleep.
We’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning.
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