It’s damp.
That’s the best way to describe Cheongho.
Before the sun rises, Cheongho is always a city shrouded in thick mist.
Wide and deep. According to legend, when the dense fog emitted from Cheongho, where dragons are said to reside, settles on Cheongho Castle, the people of Cheongho slowly wake up.
After shaking off the clingy humidity, they begin their morning routines.
The fog that blanketed the area was hardly suitable for even a casual stroll. Yet, the people of Cheongho didn’t want to leave.
They all knew that this thick mist was merely a prelude to the day’s start.
As the sun, the most diligent climber, began to ascend the sky, its strong rays dried up the fog that had soaked their village. The children heading to the academy squinted in the dazzling sunlight, but none of them disliked Cheongho.
So, stepping into the space of those who lived proudly in their homeland, the first words from the person I encountered left quite an impression.
“This is a scam!!”
…Looks like someone lost money in the Cheongho chariot race.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, you’d often see people like this in Cheongho Castle. They probably bet on the high-stakes night race.
As he walked by, sobbing and tossing away what now resembled firewood, Chaejin, who was perched on the cart, giggled.
“That’s a famous sight in Cheongho.”
“It’s amazing that such things are considered famous.”
You’d find plenty of such people in casinos—or rather, racetracks.
I was swinging the reins while watching some complain and others cheer as they headed to their workplaces.
“So, where were you thinking of going? I know a decent inn.”
“Could I ask for a favor?”
“Of course. Just go straight from here.”
Naturally, she, who sat next to me, stretched out her hand indicating the direction. Upon arriving at the inn, I could hardly think of a better word to describe it than “ordinary.”
“Chamo!!”
As we reached the inn, an innkeeper parked the horses and cart in the inn’s vacant spot. Chaejin confidently hopped down from the cart and strode inside.
“Oh? Miss Chae?”
It was a portly middle-aged woman, looking to be in her early to mid-fifties, who greeted her. Beaming, she hugged Chaejin with unabashed delight.
“I heard you’ve been busy lately! Where have you been wandering around??”
“Hehe. Just keeping busy.”
“But who’s this…?”
The woman called Chamo looked back and forth between me and Chaejin, then snapped her fingers and began to smile brightly.
At that smile, Chaejin quickly shook her head.
“It’s not like that!!”
“I didn’t say anything, you know?”
Playfully retorting, she patted Chaejin’s shoulder, puffed her cheeks, and bowed her head to me.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Chamo, the owner of Cheongho Soma Inn.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yu Wol, the innkeeper from Seomhwa Village.”
“The innkeeper…? Well, this is surprising. I didn’t expect an innkeeper from another place to come. Anyway, would you like food? Drink? Or…?”
“I just want a simple meal. No alcohol, please. And I’d like to stay overnight.”
“Got it. Could you wait just a moment?”
You’d think you could hear her heavy footsteps from how loudly she was moving towards the kitchen. The inn wasn’t that big, so I guess she’s also the cook.
As we placed our orders and sat down, Chaejin awkwardly smiled.
“Chamo was the maid who took care of me.”
“That explains why you seem so close. But why isn’t she still working as a maid and running an inn instead?”
“Um…”
Chaejin smiled bitterly.
“Chamo became the innkeeper because of me.”
Did something bad happen?
“Was there really such a thing?”
In households where maidservants worked diligently, leaving was mostly a result of wrongdoing. So, with curiosity, I asked, and she answered without hiding anything.
“I placed all my bets on the Qinghao carriage race I participated in for the first time and ended up winning a lot… At that time, hardly anyone predicted I would win.”
“…Ah.”
So it seems the dark horse never betrays expectations.
And that’s how she ended up taking over the inn? Impressive.
“Anyway, since then, I’ve taken over the inn, and because of that, I often stay here when I come to Qinghao.”
“Don’t you sleep at home?”
“Heh heh, I prefer other places over home.”
I’ve seen this kind of situation quite often. People who dislike their homes or those living in them.
You can find plenty of individuals whose homes have become more uncomfortable than the outside world.
If Chaejin is one of those people, then it’s not really a problem.
“But still, don’t sleep outside. It’s not good for your health.”
“If I’m at that level of skill, it won’t be a problem, you know?”
Just then, Chamo came out, holding a large tray in her hands, already done with the cooking.
A dish full of meat and noodles, along with dumplings and seasoned meat, Qinghao’s specialty was served.
After filling her stomach somewhat, Chaejin sipped tea and asked.
“But why did you come to Qinghao? Just because of the government’s request? Or…”
“There is a government request, but I also have someone to meet. Chamo, I have to ask something. Is it true that a retired royal gourmet, named Yohwan, has been staying in Qinghao?”
“If it’s someone working in this field in Qinghao, there’s no one who wouldn’t know. That old man Yohwan has been around for over half a year now. People were all in a frenzy trying to hire him in various inns and restaurants, but suddenly that stopped.”
“Such a person exists? How did you know that?”
“The Hao-mun informed me.”
I had heard about it while drinking with Hano, the branch head of Hao-mun, a while back.
Around last year, when the royal palace’s head chef retired, many subordinate chefs were replaced.
Of course, the majority were appointed to prestigious families or restaurants near the capital, but one of those not chosen has been staying in Qinghao.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, you can get help from those with such stories through events, and Sayoon was no different.
The Yohwan I’m here to meet now is one of those kinds of people.
If I build a friendship with her through the event, she’ll cook a dish that boosts physical abilities when I bring her specific ingredients.
Besides that, there are a few more events related to her affiliation.
I don’t know if it will work out this time, but… anyway, I have to try everything I can.
If I can serve her special dishes to not only Sayoon but also the members of Hongseong, boosting their physical abilities even slightly will surely be a great help for the future.
Because even small bits can accumulate to form a mountain.
“So? Where is that person?”
Chaejin, curious, asked, and Chamo casually informed her.
“You’ll probably find her at the Qinghao carriage racetrack.”
After finishing the meal, we moved immediately. The distance from Qinghao to the carriage racetrack was not impossible to walk.
Perhaps because Qinghao is the territory of Moonjeong? People moved aside or bowed as they saw Chaejin in the Moonjeong attire, making it easy to navigate through the bustling city.
“Whoa. That looks delicious! Doesn’t it?”
“Seems so.”
“Wow. Look at that! Isn’t it amazing? A monkey is breaking chains!”
“Interesting indeed.”
“…What a response.”
“What kind of response am I supposed to give to that? There are plenty of similar things in Yangwi-seong too.”
As we enjoyed the sights around us, we finally arrived at the Qinghao carriage racetrack. Outside the large building was a wide unpaved road. Apparently, they were having a short-distance race, as people were roaring while holding their bets.
Roaring.
“Run! Thunder!”
“I put everything on you!! Black Storm!!”
They say the best place to see human desires is a gambling hall. Most of the folks at the Cheongho Racing Grounds had their eyes glazed over with dreams of striking it rich.
Of course, they weren’t the only ones there.
It seemed some martial artists had come just to watch too. When one in a martial arts uniform was spotted, a couple of gamblers grumbled.
“Tch. What’s a master doing in a place like this?”
Chaejin stole a glance their way, and I shrugged my shoulders.
“There’s probably no better training ground for masters or monks than here.”
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“Human desire is inherently difficult to express outwardly. However, the madness of desire in this place is anything but small, so even those who have trained here might easily confront their own desires, don’t you think?”
Just like if you can’t see it, you can’t cut it away; if you see it, just cut it off. For those seeking to attain the way by shedding one desire at a time, a place like this, a pit of desire, might just be the perfect training ground, right?
“Oh. That’s quite an interesting opinion.”
“Indeed. An interesting opinion.”
Yikes.
There was another voice, aside from Chaejin’s. Turning around, I saw a burly old woman with a shock of white hair. The unusual detail was that her left eye was covered by a black patch.
“Nice to meet you.”
So I cupped my hands in greeting, noticing a flicker of interest in her one visible eye.
“I am Yu Wol, the owner of the Seomhwa Village Inn. Are you a culinary master? If you’re up for it, would you like to work at my inn?”
She—Yohwan, the person I needed to meet—shook her head. It was like she was telling me to quit with the nonsense.
But that didn’t last long. She started grinning and pulled a gambling token from her sleeve.
“Ha! Actually, I think I might have some money coming in soon, so I don’t want to work under someone else. But since you’ve shared an interesting story, I’ll give you a chance. If you win against me, we can work together. How about it?”
“Let’s do it.”
This was also part of the event. I nodded with a smile, and she led Chaejin and me to the side of the racing grounds. There, she casually laid out her tokens on a large box.
“Alright. Draw.”
“Is it the highest token that wins?”
Instead of answering Chaejin’s curiosity, I picked a token. An 8-point token. Considering that the top token was 10 points, it wasn’t bad at all.
Seeing that, Yohwan grinned and reached out.
As I was about to do the same, Chaejin quickly grabbed Yohwan’s hand with a chilly expression.
“My companion has a keen eye. Are you her boyfriend?”
“Th-that’s not it! Anyway! This is cheating! You cheater!”
In Chaejin’s clutch, Yohwan was hiding a token. 9 points.
Looks like even a seasoned pro like Chaejin couldn’t be fooled.
“The essence of this challenge was determining that from the start, Miss Moonjeong.”
Right. Yohwan never said the victory was about drawing the highest token. That was just Chaejin’s assumption.
“Anyway. So I won then? Regardless, Chaejin is on my side.”
I thought there would be some resistance. After all, I was the one who competed, but since Chaejin revealed it…
Yet, Yohwan seemed unfazed.
“Aah. Fine. I was getting tired of being here anyway; I was thinking about leaving if someone from another town came to hire me.”
So she accepted Sayoon’s suggestion in Heavenly Bright Moon and made this bet then.
“Oh. Before that.”
She pulled a token from her pocket. Gazing at it like it was adorable, she grinned.
“Since we’re going to work together, I’ll treat you with this. Hehe. I bet on a sure thing just now. If I win, it’s jackpot!!”
With a triumphant laugh, Yohwan took us toward the racing grounds.
Hwan led us to the arena.
The match had already started. As several chariots raced wildly, Yohwan clutched her cards tightly and trembled.
Then, one chariot crossed the finish line.
“Ah… ah…”
Who knew a person could break down like this?
She sat powerless on the pure white chair, her cards slipping from her hand. When she picked them up to check, her chariot had come in fourth.
“D-Drew… draw it as a draw…”
Hearing her mumble as though her soul was leaving, I shook my head. Seriously?
“Let’s go. Today I’ll save you.”
Just then, people began to trickle out like the tide. The crowd started to murmur.
And emerging from there was a woman whose sharp gaze perfectly matched the term ‘menacing’—her attire was that of Moonjeong’s inner disciples, which was familiar to me.
“…Chaejeokyo.”
Chaejeokyo.
A cousin of Chaejin and one of the inner disciples supported by Byeokroe Moon, a subordinate force of Moonjeong.
And like Chaeran, she was aiming for the Grandmaster position.
She was also one of the antagonists in Chaeran’s main story.
“Hmm… so you were here. And the runaway Grandmaster is here too?”
With a mocking tone, Chaejin narrowed her eyes. The woman, who wore a smug smile, extended her hand to Yohwan.
“I heard the stories. You took a big loss this time, huh? Come on, there’s no choice now, right? Let’s slowly head to Moonjeong.”
“Ughhh…”
Yohwan, who had been groaning like a ghost, slowly regained her senses and shot her a glance.
“I’d rather bite my tongue and die than go under you.”
“Hehe. But you. You have nowhere to go, do you?”
“Why would I have nowhere to go? This person came to hire me from Seomhwa Village.”
At that, Chaejeokyo whipped her head around to look at me.
Her glare was the kind that would’ve jabbed me with a sharp object if she had one, and when I reacted with indifference, she smirked.
And then—
“Is it you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know who that woman is?”
“Yes.”
“Experience working in the royal palace? Aha! Ah, you… you’re not from the martial world, are you? Hehe, then you might not know anything else.”
In that instant, Yohwan’s expression darkened. Had she gripped her chair too hard? The old woman’s thin hands turned pale.
“That woman. She’s a fallen monk from Amipa.”
A fallen monk.
A monk who has had their rank stripped due to violating precepts.
Unless a serious crime was committed, falling from grace was unusual enough to be seen with disdain.
Yet, being a fallen monk was quite the reason to be looked down upon, and Chaejeokyo wore a triumphant smile.
So I answered.
“I know.”
“Great!! So… what about it?”
Yes, I knew.
I understood why Yohwan had fallen from grace, and why Amipa had only imposed a monetary penalty on her and expelled her.
Amipa, the sect of female monks located in Sicheon, had also declared to others that if they touched her, they should be prepared for hostility from the Murim Alliance.
If someone from outside the martial world took Yohwan away, as long as they didn’t stir up problems, they wouldn’t oppose Amipa.
I also knew that Yohwan regularly communicated with Amipa through courier services.
And—
About the importance of Yohwan and Amipa in our scenario.
“Everyone already knows this. What a big secret. Even the evil Hao-mun is aware.”
Silence fell.
Chaejeokyo, Yohwan, and her subordinates all stood there, mouths agape and dumbfounded.
Only Chaejin seemed strangely pleased, nodding her head with delight.
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