A martial artist who doesn’t ponder or think is as good as dead.
That’s what our Master told us during the intense training period.
Is that why?
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot.
To be honest, before joining Hongseong, I don’t think I did much thinking at all.
The only thing on my mind was just survival—how to get through today, nothing more.
That’s why, entering Hongseong, I learned how to think and always ponder to judge right from wrong.
And these days, I’m thinking about that sword that Mister told me about.
Both the Master and the Senior Sister looked at it and just said it was a good sword.
But recently, it’s been changing in a rather mysterious way.
While sparring with the Master, the sword suddenly emitted a faint light, even if just for a moment.
When everyone was surprised, the Master patted my head.
“Think. And ponder.”
Why did that sword shine, I wonder?
But maybe I’m just not clever enough, as I can’t come up with a solid answer.
Of course, Mister probably knows, but I want to try a bit harder on my own.
Could it be that the reason Mister didn’t name this sword was so that I would think for myself?
I keep thinking and pondering about the things Mister sent me every single day.
Who is Mister? What kind of person is he, really?
But I think the reason he hasn’t told me is that he wants me to think and ponder to find out myself.
Then I must think.
Then I must ponder.
Even if it takes a long time, I will surely do it.
It’s been so hot these days.
Every night, I pray that Mister stays healthy, and I hope this prayer reaches him and he stays well.
P.S.
A few days later, I’ll be going to Changwunguan with Senior Sister Hongryeon and Yu Wol, the innkeeper of Seomhwa Village, who helps our Hongseong a lot.
Do you know about Changwunguan? I’ve only heard stories, but the senior sisters say it’s a beautiful place.
A long time ago, after eight immortals came down and stayed there, the masters who learned from those eight immortals built a hall in their honor.
According to Senior Sister Yoohee, if you pass a few tests there, you can receive a marvelous spiritual tool. Do you think that would be useful?
Of course, those who are entering the martial world for the first time pray there for no mishaps while working in the martial realm, even if they don’t take the tests.
This time, I’m also going to Changwunguan, and I want to pray to the eight immortals.
If I pray there, I might receive a token that brings health and luck.
This time, I’ll be praying for Mister, and I really hope to receive that token.
I sincerely hope Mister doesn’t feel burdened by it.
I put the letter from Sayoon down.
Praying for me…
How burdensome.
I’m grateful, though.
Of course, that token doesn’t have any special effects, but I appreciate the thought.
I chuckled and lightly tapped the letter before picking up my brush.
There wasn’t much to write about.
Just to enjoy their trip, and if there’s something they want to eat or buy, to spend the pocket money I sent them.
“Just write it down and solve it.”
“Let’s send it tomorrow.”
“If I send it a bit faster, I should get it before I leave.”
After putting Sayoon’s letter safely in the safe, I resumed my work.
How long had I been at it?
Tap.
I heard something hit the window. Peeking out, I saw a beautiful woman with flowing red hair standing in the backyard.
She smiled provocatively and waved at me when she spotted me.
It was Hongryeon, the grand disciple of the Hongseong clan.
“I’ll be down shortly.”
“No, I’ll come up.”
Lightly stating that, she kicked off the wall and jumped. With quick movements, she arrived in front of my window and smiled as she asked, “Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes. More importantly, did you finish your meditation? You came out earlier than I expected.”
“Yeah, I was a bit quick this time.”
“That’s a relief. Did you gain anything?”
I heard she was practicing meditation while I was away in Cheongho.
Maybe because my level was too low, I couldn’t tell what had changed.
But Hongryeon had a rather confident look on her face, as if she’d gained something.
“I’ll definitely show you later.”
“Honestly, I hope there’s no need for that. If you’re fighting, it means you’re in danger.”
“U-uh… Is that so?”
She awkwardly cleared her throat, glancing around my room, and I smiled and said, “Would you like to come in for a moment? Let’s have a cup of tea.”
“Huh? Oh. Uh… No, it seems like you were working. I don’t want to disturb you.”
She subtly glanced at my desk, where a huge pile of work had accumulated while I was in Cheongho.
She observed it seemingly comfortably and shrugged her shoulders.
“I just came to see you since I heard you were back. I should probably head in now.”
“Busy, huh?”
“One way or another. Oh, and the herbs should be ready soon. The kids have been struggling a lot.”
“Really? That’s great to hear.”
“Right?”
Leaning slightly against the window frame, Hongryeon smiled brightly. After taking a short breath, she pulled something out from her robe.
“What’s this?”
“Just something I made when I had some free time.”
In her hand was a brush.
Of course, it wasn’t an artifact like a Changju would have.
But it was definitely something unusual. It had a cap that could hold ink, making it portable for use.
It was the kind of brush often used by those working outside.
I had a few similar ones.
But this one looked hand-crafted.
“You can make things like this?”
“Uh… yeah. I once caught a Blood Fox, you know? I got its fur as a souvenir… Do you know Blood Fox fur is a great material for brushes?”
“Of course I know.”
“Hehe. Right? You don’t just stay here all the time. You get around quite a bit, don’t you?”
“That’s true.”
My work wasn’t confined to just the inn.
I also had to get additional items for the store or visit the fields.
There were many outside tasks, like checking on the reclamation of wasteland.
“So I made one. I made it during my breaks, so don’t feel pressured about it.”
Maybe because it was made by skilled hands, it definitely looked nice.
Was it because it was made? It definitely looked good.
Especially the red lotus pattern engraved on the side where the ink was contained reminded me of my connection to it, making it seem like a pretty valuable item just by itself.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
“Hehe. Yeah. Always carry it around. If it breaks, I’ll make you another one. And I see you aren’t carrying a scent pouch…”
“Isn’t it a bit rude to wander around with a gift I received? I’ll use it when I go to a special occasion.”
I recalled the scent pouch that the Hongseong Clan had given me last time. If it was something that would spoil by being kept, I would have used it right away, but since it wasn’t, I should keep it safe.
At my words, Hongryeon chuckled softly.
“I wish you’d use it since I gave it to you. If you really don’t want to, just use the one I gave you first. I’ll refill it anytime.”
“Well, I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. Well, I’m off then. Don’t work too late. You can’t underestimate travel fatigue.”
“Is that advice from someone who has traveled often?”
“Of course. Well then, I’m…”
“Wait a minute.”
“Huh?”
Hongryon, who was about to jump down, stopped. With perfect timing, I handed her the gift package I bought for the Hongseong Clan.
“I went to Cheongho this time and thought of you.”
What I handed her was fabric. As Hongryeon inspected the fabric, one of Cheongho’s specialties, she smiled gently.
“What? You want me to make a scent pouch with this?”
“No. I thought it would be good for the Hongseong disciples to get new uniforms. I’ll give you separate cloth for the scent pouches.”
“…Huh?”
“If the scent pouches become trendy, many will come to Hongseong, right? Of course, I know that Hongseong values modesty, but I believe they also understand that the meaning of modesty can change depending on how people see it.”
“Uh… we have uniforms, you know.”
“I know. This fabric is sturdy enough to wear during training, so use it to make clothes for daily wear. I brought enough, so don’t worry about shortages.”
I had never made clothes myself, but the fabric store owner told me that this would be enough to create outfits for twenty-five people.
She stared silently at the fabric I offered and then smiled.
“I’m always indebted to you.”
“From now on, I plan to frequently take on the burden, so don’t worry about it.”
I had plenty of requests, after all.
“…Haha! Okay!”
Her bright smile made her hug the fabric tightly.
Even though it must have weighed quite a bit, seeing her lift it lightly with her slimmer-looking arms made me realize she was indeed skilled.
As she gracefully jumped away, I returned to my place.
How much time had passed since I started working again?
I heard a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
“Hey! It’s time for training, right?!”
Was it already this time? I looked out the window and saw the sky turning red.
“Let’s go.”
Chaejin rolled me around until I was exhausted, then reached out her hand to me as I collapsed. Grabbing her hand, she offered me the water she had prepared.
“I think it’s time for you to gradually move on to the next stage of Tai Chi.”
“Oh. Does that mean I’m being recognized?”
“Not at all. Please look forward to the next one!”
I was looking forward to it.
So much so that I was trembling with anticipation.
Once the training ended and I had a quick wash, I was about to handle the remaining tasks when the innkeeper knocked on my door.
He told me that a guest I had been waiting for had arrived.
The story goes that I arrived.
I went down right away, and sure enough, the local leader was beaming with a smile as he arrived with two military officials.
“Yura, the innkeeper. You’ve had a tough time. I heard from Changju that things have been a bit chaotic.”
“Haha. Was it really tough? Thanks to you, Hyeonryeong, my trip was much easier.”
That’s not entirely incorrect. After all, if I couldn’t use the official road, it would have taken much longer.
“Now, please come inside.”
The two military officials made themselves comfortable at the inn with a drink, while Hyeonryeong and I headed to the guest room.
While we were chatting, Yohwan’s dish came out, and he seemed excited as he gushed over the meal and started clapping.
“Haha! This is truly impressive! They say you’ve brought in the palace chef…”
“It was just a coincidence that I hired him.”
“What coincidence? According to Changju, this is also thanks to your good fortune as the innkeeper.”
“Fortune? What fortune do I have? Come, let’s have a drink.”
It was quite the cheerful gathering. After a few rounds of drinks and some reasonable food, Hyeonryeong looked around as if worried about the volume of his voice, then spoke in a low tone.
“By the way, have you heard the news?”
“Is there something entertaining?”
“Well, rather than entertaining… there’s something you should know.”
He spoke very seriously in an even quieter voice than before.
“There are forces trying to unseat the current Saheokryeong leader and bring forth a new one. Because of that, there’s friction within Saheokryeong… and if things go wrong, a war might break out among the factions.”
The rivalry between the current and new Saheokryeong leaders.
This is the backdrop for Part 1.
A conflict between the new Saheokryeong leader backed by the Iron Blood Clan and the existing one.
As a result of this conflict, Seomhwa Village will inevitably be swept into the flames of war.
Of course, as long as Hongseong is safe, the likelihood is low, but even so, we believe that there’s a sufficient possibility that the flames of war could reach this place.
The reason lies with Hongseongsan.
Around Part 3, another main character, Yura, will have a storyline involving it, where she trained at Baeksunho, a place where spiritual energy gathers.
However, since that place is stable, it’s hard to unleash the spiritual energy easily, and thus the Iron Blood Clan redirected fleeing people there.
They massacred many who were resting in that place, corrupting Baeksunho with their blood and death, causing it to unleash its spiritual energy.
Considering this, it’s possible to trigger the spiritual energy eruption at Hongseongsan by staining Seomhwa Village with blood without touching Hongseong.
Of course, it would be weaker than directly eliminating Hongseong, but from the Iron Blood Clan’s perspective, they’d have to resort to this…
That’s why our first scenario was constructed to prevent this attack.
“Thank you for the information. But where did you get such valuable details?”
Hyeonryeong replied nonchalantly.
“About two days ago, I ran into my commissioning colleague who works in the Empire’s military inspection department, and he told me. The Empire is also trying to act to stop this, but just in case, it’s best to stay cautious. I suspect an official order will come down soon. Just keep it in mind.”
Indeed, you can’t underestimate the connections of bureaucrats.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
