“I just helped out for a moment, and yet I ended up with all this.” Sayoon sighed as she looked at the box in her hands.
“Is it really okay to accept this?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess.”
According to Hongseong’s teachings, those with strength shouldn’t expect anything in return when helping the weak.
But could this go against Hongseong’s teachings? That was a question neither of them could clearly answer.
Yu Wol was rich and definitely someone who pays for services rendered. Moreover, helping him expand his inn meant that he could make more money, so it’s not exactly helping the weak.
Thus, receiving something in return for help shouldn’t be a problem.
Recalling the logic he mentioned, Yoohee shook her head.
“Ugh. I’m really bad at this… But the Senior Sister and the Innkeeper both said it’s okay to accept, right? So, maybe it’s fine?”
“Is it…? I feel like I’m always in their debt; I really don’t know where to put myself.”
“Um, let’s just think simply. Mooncakes and pastries are liked by other Senior Sisters too, right? Plus, the Innkeeper is someone who works with our Hongseong. Helping him is like helping Hongseong, so it’s not like we’re receiving something from someone else…”
“Is that really how it works?”
It’s a pretty flimsy logic, but what can you do? They’ve come this far, turning back isn’t an option. So, ultimately, Sayoon and Yoohee decided to just relax and accept it.
“Oh! You two are here?”
At that moment, a woman in the hall smiled and welcomed them. Hyunju, the doorkeeper of Hongseong and the Senior Sister of Yoohee and Sayoon.
“What’s in the box?”
“Oh, that’s…”
As Sayoon explained what happened earlier, Hyunju smiled brightly. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Gaining rewards through labor was something other Senior Sisters had done, too.
Feeling relieved, Hyunju suddenly spoke as if it just came to her.
“By the way, Sayoon, something arrived for you earlier.”
“Really?! Is it from Mister?”
” Hehe. Since there’s no sender noted, it seems so.”
Sayoon’s face lit up noticeably. Of course, since everyone in Hongseong now knew that she received letters from her ‘Mister’.
Hyunju smiled softly and winked at Sayoon.
“Looks like you’re happy?”
“Yes!!”
Full of joy, Sayoon brightened up as she answered.
Upon returning to the sect, Sayoon was called by Hongryeon, who apparently had already stashed away the letter sent by ‘Mister’. Responding to her call, Sayoon hurried to Hongryeon’s room, and sure enough, an unopened box was sitting on the desk.
“Oh! Are you stitching something?”
Seeing the embroidery supplies next to the box, Sayoon asked with a smile. Glancing at it, Hongryeon lightly nodded.
“I should do it whenever I have the time.”
“By the way, the Innkeeper gave us mooncakes and pastries as a gift today.”
“Did you just get it?”
“Not really.”
Hearing the circumstances, Hongryeon chuckled and nodded. If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be a problem.
“Can I open it now?”
“Since it’s yours, you can do as you please! If you want to see it later, that’s fine too.”
“Um… then I’d like to see it when the Master is with us.”
“Should we? Then let’s eat dinner first and look at it together.”
Hongryeon patted Sayoon’s head, and she smiled brightly, nodding in agreement.
After dinner, those with curiosity gathered.
The Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and the others—Ryuhyun, Yoohee, and Sayoon.
Among the rest, while there were those who weren’t curious, some felt the need to stretch out just in case they might end up in a secret realm again like last time.
As those who chattered about achieving enlightenment or doing better than before stepped out for training, the Sword Saint looked at Sayoon with slightly expectant eyes and said,
“Do you want to open it?”
“Yes.”
Nervously, Sayoon opened the box, and inside was the usual silver coin and a scroll.
Swallowing hard, Sayoon unfolded the scroll. It was quite thick, perhaps there would be a map this time too.
As she carefully opened it, indeed, one page was a map. The location was near the middle of Hongseongsan. A little further east of Yongmeori Rock’s location was a valley.
As Hongryeon contemplated the terrain, a place not often visited by Hongseongmun, with many ears, Sayoon unfolded another scroll.
[I received what you sent. Thank you always.]
“Heh, hehehe…”
Oh my!!
The Mister said thank you!
How amazing!
Silently cheering inside, Sayoon struggled to suppress a smile. Then she moved her gaze to the next line.
[I know you’ve been working hard. I also know you’re hanging in there. But if you run too fast, you’ll tire easily.]
“…That’s true…?”
[Don’t try to bear everything alone. You’re not the only one in this world, and there are many who can support and watch over you. And.]
Sayoon tilted her head while holding the scroll.
[Your Master feels the same way. It’s not necessary for the Master to always be the pillar, and the disciple doesn’t always have to lean. Remember that the character for ‘person’ (人) means we can support each other to stand.]
“…Ha.”
The Sword Saint, who had come close, peeked at the content of the scroll and gasped in surprise. When Sayoon awkwardly smiled at her, the Sword Saint lightly ruffled her hair.
“You little rascal, did you write this to the ‘Mister’ for my sake?”
“Since the Master has been feeling down lately. I thought the Mister might know something… And since he knows a lot about Hongseongmun, he seemed to be someone we can trust… And also…”
“I also suggested you ask him.”
“…You too?”
At Hongryeon’s interjection, the Sword Saint was taken aback. She had heard that Sayoon would occasionally tell the Mister a few words when writing the scroll or check for typos, but she never expected it to come out like this.
I heard about it, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.
“Of course, it’s because Sayoon is that worried about the Master. And really, it’s ‘Mister.’ You’ve written something completely right and natural. Sometimes, you can lean on us. I have a bit of spare time now, after all.”
It wasn’t a lie. Hongseong Clan now was different from the old days. Sword Saint looked at her disciples and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I’ll make sure to do that someday. Anyway… how about we visit the secret realm this time? Hongryeon, why don’t you take the kids there once we figure out the location today?”
“How about you go with us this time? You didn’t go last time either. Plus, we have enough time to place a barrier around the sect now.”
“Well… it’s long, though.”
There was hesitation. Doubt lingering in her heart if she, the not-so-experienced head of the Hongseong Clan, should attend the secret realm for the sake of the clan. Seeing this, Sayoon tightly held Sword Saint’s hand.
“If Master is having a hard time, don’t worry! No matter what anyone says, you’re our Master!”
At those words, Sword Saint unconsciously smiled.
“I understand. Then I’ll go tell the disciples.”
“Oh. Wait a moment. There’s one more line left.”
There was another line written on the last page. When Sayoon spoke, everyone focused on the content of the letter.
“How you’re going to use what you get this time is up to you…?”
Before heading to the secret realm, they had to find the way there.
Moreover, the place where the secret realm appears is somewhere the ghosts often roam near Hongseong Mountain. Of course, for those skilled in Hongseong Divine Art, ghosts wouldn’t pose much of a threat, but it was wise to prepare nonetheless.
“Should I give this a try?”
Even though there was still a lot to do, she couldn’t just sit still since it was for her younger siblings. Hongryeon, who volunteered for the secret realm investigation, took out a small bell from her pocket as she reached Dragon’s Head Rock.
“Oh! That!”
“Hmm? That’s… a Ghost Bell.”
“Oh? Master, you know about it too?”
“Of course. It’s quite a valuable item; you managed to get it?”
“Yes. I got it after defeating a wicked magician at Changun Shrine. But how do I use this…?”
“You need to fill it with your internal energy and shake it!”
Sayoon exclaimed, recalling what Nam Tae-hyun explained at Changun Shrine.
Then Hongryeon nodded and infused her internal energy into it. Thanks to her strong internal energy from the Hongseong Divine Art?
-Buuuuuuuummm…!!!
Just shaking a small bell produced the sound of a temple bell. The resonance swiftly spread out, instantly engulfing the surroundings, and the faint figures nearby hurriedly scattered in all directions.
“Wow. This is effective.”
“Yeah. There’s even a story that the Ghost Bell once drove off minor ghosts from the land of the dead.”
“We should be grateful to the innkeeper then.”
Muttering briefly, Hongryeon walked ahead. After shaking the Ghost Bell a few more times to chase away the ghosts, they finally spotted the foggy entrance of the gorge.
The thought of stepping into a place they wouldn’t normally visit weighed a little on her heart.
It’s on my mind.
“Shall we go ahead first?”
“Huh? No, let’s go together. Master, please keep an eye on the back.”
“Got it.”
Holding hands with Sayoon, Hongryeon stepped inside. Although a dreadful aura lingered deep within the gorge, it could be dealt with using the ghostly spirit and Hongseong Divine Art.
After wandering for a while, when they reached a deep, dark part of the gorge, Sayoon shouted as she discovered something shining in the moonlight.
“Hey, there’s a place to light a torch!”
“Let me see…”
-Fwoosh!!
Using her internal energy, the torch attached to the wall caught fire. And at that moment…
“As expected… it’s another hidden realm. How did that mister know about this?”
A firmly closed hidden realm began to reveal itself, scattering a red aura around them.
Sayoon, facing it, nodded and proceeded to verify whether she was using the Hongseong Divine Art, just like last time.
“Fuuu…”
After the Sword Saint, who was extremely tense, finally received everyone’s permission to enter.
As the red aura vanished and the door to the hidden realm opened, the Sword Saint looked at Hongryeon and said, “Well then, it’s better to go fetch the disciples, right? I’ll be right back.”
“Yes, please.”
As soon as she finished talking, the Sword Saint’s figure vanished. In the meantime, Sayoon silently gazed at the hidden realm.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, it’s nothing… I just have thoughts that occasionally pop up. I keep wondering what it would’ve been like if it weren’t for that mister.”
“Hmm… that’s true.”
If it hadn’t been for that mister… right. If it weren’t for him, a whole lot would not have happened.
She wouldn’t have even gone to fetch the elixir for Sayoon, so she wouldn’t have met him at all.
No, if they hadn’t prepared for the Iron Blood Clan that he mentioned, would the Hongseong Clan be so intact right now?
Hongryeon patted Sayoon on the head.
“Huh?”
“We really need to be thankful to that mister.”
“Hehe, right? Once we get through this hidden realm, I’m going to send him a letter again.”
A moment of silence enveloped them. Hongryeon, observing Sayoon lost in thought about the mister, sat down and shared her recent reflections.
“They say it’s destiny to meet someone without any forewarning or ceremony. Perhaps that ‘mister’ is part of your destiny? Something you can’t escape, something you must meet.”
“Um… is that so?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Forget about it. Just a thought I had.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Hongryeon fanned her flushed face as Sayoon smiled brightly at her.
“If that really were the case, that would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? Meeting that mister, and meeting you, Master. And coming to the Hongseong Clan…”
Gazing slowly at the hidden realm, she held Hongryeon’s hand.
“Feeling this happiness that always seems too much for me.”
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