Sweating bullets while wielding her sword, Chaejin was a stark contrast to the unchanging expression of the Sword Saint, who only held a wooden sword.
“Haaah!!”
Was she preparing for a final strike? Chaejin’s sword soared into the air and then came crashing down. At the same time, the midday moon appeared.
The Sword Saint effortlessly shattered the strike created by that moon with just a slight wave of her wooden sword.
“Ugh.”
Was it because her Moonlight Strike was interrupted?
Chaejin’s face turned pale. Sensing this, the Sword Saint lightly tapped Chaejin’s smooth abdomen with her wooden sword.
“You’re definitely impressive.”
“Um… Really?”
“However, there are areas you lack in. Up until now, you’ve pursued pure strength and haven’t trained your finesse for long. The martial arts of Moonjeong are based on balance. This means you need to train your finesse a bit more.”
“I understand that.”
“It would be best if you sparred with a Doje when you return to Moonjeong. If not… it seems what you currently know is lacking. Did you gain insights through that book on martial techniques?”
“Huh? You can tell that? Yes, that’s right. I had a revelation while reading the book on martial techniques given to me by the Innkeeper.”
“Oh?”
The Sword Saint’s gaze turned to me. I merely shrugged, and she nodded at Chaejin.
“That was definitely only half of it. Be sure to seek out and read the second half.”
“Yes, I will.”
“By the way, what’s the title of that book?”
“The Understanding of the Streets. It was written by Gwi Jin-ja.”
“I see. Ah, come to think of it, that was one of the books you sent me last time, right?”
Indeed. When I sent supplies to Hongseong, I included several books on martial techniques, among which was the Understanding of the Streets.
“Gwi Jin-ja is an excellent scholar recognized even in the imperial palace. Ryen, have you read it too?”
“I read it a while back. The others will probably be reading it now.”
She had read both volumes back when she was in the Murim Alliance. Hongryeon clapped lightly as she said this.
“Ah, the lower volume should be in the Murim Alliance’s inspection department. Would you like to go read it? I’ll write you a letter of introduction.”
“Sure, later. Thanks for the thought.”
“Hehe, it’s nothing.”
As Hongryeon spoke with a bright smile, Chaejin also returned the grin. The Sword Saint nodded at them.
“Hmm. Rivals grow together, after all. Now, Ryen, you—”
At that moment, we heard footsteps approaching the training area. Turning my head, I saw Sayoon running toward us in a hurry.
“Master! Senior Sister! Everything is ready!”
“Really? Then Ryen, let’s save your training for after the guests have left.”
“Yes!”
“Sword Saint, thank you for your teachings. I believe I can protect the Innkeeper well with this strength.”
“Hmm. The Innkeeper has greatly aided our Hongseong as well. I appreciate your help.”
The Sword Saint replied with a smile and moved ahead. I subtly approached Chaejin and offered her a handkerchief.
She handed her a handkerchief.
“You look tired. Are you okay?”
“Even though it’s called a practice match, I fought against the Sword Saint… so there’s no way I’d be okay. But I caught a clue.”
Does that mean she gained something from the struggle? I smiled at her, who was sparkling with excitement.
“If it’s you, I believe you can get stronger.”
“Of course.”
“Soon, I’ll get the ‘Understanding of the Streets’ Part 2 and show it to you.”
“Uh… you really don’t have to do that. It’s okay to order through Moonjeong.”
“Books like ‘Muhakseo’ aren’t that easy to get. Plus, it’s tough to find the book of the celebrated person.”
“Hmm… then I’ll leave it to you.”
Only then did Chaejin nod at me with a smile.
Meanwhile, Hongryeon came up beside me and lightly grabbed my arm.
“Can you spare a moment after the meal?”
“I suppose that’s fine.”
“Yeah. It’s okay.”
“… Except for you. The Master wants to talk to you.”
“Me? Why?”
“Well, I don’t know that.”
Hongryeon smiled brightly, and Chaejin stared at her intently.
But she didn’t say anything more.
The meal itself was quite satisfactory. After all, the Hongseong clan isn’t unfamiliar with delicious food, even if their taste threshold is low.
Moreover, ever since Hongryeon learned cooking from Yohwan, the quality of the meals in Hongseong has significantly improved. I felt a sense of pride hearing Sayoon say that mealtime has become enjoyable lately.
I made a good decision bringing Yohwan.
“Then, would you like to follow me for a moment?”
As I mentioned earlier, while Chaejin was caught by the Sword Saint, Hongryeon tapped me lightly. Following her outside the dining hall, I smiled and asked.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“Not exactly, but I need a little help.”
“What is it?”
“You remember the Whisungsar you bought last time?”
“Ah.”
I clearly bought it for Hongryeon at the Eight Immortals Village. I paused for a moment, then was taken aback.
“Are you telling me you made something with that?”
“Hehe, yes.”
Hongryeon led me to her room. The small room inside the new building was heavily fragrant with ‘Cheonilmaehwa.’
“I’m not sleeping here. I’m just using it for work.”
“Oh? I wonder if it’s alright for me to come in.”
After all, it’s practically the place where the sect’s affairs are managed. But Hongryeon simply smiled and waved her hand.
“Who helped stabilize Hongseong this much? Don’t say things like that.”
“Thank you for thinking that way. By the way, is there a bookshelf in here?”
When I pointed to a spot in the corner of the room, Hongryeon flinched. Then, she awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“Yes. Yes, I always keep books nearby. The bookshelf is moved somewhere else right now…”
“Is that so? I like books too, so let’s discuss related topics sometime.”
“Let’s talk about something related to that.”
“Uh… that sounds nice. Ahem. Anyway, here it is.”
Though the embroidery itself was all done, it seemed the clothes weren’t quite finished yet. But the fabric looked strangely familiar…
“Isn’t this the fabric I gave you last time?”
“Yes.”
“I gave you a little extra, so why did you make it into my clothes?”
“Since you’ve always given me things, I wanted to return the favor. And do you know what this pattern means?”
“It’s the pattern of protection. It’s just cloth, but if you channel your energy into it, it can have the defensive power of armor.”
You could see similar things in Heavenly Bright Moon. All clothing that enhanced defense based on energy had that pattern.
When I explained, Hongryeon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You know a lot, don’t you?”
“I’ve heard things here and there. Anyway, this seems quite precious.”
“Compared to what you gave me, it’s ridiculously cheap.”
After cutting me off, Hongryeon fixed her gaze on me.
“You’ll accept it, right?”
I couldn’t refuse the hopeful look in her eyes.
As we were about to leave her room and head to the inn, Ryuhyun rushed over to say something. She looked a little stiff at first, but then apologized to me and waved her hand towards Sayoon, who was walking by with some luggage.
“Sayoon!”
“Yes? Senior Sister.”
“Could you please escort the Innkeeper to the reception hall? I’m sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry right now.”
“What’s there to apologize for? But what’s going on?”
“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. One of our junior sisters got hurt while training.”
“Whoa. Then we need to head there immediately.”
“Yes. You have the medicine you gave me too, so it’s not a big deal; don’t worry too much.”
Hongryeon smiled brightly and ran off with Ryuhyun. Watching that, I turned my gaze to Sayoon.
“I hope it’s not too serious.”
“Yeah, I hope so too…”
Sayoon nodded with a worried expression but tried to smile brightly.
“Still, thanks to the medicine the Innkeeper gave, even if they’re hurt, they heal quickly.”
“That’s a relief. So, shall we go?”
And so, I walked alongside Sayoon through Hongseong. Come to think of it, I had walked with Sayoon before.
Even though we were walking the same Hongseong path, the scenery felt quite different this time.
“Are you taking good care of the herbs?”
“Hehe. Yes. I managed to get even rarer and better seeds this time. I’ll do better next time.”
“Good luck with that.”
“And I’ll make the scent pouches well too. You don’t know how happy Senior Sister was last time.”
I could see that she was genuinely excited. I felt a sense of warmth watching Sayoon’s enthusiastic demeanor.
“Oh! I’ve been talking too much about myself, haven’t I? I’m sorry.”
With a slightly flushed face, she looked embarrassed, and I shook my head.
We wanted to see that kind of expression.
A carefree smile, full of happiness.
“Then you don’t have any major worries these days? Training is going well, right?”
“Yes. The later stages of the Hongseong Divine Art are difficult, but… I’m learning from the Senior Sister and Master…”
“Well, since you’re here…”
“How has the Sword Saint been these days?”
Now that I think about it, the Sword Saint’s birthday is really coming up soon. I’ve heard that she usually hosts a death feast every year, but looking around, it doesn’t seem like that’s happening now.
“Compared to last year, she’s become much brighter. Plus, she occasionally goes on village patrols with us.”
“Huh? Really?”
She hasn’t been coming to the inn, though.
When I expressed my confusion, Sayoon smiled brightly.
“When she comes to the inn, she feels like the Innkeeper would worry about her, so she prefers to wait elsewhere.”
“I see.”
It’s not that I’d worry too much, though. If she came, I’d be giving her mooncakes and sweets.
But I can’t just drag someone who doesn’t want to come.
“Oh! Right. And this. I should have returned it last time.”
In her hand was the handkerchief I had given her before.
I accepted it, and Sayoon smiled at me again.
“By the way, the scent was still on it.”
“Uh?”
“It seems like you kept it with a fragrance pouch. The scent of the Thousand-Day Plum Blossom and another fragrance were mixed in. Hehe. Even though the scent of the Thousand-Day Plum Blossom is quite strong… still, it reassures me that I can smell it from the Innkeeper.”
“Ah, right. You’re right. I do have a fragrance pouch in my room, so it’s natural for it to linger.”
As we chatted about this and that, we arrived near the Reception Pavilion, where I noticed Chaejin swinging her sword with her eyes closed, lost in ecstasy. Next to her, the Sword Saint was sitting crouched.
“What’s going on?”
“Earlier, while talking to me, she seemed to have realized something and started swinging her sword by herself.”
“Oh…”
She really is gaining a lot. I looked at the Sword Saint, who was gazing at me with her deep eyes, as always.
“Is it strange to be helping a disciple of your rival, Moonjeong? Haha. Don’t think too hard about it. If you have a good rival, then Ryun will grow faster. If you think of it as an investment for that, there’s nothing unusual about it.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, Sayoon. The Innkeeper is someone I serve.”
“Yes. Then, see you next time.”
After bowing slightly, Sayoon departed.
Watching her leave, the Sword Saint slowly turned her body.
Beyond the Reception Pavilion, the view of Seomhwa Village was visible.
Silence lingered between us.
In that silence, I thought for a moment before speaking.
“I’d like to give you a gift.”
“A gift… Is it because of my birthday?”
I know her birthday isn’t exactly a joyous occasion.
Still, I feel someone should celebrate it, right?
“Haha. I’ve already received so much from the Innkeeper, so it feels a bit guilty to ask for more.”
The Sword Saint smiled softly, then turned her gaze back to Seomhwa Village, remaining silent for a while before quietly speaking.
“If you really want to give me a gift…”
“…..?”
“I have something I wish to confirm later. Would you be willing to walk through the streets of Seomhwa Village with me, even just for a bit?”
That much is easy enough.
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