Days had passed since the Murim Alliance members arrived in Seomhwa Village, and Gak Hwijun and Ma Cheolpi returned from Yongwaseong.
Grinning from ear to ear.
“Wow~! The third floor of Cheonghoeru was absolutely amazing!”
Their faces were glowing, looking like they had the time of their lives. Gak Hwijun walked in with a big smile and bowed to me.
“When I dropped your name, I was able to take the test with some ease.”
“Oh really? It sounds like you took the test using martial arts…”
“Haha. Yes. The test was a sparring match with that department head. Unlike the others, he went easy on me and treated it more like a guidance session, so I managed to enter the third floor.”
Looks like Wiyeol went easy on them. It’s good to have connections, after all.
“Since you’re at it, why not challenge the fourth floor?”
Unlike the duo, Namgoonghwa, who stayed here and practiced sparring with the disciples of Hongseong, smiled and spoke, but the two shook their heads. Sparring with Wiyeol was already pushing it, let alone thinking about the fourth floor.
“By the way, the Moonlight Sword Lady is more than capable of reaching the fourth floor, right?”
As Yo Heemi sipped tea alongside Namgoonghwa, Chaejin smiled brightly. The fourth floor, huh? At her current level, it’s definitely within reach.
“I’ve been to the fifth floor!”
“Whoa… the fifth floor? I’ve heard that hardly anyone can enter the fifth floor. Truly, you are Moonjeong!”
Namgoonghwa and Yo Heemi’s eyes sparkled with admiration, and Chaejin seemed pleased by their reaction.
Chaejin grabbed the hem of my clothes, and as I looked at her, I closed the ledger.
“Regardless of how I introduced you, obtaining qualification for the third floor is thanks to your efforts and abilities. Congratulations.”
“Haha. Thank you! Anyway, since good things happened, we’ll bring in more business for you.”
“Hm? Is that alright?”
I wondered if they had their own schedules and if it was okay for them to just hang around here.
“Actually… I didn’t expect to stay this long.”
As Gak Hwijun and Ma Cheolpi sat down and received tea from Jeomsoi, Namgoonghwa started to fiddle with her teacup.
I get it. Having just received a title from the Murim Alliance, they should be focusing on raising their public profile.
Seomhwa Village, being a peaceful place, was not ideal for increasing their reputation.
Reputation, especially for righteous martial artists, is usually gained by defeating bandits, exterminating evil monsters, or fighting mad sects upon request from the Empire or the Murim Alliance.
There’s hardly any chance of that happening in Seomhwa Village, so their challenges would only amount to sparring with Chaejin or practicing with disciples from Hongseong.
“Or how about you guys go visit Yongwaseong too?”
“Taking the test to enter Cheonghoeru? It’s not a bad idea, but… I don’t think it’s necessary right now.”
“No, when we were at Yongwaseong, we received a request there.”
It sounded like one of the events they could participate in while at Yongwaseong.
It was me.
If you go about two days southeast from Yangwi Castle, there’s a mountain where an evil monster called Aguma resides. People who suffered from that monster came to Yangwi Castle to complain.
“Monster extermination… not a bad idea.”
Namgoonghwa nodded and stood up. She looked at me and said, “Innkeeper, it seems we’ll be away for about four days.”
“Very well.”
“Can we use a room after that?”
A reservation guest, perhaps. I nodded and wrote it down in the log.
“The records say that Aguma fears water. If you find yourself overwhelmed by Aguma, it’s good to use tools related to water.”
“Oh? You know about that?”
Of course I do. I’ve caught plenty of them in Heavenly Bright Moon.
“Aguma is a monster born from fire. It likes to torment others using fire and will never appear near water due to its fear of it. So remember, if you find an unusually dry spot, Aguma might be hiding there.”
“Oh…”
“There’s a talismancer named Changju in Seomhwa Village. If you buy a few water-related talismans from her, you should be able to catch it easily.”
The four young warriors stared at me intently. I tilted my head at their gaze.
“Why do you look like that?”
“No, Innkeeper. You really know a lot about everything.”
I laughed at Namgoonghwa’s comment.
“For those who lack strength, knowledge is a great help. And running an inn means I get to see plenty of those who fight monsters.”
“I see…”
“If they can safely catch the monsters, then people like me in the village can live more comfortably, right? I’m just trying to help in any way I can.”
“Innkeeper…”
The four young warriors looked at me with sparkling eyes. That’s quite the pressure.
“Travel safely.”
Just as I was about to rise from my seat, a member of the Murim Alliance entered the inn.
“Yu Wol, Innkeeper.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Jegeol Sohee is looking for you.”
Jegeol Sohee?
I thought for a moment and then nodded.
Seems a certain level of investigation has been done in the open.
“Let’s go. Chaejin, are you alright with that?”
“Of course.”
Entering Hongseong, I found Chuyoung, Jegeol Sohee, Sword Saint Na Yerin, and Hongryeon waiting.
As Chaejin and I walked in, Jegeol Sohee jumped to her feet and bowed her head.
“Thank you, Yu Seonsaeng.”
“From your reaction, it seems you made some progress in the open.”
“Yes… Although not to the extent of your investigation…”
In just a few days, she couldn’t possibly catch up to the level of our long-term investigation in Hao-mun. I nodded with a smile, and she let out a heavy sigh.
There’s no way I can keep up with that level. I nodded with a smile, and she let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s scarier than I thought. This place called the Iron Blood Clan.”
It’s not the strength that’s the problem. It’s that they can hide themselves and operate from the shadows like this. Just that alone makes the Iron Blood Clan a force worth keeping in check.
“But it’s tough to grasp their essence when all we can catch are their tails. Have you figured out anything?”
Sadly, no. Even in Heavenly Bright Moon, I tried to scout the places they might be before they attacked, but there was no way to meet them before they made their move.
So, I thought it might be possible here to use the sword masters or Hao-mun to investigate the places where they might be lurking, or through the main story, to check where they might be lying in wait, but those places were either empty or completely unrelated to the Iron Blood Clan.
“They hide themselves thoroughly… this is merely a chance to catch them when they reveal themselves like this.”
“I see…”
“I do have a hunch about a few places, though…”
Currently, there are two remaining factions of the Iron Blood Clan: Iron Blood Wood and Iron Blood Fire.
Iron Blood Wood is in the north, so they won’t be showing up for a while.
“Is it… in the north?”
“That’s correct.”
Jegeol Sohee’s expression darkened. The north is currently inaccessible, so even if it’s opened up, it would be hard to investigate.
Of course, not for me. While watching for news from the north through Cheonilhwa, I discovered some sabotage that looked like it was the Iron Blood Clan’s work.
Most of those places were gathering spots of spiritual energy from Heavenly Bright Moon, so we can say that the Iron Blood Clan’s operations in the north have been quite successful.
“I have connections in the military, and according to them, the entry control to the north will be lifted around this autumn.”
“…Then they could boldly come down to the south.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Even if that’s lifted, neither Hongseongmun nor I would be moving. Of course, if the Murim Alliance catches Iron Blood Wood like last time, that’d be perfect, but I doubt that’ll happen…
The Iron Blood Wood, having gained strength in the north, would probably plan to attack Seomhwa Village. Others have failed, but for Iron Blood Wood, the spiritual energy of Hongseongsan would be a mouth-watering target.
“…We really need to establish a Murim Alliance branch in Seomhwa Village.”
That would be the wise choice. It’d be foolish not to defend when we already know where the enemy will attack.
Having already missed the movements of the Iron Blood Clan, the Murim Alliance won’t just sit back either.
“…So, can we consider our business with the Murim Alliance done here?”
After the conversation wrapped up, the Sword Saint spoke. In response, Chuyoung and Jegeol Sohee nodded their heads.
“I sincerely hope you’ll protect Hongseongsan well.”
As Chuyoung stepped forward to say that, the Sword Saint chuckled softly. That smile seemed to be the only answer needed.
The Sword Saint smiled slightly at that. It seemed her smile was answer enough.
The people from the Murim Alliance left Seomhwa Village around evening.
As I watched them distance themselves, I turned to Chaejin.
“I need to go pay a visit to the Hyeonryeong.”
“Uh? Why?”
“Because soon, a Murim Alliance branch will be established in Seomhwa Village. If we take advantage of that, we can help the village develop further. I can’t let that opportunity slip away.”
For that, I needed to discuss it with the Hyeonryeong. Chaejin nodded and we headed to the government office.
When we arrived, the Hyeonryeong welcomed me as if he had been waiting.
“I heard the Murim Alliance was looking for Hongseong. So? What’s going on?”
“We’ve decided to establish a Murim Alliance branch in Seomhwa Village.”
“I see…”
As he had shown in the past, the Hyeonryeong was quite capable. Using the establishment of the Murim Alliance branch to boost Seomhwa Village’s growth, he offered a few suggestions.
“That’ll cost a lot.”
Most of those ideas indeed required a considerable amount of money, and the Hyeonryeong smiled awkwardly.
“Haha. Who else would I be discussing such matters with other than you, the innkeeper?”
After all, it’s the budget that rules the world.
In any case, our goals aligned, so there was no reason not to help each other.
“By the way, I think results related to the gold mine development will be out soon. If things go well, we could make quite a profit, so we should invest.”
“Uh… Innkeeper Yu, is that really okay? What I mentioned… it might be quite costly…”
“Money isn’t meant to be just stored away. It needs to circulate appropriately.”
And the development of Seomhwa Village would also benefit me. As the village grows and develops, land prices will rise, which isn’t bad for someone like me who owns a lot of land here.
Moreover, money is just a means, not an end.
There are plenty of ways to earn, so let’s spend where it’s needed.
That’s how we achieve our goals.
On the way back from meeting the Hyeonryeong, Chaejin poked me in the side.
“What’s that for?”
“Hehe. You were cool!”
“Suddenly?”
“The part about money needing to circulate. The Chae who practices Taijiquan emphasizes circulation too, you know.”
“Haha. It seems what I learned from the Chae while training in Taijiquan has greatly influenced my mindset.”
Chaejin chuckled and stuck close to me.
“Then, the great disciple of Moonjeong, Chaejin, should practice so that the Taijiquan I teach can influence you too!”
“…But I’ve already finished today’s training.”
“Is there ever an end to training?”
Her assertive words left me speechless.
Well, she had a point.
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