“Phew… You’ve all worked hard.”
Only after the corpse of the mountain tiger had completely turned to ashes did Hongryeon calm her excitement. The woman who had just been filled with rage smiled brightly at me.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. By the way, Sayoon, you fought really well, didn’t you? You seem to have improved since the Cheongwoon-kwan.”
“I worked hard on it!”
Right. Well done. I nodded at Sayoon, and she seemed quite pleased.
Meanwhile, Hyunhwi returned with the inner garment, scales, and tail of the tiger.
“This is the inner garment of the mountain tiger,” Hyunhwi muttered as she gazed at the softly glowing orb. It was my first time seeing it for real, so I couldn’t help but be fascinated.
“We can divide it here. Chaesoja, what do you want?”
“Me? Please give me the scales.”
“Huh? You don’t want the inner garment?”
Usually, when someone catches something like this, the inner garment is the most important. So, I expected Chaejin to want the inner garment, but instead she was asking for scales.
“Ah, I can make gloves with those scales.”
“Oh… But you don’t wear gloves, do you?”
I glanced at her hands. She had practiced hand techniques, so her hands were quite beautiful even without gloves. But gloves?
As I was puzzled, Chaejin subtly averted her gaze.
Was she embarrassed to answer? She hesitated and began fiddling with her hairpin.
It was the hairpin she received from Chaeran last time.
“… Since I got this as well…”
Ah. So she’s planning to take care of her younger sister.
No matter how much her sister was a competitor eyeing her position, she still wanted to look out for her, huh?
I smiled at her affectionately, and Chaejin’s face flushed.
“What, what is it?!”
“It’s nothing. Then, the scales will go to you, Chaesoja, and the rest can be taken by Hongseong.”
“Huh? What about you, Innkeeper?”
Sayoon looked at me, startled. Me? What about me?
“I wasn’t interested in the mountain tiger in the first place. And if my military ruler’s treasure reached the mountain tiger, that’s enough for me.”
“But still…”
“I’m really fine. Hongryeon, would you do that for me?”
“Don’t say that. If we use the techniques of Hongseong, we can make more elixirs. You’ve also learned martial arts, so it will surely help.”
“I’m fine.”
I’ve already talked with the Sword Saint about this. There’s no need to gather elixirs here.
“Alright. Then let’s head back.”
I hopped onto the cart, and the women stared at me intently.
“Aren’t you coming? If you don’t hurry, it’ll be night by the time we arrive.”
After hearing my urge, they finally got on the cart.
Could it be because I felt the cold earlier? For some reason, my body felt a bit shaky. Seeing me like that, Hongryeon naturally took off her outer garment and draped it over my shoulders.
“If you feel unwell, come to the back. I’ll drive.”
“No, I’m fine. Now, let’s go.”
In the distance, Seomhwa Village came into view. Was it because it was night? I could see lights flickering here and there in the fence. Since we just need to go a little further, I should take the reins.
“You all fought against the mountain tiger, right? I should do something, since I only watched.”
“Hey. Our duty is to protect you. We did what we had to.”
I sighed as I looked at her torn clothes.
“Speaking of those clothes, weren’t they expensive?”
“They’re not that pricey.”
“I’ll buy you a set when we go to Cheongho.”
“You really don’t have to. I’m serious.”
“It doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Then let’s go together. Hehe. I’ll buy you clothes too.”
“… How about we all go together next time we visit Cheongho?”
As Hongryeon said that with a smile, Chaejin also laughed. In this cheerful atmosphere, we arrived at the entrance of the fence, and the door opened.
“Oh. Isn’t that you, Innkeeper? I didn’t expect you to be this late.”
A familiar soldier smiled and welcomed us. I gave him a casual greeting, and he gestured toward the cart as he looked over.
“Please come in. I suppose you won’t mind skipping the inspection, right?”
“Haha. Thank you.”
“Oh come on! The innkeeper has done so much for Seomhwa Village, how can we check him at every turn? It’s all about trust, you know. Trust.”
This is what connections are all about!
I smiled at him.
“Make sure to come back to the inn with your friends next time. I’ll treat you to a drink.”
“Oh dear. Thank you.”
With that, we entered Seomhwa Village and arrived in front of the inn. As if they heard the sound of a cart approaching, the inn’s servants and Jeomsoi quickly came out. I returned the clothes to Hongryeon.
“Thanks for lending them to me.”
“We’ll help you move your things too.”
“There’s really no need for that.”
“Come on, stop refusing. This is the time to lend a hand. Hyunhwi, Sayoon, let’s move the goods.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
Following Hongryeon’s instructions, the two also got off the cart. Chaejin was already moving several large items into the storage. Really now!
“Welcome. But you’re later than I expected?”
“We had a bit of trouble along the way. Everything alright at the inn?”
“Well, what kind of trouble could happen here? By the way, did you bring what I asked for?”
“Ah, I have it, so don’t worry.”
I said with a smile, and Yohwan was delighted.
“Great! Look forward to it. I can make something even more delicious in winter.”
“Haha. Yohwan, your cooking is definitely something to look forward to. Alright, I need to get moving as well.”
The rewarding journey was coming to an end.
*
When the disciples who went to Yangwi Star returned, the Hongseong clan welcomed them with smiles.
And it didn’t take long for those smiles to turn into astonishment.
“They really showed up.”
The Sword Saint, welcoming the disciples, gazed intently at the scales of the mountain tiger and spoke.
There was no joy, no surprise—just an utterly calm expression from her, which puzzled Hongryeon.
“Aren’t you surprised?”
“I’m sufficiently surprised… Anyway, you all went through a lot of hardships. Catching a mountain tiger couldn’t have been easy.”
“Hyunhwi and Sayoon fought surprisingly well, and Chaejin… helped too.”
Hongryeon gently patted their heads. Sayoon smiled brightly, and Hyunhwi slightly flushed, still maintaining a stoic expression.
The Sword Saint, observing them, nodded her head.
“And… this is the tail of the mountain tiger.”
She lightly held the white tail, which emanated a faint chill.
As she gazed at the tail with indifferent eyes, she nodded.
“Now we can create a divine artifact for Hongseong.”
“Indeed.”
Perhaps she was pleased at the thought of being able to recreate a divine artifact that had long gone after the destruction, as her voice trembled.
Was that why? The disciples all approached the Sword Saint to comfort her, which made her smile softly.
“Thank you. Anyway… the divine artifact comes after the elixir.”
“Huh? Aren’t we supposed to make the divine artifact first?”
Sayoon exclaimed, but the Sword Saint shook her head.
Of course, the divine artifact was important, but it was not more important than the growth of her disciples.
Plus, making both the divine artifact and the elixir would require a considerable amount of funds.
While selling medicinal herbs and fragrance bags had improved Hongseong’s situation, the costs were still no small matter, something the Sword Saint knew all too well.
“Hongryeon. Can we proceed with both right now?”
After quickly calculating, Hongryeon shook her head regretfully. With the current funds, it was barely possible to do one or the other.
“There are many medicinal herbs needed to make the elixir using Hongseong’s secret method.”
“That’s right.”
It was only natural that they could produce more elixirs than other sects, hence needing more materials.
“So let’s make the divine artifact later.”
“Okay…”
“Then the necessary medicinal herbs…”
“Buying them from you, innkeeper, would probably be best, right?”
There’s likely something available in Yu Wol’s store, and we can source the rest through the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild.
There will be things available and things that aren’t, but you can obtain medicinal herbs through the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild.
“In addition, we might be able to use herbs or medicinal materials that grow wild in Hongseongsan. I hope the disciples can focus a bit more on finding medicinal materials starting from tomorrow during their training at Hongseongsan.”
“Yes!!”
“And we need to select someone to take the elixir…”
“I’m fine with it.”
“Me too.”
“Uh… me too. Since I took the Cheongsa-hwan last time.”
Upon hearing the three, the Sword Saint smiled brightly. While Hyunhwi was fine, Hongryeon definitely had enough inner power.
So she could accept the refusals of the two with a smile, but Sayoon was different.
She lacked inner power at the moment. Unlike the other two, who needed enlightenment and training more, Sayoon needed the elixir.
Thus, the Sword Saint gently patted Sayoon’s head.
Realizing what that gesture meant, Sayoon shook her head.
“But… what about the other senior sisters…”
“Oh my? Sayoon, are you looking down on your senior sisters? Master, I’m fine too. I’ll give my turn to my younger sisters.”
Ryuhyun, who was listening, spoke with a smile, and the other senior sisters agreed.
“Sayoon, remember that in Hongseong, we all stand together. A weak disciple must grow stronger, and the strengthened disciple should pull up the weaker ones. That’s how Hongseong has always been and will continue to be. Once you gain your strength, if you help the other senior sisters, that will be enough.”
All the other disciples agreed with the Sword Saint.
While they all had a desire to grow stronger by taking the elixir, there was no one in Hongseong who would greedily stray from that principle.
At their warm response, the Sword Saint trembled slightly.
“Ahem! Ahem! Anyway, let’s proceed with that. After assessing the current state of inner power, I will choose which disciples will take the elixir.”
Wiping her eyes, the Sword Saint cleared her throat and spoke.
When all the disciples agreed with her, she calmly looked around at them and said, “Alright. Then let’s disband for today. Hongryeon. Sayoon. Tomorrow, you two will go with me to meet the Innkeeper. We need to express our gratitude. How could I only pass that message on to you two as the head of Hongseong?”
Everyone agreed with her.
The next day, the Sword Saint, along with the two, headed to the inn.
They ran into Chaejin, who was coming out of the inn’s kitchen.
“Oh? What’s this? The Sword Saint has come too, and Sayoon.”
“We’re here to express our gratitude for yesterday. Where is the Innkeeper?”
“Isn’t it a time when he should be training?”
Wondering about it, Sayoon asked, and Chaejin shrugged her shoulders.
“Today, he said he wasn’t feeling well, so he decided to rest. He should be in the backyard. I thought about calling a doctor from the town, but he says he’s fine and has a lot to do, so… I planned to wait a bit and see how he’s doing before bringing someone.”
After saying that, Chaejin walked ahead, and the three followed her.
In the backyard, they discovered a man sitting there blankly.
“Innkeeper?”
The first to approach him was Sayoon.
Staring at her with hazy eyes, unlike usual, he chuckled softly.
“Oh, Sayoon. What brings you here at this hour?”
“… You look unwell. Are you okay?”
He smiled.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing to worry about.”
At that, Hongryeon silently walked over and placed a hand on him.
“You’re burning up.”
“I’m fine. It’s just this much.”
As he slowly rose from his spot, he wavered, perhaps losing strength. In a swift move, Hongryeon caught him, and Yu Wol’s face ended up in her arms.
“Oh.”
The scent that wafted to her nose and the weight of his body made Hongryeon momentarily dizzy. But there was no time to enjoy that; Yu Wol’s condition looked too serious.
Hongryeon felt dizzy for a moment. But she couldn’t enjoy it. Yu Wol’s condition looked that bad.
“F-first, it’s better to lie down. Chaejin, where’s the innkeeper’s room?”
She quickly used her recovery techniques to boost his stamina, but he still couldn’t seem to gather his senses.
Yet, Hongryeon could speak quickly because she had taken care of many sick junior sisters as the great disciple of Hongseong.
But even so, the opponent was weak in martial arts and someone she liked.
That’s why Hongryeon’s voice trembled seriously.
At her words, Chaejin shouted urgently.
“Huh? Uh. Second floor!! I’ll move him…”
“I’ve already heard.”
Hongryeon immediately lifted the innkeeper.
Despite her smaller frame, carrying Yu Wol, who was much larger, was nothing for a martial artist well-versed in internal power.
As she turned her head with Yu Wol in her arms, she noticed something.
“Huh?”
The Master was nowhere to be seen.
Puzzled, she thought the Sword Saint had just stepped away for a moment, while she carried Yu Wol, and Chaejin and Sayoon hurriedly followed behind her.
Instead of taking him to the office on the third floor of the inn, Hongryeon brought him to his room on the second floor, a place not often used.
As she laid him down on the bed, Yohwan entered after hearing the commotion, looking worried while Yu Wol lay with his eyes closed, not moving at all.
Just moments ago, he had lost the dim consciousness he had left.
Seeing this, the three of them unknowingly bit their lips tightly.
“Ah. First, let’s call the doctor…”
Just then, the door swung open.
“Master…”
It was the Sword Saint, who had disappeared earlier.
Even in this situation, the expressionless Sword Saint stood beside a bewildered doctor from the government office.
It seemed she had rushed to get the doctor during that brief moment.
“What is this?! Yu Innkeeper?!”
The doctor hurriedly took Yu Wol’s pulse. After checking his breath and doing a few other tests without even acupuncture, he finally spoke.
“Looks like Wind Cold.”
“Is that a serious illness?!”
“Call upon the Murim Alliance to send help!! I’ll go! The divine being owes a debt to Moonjeong, so if I go…!”
“Innkeeper…!! Ugh… Waaah!!”
Hongryeon was serious, Chaejin was flustered, and Sayoon was on the verge of tears.
Seeing their reactions, the doctor looked utterly baffled.
“Everyone, calm down. Have you all never heard of Wind Cold? It’s just a cold. A cold.”
“Oh.”
“He’s got a bit of a fever. I guess he was out in the cold yesterday. It seems the accumulated fatigue caused him to collapse. Don’t worry. As you all know, the innkeeper has been overdoing it lately. It’s a common symptom.”
Silence enveloped the room.
The doctor waved his hands at the gathered people.
“First, everyone get out. Let him sleep well, and when he wakes up, make sure he takes his medicine regularly. And be sure he eats well. He’s quite healthy, so resting for a few days should do the trick. Ah, I thought something serious was going on since the Sword Saint brought me here.”
Despite his words, it seemed the doctor was worried too.
As he spoke with a relieved expression, everyone felt a bit embarrassed about the earlier chaos and awkwardly left the room.
Finally, Chaejin, Hongryeon, Sayoon, and the Sword Saint stepped out last, and the Sword Saint calmly said.
“It seemed it wasn’t anything serious.”
“…Still, it’s a relief that the Master kept calm. Did you use your lightness skills to summon the doctor immediately?”
“It’s better to leave such matters to the doctor in situations like this.”
As Sayoon sniffled, the Sword Saint smiled warmly.
To calm their startled hearts, Yohwan suggested having a cup of tea, and the three of them went downstairs.
Only when they were out of sight did the Sword Saint lean against the wall, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.
Calm, indeed.
The Sword Saint placed her hand on her chest.
Her heart was still racing like crazy.
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