The next day arrived. Just like the Sword Saint, Hongryeon came by at dawn.
Seeing her, the Sword Saint rose from his seat.
“Uh… I suppose I should be off now.”
Perhaps due to an uncomfortable night, there had been sounds coming from the next room while working.
So we had tea together and chatted, but unlike the Sword Saint, who sparkled with joy at that moment, she spoke leisurely with her eyes half-closed, looking a bit drowsy.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Uh. It wasn’t much of a hassle. I’ll come by again next time.”
“Hello~! Master! Thank you for your hard work!”
“Yeah. I’ll be counting on you today.”
“Yes!”
After glancing at me, the Sword Saint patted Hongryeon on the shoulder before leaving. As she left, Chaejin let out a deep sigh when she saw Hongryeon entering with a bright smile.
So I smiled at her.
“Don’t you like having the name of Hongseong Clan on the inn?”
Chaejin had been staying at my inn as a guard, so she might have felt a bit prideful about having the name of Hongseong Clan here.
“Oh. No, I understand.”
Chaejin seemed more at peace than I expected. When I was surprised, she playfully flicked my arm with her crescent moon-like eyes.
“Did you think I would be upset about something like this? Hehe. Don’t worry about that. As Seomhwa Village grows and more martial artists join, borrowing the power of Hongseong Clan isn’t a bad thing for you. And…”
She winked with one eye and gave a charming smile.
“There’s not much time left, right?”
Then she turned her head slowly, presenting a confident expression towards Hongryeon, who was grinning in a strange way.
Seeing them smiling at each other, a few passing Jeomsois turned pale.
“Let’s not do this here and go inside. Chae, can you stay inside?”
“Hehe. Yes, I understand.”
After Chaejin went in, I took Hongryeon to the backyard. As she looked around the space in the backyard, she tilted her head.
“Do we have to stay here?”
“If you want, I can set up a spot inside. However, this area was also prepared for Hongseong Clan.”
The backyard isn’t exactly restricted, but guests typically don’t enter there.
So it would be fine to practice Hongseong Divine Art here.
“I’ll keep an eye on the backyard, so if the time comes when you need to focus, I could come down for protection or send Chaejin.”
“When the time comes to focus, I could come down to protect you or send Chae-soja instead.”
“Umm…”
“If you want, it’s fine to stay inside the inn. But if you’re thinking about training, wouldn’t it be better here?”
Even though Hongseong was sending disciples to guard my inn, I had no intention of keeping them around.
In both Heavenly Bright Moon and here, when disciples were dispatched from the sect, they would usually create a separate space for them to train during their free time, so it wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Still, considering how much money we’re getting, isn’t it better to have close security?”
Saying that, Hongryeon smiled sweetly and gently wrapped her arms around mine. Was it because my arm touched her ample chest?
I let out a cough without realizing it.
“Uh. It’s… touching.”
“Yes. I know.”
With a sweet smile, Hongryeon leaned her head on my shoulder.
Then, after a moment, she slowly released my arm and took a step back.
“Honestly, I’d like to stay this close, but… you’re not wrong. I can’t stop training. And I feel like training here would be more effective. It’s motivating.”
What could I say to that? I just nodded.
“And I’ll get to spar a bit with Chaejin too…”
“Just so you know.”
“I know. We’re not going to spar to the point of injuries. It’ll just be passing on skills.”
“Then that’s fine.”
With a bright smile, Hongryeon sat down on the long chair I often occupied. It was a spot where she could see inside the inn, so she could jump in if anything happened.
“Then I’ll ask for your help. Oh, and let’s have our meal together later.”
“Sounds good. Oh, and there’s one thing I want to ask.”
Hongryeon stopped me as I was about to go inside. Something she wanted to ask. What could it be?
“Is there any way to obtain a sealing talisman?”
A sealing talisman…
It was one of the items that could be acquired in Heavenly Bright Moon starting from Chapter 3 through shops, but before that, it could only be obtained through events.
The reason was simple.
Some materials needed to create sealing talismans could only be found in the North.
Of course, there were ways to get them by smuggling from the North or purchasing them at high prices through military channels, but generally speaking, it was better to wait until trade restrictions with the North were lifted.
“There are ways, but if you buy it now, it’ll be expensive. But why do you ask?”
“Uh… well…”
Hongryeon explained with a sigh. Ying Sayoon had made something during her trip to Amipha, but in order to send it through the postal system, it needed to be sealed with a sealing talisman to prevent energy from leaking out.
Hongryeon explained with a sigh. Sayoon had created something after visiting Amifa, but to send it via the postal service, it had to be sealed so that no energy leaked out through the seal.
At that moment, realization hit me.
Oh. So the Buddha statue that Sayoon is sending has become a treasure-level item.
Lucky me. It’s rare to score a treasure like this.
Anyway, since they’re sending it, I should get ready.
“I’ll check with the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild, but if it’s not urgent, it might be better to wait a bit.”
“Is that so?”
“Well. I’ll look for other ways to acquire it, so please wait.”
Anyway, when Sayoon sends the letter, I should remind them not to feel pressured and to take their time.
For now, I decided to contact the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild and headed up to my office.
While I was working hard away, I heard a knock on the window.
“Hello.”
It was the postal service clerk. He pointed to the backyard and asked.
“The Falling Sun Sword Lady is there. I heard the Hongseong Clan lent you their name.”
“That’s correct.”
“Congratulations. It’s not often that Hongseong lends their name like this.”
As we chatted lightly, the postal clerk handed me a letter. It was a letter from the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild and another from the Murim Alliance.
“Well then, take care.”
After he bowed and left, I saw Hongryeon looking up at me from below the window. I waved at her, and she smiled brightly and waved back.
Alright. Let’s see what they sent.
So, first up is the letter from the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild.
I immediately unfolded the letter and began reading.
“There are currently rumors circulating within the military. It involves events happening in the northern regions… It seems the trade restrictions with the north may lift sooner than expected.
The evil monsters in the north have suddenly started to disappear.
Scholars from the imperial palace are moving to verify this, so if confirmed, trade with the north is likely to become active by summer at the earliest.
Prepare for that.”
Cheonilhwa knew I had an interest in the northern regions.
So, they sometimes shared this inside information, but this time, even I was a bit taken aback.
Suddenly, the evil monsters are disappearing?
Isn’t this a precursor to the appearance of Sahyung?
Sahyung is one of the strongest enemies in Heavenly Bright Moon, referring to Hongdeon, Gunggi, Dool, and Docheol.
Among them, the Sahyung appearing from the north is Dool, known for his ferocity and the ability to incite battles and wars wherever he goes.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, Dool was introduced in part three, when the leader of the Iron Blood Clan joined forces with him for a final showdown.
The evil monsters, Dool and the leader of the Iron Blood Clan, ultimately teamed up to act together.
That Dool was defeated by Namgoong Cheon, the Thunderbolt Sword King and the head of the Namgoong Clan, one of the Ten Great Warriors.
And the Iron Blood Wood was captured by Sayoon…
“Mmm…”
I crossed my arms and recalled our scenario.
Dool, and the Iron Blood Wood.
What methods did we have to deal with them according to the scenario?
Methods…
There were just too many.
Anyway, I had to find the best scenario suitable for the current situation.
“…And.”
Next was a letter sent from the Murim Alliance. Upon checking, it was a letter from Namgoongseongyul.
The content was nothing special. It simply mentioned that he would visit soon.
Then I could just think about matters related to the North.
-Knock, knock.
“Busy?”
“How about a cup of tea if you’re free?”
It was Chaejin and Hongryeon’s voices. I opened the door, and I saw both of them standing in front of me.
“Come on in.”
Noticing the letter in my hand, the expressions of both turned a bit sour.
Did they think I was disturbed by something?
Not really.
I brought them inside. I poured them some tea, and after a moment of silence, Hongryeon cautiously spoke.
“Are you perhaps worried about something? Your expression seemed a bit… after looking at that letter.”
“Huh? No, it’s not like that. It’s just work-related.”
I showed them the letter that Cheonilhwa sent, and after reading the contents, they tilted their heads.
“Is it common for evil monsters to suddenly disappear?”
“There’s nothing common about sudden disappearances; you should think about cases of total annihilation. And if the military is focusing on it, then it’s a large-scale event.”
“Not the monster hunters… it’s not military involvement, right?”
“If that were the case, the military would have reason to be suspicious. Also, if monsters are disappearing en masse, it could only mean one thing.”
I spoke calmly to the silent duo.
“A powerful evil monster may have appeared to establish its own territory or might be preying on other monsters.”
“…Is a new powerful evil monster born?”
“It might have been born…”
I forced a bitter smile.
“It could be that something sealed has been awakened by someone.”
“…Sigh.”
“And… I have a rough idea of who might have broken that seal.”
At my words, their expressions hardened.
They had likely reached the same conclusion as I had.
Yeah.
Three out of the five leaders of the Iron Blood Clan are dead now.
It was time for the fourth one to make a move.
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