My daily routine is quite regular.
I wake up before sunrise to practice Ogumhee and start my morning business.
After finishing my business, I receive rigorous training from Chaejin, who has come down, and the rest of my time is spent working continuously.
Once lunchtime wraps up, I clean the guest rooms and work until Chaejin drags me into my room for a forced, intensive Taegukkwon training, just like how Teacher Gumon comes to pressure me.
By the time that’s over, evening arrives, and after a session of Ogumhee, I tackle the remaining tasks.
Isn’t it just super regular?
However, there was a slight change in this regular life.
“Thank you every time.”
“What for?”
Ever since the recent attack from the Demon Cult, I decided to patrol the Seomhwa Village on behalf of Hongseong.
Of course, it’s within a level that won’t interfere with the training of Hongseong, but it was certainly not a bad thing for Seomhwa Village.
After all, having a martial artist from the village, especially a friendly one, patrolling is a big help in maintaining public order.
Naturally, even the officials were pleased and provided support funds.
With that funding, I started buying medicine, dipping even into my own pocket. Although I wanted to acquire elixirs, they’re not exactly easy to come by.
So, I’ve been steadily collecting things like Gold Decoction or strange medicines to consume when injured, and once I gathered a decent amount, I handed them out to the disciples of Hongseong.
This is already the third time.
I shook my head at the cute girl with gray hair receiving the box of medicine.
Sayoon.
The goal of my arrival in this world.
Still awkward about receiving something, she held the box tightly in her hands.
“Ah. So, um, yesterday, you received help from Hyunwi, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Was there any difficult part?”
I recommended my guesthouse’s backyard as the gathering spot for the disciples of Hongseong after they finished their patrol.
The reason was simple.
I wanted to have some snacks ready for them when they returned.
Of course, I had my own reasons to give something to Sayoon, but all the other disciples of Hongseong liked Sayoon too.
So we’re one!!
Thus, a couple of snacks were absolutely not something to feel stingy about.
Whether they knew my heart or not, the disciples of Hongseong never accepted anything for free.
That’s why they agreed to look after my Ogumhee sessions, and naturally, it became an addition to my regular routine.
I’m okay with it.
“The fire form was a bit tricky.”
Since I was receiving rigorous training from Chaejin for Taegukkwon, I didn’t find it difficult.
But Ogumhee was a different story. All I knew were a few discussions from the gallery and one secret technique; it was practically self-study.
Therefore, there were quite a few helping hands that the disciples of Hongseong needed to lend to my Ogumhee, and thankfully, Sayoon was one of those hands.
“Would you like to try unfolding it?”
Sayoon stood right next to me. As her violet-like deep eyes pierced me, I reached out.
Ogumhee is a martial art based on the principles of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Therefore, each form follows the attributes of the elements, and the fire form was naturally something I found challenging to grasp.
“Hmm… I see the reason.”
As my outstretched hand went down to the ground and I rotated my body to strike through the air, Sayoon nodded seriously.
“Why?”
“Because your inner strength is lacking. In the fire form of Ogumhee, that’s the case.”
As I stepped back, Sayoon adopted the same stance I had previously taken. Her right hand lifted, supporting the sky, while her left pressed down toward the ground.
“The beginning is the Harmony of Heaven and Earth.”
Just as I whispered that, her hands moved. The right hand, commanding the heavens, descended.
It signified the sun bestowing fire upon the earth, and flames enveloped her right hand.
Though subtle, the energy of fire, one of the five elements, dwelled within it.
However, the fire was not hot; it was a peaceful flame meant to care for those on the ground.
“Huh. Like this.”
With a bright smile after finishing the form of fire, Sayoon beamed, and I applauded her while presenting some sweets I had prepared.
Her face flushed, she alternated her gaze between the sweets and me before bowing politely to accept them.
Seeing her so happy over a few coins’ worth of sweets filled me with pride.
Haha.
“Do you have any worries lately?”
“Worries…”
As Sayoon munched on the sweets, she closed her eyes for a moment. After a long pause, she finally opened her mouth slightly.
“Um, Innkeeper. What do the gentlemen like?”
…Huh?
“I-I have a gentleman that I’ve received a lot of help from…”
She hesitated, suddenly startled. And shivered like a drenched puppy.
“Of course, I’ve received a lot of help from you, Innkeeper!!”
She began flailing her arms in all directions, rambling incoherently.
She looked so cute, like a surprised puppy, but my superhuman patience was strong enough to maintain a blank expression.
After some time of her babbling, she eventually turned beet red and buried her head.
Calmly combining her earlier words, I asked, “So, to summarize, there’s a gentleman you’ve received a lot of help from, but you don’t know what he likes, so you can’t do anything for him?”
“Yeeees…”
That gentleman is surely me.
Ah, pride echoes within my chest.
Hey, are you all watching?
Our Sayoon wants to do something for someone…
Representing the five million members of the Sayoon Corps, I recalled the bizarre phrases that popped up in past discussions among the members on what she’d want to do.
Excluding the nonsense like “Sayoon was the woman who would become my mother!” or “I want to ask Sayoon for a guarantee!”…
What on earth.
“Just grow up healthy and don’t get hurt,” is all you want?!
You selfish ones…
“Well, let’s see. With a hundred people, there are a hundred preferences, so I also wouldn’t know what he likes.”
“Is that so… Then what about you, Innkeeper? Is there something I could do for you?”
“Me?”
I smiled at Sayoon.
“Just grow up healthy and don’t get hurt.”
At my words, Sayoon’s eyes widened, then she giggled.
I couldn’t keep Sayoon for long. Soon, another disciple from Hongseong arrived to take her away, and I returned to my room to continue my work.
-Knock knock.
“Master. The Hyeonryeong has come to see you.”
Huh? The Hyeonryeong?
I hurried downstairs, where a stout officer, resembling a bearded tiger, awaited me with his typical grumpy face, flanked by two robust soldiers.
I went down, and a bearded official with the imposing look of a tiger, flanked by two burly guards, was waiting for me with his signature grumpy face.
“Why has the local leader come here?”
“I’m just here to have a word with the innkeeper.”
“Why not just call for him?”
“Well, the innkeeper must be quite busy as well…”
“Isn’t that just for you? Come on, let’s go.”
A little later, expensive dishes were brought in.
“I’m not here to eat, but hmm.”
Oh come on! Every time food and drinks came out, he was licking his lips—what’s the deal with that?
His mouth may say no, but his body sure is honest!
“It just happens to be evening. You must have been busy with work, so please allow me the opportunity to treat you.”
“Hmm. Hmm. I feel bad to be eating on the innkeeper’s tab.”
“Don’t mention it. Now, please eat.”
Despite all that, this person isn’t bad at all. After all, he helps Seomhwa Village a lot and does what he needs to do.
So getting closer to someone like him doesn’t sound bad at all.
As long as I don’t cross any lines with unreasonable requests, being friends could lead to some nice favors down the road.
After several rounds of drinks, with some dishes disappearing from the plate, he spoke up with a slightly flushed face.
“About that recent incident, you know, the ones with the Demon Cult?”
“Oh. Yes.”
“There was quite a lot going on back then, right?”
“Indeed?”
“Plus, the innkeeper even met with the Demon Cult directly. I heard he got pretty close with the Hongseong folks too.”
“Did… he?”
Suddenly talking about that, huh?
Seeing my confusion, the local leader smirked.
“That’s why I’d like to ask the innkeeper for one favor.”
“Please go ahead. If it’s not something too difficult, I’ll accept.”
“I’d like you to directly investigate inside the Hongseong.”
His tone was serious, and my eyebrows twitched. In the silence that demanded an explanation, he shrugged and took a sip of his drink.
“Do you know that other Demon Cultists entered Hongseong besides the ones caught by the Falling Sun Sword?”
“I’ve heard. The Sword Saint dealt with them personally…”
“A clear investigation report has been requested regarding that.”
“Oh… normally investigations like this are handled directly by the central office, right? Why hasn’t the central office come personally?”
“They said they’d send someone after receiving the investigation report. Seems they’re being cautious since it’s Hongseong.”
From Sayoon’s letter and the stories from the Hongseong disciples that came down, it seems the training hall was utterly wrecked.
And that training hall is where the Sword Saint resided—one of the most critical places in Hongseong.
In other words, outsiders can’t just waltz in there to investigate.
“Traditionally, officials shouldn’t get entangled with martial artists. Plus, it’s true that we’ve received help from Hongseong, so we can’t barge in…”
So, you want to extend your hand to someone like me, who’s on good terms with Hongseong?
“Of course, I know that the Hongseong folks are good people. But even so, they are martial artists. They must have their own rules; it wouldn’t be right to impose the government’s rules on them, right?”
“Well, Io. They must have their own rules, so it wouldn’t be right to impose the rules of the court on them, would it?”
It seemed considerate, but his eyes were filled with fear and caution.
After all, no matter how distinguished Hongseong may be, one can’t just waltz into their territory uninvited.
Especially if they’re the ones who just helped you.
“But if it’s you, the Innkeeper Yu, then it’s a different story, isn’t it? Besides, I’ve heard you’ve been taking a break at the inn after your patrols lately.”
“Hmmm…”
“The matters concerning the Demon Cult are quite sensitive. If this isn’t resolved properly, no matter how distinguished Hongseong is, and even if they mean well, the Empire will likely restrict the conveniences given to them. In that case, the main clan will be in a fix too.”
Ah. That would be inconvenient.
“Right? Just leave it to me.”
He was satisfied with my reply.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll send someone to bring the White Jade Token tomorrow.”
Since the Demon Cult was a long-standing enemy of the Empire, the Empire had its own preparations against them.
One of those preparations was the White Jade Token.
One of the Empire’s achievements against the Demon Cult, it’s a tool to absorb and investigate demonic energy.
After identifying what kind of demon cult it is through this method, if the magic technique is of high level, and if the subject has died, then the Empire will pinpoint the original location of that demon cultist and plan an attack.
The higher the level of the magic techniques used by a demon cultist, the higher their rank, and if there are no high-ranking demon cultists, it means they’re less prepared.
Recalling events that occurred frequently in Heavenly Bright Moon, I nodded.
“But wouldn’t that be enough to leave it to Hongseong?”
“Tsk. Truth be told, I’ve considered that… but checking demonic energy with the White Jade Token isn’t something that can be done just once. Plus, there are other things to take care of…”
Absorbing demonic energy with the White Jade Token typically takes a day. However, it can fail, requiring multiple attempts.
I remembered that this was how the most unlucky person in Gale got picked. As I recall, they had 13 consecutive failures, which was rather unfortunate.
Anyway, it seemed the Hyeonryeong didn’t want to offload this to Hongseong, as he couldn’t dismiss the possibility of failure.
Well, it wasn’t a bad deal for me either.
I also wanted to check out Hongseong.
Even though Hongseong is a men’s only zone, it’s not as if there are no ways for a guy to enter other similar zones that appeared in Heavenly Bright Moon.
If it comes to it, I could just ask nicely.
And besides, I had something to ask of the Hyeonryeong anyway, so this worked out well.
“It’s not just about this… Hyeonryeong, I have an urgent favor to ask.”
“Hahaha. It’s not like I’m not friendly with you, Innkeeper Yu. We’re practically family, so I should help you out with anything. Don’t hesitate, just tell me what you need.”
“I need it when I need it.”
I lit up my eyes towards the Hyeonryeong.
“Please mobilize all the officials you can. Of course, it’s not something dangerous for the Empire, so don’t worry.”
After some contemplation, he lifted his glass.
Contract established.
I gained a weapon to deal with the Iron Blood Clan.
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