When I Sold the Sea Dragon Broth

Meanwhile, just before the disciples of the Wudang Sect set out under Elder Mihyeon's orders to preserve the water steeped in sea dragon broth—

"What's with this water?"

One of the Wudang Sect's female disciples stepped into the women's bathhouse and could not hide her astonishment. The water was crystal-clear, shimmering with a faint radiance that almost seemed to cast rainbows across its surface.

Around this hour they usually left a pot of medicinal spring water simmering so the disciples could wash, but that ordinary brew never glowed with anything like this sacred, luminous aura.

"Don't tell me… this is some kind of fortuitous encounter?"

The girl was certain something extraordinary had been prepared just for her. She was the sort ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who burned with the desire to grow stronger—whenever the sect held its yearly exchange matches with rare elixirs as prizes, she was always first in line to place her bets.

So of course…

"G-gulp."

Trembling hands scooped up the unknown water and she drank, convinced it was a destined gift meant for her alone.

"Wh-what are you doing?!"

"Why are you drinking that?"

"I-it's a fortuitous encounter! This is a fortuitous encounter!"

"Fortuitous encounter my ass—that's the water the guest just finished bathing in, you idiot!"

"U-uegh…"

Moments later the other female disciples arrived, following Mihyeon's orders to seal and preserve the sea-dragon-infused water. When they delivered the crimson truth, the girl could no longer hold back her retching. At least, thanks to the experience, the habit of blurting "fortuitous encounter" or "miracle elixir" at every little thing was finally cured for good.

After Mihyeon had issued his crisp, efficient orders to the disciples and Namgung Lin had gone off to help select the escorts who would take us as far as Muchang, the two of us were left alone inside Jasogung.

…

…

An awkward silence settled between me and Mihyeon.

"Um… is it all right if I take my leave now?"

I was the one who cracked first. Mihyeon, however, showed not the slightest intention of letting me go.

"Rest for a day and shake off the fatigue of travel before you move on. Did you not suffer dehydration on the climb up the mountain?"

"Ah, right. Of course. Then I'll just—"

"'Just' what? Have you even been shown where you will stay?"

"No? They only guided me as far as the bathhouse attached to the female disciples' quarters."

"In that case I shall escort you to the guest hall myself. The disciples who were here earlier left to guide Arin, and calling for others would mean explaining who you are all over again. Better I handle it."

"…Thank you for going out of your way when you're so busy?"

"Mm."

Mihyeon. Face value put him somewhere in his late fifties to mid-sixties. Considering the era, he looked a shade older than Namgung Lin's father. No wonder he came across as grandfatherly. The formal speech he rarely used felt stiff on his tongue, yet I still fell into step behind him and followed along.

"Are you getting along well with Arin?"

"She gets along well with me. As I mentioned, Lin buys me plenty of meals. Though that assassin from the Assassin Gate barging in at the end did ruin the mood."

"I see. The child has never mixed easily with her peers, so look after her, would you? Of course it feels rather shameless to ask a Shinsu who will live for centuries to mind a twenty-two-year-old infant… yet they do say age is no barrier to friendship."

"Twenty-three."

"What?"

"I'm twenty-three."

"Did you not claim to be a Shinsu? I was under the impression every Shinsu is some ancient monster well past a hundred."

"I'm on the young side. Freshly hatched, actually."

While I was already dealing with the old man, I took the chance to shave a few years off my age. Once we reached the Murim Alliance and made my hopae—my official identification—they would write down a year of birth. If I planted a few witnesses ahead of time, I could slip the paperwork through without trouble. Not a huge lie; just four years. My early twenties had been the most fun stretch of my previous life, and now that I had this pretty, vibrant, healthy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠body, starting over in my late twenties would have been far too depressing.

"Well then, twenty-three this year means you and Arin are the same age in the sexagenary cycle."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You are probably a year older. Close enough that it hardly matters—grow close to her. There is no bond more intimate than one forged through life and death."

"I think we already help each other out a great deal."

"Good. You, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at least, must become that child's pillar."

I nodded, then curiosity got the better of me.

"Is Lin really that unstable? What's the problem?"

"The child suffers from mania."

"Mania…?"

"She seems better these days, but when she was little the complaints never stopped—the bed was too hard, the water tasted of earth and she could not stand it. She was pathologically obsessed with cleanliness as well."

"Ah."

That… was probably just the aftershock of becoming Namgung Lin. A modern person dropped into a new body, unable to handle the gap, throwing little hysterics without even realizing it. Most people never remember that sort of thing themselves.

"After that she began comparing herself to her siblings. 'I could have handled a sword better. I could have been calmer. So-and-so never did this. So-and-so never did that. Namgung Lin must not behave this way.' She muttered to herself constantly."

"Aha?"

Yep. Textbook possession side-effects. At first the environment obsessed her; later the people around her came into focus and she started clinging harder and harder to who she used to be.

"I went to her myself and tried a little counseling, but nothing changed. Then at eighteen she suddenly joined the Murim Alliance, and that is the state she is in now. She may look as though she has grown up, yet she remains quite precarious. Her senior was a steady one and I rather liked him for it."

That senior was dead now. A simple mission to check the shifting situation around the Janggang, and he had the misfortune of running into the Blood Sect—like stepping in front of a truck.

"What I wish to say is this, Shinsu. You yourself have no true confidant with whom to share friendship, do you?"

"True enough."

"Do you have parents?"

"That question feels a little dangerous, doesn't it?"

"Nonsense. I am merely asking after the facts."

"Honestly, I don't know much about my parents either."

"Then in the life you must live, nothing will matter more than friends. Make friends so that others dare not target you lightly. Help your friends and live among humans the way they do. Arin has already volunteered to arrange a hopae for you, so it should not be difficult."

Right. In the end, this was what Mihyeon wanted to say. He was the classic great-uncle who ran into his grand-niece during the holidays, then felt obliged to shower the friend she brought along with every scrap of advice he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could think of. From my side, the rebellious little voice kept muttering that I would manage just fine coordinating with the Murim Gallery crowd and adapting to murim on my own, so why keep sticking his nose in?

—Tap.

Just as that contrarian streak was peaking, Mihyeon pressed a small ring box into my hand.

"This is both a modest gift and a reminder of my request. It is called Socheongdan, refined with the utmost care by Daoist masters of our Wudang Sect ranked first-generation and above. It takes ten full years to complete."

"Socheongdan…!"

I still didn't know exactly what it was, but the refined air rising from the little ring box made it obvious this was no ordinary trinket. When a grandfather hands you pocket money along with a sermon, you accept it with both hands and a polite bow.

"When the day comes that you wish to step onto the path of martial arts, this will greatly ease your entry. At the same time, Wudang's inner power will settle inside your body. Whenever you feel the energy of this Socheongdan, I ask that you remember the conversation we shared today."

"Of course. Elder, I will engrave every word you have spoken deep within my heart."

"Good. Your insides are transparent, yet that very transparency pleases me. When you spoke of your time with Arin I could tell your nature is not wicked."

Mihyeon, who had been walking ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, finally came to a halt.

"We have arrived. This is the guest hall. Rest well tonight and leave tomorrow."

"Ah, thank you!"

"Think nothing of it. We help one another through life. Still, I doubt I can give you anything beyond the Socheongdan I handed you today. In my heart I would love to teach you martial arts as well and keep you at Arin's side, yet unless you become an official disciple there is only so much I am permitted to pass on."

"Oh no, please—this alone is more than enough."

"Well, then. Seek Arin's help for martial arts. The Murim Alliance occasionally offers techniques even to wandering rogues; that would serve you far better than half-binding yourself to our Wudang Sect. I shall take my leave. Sleep is beginning to tug at me."

"Yes! Thank you! Please take care on your way!"

"Take care? Child, this Wudang headquarters is my own backyard."

Mihyeon laughed heartily and withdrew. Watching his retreating back, I clenched my fist tight.

"Hah, jackpot."

This was pure gallery-post material. I would snap a picture later and rack up a mountain of best-comments.

Before long Namgung Lin returned, and I made the rounds of polite introductions with the second-generation disciples of the Wudang Sect she brought along. Honestly, just remembering Sugang—another Murim Gallery regular—and Mihyeon, who clearly shared a deep bond with Namgung Lin, already felt like a full roster of names. Adding the second-generation disciples who would travel with us now pushed the list past what a hikikomori sea dragon who had spent recent weeks alone in a cave could comfortably handle. Still, I managed the greetings somehow, then returned to the guest hall with Namgung Lin in tow.

"Hey, Lin."

"Yes?"

"Namgung Lin."

"Ah…"

"Why didn't you tell me your family name? Then again, thinking about it, you were never going to offer it freely."

We went into the room, sat facing each other on our respective beds, and I casually opened the topic. We would sleep soundly tonight and leave together tomorrow; after that there would be little chance for the two of us to talk face-to-face for a while. I wanted to settle this while I still could.

"I… don't believe I have the right to use that surname. Strictly speaking, I don't even have the right to use the name Lin."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I'm an uninvited guest."

Now I understood completely. She was simply guilty toward the original owner of the body—classic possession guilt. I had never taken it that seriously myself.

Well, of course not. I possessed a body that was just sitting alone on the banks of the Janggang with zero connections, as if I'd been summoned out of nowhere.

I wasn't even sure it counted as possession. There had been no one around who knew the previous occupant. But if you dropped into the perfectly intact Namgung Family with every relative still alive, of course you would hang your head like that.

Still. I had to say this.

"Does that mean you're never going to tell me your family name? You're supposed to be my escort, Lin. You claimed you'd protect me, yet you already forgot how you got hit by a second-rate assassin's paralysis poison back in Hyeongmunhyeon?"

"Th-that was…"

"At the very least I know nothing about how you lived inside the Namgung Family. All I can judge you by is what you do right now. If you refuse to share even your surname and then fail to keep the words you yourself spoke…"

I might start to feel a wall between us too.

"At least from now on, I think that would happen. I never cared before, but after everything that just happened I learned your surname and a rough outline of your situation."

"What is it you want from me? In the end…? I… I just don't know…"

"A proper introduction?"

"…I'm Namgung Lin. Youngest daughter of the Namgung Family Head. Currently working for the Murim Alliance. And…"

"My bodyguard."

"Right. That."

"Good. Now I can finally treat you more comfortably. Agreed?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for everything until now."

Lin's lower lip stuck out in a little pout as she gave an awkward smile. We had known each other for days already, and she had even saved my life; even she seemed to find it ridiculous that she had never mentioned her family name.

"How about it? Can you hold your head a little higher now? At least in front of me?"

"…Yes. I think I feel better. Thank you."

See? Grateful. Of course she was. Then I might as well collect one more favor while I was at it.

"Uh… is there something else? What do I need to do?"

"Teach me martial arts."

I already had a Socheongdan from Mihyeon. Might as well use this chance to make a proper entrance into the martial world.