Orthodox Murim
When the innkeeper said something no one had expected, Cheongwol and Ak Seo-ah both widened their eyes in surprise.
If it was the Qingcheng Sect, then alongside the Tang Clan and the Emei Sect it stood as one of the righteous sects representing Sichuan’s martial world.
How, then, could they be oppressing commoners on Sichuan soil?
It could not be said that every faction aligned with the righteous path was pure, of course, but this was the Qingcheng Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.
No matter what they did behind closed doors, in front of others they were supposed to uphold the orthodox way.
And yet they had acted so carelessly that even a humble innkeeper had seen through them at a glance.
With a look of utter incomprehension, Cheongwol’s brow furrowed slightly.
“It’ll be easier to explain if I show you this. I suspect the Qingcheng men came looking for the inn because I had it on me.”
The innkeeper nodded as though he had expected this, then took something from his robes and placed it on the table.
“This is... a hidden weapon, isn’t it? How could the innkeeper have something like this?”
As Ak Seo-ah said, it was a hidden weapon that looked plain at first glance, yet the engraved patterns gave off a faint sense of meticulous craftsmanship.
“That’s right. I received it when I left the Tang Clan.”
The innkeeper looked down at the hidden weapon with a bitter smile.
“Wait. What do you mean by that? The Tang Clan?”
Now he was saying the innkeeper had ties to the Tang Clan too? Cheongwol’s head began to ache.
“I live now by running this inn, but I was once a martial artist of the Sichuan Tang Clan. I was from a collateral branch, so I served in the outer clan.”
“...”
Cheongwol looked at him in disbelief, but the innkeeper’s gaze had already drifted into the past.
“The Tang Clan was such a vast place that even as a collateral branch, one could live decently enough. If not for that one day... I would probably still be living that way now.”
His eyes, fixed on memories long past, were soon clouded with fear, rage, and helplessness.
“...It must have been a little less than twenty years ago. Even though it was deep night, they summoned everyone from the inner and outer clan and made us climb the mountain.”
The more vividly he remembered, the more the fear rushed in, until at last he could not bear it and closed his eyes.
“I was wondering why on earth we were climbing a mountain in the middle of the night when he appeared before us.”
Thunder and rain that seemed to split the sky over Sichuan. The downpour struck their shoulders so hard they could scarcely hear the person beside them. And then, a middle-aged man came running toward them, drenched in blood that even the rain could not wash away.
If one were to meet the most horrifying nightmare in reality, perhaps it would feel exactly like that.
“Before I could even make a sound, his sword blade brushed my neck and passed. If the ground hadn’t been soaked by the rain, making me lose my balance for a moment, I would surely have died. Just like the others standing beside me.”
As if to reflect the emotions of that time, the innkeeper’s hand had clenched so tightly the blood seemed to have stopped flowing through it.
“Are you telling that story again?”
Just as the two of them were absorbed in his words, a woman appeared.
She had faint lines at the corners of her eyes, but carried herself with a reserved and graceful dignity.
“I had no choice. I had to prove to our benefactors that I really was a martial artist of the Tang Clan.”
Seeing the woman, the innkeeper’s stiff expression softened.
“...I see.”
The woman, by contrast, wore a somewhat displeased expression, but gave in all the same.
Then she came closer and bowed politely to Cheongwol and Ak Seo-ah.
“My apologies for greeting you so late, benefactors. Was the food to your liking?”
Cheongwol and Ak Seo-ah swallowed the spicy oil lingering in their mouths and nodded.
“Yes. It was truly delicious.”
“I agree. But who is this lady...?”
When Ak Seo-ah looked at him as if asking for an explanation, the innkeeper gave an awkward smile and took the woman’s hand from his shoulder.
“This is my wife. She’s also the cook here at the inn.”
At the mention that the woman was his wife, Cheongwol and Ak Seo-ah quickly rose and cupped their fists in greeting.
“So you’re the madam. I’m Cheongwol.”
“And this one is Ak Seo-ah.”
Their tactful courtesy, which spared the innkeeper any embarrassment, drew smiles from both him and his wife.
“Thank you. In any case, the story wandered a bit, but the woman who nursed me back to health after I rolled down that cliff is now my wife.”
“In truth, I wasn’t trying to nurse him back to health,” the wife said. “At the time, I thought he was a corpse.”
“It’s fortunate he could move his hand even a little. If not, I would have buried him in the ground without a second thought.”
He laughed again as he looked at her, then continued in a calmer voice.
“...Once I was lying in bed, I realized something. If one lives as a martial artist, then one must spend the rest of one’s life carrying the fear of that day.”
No matter how hard one tried to overcome it, the chill of the scar left on his neck would never stop being felt. What could he do about that?
“Once my body recovered, I went to the Tang Clan and told them I was laying down my blade. They understood. Fortunately, since I had only learned the outer clan’s martial arts, there was no need to cripple my dantian.”
Staring up at the ceiling of the inn, old yet still neatly kept, the innkeeper brought his recollection to a close.
“Right after that, I proposed to my wife, then spent all the money I had saved to buy this inn. Later I found out that the elders of the outer clan had quietly covered the remaining cost.”
“I had no idea the Tang Clan was so loyal. Today, I’m broadening my small understanding.”
Deeply moved, Ak Seo-ah clasped her hands together and looked at the innkeeper and his wife with admiration.
Indeed, his story was thoroughly heartwarming.
That is, if one ignored the fact that they still hadn’t heard the most important part.
“I understand that the innkeeper was once a Tang Clan martial artist. But hearing that only makes it more confusing. You’re saying the Qingcheng Sect’s men went after someone from the Tang Clan. Of course, now...”
She trailed off, realizing too late how it sounded, but the innkeeper shook his head lightly as if to say it was fine.
“It was the path I chose, so it’s all right. Still, hearing your explanation, I think I understand why the story kept looping in circles. I suppose the problem was that I assumed you already knew.”
“...Pardon?”
When Cheongwol looked at him, clearly not following, the innkeeper cleared his throat.
“Young lady, do you know the current situation in the orthodox martial world?”
“The current situation...? No, I don’t.”
“I thought as much. And you, Young Miss Ak?”
At the innkeeper’s question, Ak Seo-ah glanced at Cheongwol with a slightly startled look.
“Ah, well... I know the basics. Are you speaking of the orthodox world splitting apart?”
“Exactly.”
The innkeeper nodded slowly, then turned his gaze back to Cheongwol.
“As Miss Ak said, the orthodox martial world is currently divided into two forces. One centers on the Alliance Lord, and the other on the Seomun Clan.”
At the mention of the Seomun Clan, Cheongwol flinched before she could stop herself.
Could Seomun Hwi be standing at the center of this as well?
Shaking off the thought, she listened as the innkeeper continued.
“Since the orthodox world has split down the middle, Sichuan’s martial world also reached the point where it had to choose a side. At that time, the Qingcheng Sect chose the Alliance Lord’s camp, while the Sichuan Tang Clan sided with the Seomun Clan.”
He slid one plate aside, then turned two cups upside down on the table.
“This is Qingcheng, and this is the Tang Clan. And...”
The innkeeper slowly set a third cup down between the two cups.
“Here. Our inn lies a little closer to Qingcheng. It’s a secluded place, but because the waterfall and lake are worth seeing, quite a few people come by.”
Only then did Cheongwol feel the information she had heard until now click together in her mind.
“So that was the problem. They were bothered by the presence of an old Tang Clan martial artist in their territory. And they even dressed so sloppily to leave a warning for the Tang Clan.”
“...Wouldn’t you say that’s probably how it was? I can’t entirely blame them. If it had been the Tang Clan instead of Qingcheng, it likely wouldn’t have been all that different.”
The innkeeper gave a bitter smile and lowered his head slightly.
“The only fortunate thing is that, because I’ve run this inn for so long and built up old ties, they’ve said nothing until now.”
“...But innkeeper, you have no connection to the Tang Clan anymore. This is going too far...”
Ak Seo-ah said it that way, but in truth she understood it too.
She understood that the orthodox martial world was in such a precarious state that even a matter this small could not simply be overlooked.
“Ties aren’t something so easily severed. I can only accept it.”
With a heavy sigh, the innkeeper picked up the hidden weapon and offered it to Cheongwol.
“Why are you giving this to me...?”
As Cheongwol tried to refuse, he did not even leave her room to step back before placing the weapon in her palm.
“Please take it. After what happened today, I’ve come to think that perhaps it was I who could not let go of my ties to the Tang Clan. If I keep carrying this, I think it will stay that way.”
How could one refuse the plea of someone trying to lay down a burden that had been weighing on him for years?
“...Thank you.”
Cheongwol smiled helplessly and tucked the hidden weapon into her robes.
“It is we who should thank you,” the couple said. “And after talking with you, we’ve made up our minds. For the time being, we should go down to the village and stay there. We can’t risk losing something greater because of our stubborn wish to protect the inn.”
Understanding that he was speaking of the precious person standing by his side, Cheongwol let a faint smile appear on her lips as well.
“Were we meddling for nothing?”
“How could that be?”
Unlike when they had first sat down, the innkeeper now rose from his seat with ease and gathered the empty dishes.
“If I’m being honest, watching that match did bring me a little satisfaction.”