Yongjeong Inn (3)
Above all, what Wang Yi Sam couldn't understand was why experts like these had set up an inn in such a remote wasteland.
Orthodox sects and unorthodox paths differed in many ways, but if you had to draw a line based on martial arts, it came down to internal energy cultivation and lightness skills.
Unorthodox fighters—those from the black path—prioritized killing. They wielded bizarre weapons or practiced sinister techniques that damaged their own bodies just to survive.
In the black path, you had to master techniques through raw attributes to stay alive.
Wang Yi Sam wasn't black path himself, but he wasn't much different. Without practical dao techniques learned the hard way, he wouldn't have even scraped by.
In fact, plenty of sword-for-hire types like him ended up turning to the black path later on.
Internal energy and lightness skills were another story.
Both demanded years of dedicated training.
Especially without a skilled master or a proper manual—no matter how much of a heaven-sent genius you were—self-cultivation was next to impossible.
So where did you find good masters and manuals?
The so-called orthodox sects of the martial world, of course!
No matter how deadly an unorthodox fighter's techniques were, they always bowed to orthodox experts in the end. That was why.
Internal energy and lightness skills.
Orthodox masters built the foundation for advanced arts from childhood, making it their own.
Yet the lightness skills he'd just witnessed from the inn crew were no different from those of black path thugs, were they?
Their skill level fell short of first-rate, but Wang Yi Sam had eaten enough martial world dirt to have a sharp eye. To him, this bunch was clearly orthodox-trained.
And that was exactly what baffled him.
Orthodox sect alumni running a dingy inn in the middle of nowhere that anyone might mistake for a black path front?
The woman and her two subordinates undoubtedly had some tangled past.
As Wang Il and Wang Yi stepped out of the inn, Song Hyeon turned to the woman.
"How about it? Worth four silver taels?"
"I wouldn't call it cheap information."
"Then let's say it clears Pyeon Bok Teacher's debt."
"Sigh. That leaves the inn at a loss. Should I accept...?"
Wang Yi Sam couldn't hold back any longer and exploded.
"What the hell? Telling us those revenant-repelling talismans tear in the wind basically saves the whole damn inn! And you can't even let four silver taels slide?!"
"Your words are too crude, old man not worth the spit from your mouth. Meddling in rivers-and-lakes business?"
"What'd you say? You little girl with no blood dried on your head, talking like that to your elders?!"
"Oppressing women and children with age isn't what decent adults do. One more word, and I'll stitch that mouth shut."
Wang Yi Sam and the woman traded barbs without yielding an inch.
Soon enough, Wang Yi Sam unleashed curses too filthy to describe.
A sword-for-hire who'd clawed his way from the martial world's gutters—his profanity was enough to make anyone grimace.
But the woman held her own. Her calm, measured tone delivered content so raw and chilling it raised goosebumps.
A true clash of tiger and dragon!
When their verbal duel showed no sign of ending after a hundred exchanges, Seo Baek stepped in to mediate.
"Enough."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it rang clear through the entire inn. The woman halted, glancing at Seo Baek with an appraising look.
Seo Baek offered a clasped-fist salute.
"Even if it's a loss, please overlook it for the sake of travelers far from home."
"Sigh. If that's the case, the inn can take the hit."
Seo Baek's excessively polite tone made the woman drop her stubbornness with a nod.
"The loudmouth always comes out ahead. The martial world truly is a slaughterhouse of the weak devoured by the strong."
Even as she spat the words like a black path braggart, it left listeners dumbfounded.
Wang Yi Sam's gut twisted in fury, but a subtle glance from Seo Baek kept him in check.
Song Hyeon made another offer.
"In exchange for the information, I asked for three things. Four silver taels covers the info, so that's one down."
"Fine. What are the other two?"
"Three bowls of yangchun noodles and a bottle of liquor."
"Pardon?"
The unexpected request drew a chuckle from the woman.
Her refined face blooming into a smile unleashed a beauty that could topple kingdoms. Wang Yi Sam flushed red without realizing it, swallowing hard.
"Very well. I'll have Wang Yi make the yangchun noodles extra thick. What's the last one?"
The inn fell silent.
Song Hyeon's proposal—three concessions for the information.
Everyone expected something valuable for the third, so the woman and Wang Yi Sam alike held their breath, waiting.
At last, Song Hyeon spoke.
"This inn reeks of star anise, cloves, and ginger—stinging my nose."
Wang Yi Sam, who'd been bracing for the answer, sniffed instinctively. Now that he noticed, a thick aroma permeated the place—tension with the woman had blinded him to it.
'Sniffing out star anise, cloves, and ginger separately? Is that a human nose or a dog's?'
"Those three spices are staples in Central Plains cooking. But there's one dish Central Plains folk make and love often: braised pork."
Wang Yi Sam nodded in realization.
Braised pork was thick-sliced pork belly fried, then slow-stewed with those spices, soy sauce, garlic, and more. No wonder the smell lingered.
"Pairs perfectly with strong baijiu. My third request: three servings of braised pork."
Wang Yi Sam snapped to attention, swallowing at the faint pork scent.
The proposal was absurdly cheeky yet perfectly innocent.
Sure enough, the woman covered her mouth, bursting into laughter after a stunned pause.
"Hohoho, got it. Braised pork's on the house too."
Song Hyeon's offbeat request caught her off guard, and she accepted with a smile alluring enough to melt any man's heart.
Watching it, Wang Yi Sam realized kingdom-toppling beauties truly existed.
Kingdom-toppling beauty—a allure so devastating it could ruin nations.
Her smile was exactly that.
The woman personally brought out three bowls of yangchun noodles, followed by a full jar of liquor and the braised pork.
The pork was richly spiced and so tender it melted in the mouth. Even picky eaters like Seo Baek and Wang Yi Sam devoured it without complaint.
Stuffed with noodles, the group used the pork as anju and drank with the woman.
Drinking shoulder-to-shoulder with a kingdom-toppler fired Wang Yi Sam up—he drained his cup after cup.
"This aroma hits hard—top-shelf stuff! What's the boss lady's name...?"
"Joo Eun-ri."
"Lady Joo, another round! Wahahaha!"
Wang Yi Sam emptied his cup and poured for Joo Eun-ri, who introduced herself. She drank without hesitation.
Joo Eun-ri matched Wang Yi Sam's enthusiastic pace cup for cup. When the jar ran dry, she fetched a fresh one.
Seo Baek sipped tea instead, and Song Hyeon merely wet his lips. Effectively, Wang Yi Sam and Joo Eun-ri were downing it all.
But Joo Eun-ri's tolerance was no joke.
Wang Yi Sam's hands shook as drunkenness set in. Yet Joo Eun-ri sat ramrod straight, elegantly lifting her cup with poise.
"One more?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Drain it."
"Urgh..."
She poured him a fresh one and downed hers in one go.
They dueled like in a martial bout, emptying cups relentlessly. At some point, Wang Yi Sam's eyes rolled back, whites showing, and he face-planted into his cup with a crash.
Bang-clatter-bang.
"My, you're weaker than you look."
Seo Baek gave a wry smile.
A woman of noble bearing, like a high official's cherished daughter.
Yet running a remote inn wasn't enough—she outdrank the booze-hound Wang Yi Sam?
Joo Eun-ri was hiding plenty, no doubt.
But there was no reason to pry.
Everyone in the martial world had secrets, didn't they?
Soon, Wang Yi Sam was snoring away. The drinking bout ended there.
Song Hyeon drained his cup and said,
"Talismans drawn on paper will tear in the wind and rain."
"I know. Deer hide is second-best, but it's hard to come by these days."
With the binge over, Joo Eun-ri's tone turned serious.
"So what's best for talismans?"
"Tiger hide. But fox pelts cost a fortune, so no good for that. Cloth on the fences was a stopgap, but even that's run out."
Her words rang true.
Since the revenant outbreak, the Central Plains suffered severe food shortages. People killed like bandits over scraps or fought to the death.
Cloth was scarce too.
No looms in refugee camps—folks wore rags or beast hides.
Fresh fabric was a luxury; cloth for talismans was a pipe dream.
These were temporary measures, plain and simple.
"Sigh. What will become of the Central Plains?"
Joo Eun-ri sighed, draining her cup. Her subtle frown was subtly alluring, enough to stir any man's heart.
But her tablemates—a boy not yet twenty and an icily detached man—showed no reaction.
If Wang Yi Sam were awake, he'd have clutched his chest in lament.
"Where are you three headed? North of here is the revenant-infested Central Plains heartland—no way you came from there, and no reason to go back."
Seo Baek exchanged a quick glance with Song Hyeon before answering.
"To Shaolin Temple."
"......"
Joo Eun-ri fell silent, caught off guard.
Seo Baek had a reason for mentioning Shaolin.
The black path thugs on the boat earlier were after the bounty Namgung family had placed on him.
Their drop-off was this very Yongjeong Inn.
If Joo Eun-ri knew and reacted suspiciously...
'We cut her down.'
Seo Baek's gaze turned icy cold.
Soon, Joo Eun-ri spoke...