The Five Families Alliance (2)
Namgung Jin, unable to find the Shaolin-bound travelers, decided to return to the fortress.
He had ordered the Yongjeong Inn burned to the ground as he left.
Seo Baek felt his master's words cut deep to the bone.
The martial artists of the Central Plains grow endlessly vicious when denied what they want. Righteous sects or demonic outlaws—it makes no difference.
Though they had taken Wang Il and Wang Yi hostage, the Five Families Alliance led by Namgung Jin wouldn't be satisfied with that alone.
By torching the inn, they ensured the Shaolin travelers had no choice but to pass through the fortress.
Joo Eun-ri stood silently, lips pressed tight.
Her face betrayed no words left to say.
Or rather, her gaze seemed fixed endlessly on the burning Yongjeong Inn.
A moment later, she spoke.
"They're all gone."
When the group climbed back up from the sunken earth, the Five Families Alliance riders had already vanished on horseback.
And in the distance, the Yongjeong Inn blazed fiercely.
The flames were so intense the building had half-collapsed already. Even rushing over now, there was no way to extinguish it.
The inn had stood unscathed amid the revenant-infested origin point, shielded by talismans.
Yet at the malice of a few martial artists, it crumbled to ashes in an instant—too swiftly to believe their own eyes.
To some, a lifetime's foundation; to others, merely an obstacle in the way.
Such was the law of the martial world.
Wang Yi Sam's drunken haze had fully cleared, and he spoke in an uneasy voice.
"Hey, shouldn't we hightail it outta here instead of standing around? They've got the errand boy and cook as hostages—they'll know we were at the inn in no time. You know what they say: no one holds out forever under interrogation."
Wang Yi Sam had a point.
The martial world brimmed with cruel torture methods.
With peak experts like Namgung Jin numbering five, pressure points or other techniques would pry open any mouth like child's play.
Especially for a seasoned mercenary like Wang Yi Sam, who knew torture all too well from bitter experience…
But Seo Baek shook his head firmly.
"Those two won't talk."
"What? But everyone's got a mouth…"
"Some mouths can't speak, even if they have them."
Joo Eun-ri added in a cold voice.
"Their tongues were cut out long ago. Tortured by so-called righteous sect folk."
"Ah…"
Only then did Wang Yi Sam grasp the situation and fall silent.
He recalled the errand boy Wang Il gesturing with his fingers instead of speaking clearly about the yangchun noodles' price when they first arrived.
Wang Il the errand boy and Wang Yi the cook had no tongues to begin with, communicating via hand signals.
Seo Baek and Song Hyeon had already suspected as much.
Then—
As Wang Yi Sam clamped his mouth in embarrassment, the bushes at their feet rustled, and something burst out.
"Gah! What the—?!"
Wang Yi Sam nearly fell on his ass in shock but looked down at the intruder.
Crouched at his feet, a weasel slightly larger than a cat raised its small head, eyes gleaming.
Instead of fleeing, it tilted its head curiously, so Wang Yi Sam instinctively reached out to pet it.
"Aw, what a tame little weasel—not scared of people at all…"
In an instant, it growled and chomped his finger.
"Ow! You little bastard…!"
Wang Yi Sam clenched his fist in rage, but the weasel darted nimbly between his legs and escaped.
"Chorang, come here."
At Joo Eun-ri's call, the weasel shot back, scrambling up her leg and vanishing into her voluminous sleeve. It poked only its face out, growling at Wang Yi Sam.
Seo Baek eyed the weasel and asked.
"Chorang—that's its name?"
"Yes. My kind-hearted, beautiful companion."
"It's adorable."
Seo Baek slowly extended a hand to stroke Chorang's head. The creature sat still, eyes wide and round.
"So tame now—why'd it bite earlier?"
Seeing that, Wang Yi Sam tried reaching out too, but Chorang bared its fangs and growled, making him yank his hand back in alarm.
"Why me? What a nasty temper."
"Chorang hates being touched. Only the pure of heart may lay hands on it."
"So I'm impure, huh?"
Wang Yi Sam grumbled but couldn't argue with an animal's preferences, so he pouted and turned away.
In the bushes where Chorang had emerged, though, lay a bundled package.
Joo Eun-ri picked it up and said.
"Chorang fetched this before the Yongjeong Inn went up in flames."
A weasel that rescued its master's belongings from the blaze.
Proof it wasn't merely a pet, but a spirit beast!
"Incredible. This weasel obeys you that well?"
Wang Yi Sam muttered, arms crossed. Seo Baek replied.
"It didn't just fetch the bundle—it did something far more important."
"More important?"
"Lady Joo used Chorang's eyes and ears to relay the Five Families Alliance's conversation to us."
"What? For real?"
Wang Yi Sam gaped. Joo Eun-ri nodded.
"It's true."
"No way that's possible…"
Sober Wang Yi Sam might have scoffed as nonsense.
But he'd clearly heard her relay their words even while drunk, leaving him no choice but to believe.
Song Hyeon elaborated.
"It's a Qimen Dunjia technique linking one's soul to the weasel. She sees and hears exactly as it does. Pyeon Bok Teacher's specialty—he favored bats."
"Enough about that snout sorcerer."
Joo Eun-ri's voice sharpened.
Her tone stayed gentle despite the thorns, but Pyeon Bok Teacher's name always set her on edge.
"That wretch's paltry tricks were all learned from my grandfather. He fled without mastering them—can't even fend for himself."
Her words hinted at her origins.
Granddaughter taught Qimen Dunjia by her grandfather.
And her disdain for his disciple Pyeon Bok Teacher suggested her own mastery ran deep.
"That snout sorcerer's a money-grubbing gambler who only causes trouble. Cut ties fast if you ever cross paths—consider it a major curse averted."
Not evaluation, but curse-worthy condemnation.
"His spells are third-rate too. Just scraps from Grandfather."
"Still, his talismans kept the revenants at bay, didn't they?"
"Hmph! One useful trick doesn't redeem his character."
Joo Eun-ri snorted at Song Hyeon's words.
She knelt, untying the bundle Chorang had brought.
It held neatly packed items. She unfurled a black cloth among them.
Not mere cloth, but a long black robe draping from shoulders to knees.
She slung it over her shoulders, slipping her arms into the sleeves. Its ample width layered easily over her clothes.
Next came a black hood over her head and black boots. The flowing silks vanished, replaced by a martial artist cloaked head to toe in inky black.
No more noble lady—a chilling, enigmatic Qimen Dunjia sorceress emerged.
Seo Baek saw the logic in her transformation.
Her flowing garb couldn't hide the glowing red talisman tattoos. This witch's robe, though, was perfect for deception and stealth.
Donning it seemed to sharpen her very demeanor.
Indeed, when she glanced at Wang Yi Sam and their eyes met, he flinched despite himself.
Finally, she tucked a rolled sheaf of papers into her bosom—likely dozens of pre-drawn talismans. The rest she bundled and tied to her waist.
Joo Eun-ri scanned the group, exchanging looks, then said.
"It was a pleasure meeting you. Farewell."
Wang Yi Sam blurted in shock.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going?"
"Do I really need to spell it out? Their fortress."
Her destination was obvious, of course.
Wang Yi Sam knew it too, but her farewell puzzled him.
"Alone?"
"No, two of us."
"Two?"
"Chorang's with me."
As if on cue, Chorang poked its sleek head from her sleeve.
Wang Yi Sam's voice rose in disbelief.
"Over a hundred at that fortress—you going solo? That's suicide!"
"Would you flee and let those who burned your home go free?"
"But…"
"If I don't avenge my inn, the world will mock me."
Her words rang with unyielding pride no one could break.
Not mere martial artist—she hinted at lineage from an ancient sect or clan.
"I'll go with you."
Joo Eun-ri turned at the unexpected voice.
It was Seo Baek.
"No need."
A mocking smile tugged her lips.
"The code of the jianghu fell to earth long ago. You'd meddle in a stranger's affairs without reason?"
"I have reason."
"What?"
"The Five Families Alliance came for me. The inn burned, your errand boy and cook captured—all trace back to me."
"…"
Her smile faded, face turning serious.
"We must pass the fortress to reach Shaolin anyway. I'll cut down any who block our path. So I'll join you."
"In earnest?"
"Yes."
Joo Eun-ri gazed quietly at Seo Baek.
He met her eyes steadily, unflinching.
Until now, her haughty pride had colored even her polite speech. But his gaze startled her.
This boy…
Seo Baek's eyes were crystal clear, without a speck of impurity—like a mirror lake drawing one in.
Since her grandfather's death, she'd felt no such emotion from anyone.
Trust.
I can believe this boy's words.
Though they'd met less than a day ago, he felt like a lifelong comrade.
A boy not yet fully grown, yet so trustworthy… Joo Eun-ri could scarcely credit her own feelings.
"One more reason to join you."
"What?"
She tilted her head, curious.
His every word, every glance now swayed her heart.
She swallowed unconsciously, awaiting his next words.
But…
"Once Shaolin's done, I planned to stop at Yongjeong Inn on the way back for more red braised pork. They burned it, robbing me of that—so shouldn't we settle this grudge?"
"W-what?!"
Joo Eun-ri stared blankly, then burst into genuine laughter.
A bright, unpretentious smile, free of all hauteur.