Closed Doors of Jinryeong Inn
"Ah."
"They've even closed this place. I had my hopes up."
Finding a place to stay in Jangan wasn't easy. The Murim Conference had drawn crowds of people, and on top of that, Cheon Sohyang had stubbornly insisted for the first time.
I want to stay somewhere ajussi knows.
A three-hundred-year-old inn—would it still be there? Jang Cheon wasn't sure. The inns famous in his era had all vanished. Even Sahyeon House, renowned for its four sages and flowers, and Cheonha Inn, the finest south of the river where even imperial officials stayed. Shops that had seemed eternal had all been replaced by unfamiliar names.
Time has passed.
It was different from the streets of Seongdo when he'd first emerged from Cheon Family Manor. He barely knew Seongdo anyway. When he'd come to Sichuan, it had been as a chained prisoner, leaving no real memories.
But Jangan was different. At that street corner, there used to be a candy shop run by a kind merchant. Down that alley, a store sold rare curiosities. Beyond it lay the slums his father had strictly forbidden him to enter...
But all those things were gone now.
"Are you sure it's really closed? The sign's still up..."
"No signs of life inside. Doesn't seem like they're just hiding."
It was late at night. On the outskirts of Jangan, in a relatively quiet alley, a man and woman sighed before an inn. The ornate sign read Jinryeong Inn, Three Hundred Years of Hospitality, making it all the more disappointing.
For Jang Cheon especially, it stung. This inn held memories for him too. During his wanderings in Hubei, he'd often thought of it.
"What kind of memories?"
"What good is talking of youthful follies? Just recollections of being bewitched by some nameless little girl and living extravagantly."
"Oh, oh—ajussi's first love?"
"I was nine. The innkeeper's daughter was that pretty, they say."
Seeing her once while passing the shop had been the spark. Whenever anything happened, she'd begged to be taken to Jangan. He'd roamed about just to catch another glimpse, weaving small memories in the process. Like an old bookshelf—faded, but enduring.
As these tales often end, it was trivial.
"She vanished at twelve. Her father sold the inn."
They left Jangan. He never learned her name or what became of her. She probably lived somewhere, married someone, and died. And she likely wasn't as beautiful as I-hwa.
"Oh..."
"What."
"Nothing... just feels strange learning something new about you."
As Cheon Sohyang eyed him oddly, Jang Cheon felt an unexpected twinge of embarrassment. The age for delighting in first-love stories had long passed, hadn't it? To be safe, he added,
"More importantly, shouldn't we find another inn now? Wandering the streets at night isn't wise. Not that we'd fall to bandits."
"It's a shame, but no choice. Let's head back to that one we saw earlier. Seonghwa House, I think? Hmm... by the way, don't you smell something weird?"
"Smell?"
"Yeah. Something fishy coming from inside that inn. Where have I smelled this before?"
That was why she'd asked at first too. The faint fishy odor wafting out made it seem like someone was cooking within. The girl pondered deeply. Where did I smell this recently?
"Think on it once we're settled at the inn. It's late."
"Okay."
She nodded and turned away. Jinryeong Inn sat on Jangan's outskirts; reaching the bustling center might require lightness skill. Then, something strange echoed from the alley.
"......!"
Both heard it. Jang Cheon caught it first, but Cheon Sohyang discerned it more clearly. A faint, thin sound. Like a middle-aged man's agonized scream—eerie and chilling.
Jang Cheon expanded his qi sense immediately. Oddly, no one in peril registered. His range was vast; a screaming man in crisis should have been detected. Qi was sensitive. All things left traces when they moved. No living being could evade his senses...
Meanwhile, Cheon Sohyang relied not on qi sense but something else. Strangely, sounds imperceptible to others rang in her ears. Voices beyond martial arts or normal senses. Noises requiring not hearing, but... something otherworldly, alien perception.
"Help me! My head hurts! Someone's eating my brain! I see fish! Fish with thousands of legs..."
What followed was an indescribable torrent of horrors. So chilling it pierced straight into the girl's mind. The voice eroded her soul, a malevolent force seeping in to plant madness.
Then another energy surged. Hot and radiant this time. A flash from the nape of her neck silenced the screams entirely. Even the memory of hearing them faded.
"Huh?"
It was brief. A mere instant. Cheon Sohyang couldn't comprehend it all. She just felt her nape grow warm, unconsciously touching the mark there. It was slightly feverish.
"What is it?"
"Nothing... I guess. Just jumpy."
"I heard that scream too. Doesn't seem nearby."
Jang Cheon eyed her with concern. In a vast city rife with daily murders, his disciple's well-being mattered more. Especially since she'd touched her nape.
"I'm fine, really. Just... my nape felt hot. Weird—no outer gods around here."
"The conference must be stirring some shadows. Speaking of which, wait."
Jang Cheon recalled. When destroying Sima Family, he'd overheard. Sima Hogyang mentioned an outer god expert group—Namgung Family, wasn't it? And Namgung Family was invited to the conference.
That was when, from the alley's end,
"Good evening, Great Hero Jang. I didn't expect to run into you like this."
A refined young man emerged. Offering an awkward smile and cupped fists, he was Namgung Dan, the Namgung heir who'd inspected Jang Cheon earlier.
"How's your journey treating you?"
*
Namgung Dan hadn't changed. Still clad in silk robes embroidered with carp against a blue sky, he simply appeared from the alley. No sinister air. He looked every bit the young heir sneaking out at night.
And now the reason for the night prowl was clear.
"N-Namgung Young Master..."
Beside him stood a woman in black robes. Arms crossed, she shyly bowed her head and hid behind him. She didn't even greet Jang Cheon, but he grasped the situation instantly. A young man and woman out at midnight meant one thing. Especially among clans where political marriages abounded.
"You've mistaken me. I'm not Great Hero Jang. Wrong man."
"Ahaha, my thanks for the consideration. The night air's so clear tonight, I just felt like a stroll..."
"Ajussi? What are you saying? That's Namgung Young Master... Ow!"
"Hush."
A brief commotion passed. The black-robed woman shot a grateful glance; Namgung Dan mirrored with an apologetic look.
Jang Cheon added,
"I lost my sight long ago. But wandering alone so late isn't wise—your parents might worry."
"We were heading back anyway. Nights are dangerous. We'll repay this debt someday."
Namgung Dan passed them. A faint blush trailed his jaunty steps.
Jang Cheon watched silently, murmuring,
"Prime time of life. Getting caught might knock some sense into him."
"A secret rendezvous? Just now? Who was that behind him..."
"Never mind. What business is it of ours? Knowing the jianghu's secrets never ends well."
Clans puffing up dragons or phoenixes bred such sentiments. Jang Cheon gazed where Namgung Dan vanished, lost in old memories. Cheon Sohyang stared at her master, lost in thought. Then reached out. Subtly, unnoticed. To his unguarded arm. Instinctively, like the woman had. Arms brushing, intertwining slightly.
Jang Cheon stared down plainly.
"What're you doing?"
"C-Cold."
"You?"
"......"
No retort came. Cheon Sohyang withdrew quickly, brazenly declaring,
"Yeah."
"......Best not. Looks improper to others. If you're that cold, I'll infuse some true qi."
A warm, large palm from a prestigious clan touched her. Cheon Sohyang settled for that. It jogged her memory too.
"Ah, right! I remembered!"
Namgung Dan who'd just passed. Brushing close, she'd caught it clearly. The fishy smell came from him.
"Must carry some odd sachet. People's tastes vary."
"...Yeah, probably."
"If it nags more, we'll puzzle it later. It's late—enough for tonight."
*
The next day, unbeknownst to them, two events unfolded. The Life-and-Death Emperor had slain another Namgung clansman. And the prized daughter of Jangan's mid-tier Hwa Family was murdered. The girl, said to have slipped out secretly in black garb, was found as a cold corpse by the roadside.