Entering Yanghwajin
I got money.
Jackpot.
When I’d shattered that sword, I’d only seen darkness ahead of me.
One look at that razor-sharp, icy gaze, and it had felt like I was headed straight for a life as some debt-ridden slave.
Worse, when she’d asked for my name, I’d nearly jumped out of my skin.
In the martial world, asking someone’s name meant one of two things.
Either, “I want to befriend you.”
Or, “I’ll remember your name, and I’ll never forget you.”
If it wasn’t one of those two, people usually just went around calling each other “great hero,” “young hero,” or “heroine” while flattering one another to death.
What kind of so-called righteous martial artist went around swinging a blade because they were suspicious of someone?
Was her name Yu Hyeonju?
I wasn’t sure what exactly that woman had been thinking when she learned my name.
Still, she’d called me Senior, so maybe I could interpret it in a positive light?
“I can’t afford to let my guard down.”
I muttered it to myself as I started moving again.
My nerves had loosened, and that old speech pattern of mine had slipped out, but there was no one around to hear it, so I didn’t care.
Martial artists were a people defined by grudges and favors alike.
She might show up out of nowhere someday and grab me by the collar, demanding I pay for the sword and her travel expenses.
From now on, for safety’s sake, I should absolutely avoid people from the Jongnam Sect.
Who knew the two great pillars of orthodoxy in Shaanxi, the Mount Hua Sect and the Jongnam Sect, would be this dangerous?
The old cliché that righteous factions rot from the roots up clearly hadn’t been invented for nothing.
As expected, the best Daoist sect was the Wudang Sect.
“I smashed a sword and it coughed up money.”
The more I thought about it, the more I laughed.
My unexpected windfall had left me feeling downright cheerful, and before I knew it, a little tune had slipped out under my breath.
It was like I’d broken the special pattern of a mid-boss and gotten a bonus item drop.
Anyway, the result was good, so all was well.
I gave the money pouch a shake and walked along the dirt road with a light step.
Good grief, this Mount Hua was rugged.
Even after coming down the mountain, the road to the village still stretched on forever.
The one blessing was that this “sturdy little beauty” body of mine didn’t tire.
I could walk for hours without getting winded or feeling any ache in my legs.
“It’s nice and all. But controlling it is still hard.”
Daily life was fine, but the moment I put a little too much force into something, problems started piling up.
That sword of Yu Hyeonju’s had been the same.
I’d only meant to stop it lightly, but I’d pressed a little too hard while struggling against her, and a crack had run through the blade.
At this rate, I might end up commiting a tragedy like splitting someone’s skull open like a watermelon just because I was startled.
“That’s the day the trip ends.”
Imagining the horrific future of being branded a murderer and hauled off by the government soldiers made my shoulders sag and my steps grow heavy.
And I really need to do something about this mood disorder too.
Ddyuddyai’s Curse was only getting worse by the day.
My mood swung between heaven and hell at the drop of a hat.
Of course, if I kept my wits about me and stayed focused, it wasn’t impossible to control.
But I couldn’t exactly live every waking second with my nerves stretched taut.
I’d survived this far thanks to the curse’s power making me stronger, but who knew when my judgment would blur again and I’d end up causing trouble?
I was going to need a countermeasure.
Once I started mingling with people in earnest, would I even be able to practice those unbearably embarrassing poses from Wolhameiingyeong?
Just imagining it made my face burn.
If someone saw me doing an I-frame balance or the Jack-O challenge, I might die of shame on the spot.
“No way. Absolutely not.”
I’d keep my embarrassing speech patterns under control as much as possible.
And I’d keep my embarrassing behavior under control too.
If I ever reached the point where I could perform those poses calmly without feeling ashamed at all—
that would mean I’d already become a complete Ddyuddyai.
Then the whole point of training would be worthless to begin with.
I let out a long sigh and kept walking.
What did you do when your head got messy?
You moved your body.
That was the only truth I could claim with certainty in this world, learned through years of mountain life.
I gradually picked up my pace.
Before long, my steps had turned into a brisk run.
The fierce wind brushed my cheeks and tossed my hair.
My stray thoughts vanished, and my spirits began to lift again.
The wind felt wonderfully refreshing against this sturdy little beauty’s body.
By the time I’d been running like a madwoman for who knew how long, the sun had already set, and the distant lights I’d been seeing were right in front of me.
Yanghwajin, the bustling commercial town that had grown prosperous between the two great sects of Mount Hua and Jongnam, Shaanxi’s pride.
The city gates stood wide open, and countless people and carts were streaming in and out without pause.
“Wow.”
The exclamation slipped out before I could stop it.
I still couldn’t believe I’d covered a distance that would have taken me several days in my old life in such a short span of time.
This beauty body might be kind of amazing?
Greater freedom of movement was a very welcome change.
If I wanted to recover all the horrible bits of black history I might have scattered across Shaanxi, mobility like this was essential.
Ah. Don’t act like some country bumpkin.
Slap, slap.
I tapped my cheeks and set my expression in order.
Once I looked around properly, I noticed people near the gate glancing my way.
They probably saw me as some girl from the sticks who’d just come up to the city and was being overwhelmed by it.
In a commercial town packed with merchants like this, the moment you looked naïve, people would pick you clean down to the bone.
A body that had spent more than thirty years roaming the market streets wasn’t about to fall for a trick like that.
I put on my most composed, most haughty expression and stepped through the gates of Yanghwajin.
Though it was evening, the streets shone as brightly as midday and buzzed with life.
“Thank you.”
I bowed politely, and the auntie smiled with obvious delight as she handed me a tanghulu skewer.
Crunch.
At the first bite, the hardened shell of sugar shattered, and the tangy scent of fruit spread through my mouth along with a sticky sweetness.
Ah. Yes.
This was the stuff.
This was the good stuff.
That raw, primitive flavor of fructose.
Smiling in satisfaction at a taste of the mortal world I hadn’t even been able to look at for the past three years, I kept walking.
The glances around me still clung stubbornly to my skin.
Come to think of it, that was only natural.
A peerless little beauty had descended upon the land of Shaanxi; of course everyone would rush over to get a look.
Still, the moment I met their eyes, they all looked startled and turned away.
At least they knew manners.
At this rate, maybe I should consider this almost subdued behavior.
The sinister schemes and brutal laws of the Central Plains that I’d worried about in advance didn’t even reach me.
It seemed incidents like that didn’t happen so easily in the middle of a bustling main street in a big city, unlike some hidden alley in a small village.
Was I worrying for nothing?
I noticed a young boy staring blankly at me, then gave him a bright smile and waved.
His pupils shook as though an earthquake had hit, and he immediately hid behind his mother’s leg.
Hmm.
As expected, beauty was the best.
Every single glance thrown my way was full of goodwill.
So this martial world had been such a warm and friendly place?
I’d spent the last thirty years losing out.
So… where should I go now?
Crunch.
I took another bite of the tanghulu and sorted through my plans.
I had two goals.
Eat delicious city food, and recover my damned black history.
The first could be done anytime I wanted, so I should probably deal with the second first, right?
There were plenty of ways to gather information in the martial world.
You could commission a transport guild, trade with a merchant caravan, slip money to the courtesans in a pleasure house, or even make donations to the Beggars’ Sect and ask around casually.
But the places managed by the Hao Clan or the Beggars’ Sect were too dangerous, and if a young, pretty girl like me went to a transport guild or merchant caravan alone, they’d be itching to swindle me.
There was exactly one perfect choice that could accomplish both of my goals at once.
That was asking around at an inn.
The ideal place where all kinds of information and people gathered, the starting point of countless incidents, and somewhere you could also get a proper meal.
In novels, martial artists were always smashing up inns all the time.
From what I’d actually seen, I’d never once met a martial artist who went around acting recklessly in an inn.
The risk was much lower there, and it was a safer place overall.
Having made up my mind, I spoke to a young woman passing nearby.
“Excuse me.”
“Hm? Oh my.”
The woman had been looking at me with a blank face, but the moment she saw me, surprise flickered across her features and quickly turned into a bright, friendly smile.
Easy.
One look, and she was already conquered.
I tugged up the corners of my mouth and tried my best to look innocent and fragile.
Her eyes sparkled even brighter.
“Do you know an inn that serves good food?”
“An inn with good food, you say? Let me think…”
She stroked her chin and began to consider the question seriously.
She was definitely about to introduce me to the finest restaurant in all of Yanghwajin.
The power of goodwill was incredible.
“…Right here. You have money, don’t you? Should I buy you something tasty, maybe?”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you.”
Not only did she tell me the way—she even escorted me close to the place herself.
Beauty rules!
Long live looksism!
I gave the kind woman a light bow and turned away.
Myriad Fragrance Pavilion.
A three-story wooden building, its splendid lanterns lighting up the night, stood in all its grandeur before me.
It must have been dinner time, because people were coming and going nonstop.
The bustle made it feel like exactly the kind of place where information would naturally surface.
First, I’d go in, gather some information, and eat my fill.
It would be nice to settle on lodging too.
And if possible… it would be even better if I could meet a new acquaintance?
There was a lot to do.
Imagining the possibilities with a happy grin, I stepped inside the inn.
“Welcome! Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
The serving boy, who had been greeting customers, gave me an oddly puzzled look as he took me in.
What, have you never seen a beauty before?
“Do you perhaps have a guard with you? No, no, never mind. This way.”
He must have sensed my expression cooling, because he quickly put on a bright smile and showed me to a seat.
They’d introduced this place as a famous restaurant in all of Yanghwajin, too.
And yet its customer service was pretty mediocre.
I quietly lowered my mental rating by one star.
I sat by the window and studied the menu the server handed me, falling into a happy little dilemma.
Hmm.
Chicken sounds good, but noodle dishes are tempting too.
Back in the mountains, I’d spent all my time gorging on things like rabbit and wild boar, so maybe I should replenish my carbs first.
After a moment’s thought, I ordered one Gungbo Chicken Dice and one Biangbiang Noodles.
Just thinking about eating a proper civilized meal again made a smile creep onto my lips.
It was my first time here, so I’d chosen something safe and simple to start with, but that still felt a little lacking.
Famous inns usually had a signature dish you could only taste there.
I should use that trick.
As the server gathered up the menu and turned to leave, I stopped him.
“Is there any specialty that can only be tasted here at Myriad Fragrance Pavilion?”
That was the magic phrase for getting the hidden signature item.
The server beamed and nodded.
“You really know what you’re talking about, customer. The most popular dish here at Myriad Fragrance Pavilion is our braised pork belly.”
Braised pork belly?
It was more ordinary than I’d expected, but pork with a rich, savory glaze never hurt.
I nodded readily and added it to the order.
It wasn’t as though I’d spent the last thirty years of my life for nothing.
My mouth was already watering.
While I waited for the food, I slowly looked around.
The number of gazes on me was as intense as it had been on the street, maybe even more so.
No, even more blatant.
Thankfully, perhaps because this was a large inn, there were plenty of people sneaking glances, but no one was foolish enough to approach me directly.
Most of those looks were merely curious, or perhaps full of reverence.
But among them, there were definitely sticky gazes carrying impure intentions.
I quietly sharpened my hearing.
An inn was like a living river of information.
From petty gossip to the state of the Central Plains, countless stories flowed and spilled like water.
Amid that noise, I began picking out only the information I needed.
Strangely enough, once I concentrated, the surrounding chatter sank into the background like distant static, and only the conversations at the tables I wanted came through clearly.
Ohhh, so this was the hearing of a beauty.
More useful than I’d expected.
“…So what do you think, Elder?”
“Who knows. What could the likes of us on the lowest rung possibly understand?”
“It’s a disaster. The nation is in this state, and…”
This one was useless.
“Did you hear? Rumor has it the Demon Alliance is showing signs of rising again.”
“Hush, man! What are you doing saying something like that so loudly?”
Now that one caught my interest a little.
But it didn’t seem like something I needed to dig into right away.
Set it aside for now.
There were other scraps too—escort caravans being attacked by mountain bandits again, or the new madam in the eastern market being an incredible beauty.
It was all useless gossip, the sort of nonsense about a Mount Hua secular disciple supposedly lacking the scent of plum blossoms and disappointing people.
Was this a bust? Well, I guess not everything can go perfectly all at once.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected much in the first place.
I gave a small shrug and started waiting for my food again, swinging my legs since they didn’t quite reach the floor.
Let’s just eat something delicious and think slowly.
“Did you hear? A traveler went missing, then was found covered in blood, with a strange book lying beside him.”
Just then, I pricked up my ears at the words of a man speaking from a table a little way off.
A book?
“A book? Why does that matter?”
“Well, it looks like an old miscellaneous text at first glance, but people are saying it might actually be a Bigeup.”
“Nonsense! What would some traveler be doing with a secret manual?”
“No, listen. There’s talk that anyone who picks it up ends up disappearing within days.”
“My word… could it be some sinister sorcery?”
Bigeup? Disappearance?
This was it.