The Baek Family Inn
The smell of the talisman burning was acrid, almost like incense gone bad. In the brief silence that followed, the Taoist from the Mosan Sect got to his feet.
"..."
He looked down at me and said nothing. I left him there, went back down to the first floor, and picked up a bottle of liquor.
"I hate this sort of suffocating nonsense. Fine. Want to have a drink, at least?"
"...Taoists of Mosan do not drink."
"You don't drink and you won't eat either, so why the hell are you hiding up there like a rat?"
"I have no reason to answer."
"You're stiff as a mule."
It was enough to put anyone in a foul mood, but the Taoist didn't even twitch. As if he had already decided there was nothing more to do here, he came down to the first floor and headed for the inn door.
With a creak, he opened it. But instead of leaving at once, he turned back to me.
"How did Young Hero know I was there?"
"I don't think I have a reason to answer either."
"Is that so."
At his reply, I knocked back some zhuyeqing. The sharp burn of the liquor slid down my throat.
"Hah. So you're interested in the Treasury of the Divine Thief too?"
"..."
"I've heard people say the Divine Thief may have come from the Mosan Sect."
"!"
The Taoist, who had shown no expression at all until then, suddenly widened his eyes at my words. But before long, his face went blank again. The Mosan Sect Taoist turned around once more.
"Young Hero. I don't know where you heard such nonsense, but it's absurd. If you go around spreading such garbage, Mosan will not sit still."
"Just sounds like something I heard somewhere."
"Amitabha..."
Before I could even finish, the Taoist muttered his religious salutation, turned, and walked out. Once the Mosan Sect Taoist was gone, the inn fell silent as if the earlier uproar had never happened. The only sounds left were the innkeeper and the boy attendant breathing softly.
"A Mosan Taoist, huh..."
Mosan was a sect that mainly used spells and sorcery. For that reason, it was a very closed-off sect, though not quite as much as Bota Sect. The Orthodox Faction didn't recognize daggers, poison, or sorcery in the first place, so it couldn't really be helped.
That was how I knew. There was a Mosan Sect Taoist here.
While moving toward Zhejiang, I'd seen Taoists from Mosan from time to time. Judging by that, Mosan was also keeping a close eye on the two factions, and there was a high chance one of them was staying in this inn. The first floor was packed with Namgung and Iron Blood Castle martial artists, so naturally the only place to hide was upstairs.
"More importantly, from that reaction, it doesn't sound like a complete lie. Was the Divine Thief really from Mosan?"
From the Taoist's reaction, the Divine Thief seemed connected to Mosan in one way or another. That reaction had been real.
Come to think of it, the information that the Divine Thief was likely a Mosan martial artist had been classified as top secret even in the Martial Alliance. I myself would never have known if I hadn't raided the ruined Alliance's archives.
"All right then. I think I've scattered the seeds well enough. Time to prepare for the harvest."
I got to my feet and headed toward the innkeeper. He looked at me, his eyes flicking back and forth uneasily.
"What can I get for you, sir?"
"What more would I need? More to the point, you must have it rough. Looks like martial artists have been killing time in this inn every day without fail."
When I said that with a sympathetic expression, the innkeeper let out a long sigh and spoke.
"It's truly killing me. They take up the seats and order nothing, just sit there and hog the place, so the customers have completely stopped coming."
Tears gathered in the innkeeper's eyes. He looked as though each day was agony, his body trembling lightly. I gave his shoulder a small pat.
"You've got it hard. In that case, how about selling this inn to me?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"From the looks of it, you can barely keep food on the table like this. So I'm thinking of buying the inn at a good price. What do you say?"
The innkeeper looked at me with obvious difficulty.
"I appreciate the thought, but this has been in the family since my ancestors' time..."
"Is that so...?"
With a disappointed look, I took five gold pieces out of my robes and placed them before him.
"That's hardly a stingy amount. Shame."
"But still..."
He looked regretful, but he seemed to have a certain pride in guarding the family business. The fact that he still wouldn't budge, even though I was offering to buy an inn that clearly couldn't even attract customers, said enough.
I took out five more gold pieces and set them before him. Then the innkeeper stared at the money without saying a word.
"All right. If you don't want it, I can't force you."
"Wait!"
The moment I reached for the gold, he grabbed my hand hard. Then he turned his eyes to me.
"I'll sell it."
Keeping the family business? Of course that mattered. But refusing this much money would be impossible. And just like that, Baek-ga gained territory in Zhejiang. It was only one inn, but still. Viewed another way, a new force had appeared on the border between Namgung and Iron Blood Castle.
This inn was both the beginning and the end. So was the Treasury of the Divine Thief, and the battle over the treasury that would be fought with the treasury itself at stake.
"Now then. How are you all going to move?"
* * *
A man with only a bundle on his back was walking down a street without a single light. His steps looked unusually brisk.
"It was an inn built by my father, but there's nothing to be done."
He was the innkeeper of Neuru Inn. Though he felt guilty for betraying the family business passed down from his ancestors, each time that guilt surfaced he muttered that there was no helping it and felt the money pouch in his pocket.
"It can't be helped! Those martial artists swagger around like they own the place, don't order food, and just throw their weight around. Am I supposed to starve to death?"
As if pleading to someone, the innkeeper muttered to himself and kept walking and walking. The more he walked, the more the houses disappeared, and with them, the people.
"With this money, I'll start a new life! I'll live like a king, too...!"
Thunk!
The man, who had been walking at speed, suddenly pitched forward as if he'd slammed into a wall. Clutching his nose, he lifted his head.
"Are you all right?"
Standing before him was a Taoist from the Mosan Sect. He looked down at the innkeeper and held out a hand. The innkeeper took it and got to his feet.
"Ah. Thank you."
"It's nothing. More importantly, where are you rushing off to at this hour, so blindly that you don't even notice people in front of you?"
"I had some business. I'm sorry. I was in such a hurry I didn't even see you standing there."
"Is that so? Be careful. Especially at this hour."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind. Then I have somewhere to be, so I'll be on my way. Taoist."
The innkeeper bowed lightly and passed by the Taoist's side. But the Taoist did not let him go so easily. He rested a hand lightly on the innkeeper's shoulder and spoke.
"Wait a moment. I have something to ask you."
"Pardon? What is it?"
"I still haven't heard your answer to the offer I made the other day."
"Ah... you mean the one where you told me to sell the inn?"
"Yes. I told you to take your time because of your ancestors' will. I thought you'd be ready to answer by now."
"Well... that is..."
The innkeeper hesitated and couldn't bring himself to speak. His expression was the same as if he'd committed some huge discourtesy, and he couldn't lift his head. The Taoist looked at him, gave a kindly smile, and spoke again.
"Innkeeper. I am a Taoist. Whatever answer you give, I will understand, so speak freely."
At the Taoist's words, the innkeeper seemed to relax a little and let out an embarrassed laugh before speaking.
"The thing is... I already sold the inn to someone else today."
"What?"
At those words, the Taoist's face twisted. No, saying he merely twisted his face was not enough. As his expression contorted, the veins in his neck and temples stood out, and his face flushed red.
Seeing that, the innkeeper's face crumpled with apology and he lowered his head.
"You made the offer first and waited for my answer, but I'm sorry."
"..."
The innkeeper couldn't raise his head at all. This was the intuition of a merchant who had spent his whole life in trade. If he lifted his head now, it would be bad.
But the Taoist lightly patted his shoulder, and his voice remained warm.
"No. It's fine. You must have had your reasons. I'm a little disappointed, that's all. Surely you needn't apologize to me for selling your own property?"
"Thank you for understanding."
At the Taoist's attitude, the innkeeper slowly raised his head. What met his eyes, however, was a face that looked mad with fury.
"Taoist?"
"I understand. So you should understand me as well."
"Pardon...?"
The innkeeper was looking straight at the Taoist. But the instant he lifted his head and saw that face, the world spun once and slammed into the ground.
"...?"
It was an attack so fast he didn't even realize his head had fallen to the floor. The Taoist had flung his head off the moment the innkeeper raised it, with terrifying speed.
"Namgung? Or Iron Blood Castle? This has become complicated."
The Taoist looked for a moment at the innkeeper's flying head, then turned and vanished into the darkness.
"Amitabha."
The Taoist's voice as he chanted his salutation sounded chilling.
* * *
As on any ordinary day, the sun rose. Namgung martial artists came in through the inn door as if it were the most natural thing in the world and began taking seats on the left, one by one. Then, after the span of two ke, the martial artists of Iron Blood Castle walked in and sat on the right.
Neither side said a word. As if by prior agreement, they began deliberately pouring out their killing intent toward each other.
While they were locked in that silent contest, Won Woo-hyeop strode out from the Iron Blood Castle side.
"True Orthodox Faction types, through and through. You're here early, aren't you? What are you, layabouts? What's with you lot, hanging around here this early in the day?"
At Won Woo-hyeop's words, the Iron Blood Castle martial artists laughed and spat out curses. Then Namgung Gyeom stepped forward and stood before him.
"As expected of beasts, the only things coming out of your mouths are filthy words. More than that, I was surprised watching you. To think scum from the unorthodox side would show up this faithfully every day. Layabouts, you say? Aren't you the real layabouts? From the way you're shamelessly lingering in Orthodox territory."
At Namgung Gyeom's words, the Namgung martial artists raised their energy even higher. In response, the martial artists of Iron Blood Castle surged up their killing intent as well.
Won Woo-hyeop and Namgung Gyeom closed the distance between them. The two of them stood on either side of the line drawn across the center of the inn. They were close enough to reach out and touch, yet neither moved first. They only glared at each other.
Step.
"How long are you going to keep playing staring games like this? Our Iron Blood Castle men are always ready to draw steel."
Step.
"The beasts have grown bold. Back in the day, they would have tucked their tails and run the moment they saw the Orthodox Faction."
Step.
Iron Blood Castle and Namgung. Won Woo-hyeop and Namgung Gyeom. It was clear the patience of both factions, and both men, had reached its limit. Everyone in the inn rested a hand lightly on the hilt of a sword.
Step.
But the sound of footsteps kept cutting through the tension.
Step.
"What exactly are you all doing in someone else's place of business?"
As the footsteps reached the inn entrance, the eyes of both factions turned toward the source of the sound as if bewitched.
There stood Baek Mugeuk, holding up a signboard that read Baek-ga Inn. He flashed a grin and hung the board above the entrance.
"From now on, Baek-ga Inn does not accept layabout bastards who don't pay. That's that."