Chapter 16
An ordinary day began as always. I opened the inn’s doors and took my seat at the table. Because of my signboard, the Namgung family and Cheolhyeol-seong did not come storming into the inn as they usually did.
I slowly went over the events of yesterday and sorted the information in my head.
Before the innkeeper sold the inn to me, someone had first approached him and offered to buy it. The innkeeper had refused that offer, then sold it to me because I had named a price he couldn’t refuse.
After that, the innkeeper was murdered by a martial artist who used a kicking technique, and yesterday I met a member of that group at the morgue.
And they were stitching together corpses and gathering them at their hideout.
“Amitabha.”
They were Taoists. If they were Taoists who needed corpses, there was nothing left to think about.
“Mosan Sect.”
Every piece fit cleanly into place. If they had tried to seize the inn, then in the end those bastards must have been....
Knock, knock.
The one who shattered my thoughts was Namgung Gyeom, tapping at the inn door.
“What is it?”
I asked him with a sour look. He merely lifted the corners of his mouth and sat down across from me.
“Is it strange for a guest to come to an inn?”
“There aren’t any ordinary guests at my inn.”
He took a silver coin from his pocket and handed it over.
“One bowl of noodles.”
“....”
I stared at the coin, then tucked it into my robe and got to my feet, heading into the kitchen. It was easy enough to make a bowl of noodles. Somen was simple to begin with, and after turning back time, I’d become able to cook little things like that without trouble.
When I set the noodles down on the table, Namgung Gyeom lifted his chopsticks and ate slowly. As expected of a member of Namgung, one of the Five Great Clans and the sect’s first seat, he carried himself with an old-world air even while eating.
After he finished the noodles and set his chopsticks down, he once again curled his lips into a faint smile.
“This is the most expensive bowl of noodles I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
“I’ve never seen anyone willing to pay this much for them, either.”
Who on earth would pay a silver coin for a bowl of noodles? A single silver coin was basically a warning to get lost. But Namgung Gyeom had come to eat noodles, which meant he had something to say to me.
“Young Swordsman. No, I don’t know how to speak around in circles.”
“....”
When I gave him no answer, he took it as permission and continued.
“Do you remember what I told you when I first came to this inn?”
“That you came to defend Zhejiang?”
“Exactly. You may think Namgung came to Zhejiang over a fight for interests, but the truth is that we really did come to defend Zhejiang.”
Namgung Gyeom looked steadily into my eyes, as if asking me to believe his sincerity.
A moment of silence fell. I was the first to speak.
“What Namgung wants to protect isn’t Zhejiang. It’s troublesome for you if Zhejiang is taken by Cheolhyeol-seong, because then Anhui, which borders Zhejiang, comes into the line of sight of the orthodox sects’ enemies, doesn’t it?”
“I won’t deny that. Is that a problem? Zhejiang and Anhui are both lands of the righteous sects, are they not? Is protecting them not our duty?”
“The same old story, then....”
“Your clan in Jiangxi would also have no reason to welcome Cheolhyeol-seong taking Zhejiang. Jiangxi isn’t even a region fully controlled by the righteous sects, is it?”
“That sounds like a threat.”
“A threat? No, we’re simply helping the same side. Namgung is never a clan that allows itself to owe debts. If this matter goes well, I’ll speak to the clan head on your behalf and do everything I can to make sure we can support Baek-ga.”
“Namgung’s support.”
It was certainly a sweet offer. What kind of clan was Namgung? One of the pillars supporting the righteous factions alongside the Nine Great Sects, the first seat among the Five Great Clans, the family of Namgung Cheon, the future leader of the Murim Alliance.
“It’s certainly a tempting proposal. But it doesn’t sound like a reward I could get for merely helping you once.”
“That would be true. Zhejiang is important, yes, but I can’t say that alone is enough to win Namgung’s full support. Which is why....”
Namgung Gyeom glanced around and lowered his voice carefully.
“Where is the Treasury of the Divine Thief?”
“Puhaha. So that’s the real goal?”
“That, too, is for the sake of defending Zhejiang. Think about it. If the Treasury of the Divine Thief is opened, what kind of bloodbath would follow? And on top of that, what happens if the things inside fall into the hands of the Sapa bastards?”
“So the righteous sects should seize it first?”
“Exactly! And, to put it bluntly, if you know where the Treasury of the Divine Thief is, why would you have told us about it?”
Namgung Gyeom put on a sly expression. It fit him so perfectly it was almost as though it had always been his face.
“You probably can’t open it and go in alone.”
“Mm....”
“Don’t think too hard about it.”
I made a thoughtful face for a moment, then looked back at Namgung Gyeom.
“Can you promise full support from Namgung?”
“Of course. I am Namgung Gyeom of Namgung.”
“And why should I believe that?”
“Because you should. We are Namgung.”
He had an extraordinary amount of pride in being Namgung. He was the sort of man who said the reason I should trust him was that he was Namgung.
“Fine. Tell me the plan first. How are you going to drive those Cheolhyeol bastards out?”
“Once you hear this plan, you won’t be able to back out. Is that all right?”
“I can’t join in if I don’t know the plan.”
“The plan is simple. The Cheolhyeol bastards will approach you. They seem curious about where the Treasury of the Divine Thief is, too.”
“So?”
“You lure them in a little. Then we’ll sweep them away.”
“You mean an ambush?”
“Tut, tut. Ambush? This is all for justice. Those men are Sapa, after all.”
The roots were more rotten than I’d expected. A sudden thought came to me that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to let Namgung Gyeom live after all. From the start, I didn’t think right and evil divided people into good and bad. I didn’t think the righteous sects were good, nor did I think their sense of justice was correct. What mattered, really, wasn’t the ideology of right, evil, or demonic factions, but the convictions of each individual.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“I’ll take that as a positive answer.”
“What meaning does it have now that I’ve already heard everything?”
“The righteous sects are in the same boat!”
Namgung Gyeom burst into laughter like an excited child. But he didn’t move; he only kept looking at me.
“I can’t tell you the location of the treasury right now. And I have one condition of my own.”
“You can’t tell me the location? Why not? And now you have a condition, too?”
“Even if you went now, you couldn’t open it.”
“Mm... fine. What’s the condition?”
“While you’re in Zhejiang, grant me one favor, just once. Then I’ll tell you where the treasury is.”
“If it won’t harm my clan and it’s something I can do, I’ll do it.”
As if he had said all he needed to say, Namgung Gyeom rose to his feet.
“Then I’ll be off first. See you soon.”
“I’ll meet Won Woo-hyeop. I’ll invite him to the inn and tell him I’m willing to reveal the treasury’s location.”
Namgung Gyeom smiled and nodded. Then he turned and left the inn.
“One problem solved, it seems.”
The moment I first saw them, I’d thought this situation would come. That was why I’d let the information about the Treasury of the Divine Thief slip. The only thing that surprised me was that Namgung Gyeom came to me first, when I’d expected Won Woo-hyeop to show up ahead of him.
“All right. Then shall I go find him this time?”
I got to my feet and closed the inn door.
Closed for the day!
We are closed today because we’ve run out of ingredients. Please come again next time!
* * *
Cheolhyeol-seong Zhejiang temporary branch.
To meet Cheolhyeol-seong’s Won Woo-hyeop, I headed to the manor owned by Cheolhyeol-seong. Before my eyes was the signboard reading “Cheolhyeol-seong Temporary Branch.”
“Did they really need to put up a sign like this?”
Then again, I called my place Baek Family Inn, so I’m not exactly different.
Once I reached the manor gate, the Cheolhyeol-seong martial artists guarding the entrance blocked my way.
“Looks like some soft little righteous sect brat. What brings you all the way out here?”
“Hey. Ease up. He’s still young, you’ll make him cry.”
“I came to meet Won Woo-hyeop. Tell him that.”
As soon as they heard me, the two men’s expressions turned ugly.
“Won Woo-hyeop? Wonnwoo-hyeop? The boss is your friend? You little bastard, you really wanna die—?”
Before the words could fully leave his mouth, I slammed my fist into his abdomen. The man beside him immediately grabbed for his sword. But I wasn’t about to give him time to draw it. I kept the momentum of my punch, twisted my body, and drove my foot into his temple.
Foaming at the mouth, the man dropped to his knees.
“Tch. How are you supposed to use a sword at this distance? If you’re stupid, your body suffers for it.”
Bells rang out all around.
As soon as I dropped the first two men, the entire branch seemed to go on alert. Well, “branch” was a generous term; it was really just the whole manor. Still, Cheolhyeol-seong martial artists began pouring out.
But I was standing at the gate. That meant they had to face me one by one, and I had no trouble knocking them down, one after another.
How many had I beaten down? The Cheolhyeol-seong martial artists piled up until no one could even pass through the gate. At that moment, with a shout, Won Woo-hyeop finally appeared.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
“You sure are late.”
Won Woo-hyeop was soaked in sweat, as if he had been training. On top of that, he had stripped off his upper clothes entirely. He didn’t rush straight at me, but instead looked over his fallen subordinates one by one.
He seems to care more about his men than I expected.
“How about we talk for a moment?”
“What? You do this to my men and then want to talk?”
“I told those guys to call you. They’re the ones who picked the fight.”
I pointed at the two gatekeepers, both of them foaming at the mouth.
But Won Woo-hyeop still didn’t rein in his fighting spirit.
“However it happened, you came into my territory and laid hands on my men.”
“Ha. I can’t tell whether you’re simple or just stupid.”
Before I’d even finished speaking, his dao came slashing toward me. I drew my sword to meet it.
The grating screech of metal scraping metal rang out unpleasantly. Won Woo-hyeop did not stop; he kept swinging his dao. It came crashing down on my sword as if it were a hammer.
Bang! Bang!
Sounds far stranger than the clash of sword and dao spread through the manor. My sword began to sink toward my head. One more strike and it looked as if the blade would split my skull open.
As the dao fell, the Cheolhyeol-seong martial artists around us shouted in triumph. That cheer didn’t last long.
The instant the dao descended, I withdrew my sword, twisted my body sideways, and flicked the blade across Won Woo-hyeop’s flank.
With a sharp thud, a small groan escaped him. But he quickly regained his balance and looked at me. It was less a human gaze than the stare of a beast.
That was why I sheathed my sword.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m saying there’s no meaning in fighting this stupidly.”
“Stupidly?”
“Then what is this? You’re not even circulating your internal energy, just swinging around like a brute.”
After hearing me out, Won Woo-hyeop drew back his dao. Then he turned and walked into the manor, tilting his chin for me to follow.
I trailed after him. Won Woo-hyeop had called him stupid, but his raw strength was genuine. Even without using internal energy, it wasn’t easy to exert that kind of force. Proof of that was the buzzing ache still ringing through my hand.
Won Woo-hyeop seated me in an office where only one table stood. Then he put his shirt back on and sat down across from me.
“Nameless nobody. You’re better than I expected.”
“Better? If I’d really gone at it properly, you wouldn’t still be sitting there.”
“Hah hah hah. I like that spirit. How about we really do it right, then?”
Won Woo-hyeop’s momentum rose. Not only his brute strength, but his level in martial arts was apparently not low either. Probably just the threshold of the peak realm. For a man that young to be at the threshold of the peak realm, he was likely an important force in Cheolhyeol-seong.
“Some other time.”
“....”
“That’s a disappointing answer. Still, why are you here?”
“Namgung said they’d lend their strength.”
“Hasn’t it been a while since the righteous bastards started doing dirty things?”
“They’re talking about ambushing you, instead.”
“That’s the sort of trick useless men always use.”
Won Woo-hyeop didn’t look startled at my words. I couldn’t tell whether he was stupid or simply too confident. He grinned and looked at me.
“I expected the righteous bastards to try something filthy, but what I’m curious about is why you’re telling me this.”
“Because I don’t trust them either.”
“Puhaha. You’re one of the righteous faction and you don’t trust the righteous faction?”
“It’s less that I don’t trust the righteous faction and more that I don’t trust Namgung Gyeom.”
“How far am I supposed to keep swallowing this? No, how far am I supposed to keep believing it?”
“Whether you believe it or not is your concern.”
“Then I’ll believe it. So what’s the price for this information?”
Won Woo-hyeop’s expression sharpened, all trace of his earlier easygoing look gone. Exactly as I thought. He was hiding something. I began to think this man might deserve even more caution than Namgung Gyeom.
“When I need it, grant me one favor.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I will. Is that all you had to say?”
“You’re not asking about the treasury?”
“Mm... if I asked, would you tell me?”
“No.”
“....If I keep talking to you any longer, I feel like I’ll kill you myself. Boys, the guest is leaving! See him out!”
With that, I left the manor. I was interested in Won Woo-hyeop after seeing the unexpected side of him, but for now the basic groundwork I needed was finished.
“Now shall I do something that actually matters?”
I headed straight back to the inn. Then I replaced the signboard hanging in front and went inside.
Baek Family Inn closed for the time being!
Closed for a while due to personal reasons!
The inn fell silent. I moved into the kitchen and began walking, stamping my feet on the floor.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
At a steady rhythm, I heard the sound of heavy steps. But in one spot, there came a hollow thump.
“Found it.”
I drew my sword and slashed at the place where the sound had changed. The floor was cut away with ease. It looked as if wood had been layered over a passage leading underground, then finished over with stone. An ordinary person wouldn’t have noticed, but that didn’t apply to me.
I crouched at once and forced my body into the passage leading below ground. At first the entrance and corridor were narrow, but once I got farther in, the passage began to widen, until at some point it became large enough for me to stand and walk upright.
As I kept moving, light began to appear at the end of the passage, which had been filled only with darkness. What was giving off that light was a broken night pearl.
Even broken, it was clearly a very expensive thing.
“They put night pearls at the entrance? Just how much did they steal?”
When I turned my head, I saw a wall. I slowly examined it. There were sword marks. A great many sword marks. I stared at them for a moment, then lightly tapped the wall with my hand.
“Ha... fuck, this is thousand-year cold iron.”
There was a reason people hadn’t gotten in here until now.
I had expected it, but a sigh still escaped me without my meaning to.
“The Treasury of the Divine Thief is right in front of me, and I can’t get in.”