Han Yumae

The breakfast I shared with Miss Han turned out more comfortable than I had expected.

I could clearly sense that she held some goodwill toward me for reasons of her own, so I asked her all sorts of questions without any reserve.

In the end, I even cleared up everything Anonymous 1 had been curious about.

As our conversation continued, we finally arrived at the main topic.

"Do you know what that monster was yesterday?"

"It seems this is your first time encountering a Jeonggoe."

"Jeonggoe?"

"That's the general term for the creatures Young Master Ye captured yesterday. Among the Jeonggoe, the one we met last night is called a Black Shadow Ghost for its resemblance to a shadow."

Jeonggoe.

According to Han Yumae's explanation, they were strange monsters that had only appeared a little over ten years ago—not ancient by any means.

"I heard they were first discovered in Hebei Province, but I never imagined they would show up in Sichuan as well. Even the Alliance has been growing increasingly concerned as they continue to spread."

"Ah, I see. I came up from Guizhou Province, so I hadn't heard any of that."

"You came from Guizhou? Might I ask which sect you belong to? I'm curious what magnificent school raised someone like Young Master Ye."

"That is…"

Saying I was from the unorthodox path felt difficult, given all the social prejudices attached to it. Fortunately, I already had an excuse prepared for moments like this.

"I come from a mysterious one-man transmission sect."

"Ah, I understand. I've heard the Jianghu is full of righteous heroes and hidden sects whose names remain unknown. I'm simply glad to have the chance to meet one of them."

Having it said so openly to my face made me feel a little embarrassed, but it still beat getting strange looks for admitting I was unorthodox.

"Then may I ask ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why Young Master Ye traveled all the way from Guizhou to Sichuan? Are you perhaps touring the martial world?"

"No. I was on my way to Cheonmu Academy."

At that, Han Yumae smiled brightly and clasped her hands together.

"So we were fated to meet sooner or later. I was heading to Cheonmu Academy myself."

"Wow, what a genuine coincidence."

"Since fate has already brought us together like this…"

Suddenly she rose, bracing her hands on the table, and leaned her face in close. Soft plum blossom fragrance drifted from her cascading hair and tickled the tip of my nose.

"Would you consider ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠traveling together? Ah—are you perhaps a senior? This will be my first time entering the academy."

Traveling with Han Yumae, whom I had only just met.

I was still debating how to refuse politely when a post appeared on the gallery.

The post had been written by Anonymous 1 of all people, a Hwasan ancestor, but the reasoning was solid.

And since she was the one who suggested traveling together first, that made it even better.

I had no reason to refuse, so I simply nodded.

"I'm also heading there for the first time, so you don't need to worry about that."

"We're the same generation! Ah—sorry, my mistake."

"It's fine. Honestly, being spoken to casually is more comfortable… for me."

"Hehe, really?"

Perhaps realizing we were both heading to Cheonmu Academy changed something. Han Yumae's entire atmosphere shifted.

The poised young woman with the upright posture and crystal-clear eyes vanished without a trace, leaving only a youthful girl in her place. She still carried herself with natural grace that proved she was Han Yumae, yet her bright, sparkling smile held the fresh liveliness unique to a young maiden.

While I was still staring blankly at that transformation, she began chattering away without pause.

"Ah, what a relief. Leaving the sect for somewhere else for the first time had me so nervous, but meeting someone of similar standing has really calmed me down. I was super tense, you know. I can't go around tarnishing my sect's name."

"Is that so?"

"It is. You're also the first martial artist I've met outside my own sect, so I ended up treating you super formally. Ah—that doesn't mean what you did was lacking or anything. Catching a Black Shadow Ghost bare-handed was seriously amazing. That was the work of a true hero. You looked so cool."

"You finished it off, though. All I did was buy time."

"If it hadn't been for you, everyone in this inn would have been in deep trouble by now. Ah, right."

As if something had just occurred to her, Han Yumae reached into her robes and held out a stone that gleamed with a dark light.

"This rightfully belongs to you."

"What is it?"

"You said you didn't know much about Jeonggoe. This is a Yeongseok—a Spirit Stone that drops when you defeat a Jeonggoe. Usually the person who contributed the most to the kill takes it. So it should be yours."

"Is that how it works?"

I had no idea how the contribution was judged, but I wasn't about to refuse free loot.

The Spirit Stone she handed me looked, at a glance, like an ordinary black gem. The only unusual thing was its shape—a perfect rhombus, as if a master jeweler had cut it with absolute precision.

"Do people make necklaces out of these and wear them around?"

"Maybe if they don't know martial arts, but what martial artist would waste something like this? It's a pure lump of internal energy."

"Huh?"

"If you hold it in your hand while circulating your energy, it increases your internal force. After that it disappears, but still. These days there are quite a few people who wander around specifically hunting Jeonggoe just for these."

From the description alone, it was basically an internal energy potion.

"But is it really okay to just use something that came out of a monster like that? Doesn't it feel dirty?"

"That's why they're called Jeonggoe. Monsters that drop Spirit Stones filled with pure internal energy—hence Jeonggoe. I've used a few myself and never had any side effects. Not yet… anyway."

Listening to her, I stared down at the Spirit Stone in my palm.

I should ask the gallery members about this later.

After that, Han Yumae and I continued chatting about all sorts of things.

Among the questions Anonymous 1 had begged me to ask, the plum blossom tree next to the main courtyard was apparently ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still thriving.

Exactly how old was that guy that a tree he planted was still standing?

When Han Yumae asked how I knew about that tree, I felt a little awkward and just waved it off, claiming that anyone who heard of the Hwasan Sect would know about its most famous landmark.

Another useful piece of information I gained from talking with her was that there would be an entrance exam. Both practical and written sections. Even if I could cheat on the written portion with the gallery members' answers, knowing in advance that there was a practical exam was a huge gain.

If I knew it existed, I could at least prepare somewhat.

After that, since we had already decided to travel together, she insisted we rest a little longer until my injuries healed. Her advice was that the dark, mottled look of my wounds suggested possible internal damage, so we needed to be as careful as possible.

I worried I was delaying her for no reason, but Han Yumae considered my condition without the slightest complaint.

The moment I returned to my room and lay down, I checked the gallery first thing.

Perhaps because I had talked with Han Yumae for quite a while, the posts that had piled up in the meantime were about to explode.

As I checked through the conversations they had been having, one post with an especially high number of comments caught my eye.

As expected of Bloodcake, the faction cake, and Blood Cult Grandpa all in one.

Just in case I had missed anything, I checked the rest of the gallery posts as well, but the Blood Cult Lord's summary looked perfect.

With the gallery's full support I slapped a temporary ban on Anonymous 1, and soon a new post from Cheonma appeared.