First Snow - 3
"Whew... you've all worked hard."
Only after the Sanbeom's corpse had burned away to nothing but ash did Hong Ryeon finally settle her racing blood. The woman who had been seething with fury mere moments ago turned to me with a soft smile.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. By the way, Sa Yun—you fought well out there. Your skills have grown since the Changungwan incident, haven't they?"
"That's because I kept practicing!"
Good. Splendid, even. I gave Sa Yun an approving nod, and she fairly beamed.
By then, Hyeon Hwi had gathered up the neidan core, the scales, and the tail.
"So this is the Sanbeom's core."
Hyeon Hwi murmured it while gazing at the softly glowing pearl. It was my first time seeing one in the flesh, too—I couldn't help but marvel at it.
"We may as well divide the spoils here. Lady Chae—what would you like?"
"Me? Just give me the scales."
"Oh? You don't want the core?"
When you brought down a beast like this, the core was always the prize. I'd assumed Chae Jin would want it, yet against all expectation she had her eye on the scales instead.
"Ah, well—there's a pair of gauntlets you can craft from those scales, you see."
"Hmm... but Lady Chae, you don't wear gauntlets."
I glanced at her hands. She had mastered the sugong hand arts, so her bare hands were every bit as lovely as gloved ones. Gauntlets, of all things?
When I tilted my head, Chae Jin slipped her gaze away from mine. Too embarrassed to answer, perhaps? She hesitated, fidgeting with the hairpin in her hair—the one Chae Ryeon had given her a while back.
"...Well, she gave me something like this, after all."
Ah. So that's it—she means to look after her little sister.
Rival or no, even if the girl did have her eye on Chae Jin's own seat, a big sister still wanted to take care of her, huh?
I gave her a fond smile, and Chae Jin went red to the ears.
"Wh-what are you smiling at!"
"Nothing at all. Then the scales go to Lady Chae, and the rest to Hongseong Gate."
"Huh? And you, Innkeeper?"
Sa Yun looked at me, bewildered. Me? What about me?
"I was never after the Sanbeom to begin with. Besides, learning that my King's Steps actually worked on the creature is reward enough."
"But still..."
"I truly don't mind. Hong Ryeon, would that arrangement suit you?"
"Don't you dare. With Hongseong's secret methods we can brew even more elixirs. You've started learning martial arts yourself now—they'd help you, plain and simple."
"I'm quite all right."
I'd already discussed the matter with the Sword Saint. There was no need to claim an elixir here.
"Well then—shall we head home?"
I climbed onto the wagon, and the women simply stared at me.
"Aren't you getting on? If we don't hurry, we won't arrive until long after dark."
Only after my prodding did they clamber aboard.
Was it that chill I'd caught earlier? Strange—my body was trembling, just a little. Seeing it, Hong Ryeon slipped off her outer robe without a word and draped it over my shoulders.
"If you start feeling worse, come to the back. I'll take the reins."
"No, I'm fine. Come now—let's be off."
Seomhwachon was already visible in the distance. Was it because night had fallen? Lamplight glimmered here and there along the palisade. Only a little farther now—best I take the reins myself.
"Besides, all of you actually fought the Sanbeom. Surely someone who merely watched the whole thing can do at least this much?"
"Oh, come on. Escorting you was our assignment. We only did what we were hired to do."
Catching sight of her torn clothing, I sighed.
"Now that I think of it—weren't those clothes expensive?"
"Not all that expensive."
"Next time we go to Cheongho, I'll buy you a new set."
"You really don't have to. I mean it."
"It wouldn't sit right with me otherwise."
"Then come shopping with me. Hehe. I'll buy you some new clothes too."
"...How about next time we visit Cheongho, we all go together?"
When Hong Ryeon said that with a laugh, Chae Jin laughed as well. And so, wrapped in that easy warmth, we reached the palisade gate—and the doors swung open.
"Oh! If it isn't the Innkeeper! You're later than we expected, sir!"
A familiar soldier greeted us with a grin. I returned a casual nod; he glanced over the wagon, then waved us through.
"Go on in. No need for an inspection here, right?"
"Haha. Much obliged."
"Aw, come on~ After everything the Innkeeper has done for Seomhwachon, how could we go poking through his carts? It's called trust. Trust."
THIS is what connections are for!
I flashed him a grin.
"Bring your fellows by the inn sometime. I'll stand you all a round of drinks."
"Well, now—thank you kindly!"
And so we passed into Seomhwachon and drew up before the inn. The servants and waitstaff must have heard the wagon coming, for they came bustling straight out. I handed Hong Ryeon back her robe.
"It served me well. Thank you."
"We'll help carry the goods too!"
"There's truly no need for that."
"Stop refusing every single time! This is exactly when you say yes. Hyeon Hwi, Sa Yun—let's get this cargo moving."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Understood."
At Hong Ryeon's instruction, the two hopped down from the wagon as well. Chae Jin, meanwhile, was already hauling several large bundles toward the storeroom. Honestly, these people.
"Welcome back. You're later than I figured, though?"
"Something came up along the way. Nothing happened at the inn, I trust?"
"Hmph. Like anything'd happen around here? More importantly—the thing I told you to buy?"
"Ah. Bought and paid for. No worries."
I said it with a smile, and Yohwan's craggy face lit up.
"Good. Then look forward to it. Winter means I can cook up something even tastier."
"Haha. Yohwan, your cooking is always worth looking forward to. Now then—I'd better move some of this luggage myself."
And so a journey well worth its while drew to a close.
When the disciples returned from Yangwi Fortress, their fellow Hongseong disciples welcomed them with smiles.
And those smiles did not take long to turn into astonishment.
"So it truly exists."
That was the Sword Saint's greeting to her returning disciples, uttered as she stared long and hard at the Sanbeom's core. There was no awe in her voice, no joy—nothing but perfect calm. At that unnervingly placid expression, Hong Ryeon tilted her head.
"You're not amazed?"
"I am amazed enough... Regardless. You have all worked hard beyond measure. Slaying a Sanbeom cannot have been easy."
"Hyeon Hwi and Sa Yun fought better than I'd hoped. And Chae Jin... helped out, too."
Hong Ryeon patted the pair on their heads as she spoke. Sa Yun beamed; Hyeon Hwi's stoic face tinged faintly pink.
The Sword Saint watched the three of them for a moment, then nodded.
"And... so this is the Sanbeom's tail."
She lifted the white tail, so cold it seemed to breathe frost, and turned it over in her hand with detached eyes before giving a small nod.
"Now we can craft Hongseong's sacred relic at last."
"Indeed."
Her voice trembled—perhaps with joy at the thought of restoring the relic destroyed long ago, the one she had scarcely allowed herself to think of since. Perhaps that was why the disciples all drew close to their master, each trying in her own way to comfort her—and at the sight of it, the Sword Saint smiled gently.
"Thank you, all of you. In any case... the elixirs come before the relic."
"Oh? Shouldn't we craft the relic first?"
Sa Yun blurted out, but the Sword Saint shook her head. The relic was important, certainly—but not more important than her disciples' growth. And besides, crafting either the relic or the elixirs would devour a considerable sum. Selling medicinal herbs and scent pouches had steadied Hongseong Gate's finances, but even so, the Sword Saint knew better than anyone that the costs would be anything but trivial.
"Hong Ryeon. Could we manage both, as of now?"
Hong Ryeon ran the figures in her head and shook hers with regret. On their current funds they could afford one of the two—and even that would be cutting it perilously close.
"Brewing elixirs with Hongseong's secret methods calls for a great many ingredients."
"True."
Since their methods yielded far more elixirs than any other sect could manage, it stood to reason that they devoured far more materials in turn.
"So let us put the relic off until next time."
"Okaaay..."
"Then as for the ingredients we need..."
"It would be best to purchase them through Innkeeper Yu again, wouldn't it?"
Some would already sit in the stores of Yu Wol's trading house, and whatever did not could be sourced through the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild.
"Beyond that, we can make use of the herbs and medicinal plants that grow wild on Mount Hongseong. Disciples—from tomorrow, when you train upon the mountain, I would have you devote all the more attention to gathering medicinal ingredients."
"Yes, Master!!"
"And then there is the matter of choosing who will take the elixirs..."
"I'll pass, Master."
"As will I."
"Um... me too. I already took a Clear Sand Pill a while back."
At the three declarations, the Sword Saint smiled softly. Hyeon Hwi, and Hong Ryeon as well—both of them had inner energy to spare. So she could wave off those two refusals with a smile. Sa Yun, though, was another matter entirely. The girl's inner energy was still lacking at her stage; unlike the older two, for whom insight and training mattered more, Sa Yun genuinely needed the elixir.
That was why the Sword Saint reached out and gently stroked Sa Yun's head.
Sensing what the gesture meant, Sa Yun shook her head.
"But... what about the other senior sisters..."
"My, my. Sa Yun—are you slighting your senior sisters right now? Master, I'm fine as well. I'll give my share to the juniors."
Ryu Hyeon said it with a laugh, and the other senior sisters echoed their agreement one after another.
"Sa Yun. Remember: Hongseong Gate endures as one. A weak disciple grows strong, and the strong disciple must then reach back and pull the weak along. That has always been Hongseong's way, and so it must remain. And when you have all gained the strength to act on your sisters' behalf—why, that will be more than enough."
At the Sword Saint's words, every last disciple nodded along.
It was not that none of them yearned to grow stronger with an elixir. But no one at Hongseong Gate was the sort to indulge her greed by trampling the sect's way of doing things.
At their heartwarming responses, the Sword Saint gave a small, involuntary shiver.
"...Ahem! Ahem! In any case, we shall proceed as discussed. Once I have reviewed each of your inner energies, I will select the disciples who will take the elixirs."
Dabbing at the corner of one eye, the Sword Saint masked the moment with a low cough. When all her disciples agreed, she swept a calm gaze over them one last time.
"Now then—dismissed for today. Hong Ryeon. Sa Yun. Tomorrow you will accompany me to call upon the Innkeeper. We owe him our thanks. How could the Sect Leader of Hongseong Gate leave such gratitude to her disciples alone?"
No one objected.
When the next day came, the Sword Saint set out for the inn with the two girls in tow.
And there, just emerging from the inn's kitchen, they ran straight into Chae Jin.
"Huh? What's this. The Sword Saint herself is here? And Sa Yun, too."
"We have come to offer thanks for yesterday. Where might the Innkeeper be?"
"That's odd, isn't it? Shouldn't he be training right about now, like always?"
When Sa Yun asked, puzzled, Chae Jin shrugged.
"He said he felt a bit off today, so he decided to rest. He should be out in the back courtyard. I was going to fetch a physician from the government office, but he's got a mountain of work waiting and kept insisting he was fine... so I figured I'd wait a bit, see how he was doing, then bring one in if need be."
Having said her piece, Chae Jin started walking, and the three followed her.
There they found a man sitting blankly, staring at nothing.
"Innkeeper?"
It was Sa Yun who approached him first. Unlike his usual self, he was regarding her through hazy eyes; then he let out a faint chuckle.
"Oh. It's you, Sa Yun. What brings you all by at this hour?"
"...You look really unwell. Are you all right?"
He smiled.
"I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Something like this is nothing at all."
Without a word, Hong Ryeon stepped up to him and laid a hand against his forehead.
His brow was burning.
"...You have a serious fever."
"It's fine. This much, anyway."
As he rose slowly to his feet, his strength seemed to give out and he swayed—and Hong Ryeon caught him in a flash, leaving Yu Wol's face buried square against her chest.
"Ah."
The scent drifting to her nose, the full weight of him filling her arms—Hong Ryeon felt a momentary dizziness. But there was no room to savor it. Yu Wol looked precisely that bad.
"W-we should lay him down first. Chae Jin—where is the Innkeeper's room?"
She had already channeled her recovery art to shore up his flagging strength, but he still could not gather his wits properly. Even so, Hong Ryeon could think and speak quickly—she was Hongseong Gate's eldest disciple, after all, and had nursed many an ailing junior in her day. Even so: this was a man frail in the martial arts, and the man she loved. And so her voice shook with genuine fear.
At her words, Chae Jin cried out in a panic.
"Huh? Uh—second floor!! I'll carry—"
"Already got him."
Hong Ryeon scooped the Innkeeper straight up into her arms. Yu Wol was built far larger than she was, but to a martial artist steeped in inner energy, this much was nothing.
Carrying him, she turned her head—and blinked.
"Huh?"
Her master was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, she decided the Sword Saint must have stepped away for a moment, and carried Yu Wol off; Chae Jin and Sa Yun scrambled along behind her in a fluster.
And so Hong Ryeon bore him not to his office on the inn's third floor, but to his bedroom on the second—a room he seldom used—and laid him down on the bed. Yohwan, drawn in by the commotion, watched on anxiously while Yu Wol lay with his eyes closed, not stirring so much as a finger.
The faint thread of consciousness that had remained in him moments ago had slipped away entirely.
At the sight of it, the three of them bit down hard on their lips without realizing.
"Right. First, we get a physici—"
Just then, the door burst open.
"Master...?"
It was the Sword Saint—the very one who had vanished on them earlier. Expressionless even now, she stood beside a physician from the government office, who wore a thoroughly bewildered look. Apparently, in that brief span she had sprinted to the office and dragged the man back with her.
"What the—? Innkeeper Yu?!"
At the sight of Yu Wol sprawled on the bed, the physician hastily seized his wrist and took his pulse. Only after checking his breathing, applying needles, and running through a few other examinations did he speak.
"A wind-cold, by the look of it."
"Is that some kind of grave illness?!"
"We have to summon the Divine Physician from the Murim Alliance!! I'll go and get him! He owes Moon Lotus Pavilion a debt, so if I'm the one who goes...!"
"Innkeeper...!! Sob... Waaah!!"
Hong Ryeon looked stricken, Chae Jin was flustered, and Sa Yun was already in tears. At the three of them, the physician could only stare in utter disbelief.
"Now, now—everyone, calm yourselves. You do know what a wind-cold is, don't you? A cold. A plain old cold."
"...Oh."
"He's running a bit of a fever. He must have been out in the cold yesterday. The fatigue he's been banking up of late must have finally broken through because of it. Don't fret, any of you. As you well know, the Innkeeper has been pushing himself half to death these past weeks. These are ordinary symptoms."
Silence settled over the room.
The physician flapped his hands at the gathered crowd.
"Everyone out for now. Let him sleep it off properly, and once he's awake, see that he takes his medicine faithfully. Proper meals, too. With a constitution like his, a few days' rest will set him right. Honestly. When the Sword Saint came hauling me off, I thought something truly dire had happened."
Even as he grumbled, the physician looked plainly relieved himself. And at his easy expression, everyone filed out of the room wearing sheepish faces, apparently ashamed of the panic they'd just made of themselves.
Thus the Sword Saint, stepping out last alongside Chae Jin, Hong Ryeon, and Sa Yun, remarked flatly:
"I suspected it would prove nothing of consequence."
"...Still, thank goodness you kept your head, Master. Did you use your lightness skill to fetch the physician back that fast?"
"When such things befall a man, it is best left to a physician."
When Sa Yun, sniffling, asked her question, the Sword Saint answered with a gentle smile.
Yohwan suggested a cup of tea to settle everyone's rattled nerves, and the three headed downstairs.
Only once they were well out of sight did the Sword Saint's legs finally give way beneath the flood of relief, and before she knew it she was leaning her back against the wall.
Cool and composed, indeed.
The Sword Saint pressed a hand to her chest.
Her heart was still pounding like a thing possessed.