To Rise One Step Higher - 3
Moon Lotus Pavilion was a great sect, and a great many people made their home within its walls. Which meant there was no end to the work that began with the morning. The maids and servants rose before the sun and bustled about their duties, and winter, more than any other season, kept them on their toes.
Over the heads of all those busy workers, a gray-tinged sky began to sift down soft white snow. Before it could fall any harder, they hurried to finish the morning chores — and amid all those busy hands, mine were moving quickly as well. Not to work, of course, but to train.
A snowflake drifting toward my outstretched hand lifted away into the empty air with the movement of my palm. The instant it began to sink again after its brief hover, I turned my body.
Vwooom...!!
With a low rush of wind, the falling flake surged skyward once more. But no true force lay behind it, so the delicate thing held its shape, weak as could be.
The snowflake drifting toward my outstretched palm was gently deflected by the inner power I had built through the Five Animal Frolics and Chae Family Tai Chi. Then I drew it back in as my body turned. Turn, and turn, and turn again.
It wasn't Chae Family Tai Chi alone — most of the martial arts practiced here, built upon the principle of yielding softness, set great store by rotation. And so I fixed my mind on tracing the circles born of that turning as I moved my hands and feet.
And when the moment came to express the final form, I lowered both hands straight down.
Kuuung...!!
With a low, rolling tremor, the energy I had coiled up through all that rotation spread outward around me.
What it drew was the Taiji. Snow had piled up all around ever since I'd begun practicing Chae Family Tai Chi, but the ground at my center was different. Traced there in snow and earth was a single, perfect Taiji.
Clap, clap, clap.
At the sound of applause, I turned my head. Standing there was none other than Chae Ryeon.
"If you'd arrived, you might have said something."
"You seemed so focused. Besides — you're better than I expected."
"I'm only using what I was taught."
"Most people can't even unfold what they've been taught properly, you know?"
Chae Ryeon smiled brightly and held out her hand — the opening stance of the drills I practiced with Chae Jin.
"You don't have morning training?"
"There's still time before it starts. Come — shall we?"
"Gladly."
The moment my right hand met Chae Ryeon's, we were both moving fast. Unlike Chae Jin, Chae Ryeon moved less like an instructor and more like a sparring opponent. She concealed when she gathered her strength and when she released it, and at close range she tried to wrench my balance out from under me with chin na grabs.
I defended as best I could within the limits of what I knew, and pressed my own attacks in turn — how long did that go on? Despite the bitter cold and the falling snow, when beads of sweat had gathered on my forehead, Chae Ryeon finally stepped back.
"Hmm. At this level, I'd say you'd pass for quite an accomplished outer disciple. Of course, that's only counting Chae Family Tai Chi."
"Haha. It's all I've learned, after all."
"Your Five Animal Frolics look properly learned, too. My sister must be quite the teacher."
"She's an excellent teacher, your sister."
"You think so?"
Grinning impishly, she backed away a step or two, then raised a finger, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"My sister has the day off today. If you're not busy, how about asking her to show you around Cheongho?"
"As it happens, we'd already agreed to go out together today."
"Oh? Really? Well, that worked out nicely."
Chae Ryeon drew something from her robe and tossed it over. Two slips of paper came sailing through the air and landed squarely on my open palm.
"There's a theater in southern Cheongho. They're staging a play there this afternoon — why not go see it together?"
"I'll put them to good use. As for repaying you—"
"No need. My sister already took care of that."
"Lady Chae did?"
"The Sanbeom's scale. And you're the one who warned us the Sanbeom was coming. That's more than enough of a reward, don't you think? Well then — see you this afternoon~!"
With a cheerful wave, Chae Ryeon scooted off. I turned the papers over in my hand for a moment, then tucked them into my pocket.
After breakfast, I stayed alone in my room. There was a great deal to think about, one way or another. I'd been turning things over in my head for quite a while when I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."
"It's me."
It was Chae Jin. Dressed not in her Moon Lotus Pavilion uniform but in ordinary clothes, she hovered at the threshold, fidgeting.
"Um... you haven't forgotten our promise from yesterday, have you?"
"Of course not. We're to set out around midday, aren't we?"
I held up the tickets Chae Ryeon had given me earlier. When Chae Jin tilted her head at the sight of them, I smiled.
"Lady Chae Ryeon gave them to me."
"Ah. She did..."
"If you'd rather not see the play—"
"Oh, no! I'd love to!"
"You do look a little tired, though. Up to going out?"
Chae Jin's eyes were faintly red. When I asked, puzzled, she shook her head vigorously.
"This much is nothing at all! I just couldn't sleep last night, so I was training late into the night, that's all!"
"If you say so. Then let's head out around midday, take care of some errands, watch the performance, have dinner, and come back after."
"Sounds perfect! See you then!!"
Chae Jin nodded brightly and hurried out of the room. Watching her go, I folded my legs into a cross-legged seat and picked my thoughts back up.
Around midday, I changed my clothes and stepped outside. As I waited at the spot where I'd met Hong Ryeon the day before, a beauty with raven-black hair pinned up came walking toward me.
"Have you been waiting long?"
It was a rather refined outfit — a formal high-collared dress with a skirt that reached her ankles. Perhaps because the whole thing fit so snugly, her firm, striking figure showed through plainly. But with the fur coat draped over it, the impression was not the least bit vulgar — she looked simply beautiful.
"That outfit suits you as well."
"Really? Hehe. Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself."
"Much obliged. Come, let's go."
And so I walked with Chae Jin. We visited the fabric shops we hadn't gotten to the day before, checked off this and that, and then made our way to the southern streets of Cheongho.
"Wow... there are so many people. By the way, what's the play we're seeing called?"
"It's called The Tale of Hwajopung, apparently. A kind of heroic saga."
It was a play that existed in Cheonsang Myeongwol as well — watching it unlocked one of the game's events. Hwajopung, the ancient hero. The great warrior of the Celestial Realm had descended to the world to strike down one of its two suns, and he felled it by renouncing his own divinity. Then, fallen to mortal life, he wandered the world, met a beloved, and lived out his days as a man until he died.
After seeing the play, you gained the ability to search for Hwajopung's traces; find them all, and you obtained the "Mirror of Hwajopung." That mirror had been an essential material for forging one of the best weapons available in Part Three.
"Wow... I see."
"You may find it dull."
"Hehe. I doubt that. Come on, let's go."
Whether it was because the troupe was genuinely skilled, or because The Tale of Hwajopung was famous in its own right, the theater was packed to the very last seat. Thankfully, the tickets Chae Ryeon had given us were for premium seating, so the places Chae Jin and I took looked comfortably spacious.
"How about we watch while eating these?"
She grinned, holding up snacks she'd bought at the entrance, and I nodded.
Before long, the lamps in the hall dimmed, and lights brightened over the stage.
Huh... this is better than I expected.
The troupe's actors were doing full justice to it — Hwajopung receiving heaven's decree and battling the demonic beasts, then receiving the worship of mortals. I'd been watching for some time when the pivotal scene finally arrived.
"And Hwajopung descended from the heavens and shot down the black sun!"
An elderly storyteller, apparently serving as the narrator, boomed. On cue, the actor playing Hwajopung flung his sword, and the black sun suspended from the ceiling dropped with a thud.
"And the place where that black sun fell was Mount Punghwol..."
Mount Punghwol. The site of Hwajopung's first trace — where lay the hilt of the sword he had wielded, melted down by the black sun. I filed it away in my memory and turned my focus back to the performance.
"...Mmm..."
With a soft murmur, a rich scent of forget-me-nots tickled my nose from the direction of my shoulder. I turned my head slightly to find something dark leaning against it.
"...Haha."
It was Chae Jin. Eyes closed, her head resting gently against my shoulder, she was breathing easily in her sleep.
So that was why she'd looked tired earlier...
Her long lashes lay still against her closed eyes, and the way she softly clutched my arm said she was well and truly asleep. I steadied my shoulder a little, so she could lean and rest more comfortably.
"...I'm soooo sorry..."
Chae Jin woke when the performance was nearly over. Pale as a sheet and utterly beside herself, she apologized the moment we stepped outside.
"It's quite all right. If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry — you were worn out, and you still came along with me."
"No, it's not like that! I leaned on you without asking, and I hadn't slept the night before... a-and, well, being next to you, Innkeeper, was just so comfortable, and you smell so nice, and..."
"Well, if it let you rest comfortably, then I'm satisfied. Come — let's go get some dinner."
"Uuu..."
I laughed at how utterly deflated Chae Jin looked, and gave her back a light pat. Only then did she lift her head and break into a sheepish grin.
"I'll tell you the story of Hwajopung over dinner. Lady Chae Ryeon will ask us about it later — we ought to have answers ready, shouldn't we?"
"Ahaha... I'd like that. I love listening to your stories, Innkeeper. It might be even better than the play."
Dinner was thoroughly pleasant. I'd noticed it before, sharing a drink now and then at the inn, but Chae Jin was a wonderful listener — quick to respond, her face bright with genuine interest. Which made telling the stories enjoyable in its own right.
"What a shame. I wish we could stay out a little longer."
It was already quite late — we'd lingered over a drink or two with dinner. When Chae Jin said it in a small voice, I smiled.
"We'll have plenty more chances. No need to be in such a hurry."
"That's true... plenty of chances."
Her dark eyes sparkling, she hopped lightly over to my side. And that was when it happened.
"Oh — it's snowing."
The snow that had fizzled out that morning was falling again. And it looked determined to make up for lost time.
"Just a moment!"
Chae Jin darted off toward a nearby shop. When she returned, she was carrying a single umbrella.
"Why did you only buy one?"
"They said it was the only one they had."
Sure enough, when I glanced at the shop, the umbrella stand outside stood empty — others had clearly gotten there first.
"Come on, let's go."
"Hand it over. I'll hold it."
"Hehe. Thank you."
As the umbrella of oiled paper and bamboo blossomed open, Chae Jin slipped naturally in close beside me. And so we walked on at an easy pace through the lamplit, snow-falling night streets of Cheongho.
We didn't really talk. Perhaps because so many of our strolls around Seomhwachon had passed in comfortable silence, it didn't feel the least bit awkward.
By the time we reached the gates of Moon Lotus Pavilion, the snow had stopped. I folded the umbrella, and Chae Jin stepped a pace inside.
"I really enjoyed today. Ugh... it would've been perfect if not for falling asleep like that."
"But that's exactly why we got to talk that much longer afterward, wasn't it?"
At my words, Chae Jin stared at me for a moment, eyes gone round. Then she smiled with her eyes and took a small step back.
"You're always like this, Innkeeper. Nothing ever frightens you, and you turn even failure into success."
I met Chae Jin's gaze squarely.
"Nothing about today seemed like a failure to me. Wasn't it enjoyable?"
"...Ahaha. I really can't win against you. You're right — it was fun... ugh. Anyway, then, see you tomorrow! Sweet dreams!"
With a radiant smile, she turned and went inside. I watched her go, and as I moved to head back to my own room, I came upon Chae Ryeon sitting in the garden.
"How was your day?"
she asked, smiling knowingly, and I answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Enjoyable."
"Glad to hear it."