The Postponed Showdown - 1
The sky has always had its masters. By day, a sun that poured forth searing heat and brilliant light; by night, a moon that bathed the world in cold, pale radiance.
But even those masters' power had its moments of weakness — and that moment was dawn.
When the morning star climbed into the sky to watch over the world through the gap left by the absent sun and moon, it was the hour when diligent folk rose to begin their day's work.
Seomhwachon, sleepy compared to most places, was no exception; at that same hour its people climbed from their beds and set about their labors. The farmers rose early, and though the village was small, its people were fond of the morning market, so the merchants heading there were every bit as industrious as the farmers themselves.
At the smithy, the blacksmith bustled about, using the pre-dawn chill to escape the forge's heat, and little by little the workshop took on its own warmth with the ring of hammer on iron.
And when that hour arrived, the only inn in Seomhwachon opened its doors for the morning trade.
The inn's owner was away for the time being, but that did not mean the inn itself stopped working. The faithful servants swept the yard, and in the kitchen, a cook who had joined only recently slipped inside to begin the morning's cooking.
On any ordinary day the owner would have come down himself to help with the trade, but with the master off on a journey of several days, his face was nowhere to be seen.
And so Chae Jin could not quite wipe the sulk from her expression.
"Haaah…"
Not seeing the man she saw every day left her feeling strangely adrift — and this was an inn where staying had long since become second nature to her. To think his mere absence could make everything feel this wrong.
My heart must be broken. It has to be.
Hoping to press down the restlessness in her chest, Chae Jin took a sip of tea.
"What's with the funeral face?"
The one to speak was Yo Hwan, who had come to the inn as its cook only recently. She set down a plate of Seomhwa steamed buns — first created by Yu Wol and since refined by her own hand — alongside vegetable soup, then chuckled dryly at the sight of Chae Jin munching on a bun with that sulky look.
"Start the morning like that and you'll scare the luck right off."
"I know, I know. By the way, how were the ingredients I brought you yesterday?"
Yo Hwan remembered that Chae Jin had gone out to gather materials at her own and Chang Ju's request, only returning late last night. She turned the memory of those materials over in her mind and nodded.
"That's plenty to put together a generous spread of medicinal dishes."
"That's a relief, then."
Both Chae Jin and Yo Hwan startled at the voice drifting down from the staircase — and small wonder, for it belonged to the last person either of them expected.
Shuffling down the steps, dressed in black, came the owner of the inn himself. Yu Wol.
"Huh? When did you get in?"
"Around dawn."
"You could have said something…"
"You were both sound asleep, so I deliberately didn't have anyone wake you. Yo Hwan — mine as well, please."
"Oh. Got it."
Yu Wol settled naturally into the seat across from Chae Jin and laid something on the table, drawn from his robe. A fan no larger than a palm. Chae Jin stared at it hard for a moment, then asked with a grave expression.
"This is that dharma treasure from Changungwan, isn't it?"
"Mm. It's called the Plantain Fan."
"I see. Then when do we install it?"
The sulk that had clouded her face until moments ago had melted into a smile. The inn that had felt awkward to her now seemed to hum with familiar warmth, and sensing that shift, she asked brightly — to which Yu Wol gave a perfectly placid answer.
"Tonight."
Driving the cart until such a late hour had worn me out, but the work could not be put off. I sighed, eyeing the Plantain Fan where it sat on the table.
"…What's with that face?"
At the worry in Chae Jin's voice, I shook my head.
"It's nothing."
"Hmm. So? Where does this thing need to be installed?"
"There's space in the inn's cellar. That's where it goes."
"Got it. Then call me the moment you're ready."
Chae Jin said it breezily, and I nodded. If I installed the banner I had brought back from Changungwan and the Plantain Fan at the same time, the quality of everything crafted here would climb.
Which meant I owed Chang Ju — currently buried in production work — advance notice as well.
"By the way, did you manage to gather all the materials?"
"Huh? Yeah. I got everything we needed, so…"
"Well done."
And she truly had. Chang Ju, Yo Hwan — both were vital players in Seomhwachon. So long as I could keep them properly supplied with the materials they needed, responding to the first scenario would be no great challenge.
After all, a defense meant to hold against anything demanded proper equipment and supplies.
"Go on, then — eat it while it's hot."
"Oh? That's all?"
"…Hm? Ah, right. You went to a lot of trouble, so your fee…"
"No, that's not it."
Chae Jin flashed a smile.
"Could you come out with me later?"
"Hmm… very well."
I needed to stop by Chang Ju's regardless, and I'd heard the Sword Workshop would be taking shape while I was away at Changungwan, so that deserved a look too. I had been planning to head out around midday anyway; we could simply go together then.
Morning service ended, I ran through the Five Animal Frolics, had the Chae Family Tai Chi Chuan forcibly drilled into me, and cleared the backlog of work — by the time all of that was done, I finally made my way back down to the inn.
Somehow, I never get a single idle day.
"Hey. Innkeeper. You're heading out, aren't you? Take this over to Chang Ju."
What Yo Hwan held out was a tiered food box. Sending me off with a packed meal for the road, was she? Surely it wasn't empty. I lifted the lid a crack and confirmed it was packed solid.
"…Why are you checking?"
"Ah — no reason. Just wondering what you'd packed."
Yo Hwan gave a dry snort, wearing the look of a woman who had seen through every last one of this fool's habits, and a moment later, footsteps sounded on the stairs.
"All right! Let's go!"
Down came Chae Jin, dressed in her usual Moon Lotus Pavilion attire. Yo Hwan glanced at her, chuckled once more, and disappeared back into the kitchen.
What was that about? Why does she keep laughing?
"Did I do something to upset Yo Hwan?"
"Nope? Nothing like that."
She answered with a shrug and gave my back a light tap.
"So where are we headed first?"
"We've got the food, so I thought we'd call on Chang Ju to start."
"Makes sense. All right! Let's go!"
Chae Jin, oddly full of energy today, said it with an easy grace, and we stepped outside at once.
"Maybe it's because all we've done lately is visit crowded places… it all feels a little unfamiliar somehow."
"Just your imagination, no?"
"You think? Hehe."
Nothing more was said after that. But the silence between us wasn't awkward — there was no reason for it to be.
We strolled along at our leisure, and when we reached the talisman room the county office had set aside, we found Chang Ju inside wearing a thoroughly stumped expression.
"Good day to you."
"Oh? Welcome."
"Yo Hwan asked me to bring you lunch. Here."
I set the cloth-wrapped bundle down on the wide table. Chang Ju brightened at the sight and promptly flipped open the box.
"Wow! It's nothing but my favorites!"
"What are the odds."
"There's plenty here — why don't we all share it?"
I glanced at Chae Jin; she was already settling naturally into a seat. Apparently the two of them had grown quite close in the days I'd been gone.
"I'll have to write Yo Hwan a talisman one of these days."
"Since you mention talismans, there's something I'd like to ask of you."
I placed the Moon Essence Stone on the table — the one O Chil had given me a while back. Chang Ju studied it for a long moment, let out a short breath, and then her eyes lit up.
"Ooh, this is good stock. Where'd it come from?"
There was no need to hide it, and it wasn't the sort of story that needed hiding anyway. I explained the circumstances of my meeting with O Chil, and she listened for a long while before letting out a deep breath, her meal quite forgotten.
"He must have been truly grateful, huh. This is a genuinely high-grade piece. And with the Blood Flower Brush on top of it… I can write two talismans with this."
"Oh? Then I'll leave it in your hands. As for your fee…"
"Oh, forget the fee. It's fine. It's fine."
Chang Ju rapped her knuckles playfully against the food box. Calling it even for the meal, was she? Fine by me.
I knew all too well what it cost to produce a single proper talisman.
"By the way, have you been out to the smithy yet?"
"We were just about to head over now. Is something the matter?"
"Huh? No, not especially? It's only — it's going up on your land, so I figured you'd be curious."
"I am, as it happens."
"Then finish eating and go have a look. It's not far from here."
With that, the talk wound down and we finished our meal. Chang Ju brewed a quick pot of tea and, passing out the cups, tipped her chin toward Chae Jin.
"So — what's this I hear about you and the Moonlight Blade cooking something up?"
"Mm, that's right. Would you happen to know anything about Changungwan's dharma treasure?"
"Know it? Of course. Huh? Wait — don't tell me you're installing that thing here? That won't be easy."
"Oh my? You know about it?"
"Well, naturally… If the innkeeper himself brought it back… then it has to be the Plantain Fan."
"It is."
"Setting that up won't be easy, you know. Will you be all right?"
Chang Ju's gaze was fixed squarely on Chae Jin. Perhaps because of that, Chae Jin only wore a supremely confident smile.
"What do you take me for? There's nothing I can't handle."
"No, it's just… installing a dharma treasure comes down to how well the two of you can match each other's rhythm."
"You saw us before, didn't you?"
"Hm. Will that be enough? Well… if that's what he's decided, I suppose there's no problem. Give it your best shot."
"No need to worry."
"Anyway, if that thing goes in, I'll be reaping the benefits too… Feels like I ought to give something back. Is there anything you need? Materials, maybe?"
Chang Ju was all beams and smiles. She ran lightly through the ingredients used for talisman-making, and I shook my head.
"I'd rather you devote yourself to the work only you can do."
Because that, more than anything else, was what I wished for.
Our business with Chang Ju concluded, Chae Jin and I headed straight for the smithy. The building that had been rising on what was once a bare, empty hillside now stood complete, with people in government-issue garb coming and going through its doors.
"It's quite the size."
"Looks like the county office built it properly. Still, I hear the ore is a problem…"
Well, fine equipment did demand fine iron. Listening to the doubt in Chae Jin's voice, we stepped inside the Sword Workshop, where a good number of blacksmiths were hard at work hammering iron.
And then—
"Hm? Ohh! So you're that landlord I've been hearing about!!"
A considerably large old man came toward me, beaming, and I couldn't help but marvel.
Wow. So this is how it all connects?
"Name's Maksa. Used to work over at the Iron Horse Workshop, I did."
Maksa. The old man who, in Part 4, had heard the Sound of Iron and gained the ability to forge treasured blades.
And— the one who, from Part 2 onward, had taken pity on Sa Yun and forged her weapons for her.
I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. To think it would all tie together like this.
Old Man Mak was the one the Magistrate had brought in, wasn't he?
…In that case, I really ought to deliver a generous spread of medicinal dishes and medicinal liquor to the Magistrate's residence today.