Something Important - 6
With Sa Yun and Hyeon Hwi off on patrol, I settled into a chair in the back yard and let my thoughts wander.
Let's see. If I was headed to the Murim Alliance anyway, it only made sense to come back with something in hand.
There were certainly things to be gained there. A hidden secret realm, events with generous rewards—that sort of thing. Even if the secret realms were beyond someone like me, I could probably manage a few of the events. They would need preparation, of course, but there was plenty of time. I could simply get ready now.
"Lady Chae Jin!"
I went straight to find her. She happened to be taking tea with Yohwan inside the inn, and she turned toward me with a bright smile.
"I was hoping to make a trip to Yangwi Fortress in a few days. Would you care to come along?"
"Sure! What's the occasion, though?"
"I need to stop by the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild."
Among the events available in the city where the Murim Alliance stood, one of the better ones involved helping a retired official who lived there. The rewards were a Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root—an elixir ingredient that could just as well be eaten plain—and a talisman called the Taiji Talisman.
The Fleeceflower Root went without saying, and the Taiji Talisman was handy in all sorts of situations, so there was no downside to stockpiling them. And since the event meant aiding an official, it might even raise Sa Yun's standing within the Empire.
But it required a letter of introduction—from someone fairly high up, at that. Naturally, the only high-ranking person I knew was Cheon Il-hwa, so I had little choice but to ask him to write one.
"I'm planning to inquire with Hongseong Gate as well."
The event required letters of introduction from every participant. If I simply asked, he would write mine even if I came alone—but I wanted to use this chance to bring Sa Yun and show her Yangwi Fortress.
"I see. When do we leave?"
"Once things here are settled... within a few days. Ah, of course, if it's a bother, you needn't—"
"I'm coming!"
I smiled at the force of her resolve. If she came, all the better for me.
Around the time the evening trade was set to begin, Hong Ryeon came by. Perfect timing—I'd been meaning to call for her anyway. She'd come to learn cooking from Yohwan, and though my warm greeting puzzled her, she smiled back all the same.
"Such a welcome, thank you. Hehe. What can I do for you?"
"I'll be heading to Yangwi Fortress in a few days. And... there are people at Hongseong Gate who've never been, aren't there?"
"Hmm... Sa Yun hasn't gone even once, I'd say? Why do you ask?"
"No reason in particular. I have some business there—not anywhere too far—and since I was going anyway, I thought I'd invite her along. Truth be told, I need to purchase quite a lot of supplies for the winter, so it would be good escort experience for her."
"Ah, an escort request?"
"That's right. In the past the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild provided support when I retrieved goods, but... it feels rude to impose on them every time. Of course, I'll pay the request fee."
"If that's all it is, of course we'll help. And keep your fee—it's the same purse either way, between us. Me and Sa Yun... Ah, should I bring Hyeon Hwi too? She's been worn ragged with intensive training under Master lately. A change of air would do her good."
"I'd be delighted. Although..."
"Yes?"
"Sa Yun mentioned something earlier. That she'd be going to Moon Lotus Pavilion."
"Ah, that? Hehe. It's nothing special—we used to do it once or twice a year. We visit, stay about ten days, study under the Blade Emperor, spar a round with his inner disciples, and come home. That's about the size of it."
"Sparring with Moon Lotus Pavilion's disciples..."
Hong Ryeon's smile turned sly.
"Well, as the eldest disciple, I suppose I owe Chae Jin another round myself. But still... you promised, didn't you?"
She winked and flicked her tongue out playfully.
"I won't go so hard that anyone gets hurt."
"Much obliged."
"Don't mention it. Ah—and I should be thanking you, too."
"For what, might I ask?"
"The Clear Sand Pill. I should have said something sooner. Hehe."
"Oh, come now. You earned it with all your toil for Hongseong Gate."
"Still. Elixirs are precious things—I never dreamed you'd simply hand one over. Are you all right, not taking it yourself?"
"I'm fine. And you'll be drawing out my turbid qi for me regardless, won't you?"
"Ahaha. That's true. Since it's come up, shall we do it now?"
Hong Ryeon led me to the back yard, and along the way her hand found my sleeve, entirely at ease.
"Off with it."
At her mischievous grin, I shrugged, stripped off my top, and settled into a cross-legged position. Hong Ryeon spoke matter-of-factly.
"All right, then. Here we go."
Her hands touched my back. Just as before, her inner energy slipped beneath my skin and began to move through me. How long did it go on? Her palm stroked slowly down my spine.
"Doesn't hurt, does it?"
"Not at all."
"Good. Your meridians seem to be holding up nicely, so I'll draw out a little extra this time."
Speaking calmly all the while, her hands worked over my back in steady strokes. The tingling sensation was rather pleasant. Time slipped by before I knew it, and I was able to expel an even larger mass of grey than the last session.
"How much turbid qi is left in me?"
"Quite a lot. I told you, didn't I? It takes decades of steady effort."
"I'll be in your debt for a long while yet, then."
"Hehe. And I'll be in yours—you've helped me plenty besides. Anyway, whenever the time comes, just say the word. Any day suits me."
Good. With Hong Ryeon's blessing secured, all that remained was the journey itself.
Days passed. The harvest drew to a close, and around the time the farmers began preparing to see out the winter, I finished my own preparations for the trip to the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild.
"Will this do, I wonder?"
Winter hadn't quite arrived, but the days had turned raw, so I fitted the cart with a canvas canopy. The fabric was thick—it would keep out the wind at the very least. No matter how formidable a master's inner energy, there was nothing healthy about breathing cold wind all day.
I pulled on a heavy fur coat and spoke to Yohwan, who had come out to see us off.
"I won't be gone long. The inn is in your hands."
"Don't worry, just go. And don't you forget what I asked for."
Apparently there was something she wanted to make this winter—a confection that could only be made in the cold season, and whose flavor was said to be simply exquisite eaten somewhere warm. Making it required a handful of things bought from the city.
I was smiling down at the list she'd handed me when the group waiting in front of the inn came into view.
Hong Ryeon, Hyeon Hwi, and Sa Yun.
Instead of their usual Hongseong Gate robes they wore longer, thicker garments—clearly each had made her own arrangements for the cold.
"Hello!"
"There. You look warm enough."
"Hehe. Yes!"
The snow-white fur wrapped around her neck suited her ash-grey hair beautifully. I smiled at Sa Yun, and she beamed back before pointing at the cart.
"Are we riding in that?"
"That's right. No need to walk. And we'll be hauling goods home on the way back, so the cart works out better."
"Just like when we went to Changungwan! And don't you worry! If any monsters or bandits show up, I'll protect you without fail!!"
Sa Yun clenched her fists, brimming with confidence.
Watching her, I turned to the ever-stoic Hyeon Hwi. She gave me a silent bow, and while she climbed aboard, Chae Jin emerged from the inn as well.
Having thrown a fur coat over her usual Moon Lotus Pavilion attire, she smirked at the sight of Hong Ryeon.
"Someone's not very busy, I see?"
"Oh, please~. Busy or not, I'd still come."
That was the whole exchange. The two boarded the cart at once, and I made for the driver's bench.
"Right then. Let's be off."
The wind was biting, as expected. We weren't even traveling fast, yet there I sat on the bench, reins in hand, feeling the chill.
Perhaps thanks to that, no ambushers troubled us on the road to Yangwi Fortress. Then again, with Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin aboard—to say nothing of Hyeon Hwi and Sa Yun—an ambush would hardly have been a problem anyway.
"Come inside. I'll take the reins."
"No, let me—"
"You three should rest. Sa Yun, make some room there."
"Yes, Senior Sister Hyeon Hwi."
I suppose watching me shiver was an ugly sight. As Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin moved to volunteer, Hyeon Hwi stepped past them and claimed the driver's bench, and I ducked inside with a word of thanks.
There was something I'd been meaning to discuss anyway—a fine opportunity.
"Hong Ryeon. There's something I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"Hongseong Gate hunts monsters as well, I hear."
"Yes? Yes, we do. The Hongseong Divine Art is well suited to facing monsters and the restless dead. Why?"
"I once heard something from Ha-no. Do you happen to know a monster called the Maek?"
"Er... yes. Isn't that the one that nests in human dreams and siphons a person's vitality bit by bit over decades?"
"A former imperial scholar named Mun Ha-gong lives in the city where the Murim Alliance stands. His wife has been tormented by nightmares for months now. It seems a Maek has taken root in her."
Hong Ryeon's expression turned grave.
"Does the Murim Alliance know about it?"
"Who can say? But the trouble is that the gentleman dislikes martial artists, and even meeting him requires recognition from the civil officials or the military. So here is what I'm thinking—when I meet General Cheon this time, I mean to ask him for a letter of introduction."
His wariness of the murim was itself part of a chain event, but I'd learn the details when I got there. No need to dwell on it now.
"You wish to help him? Then help him, of course."
She never once asked why she ought to.
If you had the strength to help, and helping was right, then you helped—that was Hong Ryeon, living the teachings of Hongseong Gate to the letter. I smiled at her, and glancing aside, found Sa Yun with her fists clenched tight.
"I'll help too! But what kind of person is this Mun Ha-gong?"
It was Chae Jin who answered.
"A good man. When floods or calamities strike, he empties his own purse to save people. Even back when he held the high post of imperial scholar, he was famous for his kindness. Though I'll admit, this is the first I'm hearing that something's happened to him?"
"Mun Ha-gong has been keeping it quiet. He says he'd rather not stir up an uproar over it... Still, anyone who matters will have heard by now."
At Chae Jin's explanation and my added words, Sa Yun's resolve burned all the brighter.
"There's Yangwi Fortress."
That was when it happened—Hyeon Hwi, at the reins, was the one to break the silence.
"Whoa..."
Sa Yun, peeking out of the cart, breathed in awe. It being her first visit to Yangwi Fortress, her eyes fairly sparkled with wonder.
"The walls are so tall!"
"You'll be even more amazed once we're inside. It's cold—stay in the cart."
"Hehe. I'm quite all right! I'm a warrior of Hongseong Gate, you know! A little cold is nothing!"
Even with the wind turning the tip of her nose pink, Sa Yun simply gazed at the fortress in wonder. Even with the sun sinking low, the lights within burned so bright that she marveled aloud—and when the cart rolled through the main gate, her eyes went perfectly round.
"W-wowww..."
Watching Sa Yun gape at Yangwi Fortress—the city known as the 'Ever-Bright Fortress'—I couldn't help but smile.
In Cheonsang Myeongwol, when Sa Yun first came to this city, she never once spared a glance for its splendor.
And how could she have?
Hongseong Gate had been annihilated, Seomhwa Village burned to ash—she had been left truly, utterly alone.
But now was different.
"Senior Sister! Senior Sister! Look over there!!"
Not a trace of that old despair or sorrow remained in Sa Yun's radiant smile as she delighted in the sight of the city.
Ah.
This felt good.
Pride at having guided her this far swelled warm in my chest.
So the cart rolled on, warming us despite the cold, and before long we drew up in front of Cheonghoeru.
Had the grand, ornate building stunned her?
Sa Yun stood staring up at Cheonghoeru, eyes wide as saucers.
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
Hyeon Hwi ruffled her hair as she stepped down from the cart. Sa Yun nodded and squirmed under the attention, and Hong Ryeon asked, unperturbed,
"Are we going straight up to the fifth floor?"
"That's the plan. Come on, let's go."
A Cheonghoeru servant who recognized me took charge of the cart, and I led the others toward the stairs.
Hyeon Hwi seemed to know something of Cheonghoeru as well—she looked faintly surprised as I started climbing. But taciturn as ever, she said nothing, and so we made our way up to the fifth floor without incident, just as before.
"Well, well. Look who it is."
Upon reaching the fifth floor, a familiar face was waiting, just as I'd expected. Gi Noya beamed at the sight of us.
"Master Yu! What brings you back again?"
"Haha. I've come with a favor to ask of General Cheon. And these are—"
"I know them. Anyone who's fought at your side on a battlefield has earned the name of comrade—how could I be ashamed of not knowing their faces? The Sun-Falling Sword. The Moonlight Blade. Been keeping well? And that one... Hyeon Hwi, wasn't it? And this young lady would be Sa Yun, the youngest of Hongseong Gate."
"Yes! It's been so long, Mr. Gi!"
"Heheh. Indeed. Now let me see... Oh ho. You've grown even stronger in that little span of time, haven't you? For Hongseong Gate's youngest to rise at such a pace—the sect's future looks bright indeed."
While Gi Noya grinned and carried on, Wi Yeol beside him opened the door for us.
"This way, please."
Inside, Cheon Il-hwa was waiting. Seeing Sa Yun and Hyeon Hwi for the first time, he rose from his seat with a puzzled look.
"Welcome. And these would be...?"
"Hyeon Hwi of Hongseong Gate."
"Sa Yun of Hongseong Gate."
"Ah—disciples of Hongseong Gate. A pleasure. I am called Cheon Il-hwa."
He greeted us with careful courtesy, then turned his eyes to me. When he asked my business, I smiled and told him: I had come seeking a letter of introduction, that I might help Mun Ha-gong. He nodded at once.
"If that is the case, then it is I who should be begging the favor. I owe that gentleman a great debt from the old days."
Excellent. A society where everyone helps one another and no one gets hurt—complete at last.
...Though come to think of it, the Maek would be getting hurt. But that was none of my business.