Winter Journey - 8
"Ugh..."
She was past the point of mounting anything resembling a real counterattack. As the thoroughly battered Namgung Jeyeon let out a feeble groan, Sa Yun swung her wooden sword without a flicker of a smile and gave her shoulder a sharp tap.
"That's not it."
"Huh...?"
"'I was wrong, Lord Innkeeper Yu Wol.' That's what you say."
"Agh... I... I was... wrong... Innkeeper... Yu... Wol..."
Fair enough, I suppose. I nodded and accepted her apology, and only then did Sa Yun step back.
Perhaps because she no longer had to take a beating? Namgung Jeyeon finally crumpled where she stood and fainted outright.
"The winner is Sa Yun of the Hongseong Sect."
The warrior refereeing the match raised his flag. Only once the bout was decided did the Murim Alliance warriors lift the unconscious Namgung Jeyeon — and then dart a furtive glance at Namgung Seongyul.
"Take her to the Divine Physician."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching the ruined girl being carried away, Namgung Seongyul cupped his fist in salute as Sa Yun came down from the stage.
"Thank you for schooling my clan's wayward child."
"...I was a bit heavy-handed."
It seemed hearing her apology had finally softened him. When Sa Yun returned the salute and moved to apologize in turn, Namgung Seongyul cut her off firmly.
"By old precept, one who trains in the martial arts must always know there is a heaven above her head."
"Oh..."
"More to the point, the Namgung Clan's arts are arts that trace the azure sky itself. It never sat well with me that a child learning them didn't understand that — so I'm glad she seems to have received that lesson today."
Even with Namgung Seongyul having spoken so decisively, Sa Yun still looked at a loss.
Namgung Seongyul flashed her a grin.
"The old saying goes that martial arts are never to be passed to those unfit to be called human. We are the Namgung — a breed apart from that unorthodox rabble."
Never teach the arts to those who are not true people.
That was the meaning of the precept — martial arts were never to be transmitted to anyone who lacked humanity.
That was why so many prestigious orthodox sects made a point of straightening out character before ever teaching a single technique.
And now the Namgung Clan, which had failed to do exactly that, meant to take full responsibility for the affair?
As expected of a leader among the great orthodox sects.
"As an elder of the Namgung Clan, I shall offer my apologies to you, Master Yu, and to the Hongseong Sect and Moon Lotus Pavilion."
He bowed on the spot — the Head of the Murim Alliance's Law Enforcement Department, the Azure Sky Sword Master of the Namgung Clan himself.
"There is no need for that. The fault belongs to whoever committed it. How could I possibly hold the Namgung Clan to blame? Please, rise."
I bowed on everyone's behalf, and only then did Namgung Seongyul straighten up.
Just then, I spotted a group entering from the front of the hall.
"What's this? Sa Yun, what happened here?"
"Ah, well, you see..."
It was Hong Ryeon, Chae Jin, and the One-Eyed Dragon, Myo Jae. They must have glimpsed Namgung Jeyeon being carried out earlier, for Hong Ryeon asked with a puzzled frown, and Sa Yun explained the whole affair with an awkward expression.
When the account was done, Hong Ryeon stole a glance at Namgung Seongyul.
"Do you intend to make an issue of this matter?"
"As I already said, this matter is the Namgung Clan's own failing. There is nothing to make an issue of."
Chae Jin knit her brows for a moment, then looked my way; I shrugged.
"I have no complaint."
"Then I'll let this matter pass as well."
"I'm grateful. And as for Jeyeon — the moment her wounds are treated, I shall send her home to the main clan and request a full year of closed-door seclusion for her."
Well, that's brutal.
It was not until the sun was setting that I heard the rest of it — how Namgung Jeyeon, for picking a fight she had no business picking, had come away with nothing to show for it but a sentence of one full year of seclusion training, and had been hauled off to the Namgung Clan the moment her treatment was finished.
And what Sa Yun received was the plaque of a Gap Grade warrior.
"Namgung Jeyeon was an Eul Grade warrior. Since you defeated an Eul Grade so thoroughly, you won't need to sit a separate examination."
It was Namgung Hwa who delivered the Gap Grade plaque to Sa Yun. She mentioned that Namgung Seongyul's word had made it easy to obtain, then fell silent for a moment as if weighing something, before bowing her head.
"I spoke with Uncle Seongyul earlier. The Namgung Clan has decided to issue an official apology for this incident."
A renowned sect, formally owning up to its own wrongdoing.
That was never a thing done lightly.
People are loath by nature to admit their own faults — all the more so when the fault lies with their own kin, and when their name carries real weight in the world.
That the Namgung Clan would apologize for this publicly said everything about how dearly they held their integrity and their honor.
"Oh — I never meant to blow this up into so much."
Hong Ryeon smiled wryly and made to wave it off, but Namgung Seongyul's view was evidently different.
"However strong Jeyeon may have been in her cohort, putting her forward as a successor candidate was something Uncle Seongyul opposed — as did several of the other elders. She went too far this time. From the moment that girl, her discipline lagging so far behind her skill, started sneering at everyone just because her martial arts were decent, I'd been uneasy about her. Sa Yun — well done."
"Ahaha..."
"As I'm sure you all know, the murim is a dangerous place — especially with so many who keep their strength hidden. With that attitude of hers, she could easily have died somewhere along the road to the Alliance."
A hawk sheathes its talons, and a true master keeps three-tenths of his power concealed. That was simply the way of things.
And with the murim teeming with extraordinary eccentrics, gauging your own strength against an opponent's was a matter of survival.
"The clan has worked hard to mend that attitude of hers... but it never took. Now, though, she's been taught a hard lesson and made a grave discourtesy — and she'll have all the time she needs to look inward."
So from the clan's standpoint, this was a windfall? If Namgung Jeyeon took enlightenment from this opportunity and grew as she should, they would come away with one fine martial artist out of the whole affair?
Truly befitting a great clan. Not a single thing goes to waste.
"And I must offer my apologies to you as well, Lord Innkeeper."
"Apologies? For what? It's all water under the bridge."
"Ahaha, that only makes it more uncomfortable for us. We'll send our token of thanks on to Seomhwachon afterward."
Namgung Hwa dipped her head in a polite bow and took her leave. Once only our group remained, I turned to Sa Yun.
"Um... Lord Innkeeper. I, um..."
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry?"
"Either way — you worked yourself into such a fury on my account."
"I only did what anyone should have done."
"Even so. It feels as though all I ever do is receive help."
I smiled at Sa Yun, and she flashed a grin right back at me.
"That's right — well done, Sa Yun. To the Hongseong Sect, Lord Innkeeper is no stranger, not ever. When our benefactor is insulted, standing by in silence is unthinkable."
"Hehe..."
"In any case, I can't let this pass without thanks. Dinner tonight is on me."
There was little left at the Murim Alliance that we still needed to see. We would rest a day at the inn, then another day at the Alliance, and set out for Cheongho after that.
We headed straight for the inn, ate dinner there, took a stroll outside, and turned in.
The next day brought a visitor to the inn: a woman with white hair and sun-browned skin — the One-Eyed Dragon, Myo Jae.
"Hm? What brings you?"
"The Head of the Law Enforcement Department has ordered me to escort you."
Namgung Seongyul had? An escort, though. I glanced around at our company.
Hong Ryeon, Chae Jin, Hyeon Hwi, Sa Yun, Chae Ryeon.
With a lineup like this, who needs an escort?
"With the Mun Ha-gong matter being settled, those Demonic Cult bastards might try an attack. Protection is the Law Enforcement Department's chief duty, so we'll be of use."
With that, Myo Jae glanced back over her shoulder. The several warriors standing there bowed slightly, and I returned their salute.
"I hardly think you need go to such trouble... but if you're offering, I'll gladly accept the courtesy."
"Just so. Now then — shall we? What is the plan for today?"
"Today's plan..."
I mulled it over, then looked around at the others.
"A tour of Mugakseong, I'd say?"
As Hong Ryeon said it with a laugh, Chae Jin hooked my arm as well.
"We didn't get to come along yesterday, after all."
The Law Enforcement Department's largesse couldn't have been about the Namgung Jeyeon affair alone.
In resolving Mun Ha-gong's matter, we had extended them an opening — and this was Namgung Seongyul's thanks for taking it.
In any case, sightseeing under Law Enforcement escort was no bad experience.
We were shown places that normally charged a steep entrance fee, and places that required the Murim Alliance's permission simply to set foot in.
We even toured halls open only to those who had earned a measure of merit within the Alliance — you could say we wrung the day dry of every last benefit.
"How would you feel about staying in the Murim Alliance's lodgings tonight?"
"That doesn't sound bad at all."
There is a saying that generosity, done poorly, only earns you curses: give halfheartedly, and all you reap is fault-finding.
By that measure, Namgung Seongyul was a man who knew how to give properly.
The lodging he had secured for us within the Alliance was the Blue Dragon Pavilion — reserved, it was said, for distinguished guests alone.
"Wow. Even I have a hard time getting to stay here."
While Chae Jin marveled and drank in the surroundings, Hong Ryeon smiled.
"Only those who donate handsomely to the Murim Alliance may use the Blue Dragon Pavilion. You could call this another courtesy of the Namgung Clan."
"I see. Either way, we'll rest well here tonight and be off tomorrow."
Truth be told, I had considered lingering a few days more — but we had seen all there was to see and gained all there was to gain.
Besides, the search of the hidden realms for the Traces of the Heavenly Demon would be carried out by the Law Enforcement and Inspection Departments, who had promised to share whatever they found. That could wait for later.
In short, there was nothing left to do here.
I would simply have to come back and visit again someday.
"Then I'll head back to my room. See you all later."
My room was set apart from the others. The one the attendant led me to was on the small side, but more than fine for someone like me.
What I liked most was the garden spread beyond the window.
Leaning against the window, I gazed idly out at it.
Well. For now, we had gathered everything the Murim Alliance could most easily give.
And by Hong Ryeon's account, Sa Yun's growth from here on would come not from elixirs, but from training and enlightenment.
And that training and enlightenment would deepen further still once she received the Blade Emperor's instruction at Moon Lotus Pavilion.
Heh heh. Stronger and stronger, one steady step at a time.
I smiled, my weight resting against the window frame.
Then—
Below, I caught sight of Sa Yun slipping out into the garden.
Hm? What is she up to?
Unaware of my gaze, Sa Yun stood there hesitating — and then, from the other side, Chae Ryeon appeared.
"Um... Lady Chae?"
"Hehe. Yes?"
"...This. Would you take it?"
What Sa Yun held out was the Friendship Plaque she had bought earlier. A smile bloomed at the corner of Chae Ryeon's mouth as she looked at it.
And then she, too, drew something from her breast.
"...Huh?"
"...Actually, they sell them at Cheongho too. Friendship Plaques, I mean. I... had one made in advance, but I kept worrying you'd feel pressured, or turn me down, so I never managed to give it to you."
Chae Ryeon laughed awkwardly; Sa Yun looked mortified.
The two of them — neither of whom had ever had a friend — looked at each other for a long moment, then burst out laughing, brimming over with happiness. Watching from the window, I turned away and went back to sit in my place.
Sa Yun was growing stronger — and now she had a friend, too.
Haha. We really did choose right, after all.
Ahh... a warm swell of pride began filling me from the inside.
Of course, not yet enough to be satisfied.