Why Rules Exist - 2

Tell a person they can't do something, and they'll only want to do it all the more—is that not simply human nature? True to form, the players of Cheonsang Myeongwol had hurled themselves at the zones forbidden to men, and quite a few of them had even succeeded.

Of all their methods, infiltration was the easiest. From the nuns' quarters of Botaam Hermitage, one such forbidden ground, to a handful of others, I called to mind the tricks most often used to slip inside them—and shook my head.

The martial art indispensable to any infiltration is the Stepless Divine Steps. With it, the job would be simple enough, but unlocking it demands an obscene mountain of prerequisite quests, and besides, creeping in through the back door makes you a thief. Struck from the list.

Then what about borrowing the government's muscle, as in the Black Maiden Palace breach event—cutting down everyone in the way and forcing an entry? That made even less sense. Why on earth would I pick a fight with the very sect I needed to strengthen? A few other schemes came to mind as well, but I shook my head at every last one of them.

For a proud member of the Su-per Manly Man Club, such tricks were simply unnecessary.

And so, the day after my meeting with the magistrate, I made straight for Mount Hongseong and declared, loud and proud, to the Hongseong disciple guarding the mountain gate:

"...Um. So, let me get this straight. You're saying you have to enter Hongseong Gate?"

What I had chosen was a frontal assault. If you're a man, you announce you're coming in—and then you come in.

"The authorities have asked me to conduct an investigation."

"I was under the impression the report had already been submitted... One moment, please. Let me go and ask."

Watching her hurry up the path, I took a seat on a nearby bench. The view was lovely—Thousand-Day Plum Blossoms in riotous bloom across the slopes. Which was precisely why I wanted, by any means necessary, to keep this mountain from ever burning.

How long had I been waiting there meekly, without even lighting my pipe? Then, from the mountain gate, a woman began to descend.

Ryu Hyeon, the second disciple of Hongseong Gate.

"I've heard the gist of it, Innkeeper Yu. You're saying you must investigate Hongseong Gate?"

"Mm. Here it is."

I showed her the cooperation request the magistrate had drawn up.

Only after taking the seal-stamped request and reading it through line by line did Ryu Hyeon heave a long sigh.

"I understand that the authorities wish for our cooperation. However... as you know, Hongseong Gate is a zone forbidden to men."

"Which is exactly what I'd like you to do something about. It's not as though there's no way at all, is it?"

"Hmmm..."

The disciples of Hongseong Gate were fiercely protective of their sect's policies. These were women who refused even their own families' support so as to keep the teachings of Hongseong unsullied—they would hardly relish breaking the rule that barred men.

"I know it sounds like a threat, but a rift with the authorities would trouble us all."

Non-aggression between the government and the martial world or not, the two sides could hardly go on glaring at each other like a cow eyeing a chicken.

"I'm aware. The authorities have shown us many courtesies."

"Then what will you do?"

"That I must ask my master. She's instructing the eldest senior sister at the moment..."

No wonder I hadn't seen Hong Ryeon around lately. So the Sword Saint was tempering her?

"I heard the training hall was half-destroyed. Is there anywhere left to practice?"

"Yes. There's another training ground behind it. Though we've been told to keep away unless something special comes up..."

"That sounds like quite an ordeal."

"Oh, not at all. Thanks to your consideration, Innkeeper, a great deal has been lifted from her shoulders. She seems much more at ease these days."

With patrols now being sent down to Seomhwachon, much of what she had once shouldered was gone. Ryu Hyeon gave a wry smile and shrugged.

"And there was that reward money from before, too."

"Hmm..."

"In any case, I'll ask my master."

"Then I leave it in your hands."

"Mind your step on the way down."

My business with Ryu Hyeon concluded, I descended the mountain. I had returned to the inn and settled into the backyard, about to light my pipe, when—

"Where did you run off to without your escort?"

Chae Jin, my long-term guest.

Dressed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the skin-tight garb unique to Moon Lotus Pavilion, she had strolled up with practiced ease and was now, with even greater ease, trying to steer me toward the backyard.

"One thing has me curious. Why haven't you gone home?"

"I haven't gotten my duel with Hong Ryeon yet, have I?"

Since the demonic cultist's attack, she had sent several challenges, and Hong Ryeon had ignored every last one of them without ceremony.

It wasn't that I couldn't understand. Sorting out matters within Hongseong Gate was urgent enough as it stood. And with lessons from the Sword Saint taking precedence over any duel with Chae Jin, naturally she couldn't spare the time.

Even so—days had already passed, and here she still was, lingering without leaving.

Was this obsession?

"Besides, your training isn't finished either, club member. You have to do it properly! Properly!"

And was this abuse?

"Why such dedication?"

"If I've taken payment, I ought to earn it."

She said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and I had no reply to that. I nodded, and when I showed no sign of getting up, Chae Jin clicked her tongue once and settled down beside me.

"So? Where did you go?"

"Paid a call on Hongseong Gate."

There was no particular need to hide it, so I explained the situation. She listened in silence, then grinned and jabbed my ribs with her elbow.

"Should I come along and challenge Hong Ryeon myself? If I pester her mid-training, she might just take me up on it. I doubt the Sword Saint would actually strike me."

"The Sword Saint may not, but the Hongseong disciples will see you out. Care to sample the Hongseong Sword Formation?"

Allied sect or not, eldest disciple of Moon Lotus Pavilion or not, that little stunt would not have ended in anything so mild as a scolding.

"Ah—no, that's not what I meant. But what will you do? The government handing the job to you was already a concession on their part. If Hongseong Gate refuses..."

"Well..."

I tamped out the spent tobacco and rose from my seat.

"If they have a mind of their own, they'll meet us halfway. Now then—time to train."

A smile curled across Chae Jin's lips.

Thus thoroughly roasted by Chae Jin, I saw to some work, kept the tavern regulars suitably entertained, and when evening came, I closed out the day with the Five Animal Frolics as always.

And as I sat puffing at my pipe beneath the reddening dusk, a visitor arrived from Hongseong Gate.

It was Ryu Hyeon, wearing a remarkably bright expression.

"My master has given her consent."

"That is good news."

Truly good news. With the Iron Blood Dan's assault looming, I needed to scrape together every resource at hand, and the government's soldiers would be a considerable asset.

No—beyond that, if Hongseong Gate had refused this offer, the authorities might well have stood idle the next time the sect came under attack.

"That said, you must not enter the restricted areas..."

"Restricted areas?"

"The quarters where our disciples reside. Where my master lives. The archives where Hongseong's records are kept. Places of that sort. Everywhere else, you may go as you please."

"Ah, that much I can accept."

"Also, one of our disciples will accompany you at all times. You'd need a guide regardless. And the permit covers you alone, Innkeeper Yu."

"I accept that as well."

"Wonderful. Then when will you come?"

I considered a moment, then nodded.

"I'll come tomorrow."

The next morning, as I gathered what I needed to bring, Chae Jin whined at me. The reason was simple: she wanted to come along.

Not a chance.

Just to be sure, I asked whether she wasn't planning to pick a fight with Hong Ryeon, and she averted her eyes with a guilty start, like a puppy caught misbehaving.

So I left the whining woman behind and set off for Mount Hongseong.

"Welcome!"

Beaming at me from the mountain gate was Sa Yun, the gentle girl with ash-grey hair.

Today was shaping up to be a lucky one.

"I didn't expect you to be my welcome party."

"Oh? Would someone else have pleased you more?"

As if. Having Sa Yun welcome me was a gift in itself.

At my headshake, she smiled brightly. Then, falling in naturally at my side, she began her explanation with perfect calm.

"Truthfully, this duty should belong to the eldest senior sister. But she has training scheduled again today..."

"Nothing matters more to a martial artist than training. I understand. I hear she's been receiving intensive instruction from the Sword Saint—tell her she needn't spare me a thought."

"Ahaha. Yes, I will. Ever since her fight with that demonic cultist, it seems the eldest senior sister has had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some manner of realization."

Now that was welcome news. With the Iron Blood Dan to face, there was no downside to Hong Ryeon growing stronger.

"Sounds like a hard road for her."

"Ahaha. It must be. Now, please, come in."

There it stood—the mountain gate dividing the world outside Hongseong Gate from the world within.

Even in Cheonsang Myeongwol, no man had ever crossed this gate. And now I was about to.

Despite myself, I swallowed hard, while on the far side of the gate Sa Yun was smiling gently.

Right. Let's go!

"Hoooo..."

"Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm about to enter the famed Hongseong Gate. How could I not be?"

Or was it just my imagination? The moment I crossed the gate, a chill crept over my body from head to toe, and a bleak, eerie feeling settled in my chest.

As if to soothe me, Sa Yun flashed a radiant smile.

"Don't worry. Every one of us will protect you, Innkeeper."

Somehow, she seemed in remarkably high spirits. Slightly giddy, she walked with a light step—then tilted her head at the bundle in my hands.

"What is that, though? It looks heavy. Let me carry—"

"It would've been rude to come empty-handed, so I brought some gifts. They're not heavy, so don't fuss."

"Ah... you really could have just come as you were."

"Nothing costly, so don't let it weigh on you. Hongseong Gate bent its own rules out of respect for my name. The least I can do is return the courtesy."

"Is that what etiquette demands?"

"It's the foundation of all social life."

So we chatted about this and that as we climbed the rough stone steps, and by the time the shabby buildings finally showed themselves in the distance—

I found women standing there, swords in hand.

A dozen or so, by my count. Save for those out on patrol, it seemed the entire sect had turned out to receive me.

Staring at me without a single blink, they bore no resemblance whatsoever to the warm, laughing girls I knew from the inn. This was the killing intent and battle aura of warriors of a great orthodox sect, laid bare without restraint.

At their head stood Ryu Hyeon.

Once Sa Yun—who had slipped over to their side at some point—had taken her place, Ryu Hyeon, who had been gazing down at me with her hand resting on the hilt at her waist, slowly drew her sword.

Shiiiing.

A sound so keen it set my flesh crawling rang through my ears.

"Draw."

One curt syllable. In that instant, a single unified ring of steel split the air as the assembled disciples bared their blades together—and at Ryu Hyeon's movement, every point of steel swung toward me.

Wariness?

No. It didn't feel like that.

"Welcome to Hongseong Gate. Now that you have set foot within—"

Every trace of Ryu Hyeon's usual smile had been wiped away; her voice was cold as frost.

The instant that vow-like declaration left her lips, a cool, clean freshness welled up around my body.

A master of the highest order can take a life with sword qi alone. And in exactly the same way, sword qi alone can guard one.

As if to prove the point, the qi pouring from the Hongseong disciples began settling around me, taking up their posts to shield my body.

"Do not fear. Do not hesitate. If there is a task before you, then see it done."

The stronger her voice rang, the more powerfully the energy gathered at my side. As though conscious of it, the other disciples' faces had turned grave, and their aura pressed against my skin, growing heavier by the breath.

"For the Red Guardian Star shall stand watch over you."

In that moment the coolness surged, and the chill and the unpleasant, clinging wrongness I had felt ever since crossing the gate melted away.

Thus, having held her sword upon me for that brief rite, Ryu Hyeon nodded and returned her blade to its sheath.

Click.

As though they shared a single body, the other disciples sheathed their swords in the same breath. Only then did Ryu Hyeon put on her trademark, good-natured smile and offer me a cupped-fist salute.

"Welcome, Innkeeper Yu."

"...Am I to thank you for the hospitality? What exactly was that?"

"We deployed one of the Hongseong Sword Formations—the Guardian Star Formation. You are aware that Mount Hongseong is a sacred mountain?"

"I am."

"Then do you know what role Hongseong Gate plays upon it? We are also a suppressant—a check against the strange phenomena that a sacred mountain's spiritual energy can call into being."

"Hmm..."

"Hongseong Gate itself is the weight that pins down this mountain's overflowing spiritual energy. Our disciples, trained in the Hongseong Divine Art, can prepare for the strange occurrences that spring up around us the way vermin swarm to rot. You, Innkeeper, cannot."

"I see."

"And with the yang energy you carry, those phenomena may well react to you and grow all the worse. That is why we raised the Guardian Star Formation."

So, in other words, they had done all this to protect me, in their own way?

"So that was why Hongseong Gate forbade men."

"Very nearly. Hehe. We couldn't very well let our visitors come to harm, could we? But neither could we raise the formation anew for every guest."

Laughter rose out of me at their thoughtfulness.

Which meant—it was my turn to put smiles on their faces.

"It didn't feel right to come empty-handed, so I brought gifts. I hope you'll do me the honor of accepting them."

I untied the wrapping cloth, and the moment the bamboo box within came into view, the solemn warriors of a great sect transformed—back into the girls I knew so well.

Girls, it was now abundantly clear, are made of sugar and spice and everything splendid. If they weren't, there'd be no explaining how they changed the instant they laid eyes on the dang-gwa.

I handed the confections out to the girls as they lined up before me—not the usual fare, but fine dang-gwa I had commissioned the inn's cook to prepare especially. Watching them cradle the treats in both hands, glowing with delight, filled my chest with warmth. When Sa Yun took hers, the flush on her cheeks refusing to fade, I found myself smiling before I knew it.

And then, as they received their share one by one—the last woman in line quietly extended both hands.

Her hair, a navy so deep it recalled the open sea, was gathered only at the very tips, and it swayed about her waist. She wore a short, threadbare training robe, patched here and there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and cut high enough to bare her thighs, and stood tall enough to reach my shoulder—a beauty wrapped in an air of mystery.

Barefoot, though not a grain of soil or speck of dust dared cling to her snow-white feet, she held out her hands to me.

Her eyes—clear enough that no impurity could hide within them, yet unfathomably deep—remained fixed upon me without so much as a tremor. Onto her waiting palms, I gently set a dang-gwa.

I—and every disciple of Hongseong Gate besides—not one of us had caught so much as a glimpse of how the woman had come to stand at the end of the line, though she had certainly not been there moments before.

So I offered her, with due courtesy, a cupped-fist salute.

"Yu Wol, innkeeper of Seomhwachon, greets the Sect Leader of Hongseong Gate."

The woman gazing straight back at me was—

the Sect Leader of Hongseong Gate.

The Sword Saint, Na Yerin.