What Matters - 4
And so, with the Sword Saint and Sa Yun gone, evening fell — and with it came a guest to the inn.
The old man who strode in wearing a grin unlike his usual stern face was none other than Ha-no, head of Hao Gate's Yangwi Fortress branch. He took a seat and made his demand without a shred of shame.
"Landlady! Bring out everything you've got!"
"...Who are you calling landlady?"
Evening service was winding down, so Yohwan was eating dinner with Chae Jin and me. I laughed at the sight of her scowling openly at Ha-no, waved her down, and welcomed our guest.
"You might have sent word ahead, you know."
"Good news always arrives unannounced. That's what makes it good news."
Good news, he says. Well, he had helped put Sama Gun down, after all, and no doubt collected plenty from Wang Hwi for it. I pointed at the box in his hands, and Ha-no grinned wide and held it out.
"Wang Hwi is not entirely a man without decency, it seems. Though I suppose nearly losing everything before crawling back from the brink will do that to a person. However quick the unorthodox crowd is to swallow the sweet and spit out the bitter, pull that trick even now, in these circumstances, and he'd lose the people's hearts."
"My, my. You say that as though you weren't one of them yourself."
"Those of us who deal in information are a different breed. Trust is the whole trade."
He chuckled at Chae Jin's jab and rapped his knuckles against the box. Was I supposed to open it? I lifted the lid right away — and tilted my head at what lay inside. That was quite a lot of goods.
"First of all..."
There were no fewer than four pills of an elixir called the Clear Sand Pill — one of the medicines that raised internal energy when consumed, obtainable by clearing events hosted by the Four Black Alliance. Whatever martial art you practiced, the effect was the same, but the Clear Sand Pill had a catch. Elixirs of this kind lost potency with every repeat dose, and this one was the worst of the lot: after a single pill, every dose thereafter saw the effect drop off a cliff. That was why, in Cheonsang Myeongwol, it stood as the textbook example of an elixir with a hard cap on its uses.
"Seems they wanted to send something better, but even the Four Black Alliance is out of elixirs."
Ha-no looked thoroughly embarrassed. Fair enough — for a colossus the size of the Four Black Alliance to run short of elixirs was nothing to brag about. But it made sense. Until mere days ago the Alliance had been split clean in half, and it had needed to ready its experts against exactly that. Of course the stores ran dry.
"And next..."
The next layer down was bills of exchange. A rather generous sum — these could go straight to Magistrate Hyeonryeong. After them came a handful of talismans, then several rare materials fit for crafting. Turning them over one by one, I picked up a small medicine jar and let out a low whistle.
"Oh. Now this—"
"That'd be Thousand Sparrow Powder. A tonic much used as a stamina aid. Take it, and your stamina will rise."
A medicine that saw plenty of use in Cheonsang Myeongwol, too. Unlike elixirs, which fed internal energy, this one built up the body's stamina — and in its way, this was the very thing I needed most. It had a use limit as well, of course, but nothing near as brutal as a true elixir's.
Having satisfied myself on that point, I lifted out the last of it. Two small clothing boxes.
"Huh? What's this?"
Chae Jin reached out, peeked inside, and snapped the lid shut in the same breath. One look at her scarlet face told me exactly what manner of clothes lay within. The female dress uniform of the Four Black Alliance, no doubt about it.
"Why on earth would they send this to an orthodox sect?!"
I set the box she thrust back at me aside and lifted the one beneath it. Inside lay a long black robe, black and red woven in harmony. The male uniform of the Four Black Alliance. While I turned the stately garment this way and that — a very different flavor from its female counterpart — Ha-no smirked.
"I imagine Wang Hwi wished to open exchanges, if only in this fashion."
Honestly. What a useless gesture. Anyway — about time I started dividing this up. I glanced at Chae Jin.
"What would you like, Lady Chae?"
"Oh, I don't particularly want anything."
"Even so. You worked hard for this — you ought to take at least one thing."
"Then I'll take this."
What she drew from the box was a small shard of bone, from a monster called the Slow Ox — a material used to craft talismans for those who practiced the escape arts. For Chae Jin, who had long been knee-deep in escape-arts research, it was a tailor-made reward.
"I'm fine. My standing within the Alliance has risen too, so I'll make do with that. If you must do something for me, then feed me — a proper medicinal dinner and a drink or two. It's been an age since I ate my fill."
"Well, if that's how it is... Yohwan, might I trouble you?"
"Got it."
Yohwan headed inside. Watching her go, I gave the box a pat.
"In any case, leave the dividing to me. I'll see it all properly distributed."
It made for a late call, but I went to see the magistrate. Still bent over his work at that hour, Hyeonryeong chose — unsurprisingly — the bills of exchange from among Wang Hwi's tokens of thanks. Money had been tight of late as it was, and watching him light up at the timely windfall put my mind at ease.
Bills delivered, I returned to my room and took stock of what remained in the box: a few materials for talismans and equipment, and the four Clear Sand Pills. I studied them a while, then nodded to myself. Just as I'd thought — one pill to Chae Ryeon, and the rest handed over to Hongseong Gate. The materials could go to Moon Lotus Pavilion. That left the Thousand Sparrow Powder and the Alliance's male and female uniforms.
The powder I would take myself, fine. But what in the world was I to do with the clothes? Especially the women's uniform... The top was bared down the whole length of the back, with a hole cut out over the chest; it came with garter-belt stockings, a pair of shorts so brief I couldn't tell whether they counted as underwear or trousers, and high heels climbing all the way to the ankle. Good grief. Stylish, I'd grant it — but still. Sealing them away was clearly the answer. I folded the uniforms neatly, tucked them back into their box, and shoved it into the corner of the room.
Still, Wang Hwi had been generous, packing in this and that besides. I'd been ready to march over there and kick up a row if he'd tossed something truly outlandish onto the pile; a mercy it never came to that. I gave the remaining pills a pat and closed my eyes. I was to meet the Sword Saint tomorrow — I could hand them over then. Though... Sa Yun hadn't already swallowed a Clear Sand Pill, had she?
The next day, in the middle of my ordinary routine, I felt a strange pressure pressing out from the back yard. I went to look, and there a navy-haired woman in a worn training top — the Sword Saint — was staring straight at me, with Hong Ryeon and Yu Hui, apparently out on patrol, at her side.
"If you've come to visit, you might simply have called for me."
"And cause the others discomfort for no reason?"
To look at her she was merely a beauty, but the Sword Saint was a Transcendent whose bare presence bore down on everything around her. Some of the servant girls and hired hands did flinch at the sight of her — which was, I supposed, exactly why she was lending her inner energy to her voice to summon me this way. I threw on a coat and stepped outside.
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I have a word or two to exchange with the Sword Saint."
"Oh... shall I come along?"
Chae Jin had followed me out, smiling as she offered — and the Sword Saint shook her head.
"Forgive me, but there are matters I would discuss privately. Moonlight Blade. I know you stand as Innkeeper Yu's guard, but I must ask your indulgence."
"Oh... of course."
Against so courteous a request, Chae Jin could not hold out. She dipped her head and withdrew, and the Sword Saint said the same to Hong Ryeon and Yu Hui. The two of them traded anxious glances between her and me before nodding as well, and she turned to me.
"Now then. Shall we?"
"Let's."
And so I walked the streets of Seomhwachon at the Sword Saint's side. How long had we walked? When we reached the market district, she asked, matter-of-fact:
"The market never used to be like this. You are aware of that?"
"I am. Well — yes."
Compared to the start of it all, the market had come a long way. More goods, more people. And come to think of it, Seomhwachon's own numbers had swollen nicely too — villages had always grown along with their farmland and facilities. And with the magistrate levying no ruinous taxes, taking in drifters and war refugees to widen the town was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Oh, Master Innkeeper!"
As we moved through the market, a vegetable vendor hailed me, beaming. Perhaps because I came by so often buying for the inn? Grinning, he heaped fist-sized apples into a bamboo basket and held it out.
"The apples are wonderful this year! Have some on your way!"
"Much obliged."
"Oh my! Master Innkeeper, is that truly you?! What business brings you to the market at this hour? Well, since you're here, take this with you!"
"I'll enjoy it, thank you."
"Ah! Master Innkeeper! Any need for cloth? We've had some lovely bolts in lately! Oh — and use this for a handkerchief!"
"Haha. Thank you kindly."
"Master Innkeeper! My thanks for the counsel you gave me before! Production's up because of it!"
"It was nothing. If more troubles find you, come by the inn whenever you like."
A craftsman from one of the market's little workshops waved cheerfully and pressed a small ornament into my hand. Some time ago he'd mentioned trouble at work, so I had shared a drink with him, heard him out, and helped where I could — he seemed to have been quite satisfied with it. Thus did a stroll through the market, undertaken to buy nothing at all, leave me laden with plenty. At some point a basket had found its way into one hand, and it now brimmed with the market folk's gifts: apples, pears, sweets, meat. Pipe tobacco, a book or two for idle hours, even brushes and ink. Quite the assortment.
The Sword Saint studied the basket's contents for a long moment, then laughed under her breath.
"The villagers are fond of you, it seems."
"It's hardly that."
"You counsel them often, I take it?"
"People drown their troubles in drink as often as not. Running an inn, I meet such folk constantly — I simply ended up lending them an ear, that is all."
"Even so. That people can pour their worries out to you is proof enough of how deeply they trust their innkeeper, is it not?"
"I thank you for the generous reading."
What on earth was she angling at, heaping praise on me like this? I studied her a moment, then snapped my fingers.
"Speaking of which — the Four Black Alliance sent rewards for the recent battle."
"Oh?"
I explained what had arrived and laid out my plan for the division. "And I would give the Clear Sand Pills to Hongseong Gate. Four came — one going to Moon Lotus Pavilion, three to Hongseong. That seems the fairest split."
"...And for yourself, Innkeeper?"
"Ah. I kept a share as well. A health tonic called Thousand Sparrow Powder, and the Alliance's uniforms."
The uniforms would likely never see use, but a man ought to take his tonics.
"A tonic and clothes... Are those not the least valuable of the lot?"
"A thing's worth is decided by the one holding it."
"You don't mean... to go over to the unorthodox path?"
"Certainly not. But most of those who fought this battle were orthodox — I could hardly hand them unorthodox garb, could I? Myself... well, it hardly matters for me."
"You might have claimed an elixir. You have trained in the martial arts as well, have you not?"
"How often would I even fight? Enough to guard my own skin is plenty. In exchange, the powder will build my stamina — and is that not better suited to getting work done?"
"For one who speaks so, you seem to have learned a fair share of the martial arts."
I shrugged at her faint smile. "I've only learned as much as I need. Battles like last time's I leave entirely to the rest of you. Ah, that's right—"
Good timing, actually. Better to say it now.
"The fighting put me in mind of it — the Old Taoist who gave me the King's Steps manual passed on one warning. A powerful monster may show itself in this region. Perhaps even a Sanbeom. I would ask Hongseong Gate to keep a watchful eye."
The Sword Saint regarded me in silence; I shrugged.
"I couldn't hunt one myself, and rare a material as its tail may be, it is nothing I need. The inner core would serve Hongseong Gate far better than it would me — and its scales and bones have a hundred uses besides. All of it would be a boon to the sect."
At my words, the Sword Saint closed her eyes for a moment.
"The inner core of a wicked monster such as the Sanbeom is unruly — its medicinal virtue and its venom alike run fierce. It must be divided, neutralized, its strength and its poison both tamed. Swallowed raw and whole, it would more likely burst the body than bless it. So it must ever be split and refined into elixir."
That much I knew. It was why the game's advice was always to consult an apothecary before taking such things — and why, in Cheonsang Myeongwol, monster cores counted as materials, never as elixirs in their own right. It was why elixirs of gathered natural essence — Empty Clarity Stone Milk, human-shaped snow ginseng, the Yin-Yang Fruit, herbs that had matured over long ages — were prized far above any monster's core. Those could be taken as they were, no refining required, and worked better besides.
"Should we take a Sanbeom... with its inner core we could produce ten pills or more of elixir surpassing even the Clear Sand Pill."
"Oh? Truly?"
"Truly. Hongseong Gate preserves a secret method. Fortunately it was set down in books, so I know it as well. Though even it would struggle to reach the likes of the Sohwan Pill, the Socheong Pill, or the Plum Blossom Pill — those were never made from monster cores to begin with."
I knew that too. Elixirs that precious were not brewed from a monster's innards but distilled from nature's purest qi, gathered over ages through each sect's secret arts — hence their absurd, impossible rarity. No — more than that. Ten or more pills of elixir better than the Clear Sand Pill? Elixirs can simply be multiplied?! In Cheonsang Myeongwol, working a monster core like a Sanbeom's through a special formula with other ingredients, you'd be lucky to come away with seven. I'd taken that for the ceiling. Hongseong truly did earn its name as a great sect... ...Tch. Then again, in the tale as first written, the gate burned to ash before Sa Yun could ever learn such things. Nothing to be done about that.
"I could give that method to you. All of it, if you wished it."
At her offer, I smiled and shook my head. "What is needed belongs where it is needed. Hongseong's disciples run short as it is — there is no call to spare any for me."
And if I truly needed one, I could always earn elixirs through events down the road. There was an event waiting in the next scenario arc, too — see that through, and elixirs would follow. So if a Sanbeom was taken and pills refined, they rightly belonged to Hongseong Gate — and to Sa Yun. The essence-gathered elixirs could wait for me.
"Besides — we haven't caught the Sanbeom yet, have we? Shall we speak of it once we have?"
The Sword Saint's eyes went round. She gazed at me for a long moment, then shook her head.
"You..."
"Yes?"
"...are always weighing so much, and ever moving by reason."
Her gaze warmed, plain to see. Then — one step. She came closer.
"Always choosing what is right."
"Uh..."
Another step.
"Never hesitating to give."
"Um..."
And one step more.
"Folding away your own desires, ever and only yielding."
"...I beg your pardon?"
That wasn't it at all, though? I chase my own wants plenty, and do as I please besides — supporting Sa Yun is what I, what all of us, wanted most of all.
She seemed to consider something, then took yet another step toward me. Somewhere along the way, the distance that had stood between us before had closed to almost nothing.
"Come to think of it — did you not say you had something you wished to confirm?"
"Hehe. I did. But... there seems little need to confirm anything now. I have learned that you are, just as you appear before all, a good man."
The Sword Saint took one final step. She stood near enough now to be called right before me — and as the faint fragrance of Thousand-Day Plum Blossoms rising from her began to tease my nose, she gave me a smile in fullest bloom.