Whoa! This Is Incredible?
Jeok Ryeonhwa’s twin swords flashed as they left their scabbards.
Shrrring—
A clear ring of steel resounded through the inn. The two blades, tinged with reddish light, moved in her hands as if they were alive.
“I’ll ask you one last time. You’re really not going to fight me?”
Kang Yeon still hadn’t risen from his seat. He answered with the same languid expression.
“That’s what I’ve been saying. I’m a cook. Fighting isn’t my specialty.”
“Fine. Then I’ve got no choice!”
Whoosh!
Jeok Ryeonhwa’s body left a streak of crimson afterimage as she shot toward Kang Yeon. It was one of the Crimson Lotus Sect’s ultimate arts—the Crimson Lotus Twin Dance. Her twin blades whirled like dancers, spinning out dozens of sword shadows.
“Crimson Lotus Twin Dance!”
Shushushushuk—
Sword energy sliced through the air of the inn and poured toward Kang Yeon. Nearby tables scattered under the force of it. Watching from the side, Jo Seol’s brow furrowed.
“Haa… the furniture again…”
Boom!
“Aagh!”
Customers screamed and scrambled out of the way. Nang Hyeon quickly shielded Jo Seol and pulled her back.
And yet—
“Haa…”
Kang Yeon merely let out a deep sigh without moving from his spot. Then the impossible happened.
Tap.
Kang Yeon lifted only his index and middle fingers, lightly.
That was all.
In that instant every thread of Jeok Ryeonhwa’s sword energy froze in midair as though time itself had stopped. Dozens of sword shadows hung motionless, locked in place.
“Wh… what?”
Jeok Ryeonhwa’s eyes flew wide. She could not believe that an all-out attack had been stopped by nothing more than the motion of two fingers.
“Interrupting customers while they’re eating… that’s interference with business.”
Kang Yeon flicked his fingers lightly.
Pung!
Every frozen blade of energy shattered at once. The broken sword force dissolved into glittering powder that vanished into the air like shattered glass.
“How…”
While Jeok Ryeonhwa stood stunned, Kang Yeon shook his head with open annoyance.
“You really are a bother.”
Thud.
He took a single step forward. That alone was enough to make Jeok Ryeonhwa retreat a step without realizing it. It felt as though a vast mountain were bearing down on her.
What is this…
Cold sweat beaded on her skin. Kang Yeon was not releasing even a shred of killing intent. Yet his very presence pressed on her like a crushing weight.
“I’ll use just one move.”
Kang Yeon slowly raised his right hand and gave the empty air a gentle push with his palm.
Kuuuung—
An invisible, massive force slammed into Jeok Ryeonhwa. She was driven backward before she could even think of resisting.
“Keugh!”
Thud!
Her back crashed into the inn wall. The twin swords tumbled from her grip and clattered to the floor.
Clatter.
“That’s the end of it.”
Kang Yeon dusted his hands off lightly, as if nothing of any importance had just occurred.
“Huff… huff…”
Jeok Ryeonhwa leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. One move. Truly only one move, and she had been completely overpowered.
Impossible… for a mere cook to possess this level of skill…
With trembling hands she picked up her fallen swords, but her fighting spirit was already broken.
“Are we finished? I really don’t enjoy fighting.”
At Kang Yeon’s lazy voice she managed a bitter smile.
“…I yield. It’s a complete defeat. You’re strong—really strong.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then smiled.
“All right, Kang Yeon. Someone like you deserves respect even from the Crimson Lotus Sect. So I’ll tell you the real reason I came today.”
Kang Yeon heaved a long sigh.
“Weren’t you going to leave now?”
“What are you talking about? Testing your strength was only so I could decide how to make my proposal.”
Jeok Ryeonhwa sat back down. Unable to resist any longer, she snatched up a piece of food and popped it into her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered once more at the taste; she forced her hand to stay still and looked at Kang Yeon again.
“I, Jeok Ryeonhwa, Young Sect Leader of the Crimson Lotus Sect, have come to deliver a client’s proposal to the West Lake Number One Inn.”
“A client?”
Kang Yeon’s brow creased. He glanced back. Jo Hwan had come out of the kitchen after hearing the commotion. Kang Yeon shot him a look that asked whether he had gotten tangled up with someone again. Jo Hwan shook his head vigorously—no. Kang Yeon turned to Nang Hyeon next.
Nang Hyeon stepped close and spoke quietly.
“If the Young Sect Leader of the Crimson Lotus Sect came in person to deliver it, the client’s status can’t be ordinary.”
“Ah? Is that so?”
So she had tested his strength simply to decide how to present the offer. Had he been weaker than she expected, she might well have used force. Kang Yeon looked back at her.
“I don’t know what the proposal is, but go ahead and say it. I need to hear it, decide, and get back to running the inn.”
Jeok Ryeonhwa faced him squarely.
“My client wants to acquire the West Lake Number One Inn. More precisely, he wants to buy the land the inn sits on.”
Silence fell over the room. Kang Yeon broke it at once.
“I refuse.”
Jeok Ryeonhwa rose without another word.
“Fine. Your refusal is clearly noted. I’ll deliver it to the client exactly as stated.”
Finished speaking, she cast a lingering glance at the remaining dishes, smacked her lips with faint regret, then turned and walked out of the inn. Jo Seol let out a heavy sigh.
“Haa. She left without even paying.”
Kang Yeon began straightening the wrecked interior.
“At least the furniture survived. Let’s clean up quickly.”
He apologized to the remaining customers. Most of them had already experienced similar incidents more than once, so they took it in stride. Once the place was in order, Kang Yeon returned straight to the kitchen and resumed cooking.
That night, after the inn’s doors were closed, Kang Yeon sat facing Dan U-ryeong in a second-floor guest room. Dan U-ryeong sat beside him, cradling a cup of hot tea. Kang Yeon poured tea into his own cup and asked,
“What do you think?”
“About Jeok Ryeonhwa? Or the client behind her?”
Dan U-ryeong rolled the cup between his fingers and shot the question back.
“Both.”
“Jeok Ryeonhwa doesn’t seem the type who can hide her emotions.”
“She was pretty rough, yeah.”
Kang Yeon recalled her and gave a short laugh. Dan U-ryeong’s eyes gleamed.
“And the fact that a sect’s Young Leader moved in person… means the so-called client carries enough weight to make her move.”
Kang Yeon nodded.
“Someone with weight, huh…”
No name immediately sprang to mind of anyone who would covet the West Lake Number One Inn’s location. Dan U-ryeong asked,
“Could the Martial Alliance be behind it?”
Kang Yeon lowered his gaze for a moment. The quiet fragrance of tea filled the room. His face remained calm, yet Dan U-ryeong’s words produced the faintest shift in his expression.
Kang Yeon muttered in a low voice,
“The Martial Alliance… If that’s the case, do they want the land itself? Or has information about me leaked?”
Dan U-ryeong set his cup down.
“The latter is absolutely impossible. That prideful Martial Alliance Leader would never let word about you slip. He’d take it to the grave.”
“Hmm… Then why?”
“Think about it. The West Lake Number One Inn sits in a pretty decent spot along the lake. Everywhere else is already occupied by large inns or shops; this place has the smallest footprint.”
Kang Yeon tilted his head.
“So it’s really just coincidence piling on coincidence?”
“For now we have to assume so. The cooking contest a while back made the West Lake Number One Inn famous, after all.”
If someone had simply stepped forward to buy a suddenly famous inn, that would be a relief. Kang Yeon’s instincts, however, insisted the matter was not that simple.
“What a headache. I just wanted to run a quiet business. Why does everything keep turning out like this?”
Dan U-ryeong shrugged.
“Who knows. Looking back, there hasn’t been a peaceful day since I started hanging around you. At this point it might just be fate.”
“I’d rather just cook well and live quietly. Fighting isn’t my taste.”
Dan U-ryeong sprayed tea across the table.
“Puhaha! You? Fighting isn’t your taste? You expect me to believe that?”
He laughed until he was breathless, then fixed Kang Yeon with a serious look.
“Still, if it’s you, you’ll sort the problem out somehow.”
“First I need to find out who exactly is after the inn.”
Kang Yeon rose and started walking. Dan U-ryeong called after him.
“Where are you going?”
“There’s a guy who’s an expert at exactly this sort of thing.”
Dan U-ryeong grinned.
“True enough. A real specialist. Mind if I tag along for old times’ sake?”
Before long the two of them arrived at the Ilyeong Inn. The waiter greeting guests at the entrance spotted Kang Yeon and hurried over in open shock.
“Young Master Kang! You’ve come?!”
The man’s posture was rigidly correct—clearly he had been thoroughly re-educated after the previous incident. Kang Yeon asked him,
“I’m here to see Ak Hu.”
Even though Kang Yeon tossed out the exalted name so casually, the waiter bowed as if it were only natural.
“Yes, please come inside.”
Under the waiter’s guidance they were led to the top floor, reserved for the most important guests. Shown into the finest room, they were asked,
“Shall I bring a meal?”
Kang Yeon opened his mouth, but Dan U-ryeong cut in first.
“Sounds good. Bring the best dishes and some wine.”
“Yes, right away.”
Once the waiter left, Kang Yeon gave a dry laugh.
“What are you doing?”
“Why not? It’s free, isn’t it?”
“Nothing in this world is free.”
“You think Ak Hu would charge you? Come on, no way.”
A short while later an impressive procession of dishes began pouring into the room. Judging by how quickly they arrived after the order, every other table had been set aside so theirs could be prepared first. The fragrant aroma that filled the chamber had Dan U-ryeong practically vibrating with excitement.
“Kyaa~ Now this is the Ilyeong Inn.”
Kang Yeon looked displeased.
“I cook for you every day and still you’re not satisfied?”
“That’s that, and this is this. Sometimes a person just misses a familiar taste.”
At those words Kang Yeon studied the spread. Most of the dishes were traditional Central Plains fare—foods he himself enjoyed. Listening to Dan U-ryeong, he thought of Jo Hwan. The dishes Jo Hwan was most used to were exactly these classic Central Plains recipes. Kang Yeon decided he ought to start offering more traditional dishes at his own inn as well.
Dan U-ryeong refilled Kang Yeon’s cup.
“Let’s eat and drink first.”
Kang Yeon nodded and began. Just as he had noticed on his previous visit, the food at the Ilyeong Inn was genuinely excellent. No wonder it had been the most successful inn on West Lake—though of course he was certain the West Lake Number One Inn would claim that title soon enough.
They were in the middle of the meal when—
Creak.
The door opened and Ak Hu appeared. He looked as though he had rushed over from somewhere else entirely; his hair was slightly mussed, evidence of hurried light-footwork. Spotting Kang Yeon, he broke into a broad grin.
“Hyung Yeon, dropping by after so long—what’s the occasion?”
Ak Hu settled into the seat opposite Kang Yeon. Kang Yeon spoke without preamble.
“Ak Hu, I’ve got a favor to ask.”
Surprise flooded Ak Hu’s face.
“A favor? Hyung, did you just say ‘favor’??? Whoa! This is incredible!”