Really? No Regrets?
Upon returning to the inn, Kang Yeon told Dan U-ryeong about his conversation with Ak Hu. After hearing Kang Yeon's story, Dan U-ryeong's eyes turned cold and hard.
"The Blood Shadow Pavilion? Those bastards have lost their damn minds. Anyone who dares touch the West Lake Number One Inn dies by my hand."
"Hey, isn't that my line?"
"Your hometown and your family are my hometown and my family too."
Kang Yeon grinned.
"Thanks. For thinking of it that way."
Dan U-ryeong looked a little embarrassed, then said,
"So what now? Should we just storm into the Blood Shadow Pavilion and flip the whole place upside down?"
"No, we can't do that."
"Why??"
"If the fighting starts up again, I'll have to leave the inn. And there might be a separate backer behind the Blood Shadow Pavilion."
If they made the mistake of cutting the weeds without pulling up the roots, that backer could hide somewhere they would never find him. Dan U-ryeong said,
"Right. You said you're done with fighting. Then should we start by setting up formations around the inn?"
"No. We have to take in customers."
If a guest visiting the inn fell into a formation, it would become a real headache.
"I'll set up a formation that only activates under specific conditions."
"That would be good. What kind of formation are you thinking of?"
"The Mist Array of the Eight Gates."
Kang Yeon snorted a laugh.
"A bit overkill."
The Mist Array of the Eight Gates was the strongest defensive formation passed down in the Divine Device Sect. Installation was extremely difficult, and operating the formation was just as demanding.
"Overkill? It's not even enough."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Leave it to me. But is Ak Hu going to be okay? If they're targeting the rising talents of the Murim, couldn't they go after Ak Hu too?"
Kang Yeon stroked his chin.
"I fixed up his martial arts a bit last time, and he's a smart one, so he'll handle himself just fine. You know that guy's life is tougher than steel wire."
"Yeah, you're right. That bastard has the luck of surviving even if he stands right in a rain of arrows."
Kang Yeon narrowed his brow slightly.
"What I'm more worried about is Big Brother Jo Un."
"He visited the inn not long ago, so they must know he's connected to this place."
Now that they knew Jo Un was connected to the West Lake Number One Inn, the chances of him becoming a target were high. Kang Yeon thought he needed to bring Jo Un back to the inn first thing.
"I'll have to drop by the martial academy like nothing's wrong."
The next day.
After finishing the morning business, Kang Yeon headed to the martial academy where Jo Un was learning martial arts. The Black Wind Association's martial academy was located on the outskirts of West Lake. When Kang Yeon arrived in front of the academy, dozens of disciples were practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
"Ha! Ha!"
Swords swung in unison to the cadence of the shouts, gleaming in the sunlight. Kang Yeon searched for Jo Un among them. Jo Un was practicing the basics with the other disciples, his expression quite serious.
"Huh? Yeon!"
Jo Un spotted Kang Yeon and waved with a delighted expression. The other disciples' gazes focused on Kang Yeon for a moment before scattering. It was common for family or acquaintances of the academy trainees to visit. Jo Un gestured for him to wait a moment, then focused on his swordsmanship again.
Soon after.
When the sword training ended, Jo Un ran over to Kang Yeon. Pride and satisfaction filled Jo Un's face.
"Big Brother, you're really putting your all into martial arts training."
"Of course. Father went through so much trouble to send me to this academy. I'm going to work hard and become a master for sure."
Kang Yeon sighed inwardly. No matter how long you trained at a place like this, you were never going to become a master.
"But what brings you all the way out here? Isn't it peak business hours right now?"
"I just got bored and came out, then thought of you and stopped by."
Kang Yeon casually glanced around. He assessed the structure of the academy, the disciples' skills, and the instructors' auras. The disciples' skills were still too pathetic to even call them martial artists, and the instructors were mostly at the First-Class level.
"Ah, then I should introduce you to our chief instructor first."
Jo Un guided Kang Yeon to one side. A middle-aged man emerged from the main building of the academy. The man wore a black-sheathed saber at his waist. His eyes were quite sharp.
Oh? Peak Realm?
The middle-aged man appeared to be at the Peak Realm; he was probably the overall head of this academy.
"Big Brother, who's that?"
Jo Un whispered quietly into Kang Yeon's ear.
"That's the hall master here."
Jo Un respectfully clasped his fists toward the hall master and said,
"Hall Master Jo. This is my younger brother, Kang Yeon. He's a cook at the inn."
"Ah, the famous cook of the West Lake Number One Inn?"
Interest flashed in Hall Master Jo's eyes. He had probably heard about the West Lake Number One Inn, which was becoming famous among martial artists. The reason for that judgment was that he showed no particular agitation or surprise upon seeing Kang Yeon. He likely had no connection to the forces behind the attack on Jang Mu-eon.
Kang Yeon greeted him politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kang Yeon, the head cook of the West Lake Number One Inn. Big Brother Jo Un has often spoken of you, sir. He says you're a powerful and excellent martial artist."
Jo Un looked at him as if to say, When did I ever say that? Kang Yeon nudged Jo Un's side with his elbow, telling him to stay quiet. At Kang Yeon's praise, the corners of Hall Master Jo's mouth curled upward. Anyone is weak to praise.
"Haha! Is that so? Jo Un is a diligent disciple. And he has excellent talent as well."
What goes around comes around, as they say.
Hall Master Jo praised Jo Un. Diligence was something Kang Yeon couldn't yet judge, and the talent looked a bit lacking, but Kang Yeon still smiled contentedly.
"That's a relief."
The instructor looked Kang Yeon over and said,
"If you're interested in martial arts, feel free to come anytime. Since you're Jo Un's younger brother, I'll give you special attention."
"Thank you."
Kang Yeon smiled as he subtly examined Hall Master Jo's internal energy. Sure enough, there were traces of him having cultivated demonic cult-style internal energy.
As expected, there are demonic cult people mixed in.
Kang Yeon asked Hall Master Jo,
"Would it be all right if I spoke with Big Brother Jo Un privately for a moment?"
"It's break time anyway, so go ahead."
"Thank you."
Kang Yeon said to Jo Un,
"Then Big Brother Jo Un, shall we step outside and talk for a bit?"
"Huh? Sure."
Jo Un was puzzled about what was going on, but followed Kang Yeon out. The two left the academy and walked to a quiet place. Kang Yeon took out a lunchbox he had prepared in advance from his robes.
"Eat this first."
"Whoa? What's this?"
"Felt weird coming empty-handed. Packed some of the stuff we sell at the inn."
Jo Un's face lit up with excitement.
"Ohhh! Perfect, I was just getting hungry!"
Jo Un wolfed down the lunchbox Kang Yeon had packed.
"Wait, they don't feed you at the academy?"
"They do. But no matter how much I eat, I'm still hungry. They say martial artists are always hungry."
"Yeah... it is that kind of time. Eat plenty."
Kang Yeon carefully watched Jo Un eat the lunchbox. He subtly raised his energy to examine the changes inside Jo Un's body.
Hmm. No signs of poisoning. No other problems either.
In truth, the lunchbox Kang Yeon had packed was filled with all sorts of good things. Medicinal herbs for detoxification and herbs to treat any potential abnormalities in the body—a special meal packed full. It was to check if someone had tampered with Jo Un's body.
"Ahh~ This is really delicious. Your cooking skills are the best, as always."
Watching Jo Un eat heartily, Kang Yeon said,
"Big Brother, has anything special happened at the academy lately?"
"Special? Not really? Why?"
"Just... Oh, and have you ever heard anything about the association leader?"
Jo Un tilted his head.
"Association leader? Ah, you mean the Black Wind Association leader? I heard it's someone called Pung Sa-wi... What about him?"
As expected, word about Jang Mu-eon hadn't spread yet. That was only natural. They couldn't publicize the story of trying to eliminate the association leader from the inside. The Black Wind Association had to maintain a normal appearance on the surface for a while.
Kang Yeon said to Jo Un,
"Big Brother, I'll be honest. I've heard things have gotten a bit complicated around the Black Wind Association lately."
"Complicated how?"
"Seems like there's some internal trouble. So I was worried it might affect you too."
Jo Un's expression grew serious.
"What kind of trouble? I'm just a regular academy trainee."
"It's hard to go into details, but... I think it'd be best if you left the academy for a while."
Jo Un blinked, then burst out laughing.
"Puhaha! Did Father send you on a mission? To bring me back to the inn?"
Kang Yeon let out a deep sigh.
"No. It's not that. The situation really is bad."
"Why all of a sudden? I'm in the middle of learning martial arts. I absolutely can't do that."
"Big Brother, it could really be dangerous."
"No. I don't know what's dangerous, but I'm going to become a master no matter what. I can't quit now."
Jo Un's voice was filled with firm resolve. Jo Un had harbored a longing for the Murim since childhood, and he was just starting to discover the fun of martial arts.
In the end, there was only one method left.
"Then I'll teach you martial arts."
"Huh?"
Jo Un looked bewildered.
"You? Martial arts?"
"Yeah. I'll make sure you improve much faster than at the academy."
Jo Un laughed as if it were absurd.
"Yeon, don't joke around. You're a cook."
"I'm serious."
Seeing Kang Yeon's earnest expression, Jo Un paused for a moment. Come to think of it, the power he had felt from Kang Yeon at the inn wasn't ordinary.
Just then, a sneering laugh came from behind.
"Hahaha! What is this nonsense?"
Turning around, they saw a chief instructor from the Black Wind Association's martial academy standing with another instructor. They had apparently been eavesdropping on Kang Yeon and Jo Un's conversation.
"A cook is going to teach martial arts? Hahaha!"
The chief instructor held his belly and laughed.
"Jo Un, your little brother sure makes some funny jokes."
Jo Un looked awkward.
"Chief Instructor, I'm sorry. I'll talk to him properly."
"No, it's fine. Actually, this is interesting."
The chief instructor looked at Kang Yeon and said,
"So, Mr. Cook. Are you really saying you can teach martial arts?"
"That's what I said."
Kang Yeon replied calmly. A mocking light flashed in the chief instructor's eyes.
"Hoh~ Then can you show me once? I'll be the judge."
"How would you like me to show you?"
The chief instructor grinned.
"Simple. Have a light spar with me. If you win, you can take Jo Un with you, and if you lose, don't even open your mouth about martial arts from now on."
Jo Un hurriedly stepped forward.
"Chief Instructor, that's too..."
"It's fine, Big Brother."
Kang Yeon stopped Jo Un. He had spoken so openly even with eavesdroppers around precisely for this.
"Very well. Let's do it."
The chief instructor looked surprised. He hadn't expected him to actually accept.
"Really? Don't regret it?"
"Yes."
The chief instructor curled the corners of his mouth into a smirk.
"Great! Then let's go to the academy's sparring grounds. We should let the disciples enjoy a good show too."