Homecoming (4)
The beginnings of the Five Flowers Sect were as simple as its name suggested. It was a small sect founded by five unorthodox martial artists who had been scraping along at the very bottom of West Lake. With five such men gathered together, the methods they would use to grow the sect were obvious at a glance.
Fraud and intimidation, accompanied by violence and murder.
The Five Flowers Sect never shied away from the filthy work of the back alleys as they expanded their power. Of course, a sect cobbled together by five ragtag unorthodox fighters could never have grown all that large—but it was more than enough to swallow Jo Hwan’s inn whole.
The contractor Jo Hwan had hired for the inn’s renovations was one of the outfits under the Five Flowers Sect’s control. Having long coveted the place, they seized on the most absurd pretexts to try and take it from him.
“Haa… I must have been possessed by something back then. Handing the job over, just like that, to a place run by those Five Flowers bastards…”
“You couldn’t have known at the time.”
“True enough. They offered to do it cheaper than anyone else, and I fell for it…”
Jo Hwan’s face was utterly crestfallen.
“You remember what I always used to tell you, right?”
“Yeah… There’s no such thing as kindness without a reason.”
“And you still got taken in?”
Jo Hwan heaved a deep sigh.
“What else was I supposed to do? Customers kept dwindling, the kids needed more money for their studies, the inn was falling apart…”
Jo Hwan had one son and one daughter.
The son’s name was Jo Un; the daughter’s, Jo Seol.
Jo Un was older than Kang Yeon, Jo Seol younger. The two of them had been the only people Kang Yeon had truly been close to during the rare friendships of his childhood.
“Come to think of it, where are Un-hyung and Seol?”
Jo Hwan hemmed and hawed, unable to get the words out.
“Um… well…”
Kang Yeon slightly narrowed his brow.
“Haa… Did Un-hyung cause some kind of trouble again?”
“Ehey~ Trouble? It’s not like that. This time Un entered a martial academy, but the entrance fee was pretty steep…”
“A martial academy?”
“Yeah. That kid said he wanted to become a hero himself and learn martial arts. Said he wanted to be like that Absolute Martial God or whatever.”
Absolute Martial God.
The absolute master of the present Murim who had ended the decades-long war between the Orthodox factions and the Demonic Cult. A mythical figure who had appeared out of nowhere one day and defeated both the Martial Alliance Leader—the greatest of the Orthodox—and the Heavenly Demon, ruler of Mount Heaven. A mysterious person whose age, sect, and even the martial arts he used remained completely unknown.
“Ah… is that so? Absolute Martial God, huh… That’s aiming a bit… excessively high, isn’t it?”
“Is it? Eing~ I don’t know about any of that. My only son drew his sword—shouldn’t I at least let him cut something with it?”
“I see. Anyway, tell me later where that academy is. And Seol?”
Jo Hwan’s expression grew gloomy.
“Once the inn ended up like this, she said we still had to put food on the table somehow and started working at another inn.”
“That’s just like Seol.”
Unlike the wild troublemaker Jo Un, Jo Seol had been diligent and thoughtful from a young age. She had even helped with the inn’s work, so her practicality went without saying.
And most important of all—
Fortunately, she had not taken after Jo Hwan in the slightest and possessed outstanding beauty. She had been rather famous since childhood for her pretty looks.
“By the way, which inn did she go work at?”
“There’s one. These days the most famous place on West Lake—Ilyeong Inn.”
Kang Yeon nodded.
“Alright. Then I’ll step out for a bit.”
“Huh… where are you going?”
Kang Yeon spoke as he walked toward the inn’s entrance.
“Where else? I’m going to collect the principal.”
“You… d-don’t tell me you’re heading for the Five Flowers Sect?”
Kang Yeon turned back and grinned.
“Yes. You know sitting around waiting doesn’t suit my personality.”
Jo Hwan let out a sigh of admiration.
“That’s right… you were always that kind of kid.”
From childhood Kang Yeon had been extremely action-oriented. When something arose, he would move to find a solution even if it wasn’t perfect. Thanks to that very nature of his, Jo Hwan’s inn had once been able to achieve great success.
“I’ll be back soon, so just wait a little.”
Clunk.
Kang Yeon opened the door and stepped out of the inn.
“Haa… It’s been so long since I came back, and this place is still nothing but headaches.”
He began trudging along. After walking for quite some time he came to an abrupt stop. Scratching his head, he muttered to himself.
“First I need to figure out where the Five Flowers Sect even is.”
Kang Yeon asked passersby on the street for the location of the Five Flowers Sect. The moment the name was mentioned, the pedestrians either looked frightened or reluctant, dodging the question.
“These guys really are scum, huh.”
Yet looking more closely at the reactions, it felt less like pure terror and more like they desperately wanted to avoid getting involved.
With continued questions, however, little by little clues began to surface.
Kang Yeon gathered every scrap of information he obtained and pieced together the location of the Five Flowers Sect’s headquarters. Bundling information and reasoning from it was not particularly difficult. Having found their base, he headed straight there.
“Is this it? Feels more blatant than I expected.”
The Five Flowers Sect’s headquarters sat in the very center of Hangzhou. They occupied an entire manor of quite respectable size, and a plaque boldly lettered “Five Flowers Sect” hung on the main gate.
Kang Yeon snickered.
“To think I couldn’t find this… I’m still the same as ever.”
Ilyeong Inn was a place that had grown at an astonishing pace in recent years. From the moment of its construction they had spared no expense on the finest materials, and it was a place where master chefs produced dishes using the highest-grade ingredients. The front of Ilyeong Inn was packed with guests, forming a veritable throng.
Kang Yeon appeared before Ilyeong Inn.
“Hmm… Business is really booming.”
His eyes as he looked at the inn were full of envy. Upon returning to Hangzhou, Kang Yeon had made one firm resolution: he would make the West Lake Number One Inn truly the number-one inn of West Lake.
“Let’s see. Where might Seol be.”
He passed the long line and headed for the entrance. A few guests immediately wore displeased expressions and watched him closely, looking ready to start shouting the moment he tried to walk in. A waiter guarding the doorway blocked his path.
“Customer, you need to stand in line.”
Kang Yeon spoke to the waiter.
“Ah. I didn’t come as a customer. I just stopped by to briefly meet someone inside.”
The waiter snickered.
“Do you know how many people try to get in claiming they know the chef, know the innkeeper, or even that they’re a cousin or a sixth cousin? But you can’t fool this Jeomchil’s eyes.”
The waiter who had introduced himself as Jeomchil raised a hand and pointed to the very end of the long queue.
“Go stand in line.”
Kang Yeon made a troubled face.
“Uh… but it’s true… My sister works here.”
“Your sister? Who is it?”
“Seol. Jo Seol.”
The moment he spoke Jo Seol’s name, Jeomchil’s expression brightened at once.
“Oh my! You’re Seol’s older brother? Huh? But… you look a bit different from what I heard.”
“Seol has two older brothers. Just tell her that Yeon-oppa came looking for her.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Jeomchil went inside. As if they had overheard the exchange, some of the surrounding guests began murmuring among themselves.
“Is he really Lady Seol’s older brother?”
“He looks quite different though?”
It was a low conversation, yet every word reached Kang Yeon’s ears with perfect clarity. Presently Jeomchil returned from inside the inn.
Jo Seol herself was nowhere in sight.
“You really are Lady Seol’s older brother, huh?”
“I’m not the type who can lie very well.”
“Lady Seol says she’s still working and to wait.”
“How long do I have to wait?”
Jeomchil did a quick calculation and answered.
“There’s still about two hours left.”
“Ah… then I’ll—”
As Kang Yeon was about to say he would simply return to his own inn and wait, Jeomchil earnestly conveyed a message.
“Lady Seol specifically said to tell you: if you don’t stay put and wait right here, don’t even think about seeing her again.”
Kang Yeon paused and scratched his head.
“Yes, please tell her I’ll wait.”
Jeomchil went back inside to deliver the reply. Kang Yeon took a seat in a shaded spot to one side. Recalling Jo Seol’s words, a snicker escaped him.
“Still the same as ever—even that sharp personality.”
Wondering what to do for two hours, he simply closed his eyes. He believed that sometimes doing nothing and thinking nothing was the fastest way to make time pass.
Indeed, the two hours flew by.
A presence approached in front of the still-eyed Kang Yeon. Without opening his eyes he spoke.
“Exactly two hours on the dot.”
A clear, ringing female voice flowed into his ears.
“Even if I do overtime the pay stays the same. So I only work exactly as much as I’m paid.”
Srrr.
Kang Yeon opened his eyes and looked at the owner of the voice. Jo Seol, whom he was meeting after a truly long time, stood before him. Of course she was much taller and more mature than before.
“Still, a lot of your childhood face remains.”
Hearing that, Jo Seol shouted angrily.
“After meeting for the first time in ages, that’s all you have to say?!”
Kang Yeon made an awkward face.
“Ah… sorry. Long time no see, Seol. You’ve been well?”
Kang Yeon had vanished one day without a word. At first she had worried. Wondering if something terrible had befallen him, she had not been able to sleep at night. As time passed she had gradually grown angry. Not knowing whether he had simply disappeared or died, she had somehow come to resent him. Only after a long while had she been able to grow calm. And just when she thought she had forgotten—or rather, buried it deep in her heart—he had suddenly appeared before her eyes like this. Having reappeared, his expression was far too nonchalant. But then, the Kang Yeon she knew had always been like that.
Jo Seol heaved a deep sigh.
“Haa… Where have you been and what have you been doing?”
“I saved the world.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Looking like a beggar, how did you save anything?”
Kang Yeon grinned.
“But Seol.”
“What?”
“You’ve gotten really pretty?”
Jo Seol exploded.
“I was always pretty!”
In that instant the surrounding guests nodded vigorously.
“Of course… that’s right. Lady Seol was pretty.”
“Khh… If it’s Lady Seol, she can say that about herself.”
Jo Seol flinched and flushed red.
Kang Yeon snickered at the sight of her.
“And that voice of yours after boiling a firecracker has gotten even louder.”
“Stop it for real.”
Kang Yeon answered at once.
“Yes, alright.”
Jo Seol sighed deeply and asked,
“By the way—food.”
Kang Yeon nodded.
“Yeah, I had some of the Golden Soup for the first time in ages.”
Jo Seol’s eyes shook violently.
“You went to the inn?”
“Of course. It was the first place I stopped. I went, ate the Golden Soup, chatted with Uncle, and came. He was the one who told me you were working here.”
Jo Seol looked puzzled.
“You ate the Golden Soup?”
“Yeah, I told you I did. Do you know how hard it was holding myself back from wanting that?”
“Since it’s a dish you developed, Oppa, you could just make it yourself.”
“That’s true. But the original taste is different.”
Kang Yeon stood up abruptly and dusted off the seat of his pants.
“Let’s go to the inn. Uncle was waiting.”
Jo Seol looked at him in silence. Kang Yeon knew full well that she did not want to return to the inn.
“Don’t worry. The thing you’re thinking of won’t happen. Let’s hurry.”
He tugged on her sleeve and took the lead. Led by Kang Yeon, Jo Seol began to walk. He strode ahead, parting the dense crowds of Hangzhou. Watching that back, Jo Seol’s expression gradually grew easier.
It had been a truly long time.
In childhood Kang Yeon had always shown her just such a reliable back. As long as she was with him, nothing could become a problem. To Jo Seol he had been the all-purpose problem-solver who resolved every worry.
She asked toward him,
“Oppa, but really—nothing happened at the inn?”
“Um… it’s not that nothing happened, but it wasn’t that big a deal either.”
Jo Seol tilted her head.
Could it be that Kang Yeon had never even met the Five Flowers Sect that always camped out in front of the inn?
Presently they arrived before the inn. When the Five Flowers men who should have been standing there as always were nowhere to be seen, an exclamation burst from Jo Seol’s lips.
“Huh??”
Kang Yeon leisurely approached the entrance.
Clunk.
Opening the door, he looked back at Jo Seol. A gentle smile curved his lips.
“Seol, let’s go in.”
At that smile her heart eased.
For some reason it truly felt as if she had returned to those days when nothing had gone wrong.
Jo Seol answered with a bright face.
“Yeah! Okay.”