Then It'll Be Even More Fun
Morning sunlight spilled across the backyard of the West Lake Number One Inn. The Black Wind Association martial artists sat in an awkward circle, aprons tied clumsily around their waists.
“All right, everyone’s here?”
Kang Yeon looked over the group with a bright expression. Jang Mu-eon, Yeong-ho, Cheol-san, Myeong-wol, and the rest of the twenty Black Wind martial artists stared back at him, faces tight with tension.
“I’ve got a special announcement today, so I called you all together.”
He set up a large board he had prepared. Two bold characters were written across it: Delivery.
“Delivery? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jang Mu-eon asked, looking thoroughly confused.
“Exactly what it sounds like—delivery. Our inn’s too small to seat every guest who wants to eat, right? So I got to thinking. What if we brought the food straight to them?”
A brief silence settled over the yard.
“You mean… take the food to them ourselves?”
It was a startling idea. Even in this era, escort agencies hauled cargo and merchant caravans delivered ingredients to nearby shops. But no one had ever taken a finished inn dish and carried it straight to a customer’s door.
“That’s right. We finish the cooking here at the inn, then deliver it wherever the guest wants it.”
“And… we’re the ones who’ll be doing that?”
Kang Yeon nodded.
“You are. That’ll be your job.”
Yeong-ho’s face said he couldn’t believe his ears.
“Martial artists… delivering food?”
Cheol-san looked equally flustered.
“We’re swordsmen, though…”
Kang Yeon flashed a grin.
“Is there some law that says a man who swings a sword can’t carry a meal? If anything, your lightness skills mean you’ll get there faster. And from now on, you’ll be swinging swords as little as possible.”
Myeong-wol hesitated before speaking.
“Won’t people be scared of us?”
“That’s exactly why it’s better. The terrifying Black Wind Association, politely delivering food? You won’t find a better way to change how people look at you.”
Jo Seol nodded vigorously beside him.
“Oppa’s right. Yesterday we had so many guests we had to turn half of them away.”
Jo Hwan chimed in as well.
“Delivery… Now that I think about it, it’s a fine idea. It’ll be a real help to elderly folks who can’t get around easily, or merchants who are too busy to leave their shops.”
Jang Mu-eon slowly inclined his head.
“If that is Young Master Kang’s wish… we will obey.”
“Great! From this day forward, we start West Lake’s very first delivery culture!”
Kang Yeon unrolled a large map of West Lake.
“First we divide the territory. Split West Lake into four zones—east, west, south, north—and station seven or eight people in each.”
The martial artists crowded around the map.
“The east is packed with merchants, so lunch will be busy. Yeong-ho, you’re in charge of the east.”
“Yes, sir!”
“The west has a lot of wealthy houses, so expect high-end orders. Cheol-san, that one’s yours.”
“Understood!”
“The south is commoners’ housing, so focus on generous portions at fair prices. Myeong-wol, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes!”
“And the north… Jang Mu-eon, will you take overall command while covering that zone?”
Jang Mu-eon nodded with a solemn face.
“Leave it to me.”
Just then Dan U-ryeong appeared.
“What’s all the racket this early in the morning?”
“Ah, U-ryeong, perfect timing. I’ve got a favor to ask…”
Kang Yeon pointed to a row of wooden boxes he had prepared.
“I want heat-retention on the delivery containers. Can you do that with a formation?”
Dan U-ryeong examined one of the boxes and smiled.
“Simple. Just inscribe a formation that holds the warmth, right?”
He picked up a brush and began drawing an intricate pattern across the wood. Golden formation lines sank into the surface, and a gentle heat began to radiate from the box.
“That should keep things warm for two full hours.”
“That’s U-ryeong for you. Done in a blink.”
Dan U-ryeong grinned.
“I think I can refine it further. Haven’t had this much fun with a new toy in ages.”
Kang Yeon handed Jang Mu-eon a thin booklet.
“Take this and make sure everyone reads it once.”
“A delivery manual?”
“Yeah. I wrote down everything I could think of that you’ll need to watch out for while you’re delivering.”
Jang Mu-eon flipped through the pages.
“Precautions when using lightness skills… First, when traveling over rooftops, do not step on the tiles. Second, running too fast will jostle the food, so maintain a moderate speed…”
While Jang Mu-eon and the Black Wind martial artists studied the delivery manual and prepared, Kang Yeon asked Jin Mu-gyeong to spread word of the West Lake Number One Inn’s new delivery service throughout the area. The agents of Cheon-i-gak had the news circulating across West Lake in no time.
A few days later.
As lunchtime approached, the first order arrived.
“Excuse me… do you do delivery as well?”
A young master in splendid silk robes asked.
“My house is the third mansion on the eastern rich street… My mother has difficulty getting about…”
Jo Seol answered with a bright smile.
“Yes! We started packaging and delivery today. What would you like to order?”
“Then five portions of the pork cutlet and three of the hand-pulled noodles, please.”
Yeong-ho stepped forward confidently. Kang Yeon had considered demonstrating himself, but decided firsthand experience would teach them faster, so he simply nodded.
“I’ll handle this one!”
Yet the same Yeong-ho who had left so boldly returned not long afterward.
“I… got lost…”
He came back looking thoroughly deflated. Kang Yeon snorted a laugh.
“See? Delivery isn’t as easy as it looks.”
“All the eastern streets look the same…”
“For now, send someone from the eastern team who actually knows the way.”
A second order came in.
“Delivery to the fabric shop across the western market, please!”
Cheol-san charged out full of zeal.
“With lightness skills I’ll be there in no time!”
Whoosh—crash!
“Aaaagh!”
He had run so fast he slammed into a tree and dumped every dish. Because the destination was close, he scrambled back, reclaimed the food, and set out again.
A third order arrived.
“Delivery to the southern smithy, please!”
Myeong-wol took the delivery box and left.
An hour later…
“What took you so long?”
“Well… there are three smithies in the south… I ended up visiting all of them…”
Kang Yeon sighed and gathered the martial artists once more.
“All right. First day, lots of mistakes—that’s fine. I’ll show you myself.”
He lifted a delivery box. The heat-retention formation made it give off a soft, steady warmth.
“First, as the manual says, hold the box level like this. Tip it and the food slides to one side.”
Kang Yeon leapt lightly into the air. He used lightness skill, yet moved as smoothly as if he were gliding across water.
“Stability matters more than speed.”
The Black Wind martial artists assigned to delivery hurried after him. Kang Yeon kept his pace moderate so they could keep up. When they reached the destination he knocked on the door.
“Hello! West Lake Number One Inn. We’ve brought the food you ordered!”
The door opened and an elderly scholar stepped out.
“Oh-ho, you really do deliver!”
“Yes. Please eat it while it’s still hot—that’s when it tastes best. And this is a little gift to celebrate the start of our delivery service.”
Kang Yeon handed over a small jar as well. It was homemade pickles he had prepared himself.
“Such thoughtfulness… Thank you, young man.”
Back at the inn, Kang Yeon spoke to the martial artists.
“See? It’s not just delivery. You’re delivering care. Speed alone isn’t enough. You have to deliver a warm heart along with the food.”
Jang Mu-eon nodded.
“I understand now. Just as we once protected people with our swords, we can make them happy with food.”
He redistributed a revised delivery manual to his men.
1. Greet every customer brightly and kindly.
2. Keep the box level at all times.
3. Use lightness skills only at a safe speed.
4. If you don’t know the way, check in advance.
5. Deliver a smile along with the food.
A few days after delivery began, the atmosphere started to change.
“My goodness, a Black Wind martial artist actually came to deliver?”
“And he was so polite!”
“To think we can eat West Lake Number One Inn food without leaving the house!”
Word of mouth spread like wildfire. To remove even the inconvenience of coming to the inn, Kang Yeon stationed several Black Wind martial artists at key points around West Lake and set up order posts. Locals could place an order at the nearest post; the details were then relayed to the inn by Sound Transmission.
The new system met with explosive demand.
“Grandmother, shall I bring the same dish you ordered last time?”
Yeong-ho bowed respectfully to an elderly woman whose legs no longer carried her well.
“Yes, thank you. Because of you I can enjoy delicious food at home.”
Busy merchants cheered as well.
“I never had time to visit the inn while working. Now I can eat right here in the shop!”
It wasn’t only common folk. Even people of high status began talking about it.
“I felt a bit awkward going to the inn myself, but delivery? How convenient.”
By afternoon the orders were flooding in.
“Seventeenth order for the east!”
“Twenty-third for the west!”
“The south’s already past thirty!”
Black Wind martial artists raced across every corner of West Lake carrying food. The sight of black martial robes fluttering in the wind no longer inspired fear—it inspired anticipation.
“Ah, the delivery’s here!”
“Enjoy your meal!”
By the end of the day the delivery count had soared well past a hundred. That evening they gathered in the backyard to review the day’s work.
“How was today?”
Kang Yeon asked the exhausted martial artists. Cheol-san answered with a bright face.
“It felt awkward at first… but seeing people so grateful made it really rewarding.”
Myeong-wol nodded.
“Exactly. Especially when a little kid shouted, ‘Mister, you’re so cool!’… I almost cried.”
Yeong-ho laughed.
“People on the street don’t run from us anymore—they greet us like old friends. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Jang Mu-eon spoke quietly.
“It feels as though we’ve been reborn. From now on the Black Wind Association will walk a new path—one that brings people joy instead of fear.”
And so the day’s business at the West Lake Number One Inn came to a close. Kang Yeon and everyone connected to the inn gathered together. Jo Seol checked the delivery slips and her jaw dropped.
“Wow! One hundred twenty-seven deliveries completed! And the profit… wait, is this right?”
She double-checked the abacus with a stunned expression.
“Revenue jumped almost thirty percent compared to a normal day!”
Everyone except Kang Yeon was astonished. No one had expected delivery to be so profitable. Jin Mu-gyeong sipped his tea and marveled.
“That’s our Yeon for you. Turning martial artists into delivery men. No one else would ever come up with something like that even if they died and came back.”
It wasn’t only this scheme. Kang Yeon was always inventing methods no one else would even imagine. Watching from the side, Jin Mu-gyeong had been surprised more times than he could count. Of course, for Kang Yeon—who carried the memories of an Earthling—such ideas were obvious and easy.
Kang Yeon smiled and looked around at them all.
“Someday we might deliver our food across all of West Lake—no, across the entire Central Plains.”
The sheer scale left Jang Mu-eon unable to hide his shock.
“The entire Central Plains?”
Kang Yeon grinned.
“Sure. Set up branches in every city, improve the heat-retention formations further, build a systematic delivery network…”
His eyes sparkled.
In Kang Yeon’s mind a vast blueprint for a delivery empire was already taking shape.
“Then anyone will be able to enjoy the delicious cooking of the West Lake Number One Inn.”
Jo Un spoke up, sounding worried.
“But if it gets that big, who’s going to cook it all? I only help prep ingredients and I’m already barely keeping up.”
Kang Yeon shrugged.
“When that day comes, we’ll open branches.”
Jo Hwan stroked his chin.
“Yeon-ah, will the other inns just sit still? They might copy us—or try to get in our way.”
Kang Yeon grinned wider.
“Then it’ll be even more fun. Competition is what drives progress, after all.”