The Plum Blossom Scent and the Drunken Dragon
Following that incident, the people of the Cheongwol Pavilion treated the rescued Madam with the utmost care and devotion. As for Seong-jin, he found himself enjoying free food and drink to his heart's content.
"Upon reviewing the assets of the Five Ghosts, we discovered they had embezzled a staggering amount of wealth. I humbly ask that you accept it, Young Master Joo."
"That money was extorted from the Cheongwol Pavilion, so it is only right that it returns to the pavilion."
"It is a sum far greater than what we were robbed of, so please, do not refuse."
"I did not do this to make money. If you truly feel that bad, you might as well give it to Miss Shin, whose pockets were emptied paying for her stay at this pleasure house."
"Of course, we have already returned the fees you paid during your stay. How could we possibly accept money from our benefactor?"
And so, Seong-jin faced the miracle of spending money like water in a pleasure house, only to find himself with more wealth than he had arrived with.
"If I refuse any further, I fear you might just roll me up in a straw mat in the middle of the night and stuff a money bag inside."
"Haha, surely not. My heart wishes to do anything for you, but money is all I have to offer..."
"In that case, could you use this money to procure a carriage for me?"
"A carriage?"
Originally, Seong-jin had intended to replace Shin Suran’s spear, which he had snapped in half, but she had refused, claiming that any spear not forged to her family’s specifications would not yield its proper power. Thus, she had sent word to her family to have a new one delivered, while deciding to accompany Seong-jin on his journey to his original destination: the Murim Alliance.
"Because of me, Miss Shin has been delayed here, so I believe a carriage is necessary to ensure we do not arrive late to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering."
"Ah, if that is all, leave it to me!"
As the man known as Seo ran off to find horses and a carriage, the remaining courtesans began to fawn over Seong-jin.
"Are you really leaving?"
"Stay and rest a little longer."
"It will be so lonely if you leave like this."
Ever since he had rescued their Madam, the courtesans of the Cheongwol Pavilion had developed a strange routine: they didn't just come to see Seong-jin during their shifts—they came to see him even after they clocked out.
"Then, for starters, could you stop pinching my cheeks?"
"What? But they're so soft."
"Is this how the Cheongwol Pavilion treats its guests?"
"But since we don't take money from Young Master Joo, you aren't a guest, are you?"
It felt as though his treatment had actually worsened since he was a paying customer, but the genuine warmth of people was the perfect remedy for the chill of early spring. Surrounded by beauties and showered with attention, he thought that compared to the days he spent shivering alone in a cold cabin deep in the mountains, this was truly a luxury.
"But what is your relationship with Miss Shin?"
"Are you two betrothed?"
Seong-jin simply kept his mouth shut as they giggled among themselves.
"Still, when the Madam wakes up, you should at least show her your face before you go."
"That goes without saying. There are things I need to ask her, anyway."
The dark art of turning field mice into monsters was a technique long forgotten. He needed to hear if there were any other traces of such arts or other monsters.
Thus, Seong-jin ended up staying at the Cheongwol Pavilion for a while longer.
"By the way, where did Miss Shin go?"
"She said a guest arrived, so she went out to meet them."
"A guest?"
Who could possibly be looking for Shin Suran, an outsider, in this place?
"She said they were her peers from the academy. They are Taoists practicing Byeokgok (abstaining from grain), so they felt it was inappropriate to call them into a pleasure house directly..."
Disciples of the Nine Great Sects had arrived in Inyang-hyeon.
***
The 'Plum Blossom Sword Dragon' (Hwasan-geomryong) Young-myeong was famous within the Cheonmu Academy for his unrequited love for Shin Suran. That love, of which only Young-myeong himself was unaware of its "fame," had led him to ask a friend in the Beggar Sect for Shin Suran’s whereabouts before the upcoming Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
Having tracked her down, Young-myeong, accompanied by the anxious 'Pointed Azure Sword' (Jeomchang-ilgeom) Danmok-cheong, visited Inyang-hyeon, feigning a chance encounter.
"Why, Miss Shin. You, who were called the 'Lightning Spear' (Seomjeon-chang), how can you be walking about empty-handed?"
"It is embarrassing to admit, but because I failed to properly gauge the strength of my opponent, the spear I used was broken. I have sent word to my family, but at this rate, the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering might end up being nothing more than a sightseeing trip for me."
"To break Miss Shin’s spear! Who is the culprit? I shall make them pay the price for their crimes!"
As the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon fumed, Danmok-cheong, standing beside him, channeled the essence of the Sail-geombeop (Four-Sword Technique) into his elbow.
In other words, he jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow.
'Read the room, seriously. She has her pride as a martial artist, is this something to shout about for everyone to hear?'
'But still.'
'What do you mean, "but still"! My head is already pounding because a man who wears his sect's name in his title is out here tracking the movements of a young lady from another house!'
'Can't I ask because I like her?'
'Senior, just treat it as "another guest arriving at the valley" when they show up.'
'They do show up often, though.'
Danmok-cheong clutched his throbbing head and let out a deep sigh. It felt as though his senior’s brain had cracked; perhaps he should apply some gold-wound medicine to his Baekhoe acupoint?
'To think the man known as the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon is acting like this, chasing after a woman’s skirt.'
If rumors spread that he was stalking a woman, the prestige of the Mount Hua Sect would plummet. He didn't know why he, a disciple of the Pointed Azure Sect, had to worry about Mount Hua's reputation, but since it was an order from his sect, he had no choice but to follow.
"It is fine. The wretch was already defeated by a benefactor."
"What?"
"He is a Taoist I happened to meet. He helped me when I was in trouble."
Shin Suran introduced Seong-jin, who was standing nearby.
"This is Young Master Joo, the one who saved me."
"I am Young-myeong, a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect."
"I am Danmok-cheong of the Pointed Azure Sect."
"I am Joo Seong-jin."
He looked to be about twenty, with a face as handsome as a gigolo.
'This guy! He’s using his looks to seduce and toy with Miss Shin!'
The moment he saw Seong-jin’s face, Young-myeong decided, without needing to hear the details, that he would treat him as an enemy from this moment on. Seong-jin, however, remained focused on his own business, indifferent to Young-myeong’s internal turmoil.
"It seems you are both participants in this year’s Dragon-Phoenix Gathering."
"Ahem, I am indeed representing Mount Hua in the gathering. My standing within the sect goes without saying, given that my very title bears the name of our sect."
The Plum Blossom Sword Dragon was a rising star who carried the name of Mount Hua in his title. That meant the Mount Hua Sect acknowledged him as their representative. In other words, regardless of his personality, his talent was enough to represent his sect—a genius of the world worthy of representing Mount Hua, one of the pillars of the Nine Great Sects.
"Since Miss Danmok is also known as the 'Pointed Azure Sword,' it means you both are the ones who will lead the Murim in the future."
"Haha, now that I look at you, Young Master Joo understands things quite well, doesn't he?"
"Let us not stand here; come inside. If you say you are my guests, the Cheongwol Pavilion will bring out a table of drinks without charging you."
"I must have had sleep in my eyes from my long journey to have misjudged you. Brother Joo, from now on, you are my younger brother."
At those words, Danmok-cheong sighed as if he found it pathetic, and Shin Suran smiled awkwardly. Seong-jin, who had evolved from an enemy to a younger brother in an instant, simply chuckled to himself.
Opinions were divided on whether the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon was acting this way because he was a man of small character or because his spirit was simply too vast, but one thing was certain: his capacity for alcohol was like the rivers and seas—endless.
"Is it alright for a Taoist to be drinking like this?"
"Grain tea is also grain, so it counts as Byeokgok!"
"That pheasant meat doesn't seem like grain..."
"Pheasants eat grain, so it’s fine!"
It was a logic that even the courtesans, who were masters at humoring guests, shook their heads at. With the rising star of Mount Hua acting this way, there was no one to stop him, and in the end, Shin Suran had no choice but to take responsibility and feed him enough alcohol to make him pass out.
While Shin Suran kept pouring drinks for Young-myeong, Seong-jin struck up a conversation with Danmok-cheong.
"...I apologize for my senior’s lack of decorum."
"It is fine. Seeing someone so heroic made me feel spirited as well."
Seong-jin stopped Danmok-cheong from apologizing.
"You two must be on your way to the Murim Alliance in Hubei to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, correct? I happen to be looking for a carriage; if I find one, please join me."
"A carriage is much more comfortable than running with Gyeonggong (lightness arts), but... are you serious?"
Danmok-cheong asked, glancing toward the room where Young-myeong had passed out. He meant to ask if he was truly going to bring that man along.
"Of course."
At Seong-jin’s words, Danmok-cheong stared at him blankly, then covered his mouth with his hand to whisper quietly, just in case anyone was listening.
"You don't actually think Senior Young-myeong is a hero, do you?"
Seong-jin chuckled at that. It was a much more natural smile than the one he had worn when he became the "brother" of the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon.
***
That morning, while Young-myeong was still lost in dreamland, passed out from the alcohol, Seong-jin met with Madam Ok Seol-hyang, who had regained consciousness in her sickbed.
"There is no need to rise. I am not so rude as to force etiquette upon a patient."
Seong-jin stopped Madam Ok Seol-hyang, who had tried to sit up as he entered.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"...Thanks to you, I am. I heard you even shared precious medicinal herbs for my sake."
"There is no need to worry about that. Where I lived, those herbs were scattered everywhere."
Seong-jin, who had not only rescued Ok Seol-hyang but also shared his herbs, was her savior and, by extension, the savior of the entire Cheongwol Pavilion.
"It would be rude to keep a patient awake for too long, so I will get straight to the point. The Hao-mun branch. Please tell me everything you saw while you were detained there."
Madam Ok Seol-hyang, who knew neither martial arts nor Taoist magic, lacked the ability to distinguish between the two. Therefore, Seong-jin asked her about everything she had seen and heard.
"Because I was kept locked away, all I saw and heard was the intimidation from the Five Ghosts branch leader."
"That is fine. Whatever it is, it is better than nothing."
Unfortunately, as she had feared, the Madam’s testimony contained nothing of particular use.
"I am sorry I cannot be of help."
"It is alright. You are not in good health, yet you met with me to help me. I am only grateful."
Seong-jin offered his comfort, but the Madam seemed unsatisfied, her hands fidgeting restlessly.
"Is there perhaps something more you wish to say?"
"Actually..."
As the perceptive Seong-jin opened the door for her, she finally let out the story she had been holding back.
"There is one thing I have not told you."
"Why is that?"
"I feared my story might cause a misunderstanding. I might be mistaken, or it might be a trick of theirs..."
"It is fine. I will take that into account, so please, speak."
At Seong-jin’s words, the Madam swallowed hard, as if making a decision, and continued her story.
"Once, the Five Ghosts branch leader came with someone else. That person was wearing a mask, but they smelled of plum blossoms."
Indeed, it was not an easy thing to say while under the same roof as a Plum Blossom Sword user.