I arrived at the general shop and explained the situation to the old man—about having to journey to the North Sea.
“I see. Make sure you come back alive.”
His words were blunt, but I could feel the warmth beneath them.
“I will.”
“Is that all you came here for?”
“Actually… is there anything I should watch out for along the way? Any advice?”
The old man pondered this for a moment, then chuckled.
“The most treacherous journeys are trade routes and escort missions. What more wisdom could I possibly offer you?”
He had a point.
“Then please speak well of me to those above.”
“Safe travels.”
.
.
.
The next morning arrived with the dawn light filtering through my window.
When my Master came for our usual martial arts instruction, I told him I would accept the commission.
At my words, he cupped his fist and bowed his head deeply.
Flustered, I quickly helped him upright.
“Master, why are you doing this?”
“Out of gratitude.”
“Would your disciple not handle a simple commission from his Master?”
“You’re right. Any further gratitude would be an insult to my disciple. I understand.”
A faint smile crossed his lips as he nodded.
“Then I’ll express my gratitude in my own way.”
But Master… why are your eyes burning with such intensity?
“Before you depart, I’ll make sure you can completely master the tenth form—Snowslide.”
“…”
My Master’s grateful heart had taken a rather alarming turn.
‘Wait, didn’t you say you were injured…’
.
.
.
After completing my preparations step by step, I set out for the North Sea on the day of the sixth month’s full moon.
From a distance, Gwak Myeong-hyeon watched as Eun Seo-ho departed for the North Sea.
“Il-seol.”
At his call, a figure materialized instantly and dropped to one knee.
The speed of their appearance alone spoke volumes about their skill.
“You summoned me, Palace Lord?”
The title made Gwak Myeong-hyeon’s smile turn bitter.
After his father’s death, he had inherited the position of Palace Lord of the Snow Wind Palace. With that burden came the responsibility of seeking out traces of their scattered sect and rebuilding what had been lost.
Recently, however, he had begun to understand what his true mission might be.
“I have an order for you. Protect my disciple as we discussed.”
“Understood. But I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Are you truly considering passing the position of Palace Lord to your disciple?”
“It’s far too early to discuss that.”
At Gwak Myeong-hyeon’s firm response, the subordinate nodded.
“I accept your words. But how is your condition?”
“Much better, thanks to my father-in-law’s help.”
“You must take care of yourself, Palace Lord.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. But wasn’t it a situation where I had no choice but to act? They had discovered our existence. If I hadn’t eliminated them, even by force, we would have suffered tremendous losses.”
“…”
“I’ve hidden the body well. We should be safe for a while. The Alliance will assume he’s gone into seclusion, so don’t worry.”
“Understood. Still, please look after your health.”
“I will.”
With a soft whoosh, the figure vanished, leaving Gwak Myeong-hyeon alone with his thoughts.
He sighed deeply, then grimaced as he pressed his side. The wound from his recent battle still throbbed with pain.
Still, thanks to his father-in-law’s timely arrival, it was healing remarkably fast.
His thoughts turned to the man he had killed. One of those who had attacked the Snow Wind Palace, someone who had stumbled upon the truth that survivors were working to rebuild their sect.
Naturally, Gwak Myeong-hyeon couldn’t allow him to live, so he had approached under the guise of an escort mission.
With his original skill level, victory against such an opponent would have been uncertain at best.
But he had recently gained enlightenment through the secret manual containing the founder’s insights—the one Eun Seo-ho had brought to him.
That breakthrough had allowed him to shatter a wall in his cultivation, and with that new strength, he had claimed victory.
The cost, however, had been severe injuries that prevented him from pursuing the traces his father-in-law had mentioned.
As he reflected on this, it felt like the will of heaven itself.
That’s why he had decided to send Eun Seo-ho.
In truth, it was a test of sorts for his disciple.
If Eun Seo-ho truly possessed the qualities of a Palace Lord, he would return with something valuable from those remaining traces.
And the other survivors, witnessing that success, would follow his decisions.
Gwak Myeong-hyeon chuckled to himself.
‘I’m curious to see what he’ll bring back.’
His remarkable disciple had always returned with something beyond imagination, no matter what the task. This time would be no different.
Still, if his disciple had to bear this heavy fate, he wished it could wait a little longer.
We traveled on horseback, moving at a steady pace.
There were two main routes from Hubei to the North Sea.
Either take a slight detour through Beijing, or cut straight through the desert.
I chose the former.
In the past, I had favored fast, efficient routes, but only when I had reliable information about their safety.
The desert route carried too much risk and uncertainty.
My Master had said it was fine as long as I arrived before winter, so there was no need to push ourselves unnecessarily.
This northern route would take us through Wudang Sect territory.
While I planned to take a boat from there to the Shandong area, I had another reason for choosing this path.
As we traveled, we entered the domain of the Wudang Sect.
To enter the mountain gate itself, one had to leave weapons at the sword-checking pond. But when simply passing through their territory, respect was shown by either securing weapons in luggage or carrying them inverted.
This courtesy, of course, didn’t apply to the Wudang Sect’s own disciples.
“We should disarm.”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s words, I shook my head.
“No need. We can proceed as we are.”
“Pardon?”
At his puzzled expression, I explained.
“My party and I have received permission to enter Wudang territory armed.”
Since I had met the Sect Leader privately when I received the special permission pass, the others weren’t aware of this arrangement.
At my confident words, my companions nodded, and we entered Wudang territory without disarming.
Soon we encountered disciples on patrol.
“You there, who dare insult the Wudang Sect by—”
I silently raised the permission pass.
What I carried was a special pass, extending the sword-checking exemption to my entire party.
Upon seeing the plaque in my hand, the disciples’ attitudes transformed completely.
“We greet the benefactor of the Wudang Sect.”
I cupped my fist in return, accepting their greeting.
“The pleasure is mine. I am Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“Are you the renowned Handsome Young Hero, Eun Seo-ho?”
“It’s an undeserved title, but I am called by that name.”
At this, the Wudang disciples bowed repeatedly.
“We apologize for not recognizing you immediately. We heard you provided great assistance to our sect recently.”
“If you ever need our help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
I smiled warmly and replied.
“We’re simply passing through on business. Please convey my apologies to the Sect Leader for not being able to pay proper respects—our business is quite urgent.”
“Of course.”
“Then, farewell.”
And so we passed through Wudang territory without the usual weapon inspection.
As we crossed Mount Wudang, a pavilion came into view.
It was one of the shrines dedicated to the Great Emperor Zhenwu.
Such pavilions were scattered throughout the mountain.
“We’ll stop here for a moment.”
“Understood.”
We halted before the pavilion of the Great Emperor Zhenwu.
This was actually one of my reasons for choosing the Wudang route.
Inside, I found myself before a painting of a fierce yet dignified figure.
I looked up at him and offered my respects politely.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save my nephews and set things right.”
“…”
“But I’m not going to bow. That was a reward I earned for doing well, wasn’t it? I don’t think I need to go that far.”
For some reason, the painting of the Great Emperor Zhenwu seemed to be smiling.
‘Must be my imagination.’
“By the way, was there someone among those I saved that the Great Emperor Zhenwu was watching over? Just a thought I had.”
The painting appeared to tremble slightly, but that had to be my imagination as well.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
I cupped my fist, showed my respects one final time, and turned to leave.
Then I glanced back with a parting comment.
“You know, I’m always open to making deals.”
Outside, I smiled at my companions.
“Shall we get moving again?”
The Springtime Inn was bustling from the early morning hours.
There was so much to do—preparing meals, cleaning guest rooms, attending to countless details from dawn onward.
“Ju-seong! Take care of the customer!”
“Ju-seong! The bill!”
“Ju-seong!”
“Ju-seong!”
“Ju-seong!”
“Ah, damn it! This is too much!”
Mun Ju-seong, finally reaching his breaking point, shouted back.
“I know I’m good at my job, but this is ridiculous!”
His mother, working in the kitchen, smiled at his outburst.
“That’s probably because everyone depends on you.”
The young couple nearby nodded in agreement.
“Exactly.”
“That’s right.”
“Sister, how on earth did you manage this inn by yourself when I wasn’t here?”
At Mun Ju-seong’s question, Granny Skullbreaker smiled.
“It wasn’t that difficult. We didn’t have many customers then.”
“…”
This Springtime Inn was an establishment that Granny Skullbreaker had set up to protect her husband, the Willow Saber Emperor, while making a living.
Thanks to her age-reversing technique, and the Willow Saber Emperor’s return to youth upon reaching the Transcendent realm, both appeared to be around thirty years old.
So it was impossible to call them Grandma and Grandpa. Instead, he called them Sister and Brother.
It definitely wasn’t because Granny Skullbreaker had “suggested” this while caressing her axe.
After parting from Eun Seo-ho and returning home, Mun Ju-seong had taken some wealth and left to start anew.
On his journey, he nearly had his wealth stolen by Forest bandits. Fortunately, Granny Skullbreaker and the Willow Saber Emperor, acting on Eun Seo-ho’s request, saved his life.
That’s when he found employment here.
It must have been from that point onward.
Suddenly, the surrounding Forest bandits were cleared out, transforming this place into a safe haven. Naturally, the number of customers increased dramatically.
The Springtime Inn had fourteen guest rooms total.
Even those fourteen weren’t enough, and he often had to ask customers for their understanding while arranging room-sharing.
Even that wasn’t sufficient, and quite a few people ended up laying out mats on the first floor to sleep.
That was the reality.
The reason Granny Skullbreaker and the Willow Saber Emperor kept calling for Mun Ju-seong was simple—there were far too many customers.
“I think we’ll have to expand the inn.”
At the Willow Saber Emperor’s words, Mun Ju-seong scratched his head.
“As you say, brother, there’s really no other choice, is there?”
He had the wealth he’d brought from home, plus what Eun Seo-ho had given him as payment for the Five-Colored Ice Crystal Flower, so cost wasn’t an issue.
And so they built a five-story pavilion.
That was half a year ago.
When they expanded the inn, the customer count increased even more. Despite hiring ten waiters, the place remained frantically busy.
Spring passed in a blur, and summer arrived.
Still, thanks to the Windcraft Fan, they were experiencing a pleasantly cool summer.
Mun Ju-seong woke early each morning, personally directing the waiters and cleaning the inn himself.
Just then, the Willow Saber Emperor came down from upstairs.
“Cleaning so early again—you’re truly diligent.”
“Yes. I may not know about other things, but I have to handle the cleaning myself. That’s how important it is.”
In Mun Ju-seong’s hand was a well-worn rag.
“You’re absolutely right.”
The Willow Saber Emperor glanced toward the window and continued.
“It would be wise to pay extra attention to cleaning today.”
“Pardon?”
“For some reason, I have a feeling a welcome guest will arrive today.”
I stood before the five-story pavilion, lost in thought.
‘Is this really the same Springtime Inn?’
The signboard was definitely the same as I remembered, but the inn’s exterior was completely transformed.
I wasn’t the only one bewildered. Palgap, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am, and Escort Guard Lee Pil, who had been here with me before, wore the same expressions of amazement.
“To think that place has changed so dramatically!”
“It’s incredible.”
Honestly, I had heard from other Clerks that the Springtime Inn had expanded and grown in scale.
But I never imagined it would be to this extent.
“Let’s go in.”
Another reason I had chosen the Wudang route was to stop by this place.
After composing myself from the initial shock, I led the way inside, where a waiter greeted us warmly.
“Welcome.”
“Do you have rooms available?”
“Of course. Since there are six of you, should I prepare three rooms? Or four?”
At his question, I replied.
“Three rooms, and we’ll be dining as well.”
“Understood.”
Just then, I made eye contact with a young man with a familiar face who was coming down from upstairs, carrying a basket full of laundry.
“Oh!”
To him, whose eyes had gone wide, I sent a telepathic message.
— Didn’t we agree to pretend not to know each other?
“…”
— It’s good to see you’re doing well.
–TL Notes–
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