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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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A warrior who does not contemplate and think is no different from a dead man.
That’s what our master told us during intensive training. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been thinking a lot lately.
To be honest, I don’t think I thought much before joining the Hongseong Clan. The only thing I had to do was instinctively think about how to survive today.
Therefore, after joining the Hongseong Clan, I learned how to think and constantly contemplated in order to judge right from wrong. And these days, I’ve been thinking about this sword that you, Uncle, told me about.
Both my master and the head disciple said that this sword was simply a good sword. But lately, the sword has been changing in a strange way.
During a sparring session with my master, a faint light suddenly emitted from the sword, just for a moment.
While everyone was surprised by the light, my master stroked my head.
Contemplate. And think. As to why this sword emitted light.
But perhaps because I’m still lacking, I couldn’t come up with a proper answer.
Of course, I’m sure you know, Uncle… but I still want to try to figure it out on my own a bit more. Perhaps, was the reason you didn’t name this sword because you wanted me to think for myself?
I’ve been thinking and contemplating every day about the things you sent me, Uncle.
Who are you, Uncle? What kind of person are you? But perhaps the reason you don’t tell me is because you think I should figure this out through my own thoughts and contemplation.
If that’s the case, I must think. If that’s the case, I must contemplate. Even if it takes a long time, I must.
The weather is very hot. Every night, I pray that you stay healthy, Uncle, and I hope these prayers reach you and that you are well.
P.S. In a few days, I’ll be going to Changun’gwan with the head disciple Hongryeon and the owner of the Seomhwachon Inn, who is also a great help to our Hongseong Clan, Innkeeper Yu wol.
Have you heard of Changun’gwan? I’ve only heard stories about it, but according to the senior disciples who have been there, it’s a very beautiful place.
It’s said that long ago, eight immortals descended and stayed there, and after they left, the Taoist priests who had received their teachings built a Taoist temple to honor them.
According to Senior Disciple Yuhee, if you pass certain tests there, you can receive excellent magical artifacts. Is that what you need, Uncle? Of course, even if you don’t take the tests, those who are going out into the martial world for the first time pray to the eight immortals there for a safe journey.
I’m going to Changun’gwan this time, and I want to pray to the eight immortals. If you pray like that, you can receive a special talisman. It’s said that if you carry that talisman, you’ll be healthy and good fortune will come your way.
This time, I’ll pray for you, Uncle. I hope you will accept the talisman. I hope you don’t feel burdened by this, Uncle.
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I took my eyes off the letter Sayun had sent. Praying for me… It’s a burden? I’m grateful for it.
Of course, the talisman doesn’t have any special powers, but I appreciate the thought.
I tapped the letter with a smile and picked up my brush.
There wasn’t much to write. Just to have fun while she was there, and if she wanted to eat or buy anything, she could use the allowance I sent her. I’ll send this tomorrow.
If I send it quickly, she should receive it before she leaves.
I put Sayun’s letter in the safe and resumed my work. How long had I been working?
-Tap.
I heard a sound of something hitting the window. I looked out and saw a beautiful woman with flowing red hair standing in the backyard. She smiled provocatively and waved at me when she saw me.
It was Hongryeon, the head disciple of the Hongseong Clan.
“I’ll come down right away.”
“No. I’ll come up.”
She lightly kicked off the wall and jumped up. She quickly reached my room window and asked with a smile,
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, I did. More importantly, how was your seclusion? You came out earlier than I expected.”
“Yeah. It was a bit faster this time.”
“That’s good to hear. Did you gain anything?”
While I was in Cheongho, she was in closed-door training. My level was too low to tell if anything had changed.
But Hongryeon had a rather confident look on her face, as if she had gained something.
“I’ll definitely show you later.”
“Personally, I hope there won’t be a need to. If you’re fighting, it means you’re in a dangerous situation.”
“…Is, is that so?”
Hongryeon coughed awkwardly and looked around my room. I smiled and said,
“Would you like to come in for a moment? Have a cup of tea before you go.”
“Oh? Uh. Um… No. You seemed to be working. I don’t want to keep disturbing you.”
She glanced at my desk. There were piles of work that had accumulated while I was in Cheongho. She looked at it with a strangely comfortable expression and shrugged.
“I just came to see if you were back. I should get going too.”
“Are you busy?”
“This and that. Ah. The herbs should be ready soon. The kids are working hard.”
“Is that so? That’s good.”
“Right?”
Leaning slightly against the window frame, Hongryeon smiled brightly. She took a short breath and took something out of her pocket.
“What’s this?”
“Just something I made when I had some free time.”
In Hongryeon’s hand was a brush. Of course, it wasn’t an artifact like the innkeeper’s, or anything like that. But it was definitely a unique item. It had a cap, and you could fill the cap with ink so you could carry it around and use it.
It was a type of brush often used by those who worked outside. I also had a few similar ones. But this one looked handmade.
“You can make things like this too?”
“Um… Yeah. I caught a Hyeolho (Blood Fox) a while back. I got the fur as a souvenir… Do you know? Hyeolho fur is a good material for brushes.”
“Of course, I know that.”
“Hehe. Right? It’s not like you’re always working here. You travel around a lot, right?”
“That’s true.”
My work wasn’t limited to the inn. I had to add items to the inventory for the company. Or go to the fields.
I also had to check on the reclamation of wasteland, among other things that required me to be outside.
“So I made one. I made it during my free time and breaks, so don’t feel burdened.”
Perhaps because it was made by the skillful Hongryeon, it looked really good. In particular, the red lotus pattern engraved on the ink container was the same as the one on my ring, making it seem like a very valuable item.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
“Hehe. Yes. Carry it with you always. If it breaks, I’ll make you another one. And I see you’re not carrying a sachet…”
“It doesn’t feel right to use a gift so casually, does it? I’ll use it when I go to a special occasion.”
I thought of the sachet the Hongseong disciples had given me. If it was going to spoil, I would have used it quickly, but if not, I should keep it safe.
Hongryeon chuckled softly at my words.
“I gave it to you to use, so I hope you use it. If you really don’t want to, use mine first. I’ll fill it up whenever you run out.”
“Well, I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. Then I’ll be going now. Don’t work too late. Travel fatigue is not something to be ignored.”
“Is that the advice of someone who’s traveled often?”
“Of course. Then I…”
“Wait a moment.”
“Huh?”
Hongryeon, who was about to jump down, stopped. It was good timing since she was here. I handed her a bundle of gifts I had bought for the Hongseong disciples.
“I went to Cheongho this time and thought of you, so I bought these.”
What I handed her was fabric. Hongryeon, who was examining the fabric, one of Cheongho’s specialties, smiled softly.
“What. Are you telling me to make sachets with this?”
“No. Have new training robes made for the Hongseong disciples. I’ll give you separate fabric for the sachets.”
“…Huh?”
“If sachets become popular, won’t many people come to visit Hongseong? Of course, I know that Hongseong values frugality, but I believe you also know that the meaning of frugality can vary depending on how people perceive it.”
“Um… we have uniforms.”
“I know. This fabric is durable enough to be worn during training, so use it to make everyday clothes. I brought plenty, so don’t worry about it not being enough.”
I didn’t know how to make clothes, but the tailor said so. He said this much would be enough to make clothes for twenty-five people.
She looked at the fabric I offered without a word, then smiled wryly.
“I’m always indebted to you.”
“I’ll be relying on you more in the future, so don’t worry.”
I had many things to ask of her.
“…Haha! Okay!”
She smiled brightly and took the fabric. It must have been quite heavy, but she held it lightly with her arms, which looked thinner than mine, showing that she was indeed a master.
As I watched her jump down and walk away, I returned to my seat. How long had I been working again?
I heard a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
“Alright! Time for training?!”
Was it that time already? I looked out the window and saw the sky turning red.
“Let’s go.”
Chae-jin, who had exhausted me, reached out her hand. I took it and stood up, and she handed me the water she had prepared.
“I think it’s almost time for Chae to move on to the next level of Tai Chi.”
“Oh. Then will I be recognized?”
“No way. Look forward to the next one!”
I was looking forward to it. I was so excited that my flesh was trembling.
After the training ended and I had washed up briefly, I was about to get back to my remaining work when a servant knocked on my door. The guest I had been waiting for had arrived.
I went downstairs immediately, and sure enough, the magistrate was smiling brightly, having arrived with two military officers.
“Innkeeper Yu. You must have had a hard time. I heard from the innkeeper that you had some things to take care of.”
“Haha. What hardship. Rather, thanks to you, Magistrate, the trip was more comfortable.”
It wasn’t a lie. If I hadn’t been able to use the official road, it would have taken longer.
“Come, let’s go inside.”
The two officers had a drink at the inn, and I went into the VIP room with the magistrate. We were chatting about this and that when the dishes made by Yohan arrived. He savored the food with anticipation and started clapping.
“Haha! This is really amazing! I heard you hired an imperial chef…”
“I happened to hire him by chance.”
“Where’s the chance in that? I heard from the innkeeper that this is also due to your virtue, Innkeeper Yu.”
“What virtue do I have? Come, have a drink.”
It was a pleasant atmosphere. After a few rounds of drinks and when we had eaten a fair amount of food, the magistrate looked around as if worried that his voice might leak out and spoke in a low tone.
“By the way, have you heard the news?”
“Is there something interesting going on?”
“Hmm. Rather than interesting… there’s something you should know, Innkeeper Yu.”
He spoke very seriously in an even lower voice than before.
“There are forces trying to oust the current leader of the Black Lotus and establish a new one. There’s friction within the Black Lotus because of this… and if things go wrong, there might be a war among the evil sects.”
The conflict between the current leader of the Black Lotus and the new one. This was the background of the beginning of Part 1.
The conflict between the new Black Lotus leader supported by the Iron Blood Squad and the existing Black Lotus leader. Due to the problems arising from this conflict, Seomhwa Village was eventually engulfed in the flames of war.
Of course, as long as the Hongseong Clan was safe, the possibility of that happening was low, but even so, in the scenario we had established, there was still a good chance that the flames of war would reach this place.
The reason was Hongseong Mountain.
It was a story that came out in the main story of another protagonist, Yura, around Part 3. The place where she trained, Baekseonho, was also a place where spiritual energy gathered.
However, that place was stable, so it was not easy to make the spiritual energy run wild, so the Iron Blood Squad drove the refugees there.
They massacred the numerous people who were resting there, and then made Baekseonho impure and caused it to run wild with the blood and death.
Considering this, even if they didn’t touch the Hongseong Clan, they could still detonate the spiritual energy of Hongseong Mountain by staining Seomhwa Village with blood.
Of course, it would be weaker than destroying the Hongseong Clan, but the Iron Blood Squad would have to do this at least…
Therefore, the first scenario we established was to prevent this attack.
“Thank you for the valuable information. But where did you get such high-level information?”
The magistrate said nonchalantly,
“I met with a colleague from my time in the Imperial Military two days ago. He’s in the Imperial Army Inspection Bureau, and he told me. He said the Empire is also taking steps to prevent it, but just in case, it’s good to be cautious. I think an official order will be issued soon. But for now, just be aware.”
Indeed, the connections of officials were not to be underestimated.
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