episode_0161

As I entered the guesthouse, chaeryeon was coming down from above. She stumbled down the stairs with her eyes half-closed, probably still half-asleep, and sat down.

“Ugh…”

“If you’re sleepy, do you want to eat later?”

“No…”

I straighten my head, which was shaking, and tap my face with my palm to wake myself up. With that alone, Chaeryeon returned with a fox-like smile on her face and looked around.

“Oh. The Sword Saint came too?”

“Hmm. It’s been a while.”

“Yes. Hehehe. If it’s okay with you, is it okay for us to have a tutorial session later?”

“That’s right. I heard that you helped my students a lot at Amifa. I need to help at least with something like this. I am a person who definitely repays any help I receive.”

As he said that, Geomseong glanced at me. I smiled at that gaze, and she quickly looked away again.

“Anyway, you’re probably hungry, so how about eating something simple first? And in the evening, all of Hong Seong-moon’s disciples come down.”

“Yes! ah! That’s right!”

Sayun held out the bag she had carefully packed. what? Is it my gift?

I took the bag in confusion, found two boxes inside the bag, and looked at Sayoon.

“Open it!!”

When I opened the first box, there was a small Buddha statue inside.

Uh… this is the award for commercial prosperity, right?

Even in the bright moon of heaven, you can gain great favor when you give it to merchants as a gift.

Amipa gives you this precious thing that can only be obtained if you achieve a certain level of achievement.

“This… must have been hard to get.”

“I always get help from the guest.”

Sayoon was proud. Geomseong gently stroked her head and felt proud of himself.

“Uh… thank you so much.”

“And there’s something else!”

I opened another box. Inside were ten single rings.

This…

“This is Amihwan.”

Amihwan. It can be taken once a day a total of ten times, and if you take all of them, it is one of the medicines that prevents you from getting sick and improves physical strength.

I looked at Ami-hwan and shook my head.

“Huh? Si, you don’t like it…? Yes, actually, because the owner of the house collapsed last time…”

“No. This is quite precious. The award of commercial prosperity alone is enough.”

“It’s not enough. I was so surprised when my guest fell down. I never want to see something like that again.”

Sayun’s face showed stubbornness. I looked at her snoring as if she was going to refuse rejection, then turned my eyes to the Sword Saint, and saw that she was nodding her head seriously as well.

“Take it. Are you planning to ignore our youngest’s sincerity?”

“Really…”

You could get quite a bit of money if you sell this. I thought for a moment and then smiled. Anyway, Sayoon is taking care of me like this, so I can’t keep refusing.

“Thank you so much.”

“Ehehe. What!”

Only then did Sayun smile happily. Seeing her like that makes me think that I have done really well so far.

good. This must be repaid by feeding them hard and sending them other things.

“There are also ones from Yohwan’s grandmother and Chaejin’s.”

Sayun also presented gifts for Yohwan and Chaejin. When the girls were happy to receive it, Sayun smiled brightly.

“But what about yours?”

“I’m fine. You’ve already received a lot?”

Although he did not use the achievements he had accumulated in Amipa for himself, but for others, there was not the slightest trace of regret on Sayoon’s face.

Chaejin smiled brightly at her, who was so happy, and stroked her head.

“Ugh. It’s so pretty I’m dying.”

“Ahahaha~!”

“Hmm. After all, you are my friend.”

Chae-jin watched in silence as Chae-ryun crossed her arms and nodded next to her.

“Why?”

“I think you’re a really nice person for a friend of yours…”

“Because I am as good as I am, I will become Sayoon’s friend.”

“…If that person is bothering you, tell your sister at any time.”

“Ahahaha~!”

Chae-ryeon frowned at Chae-jin, and Sayun smiled. When the atmosphere was quite enjoyable like that.

“We’re here!”

A bright voice is heard. It was Hongryeon, Hyeonhwi, and Yoohee.

“Are you here?”

“Hehe. yes. The patrol ended a little early.”

Perhaps because there is a branch of the Murim League, patrols can be divided into two groups. Of course, it’s not like we’re skipping patrols at Hongseongmun, but it’s true that we have some free time.

I could use that time to train more and become stronger.

“The Ambassador’s residence!”

“Wow! Sayoon! You’ve grown a lot?!”

Sayoon got up from her seat and ran to hug Hongryeon. Hongryeon smiled as she hugged her tightly. Sayoon smiled brightly and enjoyed the aftermath of his relationship with her.

“It’s been a while. Guest owner.”

“It’s been a while~!”

“Thank you for your hard work. Hyeonhwi Sojeo, Yoo Hee Sojeo.”

“Hehe. How have you been? ah. And this is a gift.”

It looks like Hyeonhwi and Yoohee also prepared gifts. They gave me, Yohwan, and Chaejin things like Buddhist equipment and medicinal herbs that could be obtained from Amipa, and when they sat down, I asked Yohwan.

“Yohwan. Are all the dishes ready?”

“Hmm. It will be out soon.”

She went straight into the kitchen and came out a moment later with dishes. Sayoon’s eyes sparkled as food that looked appetizing, such as roast duck, braised beef, and somen topped with meat and vegetables, were placed on the table.

“Wow! I really wanted to eat Grandma Yohwan’s cooking! I will eat well!”

“Hehe. Eat a lot. Hyeonhwi, Yuhee. Chaeryeon. You guys eat a lot too.”

This was when Yohwan spoke with a confident smile.

The door to the VIP room opens. ah. Looks like they finished eating over there too.

It was longer than expected, but if you ate while talking, there is nothing strange about it. All the dishes ordered there were expensive…

“…Hong Seong-moon?”

Ju Ye-ryeong, the Sogung lord of Cheonhwa Palace, a woman with an impressive red veil, looked at the people in one seat and opened her mouth in shock.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on her voice, and among them, Hongryeon spoke to her indifferently.

“You are Lord Ye-ryeong. It’s been a while.”

Zhou Ye-ryeong’s gaze is sharp. But that only lasted for a moment, she nodded slightly towards Hongryeon and looked at Geomseong.

“Long time no see.”

“Okay. It’s been a while.”

Has Geomsung ever met Zhou Ye-ryeong? Well, if you think about it, there’s nothing strange about it. It’s not that Hongseongmun and Cheonhwagung didn’t interact in the past.

There is silence for a moment. Under that weight, I stood up.

“I think we need to talk about something, but I…”

“Please sit down.”

Geomseong spoke calmly, and Ju Ye-ryeong’s eyes showed a strange look.

“As I said before, June. You are not Hong Seong-moon’s stranger. So there is no need for you to avoid this kind of thing.”

Hongryeon nodded seriously at those words that were like a declaration. Chae-jin also didn’t say anything, and Joo Ye-ryeong glanced at me.

“Well… it doesn’t matter. In addition, Yuwol Gaekjanju is recognized by the Murim Alliance and is well-known as a member of the Murim faction.”

She spoke lightly and untied her cotton thread. Then, the sharp bridge of the nose, slim chin, plump lips and a mole next to the lips were revealed.

Overall, it was the face of a beautiful woman…

I looked at Geomseong, Hongryeon, and Chaejin in turn.

It has been said since ancient times that everything in the world is relative.

Compared to those three, it’s not even pretty.

Not paying attention to what I was seeing, she held out a red silk scroll from her arms.

“This is a letter from the palace lord.”

After receiving it, Geomseong unfolded it, read it, and held it out to Hongryeon.

“…Are we having a sparring meeting?”

It’s a sparring meeting.

There was also something like this in the exchanges between clans. They send each other’s disciples to take advantage of each sect’s strengths, and they also send out disciples from each sect to compete against each other’s skills.

The idea is to figure out which of the two factions is superior.

“That’s right. Until now, it has been difficult to interact with Hong Seong-moon due to his poor situation, but I heard that he started interacting with Amifa some time ago. So, our palace lord said, why not start sparring again with Cheonhwagung, which has been in competition with Hongseongmun for a long time?”

Naturally, the faction that wins through a sparring match will have an increase in reputation. Anyway, for the martial arts faction, being strong is a virtue.

“Hmm…”

Geomsung tilted his head for a moment as if he was thinking about it, then looked at me.

No, why me?

“What do you think?”

“I don’t think this is a matter for me to judge. But… Isn’t sparring something at stake?”

“We don’t really deserve anything…”

At those words, Zhou Ye-ryeong’s face turned red with shame.

In the past, when Hongseongmun and Cheonhwagung interacted enough to hold a sparring meeting, it was when Geomsung was at the forefront, and I believe Hongseongmun defeated Cheonhwagung at that time. And I heard that you received one of the treasures from Cheonhwagung…

However, that was the time when a swordsman who was more talented than anyone else in martial arts stepped forward, and now that he believes the situation is different, he is taking on the challenge like this.

“So. What do you want to bet on?”

Geomseong asked with a smile, and Zhou Ye-ryeong cleared his throat lowly and then spoke seriously.

“I’m not saying I’m going to get anything right now. The idea is to hold a sparring meeting just for the purpose of fellowship.”

It’s just a sparring event to promote friendship…

That’s what they say, but for them, it could be said to be a battle of revenge from the past.

It’s not bad. Speaking of Cheonhwagung, it is a fairly famous sect among political factions.

If he wins the sparring match against them, Hong Seong-moon’s reputation can be further enhanced.

“What. It wouldn’t be bad. Then let’s hold the sparring meeting here.”

“Thank you. I will tell you the exact date separately, but I think it will be scheduled for about two months later…”

“Please do so.”

When Geomseong obediently gave permission, she slightly lowered her head and looked at me.

huh? Why me?

“This is a guest house, right? Which room is best?”

“The 3rd floor is the best right now, but the annex will be completed soon.”

As branches of the Murim League were established and Seomhwachon grew, a separate annex was being built in preparation for the arrival of wealthy guests.

Construction is expected to be completed in about a month…

“Good. Let’s reserve that place now.”

“Hmm. It’s not finished yet. Is it okay?”

“Of course. Your name, like no one else’s, is known in the martial arts faction, right? I, and the warriors at Cheonhwagung, like Gyeopjisa. So, you can trust and leave it to us. If you stay there in a place as good as our Cheonhwagung, your reputation among the political faction will be higher, so it won’t be a bad thing for the guest.”

It’s not wrong. The name of the guesthouse spreads through word of mouth from guests.

The people who come for the sparring meeting with Hongseongmun are the core forces of Cheonhwagung, and they are all making a name for themselves in martial arts, so the better their evaluation, the more well-known my guests will be.

“Ah. Is it possible to make a reservation?”

How can it not be possible?