Visiting Guests

The midsummer heat had eased, and though it was midday, a chilly breeze blew. Unpyeong, bordered by Haegeumgang and the Gyeongin Sea, was a bustling trade town; this time of year, as summer turned to autumn, it was crowded with merchants.

After walking for half a day, two men were too hungry to go any further. They decided to step into the first inn they saw to rest. At the road curving around Yellow Stone, they spotted a small, shabby inn.

“Let’s have a quick bite before we go.”

“Ah, now that’s music to my ears.”

The man in a headscarf and the bearded man both hurried in without hesitation, dropping onto an outdoor bench. Setting down their heavy bundles of goods, they could finally stretch their backs.

“Hey! What’s good here?”

When the bearded man called out, a girl not yet twenty ran over. With sleeves rolled up and a bright manner, she seemed quick and capable.

“We serve only noodles—but that’s our pride.”

“Noodles?”

The two men looked at each other, disappointed. The place was shabby, so they hadn’t expected much—but with their hunger, noodles alone felt lacking.

“But I’ll give you big, tasty portions.”

The quick-witted waitress assured them of the noodles’ flavor with a playful grin. Though doubtful, the two, too weary to walk further, ordered two bowls with reluctant faces.

“Tonight, let’s feast properly at the Haegeum Inn.”

The bearded man scowled in displeasure, but the man in the headscarf chuckled heartily and tried to cheer him up.

“Still, it’s a relief after all the worrying.”

As they waited for the noodles, the two resumed their chatter. Traders who moved with every large market, they had been stuck in Unpyeong due to rumors of some impending disaster.

“They said the Taiyi Divine Sect would raid the Unpyeong Escort Bureau—so we merchants were the only ones who suffered.”

“Looks like it was nothing but a false rumor.”

The bearded man stroked his sparse whiskers with the back of his hand and grumbled.

“With the Five Great Mountain Swords guarding the Unpyeong Escort Bureau day and night, even those thugs wouldn’t dare attack. Their reputation’s bigger than their bite.”

The headscarfed man pressed his finger to his friend’s lips, frowning deeply.

“Don’t say things like that. What if someone hears you?”

“Hah! Don’t underestimate me—I even took the Escort Bureau’s guard test once. I can handle a few bandits!”

The bearded man deliberately raised his voice and laughed loudly, while the headscarfed man nervously scanned the inn. Luckily, aside from a plump old man in the corner slurping his second bowl of noodles, the place was empty.

“Don’t be ignorant. Why else would the Five Great Mountain Swords involve themselves with the Unpyeong Escort Bureau? Haven’t you heard the Eminent Mountain Sect was annihilated in a single night last winter? If someone connected to the Taiyi Divine Sect heard your words, today would be our funeral!”

“Hmph! Eminent Mountain Sect hardly counted as one of the Five Great Mountain Swords anyway. Aside from Full Moon Shin Yang-seon, they had no famous heroes. The Taiyi Divine Sect went after them simply because they were the weakest.”

The headscarfed man shook his head. His friend was always boastful, but being this oblivious to the world would surely get him in trouble one day.

“Shh! This is a secret, but…”

“Noodles are ready!”

When the waitress appeared with a tray, the headscarfed man swallowed his words and forced a smile. The girl, oblivious, chattered on about how excellent the noodles were.

“The noodles will get soggy if we wait—eat first, talk later.”

The bearded man, unable to resist the savory aroma, lifted his bowl before the girl even left and slurped down a huge mouthful.

“Huh?”

“Wow!”

The flavor made both men cry out in awe.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

The girl placed her hands on her hips proudly. The two men didn’t even waste time answering, chewing frantically instead.

“Hey, bring us another bowl each.”

As the waitress skipped away lightly, the bearded man clicked his tongue.

“A shame that a place with noodles this good has so few customers.”

“Probably because that waitress is so ugly. And besides, over there…”

The headscarfed man pointed with his chin toward the kitchen. The cook—likely her brother—was chatting with her, his face just as homely, even from afar.

“Whether siblings or a couple, with faces like that, no wonder business is bad. Anyway—what’s the secret?”

The bearded man licked his empty bowl in regret and urged his friend on. The headscarfed man tore his eyes from the kitchen and whispered seriously.

“The reason the Taiyi Divine Sect destroyed the Eminent Mountain Sect—it’s rumored to be because of the Sword God’s peerless martial manual.”

“Gasp! That… Saṃdhi? Saṃdhinirmo, or whatever it’s called?”

The bearded man jumped, glancing around in alarm. These days, there wasn’t a soul in the martial world who hadn’t heard of that scripture. It was so famous that people joked even babies babbled its name first.

“Isn’t every sect, big and small, in an uproar searching for that manual?”

The headscarfed man nodded vigorously, leaning closer.

“Some say the Sword God’s disciple still lives—but the strongest rumor is that Eminent Mountain’s former sect leader stole it and hid it within his own school.”

The bearded man’s heart pounded with excitement. A manual said to grant the power to defeat even Emptiness Dhuta Sect’s Jo Yang with a single strike. The desire to glimpse even a single page was irresistible—but doubt suddenly struck him.

“But if they had that manual, would Eminent Mountain Sect be in ruins now? Sounds like nothing but rumors.”

The bearded man waved his hand dismissively, but the headscarfed man lowered his voice further.

“The former sect leader’s nephew barely keeps the sect alive with the Martial Alliance Leader’s help. What can a few decrepit elders and children possibly learn? They call themselves one of the Five Great Mountain Swords, but that branch is finished.”

Truly, fortune was fickle like the tale of the old man and his horse—once a great sect representing the Five Great Mountain Swords, Eminent Mountain Sect now kept its plaque hanging only through a sect leader barely past fifteen. Both men felt a dull ache in their chests.

“Here you go! Fresh noodles are ready.”

The girl bounded cheerfully toward the table, carrying the tray with such skill that not a single drop of broth spilled despite her playful steps.

“Hey, you there!”

This time, the old man slurping noodles in the corner called out to her. Oddly, the usually kind girl’s face wrinkled in clear displeasure.

“Why do you look so displeased?”

The headscarfed man, puzzled, asked curiously. Dragging her feet as if reluctant to go, she suddenly plopped down on the bench as if taking the opportunity.

“That old man comes every morning and devours five bowls of noodles—but he always pays only half! He’s nothing short of a beggar.”

“Then why not just throw him out?”

The bearded man tilted his head in confusion, but the girl only sighed deeply.

“My brother’s too kind. He keeps begging me not to chase him away.”

When the old man called out impatiently again, she could no longer pretend not to hear and trudged over.

“What an amusing girl.”

“Since the noodles are good, give us double portions.”

The old man folded his arms, his face sour because she came so slowly. He even felt as if her growing rudeness was mocking him.

“Hey! I don’t think I can pay you fairly today.”

“What did you just say?”

The girl’s brows shot up in fury. She was sure he thought her a pushover for always serving him without complaint.

“And why not?”

“There’s less chicken than usual! And the portion’s smaller too!”

She wanted to flip the table right then, but fearing her brother’s scolding, she forced herself to answer calmly.

“Fine. I won’t charge you today, but don’t ever come back.”

The old man propped up his plump cheeks with both hands and glared at her.

“Hmph! Call your brother out!”

“What?”

The girl’s face was full of alarm. If her brother found out, he’d scold her harshly again. The old man clearly knew this and teased her the same way every time.

“Sir, please, have another bowl on the house—don’t be upset.”

Pushing aside his glaring sister with his hip, the young man from the kitchen rushed out. Seeing him, the old man suddenly beamed, as if nothing had happened.

“I never tire of these noodles. They’re truly superb. Since it’s you, I’ll overlook things today.”

The old man smacked his lips and lifted his chopsticks again. The girl muttered under her breath, clearly displeased, but with her brother there, she only pouted in silence.

“Hey, you there!”

At some point, a group of young men wearing white headbands had entered, and they called out to the waitress.

“Yes, coming.”

The girl stuck her tongue out at the old man, then scampered off quickly to attend to the new customers.

“If only you could keep your sister in check, this could be the finest inn in Gyeong Nation. Truly.”

The old man whispered, and the young cook scratched his head with a sheepish smile. Though the old man practically ate for free every day, the cook didn’t dislike him. He ate with relish and was always kind to him, almost like family. The only pity was how poorly he got along with the girl.

“Bring us whatever food you have to fill our stomachs, enough for all of us.”

All six young men had neat appearances and courteous manners, clearly disciples of a reputable sect. The girl beamed brightly and hurried into the kitchen. Business seemed unusually good today, and she decided not to let the trouble with the old man spoil her mood.

“Why would the Alliance Leader call for us? How could we possibly be of help?”

“But since we owe him a debt of gratitude, shouldn’t we at least do what little we can?”

One of the disciples, looking older, asked this. The handsome young man in the center answered firmly, his expression solemn. Despite being younger, the others addressed him respectfully, showing he held a higher seniority in rank.

“It is troubling that matters of our sect are being gossiped about among common folk.”

When another complained, the young man’s face darkened. In the end, he barely touched the delicious noodles, weighed down by his worries.

The girl, standing by her brother as he boiled broth, kept stealing glances at the group. The face of the young man in the middle seemed strangely familiar, which piqued her curiosity. Meanwhile, the two traveling merchants left, and the old man whined for yet another bowl of noodles. But her eyes remained fixed on the disciples.

“My, meeting like this again—truly, it must be fate.”

After about half an hour, two warriors strode into the inn, their hair tied tightly up. The emblem on their swords marked them as disciples of Dragon-Summoning Hall, a well-known group in the Unpyeong region.

“Those bastards again!”

The white-headband disciples’ faces tensed immediately. Ever since entering Unpyeong, these two had been provoking them at every step without reason. They thought they’d shaken them off by walking faster, but never expected them to follow all the way here.

“To think the once-great disciples of Eminent Mountain Sect now sit slurping noodles in a shabby inn—brings tears to my eyes.”

“They say in Shin Yang-seon’s time, even tigers trembled before Eminent Mountain Sect. How pitiful to see them now.”

They tossed the lines back and forth as if in casual conversation, but the malice was obvious. The Eminent Mountain disciples bristled, itching to draw their swords, but their skills lagged far behind, leaving them no choice but to endure the insult.

“By now, anyone else would’ve started a brawl. But it seems the well-educated are different—look how they endure.”

“What else can you expect when their leader is a boy barely grown? He simply doesn’t have the skill.”

At last, one disciple could bear it no longer and jumped to his feet.

“Sect Leader, I cannot stand this any longer.”

“Yeong-jun!”

Before anyone could stop him, he rushed out, jabbing his finger at the Dragon-Summoning Hall disciples, ready to fight if it came to that.

“How dare the likes of Dragon-Summoning Hall insult our Eminent Mountain Sect—I will not forgive this!”

But the Dragon-Summoning Hall disciples only laughed with their hands still clasped behind their backs.

“Boy, stop. Does a greenhorn like you think he can flaunt himself as a disciple of a great sect? You’re not even worth fighting—go drink more milk.”

“Looking at you fools, Shin Yang-seon would rise from his grave in fury!”

Yeong-jun’s anger boiled over, his face turning red as a beet.

“You bastards!”

Clang!

But it wasn’t Yeong-jun who drew his sword.

“Sect Leader!”

“I’ll make sure you never wag those tongues again.”

The one who stepped in front of Yeong-jun was none other than Go In-gyeong, the teenage disciple of Eminent Mountain Sect—and its new leader.