Chapter 60: Mad Flower
...There's no need to overthink this.
I repeated it to myself once more.
It was just a coincidence.
By pure chance, on the road to Luoyang, we happened to stop at the same inn from back then.
Besides...
just because I stayed at this inn didn't mean the Shadow Corps would kidnap me again.
And yet...
my feet still wouldn't move easily.
Memories of the past kept holding me back.
Get a grip, Han Mujin.
This isn't the same as back then.
And this time, you're not alone.
The uneasiness didn't disappear completely, but I forced myself to take a long breath.
Then I steadied my mind.
“What are you doing standing there by yourself?”
Jin Gwangung looked back at me.
“Come on. Let's go inside.”
I nodded.
Forcing the ominous memories out of my head, I stepped toward the inn.
The moment we opened the door, hot air and the smell of people hit us all at once.
The main hall on the first floor was already packed.
The clinking of cups and the boisterous voices of customers echoed without pause.
This was the only inn on the road leading toward Luoyang in this area.
Naturally, merchants, wandering martial artists, escorts, and disciples of various sects traveling toward Luoyang would all stop here.
There was always plenty of traffic.
And now, with the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament being held for the first time in ten years...
the place was even more crowded than usual.
“I don't think there's a table big enough for all six of us.”
Myeongjeon looked around the first-floor hall with a troubled expression.
Jin Gwangung smirked.
“Not six.”
Myeongjeon tilted his head.
“Pardon?”
Then Yu Gwangcheol stepped forward.
“Waiter.”
A nearby waiter immediately hurried over, rubbing his hands together.
“Yes, honored guest!”
“We're staying here tonight.”
Yu Gwangcheol glanced toward the stairs.
“Do you still have rooms available?”
“Yes, fortunately, we still have some.”
The waiter bowed.
“The rooms upstairs are quiet and comfortable. You'll be able to rest well there.”
Yu Gwangcheol nodded.
Then he looked back at us.
“I'll go upstairs and rest first.”
Given his dislike of noisy places...
it made perfect sense that he wouldn't want to stay in a crowded hall like this.
“Don't cause trouble.”
He added,
“Eat properly, then come upstairs and rest.”
With that, Yu Gwangcheol followed the waiter toward the stairs.
Jin Gwangung chuckled.
“See?”
He looked at Myeongjeon.
“I told you. Not six.”
I turned toward him.
“Master, are you going upstairs too?”
Jin Gwangung looked at us like the answer should've been obvious.
“What fun would this old man have sitting among a bunch of brats who still smell of mother's milk?”
"..."
Then he called another waiter.
“One warm room.”
He raised a finger.
“And bring me a table of alcohol too.”
His grin widened.
“The strongest stuff you've got.”
“Yes, sir! Right away.”
The waiter bowed deeply.
Before heading upstairs...
Jin Gwangung looked over the four of us once.
There was a strangely mischievous look in his eyes.
“Tonight...”
he said,
“try getting a proper taste of the martial world.”
Myeongjeon blinked.
“What do you mean?”
Jin Gwangung's lips curled upward.
“Places like this are where interesting things tend to happen after a few drinks.”
Myeongjeon looked even more puzzled.
“Interesting things?”
Jin Gwangung's gaze swept across the hall.
Naturally...
we followed it.
Faces flushed from alcohol.
Laughter.
Cursing.
Small arguments breaking out here and there.
“Look around.”
Jin Gwangung seemed almost entertained.
“Too many people.”
“Too much alcohol.”
“Too little room.”
He chuckled.
“Under those conditions, even one careless word can start a fight.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Some people can't stand seeing someone else act tough.”
“Then someone reaches for a sword.”
“Kekeke.”
Myeongjeon swallowed without realizing it.
Jin Gwangung seemed to enjoy his reaction.
“That's what the martial world is.”
His voice became a little quieter.
“Overflowing with life...”
“while never knowing when fresh blood might suddenly spray.”
"..."
For some reason...
the atmosphere became serious.
Then Jin Gwangung added,
“And that's not all.”
His eyes swept the hall again.
“Unexpected connections are also made in places like this.”
Yu Seola tilted her head.
“Connections?”
Jin Gwangung nodded.
“Someone you happen to share a drink with might later become a companion who walks the same road as you.”
Then he grinned.
“Or the same meeting might create an enemy you'll cross blades with later.”
His gaze passed over the four of us.
“So tonight...”
“enjoy the taste of the martial world properly.”
With that, he waved one hand.
“I've explained enough.”
“I'm going upstairs to drink.”
“You lot do whatever you want.”
Then he added with a laugh,
“Just try not to die.”
“Kekeke.”
He leisurely headed toward the stairs.
The waiter followed behind with a bowed back.
Once Jin Gwangung disappeared completely...
Myeongjeon clicked his tongue.
“Honestly...”
He shook his head.
“‘Try not to die’?”
“We're just eating dinner at an inn.”
“He's really trying to scare us over nothing.”
Normally, I would've dismissed it as nothing more than the rambling of an eccentric old man too.
But today...
I couldn't.
Because of this particular inn.
“Come on.”
Yu Seola spoke brightly, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
“Enough gloomy thoughts.”
“Let's eat.”
She rubbed her stomach.
“I'm so hungry I could collapse.”
Yeah.
Enough useless thoughts.
There was no reason to let memories of the past hold me back.
I forcibly pushed away the lingering discomfort and nodded.
“Right.”
“Let's eat first.”
The moment I finished speaking...
Myeongjeon immediately raised his hand.
“Waiter! We need a table over—!”
The waiter who had escorted Yu Gwangcheol upstairs had already returned and approached us.
“Yes, honored guests.”
He smiled.
“A large table just became available.”
“This way, please.”
He guided us toward the center of the hall.
There...
stood a wide table large enough for eight people.
“Here you are.”
We sat down and ordered immediately.
“Four bowls of noodles.”
“Four plates of dumplings.”
Then I added,
“And two plates of sliced braised meat.”
“Yes, right away.”
As I watched the waiter leave...
my gaze unconsciously shifted toward another nearby table.
Four people were sitting there.
Like us...
they were young martial artists.
All of them looked barely over twenty, or perhaps younger.
Their robes contained expensive silk and were spotless despite the journey.
Even the scabbards hanging at their waists looked costly.
At a glance...
they clearly came from families with considerable status.
Among them...
one person stood out especially.
...Wow.
My gaze stopped without me meaning to.
A young nobleman in green robes, his hair tied up neatly.
He looked around my age...
yet his face was almost too beautiful for a man.
His skin was strikingly pale.
His eyes were long and slightly cold.
Strangely...
that chill only made him more eye-catching.
...Why does he look prettier than most women?
Perhaps noticing that I had been staring...
the young man lifted his head slightly.
Our eyes met for a moment.
Then...
with an indifferent expression, he turned back toward his companions.
I also naturally shifted my attention back to my own group.
A short while later...
the waiter filled our table with food.
It was already far past dinnertime.
We were starving.
So we practically inhaled everything.
The dishes disappeared from the table at an astonishing speed.
“Haa...”
Myeongjeon leaned back and rubbed his swollen stomach with both hands.
“I feel alive again.”
Hyeongwon and Yu Seola also looked satisfied.
Watching them...
I couldn't help smiling inwardly.
The discomfort that had been consuming my thoughts earlier seemed to have faded somewhat.
See?
Nothing happened.
Just as I finally began to relax...
