Chapter 109: The Inn Waiter’s Madness
Jang Gwang’s pupils trembled slightly.
‘With bare hands…?’
How could one possibly catch a blade, swung with the intent to kill, with nothing but bare hands?
Looking closer, he saw that the man’s palm was covered with a thin veil of white energy, glowing with a mysterious radiance.
Jang Gwang knew what that was.
Protective Qi.
He already sensed that this was no ordinary innkeeper, but this young man’s level was unfathomably higher than his own.
It wasn’t only Jang Gwang who instinctively felt something was wrong.
The bandits exchanged uneasy glances.
The atmosphere inside the inn had shifted with the young man’s arrival. The air of victory, death, and excitement that lingered only moments ago had vanished completely.
All that remained was silence.
Jin Seong-un, who now drew every gaze in the room, looked around calmly and spoke in a low voice.
“These people are our inn’s guests.”
The bandits wore bewildered expressions.
They couldn’t immediately understand what nonsense this man was spouting.
Of course, Jin Seong-un had no intention of explaining himself to them. He didn’t know what business they had with one another… but there was a child present.
At the very least, stabbing people to death in front of a small child was wrong.
With a light squeeze, Jin Seong-un snapped the blade as if it were made of ice.
He swung the broken half back.
Puuuk–!
The jagged fragment pierced the shoulder of the man who had thrust the saber.
Watching him stumble backward, Jin Seong-un spoke.
“I would prefer if you left.”
The child’s condition was clearly not good. The best outcome would be for these men to simply give up and walk away.
But the bandits had no such intention. They knew all too well how their half-mad chief escort captain would react if they returned empty-handed.
Then, the man who had led them here shouted, his voice trembling slightly.
“K-kill him!”
The bandits rushed in all at once.
Jang Gwang gasped in alarm and gripped his axe tightly. No matter how skilled the innkeeper might be, fending off the combined assault of more than ten men was no easy feat.
No matter how great the master, if a blade struck his flesh, he would be injured or killed. With more than a dozen blind blades flying about, there was no telling what might happen.
And yet, the innkeeper still stood calmly in place. He didn’t even seem to prepare for their joint attack.
Jang Gwang shouted urgently.
“Danger…!”
At that very moment—
The axe slipped out of his grip. Before he even realized, it was already in the innkeeper’s hand.
Jang Gwang was left dumbfounded.
The massive blade of the axe, broader than the torso of most grown men, carved a long, horizontal arc.
That arc cut through the charging bandits with ease.
The result was horrific.
Chwaaak–!
The seven men who had rushed in front were bisected cleanly and collapsed to the floor.
Jin Seong-un thought that an axe was a terribly inefficient weapon, then cast a sidelong glance at the child.
Fortunately, the child’s eyes were closed.
“…”
In just one strike, half of the enemy’s force was gone.
The remaining bandits froze in place.
Jin Seong-un turned to Jang Gwang.
“Go to the Merchants’ Association. At the entrance of the alley where you were heading to gamble, you’ll find the largest building. Tell Chairman Oh my words, and he will immediately send for a physician.”
Jang Gwang hesitated for a moment.
Jin Seong-un repeated firmly.
“Go.”
His tone was resolute. Upon hearing it, Jang Gwang felt an odd calm wash away his anxiety.
Yes, it had always been this way. Throughout his time in the inn, he had felt an unusual peace of mind, and it was because of this innkeeper.
Whenever he was with this calm man, his unease always seemed to vanish.
“…I’ll return.”
With those words, Jang Gwang took off running.
It sounded like he intended to entrust the child to a physician and then quickly return to join the fight.
But of course, that would not happen.
Meanwhile, Jin Seong-un charged at the stunned bandits.
‘How cumbersome.’
The axe’s blade was absurdly large, making it unwieldy to swing.
Thinking so, he brought it down vertically.
One bandit instinctively raised his saber to block.
At the same time, his comrade beside him shouted.
“You fool…!”
How could anyone hope to stop an axe swung by a master of this caliber?
As feared, the axe cleaved through the saber and split the man’s body down the middle.
Six remained.
They quickly spread out, having witnessed seven of their companions die instantly.
“R-run…”
One bandit muttered.
Another had already turned to flee.
It was pointless.
Jin Seong-un hurled the axe after him. The weapon, larger than a man’s body, shot forward like a light arrow.
Bwoooom–!
The sound tore through the air as though it shook the atmosphere itself.
The fleeing man’s face turned pale. The sound behind him alone made him certain of death.
Thud–!
The axe pierced clean through his back.
Now five remained.
By refusing Jin Seong-un’s offer to simply leave, they had sealed their fates. Escape was no longer possible.
Two choices remained.
Bet everything on the faintest sliver of hope and attack, or stand still and be slaughtered.
Naturally, they chose the former. After all, the man’s hands were now empty.
“Uaaaah!”
One shouted, voice almost a scream, swinging his weapon. The others also hurled themselves forward with desperate strength.
From different directions, five blades came slashing in toward him.
And in that moment, from their center—
A flash of dark crimson energy burst forth.
* * *
Jang Gwang went straight to the Yichang Branch of the Jingzhou Merchants’ Association. The Jingzhou Merchants’ Association was a name he also knew.
‘Wasn’t he said to be an outside disciple of the Wudang Sect?’
Among the ravings of the chief escort captain in his madness, there had even been talk of killing Oh Jeong-san, the chairman of the Merchants’ Association.
Of course, it was nonsense. How could one dare to kill an outside disciple of the Wudang Sect, especially one of considerable renown?
Still, he was worried. Would such a person spare the time to see him? Would he call a physician for the child?
The only thing he could trust was the innkeeper’s confident words telling him to speak his name.
Pushing his worries aside for now, Jang Gwang knocked on the firmly closed gates of the Merchants’ Association.
Bang, bang, bang–!
At the loud noise, several sounds of movement came from within before the gate opened.
“What on earth at this hour—”
Jang Gwang hurriedly interrupted.
“Please, call a physician! The child’s body burns like fire! Ah, and also…”
He was just about to mention the Seong-un Inn.
But before he could finish, the man didn’t even wait to hear him out and urgently shouted inside.
“Wake the physician!”
The man, Oh Jeong-san, had seen the child’s condition and immediately called for a physician.
He didn’t care that Jang Gwang was covered in blood, nor that his desperation radiated with a fierce and menacing aura.
That was simply the kind of man Oh Jeong-san was.
.
.
.
The physician, after checking the child’s pulse, was startled and quickly began pulling out numerous needles, placing them all over the child’s body.
At the same time, he ordered the maidservants to brew medicine with various herbs.
Oh Jeong-san and Jang Gwang stood side by side, tense expressions fixed on the physician’s work.
After a long while of acupuncture, the physician finally checked the child’s pulse once more and let out a breath.
“Chairman, the immediate danger has passed, however…”
His words trailed off.
Oh Jeong-san asked.
“Is it serious?”
“For now, there should be no problem. But the child’s constitution is peculiar, and he will likely suffer episodes like this throughout his life. To resolve it fundamentally, it would be best to summon physicians of the Murim Alliance skilled in qi cultivation rather than me.”
“What kind of constitution is it?”
The physician turned to Jang Gwang, who seemed to be the child’s guardian, silently seeking permission.
Jang Gwang nodded.
The physician explained.
“It is the Yin-Yang Body. As you know, the Yin-Yang Body is an extremely rare constitution, blessed with exceptionally stable energy from birth.”
“Then isn’t that a good thing?”
“The problem arises when that balance is disrupted, as it is now. Unlike ordinary bodies that naturally tolerate imbalance, this child’s body cannot endure once equilibrium is lost. For he was born and raised entirely in balance.”
In other words, the balance would almost never break.
But if it did, even once, his very life would be in danger.
“What causes the balance to break?”
At Oh Jeong-san’s question, the physician scratched his head, troubled.
“To be honest, I don’t know the details. It’s not an area I’m well-versed in. But if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say it’s from an illness of the heart. In martial terms, it would be akin to qi deviation.”
“Hmph, what kind of child could suffer such a thing?”
Oh Jeong-san said, turning to Jang Gwang with a questioning gaze.
Just as Jang Gwang was about to speak—
Creak, thud.
The door opened and Jin Seong-un entered.
Unlike Jang Gwang, who was drenched in blood, Jin Seong-un was immaculate, even after slaughtering over a dozen men.
“Seong-un, what brings you here at this hour?”
“How is the child?”
Oh Jeong-san’s eyes widened.
“Ah, so he was your messenger. No wonder I found it strange—few ever come to the Merchants’ Association looking for a physician.”
Jin Seong-un nodded and briefly checked on the child. Thanks to the physician’s skill, the child’s energy seemed to have stabilized for the time being.
He let out a sigh of relief.
Then the physician addressed Jang Gwang.
“Tonight, I will stay by the child’s side. You should take some rest.”
To the physician’s eyes, Jang Gwang looked utterly exhausted.
Not just because he was drenched in blood. His gaze, his movements, his very breathing—all of it belonged to a man worn down over a long time.
But Jang Gwang shook his head firmly.
“I’m grateful, but I’ll be fine.”
“You are not fine. A patient needs peace of mind, does he not?”
“I am not the patient.”
“I speak of the child. How can the child’s heart be at peace when his guardian looks like that? This is not kindness, but my prescription as a physician.”
Only then did Jang Gwang glance down at his state.
If the child woke and saw him like this, he would be terrified.
Jang Gwang sighed.
“I’ll wash up and return at once.”
“Let’s go back to the inn.”
Jin Seong-un guided him toward the inn.
As long as his room fee was still valid, Jang Gwang was still a guest of the Seong-un Inn.
The two walked side by side toward the Seong-un Inn.
The streets of Yichang where the battle had raged were now clean, save for bloodstains.
Jang Gwang asked.
“Did they escape?”
“They’re all dead.”
“…And the bodies?”
“I sent them back where they came from.”
Meaning, into the river.
Jang Gwang clicked his tongue inwardly. To kill more than a dozen bandits and deal with all the bodies in such a short time—he couldn’t even imagine what level of master this innkeeper was.
Jin Seong-un continued.
“You told me nothing. When I asked if they were bandits, you lied.”
“…”
“Even so, I trusted my instincts and killed them. Over a dozen men. Now, prove to me that my instincts were not mistaken.”
He was demanding an explanation.
After some hesitation, Jang Gwang confessed everything. At this point, he had no reason or justification to hide it.
When the explanation was over, Jin Seong-un’s eyes narrowed.
“So the chief escort captain of the Shui Band needs that child.”
“…”
“And if we do nothing, more bandits will come to my inn to cause trouble. Perhaps even the chief escort captain himself.”
A faint crease formed on Jin Seong-un’s brow.
Running an inn in these times, it wasn’t uncommon for it to get wrecked. It was unavoidable.
But he didn’t want to experience that so soon, not when Elder Shin Mok had rebuilt it with great effort.
It was still the Seong-un Inn that filled him with quiet joy every morning just to look at it.
“That’s troublesome.”
Jang Gwang let out a heavy sigh. It felt like he was about to be cast out at any moment.
He understood. Anyone would want to protect their property and avoid needless fights.
But then Jin Seong-un said something utterly unexpected.
“Then I’ll have to go first.”
“?”
Jang Gwang stopped in his tracks, staring at him in disbelief.
Jin Seong-un continued casually.
“Think about it. A martial artist comes and smashes up an inn—that’s too cliché, an old prejudice. Sometimes, an inn waiter should go smash a bandit stronghold first, don’t you think?”
Why must martial artists always destroy inns?
Couldn’t an inn waiter destroy martial artists as well?
Jin Seong-un spoke with dead seriousness, leaving Jang Gwang blinking blankly.
He had fled from the madness of the chief escort captain, only to find himself facing the madness of an inn waiter.