Chapter 155: Chivalrous Man Seomun Ak
Murim Alliance White Sword Hall Leader Do Won-hyeok.
He personally led his subordinates to Shui Stronghold, intending to investigate the suspicious conduct of Hwang Eung Squad Captain Won Seo-pung.
Ordinarily, it was rare for someone of Hall Leader rank to be dispatched for such matters, but because Jin Seong-un was involved, the Chief Strategist had directly ordered him.
Right after inspecting Inspection Stronghold, the origin of the incident, White Sword Hall discovered something unusual and headed for Mount Heng Sect.
That was when problems began.
“Mount Heng Sect has declared a closed-door policy?”
White Sword Hall Leader furrowed his brows at his subordinate’s report.
A sect only declared a closed-door policy when it had suffered an irreparable blow or had committed some great crime.
For a sect to do so meant severing all external relations. For a sect like Mount Heng, already struggling financially, the impact would be even greater.
“This won’t be easy.”
As a Hall Leader of the Murim Alliance, he could not help but worry now that an orthodox sect like Mount Heng had entered a new crisis.
Not long after, the reason for the closure was revealed. Before any investigation could even be conducted, Mount Heng Sect had announced it publicly.
Mount Heng Sect shamefully lost sight of the righteous way of the orthodox path in order to preserve its survival…
Thanks to the rebuke of the chivalrous men Jin Seong-un, Seomun Ak, and Seo Yu-gyeom…
The declaration contained surprisingly specific details.
In summary, Mount Heng Sect admitted its wrongdoing and pledged to reflect upon itself after receiving a sharp admonishment from the younger generation of the orthodox path.
White Sword Hall Leader spoke in confusion.
“Seomun Clan was about to go to war with Mount Heng Sect? Was Seomun Jeok, the Clan Head, originally that kind of man? And Seomun Ak, a chivalrous man?”
He, too, knew Seomun Ak well. After all, within the Murim Alliance, there were few who did not know of his disgraceful past.
Amidst the confusion, subordinates who had been dispatched to different regions returned all at once with their reports.
Information that Mount Heng Sect had been connected to a local Hunan association called Namgye Association.
That the key figures of Namgye Association were the Hunan Inspector Wi Gyeong-heon and Namok Trading Company Master Nam Il-ju.
And during this time, the Namok Trading Company Master had died…
“What? The Tang Clan and Hwa-un Trading Company have expanded their influence into Hunan Province?”
And the Inspector had become their ally?
The Escort Agency Master of Red Cliff Escort Agency had come back to life?
In the flood of information that poured in for days like a surging tide, White Sword Hall Leader felt a deep dizziness for the first time in a long while.
At last, he reached a conclusion.
“Guest Dragon, I must meet Guest Dragon first.”
Then the last subordinate arrived, bringing precisely the information he most needed.
“Guest Dragon is in Changsha right now.”
“Let’s go at once.”
Thus, on the road from Red Cliff in Hubei Province, through Dongting Lake, toward Changsha, White Sword Hall Leader encountered a welcome face.
“Clan Head Seomun Jeok, what brings you here?”
“I had to see for myself what in the world that rascal of a son has been doing.”
Though his tone was gruff, the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, betraying his mood.
White Sword Hall Leader immediately sensed that Clan Head Seomun Jeok was in very high spirits.
‘Well, of course.’
How could he not be?
His son, once branded as a notorious scoundrel, was now being called a chivalrous man by the orthodox factions. As a father, what could make him happier?
And since Mount Heng Sect’s public declaration had spread across the land, the image of “Chivalrous Man Seomun Ak” was beginning to take root in people’s minds.
“I sent that rascal to Yichang so he’d straighten himself out, but instead he ran off to Hunan. Just what has he been doing? When I see him, I’ll thrash him properly. But that’s how he’s always been. Even as a child, he couldn’t tolerate injustice and blurted out blunt truths without regard for propriety, embarrassing his elders.”
“...Is that so?”
“How dare a brat like him speak so impertinently to the senior elders of the orthodox path? Really now. To call him a chivalrous man is nonsense. Hahaha.”
“...”
And so, all the way to Changsha, White Sword Hall Leader had no choice but to listen to Seomun Jeok’s boasting, disguised as scolding.
A massive inn in Changsha, Hunan Province.
Around a single table sat people who seemed mismatched yet had gathered together.
As he looked over those assembled, Inspector Wi Gyeong-heon could not stop smiling.
‘The Seomun Clan Head and the Murim Alliance White Sword Hall Leader too?’
Already, the presence of the Hwa-un Trading Company Master and the Grand Elder of the Sichuan Tang Clan made for an impressive gathering. Now even more formidable figures had joined.
Inspector Wi had given up much by abandoning Namgye Association. But with such people gathered here now, the loss was more than compensated.
At that moment, Seomun Jeok addressed Seomun Ak again in a stern tone.
“How dare you insolently meddle in the affairs of your elders? You even spoke recklessly of war as if you were the representative of Seomun Clan! What would you have done if it truly escalated into war? Of course, had it come to that, the Seomun Clan would have stepped forward, but still…”
“Y-yes, I am sorry. I truly am…”
Seomun Jeok’s scolding reduced Seomun Ak to half-dazed eyes as he apologized. Everyone, including Jin Seong-un, wore weary expressions.
For nearly a full two hours, Seomun Jeok’s rebukes—thinly veiled praise and pride—had not ceased.
Inspector Wi spoke up.
“Clan Head Seomun, please do not chastise him too harshly. Your second son’s chivalrous spirit played a crucial role in this matter. Looking at the results, the title of chivalrous man is not undeserved.”
“Ahem, since Inspector Wi puts it that way, I will say no more…”
Though Seomun Jeok shook his head as if relenting, his twitching lips gave him away.
It was plain to see that he was overjoyed.
Everyone was deeply impressed.
‘So this is how one becomes a high official.’
At some point, Seomun Jeok’s gaze toward Inspector Wi had begun to brim with boundless goodwill.
Naturally so—before everyone, he had continued to elevate his son while pretending not to.
Soon, Seomun Jeok’s eyes turned to Jin Seong-un.
The way he looked at him was warmer than spring sunlight.
After all, Jin Seong-un had done what the entire Seomun Clan had failed to accomplish for years: he had turned his wayward son into a man.
“So then, what do you plan to do next?”
Seomun Jeok asked while pouring Jin Seong-un’s cup.
The question carried a deeper meaning: Whatever path you take, I entrust my second son to you. If you ever need help, the clan will support you fully.
Jin Seong-un accepted the cup with both hands and replied calmly.
“I will soon return to the inn.”
“Is that so?”
Seomun Jeok’s expression turned satisfied.
This was why Guest Dragon—no, Jin Seong-un—was admirable.
At his age, with martial power, connections, and fame all in hand, most would inevitably become arrogant. But Jin Seong-un never did.
At that moment, Inspector Wi asked with curiosity.
“Then why does someone like you run an inn?”
It was a question everyone had wondered silently.
As Seomun Jeok thought as well, Jin Seong-un had already achieved so much. If he wished, he could establish a great trading company or hold high office in the Alliance.
“Hmm.”
Jin Seong-un fell into thought for a moment.
While waiting for his answer, everyone indulged in their own imaginations.
What if the reason Jin Seong-un ran the inn turned out to be nothing remarkable?
And what if he was even a little prepared to live another life?
Bang Man-bok imagined the world’s best Red Cliff Escort Agency, led jointly by the Escort King Jin Seong-un and his two sons.
Inspector Wi Gyeong-heon envisioned himself heading toward the Central Plains with enormous figures by his side.
White Sword Hall Leader pictured a changing Murim Alliance, Hwa Yeon-seol thought of a showdown with Myriad Gold Manor, and Tang Tae-san imagined the Tang Clan producing the number one under Heaven.
Thus, everyone sat with hazy expressions, drunk on both liquor and dreams.
The answer, however, unexpectedly came from Seomun Ak.
“Because it’s home.”
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom nodded at the same time.
Seong-un Inn was no different from a home for the three of them now.
Seomun Ak continued.
“The inn is our home, and these guys are my family.”
By “these guys,” of course, he meant Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom. For some reason, his face flushed slightly as he said it.
“…Ugh.”
Seo Yu-gyeom shuddered, as if the words were too cringeworthy, and stared at Seomun Ak.
The look on his face said: “Is this guy drunk?”
But Seomun Ak was clearer in mind than ever.
If there was the most comfortable place in the world, wasn’t it home?
For him, Seong-un Inn was exactly that.
Once, he had always been scorned by others.
Now, as a martial artist of the orthodox path, he received gratitude from others, and he could openly speak bitter truths to the seniors of the orthodox factions.
Seomun Ak spoke in an unusually serious tone.
“Jin Seong-un, if you ever decide to do something else, that can’t be helped. Your life is yours to decide. But if that ever happens, leave the inn to me.”
“What nonsense? Obviously, it should be left to me, the chef. Why should you take it?”
When Seo Yu-gyeom flared up, Seomun Ak sneered slightly. Thanks to his father’s earlier “scolding-praise,” he was already full of confidence.
“The chef only cooks, but the inn waiter knows how to handle everything else.”
“Waiters can be hired anytime. But a skilled chef can’t be found even with money.”
The two immediately locked eyes in a staring contest.
In a gathering of top administrators, merchants, and martial artists of the age, the debate had devolved into who was more important: chef or inn waiter.
Suddenly, Jin Seong-un spoke.
“That will never happen. To me, the inn is no different from the world itself.”
Silence fell at once.
Everyone cleared their throats and turned their heads.
The atmosphere had become unbearably awkward.
Yet Jin Seong-un looked completely unfazed.
For it was simply the truth.
When he was a boy with nowhere to go, the inn had given him food and family, a place to sleep, security, warmth, and a life.
Jin Seong-un loved the inn.
That alone was enough.
In the long silence, Hwa Yeon-seol lightened the mood with a jest.
“Whoever dares touch Seong-un Inn will surely suffer for it.”
At that, the air loosened, and jokes began to flow.
That it was the most dangerous inn in the world. That its strength surpassed most sects.
Thus, the night deepened in Hunan.
The next morning.
As he had said, Jin Seong-un departed immediately for Yichang.
Though Inspector Wi and others with unfinished business in Hunan felt regret, no one could stay away from their work in Changsha forever.
The three’s expressions upon entering Yichang were as relaxed as if they had returned home after a long journey, just as their conversation the previous night suggested.
“Now we can sell Cheongtang Bamboo Stew again.”
Seo Yu-gyeom looked especially eager. Bang Man-bok boasted that he would prioritize restocking Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms above all else.
This time, he thought, he would invite the brothers Bang Cheon-gang and Bang Cheon-woo to share the dish, and once again call upon Lingbo Immortal Maiden to express gratitude.
“I just hope we can finally focus only on cooking for a while, without any trouble.”
“For once, you speak sense. Let’s actually enjoy some peace! How cursed is this inn, that more incidents happen here than when I was in the Murim Alliance?”
Within less than a year of joining Seong-un Inn, a former assassin and a former scoundrel were already crying out for peace and stability.
And when the three arrived at Seong-un Inn—
They saw workers carrying construction materials busily across the street.
“What is Elder Shin Mok up to now?”
Watching carefully, they realized the workers weren’t at Seong-un Inn, but demolishing the buildings across from it.
The mill, the painting studio, and the pottery shop opposite the inn were being torn down.
Seo Yu-gyeom tilted his head.
“Building something new? That looks like a pretty big project.”
Jin Seong-un also watched closely.
A pang of regret welled up.
He had liked the savory aroma wafting from the mill, the unique atmosphere of the painters at the studio, and the pottery shop where he would rush whenever cups or bowls broke.
But such was life.
Ever since Seong-un Inn had opened, Yichang’s commercial district had grown rapidly.
And when commerce grew, new shops inevitably sprouted up in droves.
So he thought, just as they were about to enter the inn—
Suddenly, he overheard the workers’ conversation as they carried materials.
“What does Myriad Gold Manor need with an inn? And in a little town like this, no less.”
“How should I know? Orders from above are orders.”
Jin Seong-un turned his head toward the workers.
When their eyes met his cold gaze, they flinched hard and hurried their steps.
Beside him, Seo Yu-gyeom, who had also overheard, muttered quietly.
“So much for peace. We’re screwed.”
It was war.