"Hah, the peace of Hefei is all thanks to the warriors of Namgung, how could I not know! I was just…!"
"That's right!"
Whoosh— Thud!
"Ugh…!"
The large man flung the innkeeper aside. Yet, not a single person tried to stop him. It was because they knew the man's identity was a Namgung warrior.
In a street governed by the Namgung, who would dare stop a Namgung warrior from acting tyrannically? There were different ranks among the Namgung warriors, but ordinary people had no way of knowing that. In Hefei, where order was maintained by the name of Namgung, being a person of Namgung was akin to holding absolute power.
Seolhwa popped a warm dumpling into her mouth and, while chewing, looked at Namgung Cheongun. From the moment the man had grabbed the owner by the collar, his expression had already turned cold.
‘Does Father know that the hand stroking my head has stopped in place?’
If he knew, he probably wouldn't have left it there like this. Namgung Cheongun was so enraged that a cold light glinted in his eyes, all because the ones causing this ruckus were Namgung warriors. However, as long as he was hiding his identity, he couldn't step forward recklessly.
The escorts, hidden among the people, also seemed to be quietly raising their inner energy, apparently intending to intervene if a dangerous situation arose.
"You know well!"
The Namgung warrior stood tall before the fallen innkeeper.
"I'm busy to death protecting the peace of this Hefei, and you're going to disrespect me for not being able to pay for some dumplings and noodles just once?"
"B-But it wasn't just once…"
"Hey, I told you I forgot my coin pouch!"
A thunderous voice echoed through the inn. Some of the people who were eating quietly slipped out, while some even began to glance at the innkeeper with displeasure. It seemed they just wanted this commotion to end quickly.
"Keuk…"
How powerless is an ordinary person before a martial artist. The very Namgung warriors who were supposed to be in charge of public order were instead behaving like tyrants, so there was nowhere to ask for help, no way to resolve this situation.
"F-Fine. Then please, make sure to bring it… next time…"
The innkeeper had no choice but to back down. He knew that escalating the commotion any further would do him no good.
"Kwahahaha! Right! I'll be sure to bring it next time! Of course! The food was good!"
The Namgung warrior patted the head of the owner, who was sitting collapsed on the floor, as he walked past. The men who had been sitting with him also snickered as they followed him out of the inn.
"Father…"
The waiter, who had been anxiously wringing his hands from a short distance away, rushed over and helped the innkeeper up.
"It would be better to report them to the authorities…"
"Don't be foolish. They are warriors of Namgung. Do you think the authorities will take our side?"
"But, how many times has this been? The money they owe us is already…"
"Shh. There are many ears listening."
The father and son spoke in hushed tones, worried they might be heard badmouthing the Namgung, and got up from the floor. The innkeeper bowed to the guests in the inn.
"My, my, I apologize for the disturbance. As a token of my apology, I'll give each of you a plate of dumplings, so please enjoy your meal."
A broken table, shattered dishes, and now the dumplings. The losses from this incident alone were considerable.
Ssk— "…?"
Seolhwa, who had been watching the situation with interest, lifted her gaze to Namgung Cheongun, who had stood up at some point. From under his pressed-down bamboo hat, Namgung Cheongun smiled and said, "Seolhwa, you eat for a moment. I'll be right back."
Seolhwa nodded her head. Namgung Cheongun left the inn right then. The moment he turned away from Seolhwa, his expression grew icy cold.
Soon after, two of the escorts followed him out. The remaining three stayed by Seolhwa's side. Seolhwa picked up another dumpling that was still warm.
Steam was rising from it.
‘What kind of punishment will he deliver?’
In the Blood Sect, something like this was an everyday occurrence, not something to be punished for. But isn't this place a righteous sect? There was no way an orthodox sect of the white path, which values righteousness and chivalry, would let ruffians like them be.
Moreover, weren't they tarnishing the Namgung name? It was a matter of the family's reputation, so they were even less likely to let it slide.
‘They’ve got some nerve. To so brazenly use the Namgung name right in Namgung's front yard.’
Seeing as they didn't seem to think they'd get caught, were they on patrol? Patrolling the streets of Hefei was one of the duties of the Outer Hall's martial division. Since no one came running even after they caused such a disturbance, it seemed the warriors who caused the trouble were the ones in charge of this area.
A short while later, one of the escorts who had followed Namgung Cheongun returned and spoke with the innkeeper. The escort handed the innkeeper a heavy pouch, and the innkeeper bowed several times, expressing his gratitude. After that, Namgung Cheongun returned.
"Hoo…"
Watching him plop down in front of her, Seolhwa swallowed the dumpling she was chewing.
"What did you do?"
"Hmm? What do you mean, what did I do?"
"The punishment. Didn't you go to punish the warriors who ate and ran?"
Namgung Cheongun blinked his eyes in surprise. Then he laughed, "Ahaha," and pressed his bamboo hat down a little deeper.
"My, so you sent me off so readily because you knew everything."
"You had to catch them before they got any farther."
"It seems I can't fool your keen eyes."
Seolhwa shrugged her shoulders. Given the circumstances, it was just an obvious cause and effect; it wasn't a matter of keen eyes.
"I found out their names and affiliations. I told them to return to the family and be confined. Their wages for three months will be docked, and I plan to give that money to the innkeeper."
"And?"
"And? That's all."
Seolhwa furrowed her brows. Even for a righteous sect, to let those who tarnished the family name off with just a pay cut?
"You're not cutting off their hands or tongues?"
This time, it was Namgung Cheongun who furrowed his brows.
"Why their hands and tongues?"
"They harmed the innkeeper and sullied the family's prestige, didn't they? They learned martial arts and wielded them with wicked intent, so their hands should be cut off, and they tarnished the family's name with their three-inch tongues, so their tongues should be cut out."
‘If this were the Blood Sect, it wouldn't have ended with just hands and tongues.’
If it was discovered that a follower had tarnished the name of the Blood Sect, the only punishment handed down was death. And not just any death, but one where the Blood Demon would suck out all their vital energy, leaving them to die withered and dry of blood and qi. But that was the law of the Blood Sect.
Since this was a righteous sect, she had tried to put it mildly, but Cheongun's face was painted with shock. For a moment, he couldn't speak, his expression one of confusion, then he shook his head.
"I will not cut off their hands, nor will I cut out their tongues."
"Why not?"
"If their hands are cut off, their lives as martial artists will end, and if their tongues are cut out, they will have to live their entire lives unable to eat properly or even converse with others."
"That's the punishment. They'll live their whole lives regretting what they've done."
"The crime they committed while avoiding the family's eyes is wicked, but it is not so vicious as to warrant such a punishment. They too should be given a chance to right their wrongs."
"Is that so."
She didn't like the cotton-bat punishment, but Seolhwa decided to back down. If that was the law of the Namgung, a righteous sect of the white path, there was no reason she couldn't follow it.
"Eat your food. It's going to get cold."
It's more delicious when it's warm. Looking at the cooled dumplings, Seolhwa soothed her disappointment. Cheongun gazed at such a Seolhwa with a troubled expression.
A short while later, the innkeeper brought a new plate of dumplings. Thanks to that, the two were able to finish their meal with warm dumplings. Leaving the inn, Namgung Cheongun, as promised, took Seolhwa to find a Candied Fruit Skewers shop.
Seeing Seolhwa's eyes sparkle like a child's in front of the Candied Fruit Skewers, Namgung Cheongun tried to buy the entire shop on the spot. However, due to Seolhwa's strong opposition, they reached an agreement to buy all the Candied Fruit Skewers that were already made.
Paper bags filled with Candied Fruit Skewers were placed in both Namgung Cheongun's and Seolhwa's arms. The two of them munched on the Candied Fruit Skewers as they looked around the shops of Hefei. Cute hair ornaments, a jade ring larger than Seolhwa's thumb, flower shoes with shiny gold embroidery.
Every time they saw something pretty, Namgung Cheongun tried to buy the entire shop, and at some point, Seolhwa found it too bothersome to stop him and simply turned and walked away, ignoring him. It was while they were in the middle of their sightseeing.
"Father. I feel the need to relieve myself, may I go to the privy?"
"Oh? Of course! Let's go over there, quickly."
Namgung Cheongun hurriedly led Seolhwa to the nearest inn. He rented an entire room just for her to relieve herself once, and he even stepped outside the room to give her privacy so she could do her business comfortably.
‘Having a lot of money is tiring in its own way.’
Seolhwa, who had expected him to just take her to a quiet, deserted alley, shook her head. In any case, she had managed to create some distance from Namgung Cheongun, so her objective was achieved.
‘One escort at the entrance, two on the first floor. One on the roof?’
The last one was visible among the people in the street outside the inn. Having identified the positions of Namgung Cheongun and the escorts, Seolhwa opened a window in a direction that their gazes could not easily reach. The inn room was on the second floor.
Tat—!
Without hesitation, Seolhwa climbed over the windowsill.