Jang Deok-soo kept glancing out the rain-soaked window, feeling unusually restless today. It wasn’t a heavy downpour, but the rain hadn’t stopped once. There were few customers, and hardly anyone passed by on the streets. After serving a meal to Hongshin and Yoran, he glanced out again—the street looked even more desolate.

From a little ways off, a rarely seen carriage was approaching, with several horses following behind.

Of all directions, it was headed straight for Zaha Inn.

“......”

Jang Deok-soo stared at the carriage that came to a stop, having already made up his mind to send Yoran and Hongshin to the Open Faction branch for the time being.

Men in unfamiliar clothing completely surrounded the carriage, making no attempt to shield themselves from the rain. Just seeing them made a sigh escape from him.

A moment later, as Jang Deok-soo blankly stared out the window, someone’s voice came from behind him.

“...May I have a meal?”

Jang Deok-soo turned around to check the customer. At a glance, he could tell that the people waiting outside were all subordinates of this man.

Jang Deok-soo answered.

“Yes, please sit wherever you’d like.”

The man glanced around the second floor, then sat alone by the window and looked at Jang Deok-soo.

“Are you the head cook of Zaha Inn?”

“I am.”

Jang Deok-soo clasped his hands respectfully and looked at the man. Somehow, he sensed this would be the first and last time he would speak to this person. It was the first time he had ever felt fear just from being looked at. Steeling himself, he asked,

“What would you like me to prepare?”

The man gave a slight nod before answering.

“I’d like something the Haomun Lord or the Sword Demon used to eat often. Is that possible?”

Jang Deok-soo bit his lip lightly, then replied,

“Yes, I’ll prepare it. It might take a little time.”

“Take your time.”

Jang Deok-soo stepped into the kitchen and moved to the inner room, where he opened the door and looked at Hongshin resting inside.

“Shin-ah, we have a special guest. Don’t come outside. Don’t sing today either.”

“A special guest?”

Jang Deok-soo pressed a finger to his lips. Hongshin’s eyes widened as she nodded.

He asked,

“Where’s Yoran?”

“She’s on the first floor.”

“Let her rest.”

Closing the door, he went to the kitchen and checked the ingredients. If it was something the Haomun Lord liked, pig spine stew would do—and thankfully, he had plenty of ingredients left. Still, just serving pig spine wouldn’t be enough, so he began preparing several dishes at once. The inn was already surrounded, and the only thing he could do now was make the food as delicious as possible.

More focused than ever, he hurried without making a single mistake. The seated guest gave him an overwhelming sense that he was an enemy of Zaha. There was no evidence—he just knew the moment he saw him.

Despite being told not to come out, a door creaked and Hongshin approached, apron tied, and said to Jang Deok-soo,

“...Let me help.”

Too busy to respond, he said nothing. Hongshin saw the array of dishes being prepared and jumped in, readying bowls and chopping uncut vegetables.

She asked,

“...Should I take out what’s done first?”

“Yes. Start with water.”

“You didn’t even serve water yet?”

“I forgot.”

As Hongshin picked up the water kettle, Jang Deok-soo looked at her.

“Don’t make any mistakes.”

“Yes.”

He focused back on cooking—mixing oil and vegetables in a round pot, adding seasoning, then raising the heat. Afterward, he added pig spine, coating it thoroughly in the sauce.

Hongshin returned, pale-faced, after delivering the water, and silently helped with preparation.

Their eyes met, and they exchanged a nod of shared understanding. In terms of martial ability, Hongshin was the strongest in Ilyang County—but even she was no different from Deok-soo at the moment.

While preparing food, Hongshin mouthed,

‘Who is he?’

Jang Deok-soo shook his head.

‘I don’t know.’

He plated the richly prepared pig spine and carried it out himself to the customer. Remembering something, he turned to Hongshin.

“Bring some rice too.”

“Yes.”

After placing the pig spine on the table, he asked,

“Would you like some alcohol as well?”

The man nodded. Jang Deok-soo refrained from asking what kind and simply replied,

“Yes.”

He and Hongshin went back and forth from the kitchen, setting dishes on the guest’s table in haste, yet with care.

The guest stared at the food, then poured himself a drink.

Jang Deok-soo met the man’s gaze once, then slightly bowed.

“...Please enjoy your meal.”

He led Hongshin back into the kitchen. Only after the frantic preparation was done did Jang Deok-soo look at her with a stunned expression.

“...Yoran.”

“I’ll go get her.”

“No, she might be sleeping on the first floor.”

Something told him not to disturb the guest during his meal. Lightly embracing Hongshin, whose martial prowess far exceeded his own, he patted her back. A sigh escaped him as he muttered,

“What the hell is this...”

Knowing martial masters have keen hearing, he cut himself off mid-sentence.

***

The Cult Leader took a sip of alcohol, then looked down at the pig spine stew.

Using chopsticks seemed inconvenient, but eating it with his hands would be messy with all the seasoning. In the end, he left the pig spine alone for now and picked at other dishes with his chopsticks. He sampled them just enough to taste, planning to set the chopsticks down afterward. Snacking on some huiguorou, he drank another shot to cleanse his palate.

A creaking noise came from the stairs. A child peeked her head out and stared at him.

“......”

Yoran, locking eyes with the Cult Leader, pressed a finger to her lips. It was a signal to be quiet. Like a stealthy cat, she stepped lightly, making no sound as she approached him.

Once at the table, she introduced herself in a hushed tone.

“...I’m Jang Yoran of Ilyang County.”

The Cult Leader nodded once and continued chewing his food.

Yoran whispered again.

“How does it taste?”

He answered,

“Not bad.”

As soon as he spoke, a loud crash came from the kitchen and Jang Deok-soo appeared, startled.

“Yoran-ah.”

At that, Yoran whipped her head around and looked at him. Jang Deok-soo glanced between Yoran and the Cult Leader, his face full of panic.

The Cult Leader spoke to him.

“It’s fine.”

“Ah, yes.”

Jang Deok-soo said to Yoran with a pleading tone,

“Don’t... bother the guest.”

Yoran nodded.

“Got it. Go on back.”

As Jang Deok-soo exchanged a glance with Yoran and retreated with a strange expression, the Cult Leader said,

“You’re not related, I see.”

“No, we’re not.”

Yoran watched him eat, then pointed at the pig spine.

“Why aren’t you eating that? You’re supposed to eat it with your hands. Grab both ends and dig in. If you don’t think you can finish, give me one.”

“Eat it.”

“Thank you.”

Yoran went to another table to grab a small bowl, used her chopsticks to transfer a piece of pig spine, and sat across from him. Being so small, only her face peeked up over the table as she began to gnaw on the meat.

The Cult Leader asked,

“Alcohol?”

“I’ve never had it.”

He watched her eat while sipping his own drink. Yoran spoke as she tore into the bone.

“I already ate earlier, but this goes down easy.”

Without getting much sauce on her hands, she picked the bone clean and sucked her fingers one by one. She fished out the meat stuck between her teeth and asked,

“You’re Third Master’s enemy, right?”

“Who is this Third Master?”

“The Haomun Lord.”

The Cult Leader nodded and asked again,

“Sounds like you have more than one master?”

“I do.”

“Who are the others?”

Yoran answered,

“Sword Demon is First Master. Second is Six Harmonies Master. Fourth is Mongrang.”

“Mongrang is a disciple of the Sword Demon. You call both master?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t really know. It just turned out that way.”

“If you have four masters, why did you assume I’m the Haomun Lord’s enemy?”

Pointing at the pig spine, Yoran said,

“If you eat that, I’ll explain.”

“Why this?”

She looked him straight in the eye and answered,

“Because it’s delicious.”

The Cult Leader picked up one of the wooden chopsticks and stabbed it into the center of the pig spine. It slid in smoothly despite the dense bone. He bit into the meat.

Yoran asked,

“Can I have another?”

“Go ahead.”

She grabbed another piece with her chopsticks and, imitating the Cult Leader, held a chopstick in both hands and stabbed it into the bone. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t pierce the dense meat.

She kept poking at the pig spine and asked,

“How’s the taste?”

The Cult Leader replied,

“Use your hands.”

“Yes, sir.”

She set the chopsticks down immediately and grabbed the bone with her hands. The Cult Leader chewed a piece of meat and said,

“Why Third Master? You still owe me that answer.”

Yoran answered while munching,

“You feel similar to First Master. Not exactly the same, but kind of. So I ruled him out.”

“And?”

“You feel much stronger than Second Master. Ruled him out too.”

“The fourth?”

“Fourth Master once said he wouldn’t cause any major trouble until his martial arts were perfected. I figure he probably hasn’t caused any yet.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe a big fight? He said losing is the thing he hates most in the world.”

“And that has something to do with Third Master?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“I heard Third Master is always causing trouble. He gets in fights all over the place. Sometimes he sleeps all day and still doesn’t look rested. Last time I saw him, I overheard he was heading off to fight in Dongho again. Just felt like he had enemies everywhere.”

The Cult Leader drank again, then asked,

“Any other reasons?”

“With Third Master’s personality, he wouldn’t let his subordinates stand out in the rain.”

Only then did the Cult Leader smile.

“You’re not entirely wrong. That was a good deduction.”

“Thank you.”

Looking around the inn, the Cult Leader said,

“So this is Zaha Inn. I’d heard reports and thought I’d see it for myself.”

Yoran replied,

“How was the food? That pig spine is what all the masters like best.”

“Even the Sword Demon?”

“Of course.”

The Cult Leader stared at Yoran in silence.

“You’ve got four masters. Just how strong do you intend to become?”

She answered without hesitation.

“I plan to be the strongest in the world.”

The Cult Leader seemed caught off guard and shook his head.

“That won’t be easy. Do you think it’s possible?”

“Yes. When they grow old, I’ll have to protect them.”

“Your masters aren’t weak.”

“I know.”

He nodded.

“The Sword Demon and Six Harmonies Master excel in swordsmanship. The Haomun Lord handles yin-yang energy well. Mongrang trains in rare ice arts. Each has their specialty. But if you learn a bit from all four, you might end up mastering none. What then?”

“I only plan to learn Fourth Master’s ice arts.”

“Why?”

“He said it’s enough to become the strongest in the world. He also said it suits me better than it does him.”

“Do you know the name of the technique?”

“Yes. It’s called Jade Blossom Ice Art.”

The Cult Leader nodded and looked into her eyes. Unlike the innkeepers, she was clearly of foreign descent.

“Okhwa Palace was once home to the most beautiful and skilled women of our cult. It no longer exists. I’d like to give you a title to use when you enter Jianghu. Will you accept it?”

Yoran looked at him.

“If I like it.”

“Your title will be Okhwa Seonja.”

This time, Yoran smiled.

“I like it. May I use it?”

“If you like it, it’s yours to use.”

When the Cult Leader stood, the sound of his chair brought Jang Deok-soo and Hongshin out. Approaching with a conflicted face, Jang Deok-soo pulled Yoran close and looked at the Cult Leader.

“Cult Leader, there’s no need to pay.”

“Is she your daughter?”

“Yes.”

The Cult Leader looked at Jang Deok-soo and Hongshin and said,

“Raise her well. She’ll be the strongest woman of the next generation.”

Jang Deok-soo barely managed a response.

“Thank you for your words.”

Yoran bowed as well.

“Thank you for the title.”

The Cult Leader gave a slight nod, descended the stairs, passed his rain-soaked subordinates in silence, and climbed into the carriage.

One cultist glanced at Zaha Inn and asked the Cult Leader,

“...Cult Leader, what shall we do?”

His voice came from the carriage.

“The legacy of Okhwa Palace continues. Leave them be. Tell everyone not to touch this place.”

“We accept your command.”

“Let’s go.”

“We depart.”

...As Jang Deok-soo and Hongshin looked out the window, they let out a sigh of relief and turned to meet Yoran at eye level. Still tense, Hongshin asked,

“Yoran-ah, why did you do that? Did you do it on purpose?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Yoran answered,

“He seemed like the masters’ greatest enemy, so I buttered him up a little.”

Hongshin hugged her, and then Jang Deok-soo wrapped his arms around them both. As he gently patted them, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) he muttered,

“Well done. Our daughter is the world’s top flatterer. Did I teach you that? I don’t think so.”

Regardless, both Jang Deok-soo and Hongshin understood clearly—

Yoran had just saved all of Ilyang County.

Yoran asked again, as if to confirm it:

“He was a formidable enemy, wasn’t he?”

Jang Deok-soo nodded and held up three fingers.

“One of the top three strongest I’ve ever seen.”

“And now?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t know anymore.”

“I’ve never met anyone more difficult than First Master.”

Jang Deok-soo met Hongshin’s gaze and nodded.

“Me neither. You two go and get some rest.”

After sending them off, Jang Deok-soo cleaned up the dishes and quietly examined the bitter feeling in his heart. He felt that someday, Yoran would leave her parents’ side and head into the Jianghu—and somehow, that didn’t feel so strange after all.

After all, Yoran was far from an ordinary daughter.