I poured a drink for First Brother as we sat on the bench.

“Think it’ll rain?”

First Brother accepted the drink and looked up at the sky.

“...Just an overcast day.”

That was ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the only conversation we had for the past two hours.

After the laborers who’d been supplying us with food and alcohol from Baek Eung-ji had left, Zaha Inn grew utterly quiet. The only things offering us protection were the temporary walls set up for the reconstruction, the halted construction site itself, and the makeshift lodgings the workers had left behind.

Same for the outside.

The charred remains of the barracks I’d burned down still lingered like a battlefield after war.

Not exactly a livable place.

And yet—why did I feel so at peace?

It must be because I was drinking with a strong man like First Brother. The thoughts that came to mind while drinking were completely random.

Even without martial arts, First Brother and I were still strong men.

Because we shared one key trait—we weren’t the type to complain.

Whether it was a cozy home or a post-war ruin didn’t matter to us.

We drank, whittled wooden swords, and when sleep came, we’d just lie down on the bench and doze off.

But we took turns resting.

Suddenly, the wind stirred, and the flags posted nearby flapped loudly. I glanced at the flags of the Murim Alliance and the Jecheon Alliance, then turned toward the entrance of the construction site at Zaha Inn.

At first, one person arrived. Then three or four more. With additional stragglers joining, six people lined up at the wide entrance.

First Brother and I remained seated on the bench and looked at the guests.

“...First guests.”

If they were really guests, then First Brother would have to play innkeeper, and I, once again, would have to act as the jomsoi.

“Fucking hell.”

So much for not complaining—there I go again.

One of the six finally opened his mouth.

“...Is this place open?”

A burst of laughter followed the man’s words. Though of course, some like First Brother showed not the slightest hint of amusement. Only then did I notice that one of the six was a woman, and realized who they were.

First Brother asked me,

“Do you know them?”

I did. I knew them from my past life. No reason to pretend otherwise now.

“They have a collective nickname... I forgot it for a second. Something like the Seven Killers of Yunnan.”

“So they’re the Yunnan Seven Killers. I’ve heard of them.”

I nodded.

“If even First Brother has heard of them, they’ve made a name for themselves. These guys fear Alliance Leader Im, so they avoid the Murim Alliance’s territory. Same goes for Alliance Leader Ju—they avoid the Jecheon Alliance as well. Instead, they roam Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, killing people for money. Sometimes they wipe out entire sects. For them to show up here... Just goes to show how terrifying money is.”

I pointed a finger at the six of them.

“Those dumb bastards probably don’t even know how much the leader of the Seven Killers is raking in. Soon, some greedy old bastard with slightly higher martial skill than those six will show up and try to make a deal.”

And right on cue, the leader of the Seven Killers of Yunnan appeared: the Ten-Thousand-Scroll Demon Lord, Manbak Magun. He was a balding old man. In Murim Alliance terms, he counted among the top hundred martial artists—a formidable force no small sect could handle.

Manbak Magun entered Zaha Inn’s territory without asking for permission.

The Six Killers followed behind.

With First Brother sitting right next to me, I couldn’t fathom where this man’s confidence was coming from.

Manbak Magun walked over and sat across from us at another bench—the one the laborers often rested on—and stared at both of us. The Six Killers stood behind him, watching us too. It was easy to see there was a clear hierarchy among them.

Manbak Magun spoke.

“Haomun Lord. Sword Demon. I am called Manbak Magun of Yunnan. I came because I have something to say. Will you hear me out?”

First Brother and I didn’t bother responding.

He continued.

“Even if you’re not interested, please listen. A few years ago, my brothers and I attacked a small sect called Cheongsong Sect. At the time, we didn’t know, but recently, someone showed up out of the blue and claimed that Cheongsong Sect was actually an outer affiliate of the Demonic Cult. They said the newly appointed overseer of the outer hall is now giving orders and came to find us. They told us if we retrieve either the Bright Sword or the One Kill Sword, even just one of them, our past crimes will be forgiven and we’ll be handsomely rewarded.”

Since the old bastard was rambling to himself, I decided to answer.

“What if you refuse?”

“They said they’d decapitate all of the Seven Killers and mount our heads on spikes. So we didn’t really have a choice. If we’re lucky and manage to get one of the swords, we live. If not, then we’re fated to fight the Demonic Cult. I took all the wealth we’d saved up over the years and converted it into promissory notes. I’m prepared. Would you sell just one sword for a large sum?”

I nodded.

“So you’re saying you’re having a hard time choosing between fighting me or the Cult, and decided to drop by and scout the place first?”

Manbak Magun nodded.

“To be honest, yes.”

I offered a simple solution.

“Why don’t you just run?”

Manbak Magun tilted his head.

“Can you really run from the Demonic Cult? Who’s a cultist and how many of them are out there? No one knows. How were we supposed to know that Cheongsong Sect was paying tribute to the Cult?”

“Then why’d you attack a peaceful sect and bring this mess on yourselves? Coming here to whine about your money problems—each of you seven can deal with your own shit.”

I had no intention of letting them off easy. But I hadn’t yet decided how I’d torment them.

Manbak Magun looked at me.

“...Haomun Lord, you’re the strange one. The Cult knows where you are. Why haven’t you run? And there’s only two of you. Or... is it more than two?”

He looked up at the flag fluttering above Zaha Inn.

“Seems you do have some backup.”

First Brother suddenly acted unlike his usual self. He yawned, lay back on the bench, and closed his eyes.

It wasn’t so much sleeping as it was his way of saying he was too lazy to deal with this.

I had no intention of showing mercy, but I respected First Brother’s wishes.

Which meant... the jomsoi had to kick them out.

“I can’t just hand you a sword out of nowhere. Leave. I understand being afraid of the Demonic Cult. But dying by my hand won’t be any better. If you want to live, your only chance is to run far away. First Brother is sleeping, so get out quietly.”

One of the men beside Manbak Magun spoke up.

“Big Brother, do we really have to take this?”

Manbak Magun raised his hand slightly and replied,

“Quiet. Let’s go.”

Just then, First Brother, still reclining with his arms crossed, spoke.

“...Who said you could leave?”

“Hm.”

The Seven Killers of Yunnan stopped in unison.

Manbak Magun answered,

“I came to explain our situation. After hearing the Haomun Lord’s words, we were going to leave peacefully. Is there a problem?”

First Brother replied with his eyes still closed.

“...You came here with killing intent. That cannot be forgiven. If Third Brother and I were weak, that intent would have turned to action. But now that you’ve seen us with your own eyes, you’ve held back. I cannot forgive opportunists.”

The Six Killers immediately grabbed their weapons, but Manbak Magun furrowed his brow, raised a hand, and stopped them.

He asked First Brother,

“Then what would you have us do?”

First Brother said,

“Sweep the yard. Wipe the benches.”

“And then?”

“The construction materials the workers left behind are still here. Until I tell you otherwise, you’re going to finish building this inn. Move the stones. Build the walls. Assemble and align the tables. Do everything the laborers were supposed to do.”

One of Manbak Magun’s brothers, who looked the most irritated, answered,

“What if we refuse?”

“Then we’ll have to kill you. You’re not the only ones with killing intent.”

With my arms crossed, I looked at the Seven Killers. Suddenly, I had a strange thought and asked First Brother,

“First Brother.”

“What?”

“You’re not planning to make them cook, are you...”

First Brother gave no reply, eyes still closed. But I understood perfectly through his silence.

I blinked at the Seven Killers of Yunnan.

“Hm.”

“......”

“Anyway, do as First Brother said.”

Manbak Magun asked me,

“What did you mean by ‘cook’?”

“Shut up.”

Suddenly, the Seven Killers huddled back together like they were in a tactical meeting. Ironically, their whispering voices were clearer than ever. Some still wanted to fight. Meanwhile, Manbak Magun was cursing his subordinates out with strings of profanity. Seeing this made it all the more baffling how such a pack of idiots had gone around bullying small sects.

Still, it was amusing to have some idiot guests to make Zaha Inn feel like an actual inn again.

This is what an inn is supposed to be.

Since I was acting as jomsoi, I leaned on First Brother’s authority.

“Hey, stop the fucking whispering.”

“......”

“First Brother is a man who keeps his word. If he says he’ll kill you, he will. Start cleaning.”

After the meeting, Manbak Magun sat alone on the bench. The Six Killers looked around with expressions like they were already dead and began cleaning.

I walked across the courtyard toward Manbak Magun. One of the Killers flinched and jumped back.

I looked him up and down and sat next to him.

From this angle, I could see First Brother lying with his back turned. I scratched my chin and asked Manbak Magun,

“How old are you?”

“Fifty-four this year.”

“Fifty-four? You look older than that. Anyway...”

I made eye contact with him.

“...Why are you just sitting around?”

Manbak Magun stared at me. Thinking he might not have heard, I repeated myself.

“Why are you resting? If I kill you first, it’ll be easier to command the rest.”

He avoided my gaze and looked around the inn, answering,

“...I was figuring out what I could do.”

I caught the subtle twitch of First Brother’s shoulder. No way he could fool me—he was definitely smiling.

At least that much made me happy.

I asked Manbak Magun,

“Did you find something?”

He stood, hands behind his back, and examined the construction site. Suddenly, he leapt up and adjusted the crooked signboard hanging from the eaves. It had been slightly tilted, and he realigned it before descending again. His light footwork was decent. Pretending to keep looking around, he turned and met my eyes.

“......”

I nodded.

“Not bad.”

He really hated the idea of cleaning.

Then Manbak Magun started barking orders, directing the Six Killers. Cleaning, organizing materials, lining up benches, tidying the barracks—it all happened quickly. After a while, Manbak Magun said to his men,

“...We’ll take a short break.”

The Six Killers returned to the benches, sat down with exhausted sighs, then glared at Manbak Magun, who was sitting alone.

I ordered him,

“There are food supplies behind the inn. One of you go prepare a meal.”

The moment I gave the command, Manbak Magun gestured with his chin.

“Go prepare it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thanks to First Brother, the inn’s reconstruction was back on track. I warned the man heading off to cook,

“No poison. Don’t mess with the food. Once it’s ready, Manbak Magun eats first... understood?”

“Understood.”

Suddenly, the pressure that had been weighing on my chest was gone. For now, First Brother played innkeeper, I was chief jomsoi beneath him, and right below me was jomsoi Manbak Magun.

Since there was still a chance the Seven Killers would revolt out of rage, I drew my wooden sword to reestablish discipline.

It’d been a while since I last drew it.

I walked toward the entrance of Zaha Inn and began training in sword techniques with the mock blade. Because I lacked structured form, I moved slowly on purpose. I mostly recalled Im Sobaek’s movements as I swung. My swordplay had always lacked clear paths, scattered like plum blossoms in the wind, so in training I emphasized the opposite—precise and simple motion.

A downward strike, a slash, and a thrust were enough.

I hoped that through those three movements, all the chaos of my previous swordsmanship would come together.

Even without looking, I could feel the Seven Killers watching me, trying to gauge my martial skill.

But these three moves—I didn’t mind anyone watching.

Because only I understood what they meant.

To reinforce discipline, I performed the movements even slower, until flame gathered on the blade.

The wooden sword glowed red as it was enveloped in fiery qi.

“......”

First Brother was still lying down.

The Seven Killers kept watching me.

I stood as Zaha Inn’s gatekeeper, training in swordsmanship. Training is repetition. And the flames wrapped around the blade occasionally scattered like crimson petals.