The city called Nanchang near Lake Poyang was quieter than expected. Despite having large cities above and below it, people's expressions were calm as if something bad had happened.
Even the market, which should be the most lively, wasn't particularly noisy except for a few conversations.
At first, I thought it might be because most people disliked noise, but that wasn't it. It felt like people were being cautious, not wanting to be noticed by someone.
I realized this when I saw parents stopping children who wouldn't be out of place running around making noise and causing trouble.
Forcibly silencing children by covering their mouths was certainly not normal behavior.
I headed to the inn to rest before meeting Namgoong Baek in two days.
"Welcome."
I approached the employee greeting me in a calm voice. I showed him the identity tag given by Ji Seok symbolizing the relationship with Shaolin and opened my mouth.
"Is there a room..."
Just as I was about to ask if there was a room available, as soon as he saw the identity tag in my hand, he covered it with his palm with a terrified expression. Then he looked around with tense eyes. The employee who had been looking around as if scared of something leaned his upper body towards me.
"...Are you crazy and want to die? Taking out such an object here, you must have a hundred lives, not just one!"
"What do you mean?"
"Hearing your voice, you seem to be a young woman. Is this your first time in Nanchang?"
I nodded while holding the bamboo hat I was wearing.
The man looked at me blankly and pushed his palm. I withdrew my hand holding the identity tag and jerked my chin, asking what he meant. He sighed.
"I don't know why you came here, but if possible, stay just one night and leave right away. It's not a place where a woman traveling alone from outside can stay."
He looked around briefly and lowered his voice. His voice came softly.
"Nanchang... this place isn't somewhere that will overlook carrying such a righteous sect's identity tag. No, rather, wearing such an identity tag around your neck is like begging to be killed."
"Why is that?"
"Why? Because this Nanchang is the base of evil sects."
My brows narrowed slightly at his words. Come to think of it, I had heard about it before. The cities connecting Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi had little influence from the Murim Alliance and no famous clans or sects, so they were mainly places where evil sects operated.
Among them, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian were directly touched by the Demon Cult's power, so there wasn't much trouble under the Demon Cult's rules.
But conversely, unlike the other three places, Jiangxi wasn't deeply influenced by any place.
As a result, all sorts of miscellaneous evil sects flowed into Jiangxi. They say Jiangxi gathered all kinds of human trash, from simple criminals to those who committed all sorts of perverted acts.
When I heard the story before, I only remembered that such a place existed, but I didn't think the city atmosphere would be like this too. I couldn't imagine it would penetrate so deeply into the lives of ordinary people.
"Sometimes young masters or disciples from righteous sects come here, burning with a sense of justice and causing disturbances. Of course, the next day they either disappear somewhere or are found dumped in the center of the market, beaten to a pulp. This is a place that wouldn't bat an eye even if the Murim Alliance Leader's son came."
"...Is that so?"
I swallowed my laughter at his explanation. Not the Murim Alliance Leader's son, but the Murim Alliance Leader himself was heading here - I wonder if he would still say such things knowing that.
But there was no particular reason to say anything, so I put the identity tag away in my bosom and took out money to hand to him.
"Thank you for the explanation. But I need to stay here for about two days. So could you give me a room?"
"Haa... Alright. But you must leave this place after two days no matter what. Even if something goes wrong, I can't take responsibility. Understand?"
"Don't worry."
I smiled slightly at him and took the key he handed me, heading upstairs. The room was quite clean and large. It wasn't a room size for one person to use. Even the bed was big enough for three people to lie down comfortably. I put down my luggage and sat calmly on the bed.
'Come to think of it...'
In the past, Hyuk Dojin was always by my side wherever I went. Even when I left the Demon Cult and headed to the Murim Alliance, he was by my side. He blocked anything that could be dangerous to me at the source, and if there were any difficulties, he resolved them. He was my guardian and my shield.
Now, I felt empty at the fact that such a Hyuk Dojin was not by my side.
I pressed my lips together and pushed down on the bed. I shook my head, recalling the nights I spent lying down with him.
There was no need to weaken my heart. I just had to return with the medicine. But would Namgoong Baek really hand over the medicine willingly?
A way to return with the medicine without biting the bait he throws. There weren't many ways to steal the antidote from that quick-witted and intelligent man. If there was a way, it would probably be one.
"...In the end, do I have no choice but to rely on that man?"
I felt sorry for always receiving help, but I needed Namgoong Seolbyeok's help. Of course, I didn't know if he would readily step forward while being chased, but I should at least bring it up. He would be in this city too, so I decided to look for him later.
The sun was setting and night was falling. Feeling hungry, I rummaged through my bag looking for the jerky I had, but then stopped.
Did I really need to eat tasteless dried jerky after coming all the way here? Couldn't I just use a restaurant properly?
I organized my thoughts while rolling my eyes, then got up from my seat. I immediately opened the door and went downstairs to the first floor, where the employee who had dealt with me earlier spoke to me.
"Are you here for a meal?"
When I nodded, he relaxed his expression as if regretful.
"I'm sorry, but we're not operating the restaurant today. The man who delivered ingredients every day didn't come today, so we ran out of ingredients. We're selling dried fruits and foods, but you've come from far away, so jerky or dried fruits again... Haha."
He let out an awkward laugh. I inwardly sighed at his laughter. I came down to eat specifically because I didn't want to eat such things.
I looked around the empty restaurant while licking my lips, then opened my mouth again.
"Is there a decent inn nearby? A normal inn."
"There is, but... most are located near the market area."
"Is that so? Thank you."
"Ah, wait...!"
As I was turning to go outside, the employee grabbed me again. When I slightly twisted my waist, the employee spoke with a troubled face.
"The... night market is quite dangerous. Night markets in other regions might have many enjoyable things, but the night market here has all sorts of strange people, so you need to be very careful. Don't speak unnecessarily and don't make eye contact. Just have your meal and return right away. You must do that."
He worried about me even though it wasn't his business. I smiled brightly at him, who was kinder than expected, then nodded.
Leaving behind his worried gaze, I went outside and headed to the market I had seen earlier. Indeed, Nanchang's night was gloomy. Even though it wasn't completely night yet, there were few people walking on the streets.
Most of the people walking around were also moving hurriedly somewhere. I entered an inn located in the market while examining their appearances, rolling only my eyes inside the bamboo hat. The inn, which was quite large in scale, had few people.
While looking around the deserted inn, wondering if it could be this empty even at dinner time, a waiter approached.
"Are you here for a meal?"
Compared to the cheerful waiters I remember from other places, the waiter in front of me was very polite and cautious.
I nodded to him and went inside to take a seat, and the waiter followed quietly. After pondering for a moment what to eat, I suddenly thought of Hyuk Dojin and let out a small laugh.
"What would you like...?"
"Chicken noodles and dumplings, please."
"Understood."
The waiter took the order and withdrew. I looked around the quiet inn, withdrawing my gaze that had been staring at him blankly. Most people were eating quietly or having small conversations. No one was causing any disturbance.
Other people probably didn't want to cause trouble by making a fuss, but personally, this atmosphere wasn't bad for me. A quiet and orderly atmosphere. It wasn't too bad for eating alone.
While I was closing my eyes and feeling the air around me, the waiter returned with the food. I smiled slightly at him and picked up the noodles that Hyuk Dojin loved so much. The broth made with chicken was savory and the noodles were quite chewy. It was a decent inn. It was regrettable that such a good inn had so few dinner guests.
While I was quietly eating the dumplings and noodles, noisy sounds flowed in from outside. The small sounds reaching my ears gradually grew louder.
Then the people inside also seemed to hear those sounds and turned their heads towards the door.
"What's going on?"
"Is someone getting beaten up again?"
The men tilting their wine cups cautiously guessed the situation. Listening to their words, I also looked towards the door.
Through the brightly open door due to summer, I could see people's shadows falling. Then a moment later, I sensed a presence and someone fell rolling on the floor.
"Oh my!"
The men tilting their wine cups exclaimed in surprise at his appearance. The man who had rolled on the floor clenched his teeth and got up from his seat.
But that was only for a moment, as a man suddenly flying from the opposite direction kicked the man trying to get up and knocked him down again. Then he stepped on the fallen man on the floor, pressing down as if crushing him.
"Didn't I tell you earlier? If you don't want to die, just go on your way. Didn't your father teach you that if you bother people, your neck will fall off?"
"Ugh...!"
"Where did a pale-faced thing like you come from to interfere and ruin this elder's mood? I usually don't let guys like you off and rip out your intestines... but since the night isn't deep yet, I'll let you off with just this much. So get lost!"
He kicked the man's stomach, spat, and disappeared. The man on the floor was lying there clutching his stomach.
People around didn't help him, but rather threw words as if he was pathetic or stupid. They said things like if you stay quiet you'll at least be in the middle, or that he hastened his death by needlessly stepping forward.
The man slowly got up while listening to the people's criticism that wasn't criticism. He stood up, brushing off the dirt on his clothes.
Then suddenly, I thought his face looked somehow familiar, though I hadn't noticed it until just now.
Where had I seen him? It didn't seem like we had had a deep conversation as he wasn't that familiar, but I definitely remembered seeing him.
While I was trying to remember where I had seen him, the man looked in my direction as he was getting up.
The moment our eyes met, the man's eyes widened. At the same time, I realized who he was and got up from my seat to approach him.
I approached him still half-sitting on the floor. People around let out sighs.
Ignoring their voices, I approached him and spoke lightly.
"I didn't think we'd meet here, it's unexpected. Were you hiding here while being chased?"
"..."
"This is our first time talking, right? I remember seeing you a few times in Luoyang, but I'm not sure if you remember me."
I smiled slightly, and he sighed and got up from his seat.
"I remember, Young Madam Moyong Sowol."
"Nice to meet you, Vice Commander Jegal Cheon."
He was the man from the Zhuge, clan who was being chased by the Black Dao Sect, also called Namgoong Baek's limb.