“Hah, the peace of Hefei exists thanks to the Namgung warriors. How could I not know that! I am just…”

“Exactly!”

Whoosh— Thud!

“Urgh…!”

The large man hurled the innkeeper across the room.

Yet, no one dared to intervene—they knew the man was a Namgung warrior.

In a district governed by Namgung, no one could stop a Namgung warrior’s tyranny.

Although there were ranks among Namgung warriors, ordinary people had no way of discerning them.

In Hefei, where order was upheld under the Namgung name, anyone associated with Namgung was practically untouchable authority.

Seol-Hwa popped a warm dumpling into her mouth, chewing as she glanced at Namgung Cheong-Un.

From the moment the man grabbed the innkeeper by the collar, Cheong-Un’s expression had turned cold as ice.

‘Does Father realize his hand has been resting on my head all this time?’

If he did, he wouldn’t have left it there.

Cheong-Un’s fury, upon recognizing the tyrants as Namgung warriors, was evident in the frosty glint in his eyes.

However, since he was concealing his identity, he could not act rashly.

The bodyguards hidden among the crowd had also silently channeled their internal energy, preparing to intervene should the situation escalate.

“You seem to know well!”

The Namgung warrior loomed over the fallen innkeeper.

“I’m busy to death maintaining peace in Hefei, and you’re disrespecting me just because I couldn’t pay for some dumplings and noodles?”

“Th-this isn’t the first time…”

“Oh, I told you—I forgot my purse!”

The warrior’s thunderous voice echoed through the inn.

Some diners quietly slipped away, while others glared at the innkeeper, seemingly annoyed and just wanting the commotion to end.

“Ugh…”

How powerless ordinary people were before martial artists.

The Namgung warriors, meant to maintain order, were instead the ones abusing it. There was no one to ask for help, no solution in sight.

“Fine. Just… please bring it next time.”

The innkeeper had no choice but to relent.

He knew escalating the situation further would do no good.

“Ha ha ha! Of course, I’ll bring it next time! Hmph! Great food!”

The Namgung warrior patted the innkeeper’s head as he sat slumped on the floor before walking out. The men accompanying him snickered and followed him out of the inn.

“Father…”

The young assistant who had been pacing nervously rushed over to help the innkeeper up.

“Wouldn’t it be better to report this to the authorities…?”

“Don’t be foolish. They’re Namgung warriors. Do you think the authorities would take our side?”

“But this has happened so many times already! The money they owe us…”

“Shh. There are too many ears around.”

The father and son, worried that their words might be construed as slandering Namgung, whispered and stood up.

The innkeeper then bowed deeply toward the remaining patrons.

“Apologies for the disturbance, everyone. As a token of my apology, I’ll serve each table a plate of dumplings. Please, continue your meals.”

The broken tables, shattered dishes, and now complimentary dumplings—the losses were piling up.

Swish—

“…?”

Seol-Hwa, observing the scene with curiosity, looked up at Namgung Cheong-Un, who had quietly risen to his feet.

Underneath his conical hat, Cheong-Un offered her a smile.

“Seol-Hwa, keep eating for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

Seol-Hwa nodded.

Namgung Cheong-Un stepped out of the inn. As soon as he turned away from Seol-Hwa, his expression hardened into icy resolve.

Two of the bodyguards followed him outside, while the remaining three stayed by Seol-Hwa’s side.

Seol-Hwa picked up another warm dumpling, steam rising from it.

‘I wonder what kind of punishment he’ll give.’

In the Blood Sect, such things were commonplace and didn’t warrant punishment.

But wasn’t this the righteous sect?

In the White Dao sects, which valued righteousness and chivalry, surely ruffians like that wouldn’t be let off the hook.

Especially since they were tarnishing Namgung’s name. With the family’s reputation on the line, it was impossible to let this go.

‘How bold. Flaunting Namgung’s name so shamelessly right under their noses.’

Judging by their carelessness, they must have been patrolling this area.

Patrolling Hefei’s streets was one of the tasks assigned to the Outer Court’s martial division.

Considering no one had rushed to intervene despite the commotion, the warriors causing the disturbance were likely in charge of this district.

A short while later, one of the bodyguards who had followed Namgung Cheong-Un returned and spoke to the innkeeper.

The bodyguard handed the innkeeper a hefty pouch. The innkeeper bowed repeatedly, expressing his gratitude.

Namgung Cheong-Un soon returned.

“Phew…”

Seol-Hwa swallowed her dumpling as she watched him drop into his seat before her.

“How did you handle it?”

“Hm? Handle what? What are you talking about?”

“The punishment. Didn’t you go to punish the guards who ate without paying?”

Namgung Cheong-Un blinked in surprise.

Then he chuckled, pressing his bamboo hat down a bit further.

“Oh my, you knew all about it and sent me off so readily.”

“Of course, you had to catch them before they went too far.”

“I can’t hide anything from your sharp eyes.”

Seol-Hwa shrugged.

Given the context, the cause and effect were obvious. Who needed sharp eyes for that?

“I found out their names and affiliations. I told them to return to the family and remain confined for a while. Their wages for three months will be cut, and the money will go to the innkeeper.”

“And?”

“And? That’s all.”

Seol-Hwa frowned.

No matter how righteous the faction claimed to be, merely deducting wages for tarnishing the family’s name?

“Won’t you cut off their hands or tongues?”

Now it was Namgung Cheong-Un’s turn to frown.

“Why would I cut off their hands or tongues?”

“They harmed the innkeeper and disgraced the family’s honor, didn’t they? They used their martial skills with malicious intent, so their hands should be cut off. And since they defamed the family’s name with their words, their tongues should be cut as well.”

‘If this were the Blood Sect, it wouldn’t have stopped at hands and tongues.’

In the Blood Sect, anyone caught tarnishing its name would face death.

Not just any death, but one where the person would be drained of all internal energy by the Blood Demon, dying as their blood vessels shriveled up.

But that was the Blood Sect’s law. This was the righteous faction, so Seol-Hwa thought she had moderated her suggestion, but Namgung Cheong-Un’s expression turned horrified.

He remained silent for a while, his face showing clear discomfort, before shaking his head.

“I won’t cut off their hands or tongues.”

“Why not?”

“If I cut off their hands, their lives as martial artists would be over. If I cut off their tongues, they would live the rest of their lives unable to eat properly or communicate with others.”

“That’s the punishment. They’d live their lives regretting their actions.”

“The crime they committed is terrible, but it’s not malicious enough to warrant such a punishment. We must give them a chance to reflect on their wrongdoings.”

“I see.”

Though she was dissatisfied with the lenient punishment, Seol-Hwa relented.

If that was the Namgung family’s way, part of the righteous faction, there was no reason not to follow it.

“Eat your food. It’ll get cold.”

Food tastes better while it’s warm.

Looking at the now-cold dumplings, Seol-Hwa felt regretful.

Namgung Cheong-Un gazed at her with a conflicted expression.

A little later, the innkeeper brought out a new plate of dumplings. Thanks to that, the two were able to finish their meal with freshly steamed dumplings.

After leaving the inn, Namgung Cheong-Un kept his promise by taking Seol-Hwa to a tanghulu shop.

Seeing Seol-Hwa’s childlike sparkling eyes in front of the tanghulu, Namgung Cheong-Un impulsively tried to buy the entire shop.

But under Seol-Hwa’s strong objection, they compromised by purchasing all the tanghulu that had been made.

Namgung Cheong-Un and Seol-Hwa now carried paper bags filled with tanghulu.

The two munched on tanghulu as they strolled through the bustling streets of He Fei.

They passed by dainty hairpins, jade rings smaller than Seol-Hwa’s thumb, and embroidered flower shoes that glittered.

At each charming item, Namgung Cheong-Un tried to buy out the entire shop. After a while, Seol-Hwa found it too tiresome to stop him and simply turned away, ignoring his attempts.

They were busy sightseeing when it happened.

“Father, I need to pee. Can we find a restroom?”

“Oh? Of course! Let’s go, quickly.”

Namgung Cheong-Un hurriedly led Seol-Hwa to the nearest inn.

To let her relieve herself, he rented an entire room, ensuring she had complete privacy. He even stepped outside to avoid standing too close to the door.

‘Being wealthy is such a burden.’

Seol-Hwa, who had expected to be taken to a quiet back alley instead, shook her head.

Regardless, her goal of creating some distance had been achieved.

‘There’s one guard at the entrance, two on the first floor, and one on the roof?’

She noticed another mingling with the crowd on the street.

After pinpointing Namgung Cheong-Un and his guards’ locations, Seol-Hwa moved to a direction out of their line of sight.

The inn room was on the second floor.

Tak—!

Without hesitation, Seol-Hwa climbed out the window.

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