Chapter 170 : Our Chief Steward

It was late at night, after the inn’s business had all ended.Jin Seong-un, who had been shut inside his office all day, came out with dark circles under his eyes, trudging slowly.

Lee Seowon asked with a bright smile.

“Did you finish reading it?”

“It took time because I read every single word without skipping. I don’t know if I’ve properly organized all that information in my head though…”

The very first thing Lee Seowon did after becoming the Chief Steward of Seong-un Inn was to deal with the matter of Ha Jooyeon’s death.

His goal was to delay Myriad Gold Manor from learning about it for as long as possible, and even if they did, to make sure they couldn’t easily touch Seong-un Inn.

Piles of documents written by Lee Seowon were stacked like mountains inside Jin Seong-un’s office.

“To sum it up, there seem to be two strategies. Sending a luxury carriage to Sipsongpanna in Yunnan, and doing good deeds.”

Lee Seowon’s face lit up with sheer joy.

Jin Seong-un looked apologetic for keeping Seowon waiting so long due to his clumsiness in reading documents. But on the contrary, Lee Seowon didn’t care how long it took.

For years, he had painstakingly compiled information only to see it burned away as kindling without ever being read.

That was because Ha Jooyeon was not someone who read.

And now, he had finally met someone who would read every single word.

Filled with exhilaration, Lee Seowon let out a trembling breath as he continued explaining.

“The southern part of Yunnan is the only region in the Central Plains where Myriad Gold Manor’s influence barely reaches. That’s why Ha Jooyeon used to flee there whenever he wanted to avoid Manor Lord Ha Sang-yoon or his eldest son Ha Joo-myeong.”

If a luxury carriage headed from Yichang to Sipsongpanna in Yunnan, Ha Joo-myeong would believe his troublesome younger brother had run away in fear of Myriad Gold Manor.

“Meanwhile, the Innkeeper will build up reputation. Seong-un Inn will take the lead in resolving all the big and small damages caused by Geumun Inn.”

For example, supporting flood victims caused by the sluice gate opening, and providing aid to the distressed merchants of Yichang.

Centered around Seong-un Inn, Yichang would become more united and solidified. It would seem as though the people of Yichang had banded together to drive out a massive power, creating a strong sense of belonging.

“When supporting the restoration of Yichang’s ruined government office and the flood damage along the lower Yangtze, the Innkeeper won’t like it, but you’ll have to make a big show out of it.”

Even though it wasn’t Seong-un Inn’s fault, they could say they were taking responsibility because the disaster happened due to a conflict between the two inns.

If they spread those words, people would highly value Seong-un Inn’s morality and sense of responsibility, while also learning in detail what Myriad Gold Manor had done to a mere inn.

In other words, if Myriad Gold Manor tried to touch Seong-un Inn again, the risks would become far too great.

“Manor Lord Ha Sang-yoon and Ha Joo-myeong are thorough merchants. If the risks outweigh the profits, they won’t move rashly.”

Lee Seowon declared firmly.

During his time with Ha Jooyeon, he had studied Myriad Gold Manor thoroughly—especially Ha Sang-yoon and his eldest son Ha Joo-myeong.

“For the time being, we can escape Myriad Gold Manor’s hostility. But not forever. They have many iron rules when it comes to business, and one of them is that they never let anyone who causes them losses go unpunished.”

“I caused Myriad Gold Manor a loss?”

“You damaged their face. Of course, it was that bastard Ha Jooyeon’s doing, but… in the end, they will once again bare their hostility toward Seong-un Inn and its Innkeeper. When that happens, what options will you have?”

Lee Seowon looked at Jin Seong-un with eyes full of anticipation. After a brief moment of thought, Jin Seong-un spoke.

“Either prepare and counterattack, or move half a step before they do.”

Lee Seowon felt as though a burden had been lifted from his chest.

How stifling had it been to serve under that idiot Ha Jooyeon? It felt like he had wandered a desert for years only to suddenly gulp down ice-cold water.

“That’s right! Both options can wait for now, so think it over carefully. I’ll come up with strategies to match whichever you choose. Ah, and…”

Lee Seowon pulled out another thick bundle of papers from his robe and handed them over.

Jin Seong-un’s face paled slightly.

“In my spare time, I organized Seong-un Inn’s ledgers. You already did well enough, but I applied a few commercial methods to refine it further, so it should help.”

Hearing the explanation, Jin Seong-un’s eyes lit up. He had been studying on his own to organize the inn’s sales, net profits, fixed and variable costs, inventory, and clients.

But since he had once been just a mere inn waiter, there were still many areas where he lacked skill.

From time to time, he had gotten help from Han Seong-chun, who had far more experience, but sometimes just holding the brush and staring at the paper made his head ache.

Lee Seowon, however, was an expert in that very field. Jin Seong-un finally began to truly feel that Seong-un Inn had gained an excellent Chief Steward.

‘If only the others can get along with him…’

Jin Seong-un worried inwardly.

Han Seong-chun and Jang Gwang were the type who could get along with Seowon.

But Seomun Ak and Seo Yu-gyeom were different. They were the kind who never held back when they didn’t like something.

Just then—

Seo Yu-gyeom and Seomun Ak, having finished their night training, walked into the inn.

Seo Yu-gyeom looked triumphant, while Seomun Ak looked utterly dejected.

The reason was obvious. Seo Yu-gyeom must have intentionally flaunted his blade techniques to crush Seomun Ak’s spirit again.

As Seomun Ak trudged in with slumped shoulders, he suddenly spotted Lee Seowon and spoke.

“Hey, Jin Seong-un. Do we really have to take this guy with us? We’ve been fighting these past few days, and honestly, I really don’t like him.”

With those words, Seomun Ak scrunched his rough face even more menacingly as he stepped toward Lee Seowon.

It seemed he wanted to vent his frustration from being humiliated by Seo Yu-gyeom onto someone else.

Seeing this, Jin Seong-un thought he had to stop it. Lee Seowon was so timid he might faint at the mere sight of a blade.

But then—

“I’ve got about three roots of ten-year-old Heat Ginseng… what should I do with them? I’m not a martial artist, so I can’t eat them.”

“……”

Seomun Ak froze in place.

He had just returned from being utterly scorned, mocked, and bullied by Seo Yu-gyeom.

He had been fuming with frustration when suddenly, Lee Seowon mentioned a spiritual medicine of extreme yang nature that perfectly suited the Seomun Clan’s martial arts.

Heat Ginseng, as the name implied, contained scorching yang energy.

A ten-year-old root contained roughly five to six years’ worth of inner arts cultivation. Three roots meant nearly twenty years of cultivation.

Seomun Ak’s fierce scowl melted away like the last snow under spring sunlight.

“Well… come to think of it, my first meeting with you, Jin Seong-un, and you too, Seo Yu-gyeom, wasn’t so pleasant either. But now we rely on each other more than anyone.”

“We do?”

Seo Yu-gyeom cut in sharply.

But Seomun Ak didn’t even hear him.

“Shut it. Anyway, relationships between men aren’t about the past but about today. And I do think our inn needs a Chief Steward.”

Seomun Ak’s attitude flipped like the back of a hand, leaving Seo Yu-gyeom chuckling bitterly.

“It’s not ‘our inn,’ it’s Jin Seong-un’s inn. And you’re swayed so easily just by a few roots of ginseng? Forget it, I’ll handle this myself, so move aside.”

Seo Yu-gyeom also disliked Lee Seowon.

The man who had been their enemy until yesterday had suddenly become Seong-un Inn’s Chief Steward today—of course it was suspicious.

Seo Yu-gyeom still distrusted him. Who knew if he was a spy planted by Myriad Gold Manor?

As Seo Yu-gyeom approached with his sharp, chilling gaze fixed on Lee Seowon—

“I had even recorded the personal tastes of the royal competition judges… and now it’s all useless…”

Seo Yu-gyeom abruptly changed direction, shoved Seomun Ak lightly, and said.

“Move. Don’t go stinking up our Chief Steward with your sweaty stench.”

“……”

Seomun Ak looked at Seo Yu-gyeom with an incredulous expression.

Then Lee Seowon looked at the two of them and spoke.

“Ah! The Ten-Year Heat Ginseng can go to Young Master Seomun, and the information about the royal competition can be given to Chef Seo, yes? What a coincidence.”

Born with the Heaven-Slaying Star, Seo Yu-gyeom nodded at Lee Seowon with a benevolent smile, as if he had become a Buddha.

Watching this whole exchange, Jin Seong-un had a bewildered look. Not even a full day had passed, yet Lee Seowon already seemed to have a grasp on everything about the inn.

Just then.

Jang Gwang and Han Seong-chun, who had grown quite close, returned from drinking outside.

As if perfectly timed, Lee Seowon naturally said to Jin Seong-un,

“Ah, if you look at the inn’s ledgers I gave you earlier, you’ll see I adjusted the contributions of Master Jang Gwang and Elder Han Seong-chun a little higher as well.”

The two, who had just stepped into the inn, froze in place upon hearing their names mentioned, listening closely.

Lee Seowon deliberately avoided looking at them and continued.

“An inn must have a certain weight of years behind it for customers to feel trust. As a Chief Steward, one must not overlook values that don’t show directly in numbers. Ah, you two are here.”

Only after finishing his explanation did he act as if he had just noticed their arrival.

Han Seong-chun chuckled.

“Hehe, our Chief Steward really speaks as gracefully as his fine face.”

He smiled warmly at Lee Seowon, who was young enough to be his son, and even the taciturn Jang Gwang nodded once.

Watching this scene, Jin Seong-un briefly thought, “What did I bring into this inn?” and then said,

“Ah, Chief Steward, you’ll begin training starting today. Change into comfortable clothes and wait in the backyard. I’ll stop by my room and join you shortly.”

“Huh? Me too?”

Lee Seowon’s eyes widened.

Seo Yu-gyeom and Seomun Ak reacted the same way.

“Hey, look at his arms and legs. If you so much as poke him, he’ll die on the spot. Why would a Chief Steward train?”

“Yeah. When we train, it feels like our whole bodies break for days. If this Chief Steward joins, he’ll literally die.”

Lee Seowon’s face turned pale.

But Jin Seong-un spoke firmly.

“We never know who might come knocking at the inn.”

Everyone fell silent.

They all knew. Seong-un Inn was not just an ordinary inn.

It went far beyond fending off local ruffians—sometimes they had to fight against demonic lords or public enemies of Murim itself.

And if Lee Seowon got even slightly caught up in one of those fights?

Seo Yu-gyeom and Seomun Ak stared quietly at him for a moment. Then they came to the same conclusion.

“We can’t let the Chief Steward just be sent off like that.”

“Well, in today’s world, a man should at least know how to protect himself.”

Jang Gwang and Han Seong-chun also nodded.

Thus, with the consent of everyone except Lee Seowon himself, it was decided he would begin training.

Jin Seong-un was planning to stop by the Martial God Realm for a bit.

After telling the Merchant King about Lee Seowon, he would also ask for permission to pass on the Black Wolf Saber Art.

Lee Seowon’s steps toward the backyard looked terribly heavy.

So, before climbing the stairs, Jin Seong-un said lightly,

“The Chief Steward’s martial talent is decent.”

Lee Seowon still looked dejected.

It only sounded like comforting words to him.

But Seo Yu-gyeom and Seomun Ak’s expressions grew serious. They knew Jin Seong-un would never say such things as empty flattery.

Moreover, if that monster was the one mentioning talent, then it might not be “just decent.”

Soon, Jin Seong-un left them behind and entered his quarters. And as always, he opened the gates of the Martial God Realm that greeted him with peaceful normalcy.

But then—

Jjjjjjjjeeeeoooonng—!

A thunderous explosion erupted, and blinding qi waves poured out.

The vast Martial God Realm was stained with an ominous light.

Something came hurtling at tremendous speed.

Jin Seong-un instantly sharpened his vision.

“Master Divine Thief?”

Shocked, Jin Seong-un rushed to catch Divine Thief.

Divine Thief’s arm had been severed.

“Master!”

“Oh, you’re here.”

Divine Thief rubbed his empty shoulder as if in pain.

Jin Seong-un stared in horror at the scene of the Martial God Realm.

“What is this…?”

“The Blood Demon.”

Another explosion boomed.

This time, the Merchant King came flying and collapsed.

The Straight Saber in his hand was snapped in half, and blood was pouring from his entire body.

It was impossible to understand what was happening.

But this was clearly not a moment when anyone could stop to explain.

Just then—

Hundreds of blue-white qi swords floated in the air of the Martial God Realm.

Every single sword pointed at one target.

At the center stood the Blood Demon.

His eyes were half unfocused.

In the next instant, the qi swords all rushed toward him at once.

It was unmistakably the Sword Immortal’s Sword Levitation Technique.

Jin Seong-un was stunned that someone could manifest so many qi swords, and even more so that all of them were being controlled with Sword Levitation Technique. But—

Whooosh—!

The blood-red sphere at the center devoured all of the swords in an instant.

Jin Seong-un’s eyes widened in shock.

Then came the booming voice of the Sword Immortal.

“Seong-un! Get out of here at once!”

It was the first time he had ever heard such urgency in the Sword Immortal’s voice. But Jin Seong-un’s feet wouldn’t move.

The Merchant King and Divine Thief were gravely wounded right before his eyes—how could he abandon them?

Then Noble Enchantress flew through the air, spreading pure white Women’s Moon Qi over the two.

The energy was vast and skillfully controlled, incomparable to when Jin Seong-un had helped Seo Yu-gyeom with the Grand Circulation.

The complexions of the Merchant King and Divine Thief eased slightly.

At the same time, Jin Seong-un felt his whole body tense.

The Blood Demon was rushing at him at terrifying speed.

That was no human.

It was a blood-red calamity, the greatest demonic lord of all ages.

The moment he sensed the danger, the Blood Demon was already right in front of him.

The Blood Demon looked at Jin Seong-un with chillingly dry eyes and reached out his hand.

At the same time, Jin Seong-un instinctively raised his own hand in response to the danger.

Both of their hands radiated with the same blood-red Blood Demon Qi.