Chapter 117

The history of tea is long.

And the history of tea houses is equally long.

Starting from the tea houses (茶館) established during the Tang Dynasty, through the Song and Yuan Dynasties, tea houses became fully popularized by the Ming Dynasty, giving rise to specialized tea shops (茶店) that exclusively served tea, excluding alcohol and food.

However, as tea became a part of daily life, there were also places where one could casually sit by the roadside, spread out a table, and enjoy a cup of tea while resting—far from the formal, luxurious tea houses.

The place Namgung Woo and Myorin entered was closer to the latter.

Though it occupied an entire two-story building, it was a place where one could relax without worrying about tea ceremonies or formalities, and it served not only tea but also alcohol and food.

Except for the variety of teas and the lack of lodging, it wasn’t much different from a regular inn. However, it wasn’t particularly popular among martial artists, who lived dangerous lives and often considered alcohol a friend, so ordinary people frequented these places to avoid martial artists.

“Though I get that we’re here to avoid the eyes of martial artists… do we really not need to search around?”

“Luoyang is vast. Wandering aimlessly won’t help. The people chasing us must have noticed by now.”

Myorin didn’t press further. She figured he had his reasons.

“Come to think of it, is this the first time it’s just the two of us moving around like this?”

“Right? The Great Master always delegated to others.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Whenever Myorin wanted to go somewhere, Namgung Woo would usually send Geumshin or the Yang Brothers along instead of going himself.

“I know, I know. The Great Master is subtly trapped in his ways.”

Myorin smirked, showing they’d grown closer, as she spoke in a more casual tone.

How could Myorin not notice Namgung Woo avoiding being alone with her, wary of Paeng Ha-ryeong’s reactions? Even though Myorin had no experience with men and only learned about romance through rumors, she still had basic intuition.

“You seem pretty close with Ha-ryeong too. Didn’t you two wander around together when we first arrived in Luoyang?”

“Did we?”

“Lately, it feels like you’re plotting something. Tell me now. Don’t come asking for help after causing trouble.”

“Plotting? And I don’t cause trouble.”

Though Myorin pouted, Namgung Woo wasn’t easily convinced.

“What were you doing holed up in your room after that? I know your energy was acting strange, so just tell me while I’m being nice.”

“It’s really nothing.”

“Myorin. If you keep hiding things, I can’t help you.”

“Ugh… that’s the worst thing to say. You better not say that to Ha-ryeong unnie.”

“Is Ha-ryeong the same as you?”

Myorin made a disgusted face at Namgung Woo’s persistence.

“Persistent men aren’t popular. Sigh, don’t tell Ha-ryeong unnie I said anything, okay?”

Though she wanted to keep it a secret, what could she do? This was the man Paeng Ha-ryeong chose. Myorin felt no guilt. She tried to hide it.

“I was making a Palace Guardian Mark. Ha-ryeong unnie wanted one too. A proper mark covers one’s entire history. Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s necessary, but she insisted.”

Once she started talking, Myorin couldn’t stop.

“But noble families are strict about women’s chastity. Why go as far as getting a Palace Guardian Mark? Ha-ryeong unnie has a dark side too.”

“Enough. I get it. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear….”

“Pfft, already? What a henpecked man.”

Feeling like she’d gained the upper hand for the first time, Myorin laughed freely.

Fortunately for Namgung Woo, Myorin’s teasing didn’t last long. Their ordered tea and snacks arrived.

Warm tea and light snacks.

As Namgung Woo, now accustomed to drinking tea, savored the aroma, Myorin activated her Clear Mind Technique (淸淨心法). The yin-aligned internal energy transformed into cold energy, condensing in her hand.

*Crack. Crack.*

The steaming teacup quickly cooled the moment Myorin touched it, even forming a thin layer of ice on the surface.

Hot tea? Don’t make her laugh. Myorin boldly drank the now icy tea and crunched on the ice.

“Ah, this is tea.”

Though Namgung Woo had seen Myorin freeze any drink multiple times, he still couldn’t get used to it.

After finishing her tea, Myorin habitually reached into her robe. What she pulled out was a uniquely shaped pipe.

The front was round and concave, designed to hold something, while the back tapered off.

It was a modified tobacco pipe, known as a *danjuk*.

With a brighter smile than when teasing Namgung Woo, Myorin fiddled with the pipe before noticing his presence and letting out a small, absent-minded sound.

“Mind if I take a puff?”

“Go ahead. I brought you out, so I’ll allow it.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Myorin pulled out a bundle of herbs from her sleeve and began packing the pipe’s bowl.

“Great Master, want a puff too? I don’t have a pipe for you, but I can roll one with paper.”

“No, thanks. I don’t smoke, let alone cannabis. It’s not good for you.”

Indeed, what Myorin was smoking wasn’t tobacco but cannabis—the very plant classified as a drug in the distant future.

To Namgung Woo, cannabis was pure harm. But Myorin thought differently.

“The toxicity can be purified and expelled with internal energy. It’s the addiction, right? Supreme Peak Masters, with their unified spirit, energy, and mind, don’t get addicted. Someone like you, Great Master, could smoke all day and not get addicted—you’d probably get sick of it and throw it away.”

Namgung Woo sipped his tea silently, deeming it not worth a response.

Myorin pouted, muttering about how valuable it was.

After meticulously preparing the pipe, Myorin took a deep drag.

*Sss… Hoo….*

Before the pungent smell of cannabis could spread, a spell from Myorin erased its traces. It was the Kirin’s Step (麒麟趾), a technique to erase one’s traces, inspired by the mythical kirin that treads without stepping on grass.

This technique, along with her phoenix tattoo, allowed Myorin to move undetected even in Beijing, where the Imperial Guards were stationed.

“Ah, I feel alive.”

Myorin exhaled lazily, feeling the rapid effects of the drug.

Though it might not be state-approved, this was essentially a narcotic. Made from cannabis, it wasn’t wrong to call it a drug.

But for Myorin, cannabis was truly medicine.

The dulling of her senses as a price for her Four Spirits Tattoo (四靈文).

Her taste and smell were severely dulled, and even her basic sense of touch barely functioned. Yet, the occasional pain she felt was so intense it made her doubt if her senses were truly dulled.

The tattoo granted her immense power, but the price was steep.

For Myorin, cannabis was salvation—something that numbed her pain and heightened her senses.

Her usual cynical expression softened as she smiled lazily and took another puff.

Then, she stuffed her mouth with the snacks that came with the tea. The taste explosion in her mouth, something she usually couldn’t enjoy, made her chew enthusiastically.

After devouring the cannabis and snacks, Myorin slumped in her chair and called out to Namgung Woo in a sluggish voice.

“Great Master.”

“What?”

“Are we really okay just sitting here?”

Though relaxing in the tea house was comfortable, there was work to be done.

Myorin also wanted to catch those connected to Yi Ja-ryong. She wanted to prove she wasn’t involved in his treason and escape the label of a rebel.

“We’re not just sitting around.”

Namgung Woo finished his tea and set the cup down.

“Searching? Good. Where should we start? The first place I felt something strange? Or the second place I tried to track him? If he’s smart, he won’t be lurking there. There’s nothing significant there anyway.”

“So… no leads?”

“I thought so, but there is one.”

Namgung Woo hadn’t just been idly chatting with Myorin.

His eyes had been glowing blue since before they entered the tea house.

His senses were monitoring every move of a certain individual in the area.

“I found him suspicious from the moment we met.”

Seomun Pyo of the Heavenly Rain Sword.

Namgung Woo had come here to keep an eye on him.

“The elder died, and no one knew? Even if it was an assassination, that’s strange.”

“If it’s the Assassin King of the Killing Gate… maybe it’s possible…?”

“I don’t know about that, but it’s still suspicious. The elder’s assassination isn’t a small matter. Yet, they called me in and tried to pin it on me? With flimsy evidence? If I were the real killer, I’d have fled after succeeding, using my techniques to escape.”

“That’s… true.”

“Surprisingly, murders are often committed by acquaintances rather than strangers. Seomun Pyo… he’s either the killer or at least an accomplice.”

“Hmm… but Seomun Pyo and Chae Mun-gwang have been close friends for decades.”

Though cannabis slowed her speech, it sharpened her thinking.

Myorin vividly recalled a conversation she’d overheard while walking.

But that very past ironically supported Seomun Pyo’s suspicious behavior.

“Could someone like that not feel any grief over a friend’s death?”