I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 59: If You Don’t Know Your Place

As Jincheon and Sunday headed upstairs in the inn, Neung Gayeon, left alone, turned her body.

She walked straight toward the table where the disciples of the Iron Gate Sect were seated.

“Oh my. She’s coming this way?”

Even without Yang Hwaran needing to say it, all of the Iron Gate Sect disciples had already turned their gazes to Neung Gayeon.

As Ban Junggwan’s eyes filled with satisfaction and greed, Yang Hwaran looked at him with an expression of disbelief.

“My god, just because Young Master Ban looked her way a few times, she’s forgotten her place already...”

Tap.

At that moment, Neung Gayeon stopped in front of the table.

She was tall, so the four of them naturally had to tilt their heads up to look at her.

Ban Junggwan let his gaze linger on her chest before raising it to meet her eyes.

“Hmph.”

Neung Gayeon let out a soft laugh.

Ban Junggwan was clearly losing his composure in front of her elegance and beauty, but Yang Hwaran cut in with a sharp tone.

“What is this? What’s going on?”

Though her words were blunt and informal, Neung Gayeon didn’t reply.

She simply said, quietly,

“Children.”

Whoosh.

Her smile turned cold, and an overwhelming presence suddenly crushed down upon them.

“Guh!”

“Aagh!”

They couldn’t even scream.

Their faces turned pale in an instant.

Neung Gayeon’s voice continued gently.

“Just because you’re speaking among yourselves doesn’t mean others can’t hear you. You should mind your manners, don’t you think?”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

“Ggggh.”

“Gyaaah!”

An invisible force pressed down on them.

They couldn’t even groan—breathing itself became difficult. And through it all, Neung Gayeon’s voice rang out, sharp enough to split their skulls.

“When a tiger appears, all the animals in the forest go silent. That’s a lesson you should learn... if you don’t know your place in the world of martial arts.”

Thud. Thud.

Two foreheads slammed down onto the table.

It was Ban Junggwan and Yang Hwaran.

Their eyes rolled back in their heads, unable to process what had just happened. Neung Gayeon looked at them coldly.

“You’ll die.”

Silence fell.

Ban Junggwan and Yang Hwaran trembled violently with their heads still on the table, and Kang Hyunsang and Sang Yunji sat frozen, suffocating under the pressure.

Neung Gayeon let out a quiet sigh.

In that moment, the crushing pressure vanished.

“Gack!”

“Aah!”

“Kuh...”

“Haaah...”

Each person let out a different sound, but all four were gasping for breath, their faces pale as sheets.

“Huff, huff...”

They all looked up at Neung Gayeon, trembling.

The greedy and mocking looks in their eyes were gone.

“My, you all look unwell.”

Neung Gayeon said calmly.

Her voice was soft, but the four of them flinched.

“Perhaps you should go see a physician? It’s still early in the evening—if you ride fast enough, someone’s bound to still be open.”

It was as good as telling them to leave, and they nodded quickly.

Before someone who could kill or spare them with just her presence, they had no courage left to speak.

Just as they began to rise from their seats—

“Wait.”

At Neung Gayeon’s voice, they froze in place.

As they stared at her in terror, she spoke again.

“Shouldn’t you say thank you?”

“Th-thank you.”

“Thank you.”

All four responded at once, as if rehearsed. Neung Gayeon gave them a soft smile.

“Good. Off you go.”

The four of them scrambled to their feet.

“Th-thank you!”

“Thank you.”

They bowed deeply to Neung Gayeon before rushing out of the inn.

Rustle.

The innkeeper chased after them, shouting, “Wait! You forgot your luggage!” A servant girl rushed to their room to bring down their things.

Once they had all left, silence returned to the inn.

The other guests had witnessed everything.

Taking Neung Gayeon’s warning to heart, none of them even dared breathe loudly. Some quietly rose and slipped away to their own rooms.

As they passed by, Jincheon came down the stairs.

He looked around at the fleeing guests and the now-empty dining hall.

Just a while ago, the place had been fairly crowded. Now it was completely deserted.

“You’re back?”

Neung Gayeon greeted him in a soft tone.

“Ah, yes... but... why is everyone going upstairs?”

Neung Gayeon shrugged her slender shoulders.

“Who knows? It’s not like I’d know their business.”

It was a fair point.

How could Neung Gayeon possibly know the circumstances of strangers in an inn?

“Did you do something, Commander Neung?”

“I merely sent some noisy birds back to their nests.”

Her words were cryptic.

Jincheon eyed her suspiciously, but she remained graceful and composed.

He gave up trying to dig deeper. It was over, and not really his concern anyway.

“Let’s eat.”

A short while later, the innkeeper and the servant returned from outside.

Jincheon’s group began their evening meal in silence.

Sunday and Neung Gayeon insisted on sitting at separate tables, saying they “wouldn’t dare share a table with the Young Master.”

And so, Jincheon ended up eating alone.

It was a strangely bittersweet feeling.

****

Jincheon stepped out into the courtyard behind the inn.

Crunch.

It was a typical courtyard, paved with small stones.

There wasn’t a single light in sight, only the soft glow of the blue moonlight bathing the world in calm.

“Shall I light a lantern?”

Sunday asked. Jincheon shook his head. This wasn’t his first time.

“This much is enough. Will you hand me the sword?”

Rustle.

Sunday offered the Princess’s sword, Wind and Cloud, with both hands.

Jincheon reached out and took the blade.

As always, he had come to practice the Yongcheon Sword Art.

He was thoroughly enjoying the process of mastering swordsmanship—it was the most peaceful and joyful time of his day.

‘It’s my first time doing it completely alone...’

Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong, who usually demonstrated the form, weren’t here.

He would’ve liked their company, but traveling with too many people would go against the plan.

Shing.

With a soft sound, Wind and Cloud revealed its form.

Under the moonlight, the shimmering blade looked especially beautiful.

“Ahem.”

Momentarily distracted, Jincheon took a step forward with the sword in hand.

He assumed the opening stance of the Yongcheon Sword Art, closed his eyes gently, and steadied his breath.

The chill at the tip of his nose told him the seasons were turning cold again.

Jincheon opened his eyes.

Whsssh.

At some point, his blade had begun to move.

Like a flower blooming, the incantation of the sword art rose quietly from within his chest.

It was the beginning of the Yongcheon Sword Art.

Rustle, rustle.

The Princess’s sword, Wind and Cloud, drew blue arcs beneath the moonlight, and Jincheon’s body and spirit flowed through the form’s movements.

The blue moonlight, the starlit sky above, even the gazes of Sunday and Neung Gayeon watching him—none of it reached him.

The only thing filling Jincheon’s world was the azure sword tracing through the air and the incantation rising from his soul.

Once a sword art said to “slay dragons and break the sky,” now reduced to mere ceremonial display—the Do-ryong Pa-cheon Sword Art unfolded in his hands.

The Yongcheon Sword Art was not long.

When Jincheon lowered the blade and finished the form, Neung Gayeon, the Commander of the North Wind, smiled and said,

“If I may be so bold—magnificent.”

Her praise was pleasant, coming from such an elegant beauty, but Jincheon didn’t take it at face value.

“You didn’t deviate from the form. And even after finishing, your mind remained steady. That is truly admirable.”

Which basically meant: he didn’t make any mistakes.

Getting the movements right was expected when learning a sword form.

So Neung Gayeon’s praise was more or less saying, “Wow, you’re a beginner—and it shows.”

“Thank you.”

Jincheon said with a smile.

Regardless of what was said, it was clear to him that Neung Gayeon had meant to encourage him.

Swish.

He lifted his head and looked up at the night sky.

It felt like it had only been a short while, but judging by the moon, the night had grown quite late.

“Let’s head in.”

The Commander of the North Wind, Neung Gayeon, and Sunday bowed their heads to accept Jincheon’s command.

Just like that, the day came to an end.

****

The Next Morning

Though it was still early, the innkeeper prepared an impressively thoughtful breakfast spread.

Jincheon, however, had little appetite and only picked at a few dishes.

As with the day before, Sunday and Neung Gayeon sat separately, insisting that they “could never dare to share a table with the Young Master.”

At least they weren’t threatening to burn the leftovers—that was something.

The innkeeper and the servant followed Jincheon all the way outside as he prepared to leave, bowing deeply.

“Thank you so much! If you ever visit again, I promise the best service you’ll find anywhere!”

Jincheon responded with a light wave of his hand and departed from the inn.

The carriage rolled leisurely down the Guando road.

Sunday was at the reins, and Neung Gayeon rode alongside on horseback, leaving Jincheon alone inside the carriage.

He watched the passing scenery without much thought, soon slipping into deeper reflection.

‘I think everything’s more or less in place... but do I really have to go through with this?’

He had succeeded in reducing the size of his escort.

From seven hundred to seventy, and now down to just two—it was a remarkable achievement.

Still, his thoughts were far from settled.

Jincheon’s top priority was finding that man. Slipping away was just a contingency plan.

But things were becoming more serious by the day. The influence of the Heavenly Flame Palace was far greater than Jincheon had anticipated.

‘No, this doesn’t make sense. I thought they were just a local power in Gamsuk—why would the imperial court send a special envoy over that?’

From Nanzhou’s highest-ranking officials to the imperial household itself—no matter how he looked at it, this situation was far beyond what he could handle.

‘It’s a bit of a shame, but maybe...’

He was just about to consider whether retreating would be the best course after all, when—

“Young Master.”

Neung Gayeon’s voice cut in suddenly.

Jincheon flinched. He had been caught thinking something he probably shouldn’t have.

“Y-yes? What is it?”

“There’s a disturbance up ahead.”

“A disturbance?”

Jincheon poked his head out of the carriage.

But on the main road, there didn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary.

“It's coming from the bushes on the right. It looks like one person is fighting against five.”

Sunday °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° added, calmly.

Jincheon frowned.

“Are they all armed?”

“Yes. Each one’s holding a sword. And they’re moving this way.”

Jincheon didn’t want to get caught up in a swordfight.

“Then perhaps we should—”

He was just about to suggest they avoid the situation when—

“Tsk.”

Neung Gayeon clicked her tongue quietly. At the same moment, something burst from the right side of the road.

Snap!

Whirl—Thunk!

Someone spun through the air, adjusting their body mid-flight before landing lightly on the road.

Her long hair whipped behind her. A woman, dressed in martial robes, sword in hand.

As soon as she spotted Jincheon’s carriage, her brow furrowed and she shouted,

“Get down!”

Startled, Jincheon froze, and then heard Neung Gayeon’s voice beside him.

“That one sentence...”

Flick.

Neung Gayeon moved her hand. She raised her index and middle fingers, pointing toward the bushes as she continued.

“...just saved your life.”

Ffft! Ffft! Ffft!

Three sharp gusts of wind sliced through the air in rapid succession.

And then—groans echoed from within the underbrush.

“Gah!”

“Urgh!”

Those who had just begun to burst from the bushes collapsed with cries of pain.

Clang, clatter.

The swords they had been holding tumbled onto the road.