Chapter- 20
Mak Hwi respectfully bowed his head, indicating that the esteed guest he had ntioned earlier was this elderly man.
He had a white beard reaching down to his chest, giving him the appearance of a sage, but contrary to his looks, the sharp glint in his eyes revealed that he was a master who had reached an extraordinary level.
“Oh! Do you know him?”
“Yes, I have t him before. Master Jong was once the Head Chef of the Imperial Palace, and can be considered one of the greatest chefs in the Central Plains.”
The old man reminisced about the past.
“Long ago, I had the opportunity to taste his cooking. His na is one I haven’t heard in a very long ti.”
“But who are you, old man?”
Mak Hwi, sensing disrespect, was about to intervene but the old man stopped him.
“I am Yang In-Myung.”
At his introduction, the people watching gasped in shock.
“The Venerable Lord of Myriad Forms!”
“The Lord of the Southern Peak Alliance!”
Mak Hwi nodded in a serious manner.
“Indeed, it is him.”
Everyone respectfully clasped their fists and took a step back. Had they been in a different setting, so might have even bowed. The air was filled with respect.
Yang In-Myung, the Venerable Lord of Myriad Forms.
The Lord of the Southern Peak Alliance and the greatest master of Hunan.
He had co to Wuhan for the Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournant and the Heavenly Dragon Tournant.
Such a renowned figure was showing interest in Jeok Lee-Gun.
“And who might you be?”
As Cha-Ryun added the thinly sliced mushrooms and dicinal herbs to the simring pot, Jeok Lee-Gun answered.
“I am Jeok Lee-Gun.”
“That’s a good na. What sect are you from?”
“I’m the eldest son of the Floating Clouds and Flowing Water Family.”
Yang In-Myung, along with everyone else around, tilted their heads in confusion.
Jeok Lee-Gun elaborated.
“It’s renowned as the best fruit rchant in the frontier.”
Yang In-Myung burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! That’s impressive, very impressive indeed.”
He assud Jeok Lee-Gun was deliberately concealing his true identity. Nonetheless, as Yang In-Myung laughed, the rest of the crowd followed suit.
Yang In-Myung’s gaze towards Jeok Lee-Gun deepened. He clearly felt a strong interest in him, and it only grew as their conversation continued.
“But old man, you must have made quite a fortune, considering how expensive this place is.”
It was a rare occurrence for a young man to speak in such a manner to the Lord of the Southern Peak Alliance.
Yang In-Myung responded with a smile.
“I’ve made enough. How about you?”
“I still have a long way to go.”
Jeok Lee-Gun stared at Yang In-Myung with a provocative gaze. Yang In-Myung responded with a aningful smile.
Jeok Lee-Gun grinned again.
“If I set my mind to it, all the money in the world could be mine.”
“Hahaha! That’s the spirit. Yes, that’s what youth is all about.”
Steam began to rise from the pot that had started to boil.
“Just wait a little longer.”
Everyone watched with curious eyes.
This ti, Yang In-Myung turned to Cha-Ryun.
“What is your relationship with Young Master Jeok?”
Cha-Ryun hesitated to answer.
“I….”
It was hard to define their relationship.
Jeok Lee-Gun quickly answered for her.
“We’ve only t twice, both tis at an inn. I guess you could say she’s my dear drinking buddy?”
“No, that’s not true.”
“Oh! And we also had a secret eting by the pond the other night.”
“What!? A secret eting!”
Jeong Lee-Chu seed to be more shocked than Cha-Ryun at this news.
Cha-Ryun shouted with wide eyes.
“No! It’s a misunderstanding! Hey! You really…!”
It was too late for excuses. The gazes of those watching seed to say, ‘Ah, so that’s how it is,’ and were filled with disappointnt. They thought, ‘How could she end up with soone like him?’
Cha-Ryun let out a groan, looking as if she was on the verge of tears.
‘Please just make the bear gallbladder wine. Don’t create a history that doesn’t exist.’
Only Yang In-Myung looked back and forth between Jeok Lee-Gun and Cha-Ryun with an amused glint in his eyes.
anwhile, Jeok Lee-Gun cooled the pot by adding cold water.
Yang In-Myung sniffed curiously as he peered into the pot.
“You used quite a few strong-slling herbs.”
He then inspected the alcohol Jeok Lee-Gun brought.
“Is that the base liquor? It seems ordinary.”
Both the ingredients and the liquor seed unremarkable.
Jeok Lee-Gun poured the ingredients into the liquor.
Watching him, Lee Hwa smiled aningfully. She was confident that it was impossible to replicate the sa taste.
Jeok stirred the mixture and added a few more ingredients.
Cha-Ryun moved diligently as Jeok Lee-Gun instructed.
At last, the wine was completed.
“Here, try it.”
Jeok Lee-Gun offered it to Cha-Ryun first. She took a small sip.
“It’s the sa, right?”
‘This fool.’
“…Completely different.”
Cha-Ryun’s face turned serious. Though she wasn’t much of a drinker, it was clear the taste was nothing like the bear gallbladder wine she had tasted earlier. For one, the bitterness was completely absent.
Lee Hwa sneered coldly, knowing it couldn’t be the sa. Turning to the martial artists of the Spring Breeze Inn, she commanded.
“Prepare to remove Young Master Jeok’s gallbladder.”
Cha-Ryun, alard, shook Jeok Lee-Gun.
“Think carefully! What’s missing?”
Jeok Lee-Gun glanced down at her pale fingers gripping his arm and grinned.
“Are you worried about ?”
‘This guy! Is he joking right now?’
“This is a matter of life and death!”
‘And my father’s honor. Please take this seriously.’
Only then did the playful look disappear from Jeok Lee-Gun’s face.
“Of course, it’s different. The most important thing hasn’t been added yet.”
Jeok Lee-Gun raised his hand, pointing toward a seemingly ordinary section of the wall.
Everyone turned their gaze toward it. It was an ordinary wall with a cabinet neatly stacked with dishes.
Jeok Lee-Gun slowly approached it.
Lee Hwa flinched. Her eyes flickered with unease, as if she knew what was about to happen.
‘No way.’
“There’s sothing strange about this kitchen.”
Jeok Lee-Gun pushed the cabinet aside.
With a soft sound, the cabinet slid aside, more easily than anyone could have expected.
Jeok Lee-Gun kicked a tal bowl that had been placed in the corner.
As the bowl spun—
—Grrrrrnnng
The wall began to open.
“Ohhh!”
Everyone watching gasped in surprise.
As soon as the door to the secret chamber opened, a foul stench rushed out, causing everyone to step back—grimacing.
Lee Hwa’s face turned completely pale.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The head chef rushed over to block the entrance.
“This place holds the secrets of my cooking. Outsiders must not see it.”
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
Jeok Lee-Gun shrugged at the crowd.
“Unfortunately, one of those secrets is the key to today’s matter, so what can I do?”
The looks people gave the man were anything but kind. The terrified man broke into a cold sweat.
Yang In-Myung smiled, offering reassurance.
“Don’t worry. I’ll personally guarantee that the secret will remain safe.”
At this, Mak Hwi unsheathed his steel blade, which glead with a shade of blue.
He scanned the faces of everyone present, one by one, as if to say that if even one person let the secret slip, they would all die.
With Yang In-Myung stepping forward, the Head Chef covered his head with his hands and backed away.
Inside the secret chamber, sothing strange was being cultivated.
Jeok Lee-Gun took out a small box from between the tal structures.
When he opened the lid, a nauseating sll wafted out.
The box was filled with unidentifiable, pitch-black objects.
Pinching his nose, Yang In-Myung questioned.
“What is this?”
“It’s the excrent of the Painted Backworm.”
Unable to endure the overwhelming stench, everyone grimaced in disgust.
Jeok Lee-Gun brought out another box.
“This is the Painted Backworm. It’s called that because it looks like there’s a painting drawn on its back.”
The box was teeming with wriggling insects, and the vibrant patterns on their backs only made them seem more grotesque.
“Why are you showing us this?”
“The excrent of the Painted Backworm is as bitter as bear gallbladder, and it tastes nearly the sa.”
“What the fuck!”
Everyone’s faces contorted.
Especially Lee Hwa and the other chefs, who were visibly terrified. Just by looking at their expressions, one could guess what had happened.
Jeok Lee-Gun stirred the excrent into the alcohol and poured it into a cup, offering it forward.
“Who wants to drink?”
No one dared to move.
Jeok Lee-Gun looked at Cha-Ryun playfully.
‘Why are you looking at ?’
Cha-Ryun recoiled in horror, backing away.
‘So what I drank earlier… was this!? Ughh! I think I’m going to faint!’
Mak Hwi was the only one who bravely stepped forward.
“I took it upon myself to be the witness, so I should be the one to confirm it.”
He downed the cup in one go.
The taste was slightly different, but it was undoubtedly the sa drink.
His eyes filled with murderous intent as he glared at Lee Hwa.
“You fucking bitch! I’ll rip you apart!”
Lee Hwa endured with an unwavering expression, but the servants could not. They all prostrated themselves, begging for rcy.
Lee Hwa bit her lip and glared venomously at Jeok Lee-Gun.
Jeok Lee-Gun smirked.
“They say the one who makes a ss gets angry… No, in this case, it’s the bitch who put the shit in the drink that’s angry.”
Several people gagged just thinking about it.
Yang In-Myung, who had been observing the entire exchange, burst out laughing as he stepped forward.
“How did you know?”
“I’ve had it before.”
“I heard that the Painted Backworm only lives deep in the Southern Barbarian Lands.”
“I have traveled a lot since I was young because of my mother’s creed.”
“What is that creed?”
“‘A man must travel a lot to grow.’”
“Haha! That’s a wise saying. I’d like to et her soday.”
Jeok Lee-Gun gave a aningful look.
“You might regret saying that.”
“And why is that?”
“She’s not the kind of person you’d want to et. If she doesn’t like you, she’ll tell you right to your face.”
“Hahaha.”
Yang In-Myung laughed awkwardly, but he didn’t seem angry at all. Instead, his eyes glead with even more curiosity.
“But how did you know there was a secret chamber hidden there?”
“Because of that chanism.”
Jeok Lee-Gun looked at an old iron bowl placed in a corner.
“It looks quite natural, but the person who taught cooking said that a chef should treasure their cooking tools like their life. No matter how much of a scam a place is, the food was pretty decent. A chef who could make food this good wouldn’t leave their tools lying in the corner like that. Also, there was dust everywhere except for the handle of that bowl, which looked polished. It was like saying, ‘Catch if you can.’ Leaving such a clue was practically begging to notice.”
Everyone, including Yang In-Myung, was impressed.
The happiest person was, of course, Cha-Ryun. She felt like running over and hugging him right away.
Jeok Lee-Gun extended his palm toward Cha-Ryun.
“Good job, assistant chef.”
The more she looked at him, the stranger he seed. Was it appropriate to call this strangeness? Or was it sothing more?
Smack—
Cha-Ryun gave him a high-five.
Jeok Lee-Gun spoke, with a triumphant expression.
“Well then, today’s earnings are all mine.”
“Of course, a promise is a promise.”
While Mak Hwi had the chef bring over the money, Lee Hwa was still acting defiantly.
“Do you know who’s behind ? If you touch , you’ll all die!”
Smack!
Mak Hwi slapped her across the face without hesitation.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want to ask! Who the fuck is behind this? Tell now before I rip you apart!”
Mak Hwi ruthlessly kicked the woman lying on the ground.
Thud! Thud!
“How dare you pull this kind of stunt against us!”
Mak Hwi showed no rcy, even though she was a woman.
Mak Hwi was enraged by the fact that Yang In-Myung had consud such alcohol. The unconscious woman slumped over.
It would have been good if it ended there, but Mak Hwi hadn’t even started yet.
Grabbing her by the hair, Mak Hwi turned to Jeok Lee-Gun.
“How about working under ?”
Mak Hwi made the offer knowing that Yang In-Myung had shown interest in Jeok Lee-Gun.
Jeok Lee-Gun grinned.
“I’m a bit too busy for that.”
At that mont, the chef ca out with the money.
Jeok Lee-Gun snatched the pouch filled with promissory notes and coins. A quick glance showed it was worth at least three thousand nyang.
“Ahaha! To think all this money is from selling shit.”
Once again, a few bystanders with weak stomachs gagged.
“Well then, we’ll leave the rest to the seniors and elders and take our leave.”
Having finished his business, Jeok Lee-Gun grabbed Cha-Ryun’s hand and left.
Jeong Lee-Chu politely bowed to Yang In-Myung and followed after them.
Once they had left, Mak Hwi quietly spoke to Yang In-Myung.
“He’s an interesting kid.”
“More than just that.”
Yang In-Myung’s eyes deepened.
“The mont I first saw that boy, I was overwheld by a feeling I thought I’d never experience again.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“The feeling I had the day I took control of the Southern Peak Alliance. The thrill, the excitent, the emptiness, and at the sa ti, the ambition that surged within to take the entire Central Plains into my grasp. That feeling was revived.”
“Is that boy really that special?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know why I felt that way.”
Mak Hwi finally acknowledged that Jeok Lee-Gun was indeed special. The fact that Yang In-Myung admitted he didn’t know why, was extraordinary in and of itself. Mak Hwi knew Yang In-Myung as soone with the insight to see through every person he t.
“Interesting, really interesting. Hahaha!”
As Yang In-Myung’s laughter grew louder, his gaze grew deeper as well.
Reviews
All reviews (0)