AD Chapter 22

Yang In-myeong burst into laughter belatedly.

“Hahaha! Remarkable, truly remarkable.”

He thought Jeok Lee-geon was deliberately hiding his identity. In any case, when he laughed, everyone else joined in.

Yang In-myeong’s gaze toward Jeok Lee-geon deepened. He seemed clearly intrigued. And Jeok Lee-geon’s subsequent behavior made this inevitable.

“So, Elder, you must have earned quite a bit? This place is very expensive.”

Not many young people in the martial world would dare speak this way to the leader of the Southern Peak Alliance.

Yang In-myeong answered with a laugh.

“I’ve earned enough. What about you?”

“I still have far to go.”

He stared at Yang In-myeong with a provocative gaze. Receiving that look, Yang In-myeong smiled meaningfully.

Jeok Lee-geon grinned again.

“If I wanted to, all the money in the world could be mine.”

“Hahaha! That’s the spirit! Yes, that’s what youth is about.”

Steam rose from the bubbling pot.

“Now, just wait a little longer.”

Everyone’s eyes showed keen interest.

This time Yang In-myeong asked Cha-ryeon.

“What is your relationship with Young Warrior Jeok?”

Cha-ryeon hesitated to answer.

“I…”

It was a relationship difficult to define.

Jeok Lee-geon quickly answered.

“We’ve met twice at taverns. You could say she’s my friendly drinking companion?”

Cha-ryeon blushed in embarrassment.

“N-no, that’s not it.”

“Plus, we had a secret rendezvous by the pond at night.”

“What? Secret rendezvous!”

Jeong Lee-chu was even more surprised than Cha-ryeon.

Cha-ryeon shouted with wide eyes.

“That’s not true. It’s a misunderstanding. Hey! You really!”

It was too late for excuses. The watching eyes were disappointed, thinking ‘Ah, so that’s their relationship.’ With gazes full of pity wondering ‘How did she end up with someone like him?’

Cha-ryeon sighed with a face that looked ready to cry.

Please just make the Bear’s Gall wine. Stop creating nonexistent history.

Only Yang In-myeong looked between Jeok Lee-geon and Cha-ryeon with interested eyes.

Meanwhile, Jeok Lee-geon cooled the pot in cold water.

Yang In-myeong peered into the pot with curiosity-filled eyes and sniffed.

“You only used strongly aromatic medicinal ingredients.”

He then examined the wine Jeok Lee-geon brought.

“That seems to be the base wine. Quite ordinary.”

Both the ingredients and wine looked completely unremarkable.

Jeok Lee-geon poured the ingredients into the wine.

Watching this, Yi-hwa smiled meaningfully. She was certain he could never replicate the exact taste.

He stirred the ingredients, then added a few more things.

Cha-ryeon moved busily, following Jeok Lee-geon’s instructions.

Finally, the wine was complete.

“Here, try it.”

Jeok Lee-geon offered it to Cha-ryeon first. She took a small taste.

“It’s the same, right?”

This idiot.

“…It’s completely different.”

Cha-ryeon’s face turned serious. Though she wasn’t well-versed in wine, it tasted completely different from the Bear’s Gall wine she had sipped earlier. For one thing, it completely lacked that bitter taste.

Yi-hwa smiled coldly with an I-told-you-so expression. Looking at Spring Wind’s martial artist, she said.

“Now, prepare to extract Young Warrior Jeok’s gall.”

The shocked Cha-ryeon shook Jeok Lee-geon.

“Think carefully! What’s missing?”

Looking down at Cha-ryeon’s white fingers gripping his arm, Jeok Lee-geon smirked.

“Are you worried about me right now?”

This bastard! Is this the time to joke around?

“Your life is at stake!”

And my father’s honor too. Please.

Finally, the playfulness disappeared from Jeok Lee-geon’s face.

“Of course it’s different. The most important ingredient isn’t in it.”

Jeok Lee-geon raised his hand and pointed to one wall.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the wall. It was an ordinary wall with a display cabinet neatly stacked with dishes.

Jeok Lee-geon walked slowly toward it.

Yi-hwa flinched. Her eyes wavered with anxiety at an unthinkable possibility.

“This is a strange kitchen.”

Jeok Lee-geon pushed the display cabinet sideways.

With a soft sound, the cabinet moved aside more easily than expected.

Then Jeok Lee-geon kicked aside an iron bowl standing in one corner. As the iron bowl spun once,

Grrrrrrrung.

The wall began to open.

“Ohhhhh!”

All the spectators were shocked.

As the secret room’s door opened, a fishy smell burst out. Everyone frowned and stepped back.

Yi-hwa’s face turned completely pale.

As the secret room’s door opened, a fishy smell burst out. Everyone frowned and stepped back.

Yi-hwa’s face turned completely pale.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The head cook ran over to block the entrance.

“This place contains my cooking secrets. No outsiders may see.”

His voice was trembling.

Jeok Lee-geon shrugged and said.

“But those secrets are the key to today’s matter, so what shall we do?”

The eyes looking at the man were not friendly. Terrified, he broke into a cold sweat.

Yang In-myeong smiled and said.

“Don’t worry. I stake my name on keeping your secret.”

At that, Mak Hwi drew his blue-tinted blade.

He looked around at each person’s face. His gaze promised death to anyone who failed to keep the secret.

With Yang In-myeong’s intervention, the cook stepped back clutching his head.

Something was being cultivated inside the secret room.

Jeok Lee-geon brought out a small box from between the metal structures.

When he opened the lid, a revolting smell rose up.

Inside were black substances whose forms were unrecognizable.

Yang In-myeong held his nose and asked.

“What is this?”

“Droppings from the Back-Painted Bug^[1].”

Unable to bear the revolting smell, everyone wrinkled their noses.

Jeok Lee-geon brought another box.

“These are the Back-Painted Bugs. They’re called that because they look like they have a painting on their backs.”

The box was crawling with insects. Their elaborate back patterns made them look even more disgusting.

“Why are you showing us these creatures?”

“The droppings of these bugs are as bitter as bear’s gall, and taste almost identical.”

“What!”

Everyone’s faces contorted.

Especially Yi-hwa and the cooks were completely terrified. Their expressions alone made it clear what had happened.

Jeok Lee-geon mixed the bug droppings into the wine and stirred it thoroughly. Then he poured it into a cup and held it out.

“Well, who wants to drink?”

Naturally, no one stepped forward.

Jeok Lee-geon looked playfully at Cha-ryeon.

Why are you looking at me?

Cha-ryeon stepped back in horror.

So that’s what I drank earlier? Oh, I think I’m going to faint.

The brave volunteer was Mak Hwi.

“I volunteered as witness, so I should verify this too.”

He drained the cup decisively.

Though the wine taste was subtly different, it was undeniably the same wine.

He glared at Yi-hwa with murderous eyes.

“You bitch who deserves to be torn apart!”

Yi-hwa stood firm, but the cooks couldn’t. They all prostrated themselves begging for mercy.

Yi-hwa bit her lip and glared viciously at Jeok Lee-geon.

Jeok Lee-geon smirked.

“They say the one who shits gets angry first… no, the woman who mixed in shit is getting angry.”

Several people retched just thinking about it.

Watching this, Yang In-myeong laughed heartily and stepped forward.

“How did you know?”

“I’d tasted it before.”

“I heard Back-Painted Bugs only live deep in the Southern Barbarian lands?”

“I’ve traveled a lot since childhood. Because of my mother’s principle.”

“What principle is that?”

“A man must travel extensively to grow.”

“Haha! Well said. I’d like to meet her someday.”

At that, Jeok Lee-geon gave a meaningful look.

“You’ll regret saying that.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not the type my mother would like. She’s the kind who says she dislikes something right on the spot.”

“Hohoho.”

Yang In-myeong laughed awkwardly. But he didn’t seem angry at all. Rather, his eyes showed even greater curiosity.

“But how did you know there was a secret room there?”

“Because of that mechanism.”

Jeok Lee-geon looked at the old iron bowl standing in the corner.

“Though it looks quite natural, the person who taught me cooking said something. That a cook must treasure their cooking tools like their life. Even though this place overcharges, the food taste was quite decent. I didn’t think cooks who could make such food would carelessly leave cooking tools in a corner like that. Also, while dust had gathered around, only that bowl’s handle was polished smooth. In other words, it was begging to be found.”

Everyone, including Yang In-myeong, marveled at this.

The happiest person was naturally Cha-ryeon. She felt like running over and hugging him right then.

Jeok Lee-geon held out his palm to Cha-ryeon.

“Good work, assistant cook.”

Really, the more I see him, the stranger he is. Should I even use the word strange? For this brilliance?

Clap―

Cha-ryeon clapped his palm.

Jeok Lee-geon said with a triumphant face.

“Well then, today’s earnings are all mine.”

“A promise must be kept, of course.”

Mak Hwi had a cook bring the money. Yi-hwa was still acting viciously.

“Do you know who’s behind me? Touch me and you’ll all die!”

Slap!

Mak Hwi struck her cheek mercilessly.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want to know! Who exactly is behind you? Speak! Before I tear you apart!”

Mak Hwi kicked her mercilessly as she lay on the floor.

Puk! Puk!

“How dare you pull this kind of stunt against us!”

Mak Hwi showed no mercy just because she was a woman.

Mak Hwi was enraged that Yang In-myeong had drunk such wine. She went limp after losing consciousness.

But that wasn’t the end – Mak Hwi had barely started. Grabbing her hair, he asked Jeok Lee-geon.

“Hey, want to work under me?”

He made the offer knowing Yang In-myeong’s interest in Jeok Lee-geon.

But Jeok Lee-geon smirked.

“I’m a bit busy.”

Just then, the cook came out with the money.

Jeok Lee-geon snatched up the bills and money pouch full of coins. At a glance, it looked to be well over three thousand taels.

“Uahahahaha! All this money made from selling shit!”

Several weak-stomached people retched again.

“Well then, I’ll leave the rest to you elders, and we’ll be going.”

As if his business was done, Jeok Lee-geon took Cha-ryeon’s hand and left.

Jeong Lee-chu made a polite bow to Yang In-myeong before following.

After they left, Mak Hwi quietly said to Yang In-myeong.

“An interesting kid.”

“More than that.”

Yang In-myeong’s eyes deepened.

“When I first saw that child, I was overwhelmed by an emotion I thought I’d never feel again.”

“What was it?”

“The feeling I had the day I took the Southern Peak Alliance into my hands. That trembling, exciting, yet hollow feeling, along with ambition stirring to take the Central Plains into my grasp – that feeling from that day came alive again.”

“Is that child so special?”

“I don’t know. Why I felt such emotion.”

Only then did Mak Hwi acknowledge Jeok Lee-geon’s extraordinariness. Yang In-myeong’s uncertainty itself was special. The Yang In-myeong he knew had keen insight that saw through all people.

“Interesting, truly interesting. Hahaha!”

As his laughter grew, Yang In-myeong’s gaze grew infinitely deeper.

Meanwhile, Jeok Lee-geon and the father-daughter pair were hurrying home.

Jeong Lee-chu’s fondness for Jeok Lee-geon had skyrocketed.

“Thank you. Without you, we could have faced great misfortune.”

“Of course. Who else could pull off such a splendid deed?”

“…”

Yes, right. Who else could make me want to hit them in this kind of situation?

“I expect proper treatment as your benefactor from now on.”

Just say one more word.

Jeong Lee-chu’s steps quickened.

Though it looked like he was avoiding Jeok Lee-geon’s unnecessary flattery, that wasn’t it.

Once they escaped that place, all sorts of thoughts began flooding in.

What if Jeok Lee-geon hadn’t broken this situation? How would they have gotten nine hundred taels? They would have had to borrow recklessly from everywhere.

Beyond the money, there was Gwon Hyeok-gi. They had met several times and he thought they had a decent relationship. The betrayal of trust pained Jeong Lee-chu’s heart.

Suddenly, he remembered Im Chabok, a soldier who had embezzled funds and ran away long ago. He had vowed never to be betrayed again after that, but here he was, thoroughly fooled once more.

Moreover, if this was orchestrated by Palm Essence Union, this was no ordinary problem. He was troubled in many ways.

Watching her father’s confused back, Cha-ryeon sighed. She could feel how heartbroken he must be right now.

Walking side by side, Jeok Lee-geon rubbed his stomach absently.

“Ah, I’m starving.”

Cha-ryeon smiled faintly.

She glanced at Jeok Lee-geon from the corner of her eye.

Jeok Lee-geon yawned widely with a dispirited expression, his mouth stretching open.

This guy showed not even a hint of tension despite facing the Greatest Beauty of Wuhan.

Cha-ryeon smiled and said, “Let’s go. Let’s have dinner together.”

“I’ll go if you grill meat for me.”

Goodness, always going on about meat.

“…I’ll grill it for you.”

After saying it, she felt oddly embarrassed. She had never even poured a cup of water for another man, let alone grilled meat. So she added one spiteful condition:

“But you’re buying the meat. You’ve earned plenty of money, after all.”

“Fine, fine!”

Jeok Lee-geon lit up like a child at the thought of meat.

“Hahaha! Meat, just you wait! I’m coming! Get the grill ready and wait for me. I’ll call everyone too. Let’s have a feast today. Hahaha!”

Get the grill ready?

Is that all you’re going to ask the Greatest Beauty of Wuhan to do?

Watching his retreating back as he ran off promising to buy the most delicious meat in Wuhan, Cha-ryeon couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Ah, what an incomprehensible fellow.