Chapter 106
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Tea and Sweets
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So-hyang's systematic improvements to his diet had tamed Il-ho, opening his eyes to the joys of fine cuisine.
Unlike the old days when simply stuffing his belly full was enough to satisfy him, he now possessed a palate that could fairly be called that of a gourmand.
Once his threshold for satisfaction had risen, there was no going back to how things were.
However, So-hyang couldn't keep cooking his meals and wiping his mouth for him forever.
Regardless of his appearance and mannerisms, by the standards of the Central Plains, Il-ho was a full-fledged adult and needed to learn self-sufficiency.
Besides, So-hyang was a wandering traveler who would leave Beijing for the next destination once her business was done, while Il-ho was bound by his nominal duties and couldn't stray far from Third Imperial Princess Zhu Yeonhwa's side.
"Il-ho, would you like to learn how to make delicious food from me?"
"...! Yes! I want to learn!"
For that reason, after arriving in Beijing, So-hyang had been teaching Il-ho cooking in her spare moments.
He could have just eaten at decent restaurants, but she didn't want him to become a child who only filled up on takeout every meal.
"Shall we start by learning how to cook rice?"
The student loved eating and was brimming with eagerness to learn, so the lessons progressed smoothly.
His eyes sparkled as he eagerly absorbed her teachings, and since she herself was a peak martial artist, she barely needed to teach him how to handle knives or stoves.
From basics like salads, grilling, soups, stir-fries, braises, and frying, to traditional dishes from various cultures and even field cooking techniques...
Before long, Il-ho had absorbed the systems of all kinds of cooking like a sponge, attaining skills that weren't lacking even for a seasoned chef.
"...Waaah! Why is it shrinking!?"
Even so, for Il-ho, pastries and baking were an entirely different realm.
It didn't take long for his confident face to crumple into a teary one.
-----
Pastry and baking are difficult.
Unlike cooking, which even novices can make somewhat edible, pastry and baking are practically a science.
"Ugh...! I did exactly as instructed, but it's not working...!"
"Hehe, well?"
In other words, it's food made through precise measurement.
If even a drop of water gets into egg whites, they won't whip into meringue.
A little too long in the oven and it burns black; too short and you get hot, undercooked dough.
The texture of the final product varies wildly based on how much you knead the dough—that's basic.
Without proper temperature and time for fermentation, it won't rise or will spread flat...
Extremely, even a pinch more flour can make the bread tough.
A pinch less sugar and the sweetness vanishes; a pinch more and it's cloyingly sweet.
"The conditions here are pretty poor, huh? No microwave, and you have to stoke the wood-fired oven yourself..."
It's a field fundamentally based on precise measurements for the right balance.
Yet Il-ho and So-hyang could only estimate by feel, so of course it was difficult.
"Still, you can do it."
So-hyang sliced a perfectly golden croissant in half and fed it to Il-ho.
"...!"
Il-ho's eyes went wide.
The crisp texture of thin, layered dough, the buttery aroma tickling his nose.
A touch of salt brought out the natural sweetness of the flour, making his mouth water in delight.
"Delicious, right?"
Il-ho's head nodded vigorously.
"I've already told you the right proportions, so just follow the method."
Processes like milling the flour or churning the butter had already been handled by So-hyang, so Il-ho just needed to combine the ingredients into the finished product.
"Ugh, but..."
"Estimating those proportions is the hard part, right? But actually, Il-ho does that difficult thing all the time."
"Huh? What do you..."
So-hyang smiled gently and pointed to the horn bow at Il-ho's waist.
"The skill to accurately hit a target ten li away, the sense to distribute your internal energy precisely and load tension into the bowstring."
Those require extremely sensitive fingertips to gauge minute pulses, and a highly developed ability to perceive space in three dimensions.
All that is far more finicky than "just" gauging the amount of flour.
Il-ho was already a living measuring device, a clock more precise than seconds.
His senses were more than sensitive enough; what he needed was the awakening to wield them freely.
If he could fully utilize those senses beyond his martial arts training, it would naturally elevate his martial prowess as a bonus.
As if grasping her meaning, Il-ho turned serious and started kneading the dough again.
"...I'll give it a try!"
"Good boy, that's the spirit."
His attitude of absorbing and learning her offered teachings like a sponge was so excellent it was impossible not to find him adorable.
A body stunted from poor nutrition in his growth years, a mind immature from a closed environment.
Yet a talent that had reached the peak extreme realm.
Of course, superhuman realm was a unique stage not guaranteed by talent alone, but in So-hyang's eyes, Il-ho's potential was vibrant green.
She sincerely hoped he would grow tall and strong into a martial artist who could exchange blows with her.
She gently stroked the back of Il-ho's head as he focused intently with his big eyes wide open.
-----
Back at the academy, inside the dean's office in the main building.
So-hyang unpacked various pastries from her White Realm and laid them out in a row.
"You said you like sweets, so I made a variety."
"...Isn't that, a bit too much?"
Whole cakes of whipped cream, chocolate, carrot and sweet potato, cheesecake—not slices, full pans.
Muffins, macarons, meringue cookies, and all sorts of tea treats piled high on a three-tiered stand.
It was a bit excessive for a typical tea party, but the setup looked similar enough.
"Come on, I brought them for you to eat. Any leftovers can be shared with the faculty."
"Even so, your eyes looked a little off, but whatever."
The dean eyed So-hyang, who was beaming cheerfully, then turned to the spread of treats.
"Well, they look colorful and pretty."
Some covered in snowy white frosting with red fruit on top, others glossy like ebony, dainty pastel ones.
Most were types he'd never seen, and if not for the faint sweet aroma wafting up, he might have mistaken them for artwork.
The dean picked up a small, round pastry with something sticky sandwiched between two meringue cookies—a macaron.
"...Mm, thanks. I'll dig in."
Truth be told, he had no real expectations.
Since attaining transcendence, he rarely enjoyed food, though he didn't dislike it.
He wasn't particularly fond of it either, though.
Separate from likes or dislikes, it was just bothersome.
His tastes weren't picky, but he found no meaning in the pure act of eating.
As long as it wasn't poisoned, he didn't care about the taste and chewed it down like fuel for his body.
Moving jaw muscles to chew, dulling the mind while operating the digestive system... an unnecessary, meaningless part of his life.
The dean didn't particularly like having attained transcendence by chance, but he had quite enjoyed being freed from eating and drinking.
Thus, he had no special expectations for So-hyang's pastries either.
"Like I said, I don't really enjoy eating... so my reaction might not be great?"
"Of course, just taste a little."
She was going to great lengths, even using up her debt to the academy, just to feed him something, so he'd eat, but already tiring at the thought of mechanically moving his mouth—
"Huh?"
Sweetness and umami enveloped his tongue, a soft, cozy texture filling his mouth.
An intense shock like electricity sparking in his brain ravaged the dean's taste buds.
"...What? Where'd it go?"
For a moment his vision went black, and when he came to, the contents of his mouth were gone.
So-hyang naturally slid a teacup within reach and silently gestured for him to drink.
"Mm, it's red?"
Black tea existed in this era's Central Plains, but it wasn't as popular as green tea.
It looked unfamiliar, but half-dazed from the shocking experience, the dean brought it to his lips as if entranced.
The dean didn't particularly enjoy the tea ceremony either.
Those who knew claimed the aroma of tea leaves brought them to their knees, varying wildly by type, but honestly, he couldn't tell the difference.
Wasn't it just bitter hot water? The dean found it hard to understand.
"...Oh?"
But this red liquid tea was different.
There was still bitterness, but less than the green teas he'd had, and it went down smoothly.
And he wanted to eat more pastries.
The cloying sweetness he hadn't even noticed washed away, cleansing his mouth cleanly.
"Ha, shall I try one more...?"
Wondering if the others were the same, he turned to something like steamed egg in a small bowl.
A dessert of sweet custard cream topped with caramelized, crunchy bittersweet sugar.
Crème brûlée.
A satisfying crunch as the sugar layer shattered, revealing cool, soft tofu-like cream beneath.
The smooth texture, nutty sweetness, bittersweet sugar...
"-What? Where'd it go again."
When he came to, the contents had vanished once more.
"Ahem, what was that? You said your reaction might not be good...?"
He turned dazedly to see So-hyang smiling contentedly as she poured more tea.
"......"
The dean couldn't find words and just drank the black tea she poured.
And ate another pastry.
Drank tea.
Ate pastry.
Drank tea...
"What? Where'd they all go?"
"What, too much?"
The dean's face flushed faintly. He'd boasted it wouldn't move him, yet he'd zoned out and devoured them.
But more than that...
"...Got more?"
"Of course. Want more?"
"...Just a little, a little more."
And so the dean polished off all the tea treats stored in So-hyang's White Realm. In terms of his past life, it was a truckload.
"How was it? Good?"
"...What the hell did you do to these pastries?"
The dean voiced his curiosity with slightly glazed eyes.
He'd wondered if some strange drug was added, but no petty trick would work on him.
He had tasted and chewed with his mouth, but for a transcendent being, ingesting food was inherently meaningless.
No digestion needed; it all became fuel for his Blue Flame.
Obviously immune to poisons, he could even devour a whole mountain if he wanted.
"Mm, I'll take that as a compliment."
"No, well, it is a compliment, but..."
So-hyang nodded in satisfaction. The intense sweetness had struck his dulled taste buds hard; she'd worried if the reaction would be poor, but it exceeded expectations.
It wasn't that his sense of taste was numb; he just hadn't eaten delicious food that suited him.
And his tastes weren't that picky.
She'd greatly reduced his aversion to sweets, so next time she'd wreck his palate with spicy foods like tteokbokki, chicken feet, or mala tang.
Of course, that was for later...
"Well then, shall we start sparring?"
For now, there was business to attend to.
"...Haa, sure."
Blue flames flickered in the dean's eyes.
So-hyang gripped the air.