The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly (2)
I felt a chill run down my spine. The energy of the Taecheng Pill still circulated through my body, not yet fully absorbed. I slowly began stretching to help it settle.
I extended my limbs fully, then bent at the waist from side to side in a steady rhythm. It was a simple set of movements, but it helped guide the unanchored energy of the pill toward my mana core. After all, internal energy always followed the path of least resistance.
After sitting in lotus position for so long, loosening my stiff muscles allowed most of the pill’s remaining power to gradually seep into my body. A good portion had already dissipated, but whatever was left should at least strengthen my muscles somewhat.
Chuckling at my own optimistic thoughts, I opened the door of the training chamber. A dim, shadowy room greeted me.
It was already night.
I must have been in there for at least half a day—maybe even longer. And the smell… it was pretty bad.
I wrinkled my nose at the stench coming from my own body. It seemed that while absorbing the Taecheng Pill, my system had expelled a considerable amount of impurities. As expected from the Wudang Sect’s famous purifying pill.
I wouldn’t mind eating a few more. Even if they don’t taste very good.
I grabbed a change of clothes and left the room. A quick wash was definitely in order. There was no way I could lie on a bed like this.
“I’m a bit hungry, but eating in the middle of the night feels wrong…”
The silence must have gotten to me, because I found myself muttering aloud as I pushed open the bathhouse door. As expected, the place was empty. I stripped off my clothes and headed straight for the large tub in the corner.
The tub used for storing washing water was filled with cold liquid. Normally someone would have lit a fire beneath it to warm the water, but given the hour, that clearly hadn’t happened. I scooped water with a ladle and began pouring it over myself vigorously. The icy shock against my skin instantly cleared my head.
As I continued dousing myself, the scent of the water mixed with my body odor, creating a truly indescribable stench.
The smell isn’t coming off easily. Well, of course it wouldn’t with just water…
Maybe I should look for something like soap in the market tomorrow. Wuhan was a wealthy city; surely they had some kind of soap for bathing. Solid soap probably didn’t exist in this era, though.
Then again, could I just use lye?
With random thoughts running through my head, I scrubbed myself thoroughly with a coarse towel. The impurities clinging stubbornly to my skin were scraped away with the help of my aura, falling to the floor in dark clumps.
“Maybe I should try the Roman method—sand and oil.”
Scrubbing with sand and then rinsing with water didn’t sound half bad. The only problem was where to get the sand.
Once I was clean, I flicked the moisture off my body using internal energy. The towels here didn’t absorb water nearly as well as the ones from the 21st century, so this method was far more convenient. I used the towel only for whatever remained.
“This place feels like a ghost could pop out at any moment.”
Do ghosts actually exist here? They probably do.
The bathhouse remained eerily quiet. I left the silent space and returned to my room.
“Mister? Are you finally done?”
“Yeah. Don’t I seem a little different?”
“...You smell a bit different.”
Why is she judging by smell? I looked down at Hye-ryeong, who had suddenly pressed her nose against me and was sniffing like a puppy.
She’s switched from penguin to dog now, huh?
“Hye-ryeong, how long was I in the training chamber?”
“Two whole days!”
Two days… that’s longer than I thought. I’d assumed it would be about a day at most. Maybe it was because I had only managed to fully absorb half the pill’s energy.
Should I have put in more effort to absorb a greater amount?
Even then, I probably would have only gained another ten percent at best. Since I wasn’t a Taoist immortal, there was a limit to how efficiently I could absorb it. I’d need to learn the Wudang Sect’s cultivation method to fully utilize the Taecheng Pill.
“So that’s why my stomach was sticking to my spine.”
“Then let’s go eat right now!”
“Don’t make such a fuss.”
I calmed the overly excited Hye-ryeong before heading toward the dining hall at a leisurely pace. As soon as I started walking, she fell into step beside me, chattering away like a baby bird.
“I was so bored the two days you were gone, mister! There aren’t many people I know here, so I had no one to play with. The elder got angry and told me to just train, and the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly is still a few days away…”
“The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly?”
“It’s a gathering where the young elites of the righteous sects meet once a year. I’ve been officially invited to participate as a young elite myself! You too, of course.”
“Am I considered a young elite?”
“Did you lie about your age?”
“I don’t remember lying about my age.”
There was no reason to hide it anyway. Hye-ryeong grinned brightly at my response.
“Then you’re a young elite too, mister!”
“A late bloomer?”
“Young elite!”
Hearing myself called a young elite felt strangely awkward. Of course, I was only about the same age as Hye-ryeong, so it made sense… Maybe I should claim to be a few years older. If I insisted I was thirty based on my face, people might actually believe it.
Or maybe not.
“So you’re coming with me to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, right?”
“What about Mok-gyeong?”
“Won’t she come on her own?”
What’s wrong with asking about Mok-gyeong? I poked Hye-ryeong’s puffed-out cheek with my finger and spoke.
“She placed second in the martial tournament. There will be plenty of people trying to recruit her. She’ll definitely receive an invitation to the assembly.”
If I were the host of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, both Mok-gyeong and I would be top priority guests. After all, we were both Peak-level experts—one unaffiliated and the other a former patrol squad member. Simply making us allies would bring enormous benefits. Even just building a friendly connection would be a significant gain.
Relationships in the Central Plains were intricately woven like a spider’s web. They placed immense importance on personal connections.
That was why I also planned to build relationships with the young elites from the Five Great Clans and the Nine Great Sects. There was nothing to lose by getting close, and having friends could prove useful when I needed to travel around the Central Plains—perhaps even letting me stay with them for a while.
“Ugh, I’m so jealous. I got eliminated in the quarterfinals…”
“You’ll do better next time.”
“You think so? Hehe…”
We chatted casually as we made our way to the dining hall. Since it was still early morning, the place was nearly empty. We picked a quiet corner and sipped the tea the waiter brought out.
“The tea tastes better than before.”
“Really? It tastes the same to me…”
Hye-ryeong tilted her head at my muttered comment and took another sip.
“It must be because I haven’t eaten for two days. When you’re this hungry, even terrible jerky tastes good.”
“Everything tastes good when you’re starving!”
“Even pig slop?”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”
“Food is ready!”
Maybe because there weren’t many customers, the dishes came out quickly. I eyed the oily, appetizing food being set on the table and picked up my chopsticks.
“We can talk later. Let’s eat first.”
“Okay!”
I picked up a piece of meat heavily coated in sauce and put it in my mouth, savoring the flavor. The sweet-and-sour taste, similar to tangsuyuk sauce, stimulated my tongue, while the tender yet slightly chewy meat created a deeply satisfying texture with every bite.
“It’s delicious…”
“The food at this restaurant is famous for being excellent.”
“...Yang Seo-yu?”
“Warrior Wi. It’s been a while.”
Why are you here? Well, I suppose there’s no reason you couldn’t be.
I stared blankly at Yang Seo-yu as he bowed politely with a fist-and-palm salute. We could run into each other at a restaurant, sure, but were we close enough to exchange greetings? Other than fighting once at the arena, we had no connection—
“Are you here for a meal?”
“Yes. A fine meal is essential on a refreshing morning like this. I also came to deliver this.”
Yang Seo-yu pulled a small envelope from his robe and handed it to me. I accepted it, checked the paper inside, and looked back at him.
“Who sent this?”
“The White-Robed Scholar, Young Master Jegal Hyeon-sang, asked me to pass it along.”
Ah, that suspiciously shady guy?
I unfolded the letter from the envelope. On the paper were two neatly written words and a single stamped seal.
[Moon Fragrance Pavilion. Hour of the Monkey.]
Moon Fragrance Pavilion at the Hour of the Monkey.
This part is exactly the same as the original story.
“Thank you for delivering the letter. Will you be attending as well?”
“Yes. I was asked to deliver the message while I was at it.”
“Did you give one to Young Master Mok-gyeong as well?”
“I did. She didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic. She might not come.”
I nodded at Yang Seo-yu’s words. In the original story, she wasn’t the type to enjoy drinking parties. She only attended the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly because she had won a high placement and couldn’t refuse. She’d probably just show up, pick at some food, and leave.
Originally, this wasn’t a major event that triggered any incidents. It was more of a social gathering to introduce several recurring young elites. It should proceed without any major issues.
At least, if events followed what I remembered.
...Though there have been quite a few variables compared to the original story.
“Understood. Then I’ll see you at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.”
“It will be an honor to share drinks with someone like you, Warrior Wi. Please enjoy your meal.”
He gave a polite bow and turned toward another table.
“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it.”
“...Now that I think about it, Ha-gyeong is going too, isn’t she?”
“Right?”
It’ll be nice to see her face after so long.
“It’s scheduled for the Hour of the Monkey today, so I can train a bit in the morning and prepare slowly in the afternoon. By the way, Hye-ryeong, do you know where Moon Fragrance Pavilion is?”
“I think so? It was an incredibly huge building—”
Then I won’t have to worry about getting lost. I felt a small sense of relief as I picked up my chopsticks again.