Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Finding the Way in the Darkness (3)
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Dozens of baggage wagons crossed a vast plain dyed green with vegetation. Dozens of people rode on the wagons, escorted by more than a dozen warriors on horseback.
A flag emblazoned with the characters for Silver Union fluttered in the wind atop the lead wagon.
“Wow!”
A boy sitting on a wagon in the middle of the procession let out a cheer as he gazed at the expansive plain.
He appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. His face still held a childish innocence, with chubby cheeks full of baby fat, matched by his equally plump build.
The boy, who gave off an instantly warm and friendly impression, kept exclaiming in awe at the scenery unfolding around him.
The middle-aged man driving the wagon smiled at him.
“Jin-bo, are you enjoying it that much?”
“Of course!”
“You already saw this landscape on the way here, didn’t you? What’s so amazing about it?”
“It wasn’t this green back then!”
“Well...”
Bang Woo-gwang, the middle-aged man driving the wagon, nodded in agreement.
The boy who kept gasping in admiration was his son, Bang Jin-bo.
Bang Woo-gwang looked at Bang Jin-bo with eyes full of pity.
‘Poor kid. If only his mother were still alive, he wouldn’t have to follow his old man around and suffer like this.’
It was then.
“We’ll camp here tonight, so everyone prepare.”
A voice boomed from the lead wagon.
“Yes!”
The wagon drivers responded in unison, Bang Woo-gwang’s voice among them.
The dozens of wagons gathered on the flat ground.
As if by prior agreement, they arranged the wagons in a circle like a barricade and began preparing to camp inside.
Bang Woo-gwang parked his wagon among the others and hurriedly said to Bang Jin-bo.
“Hurry and unload the kitchen gear.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jin-bo began unloading the items from the back of the baggage wagon.
The first things he brought down were large iron woks. A shallow, wide Cantonese-style wok with handles on both sides and a deep, round Sichuan-style wok came down together.
“Heave-ho!”
Next, Bang Jin-bo unloaded a large iron cauldron. Bang Woo-gwang beckoned to him.
“Bring the cauldron over here.”
Bang Woo-gwang gathered nearby stones and built a makeshift stove. He placed the iron cauldron Bang Jin-bo brought on top of it.
“Bring the rest.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jin-bo unloaded the kitchen knife and various steaming baskets. The kitchen gear was down, but there was still more to do.
He busily carried over the large chunks of meat and vegetables loaded on one side of the wagon. Sweat poured down his face, but Bang Jin-bo kept smiling.
In the meantime, Bang Woo-gwang had completed four makeshift stoves. Woks and the iron cauldron sat atop them.
Now it was time to light the fires. Bang Woo-gwang rummaged through a chest at the back of the wagon and pulled something out.
The hard clumps were dried mixtures of manure and straw. When thoroughly dried, they had little smell and burned hot, making them Bang Woo-gwang’s go-to fuel.
He stuffed the dried manure into the stoves and lit it. The well-dried fuel caught quickly.
“Whew!”
Only then did Bang Woo-gwang take a brief breather. But it was short-lived; soon he was bustling about again.
A thick, long wooden board was placed in front of the stove. Its surface was scarred with countless knife marks. It was a cutting board.
Bang Jin-bo stood before it.
Bang Woo-gwang smiled warmly at him.
“Shall we get started?”
“Yes!”
With his response, Bang Jin-bo picked up the kitchen knife and got to work.
Thwack! Thwack!
Chunks of meat were sliced apart by the massive blade.
Bang Jin-bo wielded the heavy rectangular knife with effortless freedom.
He quickly dismantled the large hunk of meat into small pieces and trimmed the vegetables into bite-sized portions in no time.
“Hehe!”
A grin slipped through Bang Jin-bo’s teeth. Bang Woo-gwang laughed at the sight.
“You rascal!”
Now it was his turn.
He tossed the ingredients Bang Jin-bo had prepped into the searing-hot woks and began stir-frying.
Sizzle!
White smoke billowed up instantly.
Bang Woo-gwang held a wok in each hand and worked them deftly. Even the most skilled chefs rarely handled two heavy woks at once over the fire.
Yet there wasn’t a trace of strain on Bang Woo-gwang’s face as he managed both.
Bang Jin-bo watched his father with eyes full of admiration.
No matter how many times he saw it, his father’s wok-handling skills were incredible. And it wasn’t just the woks. In between, he dumped meat and vegetables into the iron cauldron to simmer a pork stew, its aroma mouthwatering.
Bang Woo-gwang prepared three entirely different dishes at once.
Coin beef, spiral pork, and a hearty pork stew.
The coin beef was made with beef, while the spiral pork and stew used pork. Though all meat dishes, their cooking methods and ingredients differed so much that preparing them simultaneously was extremely tricky.
“Whew!”
Bang Woo-gwang wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and looked at Bang Jin-bo, who smiled back.
“The rice is already done. Hehe!”
Sometime during, Bang Jin-bo had set the pot on the remaining stove and cooked rice.
“You rascal! You’re doing it all without me even asking now.”
“Of course! I’ve got years of experience. I’ve been tagging along behind you for eight whole years already. I’m qualified to be a proper chef now.”
“Hah! Has it been that long already?”
Bang Woo-gwang’s expression darkened slightly.
After his wife died, he had wandered the world with Bang Jin-bo. That meant eight years had passed since her death.
“Hold on just a bit longer. Once we get back this time, we’ll settle down.”
“Does that mean we’re finally opening our own tavern?”
“Haha! That’s right.”
“Wow!”
Bang Jin-bo bounced in place with excitement. Bang Woo-gwang smiled at him.
They’d earned a tidy sum on this trip. Adding it to their savings, they could afford a small tavern. Then he’d teach Bang Jin-bo proper cooking.
“But first, we’ll have to stop at the World’s Premier Pavilion by Lake Dongting.”
“You mean I finally get to taste the food of the world’s greatest chef?”
“That’s right! Your old man will sample it and recreate it for you later.”
“You promise?”
“Of course. Haha!”
It was while Bang Woo-gwang let out a hearty laugh.
“Man, that smells amazing.”
“As expected of Chef Bang. You’ve got the food ready already.”
People gathered, drawn by the aroma. They were the Silver Union’s escorts and merchants.
The Bang father and son were chefs hired by the caravan. On this year-long expedition, the group had specially brought them on.
Whenever they camped like this, the pair cooked for everyone. The merchants and escorts, used to dry rations on the road, cheered at the meals they whipped up.
Bang Woo-gwang’s skills rivaled those of famous tavern chefs. Already exceptional, his cooking had deepened over the year’s journey, especially after tasting and experimenting with countless spices in the West with the merchants.
Their wagon carried spices he’d personally acquired.
Then a middle-aged warrior approached. The bearded man was Jo Su-gwang, owner of the Silver Union.
“What delightful dishes are you treating us to today, Chef Bang?”
“I got some prime beef and pork from that last village, so I made coin beef, spiral pork, and pork stew.”
“Oh! Coin beef, eh? My mouth’s in for a real treat today.”
Jo Su-gwang smiled.
He looked at Bang Jin-bo.
“Jin-bo, you should learn your father’s skills too.”
“This kid’s got a better palate for food than I do.”
“Haha! That’s something to look forward to.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
Bang Woo-gwang patted Bang Jin-bo’s shoulder lightly. Bang Jin-bo looked up at his father with a bright smile.
Jo Su-gwang clapped and called out.
“Alright, good work. Chef Bang has made something delicious, so let’s all eat.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
The escorts and merchants replied and dug into the food.
Bang Jin-bo smiled happily as he watched them enjoy what he’d helped make.
‘Ah, this is nice.’
The next dawn, the Silver Union packed up early. They doused the fires and loaded the cargo, and morning light broke in a flash.
Unlike the others, the Bang duo had some leisure. They’d prepared breakfast for the group while everyone slept.
It was porridge made from the leftovers, simple but hearty with plenty of meat—a full meal in itself.
After everyone ate, the Bangs hurriedly packed. Once they loaded the kitchen gear, the caravan set off.
Bang Jin-bo lay in the back of the wagon his father drove, gazing at the sky.
‘Not long now till we enter the Central Plains.’
Looking back, the past year had flown by in a blur. When Bang Woo-gwang took the job with the Silver Union, Bang Jin-bo had been swept off to the West without a say.
At first, he’d resented his father, but now that feeling was gone.
Bang Jin-bo pulled a small booklet from his bosom. It was where Bang Woo-gwang jotted down his cooking secrets whenever he had time.
Bang Jin-bo had studied it nonstop during the journey, memorizing recipes. Still just theory for now, but once back in the Central Plains, he’d learn hands-on.
“Hehe!”
It was while Bang Jin-bo chuckled foolishly.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed from a clear sky.
“Wh-what?”
“Whoa, whoa!”
The Silver Union folk calmed the startled horses and scanned around.
Far off, beyond a hill, an enormous cloud of dust rose.
“What’s that?”
“What’s going on?”
Merchants and escorts murmured.
Caravan leader Jo Su-gwang looked to chief escort O Gi-o.
“What is it?”
“Wait a moment. Yu Pyo and Cheong-o will come with me to check it out. Everyone stay alert.”
“Understood.”
O Gi-o led Yu Pyo and Cheong-o toward the dust.
‘Did something happen at Hell Valley?’
No one knew when it got the name Hell Valley. Once a gorge, it had collapsed into flatland one day.
Even as flatland, people called it Hell Valley. Covered in massive rocks and debris, no caravan dared pass nearby.
Yu Pyo and Cheong-o were veteran escorts O Gi-o trusted. Hardened by experience, little fazed them.
But upon arriving, their bodies trembled like leaves in a storm.
“What in the world?”
The Hell Valley area looked like a volcano had erupted—utterly devastated. The dust hung thick, clouding vision.
“Gasp!”
O Gi-o and Yu Pyo, straining their sight, suddenly choked.
In the ashen haze floated two bluish fireballs.
Like ghostly flames blooming from hell, the pair stared straight at them.
“A p-person?”
O Gi-o realized they were human eyes.