Chapter 118
Chapter 118
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The Banquet
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At the Cult Leader's command, the Luminous Heavenly Demon Unit announced Mu-heun’s achievements throughout the Divine Cult. Posters detailing his contributions were put up everywhere in the cult's territory, and the people began to chatter about his heroic tales in the marketplaces.
Within the Heavenly Dance Family, those who had actively participated in this recent affair gathered. Their ranks included Baek Gun-hak, the Family Head; Bul-wi, the Pavilion Lord of Meng'ao; Yu Song-yeon, the head of the Violet Poison Demon Family; Mu-hwa, the head of the Sacred Moon Demon Family; Ma Yun-chu, the head of the Sun and Moon Demon Family; and the Blade Leaf Demon.
Upon hearing the news about Mu-heun, they were all filled with admiration. Among them, after Family Head Baek Gun-hak, it was Pavilion Lord Bul-wi of Meng'ao who was the most delighted.
“Hahahahahaha! Wonderful. This is excellent. He is a new wind blowing through the Divine Cult, and his actions are more than worthy of the title ‘Divine Dragon’!”
The reason for his joy was none other than Pa-sun. Lacking any talent for martial arts, Pa-sun had run away from home, unable to bear the scorn of his siblings.
Bul-wi had always felt for Pa-sun, who was a constant source of worry for him. But when he learned that his son had entered the Heavenly Dance Family to do menial chores, he postponed bringing him back.
This was because the Heavenly Dance Family was the only one that remained neutral within the cult, a place governed by the ruthless logic of survival of the fittest.
He thought that if Pa-sun had no talent for martial arts, spending the rest of his life in the Heavenly Dance Family was a viable path. It was better for him to live peacefully there than to remain a mediocre warrior in the harsh world of martial arts.
Then one day, he heard of the exploits of Mu-heun, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family. It wasn't particularly surprising, but the problem was that the one who had been active alongside him was his own worrisome son.
‘Is this, too, my son’s destiny?’
From that moment on, Bul-wi began to keep a close watch on the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family.
The higher and farther Mu-heun flew, the better. It meant his own son would also look higher and fly farther. Was this not like a phoenix carrying a broken-winged bird on its back as it soared?
While others might not have known, Baek Gun-hak, who understood the full situation, could comprehend the Pavilion Lord's feelings.
The other family heads, excluding the Pavilion Lord of Meng'ao, were equally impressed and pleased. As everyone rejoiced, the Blade Leaf Demon spoke up.
“Gahahahaha! I knew it would come to this. I saw a special quality in him at Blade Leaf Valley, something not seen in others, and I witnessed the many miracles he performed with my own eyes.”
Following the Blade Leaf Demon's lead, the other elders also showered Mu-heun with praise. Amidst all the compliments, Family Head Baek Gun-hak listened in silence, desperately trying to calm the overwhelming emotions swelling within him.
After managing to compose himself to some extent, Baek Gun-hak opened his mouth.
“Thank you all so much for helping and standing by my inadequate son. I will not forget this kindness.”
The other family heads, guessing at Baek Gun-hak’s feelings, exchanged farewells and rose to their feet.
“Family Head Baek! We will visit often.”
“Indeed. If anything happens, please don't hesitate to tell us.”
“Haha, your words alone are a great comfort.”
Baek Gun-hak saw off the other family heads, and finally, all the guests had departed from the Heavenly Dance Family estate.
The Heavenly Dance Family residence fell silent, as if it had never been bustling. Leaving the departing figures behind, Baek Gun-hak made his way to his office.
Upon arriving, he summoned the chief steward and said with a broad smile.
“Steward!”
“Yes, Family Head!”
The chief steward of the Heavenly Dance Family was momentarily taken aback by the Family Head’s demeanor, which was so different from the man he knew.
However, his surprise was fleeting. He knew why the Family Head was so elated, and his own spirits lifted in turn.
“Prepare for a banquet at once!”
“A-a banquet, you say?”
The Family Head, unable to contain his excitement and elation, said.
“Yes! Tell every member of the Heavenly Dance Family and the Azure Dragon Unit! Today is a joyous occasion that will go down in our family's history! So, halt all work and let us eat, drink, and celebrate!”
“Ah, yes!”
“All expenses will be covered by me! Prepare the most magnificent feast you can!”
“Yes, sir!”
And so, a grander celebration than the one held after the finals of the Divine Dragon Assembly erupted once more in the Heavenly Dance Family.
Mu-heun’s brothers were also overjoyed, celebrating with great delight. Laughter blossomed throughout the entire estate.
Everyone in the family praised Mu-heun at the top of their lungs. Even the members of the Azure Dragon Unit, who had initially been skeptical of him, cheered wildly and gave him a round of applause.
Meanwhile, there were two individuals whose hearts swelled not with loud praise for Mu-heun's name, but with overwhelming emotion at his dazzling progress. One of them was Seo-bong, who had recently become a squad leader in the Azure Dragon Unit.
After consuming the elixir given to him by Mu-heun and receiving his guidance, Seo-bong had also received personal instruction from Cheon Ga-rak, the Commander of the Azure Dragon Unit.
In a short time, he had achieved remarkable growth, eventually reaching the peak of his abilities.
He had recently won the squad leader selection competition and had been promoted to the position.
Seo-bong, who had become a squad leader at a much younger age than the Flowing Water Sword, Ho-ryang, and the Thunderstorm Spear, Jin-guk.
His moniker was the Iron Wind Sword.
Newcomers to the Azure Dragon Unit called him a genius and envied him, but those who had known him from before applauded his effort.
However, Seo-bong himself credited not his own efforts, but expressed his gratitude to Mu-heun, who had bestowed such grace upon him.
Hearing this joyous news, his heart felt ready to burst. Picturing Mu-heun's triumphant rise in the sky, Seo-bong muttered to himself.
“How far will you go? I've strived to repay the grace you've shown me, yet you only seem to grow more distant. Just keeping up with your subordinates is a struggle.”
To Seo-bong, Mu-heun was a ray of light that had shone upon a life he thought would end in obscurity.
Meanwhile, the other person was in the Violet Poison Demon Family. Her name was Yu Song-hwa.
She was the sister of Mu-heun’s mother, Yu Song-yeon.
As close as blood sisters, Yu Song-hwa also felt a heart-bursting gratitude for Mu-heun's achievements.
That day, she visited Yu Song-yeon’s grave. She placed a cup before the headstone and poured Hundred Flower Wine into it.
Then, taking out another cup, she filled it as well and clinked it against the one she offered to Yu Song-yeon. She then brought the cup to her lips and tilted it back.
“Sister… the son you protected is already becoming the most splendid man in the Divine Cult.”
She smiled bitterly at the thought of Yu Song-yeon, who couldn't share this joy with her, and continued to drink under the open sky, letting the wind wash over her.
***
At that moment, Mu-heun sent a letter via carrier pigeon to the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden of the Sacred Fire Palace. While waiting for a reply, he reflected on the life of Baek Mu-heun, the original owner of his body.
‘It feels like just yesterday that I first met you… So much time has passed already. Am I truly doing the right thing?’
No answer came.
When he had first possessed this body, its rightful owner was not whole.
Only a faint fragment of the original Mu-heun’s soul, already dead and gone, remained.
Coexistence with a soul fragment was impossible, so Mu-heun had absorbed it along with its memories. Thus, Jung-hyeok, now Mu-heun, inherited his memories and thoughts, shouldering the weight of two lives to arrive at this very moment.
Mu-heun retraced his memories, trying to imagine what the original Mu-heun would have said.
-This is awesome!
He let out a small chuckle.
The original Mu-heun would have probably loved it.
‘Right. I won’t rest in the future either.’
Having finished his thoughts, Mu-heun summoned the Heavenly Demonic Corpse, Hyeok, and the Heavenly Fragrance Owl, Cheon-hyang.
Now, it was time to reward these two as well. What kind of reward would be good this time?
[Squeak! I finally get to see you, Master! Why have you been so busy?!]
“Haha, it’s been a while, Cheon-hyang.”
[Hyeok and I have been waiting for days! And do you have any idea how frustrating it is to be with that Hyeok guy? I mean, it's not like the kid's a mute, but he doesn't say a single word! He just blinks… and blinks… like a corpse!]
“Hahahaha… He actually is a corpse…”
[Ah, he’s a corpse… Squeeeaaak! What, so I’ve been traveling with a corpse all this time?!]
“Uh, yeah…”
[Screeeaaam! Why didn’t you tell me! And I, not knowing any better, slept on his shoulder and everything! Eek! How horrible!]
“Haha… Even so, he’s clean… I disinfected him completely.”
[What does that even mean?!]
Among all my companions, the only ones truly bound to me are Cheon-hyang and Hyeok.
Cheon-hyang was extremely noisy. In contrast, Hyeok had no ego whatsoever. He was a silent being who only followed orders. It was only natural. Since I had created him from the Golden Fang Poison Claw, I had erased his original ego.
“Anyway, I should give you two a reward.”
[A reward?! Squeak! What kind of reward are you going to give us?]
This spirit beast owl looked adorable, but it was quite cunning on the inside.
“If there is something you desire, speak.”
[For me, it’s obviously fragrance! As long as there’s fragrance, I don’t care about anything else!]
“What kind should I let you taste this time?”
[Hmm… I’ve tasted mangoes and other strange fruits before, so this time, I want to try something unusual!]
“Unusual food… Hmm, alright.”
[Really!? Squeeeaaak!]
As Cheon-hyang flitted about, ecstatic, I used Myriad Fragrance to prepare the dish I would let it savor.
Where fragrance seemed real, and reality seemed like fragrance, I would let Cheon-hyang experience a dish it could never taste on the Celestial Mountain.
It was Suan Cai Yu, a dish that could only be enjoyed with fresh fish.
Suan Cai Yu was a sour fish soup with a unique cooking method.
Using Myriad Fragrance, I prepared the first ingredients: fresh fish and sour pickled cabbage.
Colors began to bleed into the gently rising aroma.
A fresh, flopping fish materialized in mid-air. A plump cod, a catfish glistening with just the right amount of oil…
Two fish with tender flesh swam through the air.
Then… *Grip!*
An invisible hand of Myriad Fragrance seized the fish.
It then began to clean them meticulously.
[Squeeeaaak! This is so amazing!]
In truth, only I, having assimilated the fruit of the Myriad Fragrance Blood Jade Tree, could manifest such detailed expressions through fragrance. And only Cheon-hyang, a spirit of fragrance, could perceive these manifestations directly.
“Wait just a little longer. I’ll make it delicious for you.”
[Sir!]
The little one has never trained in martial arts nor had a master, yet it uses such words so well.
I now sliced the cleaned fish into appropriate sizes and placed them into a pot. The pot contained boiling water, and after a brief blanching, I took them out while the flesh was still tender.
Now, I was truly ready to begin cooking.
I shall present you with a wondrous dish that can only be conjured through Myriad Fragrance.