Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Eating Together
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Gong Cheon-ak and Hyeon-gak flinched and halted their fists. Tension had sweat beading on their foreheads.
"What did you just say?"
Gong Cheon-ak demanded, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"Clams aren't for fighting. They're for eating."
"Who doesn't know that!"
"Then why are you acting like you do?"
"Amitabha. We admit we've made fools of ourselves. But if a clam couldn't be broken by this lowly monk of the Shaolin Temple's 18 Arhats or the Seventh Star Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, then it's no ordinary clam."
Hurt pride had even drawn Hyeon-gak into defending Gong Cheon-ak.
"A clam's a clam, ordinary or not. I've heard some wild nonsense in my time, but this takes the cake."
"Hmph. Who couldn't pry it open with a sword or hack it with an axe?"
Gong Cheon-ak shot back.
"You idiots. A clam this big won't even take a knife jab. And why hack a perfectly good one? You're probably the only fools in the world who'd smash a clam to eat it."
"So you're saying you can open it without any blades?"
"Of course."
"And if you fail?"
"Fail at shucking a clam? You're killing me."
"If you fail, hand over that sword and axe."
"Take 'em. Go ahead."
His easy agreement left Gong Cheon-ak and Hyeon-gak stunned instead. What gave this guy the confidence to talk so big?
"But if I succeed, the adductor muscle is mine."
"The adductor? You mean the bit that holds the meat to the shell?"
"Yeah."
The crowd's faces twisted in disbelief once more. Offering up a sword and axe, only to stake a claim on a clam's adductor muscle?
What kind of lunatic is this?
Whatever the case, at that moment, Gong Cheon-ak and Hyeon-gak were on the same side. Gong Cheon-ak exchanged a covert glance with Hyeon-gak before telling Heuk Do-san,
"Fine. Deal."
Everyone watched Heuk Do-san with bated breath. What ultimate techniques would he unleash? This time, they might finally see his true colors.
Heuk Do-san hoisted the clam with ease.
The onlookers gasped. They'd struggled with it themselves, and a full one this size weighed nearly as much as a boulder of equal volume. Lifting it like that?
'He was hiding his martial prowess after all.'
Led by Gong Cheon-ak and Hyeon-gak, the group backed away. He was surely planning to toss it in the air and strike as it fell.
'Smart thinking!'
But against expectations, Heuk Do-san carried the clam to the bonfire. To keep the flames from spreading, he set it atop a pile of large stones stacked like a hearth.
"What... what are you doing?"
Gong Cheon-ak asked.
"Can't you see? Roasting it."
The clueless crowd exchanged baffled looks.
To roast a clam, don't you open the shell, scoop out the meat, and skewer it first? That was their idea of grilling meat.
It had to be that way. Seafood caught off the East Sea took a full month to cross a province through layers of traders. Fresh was out of the question—mostly salt-cured stuff.
Clams especially got their shells removed and turned into fermented paste to cut down on bulk and weight. To inland folk, clams weren't just rare; they were downright alien food.
It took about half an incense stick's time before they grasped Heuk Do-san's method. The massive clam, motionless till then, suddenly 'cracked!' open.
"Whoa!"
"Ah!"
The dramatic split sent everyone stumbling back several paces in shock.
Yeom Jin-sang blurted out in a frenzy.
"It's open! It's open!"
* * *
Its size was no joke, and inside the gaping shell, plump, mouthwatering clam meat filled every inch.
Heuk Do-san drew a dagger from his belt and severed the tough ligament holding the halves together. He then replaced the top shell like a lid and stoked the fire higher.
After about the time it takes to burn one incense stick, steam began hissing from between the shells. The savory aroma hit, and faces be damned, everyone gulped hard.
"Think it's about done?"
Gong Cheon-ak ventured cautiously.
"Honestly, even a bit underdone's fine."
Hyeon-gak said.
"I hear foreigners eat raw fish."
Dang Yak-ran added.
"If they eat raw fish, why not raw clams?"
Yeom Jin-sang chimed in.
"Just eat it."
Bing-seol said.
Starve for three days, and even a dog turns wolf. After four days on raw seaweed from the morning boat, how could their empty guts hold out?
Faced with gut-wrenching hunger, the group united as one.
Oblivious or not to their desperation, Heuk Do-san settled it in one word.
"Wait."
Fuming, Gong Cheon-ak silently ripped apart a pile of firewood and hurled it into the blaze—to crank up the heat and speed things along. With food in sight, strength surged from nowhere.
The flames roared like a furnace for another incense stick before broth bubbled over from the seam.
Finally, the words they'd craved slipped from Heuk Do-san's mouth.
"Let's check if it's ready."
He prodded the top shell with a stick, knocking it off. Amid the boiling broth, golden-brown clam meat emerged.
Heuk Do-san grabbed one of the small shells Bing-seol had collected, scooped some cloudy broth, blew on it, and savored.
"Hm?"
"What's wrong?"
Gong Cheon-ak asked.
"Not bad at all."
"Yeah? So we can eat now?"
"Start with the hot broth to settle your stomachs. Meat first, and your guts'll revolt."
Small shells dove into the clam pot like eager birds at his words.
Soon, faces bloomed like rice shoots after rain.
"Whoa, I feel alive."
Gong Cheon-ak said.
"The broth steeped perfectly."
Dang Yak-ran said.
"And the seasoning's spot on."
Bing-seol said.
"I caught it."
Yeom Jin-sang boasted.
Food after four days of starvation, crossing a sea of death. Even thin gruel would taste divine.
They slurped broth greedily. Hot liquid flooding empty bellies seemed to loosen even the stickiest knots.
Amid their, Heuk Do-san drew his axe. He fished out clam meat from the bubbling pot and slapped it onto the discarded top shell.
Steam rose from the glistening flesh, driving them wild. The star was the chewy adductor muscle, pure tender meat.
Heuk Do-san sliced off an adductor the size of half Dang Yak-ran's rear and pulled it his way. He cut it into bite-sized chunks, blew, and tore off a piece.
Chewy texture burst with umami juices filling his mouth.
"Hm?"
"What's up?"
Gong Cheon-ak asked again.
"Why keep asking? Try it yourself."
"Don't we have to slice it first?"
"Hm? Right."
Heuk Do-san roughly chopped the rest of the meat.
The group snatched chunks by hand and shoved them in. Faces stiffened before the flavor even hit.
"Unbelievable."
Gong Cheon-ak said.
"It's fantastic."
Dang Yak-ran said.
"I never knew clams could taste this good."
Bing-seol said.
"Good thing there's no rice wine, huh? Kahaha."
Yeom Jin-sang laughed.
No need for manners, no room for it. Like survivors past famine, they devoured whatever they grabbed.
One exception: Hyeon-gak, gulping and watching.
"Why aren't you eating, monk?"
Heuk Do-san asked.
"Amitabha. What monk eats meat?"
"Is clam meat?"
"It doesn't root like plants."
"What a joke. Just days ago you were slicing throats, and now you play monk and skip clams? Why the hell did you throw a fit about shucking it earlier?"
Seizing the moment, Gong Cheon-ak mocked him.
Even Hyeon-gak, unflappable amid shipboard standoffs, flushed red and purple.
Gong Cheon-ak snorted.
"No one's gonna tell. Eat up. Who knows tomorrow? You might collapse in the road. Not that I'd care."
Heuk Do-san pressed.
"He's right, Great Master. I know your vows, but this isn't the time."
Dang Yak-ran backed him.
"Amitabha. If we weigh pros and cons to keep precepts, how are we disciples of the Buddha? True nature shows in hardship; faith gleams in trials."
"Suit yourself."
Heuk Do-san said.
"But hope there's no backlash..."
"What're you on about?"
"It might be poisonous."
They glared at Hyeon-gak like killers, mid-bite. What nonsense was this?
"Ridiculous! Since when are clams poisonous!"
Gong Cheon-ak snapped.
"There's poisonous fish—why not poisonous clams? Amitabha, we really should hope there's no trouble..."
Eyes shifted to Dang Yak-ran. Poison was her domain.
She shrugged, as if even she couldn't say.
Stuck, they eyed each other awkwardly. Except Heuk Do-san, chomping adductor muscle through it all.
"You sure it's safe?"
Gong Cheon-ak asked.
"Nope."
"And you just keep eating?"
"Some creatures have defenses. Hedgehogs spines, bees and scorpions venom, lizards camouflage."
"And?"
"This clam's got armor. Shell no sea beast can crack. Need poison too?"
"Exactly. That's why it was so tough."
Gong Cheon-ak agreed overly enthusiastically, as if that explained his failure.
Heuk Do-san chewed away, still talking.
Gong Cheon-ak dove back in aggressively. Yeom Jin-sang, Dang Yak-ran, and Bing-seol followed.
Frustrated at his own failure, Hyeon-gak grimaced bitterly. Then, gazing at distant peaks, he muttered,
"Wonder how the others fared..."
His words pierced hearts, becoming the hot topic.
Tens of thousands from Righteous and Demonic had gathered off Shandong that day.
What became of them? The war?
"The Righteous Alliance's victory was obvious. Question is how many losses we minimized."
Dang Yak-ran said.
"Nonsense! The Divine Cult's suicide squad of a thousand is invincible. No matter their numbers, we'd sweep them like chaff. Lucky you weren't there."
Gong Cheon-ak retorted.
Heuk Do-san and Yeom Jin-sang watched with expressions saying, 'Not feeling that lucky right now.'
Hyeon-gak fired back.
"With that handful? Overconfidence is delusion. A Seventh Star Lord should know better. Tsk tsk tsk."
"I'll grant their numbers overwhelm. But seven in ten are mercenaries. Fighters for coin bail at crisis—that's human nature. How to compare to Cult elites who stake lives like dust?"
"One Demonic scum's bounty is one ingot of silver. Squad leaders ten, elders a hundred, the Heavenly Demon's head a thousand ingots. Money moves ghosts—entrusting fate to faith alone? Even stray dogs would laugh."
"You're a monk turned apostate. Tsk tsk, a meathead who'd sell Buddha statues for cash climbed to 18 Arhats? Shaolin's future worries me."
"Fair. Shaolin's future does worry me. But the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's done for by now—what to do?"
"You meathead!"
"Shut it, demon spawn!"
As always, talk devolved into Hyeon-gak and Gong Cheon-ak's war of words, escalating to tense standoff.
'Getting old.'
'Fight or don't.'
Heuk Do-san and Yeom Jin-sang focused on the meat regardless.
A survival tip from battlefields: Eat as much as you can when you can. Besides, whoever won meant nothing to them.
"Find anything?"
Yeom Jin-sang asked Heuk Do-san.
"What?"
"You went scouting."
"Oh, that. Too dark for sure, but seems like a vast birch forest."
"Birch?"
"Grows where spring snow never fully melts. Tough wood—northern tribes make bows. Vast forest means far north."
"North like Hebei?"
"Hebei's not this cold."
"Then Tartar?"
Tartar meant Mongol. Folks pictured deserts and steppes, but the northeast sprawled with dense woods.
Tartar would be bad. No unified dynasty there—just horse nomads thriving on raids.
Their ferocity was infamous even in the Central Plains. War-hardened, they'd scalp any Han on sight.
If Tartar, they'd have to cross their lands to get home.
Picture it: thousands of saber- and bow-wielding cavalry thundering in pursuit.
"Who knows."
"Not Russia, I hope?"
Russia lay farther north. Legends said its realm stretched to the North Sea, end of the world and icy palaces.
Endless woods, permafrost, bone-chilling cold that snapped deer antlers, jagged peaks—disasters in themselves.
Harsh lands bred roots, though. Russia teemed with countless barbarians.
Rumors said they raided like meals, born to battle like Tartars. Terrifying.
Shocked by Yeom Jin-sang?
The group quit eating, tuning into Heuk Do-san and Yeom Jin-sang. Gong Cheon-ak and Hyeon-gak had quit bickering long ago.
"Russia'd be lucky—at least a path home exists."
"Worse possibilities?"
"Forgot? No one vanished by the Nine Heavens Illusion Grand Ancestral Formation ever returned. If Tartar or Russia, really none?"
"Then where the hell are we? Not thinking hell, are you?"