Donating the Elixir: Never Eaten Before - 1
Once Baek Gyeon and Yu Jin-ha, now hailed as the Shaanxi Twin Heroes, had recovered some of their energy, Pojeongsa threw a grand banquet just as Nang-jung Wang had instructed. The prefect himself poured drinks for mere martial artists, and a hefty amount of meat was distributed to the people of Seoan as well. For one day only, the entire city transformed into a massive festival ground.
"Nang-jung Wang's gifts are on their way to Zhongnan Mountain and Huashan. Take pride in what you've earned through your own strength."
"What an honor!"
"We'll never forget this grace!"
Pojeongsa took over explaining the rewards headed to the two sects in place of Nang-jung Wang, who had leisurely departed after enjoying the spectacle. Wouldn't it be better if the giver announced it personally? But Nang-jung Wang was a king burdened with heavy duties. With the martial tournament over, it was only right for him to hurry back to his base. For a man like that to even come to Shaanxi was unusual, but kings pulling eccentric stunts wasn't a one-time thing. Simply watching the matches and leaving was downright tame by comparison.
"Now, everyone, raise your cups again. To commemorate the splendid duel of the Shaanxi Twin Heroes!"
"To commemorate the splendid duel of the Shaanxi Twin Heroes!"
Pojeongsa led the toast, followed by the martial artists and officials chiming in. Baek Gyeon and Yu Jin-ha's faces stiffened rigidly. The banquet was already in full swing, with everyone having downed a few drinks, so to outsiders, it looked like they were tense from the overwhelming honor of a title bestowed by the king himself.
'Sure, let's call it tension.' The truth was something else, but I decided not to pry. It was for the honor of those Shaanxi Twin Heroes, after all.
'What an odd fellow.' I chuckled softly, picturing Nang-jung Wang, who was probably arriving in Sichuan by now. Pairing up rivals who had even traded cross-counters and slapping a joint title on them? The guy had a twisted sense of humor.
Once the wild banquet finally wound down, Shaanxi returned to its daily routine. The heart-stirring tournament and the gut-busting feast were now just memories of the past.
"I never imagined things would wrap up like this. You really can't predict the path ahead for anyone."
Back in the swing of everyday life, Pojeongsa muttered wearily, his face etched with exhaustion. For an ordinary man without martial arts training, matching drinks with dozens of warriors was no small feat. Considering his age, it wouldn't have been surprising if he'd collapsed and stayed in bed all day.
"At least it ended on a good note, so that's fortunate, isn't it?"
Pojeongsa finally nodded at my words.
While the Shaanxi Twin Heroes rested in bed to recover, the sect leaders were immensely satisfied with their disciples' heroic performances. Both leaders were belligerent types who had joined the army to drive out the Mongols. Seeing their sect's top young talents—the future sect leaders—fight to the bitter end with fists and feet? They were probably grinning ear to ear, proud of how well they'd raised them.
Thanks to that, the issue of distributing the spoils—which had sparked the duel in the first place—was naturally resolved. The two leaders had compromised with, "Let's just split it exactly down the middle."
'When you're in a good mood, everything falls into place.' The elders had no reason to yield or compromise before, but now they had every excuse to graciously step back.
In any case, the duel had settled the spoils distribution.
"Oh, right—the spoils for Kaepyeong are all loaded onto the wagons. You could head out anytime."
"My thanks for your consideration, Prefect."
I bowed in gratitude at Pojeongsa's words. The custom for spoils found in the provinces was to send two-thirds to the capital. Even if the provinces did the digging, everything under heaven belonged to His Majesty. The central bureaucrats, who just sat around scratching their bellies, had every right to claim their share. From Pojeongsa's perspective—who'd sweated blood mediating the sects—it must have grated, but what could he do? Bureaucrats had to toe the line when the center demanded it. Especially since Shaanxi bordered Zhili directly.
"And Left Vice Inspector."
"Yes, sir. Speak."
"From what the excavators said, the spirit beasts under the Left Vice Inspector played a major role. I've quietly set aside your share, so use it well."
"I'm embarrassed to only receive from you, sir."
I expressed thanks again, realizing he'd topped up my pockets as a bonus. Unless Pojeongsa was plotting to kill me, this was part of Shaanxi's share—not the capital's—transferred to me. No burden in accepting it. Besides, refusing would just make things awkward between us. Exchanges of favors among high officials were par for the course in bureaucratic circles. If small gestures built tighter bonds and smoother cooperation, how could that be anything but good?
"When you visit Kaepyeong, sir, I'll treat you then."
"Haha, just hearing that puts a smile on my face. I'll look forward to it."
Pojeongsa burst into laughter at my well-wishes for his promotion to the capital. Of course, even if he made it central, I'd probably be off in some province instead of Kaepyeong. This might even be our last meeting.
'Damn it.' It was heartbreaking and infuriating every time. If this was the job, why not give me something other than Left Vice Inspector? A bureaucrat who needed to be in the capital couldn't stay there.
'...At least I'll be in Kaepyeong for a few days.' The spoils for Baek Gi were no ordinary haul—ancient martial arts manuals, elixirs, weapons, artworks, each one priceless. Wandering the country with them would be suicidal. To bandits or water pirates, it'd look like a golden goblin on the move. So, I had to drop them off in Kaepyeong before heading elsewhere. Lose even a scratch on those treasures, and I'd eat every curse in the book.
'I'll drop by Ak Wang's place too.' Letters were fine, but nothing beat seeing a face in person—no matter how many hundreds you sent. And with my pockets full now, I could bring plenty of gifts.
I sat blankly in front of Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i as they munched away.
- Kki-i-ing.
- Kki-ong~
"Alright, more for you."
Ever since their fur turned pure white, their appetites had grown, so I had to refill the feed troughs like this throughout the day. A bit of a hassle, but manageable. Unlike humans with set mealtimes, no need to slave away hourly. And these sturdy beasts carried a full-grown martial artist around—they deserved to eat hearty. Horses and oxen ate even more and longer anyway.
"Eat up and get strong."
- Kki-i-ing~
- Kki-o-ong!
The two let out cheerful cries, as if understanding me, then plunged their heads back into the trough. Heartwarming. I'd never gotten why people doted on animals before, but now I did. When affection set in, these cuties were worth raising.
'Never thought I'd be tending spirit beasts.' Unlike regular deer, they had snow-white fur, jewel-like blue eyes, majestic antlers... no, horns. Scour the Central Plains, and no one else but me and the Left Vice Inspector could claim companions like these.
'No duplicates on names like these either.' Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i. Unique names in the realm—no room for two sets. But what could I do? They were personally named by the Left Vice Inspector's fiancée herself. Even if she'd called them Poop-deer or Horse-shit, I'd have accepted it. At first, the names felt weird and bizarre, but time made them familiar. Now, nothing suited them better.
"Wi-cheo."
As I stroked the heads of the two still buried in their troughs, lost in thought, the boss's voice called out.
"All done with business?"
"Yeah. We can leave now."
At his words, Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i lifted their heads.
"Not leaving yet—finish eating."
They dipped back down. Their wisdom never ceased to amaze me every time. They understood everything but human speech.
"Oh, right, Wi-cheo."
"Yes, sir."
"A gift for you."
He handed over a small vial from his hand and naturally approached Kki-ing-i and Kki-ong-i. The sudden gift left me speechless for a moment. If the boss called it a gift, it wasn't trash for me to toss, but it looked pathetically small and shabby. Like something scavenged from a back-mountain dump.
- Kki-i-ing?
- Kki-ong!
"Sigh, look at these guys reacting right away. They know it's an elixir."
My mouth, about to ask what it was, snapped shut.
'Elixir?' This tiny vial held an elixir? One the size of a finger? My accumulated common sense froze the situation. Elixirs usually came in distinct forms like ginseng or reishi—too big for a bottle this small. Even if bottled, they'd go in ornate, large cases, not shoved carelessly into something this grimy.
'What the hell?' I shook it lightly—no sloshing sound. Weird. The beasts and the boss's reactions confirmed it was real.
"Sir."
"Yeah?"
"What is this?"
I couldn't hold back my curiosity.
"Dunno exactly. From Baek Gi's tomb, so it's definitely an aged elixir. But Pojeongsa insisted not to open it except when feeding—and absolutely not to consume it."
"What kind of..."
An incomprehensible demand. Strict storage to prevent loss or theft was common for elixirs, but "don't even look before feeding"? Not normal.
"Said there's an extremely tiny amount—might evaporate if mishandled. He drilled it into me, so follow suit."
"Understood, sir."
Not a hard request to follow. For a free elixir, I could accommodate that and more.
"But sir, what about you...?"
"Two of them. I've got one."
With the boss having his own, my last hesitation vanished. My heart started pounding a bit. The beasts reacted, Pojeongsa gifted it—it couldn't be fake.
'An elixir from Baek Gi's tomb.' How ancient, how perfectly matured would it be? The anticipation built.