Do You Like Vegetarian Food?
I had felt this before, but since the Emei Sect was primarily a sect of Buddhist nuns, I had assumed many of them would have shaved heads. But looking at them now, their hair was longer than most female martial artists in the Murim. Even Woo Ji-yang, who was currently scanning the kitchen with sparkling eyes, had hair that looked incredibly soft and silky. I was genuinely curious how she managed it.
After thoroughly showing her the Inner and Outer Dining Hall kitchens, as well as the quarters where she would be staying for the next few weeks, Woo Ji-yang beamed, her eyes darting around busily.
"My eldest senior sister, who used to attend the academy, said she always wanted to visit the Inner Dining Hall."
"I take it she didn't take the gyodu exam?"
"Well, she has to succeed our Sect Leader. But she served as the president of the Dongdo Association, so she said she was satisfied with that."
"How are the disciples who enter the academy usually chosen?"
"From what I know, there's a fixed quota of a few people per year. So only that specific number is selected from within the sect."
"Is it the same for the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, or the other noble clans?"
"Yes, that's what I heard."
It seemed the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, along with the Five Great Noble Clans, had designated quotas. Hmm, that's news to me.
"But even if they are selected, I heard the academy might reject them if they haven't reached a certain level of cultivation."
"This place really runs in mysterious ways."
After taking a full lap around the academy with Woo Ji-yang, we arrived back at the kitchen.
"Thank you for showing me around the academy when you must be so busy."
"It's nothing. I had to show you around anyway. Ah, right. You've come all the way from Sichuan, so you must be exhausted from the journey. Why don't you head to your quarters and get some rest?"
"Oh? No, no, I'm fine. Exhausted? Not at all..."
"I insist. It'll be much better for you to get some proper rest and start working this afternoon. This place gets incredibly hectic with so many people running around; it'll drain your energy in no time."
"Then, if you don't mind, I'll take my leave first..."
As Woo Ji-yang clasped her hands in a polite martial greeting and headed toward her quarters, Gye-yeong, who had been quietly watching from the side, chimed in.
"I'm so jealous."
"What's there to be jealous of?"
"Why are there always so many beautiful women around you, Chief Chef?"
"Even if a flower stays still, the bees will naturally find their way to it."
"So... you're saying you're the flower, Chief Chef?"
"Don't take it so literally. It's just a metaphor."
"Then what kind of flower am I?"
"A withered pumpkin flower."
"Wow, you didn't even hesitate before throwing such an insult."
"The only disrespect here is the way you talk to your superior. Aren't you going to get back to work?"
He never listens unless I threaten him. Just as I was about to scold him further, Gye-yeong grinned and asked a question.
"Is that woman named Hye-woon not coming back anymore?"
"I sent her elsewhere because of some business. Why?"
"Oh, just because it's a bit of a shame. She was the type of person who really triggered a man's protective instincts."
"You'd fall hook, line, and sinker for a honey trap, wouldn't you?"
"Isn't it only natural that even great heroes are completely helpless against women?"
True, even Lu Bu fell head over heels for Diaochan. The problem is that men are just too vulnerable to the creature known as woman. Me? Well... honestly, if the Eastern Depot hadn't shown up first, I might have fallen for Hye-woon too. Just as Gye-yeong said, there are people who naturally trigger those protective instincts. If Seonwoo Seol ever whined and said she couldn't do something... well, I'd immediately drop whatever I was doing and run over to help her.
"But it looks like none of the three ladies are coming today?"
"It's the first day of the second semester, so of course they're busy. Though you don't seem very busy yourself."
"H-hey now. I'm busy too, Chief Chef. I have to sweep the floor and check the inventory."
"Then why can I still see your feet?"
"Huh?"
"I said I can see your feet. Why aren't you moving so fast they become a blur?"
"Aigoo, I shouldn't have opened my mouth!"
Watching Gye-yeong scurry away brought a small smile to my face. It had been a while since we'd chatted like this. Now, time to get back to my own work... Wait. I felt it again. That gaze staring at me from outside the Outer Dining Hall.
Are those Eastern Depot bastards still lurking around even after getting beaten to a pulp? Unbelievable. I couldn't let this slide. I had to say something.
"Hey, who's out there?"
"..."
"If you don't show yourself, I'm going to spread a rumor that Ha Migwa of the Eastern Depot is into men!"
"..."
Wow, still no response? Talk about stubborn. Unable to just let it go, I stepped out of the kitchen, only to find a girl with a blank expression standing there.
She had pale, milky skin that rivaled Seonwoo Seol's, blank yet crystal-clear eyes, and a delicate nose and mouth. She looked like she would grow up to be an absolute beauty. She seemed a year or two older than Gongson Yeongji, but the real issue was her clothes. They were so incredibly luxurious they would make high-ranking officials look plain. No matter how rich someone was, no one wore clothes with that much intricate embroidery. Wait, hold on.
"By any chance... Your Imperial Highness?"
Nod, nod.
The girl simply nodded without saying a word, leaving me utterly dumbfounded. I'm screwed. Impersonating royalty was a crime of high treason, which meant the girl in front of me was indeed the rumored Princess Bohee. And right in front of her, I had just shouted some absurd nonsense about Ha Migwa of the Eastern Depot being into men. I was going to be dragged away by the constables and have my head chopped off on the guillotine. Goodbye, cruel world. Sob.
Just as I was drowning in despair, Princess Bohee, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.
"...Yoon Gomyung."
"Yes? Yes... Your Highness." I quickly bowed my head, and Princess Bohee replied in a soft, gentle voice.
"I heard you make good food."
"It is nothing special, but that is indeed the rumor out there."
"Delicious desserts."
"Pardon?"
"I'll be looking forward to the desserts."
With those words, Princess Bohee immediately scurried away. Wait, she's just going to drop a quest on me and leave like that? Shouldn't she at least tell me when she's coming back? As I stared blankly at her retreating figure in sheer bewilderment...
"Your Highness! Where are you?!"
"Your Highneeeess!"
A swarm of court ladies and officials came sprinting toward me. Ah, those poor souls are victims too.
"Uh, Her Highness just went that way..."
"T-thank you!"
When I pointed in the direction Princess Bohee had gone, the court ladies and officials frantically dashed off to find her. Sigh, this semester at the academy is going to be an absolute circus. My head was already starting to throb.
Although the people of the Central Plains were known to love greasy food, that love wasn't limited to meat. In particular, three sects I knew of—Shaolin, Emei, and the Bota Sect—had established a delicious vegetarian culinary culture. As for why this culture flourished in these three sects, there was a saying: Seonnong-ilchi (the unity of Zen and farming), meaning that cultivation of the mind and farming go hand in hand. This teaching, passed down by an eminent monk of old, led to the creation of temple cuisine using vegetables harvested directly from the fields. Of course, while some vegetables were delicious on their own, many were naturally bitter or astringent, which sparked the development of complex cooking techniques.
That afternoon. Wearing a black apron she had brought herself, Woo Ji-yang tied her hair back tightly and said, "I'm not just saying this because I'm from Emei, but Emei is truly the best at making soshik (temple cuisine) in the Central Plains."
Looking neat and tidy, Woo Ji-yang placed a small sack on the kitchen table. "This is flour made from wheat we grew ourselves in Emei."
"Does it have any special effects?"
"Pardon? Special effects... No, nothing like that."
"I'm just joking. Please, go on."
"Ah, and here I was taking you seriously."
Woo Ji-yang stuck her tongue out slightly with a playful grin, sending a sudden jolt straight to my chest. As expected of the Emei Sect. They really know how to attack a man's heart.
"Since I'm just showing you an example, I'll make a small batch. Today, we're going to make soy meat."
"Oh, the legendary soy meat of the Emei Sect."
"I-it's not quite a secret recipe."
Woo Ji-yang's face flushed as she poured flour from the sack, added a bit of water, and began to knead it. But her kneading technique was far from ordinary. At first, I thought she was just making a simple dough, but as the dough began to take shape, the subtle principles of martial arts became visible in her movements.
"What martial art is that?"
"Pardon? Ah, well... I'm actually terrible at the Tiger-Subduing Saber Technique. I guess my practice habits just show whenever I knead dough."
"That can't be easy, can it?"
"Once I got used to it, it helped me memorize the forms and grasp the principles much faster. I guess I'm the type who needs to keep moving to learn martial arts."
No wonder. I thought there was a fierce, courageous momentum in her hands as she kneaded the dough, and it turned out to be the Tiger-Subduing Saber Technique. Woo Ji-yang then took the thoroughly kneaded dough and immediately dropped it into a bowl of water. She then proceeded to perform the bizarre act of washing the dough in the water. Wait, could this be...?
"Are you... washing the dough?"
"Yes. You have to keep washing it until only a sticky, elastic mass remains. This mass is called wheat gluten."
"Why is it called myeongeun?"
"Well... I only learned it this way, so I'm not sure about the origin of the name."
Woo Ji-yang simply shrugged. It seemed they referred to wheat gluten as myeongeun in the Central Plains. After repeatedly washing it in water, a lump of gluten about half the size of the original dough was finally formed. It looked like a slippery, raw-smelling mass of flour, but things were about to change.
"Now, we're going to mix the wheat gluten with this paste."
"What's in that paste?"
"Walnuts, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, soaked soybeans, salt, and shallots."
"That's quite a lot of ingredients."
"That's how you get that rich, savory flavor that mimics real meat."
Hmm, now that I hear her speak, her tone is somewhat similar to Seonwoo Seol's. Though Woo Ji-yang's voice is a bit softer and gentler.
"It's also good to add some starch and other grain flours in between."
Once the wheat gluten was thoroughly mixed and kneaded with the nut paste, a wool-colored dough with a subtle, nutty aroma was complete.
"So now we just need to bake, boil, or fry this."
"How would you like to prepare it?"
"Well, since we've come this far..."
Of course, we had to fry it. "I'll go grab some oil. You should at least taste a proper dish." When it came to fried food in the Central Plains, there was only one obvious choice. But the moment I stepped outside the pantry to fetch the oil...
"You seem to be having fun."
"Huh? What are you doing out here?"
Seonwoo Seol was leaning crookedly against the wall near the pantry, staring at me.
"You should've said something if you were here."
"Well, when I arrived, you were having such an intimate chat with Lady Woo. I thought you were busy."
Her words had a sharp edge to them, unlike her usual self. What was wrong with her now?
"Let's go inside together and have some sweet and sour pork. Actually, since it's not meat, I guess we should call it sweet and sour wheat gluten?"
"...Do I look like someone who can be swayed by food?"
"Huh? You really are upset, aren't you?"
Seonwoo Seol refusing to be swayed by food? This was a serious emergency.
Any great hero of the Central Plains would probably say, 'How dare a woman speak in such a roundabout, arrogant manner! Speak your mind at once!' But unfortunately, I was no great hero. I leaned against the same wall right next to her and asked,
"Come on, tell your oppa."
"Hmph. Oppa, my foot."
"Don't focus on the word. You have to tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it."
"Isn't it usually the standard to figure out what you did wrong on your own?"
"The crime of trying to cook without you? No, that's not it."
"Something else."
"The crime of eating vegetarian?"
"I do think meat is superior, but that is not a crime."
"Not this, not that. Then what on earth is it?"
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Have you ever seen me do anything to you on purpose?"
"...Think a little more simply."
Think simply?
"No way."
"...What do you mean, no way?"
"Are you upset because I was talking to Lady Woo?"
"..."
When Seonwoo Seol fell completely silent, a dry chuckle escaped my lips.
"Aigoo, you're all grown up on the outside, but you're still a child on the inside. A total kid."
I guess I had to hand down a 'punishment.' I immediately pinched both of her cheeks with my thumbs and index fingers and pulled them wide.
"I-I'm no' a ki'!"
"Doubt someone who actually deserves it, my lady. Who do you take me for?"
"B-bu' s'ill...!"
"What do you mean 'but still'? If you misunderstand me like this again, I won't let you off so easily."
Pop!
The moment I let go of her cheeks, Seonwoo Seol glared at me with a pout, rubbing her face.
"Didn't you pinch way too hard?"
"If you do it again, I'll use the Dragon Claw Hand on you. It's one thing to suspect someone else, but do I really look like that kind of person to you?"
"Then what exactly is our relationship, Chef Yoon?"
"Aren't we partners in mutual aid, sworn to help each other out when things get tough?"
"...And you have no intention of taking things further?"
"Doesn't it all depend on who holds the initiative?"
I stared intently at Seonwoo Seol as I said this, and she pouted even more.
"Is it up to me to decide?"
"Because you are the one who always holds the initiative, my lady."
Some might call this act of shifting the decision to someone else cowardly, but what choice did I have? Her true identity was the Little Heavenly Demon, the successor of the Sacred Cult, while my superficial identity was merely an orphan chef who didn't even know his own parents. As I quietly waited for her response, Seonwoo Seol didn't answer. Instead, she rolled her eyes, which sparkled like peridots in the sunlight, and looked up at me.
"You said it before, Chef Yoon."
"...?"
"That I should do whatever I want."
"I did."
"Can I really do whatever I want?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't you be able to?"
She was asking a lot of clarifying questions today. Despite that, I answered patiently. Instead of replying, Seonwoo Seol reached her hand out toward me.
"What's this? A challenge to a duel?"
"No!"
"Then what is it?"
Seonwoo Seol's lips twitched as if she were trying to find the right words, before she finally stammered out,
"...Hold my hand."