A Change of Constitution

Around lunchtime the next day.

Grind, grind.

It felt good to take out the mortar and pestle after so long and grind dried herbs; it brought back fond memories of my days at the Gaeun Inn. Of course, the dried herbs I was grinding now were incomparably more expensive than the ones I used back then. While they couldn't compare to legendary, once-in-a-millennium spiritual herbs like the Ten-Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root or the Humanoid Snow Ginseng, they were still on the pricier side. Perhaps that was why the silver coins in my pocket had vanished into thin air after buying just a few roots.

But I had no choice. I'd promised to help the kid, so I had to see it through to the end, right? Besides, Man Hanseok's family sect, the Donhwa Sect, wasn't some obscure, nameless clan. If they could afford to send their son to the Mutual Righteousness Academy, they had to be loaded. I'd make sure to squeeze every single copper out of them later.

"Why are you grinding so many herbs, Chef?" asked Gye-yeong, who was now officially a servant of the Inner Dining Hall. I gave him a straightforward answer.

"I'm running an experiment."

"What kind of experiment?"

"I'm trying to neutralize some yin energy."

"Ah, I know all about that."

"Huh?"

How on earth do you know about that? As I stared at him with wide eyes, Gye-yeong spoke with a proud, self-assured look on his face.

"I read it in a book. The female lead had the Extreme Yin Constitution, and when her yin energy went wild, the male lead controlled it through dual cultivation—by... Argh!"

"You brat, stop reading those smut novels!" I hurled a wooden paperweight rolling around nearby at Gye-yeong, who was casually bringing up bedroom arts in broad daylight.

To explain what dual cultivation is... well, it's a method of calming yin energy through that particular act between a loving man and woman. According to the medical texts left behind by my master, Yakseon, it was indeed a scientifically viable method. But Man Hanseok was a guy. And even if he were a girl, how could I do something like that to a student? What am I, some depraved villain from an adult martial arts novel?

"But they said it really works!" Gye-yeong grumbled, rubbing the spot where the paperweight had struck. I picked up the fallen wooden block and aimed it right at his forehead.

"Keep it up and see what happens. Do you want to get kicked out of the academy this very instant?" At my threat, Gye-yeong's eyes shrank back like a whipped pup. Maybe hiring him was a mistake. I should have just left him to get trampled by those thugs.

"If you spout nonsense like that elsewhere, the martial artists will brand you a degenerate. Smut is smut, it's not reality."

"I have at least that much common sense, Chef."

"Anyway, did you finish drawing the suspect's portrait?" I had asked a favor of Gye-yeong, who acted as my human CCTV since he had clearly seen the face of the man with Geum Ho that day. I'd told him to help Seonwoo Seol draw a composite sketch so we could track the guy down later.

"Yes, sir. The Little Heavenly Demon summoned me, so I went and helped her out. By the way, she is incredibly beautiful."

"Hey! I told you to draw a suspect's portrait, and you spent the whole time staring at her face?"

"She was right in front of me, what was I supposed to do?" He had a point, but why did he have to be so annoying about it?

"Since she's the successor of the Demonic Cult, I thought she'd have horns on her head and a reddish face, but she's just normally, exceptionally pretty."

"Back when I didn't know any better, I also thought the Demonic Cult was just a bunch of evil villains, but apparently that's not the case."

Given the name "Demonic Cult," I used to picture the Heavenly Demon slaughtering innocent civilians while shouting, "I am the Heavenly Demon!" and blasting inner qi everywhere. But apparently, they had abandoned those ways a long time ago. Ever since the Mutual Righteousness Academy was founded, the Demonic Cult had put aside its ambitions of conquering the martial world, settling instead into its position as a third massive faction alongside the Nine Great Sects and One Gang.

I had no idea what had transpired during the founding of the Mutual Righteousness Academy that made the terrifying Alliance Leader, the Heavenly Demon, and the Lord of the Four Blood Alliance all fall in line. Weren't they supposed to be mortal enemies, constantly at each other's throats?

In any case, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠centuries of deep-seated animosity couldn't vanish overnight. They had spent decades slaughtering one another; they couldn't just suddenly become best friends. Perhaps that was why the Murim Alliance and the Nine Great Sects still didn't get along with them. Even Seonwoo Seol didn't associate with people from prestigious noble clans, like Namgung Geuk.

However, because of the enclosed nature of the academy, the Murim Alliance faction was well aware of Seonwoo Seol's presence, and she seemed to know them just as well. Then again, living in this academy day in and day out meant secrets didn't stay secret for long. The story of me flicking Namgung Geum's forehead had already spread all the way to the children of the kitchen ladies.

It really was hard to pull any fast ones at the Mutual Righteousness Academy. The place operated on a system where the slightest slip-up would be broadcasted to the entire neighborhood by the next morning. The Mutual Righteousness Academy is truly a terrifying place. With that thought, I turned back to Gye-yeong.

"What did the Little Heavenly Demon say when she saw the portrait?"

"She said that once it was drawn out, the man who was with Chef Geum looked far too ordinary. She doubted we'd be able to find him."

"Is he really that average-looking?"

"Yes, incredibly so. He looks like the kind of guy you'd pass on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the street once or twice every single day."

He could have at least been strikingly ugly. What use is an aggressively average face? "Alright, I get it. Go back and get some rest."

"Yes, Chef. But really, if you want to control yin energy, wouldn't dual cultivation be the most effective—"

"Get out of here, you brat!"

The kid was surprisingly persistent. In any case, I had only one reason for grinding these herbs: to alter Man Hanseok's physical constitution.

My theory on why Man Hanseok kept gaining weight went like this: originally, the Hanbing Geukchang (Ice Limit Spear) was a spear technique with no notable side effects. True to its name, it was a martial art that utilized extreme cold like a passive skill. Man Hanseok's father, the Sect Leader of the Donhwa Sect—known as the Cold Soul Spear—was a prime example. He was a renowned martial artist who had built a fearsome reputation with it.

That was the conversation we'd had before parting ways yesterday. It was my first time meeting a son who described his own father's signature martial art with such utter lack of detail. He really was a bear of a man.

Putting aside Man Hanseok's abysmal descriptive skills, the fact that whatever the Cold Soul Spear struck froze meant one thing: he was coating his spear in cold qi, or yin energy, and using it as an offensive weapon. The mnemonic formulas of the Hanbing Geukchang likely possessed properties that gathered and concentrated cold or yin energy. The principle was similar to the Sosu-magong (White Hand Demonic Art)—a demonic art known to turn its practitioners into vicious monsters—but this spear technique clearly wasn't a demonic art. After all, the Cold Soul Spear was an orthodox martial artist, and Man Hanseok's personality was incredibly gentle and mild-mannered.

If my theory was correct, the issue was that Man Hanseok's compatibility with the Hanbing Geukchang was simply too good.

Since his own father, the Cold Soul Spear, had officially recognized his rapid progress, the likelihood of my theory being correct was even higher. Normally, when executing the spear technique, the cold qi or yin energy should gather briefly and then dissipate. But what if it remained in his body for too long, or was being stored in his dantian?

Yin represents shadow, while yang represents the sun. Naturally, if a man ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠accumulated too much yin energy... there was a high chance he would lose his manhood, much like that famous eunuch character in historical plays. Fortunately, Man Hanseok didn't seem to have reached that tragic point yet.

Since his body had no way to expel the excess yin energy, it had resorted to gaining weight to gather whatever yang energy it could. Yang energy was heat. By trapping heat with layers of fat, his body was trying to nurture and preserve the remaining yang energy inside him. I couldn't help but marvel at this brilliant defense mechanism. It was the perfect example of human homeostasis.

It was the same logic as to why tigers in colder regions grew much larger than those in tropical climates. However, as his mastery of the spear technique progressed, he would only continue to gain more weight. This had created a vicious cycle that even the creator of the martial art had never anticipated.

Since physicians had likely never encountered such a case, they wouldn't have dared to attempt a cure. And since they didn't know the Hanbing Geukchang was the root cause, it would have been even more impossible for them. So, what was the cure?

If I could boost his yang energy just enough without interfering with his spear training, the unnecessary fat would naturally melt away. Thus, the dish I was preparing today was a yang-charging meal tailored specifically for Man Hanseok.

I had weighed several options. A ginseng-heavy chicken soup (samgyetang) would certainly boost yang, but the price of ginseng was astronomical—practically worth its weight in silver. Instead, I decided to make something simple yet highly effective for weight loss. I planned to grind up herbs that generated intense internal heat and pack them into today's dish.

"Head Chef, everything is ready."

"Oh, already?" Faster than I expected. At the servant's call, I headed to the kitchen, carrying the entire mortar and pestle.

Inside a large pot, I saw pork legs that had been thoroughly drained of blood. To be precise, they were the trotters. I took them out of the pot and inspected them closely. Not a single hair remained; they were perfectly clean. Mmh, as expected of the Inner Dining Hall.

I placed the cleaned trotters into another pot. Into a cotton spice pouch, I tossed green onions, onions, garlic, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, black pepper, and the herbs I had just ground so diligently. I dropped the pouch into the water and brought it to a rolling boil alongside the pork. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Skimming off the foam, I leaned in to catch the aroma.

"Mmm." It smelled good, but it wasn't quite there yet. To get the deep, rich aroma I wanted, I had to pour in generous splashes of dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine.

Once the soy sauces and Shaoxing wine were in, I added a drizzle of honey. This was crucial for giving the meat a beautiful, glossy sheen. Then, I let it simmer slowly. A couple of hours should do the trick.

When the braising liquid had reduced by more than half, I dipped a chopstick in to taste the sauce. The moment the salty and sweet flavors hit my tongue, a sudden wave of intense heat surged from my mouth and spread throughout my entire body.

"Whoa!" It lasted only a fraction of a second, but it felt as though a bolt of pure yang energy had shot straight through my core. As expected of the Jeyak-beop (Medicine Formulation Method) created by Yakseon, once renowned as the greatest physician in the martial world. Even though I had substituted some of the rarer herbs with more common ones, the efficacy was goosebump-inducing.

Once fully cooked, I pulled the trotters from the pot and fanned them to cool. The skin and meat had turned a mouthwatering, deep mahogany brown, and a savory, rich aroma filled every corner of the kitchen. Ah, jokbal this delicious really ought to be eaten by me alone.

The servants standing nearby were practically drooling, which said it all. But since this meat dish was crafted solely for Man Hanseok, I had to restrain myself. If I ate this, I wouldn't be able to contain the boiling yang energy. I'd turn into a depraved beast straight out of an adult novel, get arrested by the Maehoeda (Fierce Tiger Squad), and meet a gruesome end. No matter how appetizing it looked, I absolutely could not touch it.

Once the meat had cooled sufficiently, I carefully deboned it and arranged the succulent slices in a beautiful fan pattern. I ladled a spicy mustard sauce into a small dipping dish and finely shredded an assortment of fresh vegetables to place alongside the meat. With this, the Central Plains-style cold jokbal salad was complete—allowing one to enjoy crisp vegetables with a kick of spicy mustard alongside the rich, melt-in-your-mouth goodness of the pork. Locally, they would call it unroasted Hongso-jeoje (Braised Pork Trotters), though it wasn't a traditional recipe, as I had blended in a bit of Korean-style jokbal preparation.

I carefully wrapped the completed cold jokbal salad in a cloth bundle and made my way to the Small Martial Arts Ground, where Man Hanseok was diligently training.

"Ah, Chef Yoon!" Upon seeing me enter the Small Martial Arts Ground, Man Hanseok waved his hand while holding his long spear. Honestly, he didn't need to wave; with a physique like his, I could have spotted him from miles away.

"It's seriously annoying that I'm delivering food to a guy when I should be presenting lunchboxes to a beautiful woman," I grumbled as I approached. Man Hanseok scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Ever since we dropped honorifics the other day, we had kept things casual. We were going to see a lot of each other during his treatment anyway, so maintaining formal speech felt unnecessarily stiff.

"Hehehe, thank you anyway. Is this the famous cure?"

"I was originally going to bring you to my private room in the Inner Dining Hall, but I figured the effects might manifest immediately."

"Is it really that potent?"

"I haven't eaten it myself, so I can't say for sure. But one thing's certain: your yang energy is going to burst forth like crazy."

"Burst forth?" Man Hanseok tilted his head in confusion, though a broad grin remained on his face.

"I feel like I might finally be able to visit my family home after this."

"You haven't gone back at all?"

"No. My father tried absolutely everything to help me lose weight, but nothing worked. Every time I went home, he'd just look at me with this heavy, worried expression, which felt like a burden... So I stopped going."

He spoke with a carefree smile, but he must have been more heartbroken than anyone. After all, what martial artist would easily realize that the very spear technique they had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into was the root of their problems? Even I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

"...Hurry up and eat. It'll get cold."

"Yes, sir!"

Man Hanseok popped a slice of jokbal into his mouth. Perhaps wanting to savor the meat's natural flavor first, he didn't dip it in the mustard sauce, choosing to eat it completely plain.

"Whoa." A brief exclamation escaped his lips, accompanied by a bright smile.

"This is really delicious."

"..." And that's it? I stared at him, dumbfounded. What an absolute bear of a man.

"That's all you have to say?"

"Huh? I'm telling you, this Braised Pork Trotter is amazing."

"No, I mean... I wasn't expecting you to weep tears of joy, but is that really the extent of your reaction?"

"It's truly delicious. The absolute best." Man Hanseok nodded with utter conviction in his voice.

You know those kids who react with complete indifference to a meal their parents spent hours pouring their heart and soul into? I used to wonder why parents got so upset over that, but watching Man Hanseok, I finally understood. This was surprisingly infuriating.

Still, his chopstick skills were no joke. He dipped the meat in the mustard sauce, wrapped it in fresh vegetables, and even meticulously gnawed the meat off the small bones of the trotters. He ate with a hearty, healthy appetite, but there was still no sign of the herbs I had added. I stared intently at him, but his complexion didn't change in the slightest; he just kept happily stuffing his face.

"Seriously, so good."

"Yeah, yeah. Eat up." Is he a reaction bot? He's been repeating the exact same phrase over and over. The heat had hit me instantly, but was it not enough for a massive bear like Man Hanseok? Just as I was beginning to worry—

Sniffle.

"Ah, is the mustard sauce too spicy?"

"Huh?"

"The sweat keeps... and my nose is running a bit."

At some point, beads of sweat began to form on Man Hanseok's forehead. He was sweating! A guy who wouldn't shed a single drop of sweat even after hours of intense spear training was finally sweating!

Man Hanseok kept wiping away the streaming sweat without pausing his chopsticks, ultimately clearing the entire plate of jokbal.

"Wow, I'm sweating like crazy. And my body feels incredibly warm..."

Wiping his brow repeatedly with the back of his hand, a flushed Man Hanseok suddenly gripped his long spear. He muttered,

"For some reason... I really want to practice my spear techniques right now."

He had transformed in an instant. Gone was the shy, hesitant giant; in his place stood a combative martial artist itching for a fight.

"Then go ahead." At my nod, Man Hanseok leaped to his feet. Gripping his spear tightly, he stared straight at me.

"Chef Yoon, you're a martial artist too, aren't you?"

"Did I ever say I was?"

"No, but you blocked my spear the other night." Ah, he was referring to the night at the Small Martial Arts Ground when I had rushed out after sensing the cold qi radiating from his spear.

"If you can deflect my spear with your bare hands, that means you're at least at the level of a Gyodu... a First-class martial artist or higher." Well, look at this kid. A single dose of yang energy had completely changed his attitude.

"There's no one in my year who can match me, and I'm tired of training alone."

"Just say you want to spar with me. Don't beat around the bush."

"I want to spar with you, Chef Yoon!"

"Good! Now that's the spirit!" I decided to grant him his spar. Putting aside the bear-like kid's lack of tact, I was honestly curious myself. Just how formidable would a fully charged Man Hanseok be in combat?

Pushing the empty jokbal plate far to the side, I took the opening stance of the Baekyak-gwonkyeol (Hundred Medicine Fist Secrets) and spoke.

"I'll give you three free moves. Come at me."

"Are you serious? I'm actually pretty strong, you know."

"Hey! When an elder offers you a handicap, you just say thank you and take it!" As I spoke like a nagging old-timer, Man Hanseok grinned and clasped his hands in a formal salute.

"In that case, here I come!" With those words, Man Hanseok drew his spear. The real battle was about to begin.