That Makes Absolutely No Sense
"..."
Zzzzt, tingle.
I was finally beginning to understand just how agonizing it was to live a life under constant surveillance.
For the first day or two, I could shrug it off as a joke, muttering things like, Is this what it's like to be a celebrity? But by the third day, the gravity of the situation finally set in. Having the back of my neck prickle nonstop from morning to night was enough to drive a man insane. I had never dreamed that having highly sensitive qi-sensing would come with such a terrible side effect.
Why had I tolerated this surveillance for three whole days, you ask? Normally, I would have lured the spy out and sent them packing, or beaten them half to death to extract the identity of their employer and turn the tables with some blackmail. But under the current circumstances, there was only one place that would send spies after me.
"The Eastern Depot?"
"Yes, the Eastern Depot."
"I was going to ask why they were spying on Chef Yoon inside the academy, but since it's the Eastern Depot, it suddenly makes perfect sense...?"
Once I explained the situation, Seonwoo Seol accepted it without a second thought. Apparently, in the Central Plains, the Eastern Depot spying on and tracking perfectly innocent people was just brushed off with a simple, "Well, it's the Eastern Depot." What kind of ridiculous organization is that?
"The reason is obvious without even asking. They've undoubtedly deployed Eastern Depot informants to dig up some dirt or find a weakness to exploit, right?"
"That's my guess too. But feeling that constant gaze is starting to get on my nerves."
"Isn't that just a matter of your qi-sensing? You can just block it."
"Huh?"
"Block it."
Wait, you could block qi-sensing? When I stared at her in utter bewilderment, Seonwoo Seol tilted her head.
"Don't tell me... you didn't know?"
"I'm asking because I don't know."
"Usually, your master would teach you that as a basic... Ah."
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Seonwoo Seol quickly shut her mouth. I had told Seonwoo Seol, Man Hanseok, and Gongson Yeongji that my master had passed away a long time ago—which was technically the truth. After all, Old Man Yakseon really had died ages ago.
"Ah, well... I'll teach you. How to block your qi-sensing."
"I appreciate it, but could you not look at me with such pity?"
"But it must be so hard not having anyone to ask about your martial arts."
No, I meant literally stop looking at me like I'm a stray dog. You should be praising me for reaching the Peak Realm purely on the power of spiritual elixirs! Regardless, Seonwoo Seol sat cross-legged in a corner of the Inner Dining Hall Master's Office and patted the floor beside her.
"Sit here. Or in front of me."
"Is it something I can learn quickly?"
"Oh, come on, you'll get it in no time. You already know how to coat your fists in qi, don't you?"
At her words, I quickly sat cross-legged directly in front of her. It wasn't every day I got to see Seonwoo Seol with her eyes closed, so I found myself staring blankly at her face.
"...I can feel your gaze even with my eyes closed, you know?"
"Ah, right. Sorry."
"You can stare all you want later, so focus for now."
Right, Seonwoo Seol was a Peak Master too. I closed my eyes and followed her guidance.
"You don't need to enter a state of selflessness. Just observe your inner self, like you do during your usual meditation."
Back when I was trapped in the cave, I had suffered like hell for weeks just to figure out what "observing the inner self" meant. But once I got the hang of it, it was incredibly easy. Just as the ambient noises from inside and outside the room began to tickle my ears, Seonwoo Seol's voice drifted in.
"Imagine a thick, viscous liquid... like a rich, slow-simmered broth, being poured over you from head to toe, soaking you completely."
"Pouring broth over my head? That sounds like a waste of good soup."
"It's a metaphor! And that broth is actually your internal energy."
So she wanted me to imagine my internal energy coating me from head to toe? I wondered why she couldn't have just explained it that way from the start, but to be fair, visualizing a rich, emulsified broth with some viscosity was actually quite effective. I drew up my internal energy and slowly let it flow, imagining it draping over me starting from my head.
"Oh."
The ambient noise that had been loud enough to grate on my ears gradually faded away. It felt as if I had returned to my body from before I ever learned martial arts. Was this the martial arts master's version of noise-canceling? The tension in my frayed nerves melted away instantly.
"Seeing you smile, it looks like it worked?"
"Yes. This is so much better. Why didn't I know about this until now?"
"Everything is hard the first time. Once you know how, it's easy. All I did was show you the way."
"How kind of you."
"Well, I am a rather kind person, aren't I?"
I chuckled at Seonwoo Seol as she tilted her chin up, playfully flaunting her beauty. In moments like this, there really was no one like her. Standing up, she asked,
"So, what are you going to do?"
"About the spies? Well, for now, I plan to act as I usually do. There's no point in poking a hornet's nest when all you'll get is hornets. If you're going to raid a nest, it might as well be a beehive for the honey."
"So you're going to block your qi-sensing and just ignore them for now?"
"Yes. Even if I block my qi-sensing for a bit, it's not like anyone's going to launch an assault on the academy."
It would be one thing if I commanded some massive faction, but poking the Eastern Depot would only bring a heap of trouble. Still, sitting completely idle felt a bit off. Maybe I should mention it to the other Hall Masters. Ah, speaking of which, there was something I needed to ask her.
"Oh, right. I need to make a trip to Gyeongsa before the semester starts. Would you like to come with me?"
"To Gyeongsa? Why?"
"I think it's time to use the information I received from the former Sword Queen after helping her out."
"Are you seriously going to forge a kitchen knife out of Black Iron? With metal that precious?"
"It feels a bit wrong to just sell off a gift. Would you be mad if I told you I'm planning to make chopsticks and a spoon with the leftover Black Iron too?"
"...I won't be mad, but I might look at you with utter pity."
Whoa, is it really that bad? Seonwoo Seol shook her head vigorously, looking as if she had just heard something utterly unspeakable.
"Why on earth would you make utensils out of something so rare? Even the blacksmith will curse you out."
"Hey, using heavy metal chopsticks is great for building grip strength, you know?"
"Good grief, you are incredibly stubborn. Do whatever you want."
I peeked at Seonwoo Seol, who was pouting with her arms crossed, and asked gently,
"So, are you coming with me?"
"...Only if we take Junior Man and Yeongji along."
"Deal."
She was going to come anyway, yet she had to play hard to get. Still... is making chopsticks and a spoon out of Black Iron really that crazy?
Ha Migwa stared at the scroll in his hands, his expression thoroughly displeased.
"Is this seriously all?"
"Yes, sir."
"How can a man who hasn't even reached his thirties live such an utterly boring life?"
He had ordered his spies to record Yoon Gomyung's daily routine in meticulous detail over the past four days, but the report revealed a life devoid of any excitement. He woke up at dawn to cook breakfast with the kitchen staff, retreated to the Inner Dining Hall Master's Office to handle morning administrative work, cooked lunch, returned to his office for afternoon duties, and then cooked dinner. Afterward, he practiced footwork or fist techniques before heading back to his quarters at the Seocheong-jogwan to sleep. That was it.
A man in his twenties was supposed to be in the prime of his hot-blooded youth. It was only natural for someone that age to frequent taverns or brothels, drink himself into a stupor, make a few mistakes, and leave behind some leverage to be exploited.
"Is he perhaps a lay disciple of the Nine Sects and One Gang, or did he learn martial arts from the Five Great Clans?"
"They seem to have a cooperative relationship, but he does not appear to be a disciple. However, it is worth noting that the footwork he employs belongs to the Beggars' Sect..."
"I already know his Mad Dog Avoiding Steps was a reward for successfully managing the Beggars' Sect banquet, so never mind that."
As the subordinate eunuch bowed his head, Ha Migwa tapped his fingers against the table with a scowl.
How did a man like this suddenly pop out of nowhere?
Ha Migwa's mission was to station himself at the academy—the current epicenter of turbulence in the Central Plains—to monitor the state of the martial world and prepare for the upcoming arrival of Princess Bohee. Consequently, his top priority was to identify the key figures he needed to watch out for. This included the Cold Heart Fist King Paeng Gyegeon, the Lord of the Sword Pavilion and Sword Queen On Ban-hui, the Beggars' Sect Elder Oh Waja, and the White Cloud Divine Physician Dan Buyong.
While keeping tabs on these absolute masters who served as Hall Masters was crucial, the name at the very top of Ha Migwa's list belonged to someone else entirely.
The Three-Virtue Chef, Yoon Gomyung.
Yoon Gomyung, a rising master who had suddenly burst onto the scene early this year, had caused a massive stir in the martial world shortly after his appearance. His actions were incredibly suspicious.
A Peak Master suddenly appears out of nowhere to work as the head chef of the academy, cozying up to the successor of the Demonic Cult—a band of rebels—while keeping company with the son of the Cold Soul Spear and the youngest daughter of the treasonous Gongson Clan. How does any of this make sense?
Heaven knew how he had managed to win over the masters of the martial world, but he had acquired the moniker "Three-Virtue Chef" and amassed immense renown throughout the Central Plains. A man who supposedly worked as a humble tavern cook in a tiny mountain village in Shandong was actually a master hiding his true power? It was utterly absurd.
With that in mind, Ha Migwa suspected that Yoon Gomyung's sudden rise to fame was part of a calculated plot. He theorized that some massive, shadowy faction was using this young master as a front to conquer the Central Plains, and that Yoon Gomyung, acting as a spy, was pulling strings behind the scenes to position himself at the very center of the martial world as the champion of a new era.
That was why he had specifically selected spies who possessed no internal energy but excelled at erasing their presence to keep watch on Yoon Gomyung. The problem was that they had yielded no meaningful results. All they had discovered so far was that Yoon Gomyung was a dreadfully dull man who repeated the exact same routine day after day.
This isn't enough. I need a more proactive approach.
Ha Migwa pondered the matter deeply before a brilliant idea struck him.
Seeing how he travels with the successor of the Demonic Cult, who is easily one of the greatest beauties in the Central Plains, it's clear he isn't entirely indifferent to women...
Even eunuchs, who had lost their most vital asset, frequently took wives and concubines. Ha Migwa was certain that Yoon Gomyung, a hot-blooded young man in his twenties, would be even more susceptible to temptation.
"Jangma. Go send a letter to the Haomen."
His immediate priority was to find someone who could ensnare Yoon Gomyung and bend him to his will.
"What kind of homework do they assign for the break?"
We were currently on our way to place a custom order for the Black Iron kitchen knife. The carriage ride from the academy to Gyeongsa took about half a day, and with such a long journey ahead of us, small talk was practically mandatory. I knew the students went home for the break, but I had no idea what they actually did during their time off, so I decided to ask Man Hanseok.
"For the lower years, they're usually assigned practical tasks that require physical experience, while the upper years focus more on theoretical concepts."
"Like what?"
"Well, for examples... wouldn't Junior Gongson know better than I do?"
"Ah, well... things like performing the Xingyiquan with a sword and writing down one's impressions, or executing the Wudang Sword and the Pine Wind Sword techniques to analyze their differences..."
"That actually sounds pretty decent. But isn't the Wudang Sword from the Wudang Sect, and the Pine Wind Sword from the Qingcheng Sect?"
"The academy teaches basic sword techniques beforehand, the kind that even lay or registered disciples would learn."
"Then what kind of homework do the upper years get?"
"Analyzing a specific martial art through the Twelve Earthly Branches and the Six Harmonies, or writing a thesis on what happens when one performs the Taiji Sword technique from a state of Wuji... things like that."
"That sounds incredibly tedious."
"I'm just glad I've already finished mine. There will probably be plenty of fellow students scrambling to finish their homework on their way back to the academy."
True, procrastinating on vacation homework is a universal law of nature. Memories of putting off my own homework until two days before school started, only to get smacked on the back by my mother while crying over my notebook, came rushing back.
"What about you, Lady Seonwoo?"
"I finished all of mine the very day I received it."
"What? No way. There must have been a ton of assignments, and you finished them all in a single day?"
"When I was in the lower years, I finished everything in one day. In the upper years, it took me maybe two days at most."
"What the heck? That's terrifying."
So she basically knocked out a mountain of college-level research papers within a day or two of receiving them? What is she, the Hermione Granger of the Academy of Mutual Righteousness?
"It's easy once you get into it. After all, everything is based on what we were already taught, right?"
"I don't know about that..."
"Sister..."
"Wait... is that not normal?"
When both Man Hanseok and Gongson Yeongji shook their heads in unison, Seonwoo Seol looked genuinely flustered. It was the classic "I just studied the textbooks" line from a top-scoring student. Of course us mere mortals couldn't possibly comprehend.
"Chef Yoon, you understand what I mean, right? Tell me you do!"
Seonwoo Seol looked at me with pleading eyes, hoping I would take her side. But unfortunately for her, when it came to academics, I was a mere mortal too.
"I've never actually attended the academy, so I wouldn't know."
"Wow, you're so mean..."
With no one to take her side, Seonwoo Seol pouted. And so, our carriage—where one wrong word could instantly turn you into the villain—finally arrived near Gyeongsa.
I had expected Gyeongsa to be filled with towering buildings sprouting up like bamboo shoots, but surprisingly, there were very few tall pavilions.
"There are plenty of wide buildings, but none of them seem to be very tall. They're only two or three stories at most."
"If there were tall buildings, assassins could use them to launch attacks on His Imperial Majesty, or martial artists could easily leap across them using lightness skills, right?"
"Ah, that makes sense."
Looking at it from that perspective shed a whole new light on the city's architecture. Before long, we reached the massive city walls that separated Gyeongsa from its outskirts. The gate guard greeted us with a thoroughly bored expression.
"Where are you from?"
"We are on our way from the Academy of Mutual Righteousness."
"A prestigious place. Pass."
Astonished by the guard's sheer lack of care—letting us through without even checking our identification plaques, the equivalent of passports in the Central Plains—I whispered to Seonwoo Seol,
"Is he allowed to just do that?"
"If it were the palace gates, it would be different, but with so many people passing through here daily, it's impossible to search everyone. Besides, we have Yeongji with us, so there's no reason to suspect a family carriage."
Since we had the petite Gongson Yeongji with us, our carriage looked like a family outing, which usually got waved through much faster. Once we entered Gyeongsa, we were greeted by a sprawling expanse of compact, tightly packed buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see, creating a flat horizon of rooftops. If viewed from a satellite map, it would probably look like a massive chessboard.
"They say if you keep going straight that way, you'll see the Imperial Palace. Though 'Imperial City' might be a more accurate term."
"Since we've made it all the way to Gyeongsa, I'd love to go sight-seeing... but let's find the blacksmith first."
If you're visiting the capital of the empire—the very place where the Emperor resides—you have to at least catch a glimpse of it. It would have made for some beautiful photos, but unfortunately, cameras didn't exist in the Central Plains, so I would have to settle for capturing the memory in my mind.
Did she say the blacksmith's shop was next to a massive, ancient tree in the Cheondan District? Apparently, there was only one such tree in that entire district.
Our carriage skirted along the outer city walls and soon arrived at a spot where a colossal tree towered majestically. Right next to it stood a blacksmith's shop. Unlike the other buildings we had seen in Gyeongsa so far, it looked rather run-down.
Judging by the rhythmic clank, clank echoing from inside, someone was hard at work hammering away at hot metal.
"I expected a blacksmith shop in Gyeongsa to be grand and imposing, but it looks like a one-man operation."
"A blacksmith capable of forging a kitchen knife out of Black Iron would almost have to be."
I wondered what kind of blacksmith was waiting for us inside.