Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: To Mount Song
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......
......
Neung So-hwa and Jin Choyoung, who had been staring blankly at each other, turned their heads toward Jeok Muryong.
"Jeok Daehyeop? Are you curious about what that tea tastes like?"
"Shaolin Temple."
"Shaolin Temple?"
"The tea that monk from Shaolin handed me—I'm going mad wanting to know its taste."
Jin Choyoung, who had been listening to the conversation, unconsciously blurted out.
"Suddenly?"
"Yes!"
Jeok Muryong practically bellowed it.
Just as she thought this could turn into a disaster, Neung So-hwa approached him.
"Ah, Miss!"
"It's fine."
Neung So-hwa calmly replied and placed her hand on Jeok Muryong's shoulder.
"Calm down, Jeok Daehyeop."
......
"Once you're calm, let's go find that tea together."
Jeok Muryong said nothing.
Thanks to that, Jin Choyoung felt like she was dying inside.
She was anxious that he might suddenly snap and harm Neung So-hwa.
In contrast, Neung So-hwa remained composed.
"You want to taste the tea from Shaolin, right? Then come with us to Mount Song. If you ask them to serve it, they'll gladly do so."
"What if it's not that exact tea?"
"Do you remember its taste?"
"No."
Jeok Muryong gritted his teeth.
"I threw it away without even drinking it."
And now he wanted to taste it?
The words rose to her throat, but Jin Choyoung barely suppressed them.
Neung So-hwa's questions continued.
"Is there any clue that might help?"
"Well..."
"Who was it that served you the tea, Jeok Daehyeop?"
"Master Gongmun. He was the abbot of Shaolin at the time."
"In that case... there might be records about him in Shaolin's library."
"Hm."
"We could ask them to look into what kind of tea he usually liked."
"Maybe..."
"It would be great if you remembered the aroma, but after so long, that's probably too much to ask."
"No, that's not it."
Jeok Muryong stated flatly.
He seemed to have calmed down already, his anxious expression replaced by serenity as if it had never been there.
"My memory is at a level that would make Dongbang Sak weep."
"Then... you remember the aroma from back then too?"
"Yes. If I smell it again, I'll know for sure."
"I see."
Neung So-hwa nodded.
"Then we're heading to Mount Song?"
"Yes, to Mount Song."
"W-Wait a moment!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Jin Choyoung cut in.
"Jeok Daehyeop, so right now... you're not going to Mount Song to help Miss, but just because you want to drink some tea?"
"Wrong."
Jeok Muryong declared confidently.
"It's not that I want to drink tea. I want to taste the one I didn't drink back then."
"Ah, no, I mean..."
"And there's a saying in the murim world."
"What saying?"
"Two birds with one stone."
"...?"
"While I'm off to Mount Song for the tea, you two can do what you need to do."
"Let's do that, Choyoung."
As Neung So-hwa smiled and spoke, Jin Choyoung half-resigned herself.
"Understood."
"Don't hate Jeok Daehyeop too much."
Right after returning to their room.
Jin Choyoung was shocked at Neung So-hwa's words.
"H-Hate him? I don't hate or dislike him at all, Miss."
"Are you scared he might overhear? Don't worry. He's not the type."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. Trust me."
"Of course I trust you absolutely, Miss... but do you have any basis for thinking that?"
"He's the Heavenly Demon."
Neung So-hwa said with a smile.
"A man of his stature wouldn't stoop to eavesdropping on women's chatter."
......
"Was my explanation strange, Choyoung?"
"N-No! Of course not."
Jin Choyoung waved her hands frantically, then let out a long sigh.
"Regardless, I don't actually hate Jeok Daehyeop."
"I figured. You're kind-hearted, after all."
"It's just... I'm worried he's too capricious."
"It's not his well-being you're worried about... You're afraid his whims might get you hurt, right?"
"Yes."
Jin Choyoung answered honestly.
"Especially if he really is the Heavenly Demon..."
"I see."
"Speaking of which, Miss... Do you really believe Jeok Daehyeop is the Heavenly Demon?"
"You mean, do I believe he's the Heavenly Demon from long ago?"
"Yes."
"Honestly, I'm half-doubting, half-believing."
"As expected."
"Yes. Even if it's true, it doesn't matter much."
"Pardon?"
"Jeok Daehyeop said it himself. He doesn't particularly hate Shaolin or the other righteous sects."
"And he's the Heavenly Demon..."
"If everything he says is true."
Neung So-hwa paused to gather her thoughts.
"Maybe the old grudges have faded over the long years. And..."
"And...?"
"The fact that he received tea from Shaolin's former abbot suggests he might have good memories from back then."
Jin Choyoung narrowed her eyes.
"The Heavenly Demon met with Shaolin's abbot..."
"If it wasn't wartime, it would be entirely possible. Even during war, depending on circumstances."
"What on earth did they talk about, and why does he suddenly want to taste a tea he didn't even drink back then?"
"I don't know that much."
Neung So-hwa's gaze drifted toward the half-open window.
"Still, heading to Mount Song isn't all bad for us either. That's for sure."
The next morning.
The three stood ready to depart in front of the inn.
Jeok Muryong had a large bundle on his back, stuffed with all the jerky the inn had been storing.
"That should be enough to eat on the way."
Jeok Muryong shook his head at Jin Choyoung's words.
"Wrong."
"Pardon?"
"This is food for Mount Song."
"Ah, well, with your lightness skill, Mount Song is just a quick trip anyway."
"Doesn't mean I can skimp on meals en route. Don't forget our contract is still in effect."
Jin Choyoung flinched.
His words echoed in her mind anew.
"Provide four rabbits daily, or an equivalent amount of meat."
"W-Wait a second."
In a panic, Jin Choyoung poured out her words.
"That was only for Heavenly Center Mountain. I didn't expect we'd reach the village so quickly. And remember the dinner we treated you to in Little Neung Village? That more than covers four rabbits."
"True. So..."
Jeok Muryong pondered briefly before speaking.
"I'll count it as two days."
"Six days! No, at least a week!"
"Too much."
"Too much? You alone ate enough for twenty men."
"You counted every bite?"
"You bet I did."
"Hm."
Jeok Muryong furrowed his brow at the unexpected situation.
It wasn't anger, but more like embarrassment.
Jin Choyoung had braced for him to throw a tantrum or yell, but his milder reaction brought her considerable relief.
"Three days."
"Five!"
"...Four days."
Jin Choyoung considered pushing further but decided against it.
Everything in moderation, after all.
Besides, she didn't want to be stingy with her lifesaver.
"Fine. Three days it is."
"Four."
Jeok Muryong stated firmly.
"I don't want to owe you."
"Got it. Four days then."
"Hoo."
Jeok Muryong let out a light sigh and turned to Neung So-hwa.
The moment he saw her meaningful smile, he understood everything.
-Looks like you gave her a heads-up.
Neung So-hwa silently mouthed her response to his transmission.
'Better to settle these things clearly. And Choyoung seemed too tense around you, so I wanted her to relax.'
Jeok Muryong easily read her lips and clicked his tongue.
-The Heavenly Demon is meant to be feared.
'Sorry.'
"Enough. It's meaningless now."
Jeok Muryong spoke aloud and wagged his index finger.
"Uh... like last time?"
"Better for both sides, right? No time wasted."
......
Neung So-hwa and Jin Choyoung, exchanging glances, relaxed their bodies and slightly spread their arms.
The perfect posture for being carried.
Jeok Muryong scooped them up under his arms in one motion and unleashed Demon Shadow Instant God Step toward Mount Song.
The distance from Little Neung Village to Mount Song was two or three times that from Heavenly Center Mountain to Little Neung Village.
As such, even Jeok Muryong couldn't keep going nonstop.
Not due to his stamina or inner energy, but because the passengers couldn't endure it.
Sure enough, when he stopped midway to set them down, Jin Choyoung immediately collapsed and dry-heaved.
Neung So-hwa, too, was pale-faced and gasping for breath.
Jeok Muryong alternated glances between the two women and placed a hand on his waist.
"Resting here a bit."
"Where are we... Jeok Daehyeop?"
"Hm. Well. Not sure about the place name. Roughly a bit over halfway, I'd say."
"I see."
"Sorry, but could we go slower from here?"
Jin Choyoung pleaded, eyes brimming with tears after vomiting up her guts.
Jeok Muryong was about to refuse but changed his mind.
He needed time to leisurely chew on jerky anyway.
"Fine. We'll walk for a while from here."
"Th-Thank you."
"Yeah."
Jeok Muryong replied indifferently and approached Jin Choyoung.
"Wh-Why?"
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Why are you so pointlessly tense?"
"Th-That's..."
"If I were going to harm you, it'd be done a hundred times over by now. Right?"
"...Yes."
"So stop fidgeting every time I do something. It's annoying to watch."
"Understo—"
Before she could finish, Jeok Muryong placed his hand on her stomach.
Jin Choyoung barely suppressed her panic.
Moments later, she felt her insides rapidly calming and blinked in surprise.
"Hey, acupressure?"
"You know your stuff."
......
"I converted my inner energy to Natural Qi and let it flow through your meridians."
"Through my meridians..."
"In the process, the Natural Qi spreads to every corner of your body. Within limits that don't invade your own inner energy."
"Ah."
"Result: unsettled organs stabilize, accumulated fatigue dissolves. Simple principle."
It made sense when he explained it.
But in reality?
She could hardly believe it was possible.
For starters, converting one's own power to Natural Qi—could anyone even do that?
Usually, it was the opposite: gathering Natural Qi through breathing exercises to build one's own energy.
A moment when Jeok Muryong's profound realm truly sank in.
While she shuddered, Jeok Muryong healed Neung So-hwa the same way.
"My body feels completely refreshed! Thank you so much, Jeok Daehyeop."
"Yeah."
Jeok Muryong replied indifferently, as always.