Commencement (2)
Nang Hyeon’s eyes widened as if they might tear.
“Wh-what?!”
He instantly drew up his internal energy at the illusion rising before him. This was clearly a formation.
Which meant—
“A trap?!”
It had happened the moment he stood before the signboard, just as he was about to enter the inn after hearing the lovely attendant’s words. Could this be one of those places that disguised itself as an inn to lure people in and sell them off?
“But you’ve picked the wrong opponent. This body has weathered every storm and battle imaginable… huh?”
As Nang Hyeon pushed the hallucination away with his internal energy and prepared to fight, what floated before his eyes was none other than a dish. And it looked incredibly vivid.
“What… what is this.”
Jo Seol’s voice reached the flustered Nang Hyeon.
“At our inn, we provide previews like this to help guests better understand our new dishes.”
Nang Hyeon settled the internal energy he had drawn up and let out a gasp of admiration. An inn that used formations to show what dishes they were selling? Whoever came up with this idea truly deserved applause.
“Haha… this is truly a wonderful idea. The innkeeper must be quite the clever one.”
But using such a formation would have cost a considerable sum. That burden would ultimately fall on the customers who visited the inn.
Unless the food is extraordinarily delicious, it won’t have much price competitiveness.
Making that sharp analysis, Nang Hyeon touched another dish listed on the signboard. Once more, a strange sensation as if he had fallen into a formation wrapped around him, and the illusion of a new dish appeared.
“Heh… this is really…”
Should he call it innovative, or an overinvestment just to advertise food? In any case, what mattered was the taste of the cuisine. With a resolute expression, Nang Hyeon stepped into the shop.
Clack.
As he opened the door and entered, a refreshing sensation washed over him, and a strange light entered Nang Hyeon’s eyes. It wasn’t simply that the air felt clean.
Hum.
Right now, Nang Hyeon’s dantian was reacting, his internal energy stirring. Martial artists spent their lives regulating their breath and using that breath to accumulate energy and grow stronger. To such beings, breathing was not merely an act of living—it carried profound meaning.
What is this? Why is my dantian…
Nang Hyeon had never felt anything like this before. The internal energy cultivation method he practiced was not of particularly high quality. A mere mercenary martial artist would never have been given a good heart method manual. Even so, Nang Hyeon’s talent had been decent enough for him to survive this long.
Well, I’ll be…
Amazed, Nang Hyeon quietly tried circulating his energy. Instantly, the refreshing energy was drawn in and rapidly absorbed into his dantian.
It was astonishing.
An efficiency of energy accumulation he had never experienced before. Forgetting even that he had only stopped by the inn for a moment, Nang Hyeon stood there blankly and continued circulating his energy.
“Huh?”
As Jo Seol was about to call out to Nang Hyeon, who stood rooted in place, Kang Yeon appeared from the kitchen.
“Seol-ah, wait.”
When Kang Yeon stopped her, Jo Seol halted. Kang Yeon looked at Nang Hyeon immersed in energy circulation and scratched his head.
“Hmm… so this is how it turns out.”
Kang Yeon had set up a small device to purify the energy inside the inn. He had ground Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade into powder and coated the walls with it. The powder of the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade could keep the air and temperature inside the inn at the most optimal levels at all times.
But there was something Kang Yeon had not considered.
Namely, that Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade was a peerless treasure that martial artists dreamed of. Training internal energy atop a pedestal made of Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade was an extraordinary matter. He had thought that grinding it into powder and coating the walls would have no such effect, but that seemed not to be the case.
Woom.
For Nang Hyeon, lost in energy circulation before his eyes, this could truly be considered an unexpected stroke of fortune.
Well… since he’s the first customer, let’s call it a small gift.
And then—
“Hoo… incredible.”
Having finished circulating his energy, Nang Hyeon opened his eyes and let out a long breath. In that brief circulation, he had been able to accumulate a considerable amount of internal energy. In this state, it was no different from grasping a clue to raise the realm that had long been stagnant. The very realm Nang Hyeon had thought he could never reach.
Peak Realm.
At some point, unable to break through his realm, Nang Hyeon had decided to leave the Murim. He had felt that if he continued involving himself in the fights of the martial world, death would not be far off.
But if he reached the Peak Realm?
He could dive back into the world of Murim and pursue even greater fame and wealth…
“Welcome, customer.”
Kang Yeon’s voice pierced precisely into Nang Hyeon’s ear. Nang Hyeon, who had been envisioning the Murim once more, flinched in surprise and looked at Kang Yeon. There stood a young man of sturdy build, dressed in what anyone would see as a chef’s attire.
“Hmm?”
For a moment, he felt a faintly familiar sensation. He wondered if it was a chef he had seen at another inn, but that wasn’t it either. There weren’t that many chefs he was familiar with to begin with, so Nang Hyeon quickly lost interest.
“Please take a seat wherever you like.”
Nang Hyeon looked around and let out a gasp of admiration. The exterior of the inn had been excellent, and the interior was also built cleanly and elegantly. An inn of this caliber immediately brought to mind Ilyeong Inn, currently regarded as the best in the vicinity.
“The inn is really clean and nice.”
“We put a lot of care into it.”
Nang Hyeon looked right in front of the kitchen and wore a curious expression. Unlike most other inns, it had a structure where the inside of the kitchen was visible. And there were seats for customers right in front of it.
“The layout is interesting too?”
“I believe showing the cooking process to the guests is also a form of entertainment. It’s also a show of confidence that we keep the kitchen clean. The seats toward the front of the kitchen are for customers like yourself who come alone.”
“I see.”
Nang Hyeon took a seat right in front of the kitchen, in the row of seats. Once seated, he was surprised again.
So… comfortable.
He had thought it was just a simple chair, but the moment he sat, comfort enveloped his entire body. It felt as if he had finished the day and settled comfortably at home.
“Have you decided what you’ll have?”
Nang Hyeon answered without hesitation.
“One pork cutlet, please.”
In West Lake, the pork cutlet had become a fairly well-known dish. At some point it had exploded in popularity, and now almost every inn was selling it.
Come to think of it, the first inn to sell pork cutlet was…
It had been the inn that used to stand right where Nang Hyeon had just entered. It had been called the West Lake Number One Inn, and now that he thought about it, this inn bore the same name. That meant the previous inn had renovated and reopened.
For a moment, his expectations for the food dropped slightly.
Who was Nang Hyeon? A man who had tasted every dish that existed on the streets of West Lake. Of course, he had eaten the pork cutlet at the West Lake Number One Inn that had first started selling it. Naturally, the taste had been lacking compared to others, disappointing him, and he had never returned since.
But it was awkward to leave now.
He had already ordered.
Above all, there had been the mysterious experiences from the entrance all the way inside. Moreover, the existence of the young chef Kang Yeon strongly stimulated Nang Hyeon’s curiosity.
Meanwhile, Kang Yeon, who had gone into the kitchen, stood before the stove to cook.
“Yeon-ah, our first customer, right?”
“Yes, Uncle. He ordered the pork cutlet.”
Jo Hwan’s eyes grew moist with emotion. To be able to begin the inn’s new start with the pork cutlet that had led its golden age…
“We can’t keep the customer waiting long. Let’s get ready quickly.”
“Alright. Since it’s the first customer. Let’s make it with a taste that’ll blow him away.”
Kang Yeon gently infused energy into the stove.
Whoosh.
Blue flames surged up. Jo Hwan began preparing the ingredients right beside him. First he approached one side of the kitchen. There was an ingredient storage box that held a subtle chill. This was made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade, and inside were ingredients that required freshness.
In short, it was no different from a modern refrigerator.
“Let’s see.”
Jo Hwan took out fresh pork and began preparing it. The fat and fascia had already been removed, but the tenderizing work to make the pork cutlet delicious was done when an order came in.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Jo Hwan began pounding the meat with a hammer on one side. By moderately pounding the meat with a hammer that had a pointed side, one could obtain a tenderizing effect that made the meat soft. This technique had also spread throughout West Lake by now. While Jo Hwan did the tenderizing, Kang Yeon prepared the batter.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
With skilled hand movements, Kang Yeon prepared the batter and received the meat from Jo Hwan. After handing over the meat, Jo Hwan prepared the vegetables to accompany the pork cutlet.
Sizzle.
Meanwhile, the meat coated in batter entered the oil and began to cook. The pork cutlet, frying at the most perfect temperature, soon transformed into a golden form. Kang Yeon took out the well-cooked pork cutlet at the most perfect moment. Then he cut it into easy-to-eat sizes.
Chop. Chop.
The pleasant sound of the batter being cut rang out. Nang Hyeon, who had been watching the kitchen with curiosity, unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
Gulp.
The two chefs cooking in perfect harmony. The freshness of the ingredients visible beyond the kitchen was impressive even to Nang Hyeon, who was no chef. Above all, the aroma wafting from the pork cutlet frying in oil strongly stimulated his sense of smell.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The well-cut vegetables seemed to overflow with vitality, and the seasoning sprinkled over them was a color he had never seen before. Expectation filled Nang Hyeon’s eyes.
And then—
“Here’s the pork cutlet you ordered.”
The appetizingly plated dish was placed before Nang Hyeon through the open space of the kitchen.
“Ohh!”
Nang Hyeon let out a cry of admiration. The batter of the carefully prepared pork cutlet stood on end as if it were alive. As one who had indulged in the path of gourmet food, Nang Hyeon could tell just by looking.
This dish was the real deal.
With his expectations fully raised, Nang Hyeon lifted his spoon with a reverent heart. He picked up a well-cut piece of pork cutlet, dipped it generously in the sauce placed beside it, and popped it into his mouth in one go.
Crunch.
The batter crumbled in his mouth, and through the gaps the juices of the pork burst forth. The batter, the juices, and the sauce intertwined and began to unleash a fantastical feast of flavors in his mouth. Nang Hyeon chewed the food in his mouth frantically.
Gulp.
As he swallowed the sufficiently chewed food, regret washed over him. But fortunately, he had only eaten a single piece so far. Nang Hyeon thanked the heavens and earth for that fact. He looked at the remaining pork cutlet and took a deep breath. One plate of well-fried pork cutlet.
This place’s pork cutlet was the best among all he had ever eaten.
Nang Hyeon continued to eat the pork cutlet frenetically after that. Ordinary fried dishes would grow greasy as one progressed, but this place’s pork cutlet never grew tiresome no matter how much he ate.
The sauce for dipping the pork cutlet is perfect too, and especially…
The seasoning poured over the finely chopped vegetables was simply extraordinary. It felt like it cleanly washed away the greasiness in his mouth after eating the pork cutlet. Thanks to that, he could enjoy the pork cutlet even more deliciously.
Clack.
Having soon polished off the entire pork cutlet, Nang Hyeon set down his spoon and beamed with a full smile.
“Truly the finest taste. That was delicious.”