Phew... That Was Truly an Amazing Meal
Jo Seol hummed a little tune as she swept the front courtyard of the inn. It had only been two days since they opened for business, yet she felt an unshakable certainty that everything was going to work out just fine.
"I've always had a good instinct for these things."
Nang Hyeon, one of West Lake's rather well-known gourmands, had left thoroughly satisfied the day before. His last taste review had been of the highest order. It would take time for word of Nang Hyeon's rating to spread, but once it did, the rumors would catch and grow. Guests would steadily increase, and the inn would reclaim its former vitality.
"I'm in a good mood."
A thriving business and plenty of coin were wonderful, of course, but what Jo Seol loved most was that Kang Yeon had come home. Because of him, her father Jo Hwan had found his energy again, and her own days had become pure joy. Just as she finished cleaning the front of the inn, someone approached her.
"Do you happen to serve breakfast as well?"
Jo Seol looked up to find none other than Nang Hyeon, arriving early in the morning. Her face lit with a bright welcome as she greeted him.
"Of course we do. Our inn serves a very special breakfast. Would you like to come in?"
"Yes—but is there a way to look at the breakfast menu board first?"
"There is. The menu board is right over here."
Jo Seol pointed to the standing signboard set to one side. Nang Hyeon's eyes sparkled as he laid his hand upon it.
Hum.
With a faint ripple through the air, an illusion rose before Nang Hyeon's eyes. He carefully drew up a thread of internal energy to test for any reaction. Yet still he felt no resistance against his qi at all.
So it's not because of this, at least.
Confirming that the energy-enhancement phenomenon was not caused by the menu board, a flicker of disappointment crossed Nang Hyeon's face. But that was not the end of it. He examined every dish listed on the board through the illusion, one by one.
"Wow..."
Gulp.
He could not help swallowing. Looking at Jo Seol with an excited expression, he asked,
"Are all the dishes you sell in the morning completely different?"
"Yes! In the morning we offer special dishes different from the rest. The breakfast menu is delicious too, so look forward to it."
"I'm already salivating."
Nang Hyeon's face grew increasingly flushed with anticipation. The illusions he had just seen were of unfamiliar dishes once again, but this time, instead of worry, pure expectation filled him.
"Then please, come inside."
Creak.
Nang Hyeon opened the inn door and stepped inside. Even though it was early morning, the neatly arranged interior drew a soft smile to his lips. On this second, worry-free visit, he could finally take in the space properly. As he entered the inn, a sense of calm settled over his heart.
Let's see now.
Hummm.
When he quietly circulated his energy, sure enough, his dantian responded. Nang Hyeon calmed his excitement, walked to one side, and took a seat. Keeping his expression neutral, he calmly looked at Jo Seol.
"I'll have the special breakfast set number one, please."
The breakfast dishes at West Lake Number One Inn were uniquely composed of several items: warm tea, vegetables, simple bread, and egg dishes.
"Yes, I'll prepare the special number one for you."
Having placed his order, Nang Hyeon immediately closed his eyes and began circulating his energy.
Hum. Hummm.
As he practiced his mental cultivation method, vitality surged through his body and internal energy began accumulating in his dantian. Inwardly delighted, Nang Hyeon continued circulating the Lion Heart Method. Feeling his dantian grow fuller with every cycle, he found himself wishing the food would take as long as possible to arrive. But his greed outpaced his achievement. He was not at a level where he could absorb all the surging energy, so most of it scattered away again.
"Mm."
Even though he had focused on his circulation, a sigh of regret escaped him. If only he had reached the Peak Realm, he could have absorbed every bit of that leaking energy—how frustrating. Having finished his qi circulation, Nang Hyeon opened his eyes. Standing before him with the prepared dishes was Kang Yeon.
Nang Hyeon looked a little sheepish.
"Ah... I was just checking on something for a moment."
"I see. You seemed so deeply focused that I waited. Here is the meal you ordered."
"Thank you."
Looking at the food set before him, Nang Hyeon wore a curious expression. The eggs and vegetables were things he had seen before, but the way they were prepared and arranged on the plates was completely new. Especially the bread on one side—he had never seen anything like it. It resembled a dumpling in shape, yet the color was different.
"Is this what you call bread?"
"Yes, that's right. It's something the people of the Western Regions enjoy eating, and it tastes quite good. The way to eat it is to have the bread together with the eggs, and for the vegetables, add the seasoning here. Drink it with the warm tea and it'll make for a hearty meal. Ah! You look a bit tired—why not try the tea first? This particular tea is excellent for calming the mind and body."
"Thank you."
Following Kang Yeon's recommendation, Nang Hyeon first took a sip of the tea. A warm energy filled his mouth. His eyes widened. To think such fine tea was available even in the Western Regions—it was astonishing.
"Oh??"
And just as Kang Yeon had said, a single sip settled his mind and body. The fatigue from his earlier energy circulation and the regret of letting the energy slip away both soothed. To get such an effect from just one sip of tea was truly marvelous.
Nang Hyeon asked Kang Yeon,
"What kind of tea is this?"
"It's a tea brewed from leaves grown in an excellent environment. I haven't given it a name yet."
"Just as you said, it truly calms the mind and body. This is tea of the absolute highest grade."
When the words "highest grade" left Nang Hyeon's mouth, Jo Seol, standing to the side, clenched both fists tightly. Kang Yeon remained calm.
"Don't rush. Savor the flavors slowly. There's plenty of time. As they say, if you hurry anything, you'll get indigestion, right?"
"Ah... yes, that's true."
At Kang Yeon's words, many thoughts suddenly filled Nang Hyeon's face. Kang Yeon stepped aside so Nang Hyeon could eat. After a moment of deep thought, Nang Hyeon let out a long breath.
"Right. No need to rush."
It was a wall he had failed to surpass for over ten years while wandering the martial world. He had gotten too excited over this sudden opportunity and grown impatient. If not today, there was tomorrow; if not tomorrow, the day after. The inn wasn't going anywhere, and as long as nothing unexpected happened, he could visit every day. Nang Hyeon decided to set aside his impatience. And just like that, his heart truly lightened.
"Let's eat first."
Nang Hyeon poured a generous amount of seasoning over the vegetables. The seasoning was of a color and form he had never seen before; as he poured it, a thick aroma that was both sweet and tangy rose up. With a face full of curiosity, he first tried the dressed vegetables.
Crunch.
The fresh vegetables refreshed his mouth. Then the flavor of the seasoning followed, perfectly balancing what might otherwise have been a bland texture. Eating the vegetables first awakened his appetite. Nang Hyeon looked down at the egg dish.
"Fried in oil, is it?"
It was a form different from ordinary egg dishes, and the taste was truly excellent. The harmony of a slight saltiness that just touched the end of the flavor was wonderful as well. Finally, he tried the unfamiliar bread.
"Hmm."
The first thing he noticed was a unique texture he had never experienced. The taste wasn't particularly stimulating—it even felt a bit plain—but after one bite, it was strangely addictive. After that, Nang Hyeon found himself devouring his breakfast in a daze. The combination of warm tea, bread, and vegetables was simply outstanding.
"Excuse me, could I get another serving of this egg dish?"
Having already polished off the fried eggs, Nang Hyeon asked. As if he had expected it, Kang Yeon immediately brought more fried eggs.
"Watching you eat last time, I anticipated it wouldn't be enough."
"Haha... I do eat quite a bit, don't I? Part of it is because I train in martial arts, so I need a lot of food, but the dishes here are so delicious that I end up eating more than usual."
"Thank you for enjoying our cooking so much, both last time and this time."
Nang Hyeon began eating heartily once more. Kang Yeon stepped back and watched him eat. Jo Seol quietly approached Kang Yeon.
"Yeon-oppa, it looks like he completely loves our breakfast dishes too, doesn't it?"
In truth, both Jo Hwan and Jo Seol had been a little worried about the breakfast dishes Kang Yeon was selling. A typical breakfast in the Central Plains was usually a warm soup dish or dumplings, after all. It wasn't about the taste—since the dishes would be unfamiliar to customers, they had thought it would be hard for people to approach them.
But since Nang Hyeon was satisfied, there was no need to worry about that part any longer.
"Didn't I tell you? Plenty of people are definitely going to love them."
While wandering the martial world of the Central Plains, Kang Yeon had often cooked and eaten dishes just like the ones Nang Hyeon was having. The reactions of the martial artists who had gotten to eat them had all been the same as Nang Hyeon's. At first they found them unfamiliar, but the more they ate, the more they fell for the clean flavors, until eventually they would insist that Kang Yeon make their breakfast every single morning.
"I hope more people get to try these dishes soon."
"It shouldn't be long now."
Finishing his conversation with Jo Seol, Kang Yeon looked at Nang Hyeon.
Hmm... Looks like he's going to become a regular. Maybe I should take a little interest.
Hummm.
A gentle energy rose from Kang Yeon's body and drifted toward Nang Hyeon. Kang Yeon's energy immediately began examining Nang Hyeon's body. Completely unaware, Nang Hyeon remained absorbed in his meal.
Hmm. He's at the very peak of First-Class...
Just like modern anatomy, Kang Yeon's eyes could see everything about Nang Hyeon—the condition of his muscles and bones, his organs, the size of his dantian, and even the amount of internal energy stored within it.
Has the path to the Peak Realm been progressing too quickly?
It seemed the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade that made up the walls of the inn had stimulated Nang Hyeon's dantian. This was something Kang Yeon hadn't anticipated. Though the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade was a legendary treasure, for masters above a certain level it merely greatly assisted internal energy training without affecting their realm.
But for a martial artist around First-Class, it's a different story.
For someone at First-Class or Peak Realm, the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade could provide an opportunity to break through a bottleneck. Of course, that only applied when facing a wall, and Nang Hyeon seemed to be in exactly that situation. He appeared to have been stuck at the First-Class realm for quite a long time. And now, thanks to the sudden effect of the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade, his dantian had expanded.
If you fill it too hastily, strain is bound to follow.
Surpassing a realm required a rather careful process. Martial artists of exceptional talent could manage it alone without issue, but those lacking talent sometimes ran into major problems while trying to break through.
Hmm...
If he left Nang Hyeon as he was, the odds of him reaching the Peak Realm were about fifty-fifty. If he failed to break through, he might instead fall into qi deviation.
Scratch. Scratch.
Kang Yeon scratched his cheek with a finger and let out a short sigh. He had decided not to get involved in the affairs of the martial world, but it was hard to ignore something happening right in front of him.
I'll keep an eye on him for a while.
Kang Yeon gently wrapped Nang Hyeon's dantian with his own energy. With this, there wouldn't be any more rapid increases in internal energy for the time being.
Just then, Nang Hyeon finished his breakfast.
"Phew... That was truly an amazing meal."
For some reason, Nang Hyeon's expression looked thoroughly refreshed.