Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Assembly
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Repetitive daily life was filled with training.
Amid the bland days, there was a small pleasure, so Seo Mun-ha often visited this modest inn.
"Welcome, Young Master!"
The young owner, who had rushed out barefoot, beamed with a broad smile.
"Two guests today."
The difference from before was that, aside from his servant, he had brought someone else along.
Jangga Inn.
Located away from the bustling market streets, it was in a remote spot with a closed-off vibe that few knew about. In prosperous Jenam, this place alone was always dead quiet, with tumbleweeds practically blowing through.
"More people than I expected."
Having spent a long time in Shandong, Ha Eun-ye couldn't hide her amazement at the inn's steep rise from her memories.
"Haha, it's all thanks to Young Master Seo Mun. This way, please."
The Jangga Inn was bustling like it had undergone a complete metamorphosis.
Wide-open front doors and windows.
Notably, amid the swarming crowd, thick smoke rose in plumes here and there.
"We'll have it ready shortly."
Even in this frenzy, the reason for such lavish treatment was that this entire throng was thanks to Seo Mun-ha.
"You were an expert in cooking too?"
It wasn't anything groundbreaking.
"No."
What he had suggested was a new style of cuisine.
Not something he invented from scratch—he had simply asked them to recreate a method he'd tasted somewhere before.
Sizzle─
Every table inside the inn had a small brazier set up.
A round iron griddle covered the brazier, and instead of fully prepared dishes coming out, the novelty added a fun twist.
The fun of watching, hearing, and doing it yourself.
Strictly speaking, calling it "cooking" might be a stretch.
'It's just grilling...'
Still, this explosive reaction far exceeded even Seo Mun-ha's own expectations.
The simple spectacle filled the gaps between conversations now and then, and as perfect bar snacks, it had transformed the ghost-town inn into a hotspot.
"I heard it's a method nomads or soldiers often use."
In wartime, rations and supplies were bound to be subpar. With even proper cooking a luxury, the northern barbarians who hunted wild game often resorted to using helmets in a pinch.
On life-or-death battlefields, the helmet over the fire helped block some smoke, but above all, its simplicity was the biggest advantage.
Even the starving soldiers of the Great Ming cast aside their aversion and secretly adopted the barbarians' ways.
"How do you even know about that?"
For all his broad knowledge, as Ha Eun-ye pointed out, it was far removed from what an ordinary martial artist would know.
"Picked it up living life."
"Be honest. Young Master Seo Mun, you're not really eighteen, are you?"
"Busted. I'm actually thirty-nine."
Ignoring the silly banter from the pair, the other patrons unanimously praised the fresh method.
"You should've listened to me sooner, right?"
"Not bad. Goat meat usually reeks, but this is edible."
As compliments poured in while waiting their turn, the owner approached with his head bowed low, looking like a condemned criminal.
"Um, I'm truly sorry, Young Master. A few braziers broke the day before yesterday..."
"Can't be helped."
"Instead, I'll bring out the inn's finest dishes."
"No need to go to such lengths."
"No! As the benefactor of Jangga Inn, we can't skimp on hospitality!"
Insisting he not refuse, Owner Jang darted into the kitchen like an arrow.
"Besides, thanks to the method you devised, Young Master, our chef's been twiddling his thumbs."
Then he scolded the inn's lady proprietor.
The young couple's bickering was a sight to behold.
They seemed to get along well.
After moistening his throat with lukewarm tea, the owner's boasted wife's dishes began filling the table one by one.
"Isn't this too much...?"
"Yeah."
The first to catch the eye was tangcu liji.
This dish, well-known in Beijing and Shandong, was pork ribs coated in starch and deep-fried.
Thud.
The chef himself came to the table to explain.
"Normally, it's stir-fried with sauce. Since we had time, I prepared the sauce separately. Dig in comfortably, Young Master."
With a sly wink, he turned on his heel.
"Holy hell, she's stunning. Honey practically dripping from her eyes."
"What do you care about others? Go be as handsome as Young Master Seo Mun yourself."
"What?! You hag!"
Setting aside the usual commotion, Seo Mun-ha chuckled awkwardly and reached for his chopsticks.
Chomp.
He was about to.
"What are you doing right now?"
A woman he was seeing as if for the first time, yet with a familiar voice, pointed in horror at the thick sauce.
"...?"
"You're not about to pour it, are you? Tell me you're not."
Soon, gazes pierced through the hazy smoke, all focusing on them.
"It'll get soggy."
Ha Eun-ye removed her face veil and added firmly.
"You have to dip it!"
Pour it on or dip it?
Her newfound familiarity led her to meddle like an old busybody, and he uttered her full name, noting her quirky side.
"...Now you're casually calling an unmarried lady by name?"
She revealed her face to his suddenly intent gaze and shot back.
"But what does that mean?"
With a pouty glare.
"Don't know where to start calling you out."
The face always hidden by the veil belonged to a woman of exceptional beauty.
A slight change in expression alters how people look.
Especially for a beauty like her, impossible to forget easily. Though he'd seen her in men's garb before, matching the Ha Eun-ye in his memory to the stunner before him took a moment.
"Calling me out?"
But to her, the time and reaction fell short of expectations.
Seo Mun-ha shrugged nonchalantly and poured the sauce over.
"Ah..."
Ha Eun-ye's sudden plunge into despair was a sight worth savoring.
"Anyway."
People do the opposite of what they're told not to. Ignoring her pursed lips, Seo Mun-ha moved his chopsticks.
"To change the subject—how'd you know to come here before?"
"...Younger sister told me. A-so mentioned the spot."
"What's the business?"
The reason she sought him was clear.
Having returned from afar to his home base, he cut straight to the point.
"Aren't you being a bit stingy? I carved out busy time to come here."
Ha Eun-ye sighed, unwittingly voicing her disappointment.
Of course, her well-groomed appearance had nothing to do with him.
She hadn't expected an emotional reunion, but she hadn't anticipated this utter blandness making her efforts pointless.
"Not quite on Young Master Seo Mun's level, though."
Her tone carried a subtle reproach.
From the Sichuan trip to immediately stirring trouble upon returning to Shandong—Seo Mun-ha.
Compared to him, her progress as a Murim Alliance member felt sluggish, so she'd aimed to surprise him. Yet he remained utterly unpredictable.
'Really...'
He lifted people up only to drop them; beyond Jangga Inn, he was Shandong's top hot topic.
Who could've guessed he'd drive off the Plum Sword Gang and Golden Tiger Merchant Group single-handedly, without clan backing?
Truly, no one had foreseen it. Plenty must be in a bind because of it.
"Like the Hwang Bo Clan, for starters?"
With their feud neatly concluded, it wouldn't look good for a Six Great Clan to step in.
Especially against an individual rather than clan conflict—it'd seem like a massive sect bullying a lone martial artist.
"Well, this incident looks like Plum Sword Gang's solo act. But in the end..."
Seo Mun-ha met the sidelong glances from patrons, deflecting each gaze one by one.
Hot topic or not, most customers were common folk too intimidated to approach.
"Someone's delayed response is part of it too."
He flung her earlier reproach right back.
Currently, Shandong's top two buzzes.
One was Seo Mun-ha; the other, the Later Generation Expert Gathering.
"Are you upset about that?"
"Not really."
Strictly speaking, the gathering was bait.
The Murim Alliance laying a trap against demons hiding in Shandong.
Advertising the Nine Dragons and Seven Peaks drew countless martial artists, foreshadowing bloodshed across Shandong.
"Wasn't forcing participation."
Official notices went to sects everywhere.
The gathering's true aim lurked beneath the surface.
Unavoidable danger, yet for prime young experts, a chance to make names for themselves and their sects.
"So, yeah."
Ha Eun-ye glanced cautiously.
Tapping the table, fiddling with her hair.
After beating around the bush, she finally folded her busy fingers demurely.
"I'd like your help, Young Master Seo Mun."
Words she'd held back for over half a year.
"Got it."
The response she'd hoped for validated her patience, but it left her baffled anew.
This easily?
"Just join the gathering, right?"
"...Yeah, not a bad deal for you either."
"What do I get?"
Ha Eun-ye sent a transmission with him right there.
Demons we suspect are hiding in Shandong.
No fewer than five.
Whoever the demons were, or who baited them where—it had nothing to do with him...
The practitioner of the Myeongjung Finger Law you've been seeking. Suspected demon called Blood-Faced Asura. Age unknown, but estimated realm mid-level Seven Realms—potentially Top Hundred Master material.
Contrary to his thoughts, there was a connection. She emphasized it was too much for her alone amid the details.
And...
She cautiously added private intel.
No matter how elusive the demons, they couldn't forever evade the Murim Alliance and Seo Mun Clan pursuit—likely backed by some organization.
"In your terms, about this much each?"
Even gathering intel was tough. Remote area with low openness, info from commoners severely limited.
"I see."
"You probably expected as much, Young Master Seo Mun."
Ha Eun-ye smiled softly.
Her radiance seemed to light up the entire inn.
"Truth is, getting them all together will be hard."
Amid sighs from others, Seo Mun-ha nodded calmly.
Impossible to assemble all top later-generation experts.
Some in formal seclusion, half of Nine Dragons and Seven Peaks alone would be extraordinary.
Of course, not individuals alone—sects swelling ranks to show off, drawing hundreds or thousands.
Undeniably the grandest gathering ever, and among countless talents, Ha Eun-ye rated Seo Mun-ha highest.
'Plenty with superior martial arts.'
Otherwise, no need to drag her feet to persuade him.
She called it help, but it was more collaboration.
Just sharing intel on common targets was meaningful.
A reliable ally in every way.
"It's a personal request."
Since he'd glossed over it earlier, Ha Eun-ye gazed at him earnestly, seeking firm commitment.
Clack.
Instead of words, Seo Mun-ha set down his chopsticks.
Having devoured most of the mountain of food.
Gulp.
For Ha Eun-ye, her hard sell felt wasted, but the outcome and answer were set—no need to know otherwise.
"Not eating?"
"..."
"Didn't you say dinner's still pending?"
"Quick question. No appetite."
"Liquor?"
"That, sure."
Seo Mun-ha called the owner for more dishes. The talk would drag on.
"One guobao rou."
"Sauce on the side, please!"
Before long, the pair walked a path together.
From Jenam toward Qingzhou, his stride always a step ahead in their simple march.