Promise (5)

35. Promise (5)

When I followed Son Yeong down to the village and returned with a carrying-frame basket full of everything requested, Lee Eun-ha had laid out an enormous spread as though she had genuinely been waiting for it.

The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast—a term for a magnificent table groaning with dishes. But that phrase wouldn't be coined until the Qing dynasty, so it didn't exist yet. The finest banquet of Manchu and Han foods. Except the Manchu were still Jurchen. Apart from the word 'finest,' what we ate every day at Baek Clan Estate was basically the same thing. Han and Jurchen had lived mixed together there for generations, after all. This table Lee Eun-ha had prepared with such devotion was better described as a feast of delicacies from mountain and sea, a sumptuous banquet.

Liaoning Province was considered the boonies in the Central Plains, but fortunately it bordered the sea and had trade routes linking it to the lands of Joseon. Thanks to that, I got to witness Lee Eun-ha's cooking brilliantly make use of a wealth of ingredients rarely seen in Jilin.

—Look here, Yeongmok! Does this make any sense?—

As I was marveling at the spread, Elder Hwangseong's voice reached my ears.

—What can we do? Look at this table. It's the ancestral rite table prepared by your descendants, so you should accept it gladly.—

—No, I'm grateful, but does holding your own ancestral rite make any sense at all?—

His despairing cry rang out, but honestly, I had no choice. When Lee Eun-ha presented the lavish spread, Master suddenly suggested that we first hold an ancestral rite for Reverend Hwangseong, who had bestowed my Daoist title, and then eat. We would eat the offerings afterward anyway, so that part didn't matter. The problem was that although I supposedly spent every day buried in the library studying Daoist learning, I didn't even know how to perform a simple rite. Elder Hwangseong had agreed to handle every ritual from now on, so I'd never intended to learn. Yet everyone expected a magnificent ceremony from Yeongsan Sect's first Daoist. When I asked him to conduct it, the absurd situation of a self-service ancestral rite unfolded.

—Preposterous!—

—The Spirit-Binding Art is even more absurd. As its creator, give up and conduct the rite properly. Honestly, this is your offering table, old man. Would you not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be offended if I made a complete mess of your own rite? And have you ever received offerings this extravagant, enough to make the table legs buckle?—

—What good are mountain and sea delicacies spread out? Can a ghost really eat that food?—

—Hm. That is a rather awkward thing for a Daoist who made his living from rites to say. Still, what does it matter? Other ghosts may be unable to eat, but you can. I'll eat for a while, then trade places with you.—

—Hey! You brat! Are you telling me to eat the rite food your descendants have picked over and left behind?—

—If you don't like it, don't eat.—

—No, that's... Considering my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠descendants' devotion, how could I refuse?—

Despite his irritation, Hwangseong hurriedly backpedaled. How could he dislike the idea? It had been decades since he last ate, and this was a sumptuous banquet. I recited the twenty characters of the Soul Descent Art, and Hwangseong moved from the White Feather Fan into my body. After hesitating briefly, he gave in, raised the White Feather Fan, and began conducting his own ancestral rite.

Wow... The rite used my body, but just as he had boasted, every precise movement carried a master's touch. His perfectly pitched cadence captivated Master and the Senior Sisters, and even the way he placed incense in the burner looked beautiful. At the proper moment came the bows. Feeling sorry for him at least in this, I moved my body by my own will and bowed before his spirit tablet. The women followed me in turn. It was far more formal and devoted than any ancestral rite held at Baek Clan Estate—a true professional's ceremony—yet it ended in the blink of an eye, before anyone had time to grow bored.

"Good heavens. Disciple, you are a genius. Not one of the Senior Martial Uncles, Senior Brothers, or martial nephews and nieces ever mastered ritual protocol so perfectly in such a short time."

When the rite ended, Master exclaimed with a surprised face.

"More than that. Not even among the Senior Martial Uncles and Senior Brothers was there anyone who performed a rite so magnificently."

Her face flushed red, Jeong-hyang looked at me with eyes far too affectionate. With her sending those looks in front of everyone, it wouldn't be long before not only Lee Eun-ha but even Son Yeong caught on to our relationship.

"Of course, these things look best when a tall, well-built person does them."

Even Lee Eun-ha chimed in. Well, what would be impressive about a scrawny little man doing a ceremony like this?

"I thought you would be capable of it, Junior Brother. You are the one who left the luxury of the Baek Clan Estate behind and came all the way here to learn Taoist studies, after all."

Son Yeong nodded. No. You knew why. I had come here to escape the succession dispute under the pretense of studying abroad.

"Heeheehee. Junior Brother. Junior Brother. Can I eat the candied fruits now?"

Cho-ryeong quietly sidled up to me and asked about the candied fruits she hadn't been able to tear her eyes from.

"No, Junior Sister. Eat first."

But Son Yeong, in charge of education, swiftly restrained Cho-ryeong. Still, we had truly made an excessive mountain of candied fruits. If anything, I was more worried whether little Cho-ryeong could actually eat all of it. Amid the commotion, Lee Eun-ha quickly cleared the food and moved it to the dining hall. Jeong-hyang and Son Yeong also helped her carry the dishes to the dining hall.

"Junior Brother. Please eat."

Jeong-hyang spoke softly. It seemed there would be no shared table today either.

"Master. Could we not all eat together, at least on a day like today? With so few disciples left in Yeongsan Sect, the sect founder's heart would be uneasy if I ate alone."

When I quietly asked Master, she began to agonize as if this were some great matter. The rules of the sect, or the opinion of the Taoist who officiated this rite. She wrestled with which held more weight, then soon carefully took her seat and beckoned to everyone. At last, for the first time since I entered Yeongsan Sect, I was able to eat together with everyone. Lee Eun-ha may have been a specialist in Joseon cuisine, but the mountain of Chinese dishes outdid even the skill of the manor cooks who had worked at the Baek Clan Estate for decades. Seeing how her everyday meals had been scraped together with limited ingredients, today I truly got to taste Lee Eun-ha's genuine cooking.

Unexpectedly, contrary to my impressions from my past life, the sophistication of Central Plains food culture was extremely high. Chinese cuisine had always ranked proudly among the world's three great cuisines. So why had she used this skill to cook only Joseon-style food every day? Was it simply the preference of the woman who controlled the kitchen? As I bit into a crisp pancake and pondered that, everyone silently worked their chopsticks over the rich food we rarely saw.

Ah, right. Chinese cuisine had a long history, enormous variety, and great sophistication, but Korean food had virtues of its own. A food culture's development was fundamentally shaped by its environment. France and England possessed comparable culture and history, yet France's abundant ingredients allowed its cuisine to develop far beyond ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠England's. The same was true of Italy, and naturally of China. The Korean Peninsula, however, had been barren and impoverished through most of its history. Our ancestors used greens other peoples dismissed as weeds, and even acorns thought fit only for squirrels, to stave off hunger. Soups and stews were fundamental: dishes designed to draw the greatest possible volume from the fewest ingredients. Yeongsan Sect's food might have become Joseon-style because Lee Eun-ha had wrung every bit of wisdom from herself while managing its desperate finances.

Having eaten only frugal, survival-oriented Joseon fare all this time, the women seemed completely enraptured by this luxurious food. A white liquor bottle slipped into view. Jeong-hyang, seated beside me, smiled and filled my cup. Now that I thought about it, the liquor cup had been placed only in front of me. I had no drinking companions, but as I drank the liquor she poured, my mood lifted in an instant. I was quite a big eater, but I wasn't particularly hungry. I was just enjoying the delicious food as a light accompaniment to my drinks when a voice spoke in my mind.

—Look here, Yeongmok. Did we not have an agreement?—

—Of course we did. You worked hard performing your own rite.—

I reactivated the Soul Descent Art I had canceled and handed control of my body over to Hwangseong. At once, Hwangseong started moving his chopsticks as aggressively as Master or the senior sisters.

"Th-this is incredibly delicious!"

Hwangseong exclaimed involuntarily after a single bite of stir-fried pork. At that, Lee Eun-ha smiled innocently.

"Reverend Yeongmok, now that the rite is over, do you feel like an old Daoist? There's plenty, so eat more. And I'd love it if you always praised delicious food the way you just did."

Lee Eun-ha gently laughed, pointing out his old-man way of speaking. As she said, I resolved not to stint on praising her cooking from now on. Hwangseong, called out for his speech, buried his head in embarrassment and just quietly kept eating. Perhaps awkward about talking to a woman, he spoke to me in his mind while eating.

—That young woman is right. Performing the rite with your well-built body would have been far better-looking than with my slight frame.—

Hwangseong quietly brought up what had been said right after the rite.

—Thank you. Setting the ritual itself aside, this is the finest offering table I have ever received.—

—At the Murong Clan's Expedition Ceremony, they'll serve far finer food.—

—Is—is that so? Ahahahaha. Just leave the expedition ceremony to me!—

Master, the Senior Sisters, Hwangseong, and I all enjoyed the ancestral rite that doubled as a farewell party. A vast sum of twenty silver taels had vanished at once, but seeing everyone so happy, I didn't begrudge it at all. Perhaps Hwangseong's appetite was smaller than I thought. Even with room left in my stomach, he quietly returned control to me, offered a satisfied remark, and went back into the White Feather Fan. It seemed that with the Soul Descent Art, the possessing spirit as well as the caster could end the possession at will.

It seemed trivial, but this created a greater problem than I expected. Someday, I had planned to use the Soul Descent Art to house a master's spirit in my body and pass myself off as a master. But if the spirit could end the possession at will, it could betray me at the decisive moment. In an important situation such as a life-or-death battle, the Soul Descent Art could be used only with a truly trustworthy spirit.

"Wow! Candied fruits!!"

When the meal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was nearly over, Lee Eun-ha brought out fresh fruit and candied fruit. Cho-ryeong beamed and reached out eagerly. Master and all the Senior Sisters chose candied fruit over fresh fruit and began nibbling piece after piece. Lee Eun-ha smiled and offered one to me.

"You should have some too, Junior Brother. It will probably taste similar to the candied fruits at the market."

I didn't doubt her cooking. On the contrary, her candied fruit would be far more delicious than anything sold at the market. The happiness on Cho-ryeong's face was much greater than it had been then. But damn candied fruit. Taking fruit that was already sweet, coating it in sugar, and hardening it made it far too sweet.

—Old man. Would you like one?—

—No. Is candied fruit not something only children and women eat? It is too sweet for me.—

Hwangseong, sharing my sentiments, refused them.

"I'll eat fresh fruit."

I reached for a pink cherry and declined the candied fruit. Lee Eun-ha tilted her head, then turned her attention to the sweets herself. Looking around, I saw that not only she and Cho-ryeong, but Jeong-hyang, Master, and Son Yeong had already eaten several pieces each. As empty wooden skewers piled beside them, I realized my worry that the mountain of candied fruit might go uneaten had been entirely groundless. Then and now, women were undeniably creatures made to love sweets.