Chapter 326 : Teach Me Some Cooking
After Abbess Jeonghye’s declaration, a strange atmosphere spread throughout the hall.
Most people remained half doubtful.
Which was understandable. After all, the name Noble Enchantress had long been treated as the very symbol of a wicked woman.
Meanwhile, the Emei Sect nuns were the most progressive women of the current era, absolute pursuers of righteousness.
Noble Enchantress and the Emei Sect.
To those gathered here, the two simply did not belong together.
People whispered among themselves, their eyes shifting as they tried to grasp the true meaning behind Abbess Jeonghye’s words.
Then Jeonghye continued speaking.
“I understand these reactions are only natural. However, as the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect, I say this with certainty—the history surrounding Noble Enchantress is false.”
“Hooo……”
Sighs burst out throughout the hall.
Abbess Jeonghye’s words carried weight, but people found it difficult to overturn beliefs they had accepted their entire lives.
The author of Records of the Fallen Concubine, the work containing Noble Enchantress’s story, was Liu Xiang of the Former Han Dynasty.
One of the most respected scholars in the history of the Central Plains.
He had created the first literary classification system in the land and gathered and organized countless ancient texts burned during Qin Shi Huang’s era.
In other words, it was no exaggeration to say that all scholarship of the current age had been built atop Liu Xiang’s accomplishments.
And now Jeonghye was directly declaring that the records of such a great scholar were wrong.
Naturally, people could not easily believe it.
As confusion deepened, Tang Tae-san, who had quietly listened until now, suddenly asked Jeonghye,
“Sect Leader, do you truly mean those words?”
It was what everyone wanted to ask.
Abbess Jeonghye nodded.
“The Emei Sect failed to recognize its own patriarch and committed many mistakes and discourtesies throughout the years. However, thanks to our benefactor, we learned the truth, and from now on we intend to restore history little by little.”
At the word “benefactor,” Tang Tae-san glanced toward Jin Seong-un.
There was only one person Abbess Jeonghye could possibly refer to that way.
‘So that’s why they forcibly moved the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering to the Emei Sect.’
Once that realization struck him, Tang Tae-san abruptly rose to his feet.
If it involved Seong-un, then regardless of what it was—
“Our Sichuan Tang Family shall respect the newly revealed history of the Emei Sect! Sect Leader, and to all the nuns of the Emei Sect, I sincerely offer my congratulations!”
Whatever it was, he decided to support it first.
As Tang Tae-san threw his weight behind the declaration, the atmosphere throughout the hall subtly shifted.
The influence of the Sichuan Tang Family was especially absolute here in Sichuan.
People everywhere began nodding. Though still confused, they slowly started accepting Abbess Jeonghye’s words.
“Well, if Abbess Jeonghye is saying it this seriously, then perhaps it truly is so.”
Someone muttered, and the surrounding people nodded along.
The enormous trust the Murim world held toward Jeonghye also played a major role.
After all, alongside the Divine Monk of Shaolin, she was one of the greatest elders of the orthodox path.
“I’ll have to watch my words from now on.”
It was common to rebuke especially wicked women by saying, “What kind of Noble Enchantress-like woman is this?”
But regardless of the truth, the Emei Sect had now officially recognized Noble Enchantress as one of their Four Great Patriarchs.
No one could dare casually use such expressions anymore.
Noble Enchantress, the cruelest wicked woman in history.
That common belief, which had remained absolute for thousands of years, was now slowly beginning to change from this very land of Sichuan.
Watching all this, Jin Seong-un nodded in satisfaction.
‘Exactly.’
Master Noble Enchantress was such a good person.
Honestly, rather than using her name as an insult, people should have exclaimed, “How can someone be as incredible as Noble Enchantress?!”
“So it worked?”
Seomun Ak asked Jin Seong-un.
By now, he had more or less accepted that figures like Noble Enchantress and the Sword Immortal were truly Jin Seong-un’s masters.
Jin Seong-un nodded.
“This is only the beginning. It’ll take a long time to undo misunderstandings that lasted so long, but we’ll correct things little by little.”
At that moment—
“Young Master Seomun.”
Seo-wol approached.
Seomun Ak instantly straightened his back, puffed his shoulders, and corrected his posture.
For some reason, he always became a handsome man whenever Seo-wol approached.
Naturally, Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom no longer paid attention to it.
“Ah, Young Lady Seo-wol.”
Seomun Ak lowered his voice as he turned toward her.
But upon closer inspection, Seo-wol’s expression was not very good.
“……Did something happen?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to go with you to the inn.”
“W-why not?”
As Seomun Ak stammered, Seo-wol smiled bitterly.
“It seems the Sect Leader exhausted herself too much during this incident.”
At the final moment—
Abbess Jeonghye had perfectly restrained the enemy’s movements while sacrificing her own vital essence.
Thanks to that, Seo-wol’s spear and Moyong Hyeon’s Northern Star Sword had been able to pierce the dantians cleanly.
Her life was not in danger, but she was already extremely elderly, and even her Innate Qi had been damaged, making it impossible to predict how long recovery would take.
Seomun Ak rolled his eyes before asking,
“Don’t tell me Young Lady Seo-wol is becoming the Sect Leader?”
At that cautious question, even Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom showed slight interest.
Feeling burdened beneath everyone’s gazes, Seo-wol eventually nodded heavily.
“……Yes.”
A new leader of the Nine Sects and One Gang had just been born.
And she was only around thirty years old.
The pressure that would be placed upon her, and the tremendous burden she herself would feel, was already obvious.
Seo-wol continued.
“Not immediately, of course. I’m still lacking too much. Once the funeral ends, I plan to enter secluded cultivation. I need to emerge only after properly preparing myself to become Sect Leader. And I’ll train in the heart method Young Master Jin passed down as well.”
“Let’s meet again after you come out.”
Jin Seong-un answered casually.
That attitude made Seo-wol feel deeply grateful.
After all, it was a tremendous relief knowing she would not need to master such a difficult heart method entirely on her own.
“C-congratulations. Still, Young Lady Seo-wol will definitely do well.”
Seomun Ak’s voice trembled slightly.
He understood it perfectly well himself.
His relationship with Seo-wol was inappropriate.
Because she was a nun.
Yet both of them had continued maintaining their relationship while pretending they felt nothing beyond companionship.
Now even that excuse no longer worked.
The Sect Leader of the Emei Sect absolutely could not become entangled in rumors involving a man.
Even Seomun Ak did not want that.
The two instinctively realized this meeting might be their last while still carrying these feelings.
Forcing herself to smile toward Seomun Ak, Seo-wol spoke.
“Thank you. I learned a lot because of you. From Young Master Seomun, and from both of you as well.”
Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom lightly nodded.
Seeing that, Seo-wol smiled brightly.
“See you later.”
Then she turned and left without hesitation.
If she continued talking any longer, she felt she might abandon everything about becoming Sect Leader and simply run away to the inn instead.
Seomun Ak silently watched her departing figure.
‘When exactly is “later”?’
He wanted to ask that, but the words would not leave his lips.
Instead, he simply muttered with a long sigh.
“This is for the best.”
He said it for no reason.
There was no point clinging to something impossible. Especially not for a man.
Repeating those words to himself, Seomun Ak filled his cup.
“Young Master Seomun, another connection will come someday.”
“Probably.”
Seomun Ak nodded at Jin Seong-un’s consolation.
For some reason, the alcohol tasted like water tonight.
After downing several cups, Seomun Ak suddenly looked toward Seo Yu-gyeom.
“Hey, teach me some cooking.”
“Trying to kill someone?”
“Maybe I secretly have talent for it.”
Seo Yu-gyeom stared at him blankly before clicking his tongue.
Judging by Seomun Ak’s eyes, he clearly had no intention of giving up.
---
After the funeral ended—
Seo-wol prepared to enter secluded cultivation as planned.
Jeonghye apologized repeatedly while offering advice alongside Bottled Grain Pills, while younger disciples attended her as they all headed toward Loving Moon Temple together.
Loving Moon Temple had been selected as the place for her secluded cultivation.
It was already occasionally used for such purposes, and since it had been established by Noble Enchantress’s disciples, it was also ideal for cultivating the Women’s Moon Heart Method.
“This master is incompetent for placing such a great burden upon you so early.”
Jeonghye knew very well how happy Seo-wol had been when told she could go to the inn.
That made her feel even more sorry.
And because she could clearly sense that Seo-wol, despite smiling maturely, was actually deeply regretful, her heart ached painfully.
The two had spent an incredibly long time together, so they easily understood each other’s emotions.
Just as Seo-wol deliberately smiled more brightly and prepared to enter Loving Moon Temple—
“Senior Aunt! Senior Aunt! Wait a moment!”
A young nun, perhaps around fifteen years old, came running hurriedly toward them.
In her hands she carefully carried a small bowl as though it were treasure.
“Senior Aunt, please eat this before you go.”
Not only Seo-wol, but everyone else also looked at what she carried with puzzled expressions.
Inside the small bowl was a stir-fried dish.
Naturally, it contained neither meat nor the Five Pungent Vegetables. Instead, it was Sweet-and-Sour Shiitake made with every possible spice and cooking technique still permissible.
Dried shiitake mushrooms had been soaked, thoroughly squeezed dry, then deep-fried. Afterwards they were stir-fried together with assorted vegetables and finished with soy sauce, plum syrup, and kelp broth.
It seemed to have just been cooked, as it was still very warm, and its distinct sweet-and-sour aroma spread everywhere.
Seo-wol widened her eyes.
“What’s this?”
“Hero Seomun left it behind for you. He said it was encouragement from a ‘friend.’ I think he cooked it himself……”
For some reason, the young nun blushed in embarrassment as she spoke.
The nearby nuns exchanged sly glances, while even Abbess Jeonghye coughed awkwardly.
Seo-wol’s face reddened slightly as she stared at the dish before finally picking up her chopsticks.
Crunch.
Fried mushrooms and vegetables coated in various sauces mixed together in her mouth.
And it tasted absolutely terrible.
Every ingredient seemed completely disconnected from the others. Even the batter had not fully cooked, leaving the inside soggy.
“Wow, this is really awful!”
Though she said that, the smile never left Seo-wol’s face.
In the end, she completely finished the Sweet-and-Sour Shiitake herself.
Her stomach churned, but she felt incredibly happy.
Grinning broadly, Seo-wol said,
“Young Master Seomun really was better off becoming a waiter instead of a chef.”
Thanks to that, Seo-wol was able to enter secluded cultivation with truly light steps.
---
Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, Seomun Ak, and Moyong Hyeon walked side by side.
Since they had finished everything in Sichuan, they planned to return directly to Yichang.
Seomun Ak sighed.
“What if it tasted bad?”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you try it? Don’t you taste food while cooking?”
“How could I eat it first when it was meant for someone else?”
“……Let’s stop talking.”
Seo Yu-gyeom looked utterly exhausted by that innocent question.
Ignoring him, Seomun Ak spoke with unnecessary solemnity.
“When we get back, I’m really going to train hard. I’m only going to focus on training.”
In truth, though he pretended to be fine, his heart hurt badly.
From the beginning, he had always known he could never become lovers with Seo-wol.
Yet he had ignored that fact and continued the relationship anyway because of the joy and excitement of the present.
Sometimes love continued even while knowing it could never work.
Seomun Ak was now paying the price for that.
Feelings like this could only be healed through time and a busy daily life.
That was why Seomun Ak chose training.
“I plan to reach the Huajing Realm.”
For once, Seomun Ak spoke seriously.
Naturally, Seo Yu-gyeom and Moyong Hyeon ignored him completely, while only Jin Seong-un quietly gave him a thumbs-up.
Then Moyong Hyeon suddenly spoke.
“When I return, I also plan to dedicate more time to training. After all, I’m one of ‘those masters’ now.”
At Moyong Hyeon’s words, Seomun Ak momentarily forgot the pain of heartbreak.
The bastard could have simply said Peak Master, yet deliberately used the phrase “those masters” while looking at him with a strange smile.
It was obvious provocation no matter how anyone looked at it.
Seomun Ak forced out a sneer.
“But what a shame. I’m already planning to surpass that ‘master’ realm you barely managed to stumble into through sheer luck and move on to the next stage.”
“Mm, I’ll probably only need about half a month myself.”
Moyong Hyeon helped Seomun Ak forget his heartbreak, while Seomun Ak continued raising Moyong Hyeon’s cultivation realm.
Watching them push and pull each other upward like this, Jin Seong-un nodded in deep satisfaction.
Then—
Jin Seong-un abruptly stopped walking.
Seo Yu-gyeom instantly halted and drew the Heavenly Slaughter Short Saber, while Seomun Ak and Moyong Hyeon, distracted by bickering, stopped slightly later.
“What is it?”
At Seo Yu-gyeom’s question, Jin Seong-un simply stared silently toward a certain place.
That gaze again.
The same gaze he had sensed after killing the Lust Demon.
In truth, he had occasionally felt it during the three days of funeral rites as well.
Of course, it had always been faint and fleeting, so he tried convincing himself it was simply a passing glance.
But now—
That gaze had become blatantly obvious.
SHRAAAK-!
Without the slightest hesitation, Jin Seong-un launched himself forward.
Brushing through the forest, he simultaneously drew his iron sword and infused it with the power of the Fire Dragon.
A woman stood there.
That face.
That qi.
But it was neither Cheon Bi-yeon nor the Lust Demon.
Once again, another new woman had appeared bearing that familiar face and power.
Jin Seong-un immediately seized her throat and aimed the Fire Dragon-infused iron sword toward her heart.
At the same time, the woman anxiously darted her eyes around before carefully speaking.
“……Please kill Cheon Bi-yeon.”