Chapter 226 – The Sand Castle is Swept Away by Strong Waves (1)

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While the world was in an uproar over the Righteous-Demonic War, Shouzhou was experiencing an unprecedented boom. Many martial artists came to uphold justice in the martial arts world, but the Shouzhou branch couldn’t accommodate all of them.

Martial artists who couldn’t enter the Shouzhou branch had to rent inns, and as a result, the inns in Shouzhou were always full of people.

Although the front line was now fixed in the northern part of Shouzhou, no one knew when this place would be engulfed in war. Nevertheless, the overall atmosphere wasn’t bad.

Cheongpung Inn was one of the larger inns among the many in Shouzhou. So, many martial artists were staying at Cheongpung Inn as well. However, it wasn’t easy to see martial artists at Cheongpung Inn during the day. This was because most of them were deployed to the northern front during the day.

“It’s chaos. Absolute chaos.”

Achil, the errand boy of Cheongpung Inn, muttered as he cleaned up the messy dining room. His face showed clear signs of exhaustion. He had been busy attending to the martial artists all night.

The martial artists who had been deployed to the life-and-death frontlines relieved their pressure by drinking the night before. The traces of that were clearly visible in the first-floor dining room. As a result, Achil also had to stay up all night serving alcohol.

Swish!

Just then, the sound of clothes brushing against the floor was heard. A look of ecstasy momentarily appeared on Achil’s face as he raised his head.

‘A fairy. She’s nothing short of a fairy.’

A beautiful woman was coming down the stairs of the inn. She had arrived at Cheongpung Inn the night before. Fortunately, she had covered her face with a veil, otherwise, there might have been trouble due to martial artists captivated by her beauty.

As she came down the stairs, the woman covered her face with the veil. Because of this, Achil was the only one who had directly seen the woman’s beauty.

Thinking he had caught an incredible stroke of luck, Achil ran over.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes! I slept soundly, thanks to you.”

“Shall I bring you some breakfast?”

“I’ll take care of my meal outside.”

“Is that so?”

Achil briefly showed a disappointed expression at the woman’s answer. But the woman paid no attention and passed by Achil, heading out of the inn.

Achil muttered as he watched the woman’s retreating figure.

“I wonder which sect this female martial artist is from? If I learn martial arts, could I date a woman like her?”

Achil thought he was speaking quietly, but the woman heard him clearly.

The woman was none other than Eum Yu-gyeong.

The Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect had appeared in Shouzhou.

To enter Shouzhou, she had to make a lot of effort. She had fabricated her identity as the last disciple of the Brilliant Spear Sect, a sect that had died out long ago, and used the alias Song Chae-ryeong.

If it were revealed that she was the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, she would be pursued by the numerous martial artists in Shouzhou. Nevertheless, Eum Yu-gyeong had no choice but to come here.

‘I must find the sacred object.’

That was the reason she came here.

‘According to the Thousand Days Secret Record, only two people remained in the Divine Sect’s sacred palace during the last war. The Mad King of the Divine Blade, Jeong Yul-hwi, and the Taoist Master of the Xuandao Sect. Among them, the Mad King of the Divine Blade, Jeong Yul-hwi, has been out of sight for over twenty years and his whereabouts are unknown. The only one left is the Taoist Master, the leader of the Xuandao Sect.’

After the two people escaped from the sacred palace, the sacred object also disappeared. So Eum Yu-gyeong’s suspicion could only be directed towards them.

Fortunately, as if heaven helped, the Taoist Master came to this Shouzhou leading the Xuandao Sect disciples. It was a golden opportunity that would never come again for Eum Yu-gyeong.

After entering Shouzhou, Eum Yu-gyeong secretly inquired about the whereabouts of the Taoist Master and the Xuandao Sect disciples.

However, the result wasn’t good. Of all places, the Xuandao Sect was staying within the Shouzhou branch of the Righteous Alliance. And in the deepest part at that.

Currently, it wasn’t easy for Eum Yu-gyeong to approach that place. But she couldn’t just sit idly by.

Eum Yu-gyeong steeled her resolve and headed towards the Shouzhou branch.

‘I hope this identity works.’

For now, all she could do was hope that her fabricated identity would be accepted. If there was any consolation, it was that the identity she had fabricated was of a person who had actually existed.

Eum Yu-gyeong walked towards the Shouzhou branch with the most composed face she could muster. Although her face was covered with a veil, it couldn’t completely hide her beauty. Especially her curvaceous figure was enough to attract the attention of many.

Normally, she wouldn’t have cared about such gazes, but given the situation, she couldn’t help but feel tense.

Eum Yu-gyeong passed through the main street and arrived at the main gate of the Shouzhou branch.

As expected, the security at the Shouzhou branch was extremely tight. As the unfamiliar woman approached, the martial artists on guard raised their weapons in alert.

“Stop. First, state who you are and where you’re from.”

“I am Song Chae-ryeong from the Brilliant Spear Sect.”

“Brilliant Spear Sect?”

The guarding martial artists looked at each other’s faces. It seemed to be a sect they hadn’t heard of. But one of them pretended to know.

“Isn’t the Brilliant Spear Sect the one that was in Jinchang, Gansu Province?”

“That’s right. I’m glad someone still remembers.”

“But didn’t the Brilliant Spear Sect perish thirty years ago?”

“That’s also correct. It was almost completely wiped out during the First Righteous-Demonic War.”

“Then how…?”

“My father was the last survivor of the Brilliant Spear Sect. And he was the junior leader of the Brilliant Spear Sect.”

“Do you have any way to prove this? As you know, we absolutely cannot allow anyone with uncertain identity into the Shouzhou branch. And if you’re lying…”

The martial artist trailed off. But everyone present knew what he meant.

The guarding martial artists took stances ready to draw their weapons if necessary. But Eum Yu-gyeong didn’t panic and handed them a nameplate and a sacred object.

Sects that joined the Righteous Alliance had to register a sacred object that symbolized them. A book with drawings of these sacred objects was distributed to the outer hall guarding the Righteous Alliance. The book contained detailed descriptions of each sect’s history and key figures.

The martial artist from the outer hall carefully compared the sacred object Eum Yu-gyeong presented with the book.

“The sacred object seems to match. So, is the junior leader of the Brilliant Spear Sect, Song Hyeon-tae, your father?”

“That’s right. He met my mother after the war and had me.”

“Hmm!”

“Here’s my identification tag too, please check it.”

The martial artists carefully examined the identification tag Eum Yu-gyeong presented.

“Alright. Then why have you come here?”

“For revenge. My father lost everything during the First Righteous-Demonic War and burned with desire for revenge. He always told me not to forget the grudge of the Brilliant Spear Sect.”

“Hmm!”

The martial artists looked at each other’s faces at Eum Yu-gyeong’s clear answer. They already believed her words. It was a plausible reason that anyone would understand.

“Then finally, we’ll check your face. Would you please remove your veil?”

Eum Yu-gyeong obediently removed her veil.

“Ah!”

The moment they confirmed her face, the martial artists unconsciously let out exclamations. A beauty they had never seen before was standing before their eyes.

Eum Yu-gyeong smiled slightly.

“Can I enter now?”

***

“Hmm!”

Bang Jin-bo hummed as he stirred the ladle.

A medicinal herbal concoction was boiling in the large pot. A fragrant smell was emanating from the medicinal herbal concoction, which contained wild boar meat caught in the mountains and various vegetables.

Bang Jin-bo was stirring the ladle while using the Five Elements Gentleman Technique. When using the Five Elements Gentleman Technique, all senses of the body became acutely awakened.

Just from the smell floating in the air, he could picture the overall image. How much longer it needed to boil for the best taste, what kind of bowl it should be served in to maintain the best flavor. Things he couldn’t perceive before now seemed almost tangible.

“Hmm! Good.”

Just then, someone’s voice was heard right behind him.

“Oh my! Unnie.”

Bang Jin-bo was startled and looked back to see Jong Ri-yeon smelling the food.

“The ingredients are amazing. I see you’ve added peppercorn to warm the body, and licorice to neutralize toxins. This is more like medicine than food. Is this the principle of food as medicine?”

“Wow! How did you know?”

Food as medicine, meaning food is like medicine. And it was also what Bang Jin-bo ultimately pursued.

Jong Ri-yeon smiled mischievously.

“I’m a doctor, how could I not know that? You’ve put in quite a lot of effort.”

“I’m still lacking a lot. I have almost no knowledge about medicinal herbs, and I need to think more about the harmony between ingredients.”

“Still, it’s amazing that you’ve researched this much on your own.”

“Hehe!”

Bang Jin-bo scratched the back of his head awkwardly at Jong Ri-yeon’s praise. His face was completely flushed.

No one would dislike being praised. Especially if the one praising was a beauty like Jong Ri-yeon.

In fact, Jong Ri-yeon was genuinely impressed with Bang Jin-bo.

Although she had only known Bang Jin-bo for a few days, the behavior he had shown during that time was enough to move her deeply.

Bang Jin-bo’s ideology of saving people with food and benefiting people with food was certainly worthy of respect.

“Shall I help you a little?”

“You, unnie?”

“I’ll teach you about medicinal herbs.”

“Really?”

Bang Jin-bo’s eyes widened. Soon, a bright smile spread across his entire face.

He was well aware of how great a doctor Jong Ri-yeon was. Just by seeing how she had induced Sage Hyeon-so into a trance state and then treated the poison, it was clear enough that she was a being on a different level from other doctors.

If such a Jong Ri-yeon would teach him knowledge about medicinal herbs, he would be able to make food that’s even better for the human body.

“Unnie, I’ll take you as my master.”

“What master? I’m just going to teach you some basic knowledge about medicinal herbs.”

“That’s good enough. Hehe!”

Bang Jin-bo laughed brightly. It was a laugh that made even the onlooker feel good. Jong Ri-yeon also smiled gently in response.

Although she wasn’t that old, Jong Ri-yeon’s medical knowledge was incredibly vast. Therefore, it wasn’t easy to pass it on to an individual. However, she could pass on some part of herbology. If it could save more people, that is.

“Let’s go. Many people are waiting for your food.”

“Yes!”

Bang Jin-bo lifted the large pot with a vigorous response. In the past, he would never have been able to lift it. But after learning the Five Elements Gentleman Technique, his strength had improved and he could lift it easily.

When Jong Ri-yeon and Bang Jin-bo came out, the children were the first to greet them.

“Wow! Brother, what is it today?”

“Mmm! It smells delicious.”

The children were already clamoring just from the smell.

During their time with Bang Jin-bo, the children had gained weight and their complexion had noticeably improved.

Bang Jin-bo paid special attention not only to Sage Hyeon-so’s nutritional state but also to the children’s. The results were visible as they appeared.

The children were almost crazy about Bang Jin-bo’s cooking. Compared to the food made by the Sage Hyeon-so, Bang Jin-bo’s cooking was almost heavenly in taste.

“In-seok and others! Brother is going to suffocate. Stop clinging to him.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Sage Hyeon-so said a word, but the children paid no attention.

“But the food Brother Jin-bo makes is so delicious!”

“That’s right! Brother Jin-bo is the best.”

“Ah! I’m hungry.”

Sage Hyeon-so’s voice was drowned out by the children’s clamor. Sage Hyeon-so made an incredulous expression at this. But it was only for a moment, soon he smiled brightly.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

His words were directed at Dam-ho standing right next to him.

Dam-ho nodded silently.

The sight of Bang Jin-bo and the children laughing together was a great joy to him as well.

These children will be able to carry happy childhood memories that he never experienced for the rest of their lives. Such memories will greatly help in forming their personalities, and unlike him, they will grow into adults with warm hearts.

“Alright, everyone sit down. Anyone who doesn’t sit won’t get medicinal herbal concoction.”

“Wow!”

“We’re sitting!”

The children quickly sat down.

They looked like chicks waiting for feed.

Dam-ho, Jong Ri-yeon, and Sage Hyeon-so also took their seats. Bang Jin-bo first served medicinal herbal concoction to Sage Hyeon-so’s bowl, then to Dam-ho and Jong Ri-yeon in order.

Next were the children.

Warm rice with well-cooked medicinal herbal concoction, and various delicious side dishes stimulated the children’s appetites.

The children looked at Sage Hyeon-so with sparkling eyes. After confirming that medicinal herbal concoction was served in everyone’s bowl, Sage Hyeon-so picked up his chopsticks.

“Let’s all eat.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you for the meal.”

The children started eating with a loud response.

Even while eating, the children didn’t stay still for a moment. They laughed, talked, and shouted to their hearts’ content.

At a glance, it might have seemed ill-mannered, but no one present thought so.

Sage Hyeon-so’s eyes as he looked at the children were so clear they seemed transparent. Although he was sitting still, mystical energy naturally flowed from Sage Hyeon-so’s body.

The fact that the children could laugh and talk freely like this was also related to the energy flowing from Sage Hyeon-so’s body. His energy embraced everything and made the atmosphere soft.

Dam-ho silently ate Bang Jin-bo’s food. His eyes were deeply immersed as he lowered his head.

Sage Hyeon-so’s gaze turned towards such a Dam-ho.

‘Ho.’

While everyone was happy, only Dam-ho couldn’t blend in and was left out.

Sage Hyeon-so gently closed his eyes.