—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Incredible.
I stretched slowly, feeling the remnants of the Tae-cheong Pill’s energy coursing through my body.
Extending my limbs, bending and straightening my back. Simple movements, but they helped to regulate the unabsorbed energy.
Energy followed the flow of movement.
As I loosened my stiff muscles, the remaining energy, having mostly dissipated, slowly seeped into my muscles.
It would disappear soon, but it would still be beneficial, wouldn’t it?
Lost in optimistic thoughts, I opened the training room door to a dimly lit room.
It was already night.
I had been in the training room for at least half a day, perhaps even longer.
And I smelled…ripe.
I wrinkled my nose at the odor emanating from my body. It seemed the Tae-cheong Pill had purged impurities from my system.
Truly worthy of being a Wudang cleansing elixir.
I wanted to consume a few more.
Even if they didn’t taste very good.
I grabbed a change of clothes and left the room to wash up.
I couldn’t lie down on my bed in this state.
“I’m a bit hungry, but eating in the middle of the night…”
Perhaps because it was so quiet, I found myself muttering to myself as I opened the bathhouse door. As expected, it was empty. I quickly undressed and walked towards the large tub in the corner.
It was filled with cold water.
Normally, they would heat the water, but not at this hour. I scooped up water with a ladle and poured it over myself.
The cold water jolted me awake.
As I continued to rinse myself, the smell of water mixed with my body odor, creating an indescribable scent.
The smell wasn’t coming off easily. Just splashing water wasn’t enough.
Should I look for some kind of soap in the market?
Even if it wasn’t available in remote areas, a prosperous city like Wuhan should have something resembling soap. Not bar soap, of course, but something.
Or could I use lye?
Lost in thought, I scrubbed myself with a washcloth. The grime clinging to my skin came off as I scraped with the cloth, enhanced by aura.
“Should I try cleaning myself with sand and oil like the Romans?”
Washing with sand and rinsing with water didn’t sound too bad.
The problem was finding sand.
I dried myself using my internal energy. The towels here weren’t as absorbent as those in the 21st century, so it was easier to shake off most of the water and use the towel for the remaining moisture.
“It feels like a ghost might pop out.”
Were there really ghosts? Probably, right?
The bathhouse remained silent.
I left the quiet bathhouse and returned to my room.
“Mister? Are you done?”
“Of course. Don’t I feel different?”
“…You smell a little different.”
Why were you judging by smell? I looked down at Hye-ryeong, who was sniffing me like a puppy.
Had she switched from penguin to puppy now?
“Hye-ryeong, how long was I in the training room?”
“Two days!”
Two days…longer than I expected. I thought it was only a day. Perhaps because I only managed to absorb half of the elixir’s energy.
Should I have focused more and tried to absorb more?
Even if I had, I doubt I could have absorbed more than ten percent extra.
Since I wasn’t a Taoist, my absorption efficiency wasn’t high. I would need to learn Wudang cultivation techniques to fully absorb the Tae-cheong Pill’s energy.
“So that’s why I’m starving.”
“Then let’s go eat!”
“Don’t get so worked up.”
And stop trying to drag me with that serious expression. I calmed Hye-ryeong down, then leisurely made my way to the dining hall. As I started walking, she fell into step beside me, chattering like a baby bird.
“I was so bored while you were gone! I don’t know many people here, so I had no one to play with, Elder Baek just told me to train, and the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is still a few days away…”
“Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?”
“It’s an annual gathering of promising young disciples from the righteous sects. I’m participating as a promising disciple! And so are you.”
“Am I a promising disciple?”
“Did you lie about your age?”
“I don’t recall lying about my age.”
There was no reason to hide my age. Hye-ryeong giggled and said,
“Then you’re a promising disciple too!”
“A promising disciple?”
“Yes!”
Being called a promising disciple felt strange. Of course, it made sense since I was only a year older than Hye-ryeong…should I add a few years to my age? If I claimed to be thirty, they might believe me.
Never mind.
“So, let’s go to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering together!”
“What about Mokgyeong?”
“Won’t he come on his own?”
Why was she so fixated on Mokgyeong? I poked Hye-ryeong’s puffed-out cheek.
“As the runner-up of the tournament, many will try to recruit Mokgyeong. He’ll definitely be invited to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”
If I were the organizer, I would prioritize inviting both Mokgyeong and myself.
An unaffiliated peak expert and a Patrol Unit peak expert were valuable assets. Even if they couldn’t be recruited, building a relationship was beneficial.
Interpersonal relationships were crucial in the Central Plains, woven together like a spiderweb.
So, I also planned to build relationships with the promising disciples of the Five Great Clans and the Nine Great Sects.
It wouldn’t hurt to make friends, and it could be helpful when traveling through the Central Plains.
“Ugh, I’m so envious. I was eliminated in the quarterfinals…”
“You’ll reach a higher stage next time.”
“I hope so! Hehe…”
We chatted as we walked towards the dining hall. The dining hall was almost empty this early in the morning. We found a secluded spot and sipped the tea the waiter brought.
“The tea tastes better than before.”
“Really? I think it tastes the same…”
Hye-ryeong tilted her head, taking a sip of her tea.
“It’s probably because I haven’t eaten in two days. Even tasteless jerky would be delicious right now.”
“Anything tastes good when you’re hungry!”
“Except for pig slop.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Your food is here!”
Perhaps because the dining hall was empty, the food arrived quickly. I admired the greasy dishes laid out on the table and picked up my chopsticks.
“Let’s eat before we continue our chat.”
“Okay!”
I picked up a piece of meat coated in sauce and savored the taste.
A sweet and sour flavor, like sweet and sour pork, tantalized my taste buds. The tender yet firm texture of the meat was satisfying.
“Delicious…”
“This restaurant is famous for its excellent cuisine.”
“…Yang Seoyu?”
“Wi, it’s been a while.”
What were you doing here? Not that you couldn’t be here, but…
I stared blankly at Yang Seoyu, who bowed towards me. We could run into each other at the dining hall, but were we on greeting terms? We had only fought once in the arena, and we had no other connection—
“Are you here for breakfast?”
“Yes. A fine meal is essential for a refreshing morning. And I also came to deliver this.”
Yang Seoyu pulled a small envelope from his pocket and handed it to me. I accepted it, checked the contents, and looked at him.
“Who sent this?”
“The White-Haired Scholar, Jegal Hyeon-sang, asked me to deliver it.”
That unnecessarily suspicious guy?
I unfolded the letter.
Written in a simple, elegant script were two words and a seal.
Wolhyang Pavilion at Shen Shi.
This part was the same as the original story.
“Thank you for delivering the letter. Are you going as well?”
“Yes. He asked me to deliver this while I was at it.”
“Did you deliver one to Mokgyeong as well?”
“Yes. He didn’t seem too keen. He might not come.”
I nodded at Yang Seoyu’s words.
Mokgyeong wasn’t fond of social gatherings in the original story either. He only attended the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering because he was the runner-up and felt obligated to make an appearance, mostly to eat the food.
It wasn’t a major plot point, but rather an opportunity to introduce several promising disciples who would appear later, so it should proceed without incident.
At least, if things went according to my knowledge.
…There were quite a few variables now, though, unlike the original story.
“I understand. Then I’ll see you at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”
“I look forward to sharing a drink with you, Wi. Enjoy your meal.”
He politely bowed and turned towards another table.
“Hehe, I’m excited.”
“…Didn’t Ha-gyeong say she was going too?”
“Right?”
It would be good to see her again.
“Since it’s at Shen Shi today, I’ll train in the morning and prepare in the afternoon. By the way, Hye-ryeong, do you know where Wolhyang Pavilion is?”
“I think so? It’s a really big building—”
There was no need to worry about getting lost then.
I picked up my chopsticks, feeling relieved.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
