Side Story 39. The Number One Cooking Competition Under Heaven (2)

“Haha, it really was nonsense after all, right?”

When Jin Li-yeon’s expression turned strange, Baek Sang-ye hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
The story that the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild, greatest under heaven, possessed Guihon Jade was plausible enough.
But surely they would not have set it into a golden ladle and offered it as a prize in a cooking competition.

But Jin Li-yeon spoke haltingly.

“N-no. It does make sense. I gathered intelligence pointing in the same direction.”

It was information obtained through metalworkers.
Blacksmiths too worked in a rough trade, and among them were some who had ties to the Hao Clan.
After making contact with the Hangzhou branch of the Hao Clan, Jin Li-yeon heard not only that the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild had obtained Guihon Jade, but also that they had commissioned the making of a golden ladle out of pure gold.

The interesting part was that there had been a request to leave a setting in the handle of the golden ladle, large enough to fit a gemstone.
They had said the other gemstones would be added during the decorative work.
Costly rubies and various other gems had been set into it, yet they had specifically ordered that one socket be left empty.
If they had fitted the Guihon Jade they possessed into that spot, the story made sense.

“Then really…”
“Are they insane?”

Hearing Jin Li-yeon’s deduction, the three disciples were greatly shocked.
Having learned in detail about the dangers of Guihon Jade, they could not understand the actions of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild.

“It’s not even a true miraculous medicine, and no one knows what kind of side effects it might have.”

They had heard that wealthy people sought Guihon Jade to prolong their lives, but never had they imagined that a merchant guild rather than martial artists would be collecting it.

“The value of Guihon Jade can’t be measured simply in money. Its effect varies wildly depending on who consumes it.”

But Jin Li-yeon spoke calmly.
Guihon Jade was certainly the kind of thing even a giant like the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild would covet.

“Why would they offer something that valuable as a prize in a cooking competition?”
“They must have some other aim.”

Rumors had quietly spread that Seok Sung, the Seok Family Manor Lord and head of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild, had gone senile.
But people with discernment dismissed it as baseless gossip.
Seok Sung had carried out strange antics, but there was no way a man with a clouded mind could act so strategically.
The Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild still reigned as the foremost merchant guild of the Central Plains.
If they had placed Guihon Jade on the line, then there had to be a reason for it.

“People who recognize Guihon Jade will gather. That may be what they want.”

But for now, nothing was certain.
The mission of Jin Li-yeon and the trio was to recover Guihon Jade.
So how were they supposed to seize the Guihon Jade that was somewhere within the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild?

“Couldn’t we just demand it in the name of the Murim Alliance?”

Tsering raised a hand and spoke cautiously.
It was the proper orthodox answer.
But Jin Li-yeon’s expression did not brighten.

“It won’t be easy.”
“Even national law says Guihon Jade has to be surrendered voluntarily.”

It was not merely a rule the Murim Alliance and the Heretical Alliance had made among themselves.
Through their ties to the imperial court, an imperial decree had been issued ordering the surrender of Guihon Jade.

“That’s why it’s an even bigger problem. They’ll simply deny possessing anything like Guihon Jade.”

The Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild were not fools. If someone stormed in demanding they hand over Guihon Jade, they would obviously feign innocence and ask why people were falsely accusing them.

“Then couldn’t we pressure them with authority?”

Baek Sang-ye said that.
Unlike Tsering, who had been cautious, her eyes were sharp.

“If we invoke national law and bring government troops with us, they won’t be able to act so brazenly.”

As royalty, she could not tolerate the conduct of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild.
To violate the sacred laws of Great Ming and privately collect forbidden items for the sake of amassing wealth.
Worse still, offering it as a prize in a cooking competition was outright mockery and insult toward the imperial house.

“No.”

But Jin Li-yeon did not accept Baek Sang-ye’s proposal either.

“The Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild is no small force. It’s so large that even the Murim Alliance and the Heretical Alliance can’t easily pressure it. And they say even the Hangzhou prefect dares not treat Seok Sung carelessly.”

If so, the local constables would not cooperate either.
Baek Sang-ye suddenly wondered.
Would the Hangzhou prefect and the lord of Seok Family Manor still act so stiffly even before an imperial princess?

“…Understood.”

But Baek Sang-ye quietly stepped back.
At least in her own mind, she was an Azure Forest disciple before she was a princess.

“There are three methods left.”

Jin Li-yeon said so.
The trio looked surprised that there were as many as three methods.

“The first is, naturally, to seek the cooperation of the Murim Alliance.”

Naturally. If the opponent was that powerful, it would be difficult for the four of them here to handle it alone.

“The second is to steal the Guihon Jade.”
“Ah!”
“I-is that allowed?”

생각보다 과격한 방식이었다.

“That would likely cause the least damage. If it succeeds, that is.”

Jin Li-yeon was right. If they quietly stole it away, nothing could be cleaner than that.

“But that’s the last option we’d choose. Theft is neither easy nor something to be recommended.”

To begin with, it would not be easy to steal Guihon Jade whose exact storage place was unknown, relying on nothing but the Guihon Compass.
That remained true even though Jin Li-yeon herself was a Transcendent master. After all, they had heard that several Transcendent retainers resided by the side of Seok Sung, the greatest rich man under heaven.
And they would learn nothing of whatever scheme the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild was plotting.

“The best plan to consider first would be to enter the competition.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”

The third strategy was one in which there was nothing to lose, at least at the outset.
While requesting the Murim Alliance’s cooperation, the trio would participate in the Number One Cooking Competition Under Heaven being held by Seok Family Manor.

“Winning will be difficult, but I’ll enter too.”

Not three, but all four of them would participate.
Jin Li-yeon declared it boldly.

Seok Family Manor.
When one spoke of Seok Family Manor, it meant the estate of the Seok family.
But there were not many Seoks in Seok Family Manor in Hangzhou.
At most there might have been around twenty. And more than half of them were old, powerless elders, so it was hard even to call it a great family.
There were two reasons why such a vast estate held so few Seoks.

First, the Seok family had long been sparse in number.
Perhaps because they were a clan devoted entirely to commerce, many died young and they did not have many children.
Even Seok Sung, the current head of the family and lord of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild, had no children.
His one son had died. Yet he still had not designated a successor, so no one could know the future of Seok Family Manor.

The second reason lay in Seok Sung’s own conduct.
Seok Sung was a giant among men who had raised the already prosperous Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild to the foremost position under heaven.
He was cold even toward his own blood kin.
He had several relatives assassinated when they showed signs of rebellion. Naturally, that included his own brothers.

Even Seok Sung, of whom it was said that the smell of money clung to his flesh, had grown old.
Seok Family Manor was at once the main base of the Yellow Dragon Merchant Guild.
Yet within that vast estate, Seok Sung rarely emerged from his own residence.
Deep within the inner compound.
A detached residence that even the servants seldom entered was where Seok Sung lived.

In front of its gate, two young maidservants were hesitating.

“Sister, can’t you go in instead?”
“Why are you getting scared after coming all the way here?”

They looked no older than twelve or thirteen.
The younger-looking maid trembled as she spoke.

“I’m scared.”
“You little— will you keep it down?”

The younger maid was carrying a basket filled with rice cakes.
Steam rose from them, and they looked very delicious.
For hungry young maids, it would have been only natural to sneak a few bites when carrying snacks in.
If they were caught, they might get scolded a little, but it was common enough that it would usually be overlooked.
But far from sneaking some of the rice cakes, they were afraid even to deliver them.

“They say the Patriarch hasn’t been in his right mind lately….”
“What if someone hears you?”

The older of the two maids went pale.
That was how frightening such words were.
But it was not exactly false either. Stories that the lord of Seok Family Manor had gone senile were widespread.
Not long ago, one maid had fallen down in front of him and had been beaten simply for bringing bad luck.
They said she had been driven out sobbing, and a few days later there were even stories that she had been stabbed to death in a back alley.

The older maid, as if making up her mind, said,

“I’ll go in with you.”
“R-really?”
“Yes.”

It was just as the two maids finally steeled themselves and were about to pass through the gate.

“Hey.”
“Kyaak!”

A huge man dressed in black walked out from inside the gate.
When the maid screamed, he looked baffled.

“What did I do to scare you that much?”
“S-sorry!”
“Just give that to me.”
“Y-yes?”

The man in black took the maid’s basket almost as if snatching it away.

“I’ll deliver it to the Patriarch, so go back without worrying.”
“Ah, yes….”

The man put one rice cake into his mouth.
Chewing, he said,

“And about that maid who got thrown out. Rumors that the Patriarch had her killed are nonsense, so stop spreading that sort of thing.”
“……!”

The maids’ faces turned deathly white.
He had overheard their conversation. Since they had spoken carelessly, they thought they might be in terrible trouble.

“What are you doing? Go.”

But the man in black, as if it were nothing, carried the basket and went back inside.
The maids hesitated, then hurried away.

The man walked on.
The garden of the detached residence seemed not to have been maintained at all, the undergrowth thick and overgrown.
The trees hung low with heavy leaves, and within lay a deep pond.
In front of that pond, an old man was crouching.

The old man was scattering cold rice into the pond.
Carp the size of a forearm splashed as they tried to eat it.
The old man was smiling faintly, but for some reason that smile did not look pleasant at all.

“Patriarch, I brought the rice cakes.”

Then the man in black stood before him holding the basket.
The black-clad man. He was none other than the one who had stolen Iron-Faced Poisonous Hand away from Jin Li-yeon.
And now he was standing right beside Seok Sung.

“Looks like the rumor’s spread all the way to the maids too. That the Patriarch went senile and had some young girl killed.”
“Kekeke, perhaps my time to die really is near, if people have started spreading rumors about me.”
“You should’ve spent your life being a little kinder, then.”
“Who else has lived as sensibly as I have?”
“Please.”

The man in black snorted.
He set the basket of rice cakes beside Seok Sung, but Seok Sung did not even glance at it.
To Seok Sung, who kept tossing rice only to the carp, the man in black spoke in warning.

“Old man, what exactly are you thinking?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This nonsense about the cooking competition. You’re making things too big. You’re even letting rumors about the Guihon Jade spread. Keep this up and you’ll get yourself killed.”
“Haha.”
“Does this sound like a joke to you?”

It was clear now that Guihon Jade had indeed been offered as a prize in the cooking competition.

“I’m going to die anyway. So are you. Everyone dies sooner or later. Don’t you know that?”
“And says the man who’s still clinging to his son’s death…”

The black-clad man, about to sneer, fell silent.
It was not because Seok Sung had glared at him.
Something had entered his field of vision. Among the grains of rice the carp were splashing about to swallow, there was a single violet gemstone mixed in.

“…Just how many pieces of Guihon Jade do you have?”
“As many as I need.”

Even though Seok Sung was no longer feeding them, the carp continued thrashing.
They churned the water as if fighting one another, and among them blood slowly spread.
One spotted carp was biting at the others.
It was the one that had swallowed the Guihon Jade just moments ago. Its body was visibly growing larger.

“Now then, I’ll leave this to you.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The man in black clicked his tongue in irritation and stepped forward.
By then the spotted carp, now twice its former size, leapt high into the air.
Its bulging eyes and sharpened teeth no longer made it look like a fish.
It was unmistakably a yokai.

Seogeok!

And the man in black’s blade split that carp in two with absurd ease.
A carp as large as a man’s leg thrashed while spilling its entrails.
Seok Sung crouched down before it.
When the carp finally stopped flopping, Seok Sung thrust his fingers without hesitation into its entrails.
What came up pinched between his fingers was a piece of Guihon Jade that had not lost its light.

“So all you have to do is cut open the belly. And the Guihon Jade comes back out perfectly intact.”

It was not an experiment done merely out of boredom.

“My son taught me that.”
“……”

Seok Sung looked at the black-clad man and smiled.

“That if you cut open the belly of a person who has eaten Guihon Jade, you can recover it again. I learned that from my son.”

His son’s corpse had been found with its belly split open.
Since then, Seok Sung had smiled like that.

“I will die before long.”

Seok Sung said that while wiping his bloodied hands.

“But I won’t die before I catch all those bastards and split their bellies open. So don’t worry.”
“Worry? Please.”

The black-clad man sneered.
Seok Sung, the greatest rich man under heaven.
He had laid the bizarre trap of a cooking competition and was waiting for whoever might come seeking Guihon Jade.

He wasn’t a fisherman.
He merely waited, like someone scattering grains of rice and watching the carp gather in.