A Matter Of Life And Death. (2)

Jigak Hall is one of the pavilions in the Wudang sect where honored guests stay.

Right now, the Yin Yang Twin Monster sat side by side there, clutching chopsticks.

“Child. Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

“Hng. What is all this…”

Plates filled the table, but nothing on it pleased Yu Seol.

There were various vegetable side dishes, mushroom dishes, rice porridge—only variety in types, but not a single piece of meat was to be seen.

“Still, try it once. Where else will you encounter a menu that smells so of the great outdoors?”

To Yu Jinsan, who usually wasn’t greedy about food, the fare here was of acceptable quality.

But his granddaughter, who had loved meat since she was a baby, was another story.

“Even if I eat, it doesn’t feel like eating! The Wudang sect lied to us.”

“Aha~ Even so, if the great Yin Monster fusses about side dishes, it loses face. For the sake of their courtesy, try a bit. Leaving all this untouched isn’t polite, is it?”

Yu Seol propped her chin as if it were none of her business and stirred the dishes with her chopsticks.

A moment later, she grabbed a handful of greens with her chopsticks, slid them behind her back, and asked.

“Grandfather, do you want some of this?”

It was Gwang Neung standing behind Yu Seol.

He showed no reaction, like a Jiangshi.

He moved only instinctively because of the Taiji token and the Blue Sky Sword that Yu Seol possessed. He was, for all intents and purposes, a living corpse.

“Just leave him be. He won’t eat just because of that.”

“Tch~ If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve gone down to the village and bought something.”

Regret flooded in, but what could be done.

Pouting in displeasure, Yu Seol’s lips stuck out bit by bit.

Yu Jinsan, worried about his ill-tempered granddaughter, looked at her and tried to soothe her.

“The meal isn’t over yet, so let’s wait a little longer. More meat dishes might come out next.”

At that moment, Yu Seol’s gaze turned toward the door on the left.

Two attendants stood there with their hands clasped, visibly anxious.

“Gentlemen, the food isn’t all out yet, right? You didn’t lie to us, did you?”

The attendants, pale-faced at the Yin Monster’s question, babbled an answer.

“…Yes? Ah, perhaps so.”

By any glance, they clearly didn’t know.

Blaming them would serve no purpose.

Yu Seol bit her lower lip hard and gripped the Taiji token placed on the table.

As strength filled her hand, the Taiji token, which had been emitting a pearly light, began to vibrate as if about to snap.

“Grandpa. Am I right? They lured us with lies about meat. We’re being toyed with.”

At this point, Yu Jinsan could no longer side with the Wudang sect.

He put his chopsticks down with a clack and said.

“Tsk. We gave them a chance, but it seems our ties with the Wudang sect end here.”

“Let’s descend and go eat something delicious for now. I’m starving.”

“Alright. And if you break that, you won’t get your money’s worth.”

Startled, Yu Seol relaxed her grip on the Taiji token.

She was about to stand up.

They sensed someone rushing toward the place in haste.

Bang-!

The pavilion’s entrance swung open and someone appeared.

Naturally, Yu Seol’s eyes went to his hand, which gripped a plate.

Then his previously gloomy face began to form a satisfied smile.

Not only that, laughter burst from his mouth.

“Hee hee hee hee.”

One could tell just by the smell.

At last, the long-awaited dishes had arrived.

“Y-You’ve been waiting a long time, right? The main course usually comes last, so we’re a bit late.”

Panting, he was Elder Mu-young of the Wudang sect.

In the rush, he had personally run to bring the food in place of his disciples.

Given the dignified status of an elder within the sect, this was not something that usually happened.

At that moment, Yu Jinsan leaned back in his chair and spoke again.

“If you’d been a bit later, I would’ve left.”

Mu-young sighed in relief and approached carrying a plate.

“The first main dish is Udun Yooksa. If you taste this, your mood should lift a bit.”

Udun Yooksa? Even Yu Jinsan had never heard that dish name before.

It was natural—Elder Mu-young had invented it on his way here.

In any case, already full, Yu Jinsan yielded all the food to his granddaughter.

“I’m satisfied, so bring everything that comes out from now on to the Yin Monster.”

Elder Mu-young was pleased at the timing.

Hadn’t he been ordered to cater primarily to the Yin Monster’s tastes?

He carefully set the plate down and continued his explanation.

“We sealed the most tender cut of beef and aged it in water for ten days. You must eat it without applying heat to experience the best texture.”

Gripping her chopsticks and peering at the dish, Yu Seol wore a dubious expression.

Eat beef raw? She had never tried it.

“It’s safe to eat, right?”

“Y-Yes. Just put it in your mouth and you’ll feel like walking on clouds.”

Seeing the paper-thin slices of crimson meat, curiosity arose.

Uniform and neat thickness. On top of that, garnishes shaped like flowers made from vegetables.

It was a dish that only a martial master whose knife work had reached mastery could make.

The taste was unimaginable, but simply looking at it sparked an appetite.

Silently, Yu Seol picked up a piece of meat and popped it into her mouth.

After chewing it a bit.

Yu Seol’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

“Uh?”

“How’s the ta-ste? The texture’s nice, right?”

Yu Seol murmured in a daze.

“The meat… the meat melted in my mouth.”

“Eh? Melted?”

Yu Seol was no longer in a state to answer.

Her chopsticks moved without pause, quickly emptying the plate.

As the Yin Monster hummed a tune while devouring the meat, Elder Mu-young rejoiced inwardly.

‘My cooking pleases the Yin Monster. I, Mu-young, have accomplished what the elders and the Sect Leader could not! I am the hero who saved the Wudang sect!’

He believed he had splendidly fulfilled his mission.

That was the case—until now.

“Is there no more?”

Mu-young, who had been quietly celebrating, was jolted awake by the Yin Monster’s question.

“Yu, you haven’t already finished it all, have you?”

“It melted in my mouth so I haven’t really eaten anything.”

Panicked, Mu-young opened the Jigak Hall door and stuck his head out.

He glanced around and then shouted toward someone.

“Run here quickly!!”

Fortunately, the second dish arrived just in time.

A moment after he took the plate from a disciple, the Yin Monster asked from behind him.

“Is it here?”

“Yes. This second main dish is Meat sauce noodles. It’s a dish developed by our Wudang, something the world hasn’t seen.”

Clatter-!

Yu Seol began to inspect the dish placed before her.

It looked like beef thinly sliced as before, lightly seared on the surface. On top, a seasoning mixed with perilla seeds covered it, and it was garnished with onions.

“It smells sweet.”

“It’s seasoned with soy sauce mixed with egg and fruit, so it’ll be quite sweet. The texture will differ from the previous one, so please try it.”

Yu Seol slathered the meat with sauce, put it in her mouth with the onion, and began to chew.

Mu-young rubbed his hands and cautiously watched the Yin Monster’s expression.

And the reaction came not long after.

‘Y-Yes! The Yin Monster’s lips are curling up!’

He had never seen a happier expression in his life.

The Yin Monster’s face resembled a heavenly fairy wearing a benevolent smile.

“…This is the taste. It’s savory and so delicious.”

“There are still a few dishes left, so please enjoy them slowly and at ease.”

To encounter such refined cuisine from the Wudang sect—this was beyond imagination.

Watching, Yu Jinsan asked Elder Mu-young with a bewildered expression.

“I can’t believe it. How did the Wudang bring such ingredients? And how did the attendants gain such culinary skill…?”

“W-Well, I’m naturally a gourmet… I’ve been conducting various researches with disciples who share my tastes…”

Seeing him ramble, Yu Jinsan roughly understood and raised his left hand in acknowledgment.

“I understand, so no need to explain. In any case, thanks to you the Yin Monster is feasting after a long time. You’ve done well.”

“It is an honor. Please have a pleasant time.”

Mu-young clasped his hands and slipped back toward the door.

He was so flustered that he forgot what he had even said.

He quietly guarded the entrance and assisted the Yin Monster’s meal.

Meanwhile, he began eavesdropping on the pair’s conversation.

“Grandpa, aren’t you eating?”

“I’m full just seeing Seol eat.”

“Hee hee. But why are they treating us so well? Is it really okay for us to eat all this?”

“What, do you think it’s poisoned?”

No poison in the world could harm the Profound Realm’s granddaughter. That was never a concern.

“No. It feels like there’s another reason.”

Elder Muyoung, who met the Yin Monster’s eyes for a moment, flinched and quickly averted his gaze.

Seeing that, Yu Jinsan laughed and made a teasing remark.

“Those old men said earlier, didn’t they? That they wanted to reconcile and befriend us.”

Of course, he also knew there were other motives.

In any case, reconciliation with the Wudang sect wasn’t impossible.

After all, under the name of the Yin Yang Twin Monster, they had never officially killed an attendant of the Wudang sect.

Except for one person.

“What? They think the Taiji Sword Master was killed by us, don’t they?”

At that moment, Mu-young, who had been listening from afar, pricked up his ears.

It was significant information from the Wudang sect’s perspective.

“Well, rumors spread oddly because of the Murim Alliance leader, but we should clear up the misunderstanding. Come here for a moment.”

Mu-young pointed to his chest with a finger and asked.

“Do you mean, that statement?”

Yu Jinsan nodded. As he approached, Yu Jinsan briefly explained what had happened then.

“Elder Mujin, who was called the Taiji Sword Master, was actually killed by The Invincible Sword of Soyo Mountain Villa.”

“I-Is that really true?”

“Why would I lie? But it was a fair duel, and no one interfered in their fight.”

He told the truth for the sake of Maeng Nam-cheon’s honor.

That he had defeated the Wudang sect’s sword master was a clear fact, and the matter deserved re-evaluation in the martial world.

“That the teacher was defeated by the Invincible Sword…”

At that, Yu Jinsan gave a sharp remark to the grieving Elder Muyoung.

“In any case, if the Wudang sect seeks revenge against Soyo Mountain Villa over that, we will not stand idly by.”

Elder Mujin was momentarily stunned, then gave a slight nod.

A teacher’s death is sorrowful, but how could one call it wretched when a martial artist dies in combat?

Moreover, with the Yin Yang Twin Monster backing them, they could not blame them either.

“I will inform the Sect Leader as well.”

“The Yin Yang Twin Monster answers to no one, so do as you please.”

With his business concluded, he returned to watching his granddaughter eat with a pleased face.

Thanks to the successive main dishes, the meal continued for about half an incense time.

“I’m full. It was so delicious!”

A laugh came naturally at the sight of his granddaughter patting her belly with a bright smile.

“Now that we’ve eaten, let’s hurry and go.”

“But what about the people outside?”

As expected, the Wudang sect wouldn’t let them go so easily.

When they opened Hall’s door, a dozen or so people had gathered.

They were the senior attendants of the Wudang sect—responsible for running the sect, including the Sect Leader and the elders.

And before them, four Taiji swordsmen were kneeling.

“We were wrong, Yin Monster great hero!”

“We were briefly mad.”

“Please forgive us!”

They were the ones who had slandered them earlier at the inn.

Now that she was in a good mood, Yu Seol barely noticed them.

“Alright. It’s fine now, so get up quickly.”

“R-Really?”

The great disciples received a glance from the Sect Leader and dashed off somewhere.

Things seemed to be going smoothly.

That the Yin Monster forgave the culprits so easily—such a different side left them dumbfounded.

At that moment, the Sect Leader’s gaze briefly shifted behind the Yin Yang Twin Monster.

There, Elder Mu-young stood with a proud smile, hands clasped.

He then nodded once at the Sect Leader, wearing an expression as if asking, “Did I do well?”

‘Looks like Elder Mu-young served the meal well. Thank goodness.’

Feeling relieved, he checked the Yin Monster’s mood and asked.

“Was the meal satisfactory?”

“Yes, we ate well. So can we go down now?”

Yu Seol intended to escape the Wudang Mountain before her Blue Sky Sword and Taiji token could be taken.

But the Sect Master of the Wudang sect was not in a position to let them leave empty-handed.

“What’s the hurry? We’ve prepared gifts for the great heroes; please at least accept those.”

The thought of receiving gifts made Yu Seol’s heart flutter.

She knew their ulterior motives, but couldn’t help being tempted.

“Gifts?”

“Yes. I’m sure you’ll like them.”

The Sect Leader’s tone had become much gentler than before.

So it was hard to refuse coldly.

Above all, she couldn’t help but be curious about the contents of the gift.

• What to do? Maybe they’re giving a commemorative gift.

Receiving his granddaughter’s telepathic cue, Yu Jinsan slightly nodded once.

• Hmm. The Sect Leader personally asked like this; it wouldn’t be proper to ignore him.

With her grandfather’s permission, Yu Seol’s mouth curled into a smile.

“What is the gift?”

The Sect Master stretched one hand forward with a benevolent smile.

“We’ve prepared them separately; I’ll escort you this way. Come with me and have a look.”