Appearance of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 9

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 9
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“What?!”
Yeon-woo was shocked.
And furious.
“How… how could this happen?!”
How… exactly how…?
“We’re roasting meat and you forgot the salt?!”
It was a blow from the blue sky itself.
Meat without salt sprinkled on it!
Having already tasted meat seasoned with salt, Yeon-woo’s palate had grown spoiled beyond redemption—and now collapsed in despair where he sat.
“Forgive me. My mind has been so scattered. Could you not simply eat it as it is?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Meat without salt. Meat without salt.
“When salt soaks into meat that’s juicy and tender, the bite is so delicious… but now….”
Ugh. Nngh…!
“If I don’t start a fire right now, we’ll run out of time….”
Argh, aaaah!!
“What am I to do….”
“I’ll go get some!”
Yeon-woo sprang to his feet as if seized by resolve.
The child’s expression was steely with determination.
“If I just go and come back, it’ll work out!”
“Will you be all right? We’re at….”
The very peak of the mountain?
Wheeee—
A sharp wind swept past Un-hyeon and Yeon-woo’s clothes.
It was the summit of the mountain that Un-hyeon had brought Yeon-woo to, saying he’d spotted a trapped boar.
It was a steep and towering peak that had taken half a Double Hour just to climb.
‘Ordinarily, I could not have climbed it even in two Double Hours.’
Perhaps it was because Yeon-woo had been traversing mountains while gathering medicinal herbs?
Without falling behind, Yeon-woo had pursued Un-hyeon all the way to this place.
Un-hyeon had even quickened his pace to gauge the child’s stamina, yet Yeon-woo had reached this summit without strain.
“Is it not too far to make the journey? If we had salt after a night’s wind cured it, the flavor would certainly deepen—yet it still seems too much for you to undertake….”
“I’m going! I’m getting it! We’re eating it deliciously!”
Yeon-woo turned and bounded down the mountain.
“Start the fire! We can’t eat without sharing!!”
Yeon-woo disappeared from Un-hyeon’s sight at a speed that belied a child’s stride.
“Go safely—!”
—safely, safely, safely, safely….
Un-hyeon, watching Yeon-woo dash away with neck craned forward, felt the child’s presence receding and gently released his hand.
“Well then….”
Should I follow along to see how quickly he returns?
Tap—
The moment Un-hyeon stamped his foot, his Divine Body Technique vanished in an instant.
From the moment Yeon-woo descended the mountain until he gathered salt and climbed back up took exactly one Double Hour.
Getting the meat roasted and eaten required only one Meal Time more.
After finishing the meal and tidying up, Un-hyeon suddenly gazed at the remaining meat and spoke as if musing.
“Now that I think of it, I recall a delicacy I once ate when I was in the Central Plains.”
“A delicacy?”
“Yes. It was a dish made from pork like this.”
“Was it delicious?”
“Extraordinarily delicious.”
“What was it? What was it?!”
“You slice the meat thin, then dry it for a long time in a place with good wind like this. It deepens the meat’s fragrance and adds savory depth to the taste.”
He glanced over and found Yeon-woo already drooling freely.
Slurp—
Yeon-woo wiped his mouth and cried out.
“We should do that! Let’s make it!”
“If we do, we’ll need….”
Un-hyeon glanced sidelong at Yeon-woo, whose eyes were sparkling, then shook his head with a soft laugh.
“No. How could I ask you to make another trip all the way home? Let’s leave the rest of the meat for the birds to eat.”
“Why give it to the birds?! I’ll catch and eat it all!!”
“You wish to eat it that badly?”
“Yes! I’m curious!”
“Then will you bring me what I ask for?”
Yeon-woo nodded his head vigorously.
Un-hyeon looked down at the boy, a smile curving at the corners of his mouth.
That day, Yeon-woo made three separate trips up and down the mountain to help Un-hyeon.
His legs trembled and small wounds dotted his body, yet Yeon-woo was happy.
‘Wind-dried meat!’
As he came down from hanging the meat to dry, a smile so satisfied it dimpled his cheeks played across Yeon-woo’s lips.
But that smile did not last long.
“This is… what…?”
During their absence, the evening meal left by the officials consisted of nothing but three Fist Rice Balls, each the size of Yeon-woo’s fist.
‘It seems they took my request to reduce meals a bit too literally.’
Un-hyeon glanced at Yeon-woo.
Whether from shock or disbelief, Yeon-woo stood rigid, staring at the rice balls before him.
After a moment, the boy slowly turned his head to look at Un-hyeon.
“Grand… father… meat….”
“I left everything behind. Didn’t you say you would dry all of it?”
That was true.
Hearing that dried meat tasted delicious, Yeon-woo had hung every last piece at the summit to dry before returning.
“Not even… a little…?”
None…?
Even at such a pitiful gaze, Un-hyeon shook his head firmly.
“There’s nothing for it. It’s too late in the evening to hunt anew, so let’s share these tonight.”
Though hungrier than ever before, Yeon-woo was equally weary, and so he had no choice but to nod in resignation.
Three small Fist Rice Balls wrapped in lotus leaves.
The two sat facing each other across the plate of rice balls and each picked one up companionably.
With a sorrowful expression, Yeon-woo peeled away the lotus leaf one layer at a time and took a bite.
“……!”
Yeon-woo’s eyes flew wide open.
“It’s delicious!”
It’s delicious! So delicious!
Without even swallowing what was in his mouth, Yeon-woo took another bite.
Un-hyeon, watching the boy chew happily, nodded in satisfaction.
‘They reduced the portion but paid attention to the flavor instead.’
The salt was perfectly balanced, and the richness of Sesame Powder came through clearly.
The mixture of greens and minced Pork was expertly prepared and tasted wonderful.
Yeon-woo’s fist-sized rice ball disappeared in moments into the two of them.
Then came the problem.
“……!”
Yeon-woo, with both fists resting on his knees, fixed an intensely sharp stare on the one remaining rice ball.
Two people. One rice ball remaining.
Want to eat. Want to eat. Want to eat. Want to eat. Want to eat. Want to eat. Want to eat.
Without speaking, his expression seemed to voice the words aloud.
After staring at the rice ball for quite some time, Yeon-woo finally moved his hand.
At least he had some conscience.
“Grandfather and I can each have half-”
and share it.
Though he spoke the words while forcing down his reluctance to share, Yeon-woo could not finish.
The moment he reached out to take the rice ball—
Click.
Un-hyeon pressed one edge of the dish, and the rice ball rolled away from Yeon-woo’s outstretched hand to the opposite side.
Yeon-woo’s brow furrowed with annoyance.
Then he reached out again.
“I’ll really just take exactly half-”
Roll-roll-roll.
Once more he moved his hand, but the rice ball rolled away yet again.
Yeon-woo scowled, looking up at Un-hyeon with a furrowed brow.
“Why are you doing that!”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you’d share? I’ll just eat mine!”
“The Fist Rice Ball? Ah, I have no appetite anyway—you eat it all.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It tastes quite good, actually.”
Yeon-woo grinned, baring her teeth in delight.
This really is delicious!
Thrilled at the prospect of devouring another whole ball, she reached toward it again.
Roll, roll, roll… Whoosh—slip, slip—
“Why do you keep moving it!”
“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re saying.”
Squeak!
Yeon-woo’s face flushed crimson.
She stretched out her hand to snatch the Fist Rice Ball away.
She tried to grab it before Un-hyeon could shift the bowl.
Roll—whoosh—tumble—whip, whip, whip, whip!
Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!
The Fist Rice Ball, annoyingly, slipped from her grasp faster than her own movements.
It escaped her fingertips at precisely the instant before her hand made contact.
Tap—patter, patter—patter, patter, patter!
Yeon-woo threw both hands at the Fist Rice Ball now, determined to catch it.
Yet within that modest dish, it rolled with infuriating grace, eluding her grasp.
More than that—it even bounced through the air inside the bowl.
Tap! Patter, patter!
Yeon-woo’s eyes darted left and right, tracking the Fist Rice Ball with fierce intensity.
Her hunger sharpened her focus to an extraordinary degree.
Tap—patter, patter, patter—patter!
Un-hyeon’s eyes narrowed as he and Yeon-woo engaged in this precarious tug-of-war over the bowl.
‘She’s adapting.’
Yeon-woo’s movements were growing faster.
More than that—she was beginning to anticipate his shifts, reaching out preemptively.
Her speed was accelerating to a point where a child’s eyes should no longer be able to follow.
And yet Yeon-woo’s gaze never lost the Fist Rice Ball.
‘I knew she had a strong obsession with food….’
But not to this degree.
This, too, must be a gift of her inborn constitution.
This child….
‘She was born for the path of a Martial Artist.’
Snatch!
In that instant, Yeon-woo’s left hand seized Un-hyeon’s wrist.
Her eyes remained fixed intently on the bowl.
Un-hyeon’s lips curved into a faint smile.
The child, who had been chasing only the Fist Rice Ball, had widened her vision just enough to catch the true culprit—the hand moving the bowl—and cut off its escape.
Removing the cause to solve the problem is the most natural and simple logic, yet when humans fixate on something, their field of vision narrows inevitably.
More so when that human is a child.
For her to learn to see broadly at an age when being absorbed in what lay before her was expected—that alone was a remarkable achievement.
‘That will do for today.’
Un-hyeon released the bowl he had been holding.
At the same moment, Yeon-woo’s free hand snapped up and seized the Fist Rice Ball.
Yeon-woo looked up at Un-hyeon.
“Eat it well.”
Yeon-woo’s face lit up brilliantly.
She turned away from Un-hyeon at once and devoured the Fist Rice Ball.
It tasted sweeter and more delicious than ever before.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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