Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 73

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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 72. Like the Waves of the Chang Gang, We Meet and Part—1
Thud!
With a heavy groan, the Unmado River Boat pulled into the dock at Hyung Ju. It was the wharf of Hyung Ju where she had come to rest.
The rain fell so heavily that the waters of the Chang Gang swelled, and in places swift currents and whirlpools had formed.
The captain of the Unmado River Boat judged it too perilous to continue under such conditions, and decided to wait out the storm here in Hyung Ju.
“We’ll moor here until the rain stops. It looks as though we’ll need to stay at least two days, so everyone please disembark and rest ashore. If the boat were to break loose in the current, it would be a disaster.”
At the captain’s words, the passengers hurried ashore.
Rain poured down as if the heavens themselves had torn open. There was no way to tell when it would cease. The couriers and merchants unloaded their cargo from the vessel as well.
If the moored boat were swept away in the rapids, they risked losing everything.
Dam Ho and Bang Jin Bo each led their horses down from the ship.
“We should find an inn first.”
“Mm.”
Dam Ho nodded at Bang Jin Bo’s words.
The dock was packed with people disembarking from the vessel. They moved about busily, all seeking lodging.
The inns near the dock, suddenly flooded with arrivals, hadn’t a corner to spare. They tried several places, but every one had no vacancies.
“What do we do?”
Bang Jin Bo shifted his weight from foot to foot, frustrated at finding no room.
Then Dam Ho gripped his shoulder.
“Let’s go there.”
Dam Ho pointed to an abandoned warehouse near the dock. It was barely holding together, but the roof seemed intact enough to shelter them from the rain and wind.
Bang Jin Bo caught Dam Ho’s intent and nodded.
“We don’t have much choice.”
Bang Jin Bo had slept rough enough times to be weary of it. He didn’t want to rough it again, but there was no help for it.
The two entered the abandoned warehouse. Broken timber lay scattered across the floor, though it was cleaner than expected.
Bang Jin Bo smiled.
“We can manage here easily enough for a day or two.”
“Mm.”
“I’ll prepare a meal.”
Bang Jin Bo gathered up broken wood and kindled a fire.
Dam Ho wasn’t idle either. He collected usable timber and quickly fashioned a raised platform. It would be enough to keep out the chill rising from the ground.
Having started the fire, Bang Jin Bo undid his bundle and laid out his cooking utensils. Though he’d grumbled when they first entered the warehouse, a smile now lingered on his face.
His bundle contained a considerable amount of ingredients gathered bit by bit during their journey here.
Bang Jin Bo was happily debating what dish to prepare when—
“Oh, my clothes are soaked through.”
“My apologies, miss. Please rest here a moment.”
With a familiar voice, someone entered the warehouse.
“What? Jin Bo?”
“So Cheong?”
The girl who widened her eyes at the sight of Bang Jin Bo was none other than En So Cheong. At her side stood Jong Ri Su.
Bang Jin Bo wore a bewildered expression.
“How did you end up here?”
“Finding an empty room is like plucking stars from the sky. What about you?”
“Yeah.”
Bang Jin Bo nodded.
En So Cheong’s eyes brightened as she surveyed the cooking utensils laid out before Bang Jin Bo.
“You’re cooking here?”
“Yeah.”
“Perfect. Can I eat too?”
At En So Cheong’s words, Jong Ri Su gasped in alarm.
“Miss, I’ve sent people to search for lodging. Please be patient a little longer.”
“What does it matter? There’s no guarantee we’ll find a room anyway.”
“But miss—”
“If you find an empty room, we can go then. It won’t be too late.”
En So Cheong crouched down right in front of Bang Jin Bo. At the sight of her, Jong Ri Su let out a quiet sigh.
En So Cheong gazed at Bang Jin Bo with sparkling eyes. The moment he saw her luminous gaze, Bang Jin Bo felt his heart drop like a stone.
“Y-you really want to eat the food I make?”
“Yeah! I’m hungry. Is that a problem?”
“No, it’s not that—”
“Hehe! Make it delicious for me.”
“Yeah!”
Bang Jin Bo nodded with vigor and took up his knife.
He arranged various ingredients on a small portable cutting board and began preparing them.
Tap-tap-tap!
The kitchen knife danced across the board.
“Wow!”
En So Cheong gasped in wonder at Bang Jin Bo’s deft handiwork.
The rectangular blade moved with such blinding speed it was barely visible to the eye—as if a martial expert were wielding a sword rather than a kitchen knife.
Bang Jin Bo lost himself entirely in his work, oblivious to En So Cheong’s presence beside him. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
En So Cheong watched that expression—so alive with joy—with fascination.
Though still young, she had encountered many people in her life. Yet none of them had smiled with the vitality that Bang Jin Bo possessed.
“Mm!”
En So Cheong rested her chin in her hand, her gaze fixed on Bang Jin Bo.
Sizzle!
He brushed oil across the hot pan and began adding the prepared ingredients in careful sequence.
Finally, he tossed in dried sea cucumber and gave it one more vigorous stir.
It was a dish called Gold Silk Black Dragon.
“Wow!”
At the sight of the dish coming together in moments, En So Cheong let out an exclamation—as did Jong Ri Su.
Bang Jin Bo was far from finished. Next, he placed a large pot over the fire and dumped in dried grain flour, the leftover ingredients from the Gold Silk Black Dragon, and everything else he had prepared.
From his bundle, Bang Jin Bo retrieved jerked mutton and various spices. He shredded the jerky into the pot, seasoned it with salt, and began layering in the aromatic spices.
“There!”
What emerged was mutton congee. Though it lacked the intensity of fresh meat, the flavor remained remarkably rich and alive.
“There we are! Sorry for the wait. It’s all ready now.”
Bang Jin Bo ladled the congee into wooden bowls and handed one to En So Cheong.
“It looks delicious.”
En So Cheong accepted the bowl with a contented expression on her face.
Bang Jin Bo offered another bowl to Jong Ri Su.
“Please, help yourself.”
“I…”
Jong Ri Su hesitated, caught off guard.
“Oh my! This is incredible. How can it possibly be so delicious…”
En So Cheong’s exclamation echoed through the abandoned warehouse. Moved by the genuine delight on her face, Jong Ri Su accepted the bowl.
Bang Jin Bo smiled and offered a bowl to Dam Ho as well.
Jong Ri Su lifted a spoonful of congee to his lips. For a moment, his eyes trembled.
En So Cheong’s wonder was no exaggeration. It was more delicious than anything he had ever eaten.
“Try this too. It’s really wonderful.”
En So Cheong was already happily eating the Gold Silk Black Dragon, her cheeks full, working her jaw in a way that struck him as genuinely beautiful.
Jong Ri Su followed suit and tasted the Gold Silk Black Dragon.
“Ah!”
The moment the flavors touched his tongue, an involuntary cry of admiration escaped him.
Though he had tasted many dishes while accompanying En So Cheong, he had never encountered anything so understated yet delicious as Bang Jin Bo’s cooking.
“This is easily better than our clan’s head cook.”
“…”
Though he said nothing, Jong Ri Su privately agreed with her assessment.
‘It truly is magnificent. How can a young boy possess such skill?’
He regarded Bang Jin Bo with newfound admiration in his gaze.
Bang Jin Bo beamed with happiness as he watched his creations disappear into eager mouths.
Jong Ri Su’s eyes drifted toward Dam Ho, who sat quietly on the bench, eating his meal alone. Despite En So Cheong’s and his own arrival, Dam Ho had not spoken a single word.
Though Jong Ri Su himself was known for being taciturn, it seemed Dam Ho exceeded even that standard.
Jong Ri Su observed Dam Ho with careful scrutiny.
‘He is clearly trained in martial arts.’
As a professional, Jong Ri Su had to account for every possibility.
It was certain that Dam Ho harbored no ill intent, yet he could not lower his guard.
He attempted to probe Dam Ho further, but everything remained murky and obscured, as if shrouded in fog.
While Jong Ri Su remained tense with caution, En So Cheong ate her food with unrestrained joy. Having finished every last bite, she now wore an expression of pure bliss.
“That was truly delicious. You’re really remarkable.”
“Hehe!”
“Of all the dishes I’ve ever eaten, yours are the most delicious by far.”
At En So Cheong’s lavish praise, Bang Jin Bo’s face flushed crimson.
The joy of bringing happiness to those around him through his cooking—that was what gave Bang Jin Bo’s life its vitality.
Bang Jin Bo’s gaze turned toward Dam Ho.
“How was it?”
“Delicious.”
“Hehe!”
“That hit the spot.”
Dam Ho handed the empty bowl to Bang Jin Bo.
“Rest yourself. I’ll have the dishes cleaned in no time.”
Bang Jin Bo gathered all the bowls from the others into the pot and carried them outside.
He meant to wash them in the rainwater streaming from the edge of the warehouse eaves.
En So Cheong watched Bang Jin Bo’s back as he washed the dishes, her face bright with a smile.
“How could anyone be so content? I’ve never seen someone happy while cooking like that.”
“Neither have I.”
Jong Ri Su nodded in agreement.
En So Cheong’s eyes shifted to Dam Ho.
“Sir, will you be staying here for a while?”
……
“Could I come visit sometimes and have a meal?”
“If Bang Jin Bo has no objection.”
“So I only need Bang Jin Bo’s permission?”
Dam Ho nodded, and En So Cheong broke into a radiant smile.
Though young, En So Cheong already possessed striking beauty. Her smile was luminous and breathtaking. Dam Ho found himself thinking that in just a few more years, she would become a beauty capable of turning the Gang Ho upside down.
En So Cheong suddenly rushed over to where Bang Jin Bo was washing the dishes.
“Young Miss!”
Jong Ri Su called from behind, but it was no use.
En So Cheong said something to Bang Jin Bo, and he scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.
Just then, Jong Ri Su’s subordinates entered the abandoned warehouse. They were the ones who had gone searching for an empty room.
“We’ve secured the last room available, sir.”
“Well done.”
Jong Ri Su nodded and then looked at Dam Ho.
He clasped his fist in salute.
“My thanks for the fine meal. You’ve treated us most generously. Perhaps our paths will cross again.”
Dam Ho did not respond, and Jong Ri Su, expecting no answer, simply turned away.
Jong Ri Su and his men approached En So Cheong.
“We’ve found rooms. Shall we depart now, Young Miss?”
“Yes!”
En So Cheong answered with a bright smile.
She waved to Bang Jin Bo.
“I’ll come again.”
“Yes!”
“You have to make something delicious next time too.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jin Bo answered with vigor.
En So Cheong and Jong Ri Su’s party dashed out into the rain.
Bang Jin Bo gazed blankly after her receding figure.
The next day, Bang Jin Bo prepared food while waiting for En So Cheong to arrive. But she never came.
After the rain stopped and he boarded the boat, he happened to hear from merchants who had stayed at the same inn as her party.
The day after parting with Bang Jin Bo, her group had left in haste.

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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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