Moorim Pochang - Chapter 41

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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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Chapter 41. The God of Immortality.

Silence stretched across the room, broken only by the occasional clatter of pots from the kitchen.
“I’ll bring out the roasted pheasant first.”
“Do as you see fit.”
Kang Jo set two roasted pheasants in a large wooden bowl and placed it on the table.
He followed with a wooden plate of seasoned vegetables.
Cheol Goe gazed at the roasted pheasant for a moment, then moved both hands to tear into the meat.
Chomp, chomp…
He bit off one leg and swallowed it, then reached for the seasoned vegetables and ate them by hand.
Not that he was saying it for anyone’s benefit, but he opened his mouth to speak.
“It’s incomparably more delicious than what I used to cook long ago.”
The roasted pheasant was exquisitely flavored.
The skin crackled despite the oil running through it, while the inside was tender and yielding.
Even the finest chef in the Martial World could not prepare it this well.
Yet he yearned for the dry, bland taste of the meat he had roasted as a child.
How delicious that dry, tough meat had been.
“I’ll bring the noodles now.”
Kang Jo set a bowl of thin mountain noodles before him.
Cheol Goe wiped his greasy hands on his clothes and picked up his chopsticks.
Slurp… slurp…
As he swallowed the noodles, he pointed his chopsticks toward the chair across from him.
“If you wish to eat, sit down.”
Kang Jo shook his head.
“Surely we are not close enough for a guest and servant to share a seat?”
Cheol Goe chewed the noodles and meat while looking up at Kang Jo’s face.
“There’s plenty of food, so sit.”
“Then I shall.”
Kang Jo ceased his refusals and took the offered seat.
Without hesitation, he tore off one leg of the pheasant.
Crunch, crunch…
Watching this, Cheol Goe smiled.
Was there anyone else in the Martial World with such boldness?
Baek Won Young might boast the highest Later Period Mastery in the Martial World, yet compared to this man, he fell short.
The remark that he resembled his father carried both praise and a faint, contemptuous undertone.
Baek Mun Do and Dok Go Yeop had not always been Seasoned Veterans.
They had been somewhat clumsy at first, fumbling even.
But in this one, none of that showed.
Yes. This was how the great ones had been.
“Your name is Kang Jo, then?”
“. . . Yes.”
Kang Jo answered while chewing meat.
“Yeo Hwa may return to this place one day soon. To kill you.”
His words startled Kang Jo.
“Are we not on the same side?”
Cheol Goe remained unfazed.
“We are allies of sorts, but I do not fully approve. However, she is a such a monster that you must be careful.”
“I am grateful for the warning.”
Chuckle, chuckle…
Cheol Goe smiled again.
When was the last time he had eaten with such ease and contentment?
Perhaps it had been long ago, when he sat among friends.
Still smiling, he moved his chopsticks again to gather the noodles.
“It seems we have a guest.”
At his words, Kang Jo rose from his seat.

*

Whether they had arranged to meet here, he couldn’t say for certain.
Kang Jo bowed deeply as the guest crossed the Stone Bridge toward the Inn.
“Welcome.”
The guest, who accepted the greeting with a nod, strode into the Inn with measured steps.
The moment he entered, Baek Won Young and Yang Jung bent at the waist in salute.
“Welcome, Father.”
“We are honored to receive the Leader of the Martial Alliance.”
Baek Mun Do paid them no attention and seated himself across from Cheol Goe.
“What brings you to this place?”
Slurp… slurp…
“To eat.”
Cheol Goe swallowed his noodles without a trace of concern in his reply.
Then Baek Mun Do turned his gaze toward Kang Jo.
“Bring me the same thing this man is having.”
“This gentleman brought the pheasant.”
At Kang Jo’s words, Cheol Goe waved his chopsticks.
“It’s fine. Bring it. Give me another bowl as well.”
“One moment, please.”
As Kang Jo disappeared into the kitchen, Baek Mun Do tore into the pheasant meat with his bare hands.
“So you still favor pheasant.”
“When I was young, I played alone. Do you know what I did most often? I’d throw stones to catch pheasants.”
“Hardly a cherished memory, it seems.”
“On the contrary. It was profoundly joyful.”
Baek Mun Do nodded, placed the meat in his mouth, and chewed.
Munch, munch…
“Why didn’t you catch a few more, then? Cheol Goe.”
“That name is forgotten. From now on, call me Cheol Goe.”
“If that is your wish, so it shall be.”
The two men had been locked in deadly combat not long ago, each seeking the other’s life.
Yet now they seemed like the closest of friends.
Baek Won Young took in the sight of them both.
‘A conversation among giants.’
He could never conduct himself as they did.
Compared to the man he had been mere moments before, he felt overwhelmed by shame and humiliation.
As he held their images in his mind, Kang Jo set a bowl of noodles before them.
“Enjoy your meal.”
Baek Mun Do lifted his chopsticks without hesitation.
“After eating here, I won’t be able to stomach the Martial Alliance’s food again.”
Heh heh heh…
“The Leader of the Alliance speaks carelessly.”
Cheol Goe laughed in turn, matching his tone.
“But why did you have a tattoo inscribed on your face?”
“The price of having stopped time.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Cheol Goe moved his chopsticks as he stared directly at Baek Mun Do.
“To a god who neither ages nor dies, the struggles of men seem only pitiful and lamentable. These mortals who can’t even live a hundred years, throwing away their lives in haste to meet death sooner…”
“A god who neither ages nor dies… The Master of the Blood Cult surely fell to the Great One’s hand.”
Heh heh heh…
“I’ll speak no more of it.”

*

After finishing his meal, Cheol Goe placed four silver coins on the table.
“Until we meet again, Mun Do.”
“Farewell, Cheol Goe.”
The two parted ways as they had before, with the same courtesy.
Yet one man called the other by his former name, while the other called him not by his old name, but Cheol Goe.
Cheol Goe, gripping his Long Spear, turned back to look at Kang Jo.
“I don’t know when I’ll return. Should I find myself at the Martial Alliance, I’ll come by.”
“Safe travels.”
Kang Jo bowed with the same courtesy he showed any guest.
Cheol Goe nodded, cast a brief glance at Baek Won Young and Yang Jung, then faded into the darkness.
The moment he vanished, Baek Mun Do spoke.
“Bring me a bottle of wine.”
Kang Jo went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle.
“Here you are.”
Baek Mun Do studied Kang Jo intently.
“Aren’t you afraid of Cheol Goe?”
“To me, he is simply a guest.”
Ha ha ha…………………!
Baek Mun Do laughed deeply at the reply.
Hearing it again, the answer made perfect sense.
“True. To an innkeeper, no matter how great a man may be, he is nothing but a guest.”
Baek Mun Do’s laughter faded as he observed his son and Yang Jung.
‘Among three dragons, the boldest may not be the one I fathered.’

*

Kang Jo cleaned the Dark Sword for the first time in ages.
From rough handling, the dark blade was caked with grime.
Yet not a single chip marred its edge.
As he wiped the blade with cloth, the dirt peeled away—but so did the dark sheen that had filled the steel, leaving it dull.
“Hm?”
Yang Jung approached at Kang Jo’s reaction.
“What is it, brother?”
“This sword was never meant to be dark-colored, was it?”
Kang Jo pressed harder, scrubbing the blade.
Beneath the grime, a clear brightness began to emerge.
Sigh.
“How brutally have I used this blade to have turned it pitch-black?”
Yang Jung laughed at Kang Jo’s lament.
Heh heh…
“Aren’t you just as rough with it as anyone else, brother?”
He had a point.
Yet for some reason, irritation flared up inside him.
“When did I ask you to fix the corner supports? Why are they still not done?”
“I was just about to go tend to them, brother.”
Just as Yang Jung rose to his feet, the sound of jade beads rolling across a tray drifted in.
“Are you here, Yang? Young Master.”
A weary sigh.
‘Tedious creatures.’
The moment Kang Jo heard that voice, he shoved the sword into its scabbard and tossed it into the corner of the kitchen.
Ha ha ha…………
“Welcome, Miss Baek.”
Whether Yang Jung knew Kang Jo’s true feelings or not, he greeted Baek Ha Young with a bright laugh.
“I was heading into the village—would you have time to join me?”
She looked at Yang Jung with eyes full of quiet expectation.
Yang Jung glanced sideways at Kang Jo before offering a gentle smile.
“I was just resting. Let us go at once.”
“Perfect, young master. Come along.”
Baek Ha Young left the inn with only Yang Jung in tow.
“I’ll be back soon, brother.”
Kang Jo glared after him, flexing his right fist in warning.
Ha ha…
Yang Jung laughed awkwardly and followed Baek Ha Young out.
The moment he disappeared, the inn felt suddenly quiet and empty.
‘Miss him when he’s gone, can’t stand the noise when he’s here.’
Kang Jo picked up his basket, planning to go gather some greens.
‘Soon enough, Yeo Hwa might return to this place. To kill you.’
Just as he was stepping out of the kitchen, Cheol Goe’s words gnawed at him.
He reached into the corner, and the Dark Sword came sliding into his palm.
A soft whisper through the air.
Kang Jo fastened the blade loosely at his waist and turned toward the forest.
In spring, you could gather tender tree leaves as greens and dress them for eating.
But now, deep in the sweltering summer heat, he could only pull up what grew from the ground.
As he picked through the forest, thick tangles of balloon flower stems and leaves came into view.
Ah.
Kang Jo’s face lit up with delight as he drew his blade and began digging out the roots.
Thunk. Thunk!
After unearthing several thick balloon flower roots, he turned to leave—only to feel someone’s gaze fixed upon him.
He turned his head toward it and found two black eyes staring at him with unblinking intensity.
Kang Jo approached the eyes.
But instead of fleeing, the black eyes flared with fierce hostility.
A huffing sound.
‘They say there are some ill-tempered deer around these parts now and then.’
Originally, this forest had few birds and fewer beasts still.
The savage deer must have lost its way somehow.
Crack!
As Kang Jo approached, the deer lowered its antlers and charged at him instead.
‘Has it gone into rut?’
He slipped aside with a swift movement.
As the charging deer rushed past, he drove his blade clean through its neck.
A wet, heavy thud.
The deer crashed into the forest at full gallop, then crumpled.
Kang Jo hoisted the fallen creature onto his shoulder.
He’d never cared much for venison, but since he’d killed it, he’d make something of it.
Back at the Inn, he set down his bundle and picked up a kitchen knife.
He needed to clean the deer by the riverside.
Sitting by the water’s edge and beginning to dress the carcass, he heard children’s laughter drifting from the forest beyond the path.
Giggling echoed through the trees.
“Did you catch it…?”
“We caught it! We caught it!”
He looked up to see five children holding a field mouse aloft, laughing with delight.
Those children would probably roast it and eat it too.
“Come here.”
Kang Jo waved, calling the children over.
“What is it, sir?”
The children came running, still clutching their field mouse.
“Have you eaten?”
At his question, all the children shook their heads.
“No, sir.”
“We’re going to eat tonight.”
The children answered while swallowing hard.
These were the same children who’d caught a snake and delighted in it before.
Back then he’d given them a meal, and now they clearly hoped for the same.
But Kang Jo had no intention of giving them food.
He could afford to feed them once or twice, but if word spread, more children would come flocking.
“If you do as I say, I’ll give you this deer.”
“What, sir?”
“What? What is it?”
The children’s eyes sparkled as they asked.
“There’s been a great battle among the Martial World. From now on, don’t play around this area.”
At his words, all the children nodded solemnly.
“We understand, sir.”
“We’ll play somewhere else from now on.”
With the children’s promise, Kang Jo handed over the deer.
“Take it. I barely caught it myself, so if you ever run into a deer like that, just run.”
“Thank you so much, sir.”
“Understood, sir.”
The deer weighed nearly fifty pounds, making it difficult for the children to carry.
Yet the children grunted and strained, managing to hoist it and move forward regardless.
Kang Jo watched the children for a moment, then turned his steps toward the Inn.

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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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