Chapter 8: 8

Despite Jeong Ah’s dissuasion, Sohyeon Yeon assisted in the meal’s preparation, which they eventually finished together.

Even so, she felt no different from his eccentricities. Jeong Ah was now plagued with a sticky sense of disharmony that she couldn’t shake off.

“Why the heck my eyes couldn’t work on you.” The Archduke was clear before her own eyes, but that was all the information her “eyes” had seen.

What in the world was he thinking? How was his emotional state? What was his next move going to be?

“Eye” could read nothing.

“Come on. Don’t stand like that, and have a seat.”

“How could this low person sit with the Archduke?”

Well, although she’d tried hard to avoid setting the table meal, it was clear that this Archduke had no intention of listening to her.

“Uh-huh. Do I have to sit down right now?” In the end, she had no option but to obey her master’s orders.

Sighing inwardly, Jeong Ah closed her eyes tightly and sat across from the Archduke.

Would anyone believe her if she stated she ate at the same table as the Archduke of the Great Luoyang Sword Clan—she doubted would be.

“Mmm. This seasoning is really good—the taste is there… simple, yet drenched with flavor.” He wasn’t sure whether the food had entered his mouth or nose, but for some reason, the rice went down quite smoothly.

Actually, they’d done nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps it was because the ingredients for the meals here came directly from the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion’s gardens.

The effect of the battle formation was believed to keep the temperature in the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion at early spring levels even in the midst of winter.

“Hmm. Come to think of it, aren’t you still a little dazed from the battle formation?

Jeong Ah covered her mouth with her hand and spoke in a hushed tone. “Thanks to your care and concern, I feel really good.”

Sohyeon Yeon then nodded, as if he were aware of something. “Well, that’s good. There are certain bodies [With Physical attributes] that are very sensitive to Force [Energy-qi]. Even if they lack Inner Force.”

“Um, is that so?”

“Their eyes, I heard, are close to gold…Hmm.”

“…….”

Jeong Ah’s composure was shaken again. Regarding the “eye,”  Jeong Ah was well aware of it from personal experience.

Anxiety that the Archduke would notice anything about her eyes and the possibility that he would uncover the actual nature of them, which would be equal to heavenly punishment, had driven her to count the seconds.

At that point, Sohyeon Yeon, who had closed his eyes for a while as if pondering something, opened them at least.

“Well…!”

“……!”

Jeong Ah fought back her nervousness.

“It would be good to have another bowl—gobble it up this time.”

“Yes, Lord Archduke.”

In the end, the Archduke had eaten five more bowls since then, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about her physique. He’d merely been saying trivial things every so often.

“Mmm, something—it feels a bit lacking.” The Archduke mumbled.

“I’m sorry. Shall I cook again?”

The generous amount of cooked rice had run out, and the Archduke had even rolled up the fried rice in the pot and drunk it.

“No, that’s enough of it.”

Jeong Ah nodded, but she couldn’t pinpoint where exactly it was lacking.

“Then I’ll prepare some refreshments to accompany your post-meal tea.”

“Hmm. Tea is good, but a drink would be great right now.”

“Yes Lord. I will also prepare plenty of side dishes for you.”

“haha. You really have a good eye.”

Jeong Ah hid her bitter face and headed back to the kitchen.

It may take a little more effort to prepare meals for a big eater Master, but wasn’t it much better than having to serve a picky master who was difficult to please?

Once she stepped back far enough, Sohyeon Yeon patted his stomach and tilted his head. “That’s strange.”

He was obviously not a big eater.

Half a bowl of rice, a few pickled or seasoned side dishes, and a bowl of hot soup—he’d clearly remembered that would be enough.

Strangely enough, he was still feeling hungry.

It wasn’t a matter of being a heavy or light eater.

Five bowls of rice, one pot of fried rice [Yellowish, little harder rice], and all kinds of dishes, plus soup…

With this quantity, he ought to have at least some level of satisfaction, but what he was feeling now was the hunger he’d felt right before eating.

If there was a reason to guess….

The ruler of darkness.

The Heavenly Monster.

The ambiguous object that the three immortals had weaved at the cost of everything they’d had.

Could this hunger be caused by that monster?

After a while, Sohyeon Yeon burst out laughing. ‘Is the price of getting a monster that defies time and twists fate—not being filled up?’

Besides, even if such were the case, so what?

He himself was the heir to this damn wealthy family.

He would eat till his stomach was full, even if it meant starving countless others outside. Eating up a cow a day won’t be a problem.

Then, without noticing the small, ominous sound of giggling from his lower abdomen [Dantian], he gobbled up all the side dishes that were enough to feed five or six men.

 

* * *

 

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“The heck…”

It was already midnight, but Sohyeon Yeon could not fall asleep. The extreme hunger was the reason, obviously.

“…….”

He’d intended to call Jeong Ah again, but he decided against it.

If he continued to tease Jeong Ah in this manner, she may start seeing him as something more sinister than a big eater—the hungry ghost¹ maybe?. And fundamentally, this hunger must have a reason.

There were various theories, but for now, the primary concern was to satisfy the hunger.

He stood up and began putting on his clothes one by one.

Before, in his past life, whenever he hadn’t been able to sleep because of the heavy burden of worry, he’d used to wander around the streets of Luoyang at night.

The taverns in Luoyang, one of the largest cities in the Central Plains as well as a nightless city, keep their doors open all night, so there shouldn’t be any trouble satisfying his hunger.

If he left the head family residence discreetly like this, several guards would undoubtedly follow him, in spite of their hatred for him.

There was no way his former self, who hadn’t possessed even a handful of internal force, would dare to fool the family’s eyes.

But now—for some reason—he felt there was no need to go out like that. He felt like…

Just like when someone shouted one’s name from behind, the person spun around reflexively.

Just like that, he took a step.

“……?!”

And the next thing he knew, he was perched atop a giant coniferous tree.

It was the tallest and oldest of the coniferous trees that had grown in the Great Luoyang Sword Clan’s battle formation.

“What is this…?”

The tree limb on which he was standing swayed slightly. It was a flimsy and thin branch that would break if a small baby hung on it, yet for some reason, it just swung slightly, as if disturbed by the wind.

Besides, from up there, he could have easily felt dizzy at the scenery below, but unexpectedly, his heart was at peace itself.

In his head, the question of how he had been able to climb this tall tree and perch on such a fragile branch had evaporated.

He simply had this odd certainty that he could accomplish it.

He had no idea what he could accomplish. It wasn’t his thoughts or feelings; it was as if someone or something had whispered to him.

[Chosen One, you can do this.]

“Yes. I can do it.” Sohyeon Yeon took a step over the slender tree limb. And in the next moment, he set his foot down on the tiles of the High Swordsmith Palace.

“Mmm, I see it now,” Sohyeon Yeon whispered to himself as he felt it, as he intuitively grasped it.

Moving through the darkness. It was like folding the space, similar to the legendary, mythical technique of the Earth’s curtailments. Or like passing through a gateway or tunnel to another place.

A demonic force that was not his flowed from his body. It was a demonic force that only beings who breathed it and lived in it could have.

It was a twisted mythical technique. A body movement method for the ruler of darkness’s chosen one.

 

[Abridged Undercurrent²]

 

At the same instant, his body vanished into thin air. There were no more traces on the top of the tiles, where only the dim moonlight gleamed.

Only the sluggish demonic force that swirled for a moment before scattering with the wind could tell he was here.

 

***

 

An inn in Luoyang.

Rumors circulated that the food here was amazing, and not only were there many regular customers, but there were also many foodies who came after hearing the rumors.

The young waiter, who worked there, was having a bizarre experience that he couldn’t put into words.

Normally, he believed that, although he was just twelve years old, he had been through all of life’s trials and tribulations, so there was nothing in his little world that would surprise him.

But what the heck was going on in front of his eyes right now?

He felt the situation was already out of his control and hurried to find his senior.

“What?”

After hearing the story of the young waiter, the senior concluded that the only way he could believe it was to see it for himself.

And when he looked in the direction that the young waiter’s trembling fingers were pointing from the stairs, he was shocked.

It was a guesthouse famed for its cuisine in the first place, so people came for meals rather than drinks, even late at night.

At such an inn, it was common to encounter gourmets who got their pleasure from eating too much, so he’d thought that eating gluttony would not surprise him.

What, nonetheless, did his gaze rest upon?

After a brief glance at the surroundings, the waiter felt something strange.

How come this floor has so few customers?

Only a handful of the guests remained—as far away from the table as possible. Even those people were getting up and preparing to leave.

Originally, a foodie who ate big would attract attention.

Every time a bowl was added, people would usually yell in excitement, clap, and express their support, but this was the first time in his life that he had seen a situation like this.

What the hell is this all about…? Looking at the table that had caused all this for a moment, he felt his legs loosened and sank to his knees.

“Huh…!” He shifted his gaze to the side; the young waiter was also sitting pallid.

Without further hesitation, he ran down the steps and….nay, he actually rolled all the way to the ground floor.

“Hey! What’s wrong?!”

The owner, whose appearance was not inferior to others, strode forward to the waiter.

“The old man…! The old man…!” The waiter hurriedly grabbed his trouser leg, shouting in hushed tones as though he was afraid someone might hear him.

“It’s the hungry ghost…! The hungry ghost of Hell has appeared…!”

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