LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Gathering Dust to Make a Mountain
A month had passed since I embarked on the path of martial arts.
The Minor Yang Heart Method was a foundational technique, but it was built on the concept of reverse blood, making the speed at which I amassed energy significantly faster than other basic techniques.
Beyond the Minor Yang Heart Method, the only foundational techniques that accumulated energy at such a rapid pace were the Demon Sect’s Spirit Heart Method and the practical Imperial Palace Martial Arts technique known as the Foundational Technique of the Martial Arts.
Despite Jeonyeong being the head of a fallen faction, his ability to reach a top-tier level was likely attributed to the Gongdong Sect’s martial arts, which allowed for rapid advancement to a certain level.
Thus, in just one month, I had gained considerable inner strength.
‘Feeling secure.’
Compared to the vast strength of my past life, it was akin to the blood of a small bird, but it felt incredibly reassuring to me.
Following the fundamental principle of Gongdong Sect Mugong, which sought ultimate life, I could sense a gradual increase in my vitality, even with just the size of a fingernail’s worth of inner strength.
Things like cold and dark energy were useless even if gathered over many days. Instead, they’d just make one even more miserable.
Like the martial arts of a lowly insect.
So, I felt good these days.
Except for the part where my disciple kept following me on my secret night runs every evening.
“Master, Disciple! It’s meal time!”
The dining hall, next to the kitchen.
Based on the numerous disciples who must have eaten together during its prime, the interior looked like a grand inn with several tables lined up.
But now, there were just three remaining.
At least, unlike the unsanitary pre-modern Chinese, I, as a clean modern individual, had tidied up both the kitchen and dining hall.
Today’s menu was, surprisingly, meat instead of the usual greens.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t beast meat but fish.
Having grown tired of only greens, I recalled my past experiences from my time as a low-ranking informant by the river. I set up a trap to catch carp.
‘It should have caught an eel instead of a carp!’
I grumbled inwardly as I looked at the carp.
The fish I meant to catch was an eel, which is known to be great for vitality.
Isn’t there a rumor that the army’s ration commonly has bean sprouts because it dulls one’s sexual appetite?
I was trying to maintain some vigor since surviving solely on greens could lead to a decline in vitality.
Though I tried to fetch good herbs, the reality remained.
However, instead of the expected eel, only a ridiculous carp ended up in the trap.
Still, after scoring a solid blow with the knife on the carp, steaming it with vegetables and soy sauce, my homemade Chinese-style steamed fish dish looked quite palatable.
‘Yeah, I should start honing my cooking skills too.’
Mencius stated that a gentleman should avoid the kitchen, implying that in this medieval martial world, men did not cook, but women did.
But I was a refined individual from 21st-century South Korea, not a primitive medieval martial artist.
In 21st-century South Korea, a man who cooks is considered sexy, or “yoseknam” for short.
This would surely apply to the martial world as well.
If I developed my cooking skills and became a yoseknam, I could possess a charm that differentiated me from the men of this world who never stepped foot in the kitchen.
Thus, cooking was one of a man’s charms, and to achieve the color spectrum of life, one must cultivate domestic appeal.
“Master, please eat first.”
I said politely while offering the fish’s head to my master.
In China, serving the fish head to a superior is considered proper etiquette.
I couldn’t understand the need to eat a tasteless fish head filled with bones, yet that’s just Chinese culture, so what can I say?
“Hmm. I see. This fish was caught by Cheolsu, right? What a labor it must have been to bring such a large carp just for me.”
Not that I caught it specifically for him, but with an eel gone and a carp caught, there was little I could do.
My master misunderstood and, while making comments, began to pick the flesh off the fish head.
In China, just like in Korea, it was proper for a superior to eat before the juniors.
In medieval China, this etiquette was even stricter.
Seeing that, I quickly took a spoonful of fluffy rice.
In this life or the next, every time I saw white rice, it made my mouth water.
Just as I was about to use chopsticks to eat the carp…
“Disciple! Here!”
Yujinhwi, with chopsticks, delicately placed some fish flesh that he had painstakingly deboned atop my spoon.
He smiled warmly as he looked at me.
My sensitive sense of smell picked up on his wildflower scent, as always.
Wait, a man serving me the flesh off the fish bone?
My spoon began to tremble like someone with palsy.
‘No, no······! Damn it······!!’
Only a stunning beauty should be able to debone fish for me.
I had decided that!
Renting out the top floor of a charming event venue, surrounded by luxurious steamed fish, having a stunning beauty carefully debone the flesh and feed it to me — that was one of my bucket list items!
But now, once again, my disciple was ruining my bucket list.
A dark-haired man like that! Deboning fish for me!
My first memories were being sullied again.
I swallowed back my rising frustration.
“Disciple? Why does your expression look like that? Are you feeling unwell?”
Yujinhwi tilted his head as he looked at me.
The unnecessary handsome face of my disciple was clouded with concern.
“No, Disciple. It’s just that I’m grateful for your consideration in deboning the fish for me. From now on, I’ll do the deboning myself, so you don’t need to burden yourself with that.”
I quickly conveyed my appreciation while hinting that I could handle it myself and popped the filled spoon into my mouth.
The textures of soy sauce, vegetables, and rice combined perfectly into the carp dish and tasted surprisingly delicious.
“Hmm, no. It’s no problem at all. I’d debone as many fish as needed for you, Disciple. Come on, eat more! You’re at that age where you should be growing fast!”
But this absolutely clueless disciple continued to debone the fish and placed the flesh on my bowl and spoon.
“Hehehe.”
Meanwhile, my master observed the humiliating scene with a gleeful twinkle in his eyes, stroking his beard.
So, I had to finish this embarrassing yet oddly cozy lunchtime with trembling hands.
*
After that humiliating lunch.
My disciple and I headed out from the main base to gather some greens.
As expected from a decaying faction like the Gongdong Sect, our financial situation was worse than a neighborhood corner shop.
Thus, most of our ingredients came from gathering herbs in the woods or setting traps to catch game.
Though there was one small inn under the Gongdong Sect in the village below, the donations from there were far from enough to cover all living expenses.
So, my disciple and I dedicated part of our daily work to gathering ingredients in Gongdong Mountain for the sake of our community’s sustenance.
The time spent creating the trap was indeed part of that effort.
“Hot! Disciple! Keep up!”
My disciple dashed up the ridge using the Gongdong Sect’s foundational light body technique, Minor Yang Step.
I followed him, utilizing the Minor Yang Step as I trailed behind.
We arrived at a location I often gathered herbs from, slightly away from the main base.
Having joined the Gongdong Sect for almost three months, it was now April, and spring had arrived in Gongdong Mountain.
Perhaps that’s why there was an abundance of mountain herbs in the fields.
My disciple filled his basket with the collected herbs.
I looked around, following suit.
“I found it.”
What I stumbled upon was a dandelion.
Common in both modern and martial worlds, it was a weed by the roadside, but I knew its true benefits.
‘Dandelions are good for vitality.’
Dandelions possess a slight effect of enhancing one’s vitality.
I was already familiar with which herbs and plants are beneficial for stamina among mountain herbs.
I stuffed the dandelions and other stamina-boosting herbs into my basket.
‘Hehehe, according to the saying “gathering dust to form a mountain”, if I take these consistently, my vitality will…’
Of course, they were not extraordinary herbs.
At most, they would provide mild effects.
Without legendary treasures like the Eternal Fire Carp’s inner elixir or the Ten Thousand Year Supreme Blood Treasure, expecting a miraculous boost in stamina was unrealistic.
I knew where to find these treasures, but since I hadn’t even left the martial world yet, it wouldn’t be easy to retrieve them.
Besides, the elixirs from my previous life stayed where they were until I found them, so there was no need to rush.
At any rate, I was thirteen now.
If I consistently consume stamina-boosting herbs for the next seven years until I reach maturity at twenty, I’d become a person of great strength with ultimate vitality.
I gathered the herbs with grand ambitions.
But at that moment…
“Kyaaaaaah! D-Disciple! Disciple!!”
My disciple’s shrill scream echoed.
What on earth is happening?
I turned my head to find a snake the size of my forearm, with a triangular head, sticking out its tongue in confrontation with my disciple.
Gongdong Mountain is a spiritual place where the world’s essence converges. Naturally, creatures accumulate this essence and grow larger than average.
The massive snake was likely a result of consuming more essence than normal for its kind.
Once that snake absorbed even more essence and developed an inner elixir, it might turn into a supernatural creature like the Dark-scaled Blood Python.
Unfortunately, the snake before me was not such a creature. It wasn’t even a common snake. It was more like a transitional being, somewhere between a spiritual and a common creature.
But wait, a snake?
A serpent?
Slurp.
I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth.
What day is it today?
A snake…
‘Snakes are… good for vitality!’
One of the staple dishes in health foods was snake soup and snake wine, right?
I didn’t plan to wrap things up with mere ingredient gathering today.
According to records from my previous life, Geomseong Yujinhwi, prior to leaving the martial world, had accidentally gotten lost wandering Gongdong Mountain, eventually reaching the legendary Gwangseong Elixir Point.
Here, he rediscovered some techniques from the Gongdong Sect and consumed an elixir.
What that elixir was remains a mystery, but it was time for me to start taking elixirs to boost my energy.
Geomseong Yujinhwi’s early journey into the martial world would soon follow.
“Disciple! It’s a snake! A poisonous one! It’s dangerous! I-I’ll protect you…”
My disciple nervously drew his sword, trembling as he looked at the hissing snake.
Fear filled his eyes.
Did Yujinhwi fear snakes?
Such information was not noted in the records.
What man fears snakes? Well, I suppose a man could be afraid if he doesn’t like disgusting things.
I thought this while stepping between my trembling disciple and the giant snake, drawing my sword.
“Disciple, stay back. I shall deal with this poisonous creature.”
“Disciple! But! I-I’ll… protect you…”
“Disciple. You might not fully trust my skills, but sometimes, please believe in this foolish younger brother. You don’t need to strain yourself with that sword; I’ll handle this.”
I spoke in a resolute tone to my disciple.
Letting this opportunity for a stamina boost slip away? Not a chance.
Though the snake was not yet a supernatural being, it indeed held more than ordinary essence within it.
I needed to make snake soup out of it, chewing every part to convert it into my own vigor.
Snake wine might be desirable, but since it requires aging, instant consumption through soup is what I truly needed.
To do that, I had to catch that snake.
So I’d have the right to claim it as mine.
I noticed the quiver in my disciple’s eyes gradually calming.
He bowed his head and his cheeks flushed.
His cheeks? Why’s he blushing?
Is he realmente a gay guy?
I stepped back from him.
“Okay, understood. Disciple. But if you’re in danger, I’ll help you.”
He said in a shy voice.
Good.
I nodded at his words, focusing my gaze on the snake, my sword drawn, and I licked my dry lips.
Hehe.
Tonight’s menu before the elixir farm would be a stamina-boosting snake soup.