Chapter 352

Chapter 352 – Time Does Not Make Everyone Wise (2)

"I wonder if he caused trouble again."

"What are you talking about?"

When Cho Yeon-woon asked with a blank expression, Bang Jin-bo looked flustered. He had just been talking to himself, but Cho Yeon-woon heard him.

"It's nothing."

"……"

"Really."

"Who's saying anything?"

Cho Yeon-woon chuckled. At this, Bang Jin-bo grumbled and moved the ladle.

Their current location was a wild mountain in Henan Province.

Since it was getting late, they chose to camp out, and naturally Bang Jin-bo prepared the food.

A campfire was flickering in front of Bang Jin-bo.

After preparing ingredients for a while, Bang Jin-bo suddenly reached his hand toward the campfire. The bright red flames instantly wrapped around his hand.

Though it was surprising, Cho Yeon-woon watched without much interest. It was something he experienced daily while coming here.

"The fire is sufficient at this level…"

Bang Jin-bo smiled and placed a pot over the fire.

Inside the pot were mushrooms and dried tofu. The mushrooms and vegetables used as spices were things they had gathered from wild mountains along the way. The dried tofu was something Bang Jin-bo had prepared before leaving Mount Hua, useful for cooking quickly like this.

What Bang Jin-bo was making was precisely mapo tofu. Though it lacked meat, this wasn't a particular problem for Bang Jin-bo.

Bang Jin-bo moved his hands diligently. Then the pot swayed and the ingredients inside danced.

"Hmm!"

Bang Jin-bo hummed while showing strange movements with the hand not holding the pot. Then the campfire moved according to his gestures like a living creature.

At this, Cho Yeon-woon shook his head.

"Hah! What on earth did that kid learn at Mount Hua?"

It wasn't a question from ignorance but from amazement.

Controlling flames at will was precisely the ability of the Five Elements Gentleman Technique. As the Five Elements Gentleman Technique reached a high level, Bang Jin-bo became able to control flames as he wished.

An ordinary person would have suffered tremendous burns just by putting their hand into flames, but Bang Jin-bo's hand was perfectly fine without a single burn mark.

Bang Jin-bo was casually accomplishing what would shock others if they saw it. Though it was a tremendous achievement, Bang Jin-bo was more delighted that he could use it freely in cooking rather than being proud of it.

Sizzle!

As the mapo tofu cooked in the heated pot, a fragrant smell spread throughout the area.

Cho Yeon-woon felt saliva naturally gathering in his mouth. Though it was food he tasted daily while coming here, he never got tired of it. Rather, each day felt new.

Traveling with Bang Jin-bo, Cho Yeon-woon had regained some of his former cheerfulness. Though the anger rooted deep in his heart hadn't completely disappeared, at least now he could smile when looking at people.

It couldn't be said to be entirely thanks to Bang Jin-bo, but his companionship had certainly had a great influence.

That's when Bang Jin-bo pulled the pot from the flames and said:

"There, it's done."

"Oh! The smell is amazing."

"Didn't you know? Everything I make is always amazing."

"Be a little modest."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"No! Sometimes my mouth ignores my will, so you ignore it too."

"Hold out your bowl."

"Yeah!"

Cho Yeon-woon held out the bowl that was placed in front of him. The bowl contained rice that Bang Jin-bo had prepared beforehand.

Bang Jin-bo suddenly frowned. At this, Cho Yeon-woon looked anxious and asked:

"Why?"

"That hand."

"Damn!"

Only then did Cho Yeon-woon realize he was holding the bowl with one hand and respectfully held it with both hands. Only then did Bang Jin-bo laugh and pour the bowl full of mapo tofu.

"Damn! It's so hard to make a living like this."

"Hehe!"

"I'll definitely repay this grudge."

Cho Yeon-woon grumbled and took a big spoonful of mapo tofu. But his grimacing expression smoothed out the moment the mapo tofu entered his mouth, as if nothing had happened.

Warmth that started in his mouth spread throughout his entire body. Cho Yeon-woon smiled at the feeling of not only his tongue but even his spirit becoming happy. Seeing this, Bang Jin-bo could also smile.

Making a fuss over trivial matters and all their bickering was Bang Jin-bo's unique method to heal Cho Yeon-woon's wounds.

Bang Jin-bo plopped down beside Cho Yeon-woon and asked:

"Is it delicious?"

"Quiet!"

"Hehe! It's delicious, right?"

"Frustratingly… it's delicious. Damn!"

"Hehe!"

Only then did Bang Jin-bo also pick up his spoon and taste the mapo tofu. Though he made it himself, it was very delicious.

It was when the two were sitting side by side eating mapo tofu.

"Look, there's firelight."

"Where? Really."

Suddenly voices could be heard from the darkness.

Cho Yeon-woon and Bang Jin-bo simultaneously put down their bowls and looked up into the darkness.

Momentarily, both their eyes gleamed. But that was brief, and soon their pupils regained their original light.

Then two men and one woman appeared through the bushes.

All three had youthful faces, appearing to be only in their mid to late teens. All three were wearing swords and blades at their waists, appearing to be descendants or disciples of martial families.

"Hm?"

At the appearance of those who looked younger than expected, Cho Yeon-woon briefly wrinkled his nose.

"Who are you?"

"I am Seo Woo-jong from Great Distinction Manor. These are my companions, Young Master Ju Jin-gwang and Young Lady Gyeong Ha-jin."

The boy who identified himself as Seo Woo-jong introduced the two people beside him to Cho Yeon-woon.

"Mm!"

Cho Yeon-woon stared at them intently.

Just by looking at the dust thickly accumulated on their shoulders and traces of being scratched by tree branches here and there, one could guess they had been wandering mountain paths for quite a long time.

"Great Distinction Manor?"

"Yes! That's right."

"If it's Great Distinction Manor, it should be several hundred li away from here. What brings you here?"

"We are on our way to Shaolin Temple."

Seo Woo-jong answered loudly.

"Shaolin Temple?"

"That's right. To protect martial world justice, we set out with our companions like this to add our meager strength."

"Ha!"

Cho Yeon-woon let out a big sigh and lowered his head.

As expected, these were still immature youngsters who had recklessly set out with premature chivalrous spirit.

"You guys…"

"Yes?"

"What if I were a Demon Cult martial artist? Why do you so carelessly reveal your identity?"

"A Demon Cult… martial artist?"

Suddenly Seo Woo-jong became tense and grabbed the sword at his waist. The same was true for Ju Jin-gwang and Gyeong Ha-jin behind him.

Seeing this, Cho Yeon-woon pressed his temples with both hands.

"I'm not, so put away that sword."

"What?"

"If I were a Demon Cult martial artist, do you think you'd still be alive? Quickly put away your swords."

"Ah, understood."

Only then did Seo Woo-jong and the others sheathe their swords.

Cho Yeon-woon sighed and looked at Bang Jin-bo. Bang Jin-bo also wore an expression of disbelief.

The assessment was clear at a glance.

These were definitely young martial artists with no martial world experience who had set out on enthusiasm alone.

Indeed, that was the case. Seo Woo-jong was a rising talent who stood out at Great Distinction Manor, and Ju Jin-gwang behind him was a descendant of a martial family that wielded influence in Nanyang.

Gyeong Ha-jin with them was the only daughter of Gyeong Ho-cheon, the head of Great Righteousness Martial Hall, a prestigious family in Wugang.

Though they couldn't compare to the absolute top prestigious families like the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families, they were still recognized prestigious families in Henan Province. Therefore, they had very strong pride.

Though all under heaven was in chaos from the Demon Cult's invasion, they rather judged it a good opportunity to make their names known. Setting out for Shaolin Temple without their sects' permission was precisely for this reason.

'If we distinguish ourselves here, we can surely become renowned rising talents in the martial world. There's no law saying we can't become the Nine Martial Dragons.'

That was Seo Woo-jong's thinking when leaving his sect. But reality wasn't as easy as he thought.

Since they were within the same Henan Province, they thought the road to Shaolin Temple would be smooth, but it didn't take long to realize what a big miscalculation that was.

Without a proper guide, they lost their way from the start, and as a result had to camp out for several days. Camping out without proper preparation gave them a terrible nightmare.

Unable to eat proper meals, their stomachs stuck to their backs, and sleeping in rough terrain made their whole bodies ache as if beaten with stones. It was too harsh for them, who had never experienced hardship in their lives.

Growl!

The moment they saw the bowls Cho Yeon-woon and the others were eating from, they felt intense hunger. Though Gyeong Ha-jin, being a woman, blushed, Seo Woo-jong and Ju Jin-gwang stared intently at the bowls containing mapo tofu.

"Good grief!"

Their gazes were so intense that Cho Yeon-woon had to shake his head.

That's when Bang Jin-bo said:

"There's still a lot of rice left. Shall I give you some?"

"Ahem!"

"If you insist on giving it…"

Still having some dignity, Seo Woo-jong and Ju Jin-gwang nodded as if reluctantly. At this, Bang Jin-bo smiled and ladled bowls full of rice and mapo tofu to give them.

"Hmm! It smells good."

"Since you're giving it, we'll eat well."

The two spoke casually just by looking at Bang Jin-bo's shabby clothing. Though they were similar in age to Bang Jin-bo, they looked down on him due to their pride as scions of prestigious families.

"Thank you."

Only Gyeong Ha-jin expressed gratitude, but even that was quite perfunctory.

"Tsk!"

At the sight of the three, Cho Yeon-woon clicked his tongue. But since the three were eating so hurriedly, he didn't say anything more.

"Deli… cious!"

The moment Gyeong Ha-jin put the mapo tofu in her mouth, she exclaimed. At first, she thought it tasted good simply because she had been hungry for so long. But the more she chewed, the more ecstatic the taste became.

Simply saying it was delicious wasn't enough. The warmth spreading throughout her body and the strange vitality made her happy.

Gyeong Ha-jin looked at Seo Woo-jong and Ju Jin-gwang with wide eyes. But the two were just eating hurriedly and didn't react as sensitively as Gyeong Ha-jin.

Gyeong Ha-jin's gaze turned toward Bang Jin-bo.

Between Cho Yeon-woon and Bang Jin-bo, Bang Jin-bo was the only one who could have made the food.

"This food… did you make it, Young Master?"

"Why, is it not good?"

"No, it's so delicious…"

"That's a relief."

Bang Jin-bo scratched his head as if embarrassed.

Gyeong Ha-jin was clearly a beauty. A unique beauty with distinct features and a cold atmosphere. Even her slightly upturned eyes looked attractive combined with her unique atmosphere. It couldn't help but feel good when such a beauty praised him.

"Thank you, I'll eat well."

After expressing gratitude, Gyeong Ha-jin began eating again. Bang Jin-bo, who had been watching this for a moment, smiled with pleasure.

The fact that someone else was enjoying the food he made delighted him.

"Hehe!"

When Bang Jin-bo let out his characteristic laugh, Cho Yeon-woon beside him bonked his head.

"Feels good?"

"What does?"

"Acting like a man."

"What?"

"Sigh! Never mind. What would I say?"

Cho Yeon-woon sighed. Bang Jin-bo just blinked his big eyes, not understanding. At this, Cho Yeon-woon shook his head.

This innocent younger brother didn't realize what a tremendous being he was. Nor did he know what great value the food Bang Jin-bo whipped up possessed.