Rumble!!
The thunder roared.
Seo Won-pyeong trembled at the increasingly closer sound.
A Blood Person came running, gasping, and fell to the ground before Seo Won-pyeong, shouting,
“Leader, the final defense line has been breached!”
“Damn it! Hold them off by any means! I said hold them off!”
“However… the Mosan Sect’s elite have all been defeated, and the remaining Blood Monsters have also met their demise at his hands. The remaining forces…”
“I don’t care! Just push the Martial Artists in!”
As Seo Won-pyeong’s insistent command left the Blood Person at a loss,
– Aah!
– Kraaak!
It was unmistakably the screams from Blood People and Taoists that entered the ears of Seo Won-pyeong and the Blood Person. They sensed their doom approaching at an alarming speed.
Boom!!
The gate of the Great War flew open like a torn cloth, and Ho Cheon-an appeared.
“Ugh…”
Seo Won-pyeong trembled upon seeing Ho Cheon-an’s figure.
Despite the Mosan Sect’s Taoists having honed their skills for hundreds of years, along with the Blood Person and the Blood Monsters of the Blood Sect, there was not even a single special wound on Ho Cheon-an.
The only thing that couldn’t be hidden was the blood that clearly indicated Ho Cheon-an had come after defeating the Blood People and Taoists to arrive here.
Realizing there was no way to contend with Ho Cheon-an, Seo Won-pyeong finally spoke.
“Bro, brother…”
“…Brother.”
“Y-Yes, brother… the mere fact that you can wield the Entity of the Blood Sect proves that you carry the blood of the Seo family…! The Blood Ancestor wielded Entities through his blood!”
Ho Cheon-an sighed heavily.
Startled by Ho Cheon-an’s sigh, Seo Won-pyeong desperately continued,
“Then…! If you desire it, I’ll gladly step down as leader! A brother who carries the blood of the Seo family more deeply than I would surely suit the position!”
“No. The Blood Sect will vanish from the Martial World today.”
Ho Cheon-an gazed at Seo Won-pyeong with weary eyes.
He wouldn’t know.
If the Martial Forest Alliance’s assassination of the Blood Ancestor had failed, the Blood Ancestor would have perished at Ho Cheon-an’s hands.
After defeating Jeong Cheol and being bound to Hyeok Gi-rin’s last words, Ho Cheon-an had been living a life of merely surviving. One day, he heard news of the Blood Sect’s movements.
Ho Cheon-an sought to avenge his parents, but it wasn’t easy.
Back then, he had barely just ascended to the title of Hyeong-gyeong, lacking the absolute strength he had now and was alone without companions, making it impossible to contend with the Entities.
So, the only option available was the assassination of the Blood Ancestor, but it would require a long time for Ho Cheon-an—who had already severed all ties with the secular world—to find the Blood Ancestor’s whereabouts. And before Ho Cheon-an could pin down the Blood Ancestor’s location, the Martial Forest Alliance’s attack on the Blood Ancestor was swift.
Just like that, without ever seeing each other’s faces, the connection between the Blood Ancestor and Ho Cheon-an had ended.
And thus, decades have passed, cutting ties with the Blood Sect.
Yet now, what use is claiming blood relations?
Ho Cheon-an felt no excitement at Seo Won-pyeong’s words.
Even if he knew all of Ho Cheon-an’s backstory, it would still matter little, as Seo Won-pyeong, unaware of the circumstances, could only put together some words vaguely, which made it even worse.
“Your achievements in blood arts aren’t high enough, so I will give you two choices. One is to dismantle the Blood Sect by your hand, and the other is for my hand to break your lower dantian.”
“I… I am related to you…”
“Clearly.”
Seo Won-pyeong trembled, his pale face shaking.
Being elevated to leader simply because he was a distant relative of the sect leader and held a bit of the Seo bloodline left him without the wisdom, technique, and courage to navigate through the current situation.
“Leader! This can’t be! The Blood Sect that’s lasted for a thousand years…” *Cough!*
Seo Won-pyeong realized what choice he had to make as he watched a Blood Person with a broken lower dantian before his eyes.
To end the Blood Sect meant these Blood People wouldn’t let him off the hook; but at the same time, he wouldn’t let himself off the hook either, being in the same predicament with a broken lower dantian.
So, preserving his lower dantian, his martial arts, and blood arts became the only choice he could make.
“I will dismantle the Blood Sect…”
The Blood Sect, which burned with ambitions to dominate the world, spreading chaos throughout the Martial realm.
And with that, the long history of the Blood Sect came to an end.
—
*Squeak!*
Nab-in barely opened his eyes to the sensation of Seo Gong’s beak pressing against his cheek. Was it because his mind was restless that he couldn’t fall back asleep? His eyes kept drooping.
*Tap!*
“Ah. Ah… I’m getting up. I’m getting up.”
Nab-in shot up like a spring, stretching lazily to shake off his drowsiness. As always, he greeted the peaceful Entities of the morning.
“Hwang Dan and Cheon-eung are here too.”
Perhaps it was because Ho Cheon-an was away; Hwang Dan was out on the ground, and Cheon-eung was also settled on the ground instead of flying in the sky. Nab-in, after a long time, petted both Entities before lighting a fire in the stove to prepare breakfast.
“Mi-ho, please!”
To be precise, he asked Mi-ho.
Flame burst from Mi-ho’s snout, and that fire bestowed new life onto the already cold firewood. The revived flame warmed the pots that had cooled down.
Nab-in grew curious about the third pot, which hadn’t been opened since yesterday’s cooking. What kind of dish was in there?
“Wow!”
Upon opening the lid, Nab-in couldn’t help but let out a gasp. The black, glistening pork!
It was Dongpo Pork.
Singing a tune, Nab-in placed the third pot over the stove. It’s a well-known fact that Dongpo Pork tastes better than regular stir-fried meat; what kind of flavor will the Dongpo Pork created by Ho Cheon-an, who manages to replicate heavenly flavors even while sautéing meat during their travels, have?
With steaming rice, Nab-in piled thick pieces of Dongpo Pork on top, swallowing hard as he moved his chopsticks.
*Zeeek.*
The sound of the tender Dongpo Pork, cooked to perfection, yielded to the chopsticks, revealing its pulp. As the subtle brown hue mingling with the steam caught Nab-in’s appetite, he soaked the tender piece of meat in sauce before swallowing it whole with a bite of white rice.
“Mmm…!”
Nab-in wiggled his feet. The taste of meat heavily tingling on his tongue, followed by the refreshing flavor of soy sauce that cleaned the greasy finish. After the salty taste of the soy sauce settled, what lingered on his tongue was a soft sweetness.
As he let out a satisfied breath, what hit him was a refreshing sensation.
Green onions, garlic, star anise, and chili intermixed to invigorate not just his nose but his mouth as well, providing new stimuli with every breath.
Nab-in constantly chewed the Dongpo Pork and rice, hurriedly putting the second piece of meat into his mouth.
With pieces filling his mouth, Nab-in unconsciously moved his chopsticks to scoop more white rice.
Nab-in nodded in approval.
Is this what they call harmony? The sweet, salty, and various spice flavors deeply infused in the Dongpo Pork provided a shockingly delightful taste that thoroughly satisfied his tongue, but the myriad of flavors embedded deeply in the meat was truly overwhelming.
The white rice, serving to neutralize that overwhelming sensation and providing a clean and fresh taste absent in the Dongpo Pork, was the missing link.
He would cut pieces of meat, pop them into his mouth, then do the same with the white rice.
As he repeated this, before he knew it, Nab-in’s bowl was emptied, and his stomach had swollen.
Nab-in flopped back onto the ground, murmering,
“It’s delicious….”
Nab-in looked over at Mi-ho and Seo Gong, a happy smile blooming on his face before he abruptly sprang up.
Good food should be shared.
“Here, ah~!”
*Squeak?*
Nab-in offered a piece of Dongpo Pork to Seo Gong. Sniffing at the aroma of the meat, Seo Gong couldn’t ignore Nab-in’s hopeful gaze and ultimately swallowed the piece of Dongpo Pork.
“Now, Mi-ho too.”
*Kaeng?*
However, the reactions were lackluster. Both Seo Gong and Mi-ho merely chewed on the meat pieces without much fanfare. Disappointed, Nab-in had expected them to leap up and exclaim the heavenly taste.
Having enjoyed the small, sweet fruits in the past, he thought they would surely enjoy this Dongpo Pork too!
Feeling let down while tidying up the dishes, Nab-in wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Seo Gong and Mi-ho.
“Then shall we go pick some fruit today?”
*Squeak!*
Seo Gong shook his head. Considering Ho Cheon-an was out, it wasn’t wise to venture far.
“Isn’t this area okay?”
*Tap!*
Seo Gong firmly rejected, and Nab-in had no choice but to sit back down in that spot. Staring blankly at the horizon, Nab-in reflected on the past two weeks, during which Ho Cheon-an had been away twice, each time to deal with requests to clean up the remnants of the Blood Sect.
Whenever that happened, Nab-in would wait, staring blankly at the horizon. Back then, Nab-in thought it was fortunate to be left behind. The Blood Monsters and Blood People he encountered in the village he originally lived in were terrifying entities.
Despite knowing Ho Cheon-an would keep him safe, he didn’t wish to face the Blood People or Blood Monsters.
However, today, he felt an odd emptiness within.
“Hiya!”
*Kaeng!*
To soothe that emptiness, Nab-in lunged at Mi-ho and Seo Gong. Wrapping his tail around them and occasionally nibbling lightly, Nab-in rolled around on the grass for a long while before realizing it was already lunchtime and returned to place a pot back on the stove.
Digging through his bag, Nab-in pulled out the lunch box with leftover bulgogi from dinner yesterday.
It was still delicious but somehow not as tasty as the bulgogi he had last night.
Maybe it was because he was eating alone.
After washing the dishes and sitting blankly, Seok Woong approached. He seemed to have come to entertain Nab-in, who appeared sluggish.
“Yaaah!”
Having hung around Seok Woong’s play area for a while after a long time, Nab-in felt drained.
As he rested his weary body, he soon drifted off to sleep.
“Ugh.”
When Nab-in awoke to the glow of sunset, he heard his stomach grumbling and returned to the stove to start a fire. Having finished the bulgogi for lunch, all that remained was the Dongpo Pork.
Gazing at the steaming pot, Nab-in thought that the bulgogi he ate alone was less tasty than the previous day. If the delicious Dongpo Pork was shared, wouldn’t it taste even better?
With that thought, he decided to wait for Ho Cheon-an.
As Nab-in looked around, he let out a sigh of disappointment. If only he hadn’t slept, he would have known where Ho Cheon-an had disappeared to.
Before long, the sun sank below the horizon, and darkness arrived.
*Squeak.*
Seo Gong, seeing Nab-in curled up without eating, nudged him with concern, but Nab-in merely petted Seo Gong, still not eating.
Suddenly, Nab-in had a thought.
What if he had followed Ho Cheon-an? Although he summarized it as errands, Nab-in had an inkling that Ho Cheon-an went to clean up the remnants of the Blood Sect. Visualizing the gruesome and terrifying Blood Monsters and the distinct crimson eyes of the Blood People, Nab-in shivered but then recalled that Ho Cheon-an was fighting them alone.
He wouldn’t provide help but only be a burden; however, wouldn’t it be a little encouraging to go together?
If he learned martial arts, he might not be a hindrance but could offer at least a little support.
“Grandfather… when you come back, I should ask you to teach me martial arts.”
While engaging in such thoughts while waiting for Ho Cheon-an, Nab-in found himself gazing at the starry night sky filled with resplendent light.
It seemed like Ho Cheon-an wouldn’t be coming back after all.
As he thought this while opening the lid of the cooking pot, something shiny caught Nab-in’s eye.
“Ah.”
The stars sparkled on the ground. In the now darkened night sky, a bright yellow glimmer cut through the darkness.
A bright smile spread across Nab-in’s face.
He instinctively realized that the source of light was Ho Cheon-an, rushing over.
Moving busily, Nab-in took out two bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, and piled rice generously. For Ho Cheon-an, who had been moving all day, Nab-in stacked up a mountain of rice and waved his hands excitedly.
Eventually, the light stopped right before Nab-in.
“Sorry, I’m a bit late.”
Ho Cheon-an hid his tired face and apologized. After announcing the dismantling of the Blood Sect in front of the members, he had thought things would wrap up, but the problematic Black Serpent, who had been captured in the precipitation, came next.
The Blood People of the Blood Sect were incessantly casting blood arts on the furious Black Serpent, and calming him down and returning him to nature took quite some time, which had made his hasty return turn into midnight.
However, for Nab-in, that didn’t matter. He smiled widely as he grabbed Ho Cheon-an’s sleeve and tugged.
“I’m hungry! Let’s eat dinner quickly!”
“… You didn’t eat until this time?”
Ho Cheon-an was astonished to hear that Nab-in hadn’t eaten dinner—even late enough for midnight snacks were out of the question.
“It’s more delicious when we eat together!”
Ho Cheon-an gazed at Nab-in, who was gleefully pushing the rice bowl toward him. Seeing Nab-in so eager and clearly starving made him chuckle.
“Indeed. It’s more delicious when we eat together.”
“Dongpo Pork! It’s super delicious!”
Ho Cheon-an sat down and received the Dongpo Pork placed atop the rice by Nab-in.
With the stars in the night sky as their backdrop,
Their slightly belated dinner commenced.
