Chapter 29

The lavish banquet table was less impressive upon closer inspection.

The pre-prepared food had gone cold, leaving it lukewarm at best.

The liquor was so diluted it barely had any kick to it.

Still, Qing was thoroughly satisfied.

Why? Because it was free!

Plus, it was all quite understandable, wasn’t it?

Onboard, no noisy chatter,

and while swimming, no drunkenness allowed.

Qing was shoveling food into her mouth.

If Seomun Sulin had seen her, she would have been horrified and likely launched a full-on attack with a barrage of scolding.

This was what a meal of a beauty in the Central Plain looked like.

One would delicately scoop up morsels the size of a sparrow’s tear and gently place them in their mouth.

Your lips would barely purse, and you’d have to chew with cute little chomps.

Then, with a somewhat exaggerated motion, you’d swallow.

All while maintaining a slight frown to keep those facial wrinkles at bay.

This was the dining etiquette of Seossi, a peerless beauty embodying absolute beauty throughout history.

Seomun Sulin had fully armed herself to spread this refined dining art.

For that reason, Qing could naturally perform this incredibly beautiful dining method.

You can’t expect a hawk to go hungry when there’s food around!

If someone tries to resist at a bird’s banquet, they ought to consider whether the hawk is lacking in its meal.

However, Seomun Sulin underestimated Qing.

Her understanding of human behavior was a bit lacking.

The mere idea of instilling manners and style as a habit was revolutionary enough to make every master in the Central Plain stand up and ask to learn.

And the result of that was Qing.

She had now mastered forty-two different hairstyles with perfection.

Whenever she felt a bit loose, her hands would automatically move to fix it.

Her strides had lengthened, and her previously frantic pace had become more graceful.

She now knew how to smooth the wrinkles of her clothes using Qi, and she could stitch up a torn seam cleanly.

But habits ultimately reside in the realm of the subconscious.

There’s a desire that surpasses the unconscious, so some behaviors could never truly become habits—like tastes, for instance.

Qing had always loved the weight of food filling her mouth.

Though suppressed by her experiences, she no longer had to resist now that she was free.

Seeing Qing devour her food with such gusto even made Cha Namjeong slightly snap out of his reverie.

“Miss, please eat more slowly. There are other dishes…”

“Ah, that’ll be food too, so it’s fine.”

“…?”

They said she was a female warrior.

Had a beggar gotten into the mix? How could she eat so much without any grace at all?

Cha Namjeong felt his temper rising.

What’s with this girl!

No charm or flirtation anywhere.

There’s no fun in this without the nuances of a lady aiming for the position of a noble’s daughter!

Once the mask of seduction was lifted, those moments were key.

It was even better if she rebelled with curses or begged for her life while crying.

But here she was, completely fixated on food—not a shred of anger to be found!

Cha Namjeong’s insides were boiling.

Yet as Qing began to enjoy her drink after stuffing herself, all traces of his fury vanished as if it had never been there.

Qing sipped her drink slowly, enjoying it without a care.

She had taken far less damage from Seomun Sulin’s harsh teachings.

Moreover, Qing had trained in Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat.

One might wonder what cursed Demonic Arts had to do with that, but one notable feature of Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat was the beauty of the hand’s movements.

The most elegant hands in the world, simultaneously the most ruthless.

This was an unmissable phrase when describing Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat.

The skin of her hands was so pale it was nearly transparent.

Her long, slender fingers elegantly wrapped around the cup of liquor, exuding an essence of seductive beauty.

Leaning against the railing, her profile while drinking was captivating enough to enchant any man.

Feeling the swelling pride of his ambition, Cha Namjeong approached with a grin.

“Looks like you’ve taken a liking to the liquor?”

“I would prefer something stronger, to be honest.”

Even this drink barely felt like liquor at all.