Chapter 94

A salty taste that scratches the tongue, and a sweetness that clings to the mouth like a warm hug.

A spicy warmth stemming from a mix of chili, garlic, scallions, and onions.

And the umami, crafted with a hefty dose of something boastfully called MSG, the essence of taste!

The sweet, salty, spicy, and warm flavors of Korean cuisine emerge thanks to these great four elements.

But look here.

Salt isn’t cheap.

Sugar’s quite the luxury item.

The trending spice, Nammancho from India, is familiar only in Sichuan.

MSG? Umami?

It’s a painstaking flavor that requires boiling animal bones until they become mush and the marrow dissolves completely!

It’s not just some white powder one can dismiss; rather, it’s a culinary treasure unique to humanity.

Thus, Qing’s bottle of perfume was merely a representation of kimchi stew.

In truth, it embodied a longing for the great four elements of flavors found in Korean cuisine.

A thirst that could not be quenched with mere imitation Korean dishes.

The soul of the Korean people, fried chicken exists even in the Central Plain.

There was no civilization where such a fry-cook culture flourished, as there is in the Central Plain, rich with oil even in the hands of common folk.

Pork belly?

In the Central Plain, pork is the most common ingredient.

Noodles?

The Central Plain is the origin point of every noodle dish in existence; without the Central Plain, the world wouldn’t even have noodles to speak of.

So, it’s only fitting to commend Qing for holding on for so long in this state of lovesickness.

A longing for an ideal meal that the soul desperately seeks.

Qing’s expression was one of pure despair.

A woman with a longing look has an otherworldly beauty that transcends time and space.

After all, longing arises from a yearning for lost beauty.

And the people of the Central Plain are a race that perceives that deep yearning as more beautiful than any other.

Their slight frown reveals a perverse excitement, akin to a bunch of strange folks.

Seossi, the most beautiful woman in the Central Plain, merely frowned because of her chronic pneumothorax, but the world believed she was yearning for something.

That’s why even the elite of the Demon Sect were on the verge of lovesickness.

Now, Qing carried herself as a confident beauty everywhere she went.

Even while munching and chatting, her beauty shattered expectations.

But Qing was not herself.

The pain from her longing pierced the hearts of the masters from the Demon Sect.

“Man, today I finally realized what my ideal type looks like.”

“Brother too? I was just about to say the same!”

“Don’t stare at my sister-in-law!”

“Forget about the sister-in-law, let’s talk about your father-in-law instead!”

But there was a Great Demon Lord who had a beautiful woman by his side.

If it weren’t for the Demon Lord, Qing would have received countless proposals, or rather, vows of marriage.

However, Choi Riyong was a demon of the Realm of Transformation who exuded an aura that made others tremble just by approaching him.

If he got annoyed, he could easily turn someone into a lump of charcoal, and the Demon Sect had no issues with unauthorized charcoal production.

So everyone pretended not to notice and simply stared at Qing’s heartbreaking expression as she nestled into the arms of the Demon Lord.

The Demon Lord, with piercing eyes, scanned the surroundings to settle the gazes. The silence erupted into a frenzy from everyone who peeked this way and that.

Choi Riyong clicked his tongue.

“Hey, why do you look so listless? Even a droopy dog would have more energy than you.”

“I want kimchi stew… I really want it…”

“Kimchi stew? What a weird name I’ve never heard before. Wait, you actually want food this badly?”

“Just food… that’s harsh…”

Choi Riyong’s eyebrows twitched.

If this were a different time, he would have burst out and declared why she was treating it like just food when it’s clearly a big deal.

But it was not the time to act like a limp squid either.

Choi Riyong finally realized something was off.

Though she said it was just food, an old person wouldn’t be throwing a fit over mere food.

A child, surrounded by nothing but demons, was missing home, and that longing took the form of food.

How much did she miss it?

However, Choi Riyong hardly felt innocent.

He had promised to send her back.

He would keep that promise, but he could already see the scene of a child who learned Demonic Arts losing their home.

So instead, he asked a different question.

“Well, if it’s just food, then why can’t you make it? Speak up.”

A glimmer flickered in Qing’s eyes.

“Really? Kimchi stew is a soup made with kimchi!”

“What’s kimchi?”

“Oh, it’s napa cabbage made red with chili! But it’s not just pickled, it has to be fermented.”

“When you go back…”

“I can’t go back…”

Qing drooped again.

Choi Riyong felt disappointed.

It seemed to be some kind of local dish.

Fermented red cabbage sounded absurd, but it was a problem because it wasn’t something you could whip up with just the right ingredients.

Choi Riyong was at a loss for what to do and merely sighed.

Then, one of the masters from the Demon Sect, smitten by Qing’s beauty, was using the Listening Technique to eavesdrop on their conversation.

The Listening Technique is the martial arts skill of focusing one’s inner strength to pick out specific sounds.

Masters could use it to hear distant sounds or sift through noise to select conversations they wished to catch.

Essentially, it started as a method for eavesdropping!

Well, he succeeded in eavesdropping, so you could say his hard work paid off.

—-

Ah. I want something spicy to eat.

Qing couldn’t summon her appetite and merely picked at her food.

In truth, it only seemed that way to Choi Riyong.

Only after her appetite faded did Seomun Sulin’s intense educational methods begin to shine.

After her instincts dimmed, the habits etched into her body—nuclear-powered graceful behaviors—surfaced instead.

To those who didn’t know her essence, it looked like a flawless meal for a beautiful woman.

“This is sweet. This is salty.”

There was no rice, and everything was just greasy and heavy.

Eventually, Qing placed her chopsticks down.

It was a monumental event—Qing refusing rice!

At that moment.

“Young Lady. Have this.”

“……?”

Qing turned her head in confusion.

Her sadness shined through her lethargy; the heart of the master offering her a bowl skipped a beat.

“I brought this local soup since it seemed like the food didn’t suit your taste.”

The other masters gasped at the sight.

Goodness, such a method existed!

To capture feelings, one must shoot the general, right? Is that how it goes?

Anyway, those who capture the stomach control the heart of a woman!

Indeed, in the romance of the Central Plain, men are held to a higher standard of devotion than any other race.

Because in the traditions of the Central Plain, romance involves (text continues, next opportunity).

About this, Qing would have plenty of chances to experience it on her own in the Central Plain, given her beauty.

Qing gazed at the soup.

It looked pale and clear, not appealing at all.

But just to be sure…

Qing took a spoonful of the soup and brought it delicately to her lips.

It tasted salty, sour, and greasy.

Sourness in broth meant for eating rice? That’s too much, honestly.

How could the world be like this? Is having a hearty bowl of spicy soup such a tough task?

Normally, she’d have raged, but under the influence of her lovesickness, she simply despaired quietly and set her spoon down.

Furthermore, the kimchi stew she was served was also spicy and sour broth.

And from that moment onward, all sorts of broths were served at her meals.

At first, Choi Riyong frowned, but noticing that at least one spoonful would suffice, he seemed to relent.

Yet ultimately, it was tragic that Qing never tasted a truly spicy soup.

Seolga should have witnessed this scene.

Then he would have realized that simply keeping quiet and pretending to be upset would have earned him a warm reception anywhere.

But Seolga was no longer around…

Thus, the group of the Demon Sect was edging closer to Heavenly Demon Sect each day.

—-

And so, another week passed.

The wicked merchants of the Demon Sect disguised as traders set foot in Gansu.

Gansu Province, shaped like a long snake’s head, formed a narrow and elongated city for simple reasons.

What can you do when the mountains are tall above and below?

Thus, it became the only level pathway leading west to the region beyond the Shinkang mountains.

So many merchants traveled this route, and since they all piled up silk, this path earned the nickname “Silk Road.”

It was only natural that merchants swarmed the Silk Road, so the invading forces of the Demon Sect disguised as traders drew no suspicion at all.

Suddenly, the caravan abruptly turned south and headed toward the renowned Qiqi Mountain.

Qiqi Mountain is named for the seven colors it bears.

Qing, in her lethargic state, gazed at the sight.

Ah. I’ve seen this before in a civilization…

The famous Zhangye Danxia, internationally known as the Zhangye Danxia landform.

A land barren of vegetation, rolling in seven colors—a truly mysterious sight.

Fascinating, but…

It’s just colored earth.

Befuddled, Qing shrugged off her impressions.

If she had been knowledgeable about Central Plain geography, she might have figured out the Heavenly Demon Sect’s location and clapped her hands in realization.

Heading south from Qiqi Mountain and descending through the mountain range leads to the Pingshan River Gorge.

With vertical cliffs standing like walls and winding corridors created by nature, it’s a maze of stunning beauty.

After all, where else could such a grand disaster be hidden, if not at Pingshan River?

But Qing lacked the geographical expertise to marvel.

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