Chapter 55
It was a well-prepared table. Thick rice porridge was served alongside neatly arranged meat dishes and stir-fried vegetables.
Yeong-ung placed a piece of meat on top of the porridge and ate it carefully. His eyes brightened, and soon the corners of his eyes curved pleasantly. Chewing the meat quickly, he swallowed and spoke.
“Huh? Has the royal chef returned?”
Although the attire was no different from usual, Yeong-ung’s sharp senses detected the subtle difference.
“Yes. This morning, the royal chef prepared the meal. Miss, your palate is truly extraordinary,” the nanny replied with a smile, yet still placed some stir-fried vegetables onto Yeong-ung’s porridge with her chopsticks.
“Oh, nanny, I’m grown now. I can eat by myself…”
Yeong-ung pouted but still put the vegetables into his mouth.
“You’ve grown, but you only eat meat. You should eat the vegetables first.”
“Alright, alright. What did the royal chef say?”
Yeong-ung nodded while picking up another piece of meat.
“He said that teaching the chefs at Seolwon Guesthouse how to make the Xiangyu mushroom dishes has been completed. Apparently, their skills were good, so they learned quickly.”
“Oh, really? So when will they serve it officially?”
“Starting today, actually.”
“Is that so? Then I should go try it myself.”
“That would be fine. The guesthouse chefs would also be pleased.”
The corners of the nanny’s mouth lifted slightly as she nodded. Yeong-ung seemed happier than usual.
These days, there was nothing more to wish for. The nanny’s gaze toward Yeong-ung was warm.
Indeed, Yeong-ung felt very good. He felt so light it was as if he could float. And with such a delicious breakfast, how could he not feel joy?
‘It must be about the Summoning Pill, right?’
Yeong-ung thought of the elixir Seol Ja-dan had fed him—a clear, potent energy.
Although he had never taken the Summoning Pill before, with that level of energy, it must have been comparable.
‘I shouldn’t give it secretly. Can’t even thank him…’
When Yeong-ung circulated his energy, he felt Seol Ja-dan flustered.
But it couldn’t be helped.
Yeong-ung knew his own true energy best.
The Harmony Skill was a greedy martial technique. It was a cultivation method designed to convert all energy into true energy, not letting poisonous energy escape nor leaving behind stagnant energy.
With such a massive energy influx, there was no reason for Yeong-ung to stop the greedy absorption of the Summoning Pill’s power.
Seol Ja-dan must have noticed Yeong-ung’s uniqueness. That wasn’t a bad thing. Once Deung No-ya returned, he planned to reveal everything.
‘I knew there were many things at home… but a Summoning Pill too?’
Yeong-ung’s thoughts wandered. He knew the Seol family possessed many special things and wealth.
But he hadn’t realized they had such fine elixirs to give even a child.
‘There must be more. There has to be. Of course.’
Nothing could raise one’s internal energy faster than elixirs or medicinal herbs. Their effect would be less at higher levels, but for young Yeong-ung, they were necessary.
He could feel his dantian growing stronger—the power of the Harmony Skill digesting the Summoning Pill completely.
‘If the Summoning Pill is this good, what about the Grand Rejuvenation Pill?’
Elixirs were essential to strengthening the Seol family’s martial prowess in the future.
Yeong-ung had some knowledge of where the medicinal herbs grew, similar to how he had informed Namgung-hwi about the location of the Gaosan Mansu Gilkyun.
But he didn’t remember every detail, and many things he had overheard weren’t important to him at the time.
‘I was lucky to remember the exact location of the Gaosan Mansu Gilkyun. It was good I paid attention when Bang Gi-jin spoke.’
In the past, Bang Gi-jin had been a talkative man who would share any information he heard with Yeong-ung after receiving help from him.
“Have you heard? They say the Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Mushroom came out in Sichuan. I wonder what happens when a mushroom ages for ten thousand years, ugh.”
“They found Doll Snow Ginseng in Zhejiang, and people fought over it. Treasure always attracts blood.”
“Why don’t I ever get such things? Then maybe I could even kill Cheonggungju.”
Bang Gi-jin often came to Yeong-ung to chatter excitedly when he heard such things. Knowing Yeong-ung cared little for martial arts and the Cheonggung, his stories were mostly miscellaneous, but he spoke with particular excitement about elixirs and treasures.
‘At least I remember the important things accurately. Later, I’ll go find them. Sigh.’
Even knowing this information, Yeong-ung couldn’t go outside to gather herbs yet. He needed to grow stronger first before leaving the Seol household.
He ate the remaining porridge diligently. The royal chef’s food was truly exquisite.
The sound of tea dropping into cups echoed softly. Seol Won-pyeong skillfully poured tea into four cups.
The subtle aroma spread throughout the large tea hall.
Seol Won-pyeong pushed the cups toward Seol Ja-dan, Seol Do-jin, and Seol Yeong-ung, one by one. Making eye contact with each, he finally spoke.
“A fine batch of Guzhu Purple Shoots has arrived. Taste it.”
The three lifted their cups silently, inhaling the fragrance before sipping the tea. Seol Won-pyeong, watching them with satisfaction, lifted his own cup.
“The aroma is profound, truly excellent,” said Seol Ja-dan. Do-jin and Yeong-ung nodded.
“Yes. Indeed. Do you know this?”
No one asked what he meant; they simply listened quietly.
“Guzhu Purple Shoots grow only on Guzhu Mountain in Zhejiang. Their young shoots are purple, hence the name ‘Purple Shoot Tea.’”
Purple… Yeong-ung examined the color of the tea—translucent green. Not very different from other teas.
“In the past, Master Yuk-woo considered Purple Shoot Tea the best in the world.”
Yuk-woo was a scholar with deep knowledge of tea, authoring the Tea Classic.
“Interestingly, although Purple Shoots have always grown only on Guzhu Mountain, the methods of tea-making and enjoyment have changed greatly over time.”
Seol Won-pyeong spoke calmly, but his gaze darkened slightly.
“They steamed and pressed it into cake tea, sometimes made it into compacted tea, and now we pan-fry it to make leaf tea.”
Perhaps due to his authority, the hall’s atmosphere grew solemn. Everyone sensed this wasn’t a trivial discussion.
Yeong-ung heard Seol Do-jin swallowing next to him.
“Even the method of drinking tea has changed. In the past, they whisked it in a bowl to make foam. Now we steep it in a teapot.”
Yeong-ung looked at the teapot. Noticing his gaze, Seol Won-pyeong smiled slightly and poured more tea into his cup.
Yeong-ung bowed his head slightly and took a sip.
The flavor was different from the first steeping—smooth and clean, without bitterness. It was indeed excellent, just as Seol Won-pyeong had said.
“Not only tea is like this. All things are impermanent. Everything in the universe changes and never stays in one place…”
Seol Won-pyeong gazed out the open window at the hall’s courtyard.
Trees grew, flowers bloomed, birds chirped, insects sang.
“I see… the Seol family tried not to change. That too went against the natural order.”
The view through the window differed in the morning and evening, thirty years ago and today. Though it seemed the same, subtle changes occurred.
All were changing, yet they refused to acknowledge it.
Even if belated, this was regret.
Seol Won-pyeong looked at Seol Do-jin and Yeong-ung with warmth.
“For this reason, starting today, the Seol family will change.”
A solemn declaration of a new era for the Seol family.
But Yeong-ung was startled.
‘Huh? So suddenly? We haven’t even done anything yet…’
