“Aaaack! This is absolute hell!”

Gongsun Yeong screamed, her voice tearing through the wind.

Riding atop the Sweat-Blood Horse, she spat out every curse known to the world, a colorful litany of profanity that seemed endless. Jin Cheon-hee learned for the first time just how vast the vocabulary of the Central Plains was when it came to swearing. When he discovered she had picked up most of these colorful expressions from Wang Gak-yeon, the blood drained from his face.

Gak-yeon… just what on earth did you do during your days as a wandering vagrant?

He had suspected something was amiss when she mentioned bringing bandit heads in a salt box, but did the Elder Phantom Archer have any idea she had become like this?

The Sweat-Blood Horse and Hwanggu galloped north, matching each other’s pace.

“We have to keep running, no matter what! We can’t stop until the sun sets!”

Gongsun Yeong twisted her head to check the sun’s position, but all she received was a face full of rain.

Indeed.

Rumble!

It wasn’t snow falling from the sky, but a freezing, torrential rain.

Snow could at least be brushed off. But rain—especially rain laced with the biting chill of the north—seeped into the bones the moment it touched the skin. Even Gongsun Yeong, possessor of the Solar Physique, couldn’t help but shudder.

“You crazy bastard!”

“I get that a lot!”

In this vast, desolate plain, there were no inns, nor a single soul to be seen. It was a place where, if one began to dawdle, the road would never end. Relying on the superior speed of Hwanggu and the Sweat-Blood Horse to push through as quickly as possible was the only logical choice for saving time and stamina.

However, this forced march was only possible because they were young martial artists overflowing with internal energy. It certainly wasn’t a regimen fit for ordinary humans.

They ran relentlessly until nightfall, when the rain finally ceased.

“Achoo!”

Hwanggu looked as if he could run through the night without issue, but the Sweat-Blood Horse was nearing its limit. Jin Cheon-hee’s sharp vision caught sight of a cluster of trees standing in the distance.

“Let’s set up over there.”

He steered them under the shelter of the branches and immediately began to unpack. Using his sword, he deftly cut several branches, each slightly less than one jang in length.

It took barely fifteen minutes—one gak—to arrange them into a cone-shaped foundation. Next, he unrolled the waterproof cloth tied to Hwanggu’s back and draped it over the frame, instantly completing a sturdy, comfortable tent.

But he didn’t stop there.

Crawling inside, he dug a small pit in the center for a fire and placed a flat stone at the base. Then, cutting a few more branches, he ignited them using the Samadhi True Fire. Within moments, the interior of the tent was radiating warmth. Smoke drifted lazily out through a vent he had fashioned at the apex of the structure.

Once the fire was stable, Jin Cheon-hee took out an iron pot, collected fresh rainwater, and set it over the flames.

The tent grew even hotter.

If one merely lit a bonfire, the heat would escape straight up toward the sky. However, placing an iron pot or kettle over the flame absorbed the heat and radiated it outward, turning the water vessel into a heater that warmed the surrounding air efficiently.

As Jin Cheon-hee pondered the thermodynamics of camping, Gongsun Yeong looked on with genuine admiration.

“Wow. I haven’t seen even the professional escorts of the merchant guilds do this.”

“I like this sort of thing. It has atmosphere, doesn’t it? Ah, Sister. Change your clothes. I’ll wash and dry those for you.”

True to his word, he built a Jin Cheon-hee-style bonfire—reminiscent of a modern campfire—outside the tent and set up a pot and a wok. He even tossed a wide, flat stone into the fire, its purpose currently a mystery.

Gongsun Yeong changed into a fresh martial arts uniform and hung her soaked clothes near the heat.

Jin Cheon-hee looked up at her and asked, “Would you like some curry?”

“Curry?”

“Hm… It’s a delicacy. Originally, when camping, the best way to eat it is with plenty of meat and an egg on top.”

He immediately began prep work.

“I need to stir-fry the vegetables first to bring out the smoky flavor.”

Tak-tak-tak!

Gongsun Yeong watched blankly as he processed the ingredients with speed that would make a master swordsman weep.

“Sister, are you okay?”

“Watching you cook is surprisingly entertaining.”

“Hahaha, is it?”

“Yeah. Just staring blankly at it… it’s fun.”

She couldn’t look away. It was understandable; he was shaking the wok using the Grappling Hand technique, which had reached the peak of perfection. When the heat seemed insufficient, he infused Yang Life Energy into the flames to boost the thermal output instantly.

“Ah, I have to put this in, too.”

Pop.

He uncorked a bottle. Heavenly One Drunkenness.

The legendary liquor, a treasure that usually slept in the Imperial Palace’s Secret Vault, was currently being poured as cooking wine.

“This tenderizes the meat and adds a deep, rich flavor.”

Whoosh!

Flames soared high, carrying the rich, intoxicating scent of the Heavenly One Drunkenness.

Gulp.

Gongsun Yeong swallowed hard, her mouth watering.

“Won’t you give me a glass of that separately?”

“No. I’m going to use this only for cooking.”

“Can’t you give me just a little?”

“Sister.”

“Are you really going to be a ruffian who works people like dogs in the rain and doesn’t even offer a single cup of wine?”

“Kugh. Your eloquence suddenly becomes grandmaster-level when alcohol is involved. Fine, Sister. I’ll pour you just a little.”

With that concession, the Jin Cheon-hee Special Central Plains Curry Rice was complete.

He scooped a generous portion of curry, thick with ground meat and vegetables, over the rice, then placed a large pork chop steak on top.

And finally, the egg.

“Soft-boiled? Hard-boiled?”

“Give me soft-boiled.”

“Yep.”

He carefully placed the soft-boiled egg atop the mountain of food. A luxurious bowl, fit for an emperor, was finished. At Gongsun Yeong’s insistence, he added a cup of Heavenly One Drunkenness to cleanse the palate.

Bubble, bubble.

Heating the alcohol slightly with Scorching Yang Energy, white steam curled from the cup.

As she swallowed the warm liquor, the deep fragrance filled her nasal cavity, and her chilled body flushed with heat.

“Ah, that’s good.”

After emptying the bowl completely, she finally noticed the night sky. Stars were blooming profusely in the darkness. She had eaten so ravenously she barely remembered the act itself.

“That was a meal I won’t forget for the rest of my life.”

“Success, then.”

“Your cooking has improved again.”

“Of course. As much as my martial arts improve, my cooking skills must keep pace.”

The dazzling Grappling Hand and the exquisite control of the Realm of Sword Threads displayed while chopping vegetables… Truly, the cooking itself was both martial arts and high art.

No, but why on earth are you using precious martial arts just for cooking?

If cooking prowess increased alongside martial cultivation, every master in the Gangho would be a head chef at a top-class inn.

Slicing people and slicing green onions required fundamentally different internal arts. Even the weapons were different: one was an instrument of war, the other an angular kitchen knife. To manifest Sword Qi and utilize the Grappling Hand with a kitchen knife required specific, dedicated practice.

In other words: What kind of martial artist trains specifically to chop vegetables?

But it seemed this guy did exactly that.

Asking him why would be useless. It was obvious he would spout some strange nonsense like, ‘Chopping vegetables is a much more valuable task than chopping people! This is Life-Saving Arts! Life-saving!’

“Camping was always just annoying to me. But this… this is nice.”

“I put butter under the bonfire and threw in some potatoes and sweet potatoes. Let’s eat them in the morning.”

“You really live enjoying life to the fullest.”

“Of course! Humans should enjoy whatever they can, whenever they can. Now, next is the sleeping arrangement.”

Jin Cheon-hee cleared away the dishes and dug a long trench in the ground where Gongsun Yeong would sleep. He then retrieved the flat stones he had heated in the bonfire, laid them evenly in the trench, covered them with soft soil, and spread a blanket over the top.

Secret technique! Instant Ondol!

It would easily maintain its warmth for at least a few hours.

“I can just sleep hugging Hwanggu and Noe-jin since they’re practically furnaces, but you can’t, Sister. If I do this, it becomes an instant heated floor—an Ondol. I heated the stones thoroughly, so it’ll last surprisingly long. Try this.”

“…You do things like this, too?”

“Hahaha. Sleep warmly, Sister. Sorry for making you march in the rain earlier.”

She had long since melted away due to the food and alcohol. With a hot stone bed prepared for her, Gongsun Yeong’s facial muscles relaxed into a goofy grin. Hehehe.

“I know why you’re popular. But don’t be too good to people. You kind bastard.”

He was the type of guy who was popular, but falling for him seemed like it would be exhausting. Many women must have ended up with holes in their hearts falling for a man like this.

Gongsun Yeong mumbled inwardly, drifting off. The tent, combined with the warmth of the Ondol, made the earlier suffering in the rain feel like a distant memory. It was cozy beyond measure, and she fell into a deep sleep.

***

When Hwanggu and Noe-jin combined, the result was a dual-layered fur assault.

Two massive balls of fur, both with body temperatures higher than a human’s.

Noe-jin was the unexpected ambush. Down feathers weren’t considered the ultimate bedding material for nothing. Since Noe-jin had also released his Muscle Contraction Art before falling asleep, the inside of the tent had become hot enough to make one doubt it was winter.

H… Hot. Th… This is a sauna.

Thanks to these beasts growing as fast as Jin Cheon-hee had, he woke up first, gasping in the stifling heat. However, thanks to the jewel effect, his fatigue had vanished at an incredible rate.

He sat in a lotus position and began his internal energy cultivation. By the time he finished one cycle of circulation, exhaled deeply, and organized his breath, Hwanggu suddenly bolted upright.

Bark!

A short, low warning.

The meaning was obvious.

Jin Cheon-hee dressed quickly and stepped out. He sent Noe-jin flying upward for reconnaissance and then shook Gongsun Yeong awake.

“Sister, Sister!”

Gongsun Yeong raised her body, groggy.

“What’s the matter? Benefactor Kid.”

“It seems attackers are coming.”

“They caught up to us? How? That’s surprising…”

The two exited the tent. The sun had not yet risen, but both were seasoned martial artists. Channeling qi into their eyes to boost their vision, they spotted horses galloping over the horizon.

“Hm, as expected. They’re coming.”

With that, Jin Cheon-hee crouched down and began to pick up and move a few pebbles on the ground.

“A Formation?”

At Gongsun Yeong’s question, Jin Cheon-hee replied nonchalantly.

“Isn’t a formation natural for camping? It’s a rough world, Sister.”

Is this guy crazy?

Or were all the bastards from the Zhuge Clan like this?

Judging by the look of it, he must have set up the base of the formation after she fell asleep. But even Gongsun Yeong knew that formations weren’t something created so easily. They said an outstanding geomancer could reach the realm of immortals, but surely Jin Cheon-hee wasn’t at that level yet.

At the very least, she could tell that this spot was geomantically significant, a place where spiritual veins intersected.

Tap, tap, tap.

“No, but are you seriously making a formation squatting down like a kid playing house?”

Shouldn’t one plant flags in the Eight Directions and inscribe Sanskrit talismans on the trees? Done like this, what was the difference between a life-or-death tactic and children’s play?

Jin Cheon-hee shook his head.

“Formations don’t need to be that grand. Ultimately, you just need the Direction, the Heavenly Stems, and the Position to align. Planting flags and such is mostly done because the visual effect is impressive, which allows them to charge more money.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right. Rather, Master said that a formation utilizing natural objects to harmonize with nature like this is more authentic. It’s a method Master learned through actual combat in the past.”

Ah, the Blood Qilin Mad Slaughterer must have used it while splitting people’s heads open personally.

Finally, Jin Cheon-hee dusted off his hands.

“Good. Open Formation!”

Whoosh—

A gust of wind brushed past them.

However, the surrounding scenery didn’t change at all.

Jin Cheon-hee hummed, peering into the distance.

“Let’s see~ Who will get hooked~ Is it the Unorthodox Factions? The Demonic Cult? Or the Orthodox Factions~?”

The lilting, sing-song tone was hateful beyond measure.

“Orthodox Factions? Surely not the Orthodox Factions.”

“Who knows? Originally, acquaintances are the scariest people in situations like this, Sister.”