章 197: Chapter 1085: Because That is the Duty of a Taoist (Part 5)
"Why...."
A soulless voice escaped from Jo Gol's mouth as he weakly stirred the ladle.
"Why me...."
His eyes turned backward.
The disciples of Mount Hua---no, for now, what should be called useless humans were crowding around to watch him make porridge.
"Hey, not bad."
"The kid's got some skills."
"You must not speak so lightly, Siju. Everything in the world has some use, even if it's small. Amitabha."
"....So, this guy was born to make porridge?"
Damned things.
Jo Gol, who clenched his teeth, glared at Tang Soso.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
"What?"
"...."
"What? I grew up well! When did I ever do such a thing?"
It wasn't a wrong statement.
Now, she could confidently become a bold bandit leader anywhere she entered, but once Tang Soso was the forbidden jade of the Sichuan Tang Family. Wasn't that a precious status that even Jo Gol couldn't dare to compare with?
So, it's possible that she had never seen porridge being made before. It might be possible, but...
"...Even so, not eating porridge? Is that possible for a person?"
"Isn't turning the impossible into possible the virtue of a Mount Hua disciple?"
"Don't nod your head, Sasuk!"
Jo Gol shouted towards the Taoist Un Geom, who was nodding his head as if it was commendable. No, why are you nodding your head there!
"And! Anyway, does it make sense to say that no one has ever made porridge here?"
"...Sorry."
"I apologize."
Baek Cheon and Tang Soso, the children of noble families (?), secretly turned away from Jo Gol's eyes.
"Well, fine. Let's assume these people are like that. But why are you street-born guys here?"
Yoon Jong, Yoo Iseol, Chung Myung.
The three acknowledged street-born members of Mount Hua Sect stared at Jo Gol with sullen faces. Yoon Jong was the only one who showed a hint of apology.
"Sorry. I have no talent for cooking."
"What about Sago?"
"Me?"
Yoo Iseol pointed her finger at her face and tilted her head.
"There wasn't one."
"What?"
"Kitchen."
"..."
"I usually picked and ate fruits, dug up tree roots, and when I was thinking about eating some insects, Sect Leader came and..."
"I-I made a mistake! I was wrong, Sago!"
Please stop. It felt like his heart was breaking...
"Alright, just hurry up and stir the porridge. But is porridge supposed to take so long in the first place?"
"No..."
Jo Gol sighed as he looked at the massive pot in front of him.
'Is this even human food? It's more like animal fodder.'
After saying just one bowl was enough, they all rushed in as if that would satisfy them, asking what to do if they wanted more, suggesting they should have prepared more in advance, questioning if they were saving grains for the sick...!
As he added one scoop after another, the giant pot was filled to the brim with porridge, to the point of bursting.
'If I make just one pot of this, even the biggest clinic in Luoyang wouldn't be able to finish it in a day.'
But what could one do? If it's unfair, you should have joined Mount Hua earlier. Jo Gol sighed as he stirred the porridge, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.
"The fire seems a bit weak..."
"Really?"
Wooodddduk.
At that moment, Chung Myung nonchalantly tore off a piece of the railing on the ship. Then, with a snap, he threw it into the flames under the pot.
"More?"
"No. The fire is fine now, but... Chung Myung."
"Why?"
"…Is it really okay like this?"
"What? This?"
Chung Myung held the remains of wood in his hands, or rather, something that was called a railing until a moment ago.
"…Uh."
"Who cares? It's not even my ship."
"…"
"And according to common sense, wouldn't it be a good thing if the boats of those pirate bastards break up and sink?"
Hearing this, Hye Yeon smiled with a content expression.
"Chung Myung's virtue. Amitabha."
…It seems like that guy has completely lost it now.
"No, if that's the case, shouldn't you at least not do it on the deck? What if the ship catches fire?"
Chung Myung looked at Jo Gol with an absurd expression.
"There's water everywhere, so what does it matter if there's a fire or not?"
"The ship is on fire!"
"If the ship burns, isn't that a good thing? I can't understand Sahyung's words?"
At this point, Jo Gol gave up on further conversation. Instead of arguing with this guy, it would be better to hold onto Baek-ah and play chess with him.
Stirring the grumble fiercely, Jo Gol put down the ladle he was holding and took the pot off the fire.
"It's done."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
The three street-born members of Mount Hua Sect looked at Jo Gol with eyes full of doubt.
"It's really uncomfortable for a wealthy kid to stir porridge."
"Inedible."
"Eating it will make you sick, right?"
Jo Gol shouted in frustration.
"No! Merchants often go on long journeys, so they learn to make food that can be eaten outdoors as a necessity! I learned it too, I did!"
Upon hearing this, Baek Cheon smiled and put his hand on Jo Gol's shoulder.
"Gol-ah."
"Excuse me?"
"There aren't misunderstandings. We're not doubting that knowledge."
"...Is that so?"
"We doubt you. A person. You, as a person. So don't be sad."
Ah, I just hope everything collapses. Really.
At that moment, Tang Soso, who had tasted the porridge by dipping her finger into it, raised her head.
"This should be enough."
"Really?"
"Oh, yes."
"Finally, the purpose of your existence has been found. It's been a while."
Unable to approach the chaos directly, Namgung Dowi, who had been watching from a distance, turned to Im Sobyeong, standing by my side, with trembling eyes.
"Uh... well...."
"Yes?"
"Um... Between us, I wonder if asking such a question would be impolite..."
"Please speak comfortably."
"...Is the atmosphere here normally like this?"
Im Sobyeong smiled and patted Namgung Doyi's shoulder.
"Sogaju."
"Yes?"
"You need to get used to it."
"...."
"At first, you might think these people are crazy, but if you try hard, you can understand somehow. No, even if you don't understand, you'll learn how to let it pass. It's not easy, but with the perseverance of Sogaju, it's possible."
"...."
Even in the midst of this, Tang Soso, who was busy, transferred the porridge to the prepared bowls. Then she quickly headed to the cabin. Yoo Iseol followed her with quick steps.
Before Tang Soso closed her cabin door, she said, tilting her head back.
"Please eat what's left. You haven't eaten anything."
"Of course."
When the cabin door closed, everyone's gaze turned to the pot on the floor.
"Exactly. We haven't eaten anything."
"...Didn't we starve for three days?"
"I didn't even think about it."
For a moment, silence prevailed.
Gurgle.
Breaking the silence, everyone glanced at each other at the sound emanating from someone's stomach and soon approached the pot.
Ddalgak.
Baek Cheon, who scooped up a spoonful of rice in his bowl, laughed at something amusing.
"...There's really nothing missing, whether it's a pot or a bowl. It seems like they brought a ship they were riding until recently."
"How kind of them in such a strange way, that bastard Jang Ilso."
"Even rice was provided. I never thought they would even provide us with food."
"...I wouldn't have eaten it if it weren't for Soso."
"Me neither. How can we trust that guy."
If there was someone who could confirm the presence or absence of poison, there was no need to worry about dying from food.
From the looks of it, it didn't seem like the rice was packed intentionally, and it looked like the bandits were carrying it around as emergency food, but anyway, wasn't the important thing that there was grain to fill their stomachs?
Baek Cheon turned his head slightly to look outside the ship. Their boat was currently sticking as close as possible to the right side of the Yangtze River, heading upstream. Anytime the pirates attacked, they could quickly disembark to the north of the river.
Initially, they considered using the boat only for crossing and running on safe land. However, it was not a feasible option when carrying a child and a patient together.
As a result, they found a compromise between a more comfortable way to move and a safer option.
Fortunately or unfortunately, during their journey to this point, there were no other pirate ships in sight, to the point that it could be said there were none at all. At most, they passed by the side of a pirate ship anchored.
There would be no chance, but it was suspicious enough to wonder if Jang Ilso had tied up all the pirates to let them go peacefully.
"Anyway... even if everything seems fine now, as the Yangtze River is the stronghold of the Su Lo Chae, anytime something might happen..."
"One more bowl."
"Aiya. Gol-ah, you're good at cooking rice porridge."
"Isn't this not porridge but rice water?"
"Is there a difference?"
As Baek Cheon spoke, the rice water in the pot continued to decrease rapidly. Baek Cheon's gaze became a bit anxious. After all, hadn't three days of starvation affected him too?
Baek Cheon's words quickened.
"So, let's make the boundaries clearer. It might be fine for us, but here, there's..."
"Do we have soy sauce? Or salt?"
"It seems like it wasn't season it at all because it was for a patient?"
"There was a food storage over there. Shall we look for salt?"
"Never mind. Let's just eat. It's decent enough."
"Hey, guys, listen to me..."
Even Un Geom and Im Sobyeong, and even Namgung Dowi quickly emptied their bowls. In the end, Baek Cheon, the preacher, abandoned their preaching and rushed towards the pot.
"Save some for me, you damn bastards!"
The deck was instantly filled with the sounds of eating and the clinking of spoons. It was truly a combative meal.
"...Is there still no news?"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Umm."
Hyun Jong let out a deep sigh. His gaze didn't know how to detach from the river and the land beyond the river to the south.
"Even now, crossing the river..."
"No, Sect Leader. Didn't Chung Myung promise? If something happens, they will definitely contact us. Aren't these kids capable of that?"
"...That's true."
Hyun Jong exhaled deeply.
If he acted recklessly and things went awry, the children might not be able to contact them in time, which could lead to trouble. Considering the current situation, Hyun Jong and the other members of the Mount Hua Sect could only wait here without any clear course of action.
"Let's go down a bit more."
"We've already come a long way, Sect Leader."
"I know. I understand. But shouldn't we also consider the possibility that the kids may not be able to contact us in case of trouble? Shouldn't we head to the place where we can reach them the fastest when a problem arises?"
"...That's a valid point, but..."
Un Am let out a deep sigh.
They had already moved a long way from Gugang to the west. With the desire to hold their ground and the fear that the situation might take a turn for the worse if the children couldn't contact them in time, Hyun Jong and the other members of the Mount Hua Sect were left waiting here, uncertain about what to do.
*Kkaddeuk.*
Hyun Jong began biting his nails anxiously. Seeing the young worry and anxiety on his face, Unam couldn't bring himself to say it was impossible.
"Well, just a little..."
Right at that moment.
"Sect Leader! A pirate ship just passed by a little while ago!"
"...Why is that such a big deal?"
Hyun Jong showed a lackluster reaction as if he had no interest unless it was news about the children.
"That ship, it was damaged all over. The ship seemed torn apart as if it had fought, and smoke rose as if it had gone through a fierce battle."
"What?"
Hyun Jong looked up in surprise.
"Who's on board!"
"It's hard to confirm from a distance..."
Hyun Jong anxiously looked around with eyes filled with concern.
"If there's a battle with pirates on the Yangtze, our kids are the only ones!"
"It might not necessarily be..."
At that moment, even Un Am's composed face collapsed.
"Let's go downstream!"
"Yes! That's the right thing to do! Inform the kids! Move! Immediately!"
"Yes!"
As the disciples of Mount Hua started running downstream with determination, the conversation on the deck continued.
"But why keep the fire burning?"
"It's warm."
"That's true."
The disciples of Mount Hua sat around the bonfire on the deck.
"Ah, it's warm."
Resembling cats sitting in front of a fire.
クリエイターの想い 
Bagel_Seeds
Bagel_Seeds for some reason, "grumble", "rice", and "beauty" were totally mixed together...I thought Jo Gol was "grumbling" or "complaining"...it took insane context clues to piece together everything...worth it.
What a healing chapter
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