Chapter 292 – Poison, Demonic Qi, Tang Eun-seol (1)

Noh Shik scrunched up his face, a look of fright spreading across his features.

He was horrified by the idea of shaving his head if the food didn’t taste good.

His reaction was so intense that even So Woon was startled.

“If lice are swarming, wouldn’t it be refreshing to shave it all off? Don’t you agree?”

“Stop joking around. Do you know how much effort goes into maintaining this hair?”

The Divine Monk chuckled gleefully.

Noh Shik stepped back, as if determined to protect his hair.

“As the leader of the Murim Alliance, you shouldn’t make such reckless remarks. You must work hard to protect your precious hair.”

“…Ugh.”

Yi-gang and So Woon looked at Noh Shik with incomprehension.

“It doesn’t seem like hair worth treasuring all that much…”

Beop Jin, who no one expected to comment, voiced the thought aloud.

Noh Shik reacted as if he’d heard the most absurd statement in the world.

“To a beggar, unkempt hair is a matter of pride!”

“I-Is that so?”

Noh Shik passionately argued,

“A true beggar! When you sleep on the roadside and wake up, your hair should naturally stand on end toward the sky.”

“Huh, but human hair is soft and limp. How could that be possible?”

“When hair grease and dirt accumulate over the years, it becomes stiff like that. The life of a beggar is about living idly, without purpose. Washing the body once a month is sufficient, and washing hair is entirely unnecessary for a lifetime.”

The listeners’ faces turned sour, as if they had bitten into bitter fruit, but Noh Shik continued preaching the Way of the Beggar.

“A beggar must uphold the principle of living idly without purpose. These days, the so-called ‘New Beggar Theorists’ claim that even beggars should keep themselves clean, but how can that be called a beggar’s way…?”

“So, is that why you refuse to cut your hair?”

“Venerable, feel it yourself. My hair is as stiff as steel.”

Noh Shik thrust his hair toward Beop Jin, who recoiled and covered his nose in discomfort.

“Uh…”

So Woon cautiously raised her hand.

“What is it?”

“In any case, could you please tie your hair and wash your hands before cooking?”

“…The flavor in Beggar’s Chicken comes from the cook’s hands. That’s why it has a salty umami taste.”

However, no one supported Noh Shik’s claim.

“Wash your hands properly before cooking.”

When Yi-gang glared at him sharply, Noh Shik reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Noh Shik staked his hair on the line and began cooking Beggar’s Chicken.

Opportunities to eat meat dishes within Shaolin Temple were rare.

Usually, when a chicken or rabbit they were raising died, they would stew it with various wild vegetables to make a meat soup.

This method provided plenty of food to share.

Having the chance to roast a whole chicken like this was exceedingly rare.

“Stretch out your hand.”

“Here.”

Noh Shik extended his hand.

Noh Shik’s hands, which could never have been called sanitary, were now surprisingly clean. Even his dirt-encrusted fingernails had been neatly trimmed.

When Yi-gang remained silent, Noh Shik grew uneasy and asked,

“…Is there a problem?”

“No, I was just wondering if your hands were always this color.”

“Well, I haven’t washed for nearly a month.”

Noh Shik’s hands were spotlessly clean.

And it wasn’t just his hands.

The Three Buddhas of Endless Suffering and So Woon had forced Noh Shik to go to the creek to bathe. They even made him wear Beop Yun’s fresh gasa, transforming him into a completely clean appearance.

Once cleaned up, Noh Shik surprisingly looked presentable. Even Beop Jae’s reduced friendliness toward him made the change obvious.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

Yi-gang, not entirely reassured, volunteered to supervise the cooking.

If his arms were fully healed, he might have taken on the task of roasting the beggar’s chicken himself.

“Do you know how to cook?”

“Yes, a little.”

“That’s unusual for a young master from a prestigious clan.”

The comment was intended as a jab, but Noh Shik took it as genuine admiration.

The situation, where he had brought the chicken as a bribe, now seemed entirely absurd.

Nevertheless, since things had come to this, Noh Shik resolved to roast the Beggar’s Chicken diligently and earn some favor.

“Do you know why it is called Beggar’s Chicken?”

“I’m not sure.”

Noh Shik began preparing the chicken with his now-clean hands.

He explained that while they normally wouldn’t even pluck the feathers, he was making an exception to clean it thoroughly for the monks, who had more delicate tastes.

“Long ago, during the Jin dynasty, there were some great seniors.”

“Seniors?”

“Yes, beggars. Anyway, those great beggars were remarkable for one reason. Even during the hardships of war, they were excellent at stealing chickens. To be fair, truly great beggars wouldn’t steal—they’d obtain things through begging, but…”

“And then?”

“Back then, it was wartime, so if a beggar was caught stealing a chicken, they’d lose their head on the spot. But those remarkable seniors were never caught. Even with such thorough inspections.”

“They must have hidden the chickens somewhere.”

“What does a beggar have to hide anything? If they left it where they slept, their fellow beggars would have stolen it immediately. But that wasn’t the case either.”

Noh Shik’s storytelling skills were surprisingly good, capturing everyone’s interest.

Beop Jin was already glued to the tale, listening intently.

Noh Shik grinned and began seasoning the prepared chicken.

There was a small kitchen in Second Founder Hermitage, where he managed to gather essentials like soy sauce, various pastes, ginger, and onions.

After removing the chicken’s innards, he kneaded the bird thoroughly with an assortment of spices.

It could have been dangerous if he hadn’t cleaned his hands properly.

Beop Jin urged him to continue the story.

“So what happened next?”

“Listen, Venerable. No matter how shameless beggars are, even they feared the Emperor. When the First Emperor made his royal procession, the soldiers would clear out all nearby beggars to tidy up the area. They didn’t even have time to retrieve the chickens they’d stolen.”

“I see. So that’s when their hiding method was discovered?”

“Not quite.”

Noh Shik began stuffing the chicken’s belly with various ingredients—onions, wild greens, and aromatic wild mushrooms.

After tying the chicken’s legs with string, he wrapped it in lotus leaves.

The lotus leaves had been gathered from a nearby pond.

To top it off, Noh Shik packed the chicken into yellow clay mud scooped up from the pond’s bottom.

“It wasn’t discovered. Even until the First Emperor conducted a military inspection.”

“Ah, I see.”

“The First Emperor did something ridiculous to boost the soldiers’ morale. He donned armor and wandered through the camp at night. They even lit campfires here and there.”

“Oh.”

“Well, they might’ve held candles and sung songs too, for all I know. But somewhere, there was this incredible aroma.”

Noh Shik said this as he placed the pot containing the chicken and clay directly onto the fire.

“Normally, you’d bury this in the ground and light a fire above it to make it authentic. But that takes too long.”

“Wait! Does that mean…!”

“Yes, when Qin Shi Huang cleared the campfire and dug into the ground, he found the chicken wrapped in clay.”

“Ah! So the stolen chicken was buried underground.”

Beop Jin’s enthusiastic reaction seemed to lift Noh Shik’s spirits.

The two, finding themselves in sync, began chatting away.

“When the lotus leaf is cooked, it releases such a rich aroma. The chicken becomes moist, and the lotus scent infuses it so well that even Qin Shi Huang, who was accustomed to all kinds of delicacies, was astounded.”

“Wow…”

“‘What is this dish? Who is the brilliant chef behind such a sweet and fragrant delicacy?’ he asked. But what do you think the soldiers said, realizing it was the beggar’s hidden chicken?”

“They couldn’t have told the truth.”

“Exactly. They couldn’t say it was chicken made by a beggar. Instead, they called it Wealthy Chicken. Of course, it later became known as Beggar’s Chicken. Hahaha! How about that? Isn’t it amusing?”

“Hahaha! It’s hilarious, benefactor!”

Yi-gang and the Divine Monk quietly observed the two, unsure of what was so funny but amused by their laughter nonetheless.

It would take some time for the chicken to be fully cooked.

Meanwhile, they engaged in various conversations.

Noh Shik pricked up his ears, attempting to eavesdrop, but they spoke so softly that he couldn’t catch a word.

In the end, Noh Shik gave up on gathering any information and flopped down onto the ground.

Could it be because he was sitting under the shade of a tree?

Even though the sky was clear and the sun was blazing, it didn’t feel very hot.

A single fluffy cloud drifted across the deep blue sky.

Noh Shik absentmindedly followed the cloud with his eyes.

Did that sky know about the affairs of the world below?

Did it witness all the humans spilling each other’s blood in endless conflict?

Born an orphan and forced to beg as soon as he could walk, he now found himself roasting chicken here in Shaolin.

This moment of peace felt so rare that it gave him a strange feeling.

How much time had passed…

Plop.

A sound came from the pot.

Noh Shik jumped to his feet. It was the distinct crackling sound of the clay breaking—an indicator that the beggar’s chicken was almost ready.

As Noh Shik wiped his mouth and prepared to remove the chicken, someone mumbled behind him.

“Smells delicious.”

“I know, right… Ah!”

Noh Shik was startled.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice had interrupted the quiet moment.

When Noh Shik turned his head, he saw someone he had never expected.

“P-Poison Beauty?”

The woman was someone he had seen at the Dragon-Phoenix Conference.

Poison Beauty Tang Eun-seol, the treasured daughter of the Tang Clan.

He thought the members of the Seven Great Clans had not yet arrived at Shaolin. So why was she here?

“It smells nice.”

“No, please don’t come closer!”

“Afraid of being poisoned?”

“Yes!”

As she approached the pot, Noh Shik quickly tried to stop her.

Tang Eun-seol frowned slightly.

“If you keep acting like this, I might just eat it all by myself.”

“Hehe…”

That kind of threat could only come from someone of the Tang Clan.

Fortunately, Tang Eun-seol wasn’t a bad person.

She was accompanied by Jeong Myung, who had guided her to this place.

“You’re here.”

“Yes.”

“You should join us. It smells wonderful.”

The Divine Monk greeted her.

It seemed the Divine Monk was the one who had brought Tang Eun-seol to this place.

Noh Shik was curious about the reason but first turned his attention to the completed beggar’s chicken.

Having roasted for so long, the clay had hardened and cracked.

Inside, however, the contents were still steaming and moist.

When he removed it and unwrapped the lotus leaves, the beautifully golden-brown chicken revealed itself.

“Wow!”

“It smells amazing.”

“See! I wasn’t just bluffing!”

Noh Shik was delighted.

Beggar’s chicken didn’t necessarily need a proper serving dish.

Thanks to its size, there was enough for everyone to have a taste.

The chicken fell apart effortlessly with just a little pressure.

The golden skin released a blend of juices and oil, soaking the meat with moisture.

The aroma of wild mushrooms and lotus leaves was rich and intoxicating.

Even without any additional seasoning, the flavor was perfect.

The group sat together, chatting as they shared the chicken.

“You’ve preserved your dignity, it seems. Haha.”

Even the Divine Monk chuckled as he spoke those words.

The power of delicious food was just as Noh Shik had imagined.

Even the Three Buddhas of Endless Suffering, as well as Yi-gang, had a faint smile playing on their lips.

Noh Shik didn’t miss the opportunity and cautiously asked Yi-gang,

“So… could you perhaps give me a little help?”

“Help with what? The selection process?”

“Yes. Things like how candidates are chosen, or what I would need to do to get selected.”

Receiving the Divine Monk’s internal energy and the Small Recovery Pill was something even Noh Shik found tempting.

Even if he couldn’t secure the opportunity for himself, as a member of the Beggars’ Gang, it was necessary for him to predict who might be selected.

When Noh Shik gave a signal, So Woon stepped in at just the right moment.

“Brother… please! Help your poor younger brother!”

The awkward phrasing was endearing, but the plea was earnest enough.

Still, Yi-gang wasn’t swayed.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t come looking for me here for a while. Even if I come down to the main gate, don’t try to speak with me privately.”

“…Understood.”

Though So Woon seemed disappointed, he didn’t let it show.

It was Noh Shik who ended up sulking.

“You enjoyed the food so much, and yet…”

He made a lighthearted yet sharp remark,

“Isn’t the winner already predetermined? Even if we compete, there’s no way we’d win against the unrivaled Immortal Dragon. Besides, the Divine Monk seems to be taking good care of Young Master Baek as well.”

Such rumors had been circulating.

The idea that all of this was merely a pointless formality and that the selected candidates, including Baek Yi-gang, had already been decided.

To this provocative observation, the Divine Monk reacted in an unexpected manner.

“Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”

He burst into hearty laughter, as though he found it genuinely amusing.

“Hah, so that’s what you thought. Don’t worry.”

The Divine Monk then addressed a crucial point.

“This boy will not be your competitor.”

Noh Shik and So Woon had already suspected as much.

The younger generation of successors in the Guest Hall constantly sparred, trying to prove their worth.

But Yi-gang’s presence here felt fundamentally different.

“Rather, he’ll likely be an examiner.”

Noh Shik and So Woon’s eyes widened in shock.

Yi-gang quietly protested to the Divine Monk.

“How could you reveal that? You told me to keep it an absolute secret.”

“Hehehe, consider it the price for the chicken. Surely, they won’t tell anyone else.”

The Divine Monk fixed a sharp gaze on So Woon and Noh Shik.

So Woon didn’t quite understand the implication, but Noh Shik immediately responded.

“I swear on the Beggars Gang Leader’s staff that I’ll keep this secret! I promise!”

“The Beggars’ Gang always swears on that blasted staff, don’t they?”

“Hehe! Trustworthiness is the lifeblood of the Beggars’ Gang. You can count on us.”

Caught up in the moment, So Woon also nodded along with Noh Shik.

After finishing the Beggar’s Chicken, Noh Shik and So Woon politely bowed to the Divine Monk.

Then, they left the Second Founder Meditation Room behind and departed.

As they walked, So Woon cautiously asked Noh Shik,

“Was that a good thing?”

“A good thing? It’s fantastic.”

Noh Shik grinned as he replied,

“We’re the only ones who know that Young Master Baek is an examiner. He’ll be heading down the mountain soon. That means if we stay close to Young Master Baek, we’ll at least have the chance to ‘take the test.’”

“Ah…!”

Only then did So Woon realize how advantageous their position had become.

“Great, haha!”

Noh Shik laughed heartily.

And So Woon joined in with laughter.

Meanwhile, at the Second Founder Meditation Room,

the Divine Monk quietly spoke.

“So, I sent word to Tang Ak-cheon to send someone, and you came instead.”

Tang Eun-seol was examining her hands.

Already adorned with ornate decorations on her nails, Tang Eun-seol had become even more extravagant over the past few years.

Now, her thumb, index finger, and middle finger were each encased in silver ornaments.

“Yes, as soon as I returned from Yunnan, I came straight here.”

“I had expected at least an elder to come.”

“I’m better than an elder.”

“Hahaha.”

“I’m not joking.”

Her tone was arrogant, though she seemed entirely unaware of it herself.

“That can’t be cured with medical techniques anyway.”

Tang Eun-seol casually glanced at Yi-gang’s arms.

Both of his arms were still tainted with demonic energy.

“Can it be done with poison techniques?”

When the Divine Monk asked, Tang Eun-seol removed the ornaments encasing her fingers.

Clink.

With that, her long, slender fingers were revealed.

Just like Yi-gang’s, her fingers were stained jet black.

“To some extent, yes.”

The Divine Monk gave a faint smile.

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