Chapter 97
97
Despite the Deposed Queen's refusal, Monk Wolam continued to persuade her.
"Your Majesty. I cannot rest easy until I confirm Your Majesty's health."
"Monk. I..."
The Deposed Queen hesitated, then sighed softly as her eyes met mine.
"I understand. If it will ease your mind, then so be it."
The woman, having uttered her consent, gestured for me to approach, a gesture accustomed to commanding people.
I bowed my head lightly and carefully approached, placing my hand on the Deposed Queen's body.
"Please excuse my intrusion, Your Majesty."
As I rolled up the sleeves of the long Monk's Robe, her emaciated wrists were revealed. Her gaunt body felt lifeless, like withered wood.
The Deposed Queen's pulse was even more alarming.
Her Qi-depleted pulse was so faint it seemed on the verge of ceasing altogether.
No wonder they didn't even know she was in the hermitage.
The Deposed Queen smiled faintly at my grim expression.
"There's no hope, is there? I know my body best. I wish to spend my remaining time in peace, without futile efforts."
"Your Majesty..."
Monk Wolam rubbed his eyes with a troubled expression. Noticing the two of them, I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
"Ah, no. You can recover."
The Deposed Queen's eyes widened at my reply.
"Really?"
"Benefactor, is there a way?"
Monk Wolam also grabbed my sleeve, his eyes sparkling.
"This is an illness caused by Your Majesty abstaining from grains. Nourishing the stomach and eating meals with meat will quickly improve your condition. It will take about three or four months."
"Must it be meat?"
"Yes. Absolutely. Your Qi is too depleted. It would be best to start with clear meat broth and gradually increase your food intake."
Monk Wolam's face darkened again at my prescription.
"I understand what you mean, Benefactor. However, Buddhists do not take life. And we cannot obtain meat in these remote mountains."
"Yes, I know monks don't."
I smiled and looked at Monk Wolam.
"But my brother and I are not, are we? We will prepare the meals from outside."
Only then did Monk Wolam smile, as if understanding my intention.
"I beg you, Benefactor. Restoring Her Majesty's health is the priority."
"No, Monk. As one devoted to Buddhism, how can I partake in meat? I cannot..."
"The Buddha forbade taking life, but he never forbade eating meat. Your Majesty. He, too, nourished himself with milk porridge. In distant Tibet, even monks eat meat. Do not worry about trivial matters and focus on recovering your health, Your Majesty."
"Monk..."
"You must recover quickly so you can return to the palace."
"Will... will the day come when I return to the capital? Even though His Majesty personally banished me?"
The Deposed Queen stared into space with a detached gaze.
"My beloved Emperor, who stole my child and slaughtered my family, annihilating the So clan, will summon me back?"
Her face, which had been whispering like a song, twisted like a demon. The Deposed Queen's gestures, clutching her chest and wailing, were filled with resentment.
"Your Majesty. You must calm your mind. Follow me and take a deep breath."
Monk Wolam patted the Deposed Queen's back, comforting her. The monk seemed accustomed to the sight of the Deposed Queen shedding tears of blood with bloodshot eyes.
...It's not an illness caused by not eating. It's a broken heart.
It was not difficult to guess what the Deposed Queen had experienced after being banished from the palace.
It was an uncomfortable sight, like a thorn stuck in my throat.
I averted my gaze, pretending not to see until her weeping subsided.
I brewed a decoction with Atractylodes lancea, licorice, ginger, and Magnolia officinalis.
Since it was to be taken on an empty stomach, the medicinal effect should not be too strong. The viscosity should be neither too thin nor too thick.
After half an hour of focusing intently on controlling the fire, Monk Wolam, who had been pacing around anxiously, snatched the fan away.
"I will do it, Benefactor. How much longer should I brew it?"
"Just brew it for another quarter of an hour, let it cool slightly, and then you can drink it. It shouldn't be too strong."
"I understand. Leave it to me and go."
He meant for me to go and catch some meat.
I obediently left the hermitage and wandered around the mountainside.
I didn't sense any large animals, only small rabbits wandering around here and there.
It would be nice if there were deer. More importantly, how do I skin a rabbit?
Throwing pebbles to catch a rabbit was easy enough, but I hesitated when it came to actually touching it.
I had hardly any experience even touching raw chicken, let alone butchering, so I was at a loss as to where to start.
I stared at the rabbit in my hand, pondering for a long time, when I felt a familiar presence approaching.
"I wondered where the smell of meat was coming from. It was my sister's handiwork?"
"Ehehe, Brother. What's with that getup?"
I met Yeon-ryang's eyes and laughed, wiping away my tears.
He looked like a thug wearing someone else's clothes, slouching around in a Monk's Robe that didn't fit him.
"How is it, Sister? Doesn't this make even a member of the Unorthodox Faction like me smell a bit Buddhist?"
"You look like a fake monk. Or a thug who committed a crime and hid in a temple."
"Oh. A failure."
Yeon-ryang shrugged and pretended to be sad.
"Where's Ju-ryeong?"
"Sleeping. Passed out in the yard."
"Can you walk around a bit? Is your body heavy?"
"Thanks to my sister piercing all my Qi and Blood Points with Grand Acupuncture, I feel light."
"That's good news. No training until you're fully recovered. If you overdo it again, I'll pierce your Hundred Meeting Point with a Flying Dagger, so keep that in mind."
"...So-hye. Isn't that a death threat?"
He smacked his lips and asked as he strode closer.
"You caught a lot of rabbits. Are you going to prepare them?"
"Yeah. There's a Deposed Queen at the hermitage, and she's not feeling well. I was going to make some meat broth for her. You said you wanted to eat meat too, Brother. I caught a lot on purpose."
"Deposed Queen? She must have been confined. It's better than the Cold Palace, but she won't live long."
"Watch your words, Brother. Do you know how to prepare meat? I've never done it before."
"How could a Young Miss who grew up so pampered have ever done something like this? Give it here."
Yeon-ryang took the dagger and sat next to me, starting to prepare the rabbit meat. His movements were skillful, as if he had done it more than once or twice.
Yeon-ryang, who had been silently working, asked.
"When did you find out?"
"I knew about Brother's identity from the beginning."
"How? I thought I wasn't showing it."
"Seriously? You were so suspiciously extracting Elixir Pill's Qi and making a fuss about it, did you think I wouldn't notice? Who can extract someone else's True energy like pulling out noodles if not some strange Demonic Arts?"
Yeon-ryang smiled awkwardly at my rebuke.
"And Brother's eyes turn red when you raise your Inner Energy."
"It's common for a Martial Artist's eyes to take on the color of their Inner Energy."
"That's right. If you don't know much, you might just think your Inner Energy is red. But it's not common for Inner Energy to have such a shockingly deep blood-red color."
"The eyes were the problem."
"It wasn't just the eyes. Everything about you was suspicious, Brother."
"How did you know about the Lowborn Sect?"
"Brother sent a signal at the inn. I know that too. I know a Lowborn Sect member."
"...Hmph. Do you know what I went there to do?"
"You probably took the antidote. You have to take it every three months, right?"
Yeon-ryang chuckled dryly.
"You really knew everything."
He hesitated, as if he couldn't think of anything to say, then asked softly.
"...Are you okay with it?"
"What's not to be okay with? You're still my brother."
"..."
The corners of Yeon-ryang's lips trembled slightly at my answer.
He made a strange expression, as if he was both smiling and crying, then bit his lip.
"You're the second person who doesn't care about my identity, So-hye."
"Second? Who else was there besides me?"
"There's a crazy monk at Shaolin. Beopgong. We got into a fight while drinking in Luoyang, and he wasn't surprised at all when he saw my Demonic Energy... instead, he found it interesting. We fought a round, sat down face to face, drank together, and became friends."
...Shaolin? That Shaolin I know?
No, how crazy does a monk have to be to sit down and drink with a Demonic Sect member? The future of the Murim Alliance is bright.
Of course, I was in no position to say that, as I was acting as a sibling with a Demonic Sect member.
"That's good. You made a friend, and you have a sister, so there will be another person who doesn't care."
Yeon-ryang chuckled at my nonchalant reply.
"Maybe."
"It will be. If you're really worried, destroy your Dantian and abolish your Demonic Arts."
"So-hye. You should just tell a Demonic Sect member to bite their tongue and die."
"Is this all done? Should I take it and make soup?"
I picked up the meat and bones that Yeon-ryang had prepared, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.
Yeon-ryang smiled and nodded, as if telling me to do so.
The shadow of worry that had been cast over his face seemed to have faded slightly.
The first meat broth was a complete failure.
Yeon-ryang hummed as he watched the broth simmer nicely in the pot, but after tasting it, he said,
"So-hye."
"Yeah?"
"Don't ever cook. Even a beggar from the Beggars' Sect wouldn't eat this."
He said seriously in an icy voice.
"What? Brother. I'm a Maid...!"
"You were a bastard, so you worked as a Maid? Your family has some nasty aspects. Anyway, you were a Maid. You cleaned and did laundry, but you never assisted a cook, did you?"
How did he know?
I smacked my lips awkwardly.
"I told you to make soup, but you made poison? I'll do the cooking, so don't ever think about touching a kitchen knife again. You wasted all that precious meat."
"Okay."
It wasn't often that Yeon-ryang was serious, so I answered obediently.
It's easier and better if I don't cook.
"No wonder the herbal medicine tasted so terrible..."
Yeon-ryang muttered, emptied the pot, and started boiling water again.
He simmered the bones thoroughly to make broth, and boiled it until the meat was tender, and a savory smell filled the air.
The smell was so delicious that even Monk Seol-jae, who was passing by, took a peek.
Yeon-ryang chopped some radish, seasoned it with salt, tasted the broth, and then put down the ladle with satisfaction.
"Here. Take this."
"Brother. You're pretty good?"
"This brother can do everything except what he can't do."
What's that supposed to mean?
I glanced at Yeon-ryang and put the meat broth on a tray, taking it to the Deposed Queen's room.
"Your Majesty. May I come in?"
"Come in, Young Miss."
The Deposed Queen, who greeted me, looked much brighter than she had in the morning.
"Did you take the herbal medicine?"
"Yes. My stomach feels much better. Thank you for your concern."
"If your stomach feels better, please try this too. I made some meat broth."
"Ah... but..."
"Monk Wolam said that recovery is the priority. Please take at least one spoonful. It's my sincerity."
I gently urged her and put down the meat broth, and the Deposed Queen, who had been hesitating, sat down at the table.
She stared at the meat broth for a long time with a troubled expression, and finally brought the milky broth to her mouth with trembling hands.
I swallowed hard and stared intently at the spoon disappearing between the Deposed Queen's lips.
