Chapter 199 — Oryang Mountain 1
"Did you not say just anyone could not enter?"
"He has allowed it…"
They had passed through in the blink of an eye.
"Ah…"
Yeongu dismounted and handed over the reins.
Dorogan led the horses away and tied them to the hitching post.
"Oh, oh, you have finally come!"
A small boy came running out in quick little steps.
As he ran hard on his short legs, Yeongu walked slowly toward him.
"It has been a long time."
When Yeongu greeted him, the small boy immortal answered.
"Welcome. I am glad to see you."
"I have brought a member of my household with me."
"He is someone who lives in the same house as you, yes?"
"I should have asked permission… but he simply came through with me."
"Those of Lee Yeongu's household are of our household as well."
"Thank you. This is Dorogan. He was once a general of the Xi, but after losing in battle, he became a slave and came all the way here."
At Yeongu's introduction, Dorogan bowed slowly and respectfully.
Oryang guided them inside.
They stepped onto the wooden floor, but Dorogan remained standing on the earthen verandah.
Yeongu told him to come up and seated him beside him.
"What has happened? I thought the war was still at its height."
"There were several victories, but it was too cruel. I told them to forbid it, but they did not listen. So I quit. I wrote my resignation letter and returned."
Oryang burst into clear laughter.
"Ahaha. You truly do have a temper."
"It was cruel. I did not want to join that procession of wicked men."
"I understand. The Great Khan would not have let you go easily."
"What can they do when I say I refuse?"
"And your master?"
"He said little. He rarely says much in the first place. Even when I do something reckless, he just…"
"Yes. He must have felt sorrow."
"..."
Yeongu could not answer.
While venting his temper, he had failed to look around himself.
"Please wait a moment."
Oryang went into the room and came back with a bamboo basket containing sliced brown roots.
"Try this. Ahaha."
"What is it?"
"It is ginseng, soaked in honey. It is called sammilji, honey-preserved ginseng."
At the word medicine, Yeongu's eyes brightened.
"Oh, a spiritual medicine."
"It is not. It is a snack."
"Please try it. I made it recently. The ginseng was dug when its medicinal strength was good, then preserved for a season."
Yeongu quickly picked some up, gave one piece to Dorogan, and brought another to his own mouth.
Because Yeongu treated him as an equal human being, and as a companion, Dorogan's gaze settled into seriousness.
The ginseng that had long been steeped in honey was different even in color.
A deep golden hue had soaked all the way through, and the grain showed faintly within it.
When a piece entered the mouth, the sweetness of honey first spread softly.
The texture touching the tip of the tongue was tender, but soon the firm grain within came alive.
The more it was chewed, the more a bitter energy lifted its head behind the sweetness.
Sweet, then bitter, and then a subtle fragrance lingered for a long time.
The dense richness of honey wrapped the mouth and slowly loosened.
In its place, the energy of ginseng remained and seeped into the inner chest.
When swallowed, the throat grew warm.
The inside of the body seemed to open lightly, and a feeling of energy rose from below upward.
It began with sweetness, settled into bitterness, and at the end left a clear aftertaste, as if it had no taste at all.
"Oh, this is medicine. It is medicine."
Oryang smiled bashfully.
"It is a snack."
"Senior Brother, you eat such things every day, so that must be why you are so clear. You eat immortal food as if it were medicine, so you will surely live a thousand years. We are accustomed every day to wine and worldly food, living shabby lives."
"That is too much self-deprecation. We too wander through the world when needed."
Since Yeongu kept praising him, Oryang brought out more.
Praise makes even immortals leap.
This time it was fleeceflower root.
"Ah, again medicine."
"It is not. It is a snack. This younger brother is still young, so his hand keeps reaching for food. That is why I make little things to eat whenever I have time. Ahaha. Raw fleeceflower root causes stomach pain if eaten as it is. It can also damage the liver. It must be properly processed. I steamed it black, dried it, and preserved it in honey. Then its toxicity is reduced, and its medicinal nature becomes stable. Ahaha."
His laughter was clear and clean.
The ears of those who heard it seemed to grow clear as well.
The two sat facing each other and continued speaking of food.
Dorogan silently accepted what was offered and ate, watching Oryang closely.
The things placed one by one before them were spiritual medicines rarely seen in the secular world.
Oryang set down another small plate.
His fingertips were light, and his movements were gentle.
The dish made almost no sound as it touched the wooden floor.
"Please try this while it is warm."
His words did not rush ahead.
He placed it down and waited.
When picked up by hand, it bent softly, yet firmness remained within.
The moment it entered the mouth, fragrance spread first, and then the energy slowly unfolded after it.
Oryang narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"You must eat it little by little, so the body is not startled."
He took out something else.
This time, it was cut into small pieces.
A subtle light seeped through it, and a thin sheen flowed across its surface.
"This was made over a long time."
He spoke briefly and drew back.
The explanation was not long.
He only told them what it was and how to eat it.
Beyond that, he said no more.
On the wooden floor, the dishes slowly increased, but it did not feel cluttered.
Before one thing was fully eaten, the next was not placed down.
There was order, and there was interval.
A clear wind passed through and brushed the pine grove.
Between that sound, Oryang's voice continued softly.
"The things of this place are not to be eaten in haste."
At those words, time slowed.
Truly, time flowed slowly.
Hands moved slowly, and each bite was chewed longer.
Dorogan said nothing.
More than what entered his mouth, he watched the hand and manner with which it was offered.
In the secular world, taste is placed first.
Here, the process comes first.
That difference continued before his eyes.