Chapter 131 : The Lumberjack of the Perennial Snow Mountain

No Sang-won nodded repeatedly.Yes, this Cheongtang Bamboo Stew was a dish close to perfection. While he hadn’t had many chances to eat expensive food in his life, this was by far the best among everything he had ever tasted.

Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyebrow twitched as he watched No Sang-won. Being a former assassin, he instinctively caught even the subtlest reactions.

“Is there something lacking?”

“Hmm…”

No Sang-won scratched his head, looking a little troubled.

Seo Yu-gyeom pressed him again.

“Feel free to speak honestly.”

“It’s not really a flaw. Maybe it’s just me being overly sensitive, but honestly, there’s a bit of an earthy smell.”

“Earthy smell?”

Seo Yu-gyeom stared at the Cheongtang Bamboo Stew for a moment before scooping a spoonful into his mouth.

Perhaps it was because of No Sang-won’s comment, but he now noticed the earthy aroma he hadn’t detected before.

Han Seong-chun and Jin Seong-un also reacted similarly. As a seasoned chef and a martial artist with keen senses, both caught the faint earthy smell.

Han Seong-chun looked at No Sang-won in admiration.

“Ho! How could you catch such a faint scent? If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed at all.”

“Haha…”

No Sang-won gave an awkward laugh. For some reason, he felt like he had just spoiled a perfectly pleasant mood.

Seo Yu-gyeom fell into deep thought. There were plenty of ingredients that could have caused the earthy smell.

It could’ve come from the mushrooms themselves, from young bamboo shoots that had just pushed through the soil, or from fallen ginkgo nuts picked off the ground during gathering.

As Seo Yu-gyeom contemplated, No Sang-won suddenly spoke.

“It's probably the bamboo tube.”

Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyes widened.

He quickly grabbed the bamboo tube that held the Cheongtang and rinsed it thoroughly with water before bringing it to his nose.

And indeed, there was a faint earthy smell. Since the food had been steamed inside this bamboo tube, the scent had seeped into the dish.

This was a problem.

The Cheongtang Bamboo Stew was a dish where the harmony between the bamboo mushroom and the bamboo fragrance was key. Using a regular bowl instead of a bamboo tube would make it no longer the same dish.

But there was no such thing as bamboo that didn’t carry an earthy smell.

At least, not as far as Seo Yu-gyeom knew.

Then, Han Seong-chun spoke cautiously.

“This is something I heard a long time ago…”

All eyes turned to Han Seong-chun.

He slowly searched his memory as he continued.

“Was it the Great Snow Mountain in Gansu Province? You know, that perennial snow mountain that’s covered in snow all year round.”

“That’s right. The Great Snow Mountain.”

Seo Yu-gyeom, well-versed in Central Plains geography, nodded. Han Seong-chun continued.

“I heard there’s a bamboo forest on that mountain. It sounds completely absurd, I know…”

A mountain covered in eternal snow was practically an ice mountain. The land would be nearly devoid of nutrients, frozen solid, and unable to sustain any vegetation.

While bamboo shoots could push through frozen ground in winter, a mountain perpetually covered in snow was a different matter entirely.

“Well, I’ve never been there myself, so I can’t say for sure. But I’ve heard that the bamboo grown on that snow mountain has an incredibly clean and fresh fragrance.”

Seo Yu-gyeom stared at the bamboo tube.

If he could cook the Cheongtang Bamboo Stew in a tube that held only the bamboo’s fragrance without any earthy scent, the dish would truly be perfect.

‘The problem is cost-effectiveness…’

Unless the customer had an extremely sensitive palate like No Sang-won, they wouldn’t even detect the earthy smell.

Most customers would simply heap praise upon praise while enjoying the dish.

Was it really worth climbing a snow-covered mountain just to get rid of that faint scent? And it wasn’t even certain if that bamboo forest really existed.

“Honestly, it’s already a great dish as is. The earthy scent, the more I eat, kind of feels like a natural flavor…”

No Sang-won tried to smooth things over quickly.

But that very attempt only pricked Seo Yu-gyeom’s pride.

“Well, nothing to lose. I’ll go.”

Seo Yu-gyeom made up his mind. There was still plenty of time before the bamboo mushrooms would be supplied in earnest, so he could make the trip before then.

Soon, Seo Yu-gyeom packed up and headed out. Not that there was much to pack—just his Heaven-Slaying Dagger, a few coins, and some jerky.

All he’d need to buy near the Great Snow Mountain was some rope to bundle the bamboo.

As Seo Yu-gyeom stepped outside the inn and stretched, Jin Seong-un came up beside him and said,

“I’ll come with you.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s still a dish from my inn, isn’t it?”

Seo Yu-gyeom nodded at Jin Seong-un. In any case, having company was better than going alone.

Thus, after their trip to Sichuan Province, Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom embarked on a journey together for the first time in a while.

Though traveling with others like Seomun Ak or Jang Gwang was always enjoyable, there was a unique ease when it was just the two of them.

For one, their personalities meshed well. They didn’t bother with unnecessary chatter, both had excellent movement arts, and rarely needed to stop to rest.

Surprisingly, they shared similar tastes in food and even enjoyed the same scenery during their brief stops.

Thanks to that, they made it to Gansu Province after several days without a hitch.

They stopped by Lanzhou, the provincial capital, for a quick meal and also purchased rope, hoping there would indeed be a bamboo forest.

“Shouldn’t we buy some thick clothing?” Jin Seong-un asked suddenly.

Seo Yu-gyeom gave him a baffled look.

“You’ve never been to a cold place, have you?”

“I have. It’s just that winter is cold by nature.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Seo Yu-gyeom narrowed his brows and looked at him before saying,

“Do you know the term ‘Hanseo Bulchim’?”

“That’s when neither cold nor heat affects the body, right?”

“It’s said that once you pass a certain peak, you reach a state of Hanseo Bulchim. Well, unless it’s some place like the Northern Sea Ice Palace where everything is endlessly frozen, going to this snow mountain shouldn’t be a problem.”

Jin Seong-un searched his memory and suddenly recalled a shocking realization.

This was his first summer since he began practicing martial arts. Come to think of it, he hadn’t felt any discomfort from the heat.

He had just assumed this summer was milder.

Since he started training near the end of winter, he hadn’t truly experienced the cold either.

“…I’ve already reached Hanseo Bulchim?”

Seo Yu-gyeom shook his head.

From what he could tell, this guy might’ve even reached Myriad Poison Immunity. But there was no need to say that out loud. When it came to poison, caution was always the best policy.

And so, the two of them began their ascent of the snow mountain.

From halfway up the mountain, patches of white snow began to appear, and soon a deep field of snow spread out beneath their feet.

As Seo Yu-gyeom had said, even though Jin Seong-un was only wearing a light robe, he didn’t feel cold at all.

If anything, it just felt refreshingly cool.

“Your martial arts are impressive.”

“……”

Seo Yu-gyeom still found it baffling at times.

It was absurd every time this guy, who could easily defeat even peak-level masters, spoke like a complete rookie in the Murim.

Yet, astonishingly, both things were true. Jin Seong-un was capable of fighting peak-level masters, and at the same time, he truly was a newcomer to the Murim.

Apparently annoyed by how his feet kept sinking into the snow, Jin Seong-un simply began walking on top of it.

Not a single footprint remained where he had stepped. A level commonly known as Stepping on Snow Without Leaving a Trace (踏雪無痕).

“…You really are beyond understanding.”

Soon, the two of them resumed walking, recalling Han Seong-chun’s testimony.

They deliberately climbed along steep cliffs. The less traveled the area, the more likely it was that they’d find a bamboo forest.

How much time had passed?

A sudden gust of wind blew, turning the entire surrounding view into a hazy blur.

And then, both men came to a stop.

Because beyond the mist, they could see a lush, green expanse.

“…Why does this actually exist?”

It was a bamboo forest.

And not just any forest—an enormous one.

Surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, it would’ve been nearly impossible for anyone but highly skilled martial artists to reach this place.

Logically, it made no sense.

How could bamboo grow so vigorously on a snow-covered mountain? In such barren conditions, what could they possibly be feeding on?

While pondering this, Jin Seong-un suddenly expanded his qi sense outward.

Soon, his gaze turned toward a particular direction.

“There seems to be a spiritual herb there.”

Seo Yu-gyeom followed Jin Seong-un’s line of sight. Now that he mentioned it, he, too, could sense an unusual energy in the air.

They pushed aside the bamboo leaves as they moved toward the source of the energy.

At the very center of the vast bamboo forest—

Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom stood silently, staring at the ground.

A few flowers were blooming at their feet.

Their half-transparent, bluish petals shimmered like they were carved from ice.

At a glance, they were clearly spiritual herbs.

Seo Yu-gyeom searched his memory from his assassin days, but he couldn’t identify the flower.

When a martial artist encounters an unknown spiritual herb, there are typically two approaches.

First, investigate it thoroughly, as its effects could be unpredictable. Like many elixirs, if it didn’t match one’s constitution or wasn’t taken properly, it could turn into deadly poison.

Second, just eat it.

Those who chose the latter were usually either incredibly brave—or incredibly foolish. If a master in the mountains suddenly dropped dead, it was often due to this kind of situation.

“Should I try eating it?”

“……”

Seo Yu-gyeom said it, and Jin Seong-un gave him a look of disbelief.

Seo Yu-gyeom laughed heartily.

“Of course, I’m joking.”

“……”

It didn’t sound like a joke.

So Jin Seong-un said,

“I think the bamboo forest is being sustained by the energy of this spiritual herb. We can think about harvesting it later—let’s focus on gathering bamboo first.”

“I said I was joking.”

Seo Yu-gyeom then pulled out the sickle he had brought for cutting bamboo.

Normally, one would use a saw or an axe to fell bamboo. The outer shell was incredibly tough.

But for Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom, it wasn’t much of a problem.

Seo Yu-gyeom lightly swung the sickle.

Slice—!

The tough bamboo sliced apart as if it were made of paper.

He kicked the base lightly after cutting it, and the tall bamboo fell to the ground with a thud.

After trimming the leaves with the sickle, Seo Yu-gyeom split the long bamboo in half and tied them together with rope.

“Each stalk should yield about ten or so bamboo tubes. Should we just take around twenty stalks?”

One had to be careful when dealing with a forest.

If they got greedy and cut down everything, there wouldn’t be any bamboo left to harvest in the future.

If they only took what they needed, the bamboo would grow back by the time they returned.

Jin Seong-un nodded and drew his own sickle to begin harvesting.

In truth, they could’ve just used their swords to cut the bamboo. But using a sickle somehow felt more appropriate.

As the two of them busied themselves—cutting bamboo, trimming leaves, and tying bundles—

Tatadadak—!

Urgent footsteps echoed from below the cliff. Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom stopped what they were doing and looked in that direction.

“There’s more than one.”

Seo Yu-gyeom said.

Jin Seong-un nodded and gripped his sickle.

Soon, a group of martial artists leapt up the cliff.

A man in a conical hat, bleeding, dashed through the bamboo grove. Behind him, more than a dozen martial artists gave chase.

The pristine white snow turned red with his every step.

For someone with those injuries to scale a cliff while being pursued by over a dozen enemies—his movement arts must’ve been exceptional.

Eventually, the group chasing him reached where Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom stood.

They all came to a sudden stop, blinking in surprise. For some reason, they looked warily at the two men.

Of course they did. Who wouldn’t be wary of two young men in thin robes, standing on a snowy cliff, each holding a sickle and staring at them?

“Who the hell are you two?”

One of the pursuers asked. His tone was bold, but there was caution in his voice.

Jin Seong-un thought for a moment before replying.

“We’re here to gather bamboo. We like nature.”

“……”

The martial artists murmured among themselves. Perhaps due to the snowstorm swirling around them, the words somehow felt mystical.

Seo Yu-gyeom added,

“We’re just ordinary lumberjacks, more or less. You guys go ahead and do whatever you were doing.”

“……”

They didn’t look anything like ordinary lumberjacks.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Seo Yu-gyeom waved the sickle in front of them, as if to prove a point.

Coincidentally, a chilly gust of wind swept through the area at the same time.

The martial artists all came to one conclusion.

‘…He’s either a madman or a sage.’

Either way, it was a problem.

Just being up here meant they were masters. Whether a mad master or a sage master, both were equally terrifying.