So Jinyeong placed the last piece of sweet and sour pork into her mouth. Slowly chewing, she seemed to savor the crispy texture and sweet and sour sauce until the very end.
I quietly watched her, then slid a brush, paper, and a glass of water in front of her. "......Please write a review." So Jinyeong stopped her hand holding the water glass, her golden eyes slowly turning towards me. "......A review?" She glanced down at the brush and paper again, then asked back. I calmly nodded. "You are this restaurant's first customer, aren't you? I should at least get the first customer's impression." I pointed to one side of the wall.
There, a restaurant bulletin board was placed, still empty. At that moment, So Jinyeong murmured softly. "First customer...... first customer...... first customer......" So Jinyeong mulled over the words for a moment—
then suddenly smiled brightly. The person called the Martial Alliance Leader,
the absolute powerhouse who protects the world, the one who looked down on the world— is now satisfied with being the first customer of this restaurant.
The sight was so natural that I was momentarily speechless. So Jinyeong soon picked up the brush.
And without any hesitation, she began to write on the paper. Whir— From the vigorously moving brush tip, the strong strokes of Murim calligraphy flowed.
Like a sharp sword glare, the writing was resolute and powerful.
Yet, there was also a subtle sense of leisure and softness within. I waited quietly while she wrote. I didn't expect So Jinyeong, as the Martial Alliance Leader, to put so much heart into writing a single review. And after a while—. Thud. Setting down the brush, she pushed the paper towards me with her fingertips. "It's done. Take it." I took the paper and slowly read the sentences written on it. /
I have encountered countless foods while wandering the Martial World, but the sweet and sour pork here is incomparable. The moment you take a bite, the crispy batter shatters like the shell of a spear and sword,
and the meat juice flowing from within adds a savory taste as if it contains deep internal energy. The sauce harmonizes like the relationships of the Martial World, and once you fall for its taste, you will not be able to escape. As the leader of the number one Murim Alliance under the heavens, I dare say— The food here is a delicacy that must be shared throughout the Martial World.
The path of Murim is arduous, but the food here will serve as a resting place for those who walk it. ──First customer, Martial Alliance Leader, So Jinyeong.
/ I read this to the end and let out a chuckle.
If I put up a review like this,
won't supreme masters of the Martial World, rather than customers, come looking? I looked again at the brushstrokes So Jinyeong had left behind. The one who had painted the Martial World with blood,
has now become one who warms the Martial World. And the Martial Alliance Leader became the first customer. I carefully attached this paper review to the restaurant bulletin board.
And setting down the brush, I quietly muttered to myself. "......A regular customer has been secured." From now on, I must strive even harder.
So that the Martial Alliance Leader's palate doesn't get bored. And so that when she returns to this restaurant again,
she can be satisfied once more. Isn't that the Dao of a chef? .
. .
. So Jinyeong, having returned to the Murim Alliance, quietly closed her eyes.
The numerous matters shaking the Martial World, the heavy responsibilities she had to bear as the Martial Alliance Leader.
All of it seemed to be forgotten, even if only for a moment. ——Fried dumplings, black bean noodles, black bean sauce rice, sweet and sour pork. The lingering aftertaste of the food she ate today still hadn't disappeared.
Those savory and crispy fried dumplings.
The rich flavor of the black bean noodles.
The warmth of the freshly made black bean sauce rice. And—. The tender meat hidden inside the crispy batter, the sweet and sour sauce spreading in her mouth with the sweet and sour pork. "......Haa." So Jinyeong unknowingly let out a deep sigh.
Now she understood.
Why people let go of their tension in front of food and fully enjoy the taste.
Why those who have tasted it once have no choice but to seek that food again. So Jinyeong smiled subtly, recalling the small restaurant she had just been in. The Flame Emperor—Han Joohyeok, who wielded a ladle instead of a sword.
He, who had once painted the Murim with blood, had now become a fire chef who warms the Martial World. "Leader, how was your meal today?" Just then, Yoo Yeonhwa's calm voice was heard. Yoo Yeonhwa pretended to be calm, as always. A face that doesn't reveal emotions, a refined attitude.
But she was the one who looked after the leader's well-being more attentively than anyone else. But before she could hear the answer—. "Ha, it's not about today, but where she ate!" Jin Sohwa interjected with a sharp voice.
She was looking at the leader with interest, her arms crossed. "Leader, which restaurant did you eat at? I heard the Jang Family Inn in the south is good these days, did you perhaps go there?" Jin Sohwa had always been interested in food.
Although a strict teacher to the juniors in the Murim Alliance, she was more passionate than anyone when it came to delicious food. But—. "Jang Family Inn?" Yoo Yeonhwa raised the corner of her mouth in a cynical smile. "Hah, your taste is so unsophisticated. Wunhae Pavilion near the North Gate is much better. Do you know how delicious the beef dishes are there?" "What? Beef?" Jin Sohwa narrowed her eyes and returned the mockery. "At a place that can't even make noodles properly? The noodles are just chewy, and the broth is bland and tasteless! Wunhae Pavilion is just a fancy-looking place, the food is actually a mess!" "......For you to discuss the quality of food based on noodles, it's ridiculous." "And you, who are impressed by just hot broth, what do you know?" "Your tongue must be dull." "What did you say?" "I said your taste is cheap." Thunk—! Jin Sohwa uncrossed her arms, and Yoo Yeonhwa lowered her cold gaze.
Sparks flew between the two. ——How dare you——! Both are considered supreme masters in the Murim Alliance. One wields a sword and teaches her disciples with strong conviction, the Vice-Leader of the White Lotus Hall.
The other is like an invisible shadow, the Leader of the Heavenly Shadow Guard, responsible for guarding the leader from behind. The two of them had always been prone to clashing,
but they tended to get particularly intense when it came to food. Normally, it could have been overlooked.
But not today. So Jinyeong watched the two women arguing over the best restaurant and couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity. Pfft...... At that moment, the gazes of the two quarreling women turned to her simultaneously. "......Leader?" "Leader, did you just laugh?" Yoo Yeonhwa narrowed her eyes with a puzzled expression,
and Jin Sohwa opened her mouth with a somewhat aggrieved look. "Leader, where did you eat to have such a reaction?" Just then—. So Jinyeong realized she had made a mistake in front of them. "......Hmm." Oops. Even without saying anything, her current attitude alone would be enough to look strange.
The usually calm and dignified Martial Alliance Leader burst into laughter while watching two people argue? This was clear proof— that the Martial Alliance Leader had eaten something extraordinary.
Jin Sohwa quickly came to a conclusion. "......Leader, perhaps." "......?" "Did you discover a famous restaurant that you don't want to tell us about?" Yoo Yeonhwa's gaze also turned sharper. "If that's the case...... we must go and eat there too!" "......Haa." So Jinyeong let out a long sigh.
Dealing with these two felt more difficult than negotiating with the Demonic Cults of the Martial World.
Even the debates between the Righteous Sects and the Unorthodox Sect, the strategies for reading the flow of the Martial World.
Compared to these two's food debates, those were easy. But if she kept her mouth shut,
it was clear that they would endlessly repeat the same question. ——Leader, where did you eat? Like that. So Jinyeong deliberately crossed her arms and looked at the two with an interesting gaze. "Hmm......" She deliberately dragged out her words and let out a light sigh.
But that reaction only served to further stimulate the two's interest. "Leader, did you really go to a famous restaurant without us?" Jin Sohwa asked with sparkling eyes, and Yoo Yeonhwa also spoke with her usual calm expression. "Seeing Leader with such a relaxed expression, it must be a considerable place." "......" Oops. She had unintentionally revealed it.
So Jinyeong deliberately averted her gaze.
She thought about brushing it off vaguely, but—. "Leader." "Leader, we need to know too." The intense gazes of Jin Sohwa and Yoo Yeonhwa pressed her. "......What did I eat?" So Jinyeong couldn't help but ask back.
Then, the two's expectant eyes grew even stronger. "Yes! What kind of food did you eat to have such a relaxed expression?" "Please tell us. Where is it, and what kind of food?" So Jinyeong couldn't hold out any longer.
Usually, as the Martial Alliance Leader, she grasped the general trends of the Martial World and acted with careful judgment. But now, she was purely emotional, overly excited, and chattering away. "Ah, you wouldn't understand even if I told you." So Jinyeong, at this moment, was neither the Martial Alliance Leader nor the leader of the Righteous Sects.
She was just someone who had eaten fantastic food. "At first, I was just going to eat something simple, but the fried dumplings were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, and when you take a bite, the meat juice——!" So Jinyeong raised both hands and boasted. "And the black bean noodles! I've never tasted black bean noodles with such a deep and rich flavor in my life! The noodles were chewy, and the sauce was exquisite——!" Jin Sohwa and Yoo Yeonhwa's eyes grew wider and wider. "Wait, black bean noodles?" "You had fried dumplings too?" But So Jinyeong didn't stop. "And there was black bean sauce rice too! That perfect sauce on top of the soft and warm rice——" So Jinyeong's hand moved in the air as if describing it.
She seemed even more passionate than when she usually held a sword. However—. She got too excited and couldn't keep her mouth shut, and—. "You two haven't tasted the sweet and sour pork made by the Flame Emperor yet. Poor things." "......What?" "......Who?" Jin Sohwa and Yoo Yeonhwa's expressions simultaneously hardened.
And only then did So Jinyeong realize. Ah, I messed up. Instantly, her blood ran cold. Just now—. The two absolute loyalists of the Murim Alliance heard the word 'Flame Emperor' come out of her mouth. She was just admiring and talking,
but she got too excited, too carried away. She bragged about 'the sweet and sour pork made by the Flame Emperor.' Her whole body froze.
Now she couldn't run away.
She had already said it. ......What do I do now? And,
the next moment. ......Huh? Jin Sohwa and Yoo Yeonhwa's expressions simultaneously hardened. What did they just hear? The Martial Alliance Leader just...... said 'Flame Emperor'.
said 'sweet and sour pork'. "Wait, just a moment." Jin Sohwa spoke first. "Did you just say, Flame Emperor?" "And...... sweet and sour pork?" Yoo Yeonhwa coldly acknowledged.
The gazes of the two women instantly turned sharp. "Leader." "Leader?" Jin Sohwa taking a step forward.
Yoo Yeonhwa moving a beat slower.
Only then did So Jinyeong realize that she had made a grave mistake. "......Hmm." Suddenly, she felt sweat forming.
She, as the leader, might be fine, but these two were staunch Righteous Sects martial artists.
She had forgotten how the leader of the Martial Alliance's guard and the de facto second-in-command of the Murim Alliance would react upon hearing a story related to the Flame Emperor. "Leader, please explain exactly." Yoo Yeonhwa said resolutely. "Why is the 'Flame Emperor,' a supreme master of the Demonic Cult, suddenly coming up here? And...... sweet and sour pork?" Jin Sohwa also tilted her head with a suspicious expression. "Leader, what happened?" So Jinyeong, instead of answering, just sweated, and sweated. This is a mistake.
A huge mistake. The more she talked, the deeper she would sink into the quagmire. What should she do in this situation? So Jinyeong momentarily racked her brains.
But—it was already too late. "Leader, are you involved with the Flame Emperor?" "Did you...... perhaps receive food from the Flame Emperor?" Thump! When this question came out, So Jinyeong tightly closed her eyes.
She was done for.
Now she couldn't make any more excuses.
Since it had come to this—. "......" So Jinyeong took a deep breath.
And made a conclusion. "Yes...... I ate sweet and sour pork made by the Flame Emperor!" "......!"
"......!!" "But......it was so delicious......!" So Jinyeong glared at the two with her bright yellow eyes. "How can you talk about food when you haven't even tasted the sweet and sour pork made by the Flame Emperor?" Jin Sohwa and Yoo Yeonhwa were simultaneously speechless.
Not missing that gap, So Jinyeong raised her chin haughtily and said. "I've tasted it. The fried dumplings, black bean noodles, and black bean sauce rice made by the Flame Emperor. And—that fantastic sweet and sour pork too." So Jinyeong's eyes, at some point, shone with pride. "You two were fighting here without even tasting the food made by the Flame Emperor?" "......"
"......" The two's faces stiffened.
So Jinyeong chuckled inwardly.
She had no choice.
At this point, it's right to just admit it. ——The sweet and sour pork made by the Flame Emperor was the best. "......Leader." Jin Sohwa carefully opened her mouth. "......Was the sweet and sour pork made by the Flame Emperor...... really that delicious?" So Jinyeong answered without hesitation. "In the Martial World, such a taste would be hard to find again." Suddenly, Yoo Yeonhwa and Jin Sohwa's eyes wavered strangely.

First Customer: Meeting the Murim Alliance Leader (5)