CHAPTER 08

“Young Master, are you perhaps planning to open some kind of restaurant?”

At Chief Steward Im Ho-pil’s suspicious question, Heo Cheon immediately shook his head.

“No.”

“Then what are all these?”

Im Ho-pil pointed toward the chickens piled high in one corner of the kitchen, each one deep-fried whole in oil.

“Ah, those? They’re just failures, so leave them there.”

“Failures?”

For something supposedly failed, they looked quite appetizing, both in appearance and in the savory aroma they gave off.

Unable to resist his curiosity, Im Ho-pil secretly tore off a piece and took a bite.

‘What…?! What is this taste?’

It looked like the chicken had simply been deep-fried in oil, yet strangely enough, the meat was seasoned just right, while the crispy texture of the skin was absolutely exquisite.

Shocked by the taste, Im Ho-pil hurriedly asked Heo Cheon,

“Young Master, are you certain this is a failure?”

“Yeah. It just doesn’t taste the way I wanted it to.”

“Good heavens…”

What on earth was the taste Heo Cheon was looking for if even something this delicious wasn’t good enough?

“What exactly is this dish?”

“Ahhh, this? It’s called old-fashioned whole fried chicken.”

It was also commonly known as market-style chicken.

Although it had eventually been surpassed by the more popular half-and-half chicken, there had been a time when old-fashioned whole fried chicken had completely dominated the chicken market.

It was nothing more than a seasoned chicken coated in a thin batter and deep-fried, but its simple and clean flavor was precisely what made it so appealing.

Given Heo Cheon’s current circumstances, there was absolutely no way to reproduce the uniquely crispy coating of modern fried chicken.

So, as a last resort, he had attempted to make this instead.

“Old-fashioned whole fried chicken? You mean there was a chicken dish like this in the past?”

“Ah, well, it’s something from another place, not the Central Plains.”

“Another place? Do you mean that foreign country you mentioned before? Japan or something?”

“Something like that.”

There was chicken in Japan as well.

Of course, it was clearly different from Korean chicken, but correcting Im Ho-pil would be bothersome, so Heo Cheon simply let it slide.

“I see. But where did you learn how to make such a dish, Young Master? Did you perhaps work at a restaurant before?”

“Not really. Someone I knew apparently went into business selling this stuff a long time ago and ended up going bankrupt. I heard the story from him and learned how to make it at the same time.”

More precisely, Heo Cheon had learned about it while talking to a man in his mid-fifties whom he had happened to meet while working construction.

‘He said he used to work for a well-known IT company.’

But like many retirees from the IT industry, the man had recklessly opened his own chicken restaurant, gone completely bankrupt, and eventually ended up working construction.

After hearing the story, Im Ho-pil felt genuinely sorry for the man.

“What a pity. Even someone who could make such delicious food went bankrupt. Running a business really isn’t easy.”

“Tell me about it.”

Indeed.

Korea was, without question, a chicken republic recognized by the entire world.

It was a ruthless market where mediocre chicken simply couldn’t survive.

“But what brings you here at this hour, Chief Steward?”

Unlike Heo Cheon, whose schedule was relatively free aside from his work improving the Heo Family Manor’s martial arts, Im Ho-pil had a considerably busier daily schedule because he was responsible for managing the manor.

At Heo Cheon’s question, Im Ho-pil slapped his forehead.

“Oh dear, what am I thinking? I actually came to ask how much progress you’ve made on improving the other martial arts besides the internal cultivation technique.”

“Oh?”

A peculiar glint appeared in Heo Cheon’s eyes.

There was nothing particularly strange about asking about the progress of the improvements.

However, considering how busy Im Ho-pil was, the fact that he had personally come to ask Heo Cheon about it was clearly unusual.

Heo Cheon had a rough idea why.

“What? Do the martial artists of the manor think I’m not trustworthy?”

Im Ho-pil flinched at Heo Cheon’s blunt question, but soon shook his head with a smile as though nothing had happened.

“Hahaha, of course not. It’s simply that they haven’t known Young Master since childhood like I have, so there are just some minor misunderstandings.”

He tried his best to put things in a positive light, but instead, his words irritated Heo Cheon.

“I’ll make sure to speak to them properly, so please don’t worry about—”

“Hey, Chief Steward Im.”

“Yes?”

“Who am I?”

Im Ho-pil was puzzled when Heo Cheon interrupted him and suddenly asked such a question.

Still, he hid his confusion and answered,

“You are the eldest son of the current Manor Lord and the Young Master of our manor.”

Heo Cheon had not yet been formally recognized as the next Manor Lord, but he was the Heo Family Manor’s only legitimate heir.

Though technically called the Young Master, he was, for all practical purposes, the future Manor Lord.

“Exactly. I’m the Young Master of this place. That isn’t something only Chief Steward Im knows. Every single person in the Heo Family Manor knows it. And yet you’re telling me the martial artists here have misunderstandings about me? What misunderstandings? Who gave them the right to judge me in the first place? Just what makes them qualified to do so?”

The smile had completely disappeared from Heo Cheon’s face.

At the same time, his tone became rigid and cold.

It was completely different from the lighthearted and friendly manner in which he had spoken until now.

“Answer me, Chief Steward Im. Tell me exactly what those bastards said about me. Every single thing. Leave nothing out.”

“Th-That…”

Unable to answer, Im Ho-pil merely broke into a cold sweat.

Heo Cheon let out a small sigh before speaking.

“Chief Steward Im. I understand wanting to protect the people under you. I really do. But even so, isn’t it clearly wrong to cover up their mistakes and wrongdoing as well? What do you think?”

“……”

Im Ho-pil said nothing.

No, he couldn’t say anything.

Anyone listening would have to admit that Heo Cheon’s argument was perfectly reasonable.

Soon, Im Ho-pil lowered his head apologetically.

“…I was short-sighted. Please forgive me.”

“Forgive you?”

Heo Cheon barely suppressed a hollow laugh.

‘Maybe it’s because he’s gotten older. Chief Steward Im has become much gentler than he used to be. Or should I say… easier to push around?’

Calling him gentle was putting it mildly.

He was practically a pushover.

To lower his head so readily over the mistakes of people who weren’t even his own mistakes…

There had to be more to it than simply his age.

‘He said the Chief Steward took charge of the Heo Family Manor while Father was bedridden, didn’t he?’

Of course, Madam Jo must have helped him as well, but the bulk of the responsibilities must have fallen on his shoulders.

As a result, he had probably come to rely on the subordinates beneath him without even realizing it.

‘And among them, there must have gradually been a few who started crossing the line.’

Even after realizing it, he probably frequently turned a blind eye.

If those people left the Heo Family Manor immediately, it would create a critical gap in its overall strength.

It was essentially a case of subordinates abusing the authority they had gained through necessity.

‘Looks like I can’t let this continue.’

Heo Cheon had already been considering dealing with the matter.

He still hadn’t forgotten what had happened on the very day he first arrived at the Heo Family Manor.

While he had been treating his father’s qi deviation, he had explicitly ordered that no one was to enter until he gave permission.

Yet the martial artists of the manor had still gone to Im Ho-pil to ask what they should do.

As martial artists of the Heo Family Manor, that had clearly been improper behavior.

The fact that Im Ho-pil had scolded them at the time made that obvious enough.

‘The whole place was a complete mess.’

Thinking that it was time to straighten everything out, Heo Cheon said,

“Enough. Chief Steward Im, tell every martial artist in the manor to assemble in the training yard within half a quarter of an hour. Not a single person is to be absent.”

“All of them within half a quarter of an hour?”

“Yes. Every single one.”

“…Understood.”

Half a quarter of an hour later.

Every martial artist of the Heo Family Manor had gathered in the training yard.

There were thirty people in total.

That was a small number for a martial arts sect or clan, but given the nature of Hangzhou, there were few martial arts factions that commanded more than a hundred martial artists.

In fact, thirty was about average.

The sudden summons naturally left them unable to hide their confusion.

‘Why did the Young Master suddenly call all of us here?’

‘Seriously, what a pain. What is it this time?’

Some openly showed curiosity, while others made no effort to hide their displeasure.

Overall, the discipline among them had deteriorated badly.

Amidst that atmosphere, Heo Cheon finally appeared in the training yard.

“Everyone’s here, huh? I told Chief Steward Im to have you come within half a quarter of an hour, but you really managed to arrive at exactly the half-quarter mark. Wow, I had no idea this manor was so enormous. Did the place somehow get bigger while I wasn’t looking?”

Several of the martial artists flinched.

They realized that Heo Cheon was openly mocking them for not arriving sooner despite being perfectly capable of doing so.

The others belatedly caught on as well, and the atmosphere in the training yard instantly turned cold.

At that moment, a burly man in his early forties with a square-shaped face stepped forward.

“Young Master, may I ask why you summoned us?”

“Hm? Who are you?”

“My name is Yeon Do-seung.”

“Yeon Do-seung. Martial Artist Yeon, how long have you been with the manor?”

“This is my fifteenth year.”

“Oh? Fifteen years.”

With that much experience, he was practically the most senior martial artist in the Heo Family Manor.

And Yeon Do-seung didn’t merely have seniority.

His bearing was fairly well refined for someone in the Second-Class Realm, and there was nothing particularly bad about his eyes either.

‘He’s just on the verge of reaching the First-Class Realm. Not bad.’

He was talented, in his own way.

Of course, he was still nowhere near Heo Cheon’s standards, but Heo Cheon could at least understand why Yeon Do-seung had stepped forward as their representative.

“Martial Artist Yeon, you’re well aware that I’ve been modifying the martial arts of this manor recently, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard that you martial artists, yourself included, have quite a few complaints about it. Is that true?”

“That…”

Yeon Do-seung, who had answered every question without hesitation until then, finally became speechless.

His expression turned awkward.

It was true that some of them had complaints.

But he couldn’t decide whether he should honestly admit it or pretend he knew nothing.

While he was struggling with that dilemma—

“It’s true. Of course, we all know that Young Master is an incredibly skilled martial artist. But I believe that is entirely separate from whether Young Master should be altering the martial arts of the Heo Family Manor.”

“Hey, Choo Gang! What the hell are you doing?!”

Yeon Do-seung was horrified when a bearded, burly man in his mid-thirties suddenly interrupted the conversation.

His name was Choo Gang.

Heo Cheon looked at the bearded man with curiosity, though his gaze remained cold.

“And who are you?”

“My name is Jeong Choo-gang.”

“Jeong Choo-gang. Martial Artist Jeong, since you’ve already joined the conversation, tell me in detail. Why do you think that?”

As though he had been waiting for the question, Jeong Choo-gang immediately answered.

“No matter how skilled someone is, no one can be an expert in every martial art. Moreover, Young Master has been away from this manor for a very long time, have you not?”

“So you’re saying that, since I’m practically an outsider, you doubt whether I truly understand the martial arts of this manor?”

“With all due respect, yes. That is what I believe.”

“Oh? Is that so? Then may I take it that you people know more about the martial arts of this manor than I do?”

“What? No, that’s not what I—”

Jeong Choo-gang was about to explain that he hadn’t meant it to that extent.

But before he could, Heo Cheon spoke.

“Fine. Then why don’t I take this opportunity to see exactly how capable the martial artists of this manor are? How about we have a sparring match, one by one?”

“A sparring match?”

“With Young Master?”

Most of them were not particularly pleased by Heo Cheon’s proposal.

‘Is he planning to beat us up under the pretext of a spar?’

‘Damn it. What terrible luck.’

Just as everyone was looking troubled, Heo Cheon unexpectedly added,

“Ah, of course, if we fought normally, none of you would stand a chance against me. So I’ll specially restrict my internal energy to match your level, and I’ll only use the basic martial arts of the Heo Family Manor. How about it? With those conditions, it should be a fair fight, shouldn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

Not only was he going to restrict his internal energy, but he would also limit himself to the Heo Family Manor’s basic techniques?

At that point, it was practically the same as fighting with both arms and legs tied.

Surely, under those conditions, they could manage.

But even so, no one willingly stepped forward.

As everyone nervously looked at one another, the corners of Heo Cheon’s mouth curled upward in a cold, mocking smile.

“Wow. Even after I’ve gone this far, no one’s willing to step forward? You people are really something. Or perhaps…”

Heo Cheon paused and slowly swept his gaze across all the martial artists of the Heo Family Manor.

As everyone grew puzzled by his unreadable stare, Heo Cheon finished his sentence.

“Are all the martial artists of this manor nothing but cowards who are good at talking?”

“……!”