Chapter 19
“Yumo (Nanny), what is this mushroom?”
Unyeong, who usually didn’t eat mushrooms, asked her nanny while holding one in her hand.
She normally avoided mushrooms, but this one tasted surprisingly good.
“Yumo?”
Yumo didn’t respond. She just stared blankly at Unyeong.
“Yumo, are you listening?”
“Young lady? Did you call me?”
“Yes, I did. Do you know what kind of mushroom this is?”
Perhaps frustrated, Hyanga, who was standing nearby, answered instead.
“It’s a hyangyuk mushroom.”
“Hyangyuk?”
“Yes. Didn’t it taste like meat?”
“Oh, so that’s it. What a terribly lazy name.”
No wonder it suited Unyeong’s palate so well.
In the past, while wandering the martial world, Unyeong had tried all sorts of food. But she couldn’t recall tasting a mushroom like this one before.
“Well, it might have another name elsewhere, but around here, people call it hyangyuk mushroom.”
“Hm? Is it only found in Honganhyeon?”
“Yes, apparently. I’m not sure about other places—how would I know unless I went myself?”
“You really do know a lot, Hyanga.”
“I guess I do, don’t I?”
“Yes, Hyanga. You’re smart.”
Unyeong praised her and popped another spoonful of stir-fried hyangyuk mushroom into her mouth.
“Well, actually…”
“Hm? There’s more?”
“The cook made it especially for you. You haven’t been eating your vegetables lately—only meat.”
“What? It’s not like I eat meat every day.”
She felt like a picky child being scolded and tried to argue. But when she followed Hyanga’s gaze toward her dining table, she had to shut her mouth.
Of all the dishes, only the meat plates were completely empty.
‘She really says everything with her expressions.’
Unyeong pouted, then chewed slowly on another bite of the mushroom stir-fry, savoring its flavor.
‘For something this delicious, you’d think it’d be more well-known. Is it really only found in Honganhyeon? Hmm… wait a second.’
At that moment, a truly brilliant idea came to her. She’d been wondering where to start—and this mushroom might just be perfect.
“Hyanga, could you bring the cook here?”
“Yes.”
Hyanga answered and quickly disappeared. Unyeong set her chopsticks down and called her nanny.
“Yumo.”
“Yes?”
“I’m done eating.”
“You are? You ate quite a lot today.”
Still dazed, Yumo looked at the empty plates in front of Unyeong.
“Yes. Maybe it’s because I started training. I have a bigger appetite than usual.”
“That makes sense. You started training.”
Unyeong meant that as she began learning martial arts, she’d eat more and grow healthier. But from Yumo’s reaction, Unyeong could tell that she had been deep in thought because of that very martial art.
‘Well, I did go a little overboard… but it wasn’t on purpose!’
Unyeong hadn’t planned to form a danjeon (energy core) today. She had only intended to show that she could sense external energy and perform a light energy-gathering exercise.
But while focusing on the incantation of the Samjae Mind Technique, she had unknowingly entered a trance.
When Geum Cheongsan had recited the mantra for her, she felt joyful.
Unyeong had been considering the Samjae Mind Technique as the foundation for creating her danjeon. Since her body wasn’t fully developed yet, it was the safest method.
Samjae-gong (Three Powers Technique).
A foundational martial art of the Wudang sect, based on the idea that heaven, earth, and humanity are the origins of the universe.
Samjae-gong included the Samjae Mind Technique, Samjae Sword Technique, Samjae Fist Technique, and more.
Originating from Daoist teachings, it was safe and reliable—so much so that Wudang used it as a basic technique.
Although the mantra was somewhat long, it was easy to understand yet contained profound meaning.
The sword style also started with simple vertical, horizontal, and thrusting motions—ideal for beginners.
‘Seriously though, what were the odds that the Samjae mantra would mesh with Johwagyul (Harmony Incantation)?’
Since regaining awareness, Unyeong had merely allowed the energy to pass through her body without resistance. But her body wasn’t satisfied with just that.
It could absorb much more energy, and letting it go to waste felt wrong.
Once she recited the mantra of the Samjae Mind Technique while accepting the energy, her inner energy began moving on its own.
— Heaven, earth, and humanity—the foundation of the universe is the Three Powers.
This simple truth met the energy flowing into her body, igniting a miniature universe within her—and that force settled inside her.
If she had the same level of control over her energy as she had in the past, she might have been able to stop it. But young Unyeong had no such control.
She entered a trance, and the immense energy circulated within her body, gradually shaping and compressing itself into a tiny danjeon.
Though small, the foundation it contained was astonishingly perfect—even Unyeong was shocked.
‘Well, with such a flawless danjeon formed, even the Sword Demon wouldn’t have tried to stop it.’
Those who had been watching her were clearly startled, but what was done was done.
‘It can’t be helped. I was going to take it slow… but let’s just go with “genius of the century.” It’s not a lie, after all.’
Seol Jadan had made sure everyone present kept their mouths shut. He left quickly, saying he’d talk to her later.
‘Father seemed pretty shocked… but he’ll be seeing a lot more surprises from now on.’
She decided not to overthink it. There was nothing else she could do.
‘Still… I probably need to tweak the Johwagyul a bit. Hmm.’
In her past life, Seol Unyeong’s unique martial art had been Johwagyul (Harmony Incantation).
It had been tailored to her over many years, and in her final moments, it even revealed a new path to her.
But now she was heading in a different direction. Thinking back on how Johwagyul had worked while forming her danjeon, she realized a new version might be necessary.
She couldn’t abandon Johwagyul—it was the foundation of her martial arts. So, she’d need to adapt it for her new path.
“Young lady, I’ve brought the cook.”
“Cook Wang Jangyeop, at your service, my lady.”
Unyeong snapped out of her thoughts and smiled brightly at the man who entered with Hyanga.
“Good. I had a really delicious dinner tonight.”
“Oh my, did you? I’m so glad it suited your taste.”
The sturdy, middle-aged man beamed with genuine joy.
“Yes. The meat dishes from the past few days, and today’s mushroom dish—they were all really good.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“So, your family name is Wang? Then I’ll just call you Cook Wang.”
“Yes, yes. Please do.”
“Alright, Cook Wang. About the hyangyuk mushroom—is it found anywhere else?”
The lighthearted look in Wang Jangyeop’s eyes changed. His tone became serious.
“Young lady. Did you say hyangyuk mushroom?”
“Yes. Hyangyuk mushroom.”
Cook Wang clasped his hands and nodded with what seemed to be deep emotion.
“I knew this day would come. I knew someone would one day recognize the greatness of this mushroom.”
“Uh… it was tasty.”
Surprised by the sudden change in Cook Wang, Unyeong barely managed a response.
“I was born and raised in Honganhyeon. Started out working as a busboy at the Snowy Inn. The cook there could whip up the most amazing dishes, and I thought—‘Wow, how amazing is that?’”
His story was long.
Unyeong listened attentively.
He had started as a busboy and became a cook. Wanting to learn more dishes, he went to Hefei in Anhui Province.
The local chefs there gave him a hard time, but he overcame it with skill and became the top cook at the best inn in Hefei.
Eventually, longing for his hometown, he returned to Honganhyeon and joined Yeonhongwon.
He added that he had struggled because Unyeong hadn’t been interested in food until recently, but now that she was eating well, he was happy.
“But here’s the thing…”
Cook Wang’s eyes sparkled. Unyeong recognized that look.
It was the gaze of someone deeply immersed in their craft, ready to speak about what they loved most.
“Those other cooks—they didn’t know about hyangyuk mushroom. Not those arrogant chefs in Hefei. That’s right. The hyangyuk mushroom…”
Cook Wang had a way of speaking that pulled people in.
Even Yumo, who’d been spaced out all evening, and Hyanga, who was curious about everything, as well as Unyeong, who had been intrigued by the mushroom, all focused on his words.
You could almost hear someone swallowing with anticipation.
The tension in the room hit its peak.
“…is found only in Honganhyeon and the nearby areas. Isn’t that just wonderful?”
His conclusion might have seemed anticlimactic.
But Unyeong found herself nodding and mumbling without realizing it.
“Yes. It really is… wonderful. That’s great.”
Cook Wang and Unyeong exchanged looks with identical expressions. They nodded at each other and smiled broadly.
Hearts in harmony. Their minds had connected.
