The Miraculous Divorce Technique

Chapter 16

Damascus steel.

It was called the phantom iron even in the ancient Persian Empire, and now its mining site and smelting method have disappeared, remaining only as a legend.

Weapons made from it were divine weapons called the devil's weapons by the countries neighboring the Persian Empire.

It was because it cut through steel as if it were tofu, and its strength was so hard that it never broke, taking the lives of countless people.

"Jeokryeong would be jealous if she saw this. Hahaha."

Cheok Sagyeol walked, stroking Sa-wang, which was worn behind his waist.

Although he had made a considerable investment, Cheok Sagyeol was satisfied.

The elixirs he had obtained from Shaolin were overflowing, and he couldn't take them right now anyway.

It was because his current body was Muheo's. Why would he feed good things to someone else's body?

When Cheok Sagyeol returned to the Pungryu Inn, Ah Pyeong and many other people were in the middle of preparing food.

It seemed they had temporarily hired people to prepare for the eight-hundred-person meal.

"You're back?"

As Cheok Sagyeol approached, Ahwa ran over to greet him.

She was a child who always made him feel good whenever he saw her.

"That's a sword I haven't seen before. Mister, were you a martial artist, not a merchant?"

"I'm both a merchant and a martial artist. Self-defense is essential when you travel around."

"Well, it's a scary world."

As Ahwa said, it was a desolate world with the northern barbarians and southern Japanese pirates abroad, and frequent rebellions and bands of thieves at home.

"Is the food preparation going well?"

"The ingredients just arrived, so we're just trimming them. I think I'll have to help all afternoon. But will it really be okay?"

"Are you worried?"

"Of course... why wouldn't I be..."

As Ahwa lowered her head with a gloomy face, Cheok Sagyeol smiled and ruffled the child's hair.

"Worrying won't solve anything. If you do your best until that time comes, it will be resolved at some point. The saying 'time is the best medicine' isn't for nothing."

"You sound like Old Man Hwang from the shop next door. Hehe."

"Hahahaha. I see. It seems I've been acting like an old geezer without realizing it."

Ahwa smiled bashfully and said.

"No, you're not, mister. Then I'll go help my mom and dad. Call me if you need anything."

"Alright."

Cheok Sagyeol smirked and headed for his guest room.

There was nothing for him to do here.

* * *

The next day.

Cheok Sagyeol sat in the inn from the morning and ate dumplings simply.

Ah Pyeong and his wife were anxiously watching the inn's door.

Since Ahwa had been told not to come out of her room, only the three of them were in the inn.

CLATTER.

The bamboo blind of the door was lifted, and a burly man entered.

"Is the owner here?"

"Yes, welcome. The preparations for today's reservation are all done. Have you all come?"

"Ah, I came because of that. My big brother has an urgent matter today, so he told me to tell you to postpone the date."

"Uh... for how long?"

"Ten days later, we'll come again then. I'm sorry, so you don't have to return the deposit."

As expected, the expected reaction.

Cheok Sagyeol threw the dumpling he was eating into his mouth and approached.

"Chomp, chomp. So you're canceling today's reservation?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the new cook at Pungryu Inn, so tell me. Are you canceling?"

"Yes, it's canceled. Ten days later...!"

SLICE. THUD. THUD. RATTLE.

'Wow... it cuts so well. I took care of it a bit last night, so it's much better than yesterday.'

He hadn't even had time to feel the taste of cutting, but Sa-wang had easily sent the ruffian's head flying.

Even if Cheok Sagyeol's skills were good, the reason he had cut so cleanly without even using internal energy was because of Sa-wang's excellent sharpness.

"Owner. I'll be back, so when the nearby merchants and residents come, have the prepared food ready."

"M-Mr. Jeokun, will you really be okay?"

"Of course I'll be okay. I have to use a dragon-slaying sword to catch a chicken, so how can I not be okay?"

"..."

Cheok Sagyeol smiled brightly and left the inn.

"By the way, what's with these Red Moon guys? It's been a day, but they're so slow. To think I have to personally step up to catch these riffraff... It's the end of the world, the end of the world."

As Cheok Sagyeol walked, grumbling, a small but rather fancy group of houses came into view.

This place, where about ten thatched huts were gathered, was where the Jakdupa, who had even set up a guard post as if it were their own castle, was located.

"Is this the Jakdupa's den?"

"What? Den? Is this bastard crazy? Does he know where this is?"

"I'm from the Pungryu Inn. I'm here to see the boss, so guide me."

At Cheok Sagyeol's words, the two burly men on guard looked at each other and said.

"Isn't Pungryu Inn the place where Im-ga went to cancel the reservation?"

"I think so. Bak-ga went to Yongmun Inn, so Im-ga must have gone there."

'So there was another place they were playing their tricks on besides Pungryu Inn.'

Cheok Sagyeol narrowed his eyes and asked again.

"You mean the reservation cancellation?"

"That's right. The reservation cancellation..."

SLICE. THUD. RATTLE.

"Gasp..."

"You're gasping. Are you canceling too?"

"N-no, I'm..."

"If not, go inside and tell the boss to come out."

The ruffian, intimidated by Cheok Sagyeol's gaze, rushed inside like an arrow.

In the middle of the circularly arranged thatched huts, there was an open space.

"Wow. Ruffians these days must train hard too. They even made something similar to a training ground, albeit a crude one."

As Cheok Sagyeol entered, sneering, about fifty members of the gang who were in each residence rushed out.

Then, they surrounded him in the middle and said.

"This isn't a training ground, it's an execution ground, you bastard. Where do you think this is to come here with a weapon without any fear!?"

"That bastard just killed Jang-gwa with a single stroke, big brothers."

"Did you just watch, you bastard!?"

The one who appeared, hitting the back of the head of the burly man who had been on guard, was the boss of the Jakdupa, Jakdu.

"Who the hell are you? Are you from the Junggupa?"

At Jakdu's words, Cheok Sagyeol smirked and said.

"I'm the new cook at Pungryu Inn. I stopped by to confirm the reservation."

"Confirm the reservation? Hey, didn't you send the kids?"

Jakdu asked, looking at the subordinate next to him.

"I sent Im-ga, big brother. I definitely told him to cancel the reservation..."

SLICE.

In the blink of an eye, the head flew into the air.

Cheok Sagyeol, who had swung Sa-wang to shake off the blood on it, muttered.

"Ah, fuck. Three bastards have already canceled. Why are there so many sons of bitches who leave food these days?"

"...!"

A situation where they couldn't even see the opponent's movement.

He didn't know what trick he had used, but the bastard had killed a subordinate three zhang away without moving a single step from where he was standing.

Jakdu swallowed hard and asked.

"W-who is this great master? And what do you mean by leaving food..."

"What great master? I told you earlier, I'm the new cook. And if you make a reservation and don't eat, that's leaving food, what else is it? At our restaurant, you die if you leave leftovers."

Indeed, the Pungryu Inn had a sign that said the food was cheap, but if you left leftovers, you had to pay double.

In reality, since the cook Ah Pyeong's skills were good, there were almost no cases of leaving food.

When Jakdu said that, Cheok Sagyeol said with annoyance.

"The inn's policy changed the day before yesterday. If you leave leftovers, you also leave your neck. Tell me. Are you canceling too?"

At Cheok Sagyeol's murderous question, Jakdu's mouth went dry.

Although his subordinates were almost completely intact, his intuition, which he had honed from his long life in the back alleys, told him.

If he attacked, there was a 100% chance he would die.

"G-great hero. We were just about to leave. L-let's go."

"Really? That's a relief. I don't have to leave food. Do you know how hard I worked to prepare for eight hundred people?"

"I-I'm sorry. We'll go and eat without leaving a single grain. Yes, we have to eat."

With Jakdu, who was bowing his head, in the lead, the members of the Jakdupa ran to the Pungryu Inn.

Cheok Sagyeol followed behind them with a wicked smile.

When they arrived at the Pungryu Inn, the feast had already begun.

The nearby merchants and residents were eating and clinking their wine glasses with smiles on their faces.

But when the Jakdupa appeared, the atmosphere quickly froze.

"H-hey, look over there."

"Gasp! Aren't those the Jakdupa bastards..."

"They're not going to cause a scene because we ate the food they prepared, are they?"

The crowd murmured, put down what they were eating, and watched cautiously.

Cheok Sagyeol stepped forward, performed a cupped fist salute, and said.

"Now, now. Everyone, don't be like that and enjoy yourselves. Don't mind them and eat as much as you want."

Even at Cheok Sagyeol's words, when people couldn't easily pick up their spoons, Ahwa stepped forward.

"Old Man Hwang, didn't you say that in a world like this, you have to eat when you have the chance? Mr. Kang, didn't you say that a ghost who died after eating has a better complexion? Or is my dad's cooking not good?"

"N-no, how could that be? Ah Pyeong's skills are the best in Jeonhahyeon."

"Then hurry up and eat. My dad has been using all his skills, both good and bad, since yesterday to make this."

Ahwa, with her eyes wide open, went around putting spoons in people's hands.

The old man called Old Hwang smiled warmly and said.

"Hahaha. Everyone, let's eat for now. We were already eating, so what's going to change if we don't eat now?"

At Old Hwang's words, people finally began to eat a little, munching on their food.

Jakdu, seeing this, glanced at Cheok Sagyeol and asked.

"Excuse me, great hero. It seems the seats are all full. What should we do..."

"Ah. Your food is prepared behind the inn over there. Follow me."

The place he led the Jakdupa to had a mountain of food waste piled up.

From the peels left after trimming onions and potatoes to the fish bones from which the flesh had been removed, there were various things, and since they were from preparing for eight hundred people, the amount was enormous.

"Now, eat up. Isn't it as good as a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast?"

"..."

The ruffians were all pale.

And one of them screamed and tried to run away.

"Fuck! Are you crazy? You want me to eat trash? I can't eat it!"

THUD.

The ruffian, who was caught by the scruff of his neck while trying to run away, was dragged to where Cheok Sagyeol was.

Jakdu thought his eyes were going to pop out when he saw it.

'H-his arm got longer. This... he was a... a monster...'

Cheok Sagyeol's arm had lengthened and grabbed Jakdu's subordinate.

"Hey. You can't eat it? I prepared it all day yesterday. Are you saying my cooking is not good?"

"W-what kind of cooking is that? If you can eat it, you eat it first!"

"I ate a lot while preparing and tasting it. Maybe because it was for eight hundred people, I'm full just from tasting it. Fuck."

"Just kill me! I'd rather die than eat it!"

The burly man, who was grabbed by the collar by Cheok Sagyeol, couldn't even run away and struggled, resisting.

"I'll make sure you eat. How dare you belittle my cooking as trash. Come here."

"Mmph, mmph, mmph."

Cheok Sagyeol, who had stuffed the food that was not food into the burly man's mouth, immediately pressed his acupoints.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Then, the burly man's jaw moved, and he chewed on the food that was not food.

MUNCH. MUNCH. CHOMP. CHOMP.

"You eat well, you bastard. It's delicious now that you've tried it, right?"

Cheok Sagyeol smiled brightly and stuffed a handful of onion peels into the burly man's mouth.

"Eat a lot. Onions have a lot of nutrients in their peels."

The burly man shed tears and tried to say something, but he couldn't speak because of the things filling his mouth.

'You devilish bastard. Kill me. Just kill me!'

Whether he knew his inner thoughts or not, Cheok Sagyeol raised the corners of his mouth and pressed his acupoints.

TAP. TAP.

Then, the burly man's Adam's apple moved, and with a gulping sound, it went down.

"Tell me if you're choking. I'll grease you up properly."

Next to Cheok Sagyeol, who was saying that, there were several barrels of waste oil left over from cooking.

Since Chinese cuisine mainly consisted of fried and stir-fried dishes, the amount was also enormous.

"G-great hero. I was wrong. I've committed a crime worthy of death... Ugh."

"In the time you're saying that, eat one more bite. How much did you guys order? When are you going to eat it all?"

Cheok Sagyeol, who had put a whole fish bone in the burly man's mouth and repeated the same thing three times, looked back and said.

"What are you doing? Aren't you guys eating? Do you want me to feed you?"

(End of Chapter)