The Eunuch Regains His Manhood in the Second Round

13. Many a Little Makes a Mickle

A month had passed since I started cultivating internal energy.

Although the Soyang Heart Method was a basic technique, as a heart method based on reverse blood flow, the speed of accumulating internal energy was far superior to other basic techniques.

The only basic techniques that accumulated internal energy as quickly as the Soyang Heart Method were the Marling Heart Method of the Demonic Sect, which was also based on reverse blood flow, and the practical-oriented basic technique of the Imperial Palace Martial Arts, the Yeonmu True Formula.

Even though I was the head of a fallen sect, I could reach the level of a first-rate martial artist because of the characteristics of the Gongdong Sect’s martial arts, which allowed for rapid advancement to a certain level.

Thus, I was able to gain considerable internal energy in just a month.

‘This is reassuring.’

Compared to the vast ocean of internal energy in my previous life, the amount of internal energy I had now was like a drop in the ocean, but it felt endlessly reassuring to me.

This was because, according to the fundamental principle of the Gongdong Sect’s martial arts, which pursued ultimate life, I could feel my vigor improving little by little, even with a tiny amount of internal energy.

No matter how many cycles of yin and cold energy you gather, it’s useless. It only makes a eunuch more eunuch-like.

It’s like the martial arts of a worm-like eunuch.

That’s why I’ve been feeling good lately.

Except for the fact that my senior brother follows me on my secret night runs every evening.

“Master. Senior brother. It’s time to eat.”

The dining hall next to the kitchen.

In its heyday, the dining hall, which presumably had many disciples eating together, was lined with several eight-immortal tables like a large guesthouse.

But now, there were only three disciples of the Gongdong Sect.

Fortunately, unlike the unhygienic pre-modern Chinese, I, a clean modern person, had cleaned the kitchen and dining hall thoroughly.

Today’s menu was rare meat instead of vegetables.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t animal meat but fish.

Tired of eating only vegetables, I remembered the food procurement skills I learned during my time as a low-level informant and made a fish trap to catch carp from a nearby stream.

‘Why did I catch carp instead of eel, which is known for its vigor-enhancing properties?’

I grumbled inwardly as I looked at the carp.

The fish I originally intended to catch was eel, known for its vigor-enhancing properties.

—

—

Isn’t there a rumor that the reason why bean sprouts are often served in military meals is to reduce s*xual desire?

Because of the anxiety that eating only vegetables like in the military might reduce my virility, I tried to catch an eel to nourish my body.

Of course, to avoid such a situation, I am collecting as many virility-boosting vegetables as possible, but anxiety is anxiety.

I also couldn’t eat meat.

However, instead of catching an eel, I caught a random carp in the trap.

Still, after scoring the carp, which was as big as my forearm, and steaming it with vegetables and soy sauce, the Chinese-style steamed fish, Qingzhengyu (清蒸鱼), that I made myself looked quite tasty.

‘Yes, it’s time to practice cooking.’

Mencius said, “A gentleman stays away from the kitchen,” so in this medieval martial arts world, men did not cook, and women did.

But I am not a primitive medieval martial artist, but a sophisticated 21st-century modern Korean.

In 21st-century modern Korea, cooking s*xy men, abbreviated as “cooking s*xy men,” were popular.

This would be no different in the Central Plains martial arts world.

If I develop my cooking skills and become a cooking s*xy man, I could possess a distinctive charm compared to the men of the Central Plains martial arts world who never set foot in the kitchen.

Therefore, cooking was also one of a man’s charms, and to achieve the Way of Colors (色道), I had to cultivate domestic charm as well.

“Master, please have some first.”

I said as I politely handed the fish head to my master.

In China, it was considered polite to serve the fish head to one’s superior.

I don’t understand why they eat the fish head, which is tasteless and full of bones, calling it “the taste of the fish head” (魚頭一味), but since it’s Chinese culture, I have no choice.

“Hmm. I see. This fish was caught by Cheolsu, right? It must have been quite an effort to catch such a big carp for your master. You did well.”

I didn’t catch it for my master, but since I caught a carp instead of an eel, I had no choice.

My master, misunderstanding the situation, made a comment and started eating the flesh from the fish head.

In China, just like in Korea, it was polite for the subordinate to start eating after the superior had eaten.

Especially in medieval China, etiquette was even more strictly observed.

Seeing that, I immediately took a spoonful of fluffy rice.

Whether in my past life or present life, seeing white rice made my mouth water.

Just as I was about to pick up the carp with my chopsticks.

“Disciple. Here. Take this.”

Yujinhui picked up the carp flesh, carefully deboned it, and placed it on my spoon.

He smiled at me bashfully.

As always, my sensitive nose caught a whiff of his wildflower scent.

A man deboning fish for another man and placing the flesh on his spoon?

—

—

The spoon trembled as if it belonged to someone with Parkinson’s disease.

‘Ah, no…! Damn it…!!’

Only an absolute beauty could debone the steamed fish for me.

That was the decision I had made.

I had rented the entire top floor of a picturesque restaurant, with the intention of having an absolute beauty debone the fish piece by piece with chopsticks and feed it to me, saying “Ah~” as she placed it in my mouth. It was one of the items on my bucket list.

But now, my senior brother had destroyed another item on my bucket list.

A dark, burly man! Deboning fish for me!

My first memory was once again tainted.

I swallowed the rising tears.

“Junior brother? Why do you look like that? Are you feeling unwell?”

My senior brother looked at me, tilting his head in confusion.

His unnecessarily handsome face was filled with concern.

“No, senior brother. I am both happy and honored that you went through the trouble of deboning the fish and placing only the flesh on my plate for the sake of your foolish junior. From now on, I will debone the fish myself, so there is no need for you to go through the trouble.”

I quickly conveyed my gratitude for his effort, but also subtly told him that I would handle it myself from now on, as I put a spoonful of rice into my mouth.

The steamed carp, with its soy sauce seasoning, vegetables, and rice, was unnecessarily delicious.

“No, it’s fine. It’s no trouble at all. For my junior brother, I can debone as many fish as needed. Here, eat more. You’re at an age where you need to eat a lot and grow quickly.”

But my senior brother, who was oblivious to my feelings, continued to debone the fish and place the flesh on my plate and spoon.

“Hahaha.”

Our master, who watched the humiliating scene with a subtly pleased expression while stroking his beard, was an added bonus.

And so, with trembling hands, I had to endure a needlessly harmonious yet humiliating lunch.

*

After the humiliating lunch, my senior brother and I set out to gather herbs from the mountain.

The Gongdong Sect was in such a dire financial state that it was worse off than a neighborhood convenience store.

Most of our food ingredients were gathered from the mountain or obtained by setting traps for animals.

There was only one inn under the Gongdong Sect in the lower village, but the donations from there were not enough to cover all our living expenses.

Therefore, my senior brother and I spent part of our daily routine gathering food ingredients from the mountain to ensure the smooth operation of the Gongdong Sect.

The time I spent making fish traps was also utilized for this purpose.

“Ha! Junior brother! Keep up!”

My senior brother dashed along the mountain ridge, using the Gongdong Sect’s basic light footwork technique, Soyangbo (Small Yang Step), which had reached its peak.

—

—

I followed my senior brother, utilizing the So Yang Bo technique, trailing behind him.

The place we arrived at was a ridge, a bit far from the main mountain, where we always gathered wild vegetables.

It has been almost three months since I joined the Gongdong sect, and now, as we entered April, spring had come to Gongdong Mountain.

Perhaps because of that, the fields were full of wild vegetables.

My senior brother picked the vegetables and put them in a basket.

I followed my senior brother and scanned the surroundings.

“Found it.”

The vegetable I found was a dandelion.

Whether in the modern world or in Zhongyuan, it was just a weed by the roadside, but I knew the true efficacy of this dandelion.

‘Dandelions are good for vitality.’

Although the effect was weak, dandelions had the ability to enhance vitality.

Among the wild vegetables, I already knew which ones and herbs were good for vitality.

I filled the basket with dandelions and other herbs and vegetables that were good for vitality.

‘Hehehe. If I consistently consume these, my vitality will…’

Of course, these herbs didn’t have great efficacy.

At best, they only had a weak effect.

Unless it was a legendary elixir like the Neidan of the Ten Thousand Year Fire Carp or the Ten Thousand Year Ultimate Blood Treasure, one couldn’t expect a dramatic increase in vitality.

Of course, I knew where they were, but it was difficult to obtain them in my current situation, not having ventured into the martial world yet.

Anyway, those elixirs would stay quietly in their places until I found them in my previous life, so there was no need to rush to find them.

Anyway, I was thirteen years old now.

If I consistently consumed herbs and vegetables that were good for vitality for the next seven years until I reached the age of twenty, I would achieve great success and obtain ultimate vitality.

With grand ambitions, I picked the vegetables.

Just then.

“Ahhh! Junior brother! Junior brother!!”

I heard my senior brother’s high-pitched scream.

Why is he suddenly like that?

When I turned my head, there was a viper, thicker than an arm, raising its triangular head and flicking its tongue, confronting my senior brother.

Gongdong Mountain was a sacred mountain where the spiritual energy of the world gathered. Naturally, among the creatures, there were monsters that had accumulated spiritual energy and grown larger than usual.

The viper, larger than a python, had appeared for that reason.

If that viper absorbed more spiritual energy and grew larger, forming a Neidan in its body, it would become a spiritual creature like the Black-scaled Blood Python.

—

—

Unfortunately, the viper before my eyes was not a spiritual creature. However, it wasn’t an ordinary viper either. It was in a transitional state somewhere between a spiritual creature and a mundane one.

Wait a minute, a viper?

A snake?

Slurp.

I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth.

What kind of day is today?

A snake, really.

‘Snakes… are good for vitality!’

One of the staple menus at health centers is snake soup and snake wine, isn’t it?

Anyway, I didn’t plan to end today with just simple ingredient gathering.

According to the records of my past life, Sword Saint Yoo Jin-hwi, during his training at the Gongdong Sect before venturing into the martial world, got lost in Gongdong Mountain and stumbled upon the legendary Gwangseong Danhyeol (廣成丹穴).

It is said that he recovered some of the lost secret techniques of the Gongdong Sect and found and consumed a spiritual medicine there.

I don’t know exactly what that spiritual medicine was since it wasn’t recorded, but anyway, it was about time for me to start taking spiritual medicine to increase my internal energy.

Yoo Jin-hwi’s venture into the martial world, as seen in the records of my past life, was not far off.

“Brother! A s-snake! And a venomous one! It’s dangerous! Brother, I-I’ll protect you…”

My senior brother, trembling, drew his sword with shaking hands as he watched the viper raise its head with a hissing sound.

His eyes were filled with fear.

Was Yoo Jin-hwi afraid of snakes?

This was information that wasn’t in the records of my past life.

What kind of man is afraid of snakes? Well, I guess even men can be scared of creepy things if they have that kind of personality.

Thinking that, I stepped between my trembling senior brother and the large viper, drawing my sword.

“Senior brother, please rest behind me. I will handle this venomous creature.”

“Brother! But! I-I… I will…”

“Senior brother. You may not trust my skills, but sometimes, please believe in this foolish junior. Senior brother, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself with drawing your sword. I will take care of it.”

I spoke to my senior brother in a solemn voice and tone.

Handing over such a rare vitality booster?

No way.

Even though it wasn’t a full-fledged spiritual creature, it was still a beast with more than ordinary spiritual energy.

I had to make snake soup and chew every piece of its flesh to convert it into my vitality.

Snake wine was good too, but since it required an aging period, soup that could be consumed immediately was better.

—

—

To do that, I had to catch that viper.

Only then would I have the right to claim it as mine.

The trembling in my senior brother’s eyes gradually subsided as he met my gaze.

He slightly lowered his head, blushing.

Blushing? Why is he doing that?

Is he really gay?

I took a step back from him.

“Yes, I understand. Junior brother. But if you find yourself in danger, I’ll help you.”

He said in a shy voice.

Good.

I listened to his words with one ear and let them out the other, while I held my sword and licked my dry lips as I stared at the viper.

Hehe.

The dinner menu before elixir farming is snake soup, which is good for stamina.