Absolute Regression Chapter 743 : This Is Why People Line Up for This Taste

Chapter 743: This Is Why People Line Up for This Taste

The carriage sped toward Zhejiang.

“I’ll drive the carriage. You should head to the back and get so rest.”

Ji Han felt uneasy seeing Geom Mugeuk still holding the reins.

“I’m fine.”

When Geom Mugeuk declined, Tae Soo quickly stepped in, acting like he knew everything.

“To introduce this man properly, he’s from an escort bureau, a man who’s been all over the Central Plains since his youth. You’ve never seen anyone drive a carriage like him.”

Geom Mugeuk had never said such a thing, but Tae Soo firmly believed it.

Ji Han glanced sideways at Geom Mugeuk.

No matter how many tis he looked, the man didn’t seem like soone from an escort bureau. No, in what world could any escort or head guard drive soone like the Man of Ten-Thousand Evils to commit suicide?

‘For a thief, he’s quite clueless.’

Unaware that he was coming off as clueless to Ji Han, Tae Soo continued to act as if he knew everything.

“You wouldn’t believe how well he knows the roads, too.”

While bragging about Geom Mugeuk, Tae Soo felt a twinge of emptiness. After all, Geom Mugeuk’s subordinate wasn’t him—it was Ji Han.

“And you wouldn’t believe how good he is at cooking, either. You’ll be shocked once you taste what he makes.”

Ji Han grew curious about Geom Mugeuk’s background. Every leader he had seen so far neither drove their own carriage nor even knew the roads well. Those were tasks for their subordinates.

But cooking? And cooking personally for his subordinate?

Ji Han couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of anticipation. As a martial artist, when would he ever get to et a leader like this again?

‘No, don’t expect too much.’

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointnt. He didn’t even know what kind of person this leader truly was yet.

Then, Geom Mugeuk suddenly asked Ji Han,

“You were the one who applied the Soul-Chasing Incense on the Treasure Map in the beginning, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how the Evil King Sect managed to obtain the Treasure Map?”

“No, I don’t. At the ti, soone from the upper ranks ca to with the map. He told it was sothing that must never be lost and ordered to use the most effective Soul-Chasing Incense on it.”

“Do you know who that person was?”

Ji Han shook his head.

“No, he was wearing a bamboo hat pulled low. I couldn’t see his face properly.”

“He deliberately hid his identity, then.”

Ji Han hadn’t thought much of it at the ti. The Evil King Sect was full of secretive figures.

“But if I see him again, I think I’ll recognize him.”

Geom Mugeuk turned his head to look at Ji Han and said,

“You rember that man’s scent, then.”

“Yes, he had a very distinct sll.”

This ti, Ji Han was the one asking.

“But why are you asking about that?”

“Because it’s strange. The Evil King Sect managed to get their hands on the Treasure Map—and then lost it again? That doesn’t make sense.”

Ji Han flinched and asked,

“Surely, you’re not saying that the Evil King Sect intentionally released the Treasure Map into the Central Plains, are you?”

Tae Soo, who was listening from the driver’s seat, also turned tense as he waited for Geom Mugeuk’s response.

If that were true, then he had been moving exactly as those bastards intended.

“There’s a possibility,” Geom Mugeuk replied, his gaze deepening.

“The struggle over the Treasure Map drew even our attention, after all.”

Hearing that, Ji Han suddenly had a thought.

‘Who exactly is this “our” he’s talking about?’

He was now part of that “our,” whatever it was.

---

They stopped the carriage in the open field.

While the horses grazed and rested, everyone took a short break of their own.

Blood Heaven Blade Demon and One-Slash Sword Supre went for a walk together, and Tae Soo lay down in the grass for a nap.

Geom Mugeuk stood atop a small hill, gazing up at the sky.

Ji Han approached him quietly, indicating that there was sothing personal to discuss.

“When was the last ti you looked up at the sky?”

Ji Han followed Geom Mugeuk’s gaze and answered,

“I can’t rember.”

“From now on, make an effort to look often. Everyone under my command is required to look at the sky at least once a day.”

“Yes, I’ll rember that.”

“If there’s sothing you wish to ask, do so.”

It was the perfect ti—away from Tae Soo—to ask what had been on his mind. It seed the man hadn’t revealed his identity to him yet.

“I’d like to know my lord’s na.”

Songno had once said that a man’s two words—his na—defined him completely.

Though Ji Han asked cautiously, Geom Mugeuk replied without a hint of weight.

“I’m Geom Mugeuk. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“It sounds great,” Ji Han replied absentmindedly—then froze.

Geom Mugeuk?

He was sure he’d heard that na before.

Before his mory even caught up, his body reacted first. A dark, indescribable pressure engulfed him. His spine turned cold, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Geom Mugeuk… Geom Mugeuk… Where had he heard it?

“!”

A flash of realization struck him like lightning. The na was far too famous for him not to recognize—it just hadn’t occurred to him sooner because it was so unbelievable.

To think he’d hear that na spoken by the very man who had just beco his leader, out here in the middle of an empty field, with no one else around—he could never have imagined it.

‘No, it can’t be. That’s impossible!’

The more he tried to deny it, telling himself it must be soone else with the sa na, the faster his heart pounded.

Ji Han looked at Geom Mugeuk, half in disbelief.

Geom Mugeuk smiled.

“Yes, you’re right.”

That answer—so calm, as though he could read Ji Han’s every thought—left no doubt. That composed face confird it.

This Geom Mugeuk was *that* Geom Mugeuk.

“Do you regret choosing to beco my subordinate?”

That question sealed it.

‘He really is the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult!’

Ji Han’s body trembled like an aspen tree.

“No, I do not regret it. It’s just… I was rely surprised.”

Ji Han was half out of his wits.

He had imagined countless possibilities for who his new leader might be. A descendant of a prestigious orthodox sect? A renowned master from the unorthodox world? Perhaps an aged hermit who had erged from seclusion after regaining his youth? He had entertained every possible thought.

But among all those guesses, the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had never once crossed his mind.

He had never imagined that the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would greet anyone with such a bright smile. Such a version of the Young Cult Leader simply didn’t exist in his head.

Suddenly, Songno ca to mind. When he had asked Songno to tell him the na of the Young Cult Leader, how laughable must that have sounded to him?

At the sa ti, Ji Han couldn’t help cursing inwardly. *That damned old man!*

What was he thinking—telling him to approach the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?

But now that he knew the truth, was it even proper to stand beside him like this? Was it even right to look him in the eyes? Shouldn’t everyone in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult be bowing low before the Young Cult Leader?

“Then, who are those two over there?”

Pushing aside his spiraling thoughts, Ji Han gathered his courage to ask.

“They are the Demon Supres—Blood Heaven Blade Demon and One-Slash Sword Supre.”

“Ah!”

They were the legendary Eight Demon Supres he had only heard of in rumors.

Now he finally understood why the Man of Ten-Thousand Evils had taken his own life. He had dared to reveal his lustful intent toward One-Slash Sword Supre—he had been dood the mont he did. Knowing forgiveness was impossible, he had chosen to die by his own hand. Otherwise, he would have been torn apart limb from limb.

It astonished Ji Han that the Young Cult Leader and the two Demon Supres were traveling through the Central Plains without any other subordinates. He had imagined they would be accompanied by hundreds, if not thousands.

Even seeing it with his own eyes, it still felt unreal. Who could possibly believe such a thing?

“I never imagined I would serve soone so great.”

“Yes, from now on, you must revere and uphold as though I were the heavens themselves!”

Though Geom Mugeuk spoke in jest, Ji Han couldn’t possibly take it as a joke.

“I will devote my entire being to serve you with absolute loyalty!”

At that mont, what Geom Mugeuk truly felt was this:

“When you give your entire being, there will co a day when it feels unbearably hard. When that happens, don’t look at the ground, don’t look at your subordinates, don’t even look into your own heart—look there. Don’t look at either, just look there.”

Ji Han followed Geom Mugeuk’s gaze and looked up at the sky.

In the vast heavens, scattered clouds drifted slowly by. A lone bird spread its wings and glided across the boundless blue.

“Even when you sigh, look there as you do. Even when you feel like bursting from frustration, look there before you vent it. When you do that, you’ll start to feel yourself beco small—and with that, your troubles will shrink as well.”

The Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—the one who told him to look up at the sky when tis were hard.

That man was now his leader.

And at last, Ji Han had found his answer.

‘We are the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.’

That terrifying na had now beco his own.

Just then, Tae Soo approached them.

“What were you two talking about so seriously?”

“Our lord was teaching the way for a man to humble himself,” Ji Han replied.

Tae Soo blinked, not quite understanding, but Ji Han didn’t bother explaining.

Tae Soo felt a sudden pang of exclusion.

When he sensed Ji Han’s newfound reverence toward Geom Mugeuk—deeper, almost devout—that sense of alienation grew even stronger.

‘So this is what true loyalty looks like?’

Until now, the very thought of serving under soone had always suffocated him. But for so reason, toward this Ji Han, he felt a strange pang of jealousy. Geom Mugeuk’s favor should have been his—so why did it feel like he’d lost sothing instead?

“When this is all over and we return, you’ll be traveling across the Central Plains under the na of the Cheonma Escort Bureau,” Tae Soo said proudly.

Ji Han stiffened. To say the word Cheonma(Heavenly Demon) so carelessly!

‘You’ll get yourself killed!’

Completely unaware of the danger, Tae Soo went on with a hint of boastfulness.

“He even said he’d introduce to the Leader of the Cheonma Escort Bureau soday.”

‘That’ll really get you killed!’

---

“There it is—the place famous for its Five-Spice Braised Pork!”

The front of the inn was packed with people, a long line stretching down the street with custors waiting to get in.

At the entrance, the attendant was shouting,

“Please wait a little! A table will open up soon!”

Geom Mugeuk stepped down from the carriage first and walked toward the people lined up outside.

Following behind, Ji Han grew tense.

What would Geom Mugeuk do? Would he scare the people away to make room? Or would he ignore the line and just walk straight in?

Neither option seed like sothing Geom Mugeuk would do.

Then, Ji Han’s eyes widened.

Geom Mugeuk went to the *end* of the line and stood there.

‘The Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is lining up… to eat?’

Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it.

Alright, perhaps it was because this Young Cult Leader was an extraordinary person. But then an even more astonishing sight unfolded.

Blood Heaven Blade Demon and One-Slash Sword Supre followed Geom Mugeuk and stood in line behind him. Neither of them looked displeased—in fact, they seed amused and curious.

“This is your first ti waiting in line to eat, isn’t it?” Geom Mugeuk asked.

One-Slash Sword Supre nodded.

Blood Heaven Blade Demon frowned, pretending to disapprove.

“To think we’re lining up just to eat a al!”

“Go rest in the carriage. I’ll call you when it’s our turn,” Geom Mugeuk said.

“No, I’ll stay. It’s too much trouble to move.”

Though his words sounded irritated, in truth, Blood Heaven Blade Demon was enjoying himself. Just standing in line alongside One-Slash Sword Supre brought him unexpected delight. This journey outside the cult was giving him a strange, refreshing experience he had never known before.

Then, One-Slash Sword Supre lifted her hand, shading her face from the sunlight.

Then, Blood Heaven Blade Demon subtly lifted the great saber slung over his back and rested it across his shoulder. The massive blade blocked the sunlight that had been shining on One-Slash Sword Supre’s face.

When she quietly stepped back, Blood Heaven Blade Demon, pretending not to notice, moved back with her.

One-Slash Sword Supre looked at his broad back with a faint smile. Her gaze lingered on the knot wrapped in cloth, and she remarked,

“That knot has held together for quite a long ti.”

Without turning around, Blood Heaven Blade Demon replied,

“There’s a bet on the line. Do you think I’d let it co undone?”

They were still as fiercely competitive as ever.

As they chatted and watched the crowd, the line moved faster than expected.

“Look,” Geom Mugeuk said, “there are now more people behind us than in front. This is why people line up for this taste.”

Hearing that, Ji Han couldn’t help but think to himself,

‘Do these people even realize? That they’re standing in front of and behind the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? That today, they’re sharing a al with him?’

The line kept moving, and before long, it was finally their turn to go inside.

Just then, a luxurious carriage stopped in front of the inn.

From the number of ard guards on horseback surrounding it, it was clearly the carriage of a wealthy household.

A man and a woman stepped out.

The man got down first and courteously helped the woman descend.

The woman was dressed in rich, elegant clothing, adorned with glittering jewels on her neck and wrists. Every ornant she wore shimred with wealth and extravagance.

The man, too, looked like the son of a noble family. His eyes never left the woman, showing how completely smitten he was.

“The Five-Spice Braised Pork here is truly worth recomnding,” the man said.

The woman wrinkled her nose slightly as she looked at the inn.

“How disappointing. To think you’d bring to such a shabby place before our wedding.”

Her tone, laced with disdain and irritation, revealed exactly what kind of person she was. It was a talent in itself—how one’s words could expose their character so clearly.

“Still, the food here is excellent,” the man insisted.

The woman’s eyes then swept over the people waiting in line, and her expression soured even more.

“I’m not going to wait in line just to eat.”

“Of course not,” the man agreed, and signaled his guards with a glance.

At once, the guards stepped forward and blocked the line in front of Geom Mugeuk with a threatening air.

The couple, acting as though it were their natural right, cut the line and entered the inn, followed by their escorts.

The attendant gave Geom Mugeuk an apologetic look.

“I’m terribly sorry, sir.”

Geom Mugeuk smiled and replied,

“It’s fine. A skilled attendant knows when not to intervene—and when to close his eyes.”

Ji Han could not endure it while the attendant tolerated it, Geom Mugeuk tolerated it, and the Demon Supres tolerated it.

“I will go in and give them a stern lesson.”

Judging by the level of the accompanying martial artists, it was sothing he could handle on his own. How dare they! He intended to teach them a proper lesson.

Then Geom Mugeuk said sothing strange.

“Why? To forgive them?”

“Huh?”

Ji Han thought Geom Mugeuk had misheard him. He had said he would go and give them a sharp scolding.

But Geom Mugeuk had not misheard.

“Just leave them be. If you step in and punish them, it might break the relationship between those two, wouldn’t it?”

Only then did Ji Han understand. Leaving them alone was not an act of forgiveness.

It ant letting two similar people et and suffer together for a lifeti.

At that, Blood Heaven Blade Demon shook his head.

“What a terrifying fellow! This one’s worse than . Right?”

Seeking agreent, Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked to One-Slash Sword Supre, who only smiled.

Soon it was their turn.

When they opened the inn door and entered, the heat of the crowd and the sll of food hit them at once. The interior was very spacious and packed with people.

In the raucous atmosphere, people ate and drank, and attendants hurried between tables carrying dishes on trays.

Geom Mugeuk looked around the scene, which resembled a battlefield, and spoke solemnly.

“We won’t be able to co back here to eat. So even if soone steps on our feet, we’ll let it go; even if food is spilled, we’ll let it go; even if soone picks a fight, we’ll let it go. We’ll endure everything except insults to our parents! The important thing is that our elders get to eat the Five-Spice Braised Pork!”