Chapter 5

I came down from the mountain.

Thirsty, I headed for the well.

I gulped down the water I scooped up with the dipper.

There was no need to buy bottled water.

The water from this well tasted surprisingly good.

*Burp!*

After drinking the refreshing water, I lay down on the bench.

As I emptied my mind, the world seemed beautiful.

It felt like a healing experience under the clear blue sky.

“I drank... Qingcheng Stone Oil?”

Qingcheng Stone Oil, the miraculous elixir that only appears in novels.

After posting on the community forum to gather information and seeing people's reactions, I searched for information about Qingcheng Stone Oil out of curiosity.

It was exactly the same as the water I drank.

The color was milky.

The water was said to be sweet and sour.

“I can't believe it.”

I really got a stroke of luck.

But thinking about the formation process of Qingcheng Stone Oil raises questions.

Water that originates from an old underground stone chamber.

That's what Qingcheng Stone Oil is supposed to be, but how could such a precious elixir appear in my wild mountain? And what happened to the turtle rock?

“Could my wild mountain be a place where elixirs are found?”

I couldn't help but chuckle.

If my wild mountain is a place where elixirs are found, I hit the jackpot.

Other elixirs might appear in the future.

“Did the old man know about the hidden secrets of the wild mountain?”

I don't think he knew.

If he did, he wouldn't have sold the wild mountain.

I would have wanted to keep it all to myself for life.

Then I heard someone walking nearby.

“Ahem. You're out on the bench.”

It was a familiar middle-aged man's voice.

It was definitely the village chief, Park Dong-sung.

Has the household survey not been completed yet?

Since someone came, I couldn't stay lying down.

“Ugh!”

But I got up from the bench.

As I turned to look at the village chief, I realized with a start.

My appearance had changed significantly from yesterday.

‘If he sees my changed appearance, he'll be suspicious.’

I couldn't tell the truth.

If the change in my appearance was due to Qingcheng Stone Oil, it was something I couldn't reveal. I had been betrayed by people I trusted. So, I needed an excuse for my changed appearance. But what could I say?

I had to lie.

I wasn't sure if the village chief would fall for it.

“Hello, sir?”

*Bow*

I greeted him first.

Fortunately, the only person I had met in the village was the village chief, and that was only briefly yesterday. So, I only needed to deceive one person now.

I had to make him believe that this was my original appearance.

But as expected,

“Huh! Your appearance...”

The village chief's face showed shock at my changed appearance.

He was holding a black bag in his hand, but that wasn't important right now.

I swallowed nervously and tried to play it cool.

“You're surprised, right? I look a bit different from yesterday.”

It wasn't just a bit; I looked like a completely different person.

Unlike my previous small, chubby, and unattractive self, my current appearance was so transformed that I could easily pass for a celebrity.

Now, I had to make the lie believable.

“I have a condition where my body swells up when I'm tired. I've been working hard on the house repairs lately, so I must have been very tired. Honestly, when I saw myself in the mirror last night, I was so shocked I thought I would faint. Ha ha! Now that the swelling is gone, I'm so relieved to be back to my original face.”

I didn't know I could lie so well.

Fortunately, my efforts paid off. The village chief seemed to believe about 70% of what I said, even if not 100%.

“Ahem. So that's why you looked different from yesterday?”

“Right! That must be it! Ha ha ha!”

“You look so handsome now. You could be a celebrity.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

The village chief had his doubts, but the idea of a sudden change in appearance was too far-fetched. He probably thought his eyesight was failing and dismissed it.

‘I'm sorry.’

I apologized to the village chief in my mind.

I didn't want to lie, but I had to.

I sighed in relief after deceiving the village chief and then looked at the black bag he was holding, which had been on my mind.

Noticing my gaze, the village chief smiled awkwardly and said,

“I came empty-handed yesterday. Actually, I came to give you this.”

“What is it?”

“It's pork belly. My wife bought it for my daughter, but she couldn't come, so... I brought it since there's a lot.”

“Thank you.”

The bag he handed me was quite heavy.

It looked like a lot for one person to eat.

I was curious about the old man who had sold me this place, so I thought it was a good opportunity.

“Sir, since you're here, why don't you stay and eat with me? I'm pretty good at grilling meat.”

“Sure, why not?”

The village chief's eyes lit up.

He had eaten breakfast, but meat was always a good choice.

Moreover, as a village chief with a marriageable daughter, he was interested in a young man living here.

‘This young man looks so handsome, he would be a good match for my daughter. But why didn't I notice how good-looking he was yesterday? That's strange.’

As the village chief stared at my face, I felt uncomfortable and tried to lighten the mood.

“Sir, I'll go prepare the grill and some food. Please sit here.”

“No, I can pick some lettuce and peppers from the garden.”

“That would be great. Ha ha!”

The village chief moved toward the garden as if he knew the place well.

“I'll get ready too.”

Back in the house, I prepared some doenjang stew.

I was always the one cooking, even before and after marriage, so I was quite skilled at it.

*Boil, boil!*

I boiled the stew and served the rice from the cooker.

I took out kimchi and ssamjang from the fridge and placed them on a tray.

“I'll bring the food on the tray.”

I first brought the gas burner and grill to the bench.

Then I carried the tray outside.

‘It's brunch time.’

It was a bit late for breakfast but a bit early for lunch, so it could be considered brunch.

“I'm ready too! Ha ha!”

The village chief placed the washed vegetables on the bench and smiled at me.

We worked well together.

The village chief praised my quick preparation.

“Ha ha! You're quite efficient.”

“Thanks to your help, sir. How about a drink of soju if you didn't drive here?”

“You have soju?”

“Shall I get it?”

“I'd like that. Ha ha ha!”

The village chief laughed heartily.

Pork belly goes well with soju.

*Thud!*

I brought the soju from the fridge to the bench.

I took out two bottles. Even though I'm not a heavy drinker, to get information about the old man who lived here, it would be natural to offer the village chief some drinks.

“Let's grill the meat!”

*Sizzle!*

I picked up the tongs and started grilling the meat.

While the food was cooking, the village chief tried the stew.

“Wow! The stew is a work of art!”

The village chief gave me a thumbs up.

I shrugged and poured the soju.

“Here's a drink, sir!”

I poured the first drink for the village chief.

This time, he filled my glass.

“Welcome to the village.”

“Thank you.”

I ended up having a pork belly party with the village chief on the front bench.

The meat was delicious, the air was fresh, and with a bit of alcohol, I felt great. Something was different today.

I usually get drunk after one drink, so I was careful, but even drinking at the same pace as the village chief, I didn't feel drunk at all.

Was this also thanks to the Qingcheng Stone Oil?

Anyway, while eating and drinking, I naturally heard stories about the old man who used to live here.

“When my daughter was very young, she was injured by a wild boar on the mountain. If it weren't for that man, my daughter would be in the other world now.”

“That's really fortunate. How did the old man save her?”

“I was in a panic at the time, so I don't remember clearly, but I know he gave her something like a fruit. After eating it, my daughter, who we thought was dead, suddenly opened her eyes.”

“Ah! That's amazing.”

When I bought this place, I saw the old man, but he seemed like an ordinary elderly person at the time.

He said he was selling it quickly because he was going to live with his son in Seoul, so I didn't think much of it.

“Did the old man have a son in Seoul?”

“That's a bit strange.”

“What's strange about it?”

“He lived here for decades, but I never heard that he had a son. If he had a son, he would have visited at least once or twice. But he never did.”

“Still, it must have been disappointing for you when he left suddenly.”

“Of course, it was. I never thought he would leave so suddenly. I thought he would live and die here.”

“But you two must still be in touch, right?”

“Contact? That man doesn't have a phone. He even refused to install a landline here, saying it was a hassle.”

Indeed, when I bought this place, I never spoke to the old man directly and dealt with him through a real estate agent.

I wondered if I could get the contact information for the old man's son in Seoul.

“Doesn't his son in Seoul have a phone?”

“What's the point? When I called, it said the number was disconnected.”

“Disconnected?”

“It seems he didn't go to his son's place in Seoul. Maybe he went to a place to die alone. Anyway, it's strange how he disappeared without a trace. He's a heartless man.”

Hearing the village chief's words, my doubts about the old man grew. Maybe he knew about the hidden secrets of this place. Perhaps his time was up, and he passed it on to me.

“I ate well.”

“Thanks to you, sir, I had a great meal of pork belly.”

“Do you want to meet my daughter sometime?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I'm a bachelor by choice.”

“Hmm! If you change your mind, just say so.”

Before leaving, the village chief showed me a photo of his daughter on his phone. She was pretty, unlike him.

But if he knew I was divorced and had a congenital condition, he would change his mind. Of course, I had no interest in marriage after my previous failed marriage.

*Swish!*

After seeing the village chief off, I focused on the dishes.

I washed the dishes with well water I scooped up with the dipper.

There were many suspicious points about the old man who lived here, but I decided not to think about it too deeply.

What mattered was that the wild mountain was now mine.