Chapter 4: The Demon Emperor Has Returned (3)

Chapter 4: The Demon Emperor Has Returned (3)

The kid asked, “Why are you still standing there?”

“...Mmmm.”

“Take a seat.”

“Alright.” Kang Jin-Ho settled down next to the kid, then stared at the can of cola in his hand. His focused, determined eyes took in the sight of the fizzy drink for some time, and then he reached for the tab.

Pshuuuu!

The tab was pushed open, allowing the refreshing sizzle to escape. Kang Jin-Ho let out a moan. “Mm...”

The kid burst into laughter at how serious Kang Jin-Ho stared at the cola in his hands. “Ahahaha! Is this your first time drinking cola? What were you doing?”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “It's been a while.”

“You really must've come from outer space, Oppa.”

‘Outer space, is it... ’

Kang Jin-Ho thought that maybe the kid was right. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Zhongyuan was in a completely different universe to this one.

“All the gas will escape like that, you know. You should drink it quickly.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded at the kid's recommendation and slowly brought the can to his lips.

Gulp.

He took a sip and let the drink fizzle in his mouth before swallowing it down. “...Keuk!”

He was sure that he drank cola all the time in the past, yet this sensation trickling down his esophagus felt completely alien to him, something he had never experienced before in his life. His throat stung like crazy while the carbon dioxide from the drink rose back up from his insides and tried to burst out of his mouth and nose.

“Hah-ah!” Kang Jin-Ho spat out a heavy pant, then stared at the can in slight disbelief.

'Did I really enjoy this stuff back then '

The kid burst into yet another raucous laughter after noticing Kang Jin-Ho's crumpled expression. He also chuckled bitterly before taking another sip of the carbonated drink. The second sip felt markedly better now that his senses had gotten used to it, allowing him to properly savor the taste.

'It's sweet.'

How long had it been since he last tasted something this sweet? Kang Jin-Ho stared at the can with a weird look on his face.

“Why are you making that face, Oppa?”

“I was wondering if someone else thought about the same thing as me.”

“About what?”

“How did they manage to dissolve the carbon dioxide in the water? Who even thought of doing that?” Kang Jin-Ho muttered.

The kid quietly replied, “...Oppa, you're really strange.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't retort and simply stared at his cola. The kid probably couldn't understand why he said that. But he had been living for decades in an era without science. He couldn't help but think about just how much had to go into making this single can of cola.

‘By the way... This kid called me Oppa until now, right ’

Kang Jin-Ho took another glance at the kid. Now that he took a closer look, this kid's appearance definitely leaned closer to the feminine side. As for her age, she must have reached ten not too long ago, maybe

Kang Jin-Ho abruptly asked, “What about your school?”

The kid retorted right back. “Look who's talking.”

“You got a point there.”

“How did you end up here, Oppa?”

“Car accident.”

“You don't look all that hurt, though? Wait, are you pretending to be sick so you don't have to go back to school?” The kid began teasing him.

Kang Jin-Ho replied disinterestedly, “The hospital doesn't want to discharge me yet.”

“That's weird. This hospital is famous for releasing patients quickly, you know?”

“Is that so? What about you?”

“My heart is bad, they say.”

“Your heart?”

“Yes?”

“No matter how good your prognosis is, you still should not make any sudden or extreme movements. It might cause another internal bleeding, you know!”

“Understood.” Kang Jin-Ho let the doctor's advice slip out his other ear.

His mother sighed. “Whew... Even though I told him over and over again...”

“Whatever the case may be, Mr. Kang, please refrain from moving too much or too suddenly, at least while you're still under our care,” said the doctor.

Kang Jin-Ho's reply was as concise as usual, “I will.”

The doctor finished the consultation and then left the room. His mother stood up next. “Jin-Ho, can you look after yourself for a little while?”

“I can.”

“I need to pop back in at the house since it's a total mess over there. You know, your father can't be trusted to do these things properly.”

“Don't worry about me and just go, Mother.”

“Okay, Jin-Ho. Do as the doctor said and don't move too much, okay? I've put some extra money in the drawer over there, so if you want to eat something, don't hold back. Oh, and the weather is getting cold lately, so you also shouldn’t go outside. Nurses and doctors warned me strictly about that. I'll be back by evening, but call me if something happens while I’m not here. And I already told you this before, but...!”

His mother's nagging seemed unending. Cold sweat began trickling down Kang Jin-Ho's back. Who would have thought that being a captive audience to a one-sided nagging would be this torturous! Kang Jin-Ho would've much preferred to fight hundreds of the Ten Sect's elites instead.

Eventually, though, his mother reached the end of her nagging. “Understand, Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, Mother!”

“Okay, I'm going now.”

“Yes, Mother!”

“It's, Mom!”

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly corrected himself. “...Yes, Mom.”

His mother chuckled softly before exiting the hospital room.

Kang Jin-Ho smiled wryly. Now that he was back in the modern era, he truly believed that life would be peaceful and ordinary, but an unexpected hurdle suddenly presented itself. His mother's nagging turned out to be several times worse than his fuzzy memory had suggested! So much so that just listening to her made him dizzy.

Throb!

Kang Jin-Ho felt the throbbing ache coming from his side and looked at the wound responsible for it. This was so cumbersome. He circulated his internal energy a little and sped up the healing process, but there was a limit to how much that method could achieve. His old self in gangho would've overcome such an injury and gotten back up to his feet in two days.

'Should I just heal it '

Healing this wound should be a simple-enough matter if he really wanted to do it. His body would automatically take care of the healing process as long as he reformed his dantian, absorbed the qi in the atmosphere, and provided the wound with the necessary energy. However, Kang Jin-Ho shook his head at this idea.

Indeed, healing himself would be a simple matter if he chose to go through with it. But he should not do this. After all, he had decided to live an ordinary life after returning to the modern era. Creating a dantian could lead to a slightly more comfortable life, but living as an ordinary man would become that much harder in turn.

He certainly had thought about creating a dantian and hiding his powers afterward. But a nail inside your pocket was bound to prick your hand sooner or later. A man with power was bound to get swept up in the urge to use that power one day.

Kang Jin-Ho had chosen to cast all those things aside for the sake of living an ordinary life. And that was why...

'I don't need them.'

Honestly, what good were martial arts in the modern world, anyway? It wasn’t like he would have to engage his enemies in mortal combat, and the world itself was not some barbaric place where people murdered each other for thrills, either. Having some kind of cultivation in this world didn't hold much of an advantage other than perhaps getting to your destination a bit sooner. Oh, and not getting sick... that much

Kang Jin-Ho gently pressed his waist.

Throb!

Throb!

The throbbing ache reached his brain once more. This pain was a reminder that he had begun a new life. An ordinary life.

'I'll keep living an ordinary life.'

This was what he had been dreaming about. And finally, the opportunity had landed on his lap. That was why Kang Jin-Ho decided not to rush things. Now was the time to adjust to the modern world rather than trying to do something grand. It might take a little time, but he should eventually acclimatize if he persisted with this ordinary life. Humans would always adjust to their environments sooner or later, after all.

Kang Jin-Ho from the modern world had eventually adjusted to the ways of Zhongyuan, so there was no reason for him to fail now when he used to live in this era.

He laid down on the bed and shifted his attention to the TV. One of the things he realized recently was how tremendously useful the TV could be. Compared to the ancient past when the only form of entertainment was either watching costumed stage plays or riding around in boats on lakes, almost every channel on TV was overflowing with information and many other interesting things. Among those channels, Kang Jin-Ho watched the news the most.

Nothing could beat the news for repairing the gaps in his hazy knowledge and improving his understanding of the modern world, both of which had gone out of whack after he lived in the past for so long. Although the bits about politics were boring, other reports were more than interesting enough to balance it out. Even the news channel currently on TV was reporting on an event that piqued Kang Jin-Ho's curiosity.

[Breaking news! The suspect in the recent serial killing case has escaped after injuring one of the police officers in a standoff. We can confirm that the suspect was shot during his escape, but his whereabouts are currently unknown. The police are urging the citizens in the affected areas to refrain from leaving their houses to prevent any additional losses of lives, and...]

'A serial killer, huh... '

Kang Jin-Ho's eyes became slightly withdrawn.