In the depths of the cave, the harsh sound of scrap metal clashing echoed.
The nauseating smell that stung his nose made him involuntarily frown.
Bae Jong took a few trembling steps and entered the cave.
Following the torches on the cave walls, he walked a bit further and saw a man sitting in a massive chair.
A large saber, as big as an average adult male, was carelessly leaned against the side of the chair.
When Bae Jong reached the man, he slowly knelt on one knee.
The owner of the sword looked at Bae Jong with a bored expression and spoke.
"Got your tail stepped on?"
His voice was dull, filled with annoyance.
Bae Jong swallowed hard and replied.
"Yes... It seems the Huashan Sect has caught on."
"Hmm... So bringing Yulang Jian was indeed too greedy."
Shin Chong, the Plum Sword Master of Huashan, known as Yulang Jian.
He had gone to great lengths to capture him when the opportunity arose, but it turned out to be a wasted effort.
It was because Huashan was quicker to notice than expected.
"Once they caught on, it would be difficult to extract more."
"I will report to the main palace."
"Make sure it's not too late. I've seen what happens when things are handled too slowly, so you better do well."
"...Yes!"
The man, who was just chewing on a fried scorpion, pulled out a letter from his robe and threw it to Bae Jong.
"Bae Jong."
"...Yes, Branch Leader."
"There's been an incident in Yechuan. Do you know what it is?"
"...I heard that raccoons have appeared."
"Raccoons? How did they know?"
Raccoon is a derogatory term for Haomen.
To notice in such a remote place? Even if Haomen is excellent in intelligence, this was hard to understand.
"Hmm... Is there an informant?"
While he wasn't entirely sure, it was hard to believe that the Wu Lin Alliance or Haomen had planted one.
The rustling of his hands stopped.
He had finished eating the scorpion.
Bae Jong, noticing this, quickly spoke.
"I'll have the kids bring more."
"Good, I like your quick thinking."
The man chuckled and stood up.
His towering figure, over eight feet tall, was intimidating.
Bae Jong, seeing this, hastily added.
"The main palace has issued an order."
"Speak, I'm listening."
"The Divine Doctor has appeared in Shaanxi."
Bae Jong's words made the man's eyes widen.
"The Divine Doctor?"
"Yes."
"Last time, he was in Anhui, and now he's in Shaanxi? For an old man, he's quite energetic."
"The kids are currently tracking his location."
Bae Jong's words made the man show his yellowed teeth.
The cave trembled from the thick killing intent emanating from him.
"Bae Jong."
"Yes... Yes! Branch Leader...!"
"I didn't order you to send the kids, did I?"
His heart was being squeezed tighter and tighter.
Bae Jong, feeling the approaching hand, quickly spoke.
"It was a direct order from the Palace Master...!"
The man's presence, which had been approaching, stopped, and the killing intent slowly dissipated.
"Is that so?"
"Yes... It's a letter directly from the Palace Master."
With a trembling hand, Bae Jong handed over the paper, which the man snatched and unfolded.
The letter indeed had the Palace Master's seal.
This made the man's expression turn sour.
"To send a letter to a subordinate instead of the branch leader, the Palace Master must be very busy, but I feel a bit disappointed."
"...Yes... He must be very busy."
You're not trusted because you can't do your job properly, you pig.
Grind.
Bae Jong swallowed the words he couldn't say until his death.
"So, what am I supposed to do? Kill him?"
The letter had everything written, but asking without reading it properly was really annoying.
However, Bae Jong couldn't do anything about it.
"...The order is to capture and imprison him in the branch's basement."
"...Hmm. Imprisoning again?"
"Yes, even if something happens, he said not to touch his eyes or hands."
"That's no fun."
His expression turned bored as soon as he heard the content.
Bae Jong suppressed the anger rising inside him.
It was surprising that he was a branch leader with such an attitude.
But, given his martial prowess, all doubts were unnecessary.
Yaxue Di, the Great Absolute Ghost.
By his martial prowess, he should have been a main palace martial artist.
However, due to his excessive crudeness and ignorant fighting style, he was eventually pushed to this branch.
In other words, while he was stupid, his martial prowess was monstrous, allowing him to become a branch leader even after being pushed out of the main palace.
"By the way, can I tear apart anyone who gets in the way?"
"...Yes, as long as you capture and imprison the Divine Doctor."
"Right, right. I hope we find him quickly... It would be even better if the Huashan guys come."
Yaxue Di, saying this, lifted his massive greatsword.
Despite its enormous size, it looked relatively small in his hands.
Whoosh!
"...!"
The light sword wind brushed past Bae Jong's head.
Boom!
The thunderous sound from behind made Bae Jong's trembling heart need to calm down.
Yaxue Di, ignoring Bae Jong, smiled with his yellowed teeth.
"Jianlong, right? I heard he's one of the better ones among the kids... I'd be happy to stomp on him if I get the chance."
He chuckled.
The sound of the greatsword scraping the ground made Bae Jong close his eyes tightly.
Only after Yaxue Di slowly passed by and disappeared into the cave's darkness could Bae Jong finally exhale the breath he had been holding.
"Damn..."
I need to get out of here quickly.
I can't take it under that crazy pig anymore.
******************
As Mei Huaxian had said, after a simple breakfast, I immediately set off for the Huashan Sect.
Since the mountain wasn't extremely high, I couldn't bring any attendants, so I only brought a few guards, including Wu Lian.
Nangong Bia also seemed to want to follow me to Huashan, so I told her to do as she pleased.
I knew she wouldn't listen if I told her not to.
We climbed the endless peak of Lianhua Mountain, struggling step by step.
In the past, I wouldn't have made it halfway before collapsing.
Thanks to a few months of consistent training, I could endure a bit more.
Of course, from the middle, I had to bet to keep going.
"Little Hero! We're almost there!"
Ying Feng's words made me frown.
"...Master, you said that a while ago."
"It's really not far now. Hang in there."
Why is he so energetic...?
Ying Feng hadn't broken a sweat despite climbing all these stairs.
Even Nangong Bia, who was following beside him, didn't seem bothered.
A slight sweat was visible on her cheeks, but it didn't seem too strenuous.
...Am I really that weak?
[Me...]
'If you're going to start with "In my day," just be quiet.'
[...]
I stopped Shenniao Ya before he could say anything.
My preemptive move was the right one, as Shenniao Ya tightly shut his mouth.
After climbing for a while without stopping, we finally saw the entrance of the sect.
"We're here...!"
"...Wow."
The hellish climb was over, and looking back, the view of the mountain below was breathtaking.
From such a high mountain, it was indeed beautiful.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
I nodded at Ying Feng's question.
It seemed I wasn't the only one captivated by the scenery.
[...Still... Still beautiful, it's really a relief...]
Shenniao Ya's voice, filled with emotion, echoed in my mind.
It was a low, delicate voice, unlike his usual tone.
Looking at the breathtaking view below the high Huashan, the sound of a door opening came from behind.
Creak.
"What are you doing there?"
Ying Feng was startled by the voice and bowed.
It was Mei Huaxian who had opened the door.
Why would the Sect Master personally open the door and welcome us...?
"Sect, Sect Master."
"Ah, Ying Feng, you've worked hard."
Mei Huaxian said this while patting Ying Feng's head.
Seeing Mei Huaxian step out, the guards behind me froze.
Especially Nangong Bia and Wu Lian, who had been expressionless, seemed to have a glint in their eyes.
I also immediately followed and bowed.
"I am Gouyang Qian from the Gou family."
"I saw you so clearly this morning, and now you're bowing again."
Mei Huaxian chuckled.
"Come in, I hope you're not disappointed by our humble appearance."
Following Mei Huaxian's calm steps, we entered the Huashan Sect.
Plum blossoms, which usually bloom in early spring, were still in full bloom in late summer throughout the sect.
Thanks to this, it felt like spring had come, and the heat was forgotten.
This was all related to their cultivation technique.
The Huashan cultivation technique is called Divine Skill.
Perhaps only when it can influence nature to this extent can it be called a Divine Skill.
Walking along the plum blossom-lined path, we soon saw various annexes.
Though they looked old, they were well-maintained and didn't feel neglected.
Following the path, we passed relatively small annexes and climbed a hill, where a house stood at the top.
"Please come in."
It was the Sect Master's residence.
"Ah, only this child should come in, and the rest should wait outside for a moment."
Mei Huaxian pointed at me.
This made me hesitate for a moment.
Though I was momentarily flustered, I told the guards it was fine and followed the Sect Master into the residence.
Nangong Bia seemed a bit disappointed, but there was nothing she could do about the Sect Master's order.
The inside of the residence was surprisingly simple for a Sect Master of one of the Nine Great Sects.
It had only the essentials.
In the center, Mei Huaxian started to brew tea.
Ah, this is more awkward than I thought...
"There's only plum tea in an old man's room..."
"I like plum tea too."
"Oh... That's good, I thought young people these days didn't like it much."
Actually, I didn't particularly like it, but I didn't dislike it either.
The plum tea Mei Huaxian personally brewed had a strong fragrance.
Taking a sip, it was sweeter and more sour than expected, and it tasted good.
I thought Weixuela would like it.
'Even in this situation...'
Now, whenever I see something sweet, I think of Weixuela.
I can clearly feel the gap narrowing.
"I'm glad you like it."
I smiled awkwardly at Mei Huaxian's words.
Was I too obvious in enjoying it?
"I'd like to give you something to chew on, but there's nothing in the room."
"It's fine. The tea is enough."
After a few more sips, I carefully took out the box I had brought and handed it to him.
It was the box containing the sect treasure.
Mei Huaxian opened the box and untied the cloth inside.
Immediately, a bright light and the fragrance of plum blossoms filled the room.
"...Phew."
Mei Huaxian sighed in relief.
Then, he quickly wrapped the cloth and threw it...
Threw it!?
Thud!
The box containing the sect treasure flew to the back of the room and hit something.
"...Eh?"
"Now that you've brought it, the elders won't have to torment it... That's a relief."
...No, is it okay to do that? It's the sect's treasure.
Shenniao Ya, are you usually like this...?
'Shenniao Ya?'
I called out, but there was no response. Even when I called him repeatedly, he didn't answer.
'What's going on?'
When did it start? When did Shenniao Ya become silent?
He doesn't seem to be sulking.
"First."
While I was thinking, Mei Huaxian's voice snapped me back to reality.
There was an important matter to discuss.
"Thank you for bringing the sect treasure to the main sect, Master Gou."
Mei Huaxian, as the Sect Master, bowed solemnly.
I also carefully adjusted my posture.
"Thank you for the trouble of coming such a long way."
"It's nothing."
"I will personally thank the head of the Gou family, but please tell him that this old man is grateful."
"Yes, I will inform the head of the family when I return to the estate."
I took out a letter from my robe and handed it to Mei Huaxian.
He took out a seal with the Huashan emblem and pressed it firmly on the letter.
This marked the official transfer of the sect treasure.
I carefully folded the letter and put it in my robe when Mei Huaxian spoke to me.
"Child."
The tone had returned to the one used between the estate and the sect.
"Yes, Sect Master."
"Now that we've settled the matter of the sect treasure, let's talk about what you carry within you."
"..."
Here it comes.
Sweat trickled down my back as Mei Huaxian pointed it out.
I didn't think it would go unnoticed, but I didn't expect it to be so immediate.
Looking at Mei Huaxian with trembling eyes, he was simply drinking tea.
Was he waiting for me to answer on my own?
What should I do? Should I try to dodge it? Should I pretend I don't know and act shamelessly?
Just then, Mei Huaxian quietly spoke.
"The energy you carry is definitely from the main sect."
...Damn, dodging it is impossible.
Even if Noya had suppressed the energy, it was clearly too much to hide from Mei Huaxian.
"How did it end up inside you? I'm curious about that."
If Noya were here, it would be a bit easier...
But something Mei Huaxian did made Noya's voice disappear.
I couldn't think of any way out.
I wasn't yet capable of deceiving Mei Huaxian.
So, I took a deep breath and began to tell him about the events on the way here.