After a long struggle, Meihua Xian finally managed to take a seat inside the hut.
I, too, entered after gauging the atmosphere.
"You must be busy, why did you come all the way hereâŠ."
"It's just a stop on my way, don't be so critical."
"âŠZhang Wen."
The Empress of the Sword smiled bitterly at such a Meihua Xian and replied.
The Divine Doctor was still glaring at Meihua Xian but didn't say anything more.
âDivine DoctorâŠâ
I was quite surprised when I heard that the old man who had been having a staring contest with Meihua Xian all along was the Divine Doctor.
An old man whose medical skills were unmatched by anyone.
He was known to be able to cure almost any disease in the Central Plains, but because he wandered around so much, even the most prestigious families couldn't easily call him.
To meet such a Divine Doctor here.
ââŠI didnât expect him to have such a personality.â
[It's said that those who excel in one thing are bound to be a bit odd.]
ââŠAh, so thatâs whyâŠâ
It seemed more credible when he said it himself.
[What, why what!]
As for the Divine Doctor, the problem was Zhuge He.
The kid sitting quietly next to him, staring into space, kept bothering me.
âZhuge He is the grandson of the Divine Doctor?â
I had heard that he had left with the old man when I was looking for him, but I didnât know the old man was the Divine Doctor.
âWhatâs going on hereâŠ?â
What could be the connection?
If this kid is really Zhuge He, what could have happened for him to end up with the Heavenly Demon Sect?
It was a completely different situation from what he had told me.
Of course, I didnât believe everything he said, but I never imagined he could be the grandson of the Divine Doctor.
Is there some connection here?
âThe more I find out, the more complicated it gets.â
Is there really nothing simple in this world?
I glanced at Zhuge He and thought.
âŠCan I really kill him?
"âŠHey."
Do I really have to kill him?
When, how, and if so, it would be a problem...
"Hey, kid."
"âŠYes?"
[Pull yourself together.]
At the old man's reprimand, I clutched my aching head.
Turning my head in the direction of the voice, I saw Meihua Xian looking at me.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm fineâŠ."
"Taiyi!! The kid is sick!"
"Shut up!"
The Divine Doctor, after cursing at Meihua Xian, only boiled the medicine.
He slowly and carefully boiled the medicine and handed it to the Empress of the Sword.
"Drink this and go to sleep right away, you'll feel drowsy soon."
"âŠThank you."
Gulinghua, worried that the Empress of the Sword might drop the medicine, supported her from the side.
She looked like a frail and weak old woman, but both the Divine Doctor and Meihua Xian called her the Empress of the Sword.
Moreover, Gulinghua was said to be the disciple of the Empress of the Sword.
Only then did I understand why Lingfeng called Gulinghua "sister."
Even though the third-generation disciples had all entered, Gulinghua, who entered later, was treated as a second-generation disciple for this reason.
âWhy didnât I know she was the Empress of the Swordâs disciple?â
In my past life, we werenât particularly close, but I had never heard from anyone that Gulinghua was the Empress of the Swordâs disciple.
It was a story not widely known.
How did the Empress of the Sword end up taking Gulinghua as a disciple?
And what happened that her lineage wasnât known?
I only knew that Gulinghua was a member of the Huashan Sect.
The Empress of the Sword, a female expert walking the path of martial arts, was someone that martial artists either admired or had heard of.
When talking about famous martial artists of the Huashan Sect, the names of Meihua Xian and the Empress of the Sword were often mentioned together.
A female expert who didnât hesitate to help the common people and uphold justice.
When the Demon Scriptures emerged like a disaster in the Shaanxi region, she evacuated the people and held off the demons alone until Meihua Xian arrived.
Her heroic deeds were remembered even in the future.
There were many stories about the Empress of the Sword suddenly disappearing after being active for a long time.
âWas it because her illness worsened?â
Just looking at her, she didnât seem to be in good condition.
The Empress of the Sword was clearly a worthy disciple of Meihua Xian, yet she looked much older than him.
As I glanced at her, our eyes met.
Startled, I flinched, and the Empress of the Sword smiled slightly.
"Nice to meet you."
"âŠYes?"
"I should have met you earlier, but it took too long to find you."
"Do you know me?"
Did she hear something from Gulinghua?
If so, it was probably not a good story, which made me a bit uneasy.
But what the Empress of the Sword said was completely unexpected.
"You look a lot like Tianxi."
"âŠ!"
It was a name I had almost forgotten, a name I hadnât thought about in a long time.
How did the Empress of the Sword know that name?
"âŠDo you know my mother?"
Tianxi, the name of my mother, who had become a vague memory.
I could barely remember how she used to laugh or the sound of her voice.
The Empress of the Sword smiled bitterly at my question.
"We were friends, very close friends."
"My mother and the Empress of the Sword�"
How?
I had never heard about my motherâs childhood, and I was told she had lived an ordinary life.
ââŠItâs not that strange, though.â
There was an example like Weixiaoa.
It was just that there were too many things I only learned after reincarnating.
"âŠWe donât look alike at all."
This was Gulinghuaâs comment as she was held in the Empress of the Swordâs arms.
Gulinghua was glaring at me while being held.
"Linghua�"
"This guy doesnât look like my mother at all. My mother looked like a rabbit, but this guy looks like a mantisâŠ!"
"MantisâŠ."
[See, I didnât say he doesnât look like her.]
Why a mantis of all thingsâŠ.
There are so many cute and handsome creatures, but why a mantis?
[Why canât you think of cute and handsome things?]
ââŠOld man, thatâs enough.â
It really hurtsâŠ.
The Empress of the Sword stroked Gulinghua and said,
"Linghua, even if youâre upset, you shouldnât speak like that to someone who came from far away."
"âŠButâŠ"
"Apologize to your brother."
Gulinghuaâs lips pouted at the Empress of the Swordâs words.
She was still a young child.
"âŠSorry."
She apologized with a reluctant expression.
She seemed to listen to the Empress of the Sword well.
The Empress of the Sword smiled contentedly at Gulinghua and continued.
"Four years ago, when I visited the Gu family, I wanted to see you too, but you happened to be away."
Four years ago?
âAh, that was the time.â
When I could see a bit of the darkness the Gu family possessed.
And when things started to go downhill.
It was a bad memory for me. The Empress of the Sword, however, smiled at me as if she didnât notice my feelings.
"Iâm glad I can see you nowâŠ."
"Me?"
"Yes, not being able to see you was a real regret."
Why?
Just because I was the son of my mother?
If the Empress of the Sword had visited the Gu family four years ago, it made sense that Gulinghua left for Huashan about a year later.
If no one else but the Empress of the Sword had offered to take her as a disciple, even her father or the elders wouldnât have objected.
It was more likely because of my existence.
"You look a lot like Tianxi."
I smiled inwardly at the Empress of the Swordâs words.
I couldnât agree at all.
"My mother didnât look as fierce as thisâŠ."
"Appearance can be deceiving, but you definitely look like her, especially in terms of aura."
[Even this woman admits she looks fierce.]
âDo you have to point that out?â
Aura, what does that mean?
It was hard to understand now, given how vague my memories of my mother had become.
All I remembered was that she was warm.
As I was lost in thought, something was handed to me from the side.
It was Zhuge He, which made me jump.
âWhat is thisâŠ?â
A cloth? What am I supposed to wipe?
"What is it?"
When I asked, he just stared at me.
Earlier, Gulinghua had said he was mute.
Considering how talkative he was in my past life, it was strange.
Was it also due to the Heavenly Demon Sectâs power?
Could it make even a mute speak?
Is he really human?
Since I didnât react, he put the cloth back in his pocket and sat next to the Divine Doctor.
Was he always like this?
The sinister smile he used to wear, the way he could send thousands to their deaths with a single word without hesitation.
Is that all unrelated to the current him?
If so, what happened that made Zhuge He become a member of the Demon Sect?
"So."
The Divine Doctor looked at Meihua Xian and asked.
"Shorty, why did you come?"
"âŠReally, calling the head of the Huashan Sect 'shorty'âŠ."
"Am I packing my bags?"
"Call me whatever you like. I came to check on my discipleâs condition."
"Rather than that, you should have come with a mouth full of shit, your intentions are written all over your face."
"AhemâŠ."
"Is this related to that guy?"
The Divine Doctorâs gaze turned to me.
"Not really⊠If Iâm here, might as well check on himâŠ."
Meihua Xian averted his gaze, as if admitting it was the right answer.
The Divine Doctorâs eyes sparked with anger.
"My agreement with you ends with the Empress of the Sword. You know that, right?"
"âŠHmm."
The atmosphere was quite uncomfortable.
I had come here without any prior explanation, and now I found out the reason for visiting the Divine Doctor was me.
"âŠWhat."
"Ah! Thatâs what friends are for, right!"
"Now heâs being shameless! How much do you owe me to ask for a favor like this!"
"Cheesy, are you really going to do this?"
"Cheesy is a disease, Iâll wash your face with medicine."
What is this low-quality conversation?
Is this really the conversation between the legendary Meihua Xian and the legendary doctor?
The Empress of the Sword just smiled silently.
It was a familiar face.
"Anyway, no."
"YouâŠ."
"Even if you look at him, you wonât be able to focus on the Empress of the Sword, who is clearly not in good condition. Is that okay with you?"
"âŠHuh?"
The Divine Doctorâs words made my eyes widen.
Not in good condition? Who�
âMe?â
I eat well, sleep well, and walk around fine. Whatâs not in good condition?
If it were anyone else, I would have dismissed it as nonsense, but the problem was that the speaker was the Divine Doctor.
"From your reaction, you didnât know about your own condition, and you want me to fix it?"
"No one said to fix it⊠Just take a look."
"Youâre talking nonsense, Dao Hua."
The Divine Doctorâs voice was filled with anger.
"A doctorâs duty is to treat those in need. Are you telling me to ignore someone Iâve treated before?"
"âŠTaiyi."
"Especially when the one I need to take care of is right in front of meâŠ."
"Would a few leaves of Yonhyeoncho be enough?"
He paused.
At Meihua Xianâs words, the Divine Doctor stopped.
He was so surprised that he stopped boiling the medicine.
I was equally surprised.
âHe has Yonhyeoncho?â
Yonhyeoncho was a rare herb that was hard to obtain even with money.
It was said that a single root of Yonhyeoncho could make a dozen Dahuandans, the best among elixirs.
âŠBut heâs willing to give it up?
While the Huashan Sect is one of the Nine Great Sects, it would be strange if they didnât have Yonhyeoncho.
But to use it just to check on my condition?
Especially just a few leaves.
The Divine Doctor also seemed skeptical and asked Meihua Xian.
"Dao Hua, are you serious?"
"If Iâm lying, Iâll bark like a dog in front of you."
Not the head of the sect, barking like a dogâŠ.
Itâs not something the head of a Daoist sect should say, but it made it more believable.
"âŠI saw you bark like a dog last time without any hesitationâŠ!"
The bombshell dropped by the Divine Doctor made the atmosphere freeze.
The head of Huashan barked like a dog? Was the Divine Doctor joking?
I looked at Meihua Xian, but he just cleared his throat repeatedly.
"Hey! There are kids hereâŠ!"
"Crazy guy, how many accidents have you caused, and you still have the nerve to talk."
I suddenly thought.
âŠIs the Huashan Sect really okay like this?
âOld manâŠ.â
[âŠDonât call me.]
âIs the Huashan Sect really okay like this?â
[What is the Huashan Sect? I donât know. My memory is a bit fuzzy these days⊠Maybe I have dementiaâŠ]
ââŠâ
This old man was not normal either.
Blaming dementia for lack of an excuse.
"âŠThis isnât working."
"âŠ."
"Then, if Iâm lying, Iâll step down as the head of the sect."
"Head of the sect!"
The Empress of the Sword was startled and called out to Meihua Xian.
It was as if she was saying there was nothing worth betting the position of the head of the sect on.
In reality, he was someone who had bet his sectâs treasures on a drinking game, soâŠ.
It was hard to believe.
The Divine Doctor looked at me again, perhaps because Meihua Xian had bet the position of the head of the sect.
He seemed to think it was believable enough.
"HmmâŠ."
"What do you think?"
The Divine Doctor seemed to be thinking hard.
Was the name of Yonhyeoncho that valuable?
He sighed.
"âŠIâll just take a look. No matter what happens, I wonât do anything else."
After a long pause, the Divine Doctor finally agreed to Meihua Xianâs request.
"Alright, alright! Thatâs enough."
"Excuse me⊠Elders, what about my opinion?"
"âŠIâll never come to see you again, itâs too dirty."
"Then Iâll come to you."
"Shut up and stay still."
The Divine Doctor said and reached out his hand to me.
"Roll up your sleeve and give me your arm."
I hesitated at the Divine Doctorâs words.
I knew the reason Meihua Xian brought me here was due to the energy of the Meihua Lianjing Stone or the Meihua fragrance in my body.
I was skeptical if a doctor could detect it, and worried that if he did, it might reveal the martial arts I practiced.
[Give him your arm.]
âOld man?â
[The longer you hesitate, the more unnecessary doubts