After a while, Yeongpung came back to the quarters with an embarrassed look.
Although the situation hadn't completely calmed down, he chased the two kids away to eat breakfast.
Despite still looking quite dissatisfied, it seemed that Weishe had left without a word, given that it was breakfast.
I also needed to eat, but I waited because I thought it must be something urgent for Yeongpung to come so early in the morning.
When Yeongpung came in a while later, he was looking around cautiously.
Who would have thought that the future genius representing Huashan could be so good at reading the room...
‘Is it because he gets beaten up by the senior disciples all over the place?’
To me, it looked like affectionate torment, but I couldn't know how Yeongpung felt about it.
I asked Yeongpung, who was moving his eyes around.
"Master Yeongpung, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"Ah."
Seeming to regain his composure at my call, Yeongpung smiled slightly.
Or was he relieved that the atmosphere had lightened?
"There's nothing much, but the Sect Leader is looking for you, Young Swordsman."
"The Sect Leader at this hour?"
Meihua Xian is looking for me?
I wondered if there was something to look for, but I thought it might be because of the energy in my body.
"Can I see him now?"
"He said to come when it's convenient for you."
So I don't have to go right away.
In that case, I could eat breakfast and then go.
"Have you eaten?"
I asked Yeongpung, who had been running around since early morning.
Actually, I already knew he had, given that he was already dressed in his martial robes and looked neat.
"Ah, I had a quick breakfast and was just about to go for morning practice."
"...You're impressive, getting up so early in the morning."
"Yes...? Don't most people go for practice around this time?"
What kind of nonsense is this?
I couldn't answer Yeongpung's question.
A Taoist's morning is early.
In Taoism, it's said that one must receive the energy of dawn, so they would wake up no later than the hour of the rat (5-7 AM).
...I wake up when the sun is up.
Today, I woke up early because I didn't sleep well.
[Why can't you say you didn't sleep well because of the breathing sound next to you?]
‘...’
...Ahem.
Nangong Bia has almost no movement when she sleeps.
She just lies there comfortably, breathing, but it was so distracting.
Because of that, I hardly slept.
‘...Thanks to that, I got a lot of fresh morning air.’
Indeed, the morning air felt good.
But I didn't want to breathe it in often. Waking up in the morning was still a difficult task.
Yeongpung, sensing something from my words, had a strangely bright look in his eyes.
Why does he have that look?
My question was answered as Yeongpung spoke to me.
"Little Swordsman, since we met like this, it's fate, isn't it?"
"...You came here to deliver a message, so what do you mean by fate?"
"Would you like to practice with me?"
He's not listening at all.
When we came to Huashan, Yeongpung was like this, and for some reason, he always wanted to practice with me.
I don't know if he's just obsessed with training or if there's some other reason, but he almost always tried to persuade me whenever he saw me.
"...No, I won't..."
I had to eat and preferred to practice alone, so I was about to refuse again.
But suddenly, I became curious about how Huashan practiced.
He keeps asking to practice together every day, so what's different?
I didn't think they would train so brutally from the early morning.
"Um... If it's okay after I eat, then?"
"Ooh!"
So I just threw it out there.
I didn't think it would be that bad.
Even if it's a bit much, I thought I could handle it.
And a little while later, I found out.
Curiosity is a sin.
I knew that already.
Why did I have to experience it again...
Damn...
******************
It hadn't even been an hour since the training started.
"...Ugh... Ugh..."
I was lying on the ground, only able to let out pained groans.
My body was sticky from sweat.
The pain in every joint echoed in my head.
Crazy...
I can't even breathe properly.
Yeongpung, who started training with me, was meditating casually beside me.
He said he was going to hang sandbags on his limbs and climb the mountain behind us...
‘Is he crazy?’
I hadn't been lazy with my training since my regression.
I thought I had been doing intense training whenever I had time.
But even if it was "intense" for me, this was way too much...
Among the other three major disciples, Yeongpung's training volume was overwhelmingly high.
"Little Swordsman, are you okay?"
Seeing me lying on the ground, Yeongpung finished his meditation and came over.
He had sweat on his forehead, but he looked refreshed, which was ridiculous.
"Master..."
"Yes?"
"...Why are you okay?"
"Yes...?"
From Yeongpung's perspective, this must be a ridiculous question.
‘Is my body really that weak?’
Perhaps I hadn't put in enough effort.
I felt the need to increase my training volume.
I felt a bit of self-loathing for living lazily even after experiencing death.
My exhausted body and slightly fuzzy mind made it hard, but I was glad I gained something.
It seemed to be a chance to regain my focus.
‘...But I won't go to this extent.’
I forced myself to get up, my body aching.
I had to use some qi to move, but I managed to do it.
[Are you okay?]
Shin Noya asked as I wiped my sweat-soaked face.
‘What do you mean?’
[You have problems with your body, so is it okay to use it like this?]
Shin Noya was saying that the problems caused by the collision of energies might affect my physical body.
Guyeonhwalun, Huashan's Dao technique, and something hidden in my body.
Thinking about it, I wondered how much I had stuffed into my body.
The owner of the body doesn't care and doesn't pay rent, and there are two of them...
Moreover, they might explode at any time, so I was given a death sentence, which made me laugh bitterly.
But.
‘I'm still okay.’
I understood what Shin Noya was saying, but I was still okay.
It wasn't a trivial thought like ‘If it was going to explode, it would have already exploded.’
I had some idea of what was going on.
I even had some idea of how to improve it.
It wasn't a cure, but a solution.
‘...I didn't want to do it even if it meant death.’
If it was true, it was something I needed to think about, at least for now.
I asked Yeongpung, lifting my sweat-soaked head.
"Master, are you going to continue training?"
"Yes? Ah, of course, I haven't even done half of it."
"Yes...?"
"What a pity... It seems that you're not feeling well today, Little Swordsman."
"...I didn't sleep well last night."
"Ah! Then you must be tired!"
I wasn't really tired, but it was fortunate to have an excuse.
I shook my head at Yeongpung's ridiculous statement.
It was a model to emulate as a martial artist, but why did it feel so off-putting?
[You haven't gotten used to training yet. Tsk tsk... If you run one more lap, you'll get used to this kind of pain... Giving up without running is a shame...]
...Are the people of Huashan abnormal, or am I?
I can't tell anymore.
After washing off the sweat with water and changing into clean clothes, I glanced at the quarters.
Nangong Bia seemed to be taking a nap, probably due to lack of sleep.
Wei She was sleeping next to her, and they looked like sisters with their radiant appearances.
Seeing them sleep comfortably while I could hardly walk properly made me feel annoyed.
I approached them and pinched their cheeks.
"Ugh!"
"...?"
Wei She woke up abruptly, probably because she couldn't breathe.
Nangong Bia opened her eyes groggily but didn't get up.
She didn't get up...?
On the contrary, Wei She, who had woken up, had her beautiful hair, which Hongwa had carefully styled, messed up from tossing and turning in her sleep.
I said, looking at her,
"Will you turn into a pig if you sleep right after eating?"
"...Huh... Ugh?"
She was still half-asleep, so I roughly patted her head and got up.
Nangong Bia seemed to have fallen asleep again, as if she had never woken up.
"Master...?"
"Yes?"
"Where are you going?"
"The Sect Leader has called for me."
"Will it take long?"
"I don't think it will take long..."
"Come back before I go to sleep...?"
"People need to sleep, so you'll have to wait until I come back."
I don't want to sleep on the street anymore.
That uncomfortable sleep was enough in my previous life.
"Then it's okay! Go and come back!"
She smiled and lay down next to Nangong Bia again.
Hongwa would probably come soon to drag them off to work, so I decided to let them sleep a bit longer.
I walked to the Sect Leader's quarters, my body creaking.
I could feel the Huashan disciples glancing at me as I walked, but they looked at me as if I were a strange animal, so I ignored them.
As long as there was no hostility, it didn't matter.
When I reached the door, I heard Meihua Xian's voice from inside, "Come in."
I hadn't even said I was coming in... His hearing was sharp.
I cautiously entered the quarters, and as expected, the scent of plum tea filled the air.
This time, proper snacks were prepared.
"Last time you said you didn't have any, did you buy them?"
"Yes, I thought it was too bare, so I went down to the town yesterday and bought some. Don't they look delicious?"
They looked sweet and delicious, but I had lost my taste for sweets, so I just smiled.
"Why did you call for me?"
As soon as I sat down and asked, Meihua Xian chuckled.
"I thought you would at least have some tea... Anyway, the Jus are really impatient..."
"Ah."
Meihua Xian's gaze, which seemed to overlap with Elder Yi's, was quite unsettling.
It was all fine, but to be compared to that fiery old man...
It was absurd.
Maybe my mouth was a bit dry, so I picked up one of the snacks and rinsed my mouth with tea.
Seeing my slightly distorted expression, Meihua Xian laughed and continued.
"Nothing much, do you remember the hut we went to yesterday?"
"Yes... That place where the Sword Maiden is, right?"
The place where the Sword Maiden, who was being treated by the divine doctor, was located, which we visited just yesterday.
Meihua Xian handed me an unknown letter and said,
"Can you deliver this to Tai Yi and come back?"
"Me?"
It was a bit of a surprising request.
It was a difficult conversation to have with an outsider.
Why me?
There were so many of the three major disciples of Huashan.
Like Yeongpung, or Yeongpung, or Yeongpung.
I must have had a puzzled look on my face, as Meihua Xian laughed.
"You look like you don't understand why I'm asking you."
"To be honest, I do. It's a bit ambiguous to talk to an outsider."
"...Actually, most of Huashan doesn't know that the Sword Maiden is there."
I was momentarily stunned by Meihua Xian's words.
No one knows?
"Why do I know such an important piece of information...?"
"..."
If most people didn't know, then not even Yeongpung, the three major disciples, the second-generation disciples, or even the first-generation disciples would know.
Why did I, who appeared out of nowhere with a monster, know such important information?
Did Meihua Xian have something in mind?
But Meihua Xian couldn't easily answer my question.
He seemed to be avoiding my gaze slightly, but was it just my imagination...?
Feeling something odd, I asked with a squint.
"Did you forget, by any chance?"
"...Ahem! How... could I!"
His reaction made me more certain.
...Did he really forget?
Meihua Xian's fake cough and reaction made me more convinced.
I thought he had some plan when he suddenly took me to the divine doctor, but it turned out he just acted on impulse?
Huashan... Is it really okay like this?
[...Heaven and Earth, my gods...]
Shin Noya had finally reached the point of seeking divine help.
"No matter what, it's not right for me, who is not a sect member, to help with this..."
"Snack."
"What?"
"Didn't you eat a snack?"
"What does that have to do with...?"
I looked around, wondering what Meihua Xian was talking about.
There was a gap in the bowl of snacks prepared for the snacks.
It was because I had taken one earlier.
‘...You can't be serious, are you saying you'll help because I ate this?’
I didn't want to believe it, but seeing Meihua Xian awkwardly avoiding my gaze, I had nothing more to say.
The little bit of idealism I had about Meihua Xian was shattered.
Realizing this, I said to Meihua Xian,
"Sect Leader..."
"...Yes."
"I think I understand why the Sect Leader and Elder Yi are close..."