After washing up and coming out, Yeongpung seemed to have lost his earlier unease and was sitting neatly on the veranda.
He looked somewhat stiff, but I thought it was because he was still tired from finishing his training.
"Master."
When I called out to Yeongpung, his tense expression quickly brightened.
It was as if a sense of relief, like 'I'm saved...!' was evident on his face.
"Junior Hero!"
"I said I'd be right back, did you wait long?"
"Yes! I really did wait a lot...!"
"•••Really?"
It was just a polite remark, but Yeongpung seemed to be answering sincerely.
Did he really wait that long? It felt like I came back pretty quickly.
Wei Xuelian, who was sitting nearby, also ran over when she saw me appear.
She looked happy, smiling brightly.
"Master, where should we eat?"
"•••Huh?"
At my question, Yeongpung looked surprised.
Why is he surprised?
Scholars can't use the dining hall for outsiders, and Yeongpung, being at the elder level, can't leave the sect without permission.
I thought he must have come up with some way since he came here.
"Master... Did you just come to see me?"
"•••Hehe."
Hehe, you bastard...
Even if a woman had said it, it would have been annoying, but with this handsome guy, I felt like bending over in frustration.
So, should we just eat in the quarters?
I had to ask Yeongpung first.
"Scholars usually eat together, but is it okay for you to skip out?"
At my question, Yeongpung looked embarrassed.
I've always thought he seemed a bit uncomfortable, and it was starting to bother me.
"I'm fine. They probably won't mind much."
"•••Then let's eat together in the quarters."
"Are we eating together?"
"Is there anything prepared?"
It was about time to eat, but I wasn't sure if the servants had prepared anything.
When I was about to look for something to eat, Wei Xuelian raised her hand.
"I can cook!"
"•••Where's the kitchen?"
Pretending not to hear, Wei Xuelian's expression turned sour.
While I felt a bit guilty, the food Wei Xuelian made wasn't quite ready to be served to anyone yet.
I caught a passing servant and asked them to prepare the meal.
The servant seemed to have already prepared something, saying it wouldn't take long.
Wei Xuelian naturally followed the servant to help with the meal preparation.
Seeing this, Yeongpung sighed deeply.
It was a profound sigh.
"•••Phew, I'm alive."
"Is something wrong?"
"•••No, nothing."
No, but you definitely seemed to be hinting at something...
Yeongpung, noticing the meaning in my gaze, avoided my eyes.
"Since the meal will be ready soon, why don't you come in and wait?"
"Ah! I understand."
At my invitation, Yeongpung's expression quickly brightened, and he followed me into the quarters.
The meal was light.
Most of the ingredients provided by Huashan were vegetables, so it wasn't a particularly enjoyable meal.
'Just fill my stomach.'
Actually, with all the intense training lately, I was starting to crave meat.
But I couldn't just grill meat at a Daoist temple, so I was holding back.
Shin Noya spoke in a somewhat indifferent voice.
[What's the problem? If you want to eat, just eat.]
'•••Noya?'
[It's not like you can't eat meat like the monks at Shaolin. There's no reason to hold back.]
'But there's such a thing as tact, right?'
[You, who lack tact the most, are looking for it in meat... How disappointing.]
'...'
No matter how I thought about it, was this guy really the leader of Huashan?
My trust in him kept fluctuating due to his bizarre remarks.
'How can I grill meat at a Daoist temple?'
No matter how many times I thought about it, it seemed impossible.
The servants came to clear the empty dishes.
"I ate well. Thank you very much, Junior Hero."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Yeongpung, who ended up getting a free meal, seemed a bit embarrassed by the unexpected situation.
"Really... Next time, I'll treat you to something delicious."
"Master, if you can leave the sect...?"
"•••Yes."
The more I saw Yeongpung, the more I realized he had a rather mature and gentle demeanor.
I thought he would be a resolute swordsman when I heard he was a Jianlong.
Why does he seem so much like a country boy?
While I was thinking this and drinking water, Yeongpung opened his mouth as if he had something important to say.
"•••Junior Hero."
"Yes."
"Now that we've finished eating, if it's not too much trouble, could you spar with me...?"
"A sparring match?"
It was unexpected.
I thought he would suggest training together, not a sparring match.
Given how he was defeated in the last sparring match, I thought he might be a bit hesitant.
But he seemed unfazed.
Has he already overcome it?
He didn't seem to be suffering from any mental turmoil, and there was no visible hesitation.
'Sparring match.'
I looked at the back of my hand, still wrapped in bandages.
Actually, it was already healed, so a sparring match wouldn't be a problem.
But the image of Namgung Bi kept bothering me.
If I sparred with Yeongpung right after my hand healed, it might be awkward.
"Why a sudden sparring match? Is something wrong?"
"•••Well, isn't the Zehua Tournament coming up soon?"
"Yes."
"I... will be participating in the Zehua Tournament on behalf of my senior disciples."
"With the first-generation disciples?"
Is that normal? A third-generation disciple sparring with first-generation disciples.
Or is it because of Yeongpung's position that they changed it?
"What does that have to do with a sparring match?"
"•••During the preparation period, sparring among disciples is prohibited."
There was such a rule...
Now that I think about it, I haven't seen scholars sparring since I came to Huashan.
"Um, so you want to spar with me...?"
Yeongpung nodded quietly.
While sparring among scholars is prohibited, sparring with outsiders is allowed, which seemed a bit odd.
'•••Actually, it's more unusual for outsiders to visit the sect during such a period...'
But I understood Yeongpung's reasoning.
From Huashan's perspective, Yeongpung is a third-generation disciple but also a Mei Hua swordsman, so they probably can't just let a predator loose among the rabbits.
From what I see, even if Yeongpung beats the first-generation disciples, it shouldn't be a problem.
I thought Huashan would handle that aspect.
"Alright... we can spar."
"Ah...! Really?"
"But not today. It's a bit too much right now."
At my words, Yeongpung's face quickly turned gloomy.
"Let's do it next time. I have to go down to the town today, so it might be difficult."
This wasn't an excuse; I really had to go down.
Yeongpung, looking disappointed, said he would come again next time.
•••Will it really happen next time?
I couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.
After sending Yeongpung off, I immediately went down to the town with Wei Xuelian.
Last time, I came down alone because of Mei Hua's request, but this time, it was a personal matter, so Wulian came with me.
The town was bustling with preparations for the upcoming Zehua Tournament.
It felt like the Nine Dragons Festival of the Gou family.
'You have to see it to know.'
It might be a bit different, but probably similar.
After all, the enthusiasm for watching martial artists fight is the same everywhere.
I led Wei Xuelian, who was looking around excitedly, through the crowded streets.
Looking at the lively streets, Shin Noya suddenly spoke.
[Now that I look, the times have changed quite a bit.]
His voice sounded somewhat nostalgic.
'Noya's era was a long time ago, wasn't it?'
Shin Noya's active period was clearly during the war.
Of course, they managed to end it relatively quickly thanks to their efforts.
The cities back then probably didn't look like this.
[It's good.]
'You seem to be in a good mood.'
[Of course, this is the world we longed for... It can't help but be good.]
I couldn't tell what emotion Shin Noya was expressing.
After all, he was on the opposite side from me.
Walking down the street to find the place I needed, I stopped.
I had found the place I was looking for.
"What is this place?"
Wei Xuelian, holding a chicken skewer, asked.
By the way, Wulian bought it for her.
In the center of the building, the character 盟 (meng) was written, indicating that the business was affiliated with the Wu Lin Alliance.
It was a place to buy and sell monster skins and bones.
The matter I needed to handle in the town was here.
"Welcome!"
Inside, various types of skins and bones were displayed.
Most of them seemed to be from green to blue-grade monsters.
Higher-grade items were directly managed by the alliance and wouldn't be sold casually.
"Ah, what brings you to our shop, Young Master?"
Young Master...?
This guy must have some experience in business.
To start lying without even wetting his lips...
I asked the shopkeeper without showing any surprise.
"I came to buy something, just asking around."
"Ah, of course, you should ask. We're the largest shop in the area! We have everything!"
"Ah, do you have magic stones?"
"Magic stones...?"
The shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback by my question.
Unlike monster skins and bones, magic stones have little practical value.
They were once used as gems due to their beautiful appearance, but they quickly lost their color over time, making them no different from ordinary stones.
"If possible, I'd like a magic stone from a monster caught within the last day."
So, I needed to find one that hadn't lost its color.
Losing its color means the magic energy has dissipated.
The shopkeeper's expression momentarily fell but quickly recovered.
Maybe he thought I was a customer who wouldn't bring in much money.
"•••Young Master."
"Surely, you don't have any?"
"•••No, the demand for magic stones is low, and recently, the number of monsters has decreased, so the supply is also low."
"Monsters have decreased?"
"They've been unusually scarce this year."
While it's understandable that there are no magic stones, the decrease in monsters is surprising.
'I haven't heard anything like this from Shanxi.'
A decrease in monsters is certainly good for public safety, but a sudden decrease isn't necessarily a good sign.
"So, you don't have any magic stones?"
"•••No. We do have some, but if you want one with color, we don't have any right now."
"I see."
"Would you like some skins or bones? We have some good items...?"
"No, that's fine."
Firmly rejecting his attempt to sell me something else, I heard the shopkeeper grumble behind me.
Given the item I was looking for, I didn't expect to find it immediately.
'Maybe I need to catch one myself?'
They always appeared when I ignored them, but not when I needed them...
[Why are you looking for magic stones?]
'I need to confirm something.'
[What?]
The energy inside my body, and the unknown force suppressing it.
Even when I try to use a certain level of inner energy, it goes wild.
This is why I'm considered a walking dead man by the mountain elders.
I don't know when the energy will entangle and explode.
I don't expect much help from medicine, as I've already given up on divine doctors.
It's impossible to endure or accept it at my current level.
If I choose to train, my body might not hold up.
So, I need to find a solution.
The idea that came to mind when I heard Shin Noya, while not certain, is a potential solution.
Magic energy (魔氣).
The demonic cultivation technique, Mado Hyeokcheon Gong, that came with my reincarnation.
Could this damned demonic technique be suppressing the energy?
With two opposing energies wildly fluctuating, the only reason they might be intertwined is this.
It's hard to find another reason without the power of the Heavenly Demon.
'Or... something else that consumes magic energy.'
The Gou Yanhua Lun Gong, which consumed the magic energy entering my body and purified it with inner energy.
I've never heard of this effect from the Gou family's martial arts.
If it existed, I would have known in my previous life.
So, there must be something else.
'My body isn't a monster's den, so why are all these strange things inside?'
Is this a reaction to my reincarnation?
Or is it the lingering influence of the Heavenly Demon?
The more I think about it, the more unsettling it feels.
"Master, Master."
While I was lost in thought, Wei Xuelian tugged at my sleeve.
"Yes?"
"Ah—!"
She shouted, holding the skewer she had been eating.
Surprisingly, she hadn't taken a single bite.
Wei Xuelian...?
...
...
"•••What?"
"First bite is for Master!"
"Take a bite yourself, why."
"Master was making that ugly face again."
Wei Xuelian's words reminded me of what Shin Noya said about my face showing my emotions.
Do I really show my emotions that much?
Maybe I looked so drained that Wei Xuelian offered me the food first.
Have I been worrying her a lot?
I took a large bite of the chicken skewer.
Wei Xuelian's expression changed amusingly as I stuffed it in my mouth.
"•••That... That's not what I meant...!"
"Delicious."
With my mouth full, my pronunciation was a bit off.
Wei Xuelian sadly finished the almost empty skewer.
Her eyes were filled with regret.
She then said with a sad look.
"•••It was so delicious... but it's over now."
Wei Xuelian's expression made me want to laugh, but I held it in.
If I laughed, the food in my mouth would fly out.
Strangely, my complicated mood improved quickly.
Was it thanks to Wei Xuelian, or did something change with my reincarnation