Mao-shi.
Waking up early at Mao-shi, Xian Lü ate her meal almost absentmindedly before heading straight to the Medical Hall.
"He should wake up today..."
Walking with eyes full of worry, she soon entered the Medical Hall.
Afterward, as she walked skillfully toward where Cheon Hwi was, she felt a sense of incongruity.
The interior was far too quiet.
Not even a single breath could be heard.
*Tap, tap, tap—*
Her footsteps grew faster and faster. Soon reaching the room where Cheon Hwi had been lying, she flung the door open with a rattle.
"...!"
She rushed to the bed.
Where Cheon Hwi should have been lying, only an empty bed greeted her.
"...He woke up."
Her expression brightened.
But only for a moment.
"Still, for him to be moving around already..."
Hardening her face, she urgently rushed out of the room and began throwing open the surrounding doors one by one to search.
Just as she was opening all the doors,
*Whoosh—*
She discovered the back door, through which the wind was blowing in.
Following that, a small shadow visible in the distance.
*Tap!*
Without a moment's delay, she immediately executed the Yuhuan Miaobu.
*Whoosh—*
"Hwi!"
At the resonant voice, the shadow turned around, and soon, Cheon Hwi's face came into view.
The panic that had been on her face from Cheon Hwi's disappearance gradually turned to delight, and then—
*Pounce!*
She pulled him into a fierce embrace.
'W-What?'
Just as he was bewildered by the sudden situation,
"You've come to your senses."
Hugging Cheon Hwi's face into her chest while sobbing, she unconsciously applied more strength, squeezing him even tighter.
"G-Ack!"
The initially cozy embrace gradually turned into pain, and now it felt like his head was going to snap off.
"A-Air..."
"What is wrong?"
"I-I can't breathe..."
Xian Lü hurriedly released the embrace.
Able to breathe again, Cheon Hwi took deep, gulping breaths.
"Phew..."
"I am sorry."
Xian Lü said as she wiped away her tears.
'Hmm?'
At the familiar voice, Cheon Hwi stared at her.
A beautiful middle-aged woman who looked to be in her forties.
With her hair tied up neatly, she wore a Daoist robe embroidered with plum blossoms.
'This woman is Xian Lü?'
Since it was the voice of the woman who had visited him every single day without fail since he regained consciousness, he immediately identified her.
As he was scrutinizing her in detail, she brought her face closer.
Her two eyes, still brimming with unshed tears, filled his vision.
"Are you alright now?"
"Of course I'm alri—. Ah."
In the middle of answering, he realized his mistake.
"I... I am fine."
Swallowing the words he had hastily blurted out, he forced a smile by turning up the corners of his mouth.
'To think that I, of all people, would speak respectfully to that horse-faced female Daoist.'
Goosebumps broke out all over his body.
Seeing this, Xian Lü asked with worried eyes.
"Are you sure you are alright?"
Cheon Hwi, seeing her suspicious expression, forced his smile even wider.
"I... really... am, yes. I... am... fine."
Perhaps because he was unaccustomed to doing this,
It felt like his mouth was going to cramp.
'Damn it! This is hell!'
Listening to Cheon Hwi's awkward tone, Xian Lü hardened her eyes with a doubting expression.
"Even so, let us have the Medical Hall Master check you properly."
The moment those words ended.
*Swish!*
His body was suddenly lifted up.
'This technique is that horse-faced Daoist bastard's? No, it's different from what I knew?'
Just as he recalled the fluid hand movement he had seen in a flash, Xian Lü kicked off the ground.
*Whoosh—*
The scenery retreated in an instant.
Cheon Hwi frowned.
'What? Again? This is definitely the Yuhuan Miaobu of the old woman who came with that horse-faced Daoist bastard, right?'
The footwork she displayed was extraordinary.
She moved as softly as plum blossom petals fluttering around, but left quite marvelous footprints.
However, he didn't like it at all.
'But why execute it so poorly?'
Tilting his head at the martial art that was completely different from what he knew, he tried to analyze the footwork Xian Lü was executing, but then—
*Tap.*
The shaking stopped, and his two feet, which had been floating in the air, touched the ground.
'Tsk, already over?'
Just as he was smacking his lips in disappointment,
"Cheon Go, disciple."
'Cheon Go? Ah! The Medical Hall Master who treated me?'
Moving his head along with hers, a middle-aged man with a gentle impression was approaching.
"Martial Brother, that sound just now was... Huh? Junior Brother!"
As the middle-aged man drew closer, Cheon Hwi's gaze began to rise higher and higher.
The middle-aged man, Cheon Go's physique was quite substantial.
A height exceeding six chi and tanned skin.
On top of that, unlike his smiling impression, the body hidden beneath his Daoist robe was solid with muscles.
Is he really a doctor?
As Cheon Hwi stared at the middle-aged man with suspicious eyes, Xian Lü spoke up.
"Could you check his condition?"
"It is what I must do, of course."
He knelt down and felt Cheon Hwi's pulse with hands as massive as pot lids.
'...It shouldn't matter.'
When he reached out, Cheon Hwi could have shaken him off at any time if he wanted to, but he let it be.
What could a man who couldn't even recognize the Yin-Yang Tai Ling Severed Meridian possibly know?
He left his hand like that for a moment.
'Oh?'
Cheon Hwi's narrowed eyes widened.
It was because his skill was better than expected.
'To examine the meridians of the entire body, he is far more versed in medical arts than I thought?'
He stared with slightly surprised eyes.
Having slightly underestimated him due to his outer appearance and the prejudice of him being a Daoist, his skill was unexpectedly outstanding.
*Swish—*
Just then, Cheon Go calmly lowered the hand that had been feeling Cheon Hwi's pulse.
Afterward, he rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.
"Hmm..."
At that sight, Xian Lü panicked.
"Did some problem arise?"
"Ah, no."
Cheon Go, who waved his hands hastily, looked back and forth between Xian Lü and Cheon Hwi and smiled again.
"Rather, I can say his physical condition is better than anyone else in our sect."
"Is that true?"
"It is."
Having heard repeated confirmations that he was fine, Xian Lü shed tears and respectfully cupped her hands in a bow.
"Ah, the Heavenly Venerable has helped us."
"Truly, heavenly fortune has followed."
Seeing the two respectfully bowing toward the sky, he was dumbfounded.
'Heavenly Venerable my ass. What Heavenly Venerable, what heavenly fortune? This was accomplished entirely by my own power.'
What Heavenly Venerable, what heavenly fortune.
But thinking that they were ignoring his effort, Cheon Hwi found it ridiculous.
As he was looking at the two bowing with an absurd gaze, Xian Lü, who had been bowing her head, raised her head.
"I must inform the Sect Leader Martial Brother."
Before she even finished speaking, Xian Lü executed the Yuhuan Miaobu she had shown earlier.
As Cheon Hwi watched her back as she vanished in an instant,
*Grab—*
A thick hand grabbed his shoulder.
"It is truly a relief, Junior Brother."
Raising his head, Cheon Go was smiling.
"You will be able to move around freely now."
Cheon Go felt proud.
On days when the weather was this freezing, his junior brother had always relied on the Medical Hall.
His heart ached every time, but now there was no need to worry about that anymore.
The meridians throughout his body were sturdy and overflowing with energy, and his muscles were flexible and tough.
It was a change that made it hard to believe this was Cheon Hwi's body, which had wasted away every day.
'Fortunately, thanks to the Zixiao Dan, my humble medical skills were able to shine...'
Thinking about the situation at that time, he stroked his chin at a question that suddenly occurred to him.
After a moment, he scanned Cheon Hwi's body up and down in detail.
'But even if it's the Zixiao Dan, it shouldn't show this level of efficacy, right? Or perhaps, because Junior Brother hasn't learned any martial arts, he experienced this kind of change? Or is there another effect of the Zixiao Dan that I don't know about...'
Cheon Go's dangerously glinting gaze swept over Cheon Hwi's body without restraint.
And Cheon Hwi, receiving such a gaze, got goosebumps from his spine.
'What is with that sticky gaze? Don't tell me... a sodomite?'
Quickly putting distance between them, he frowned.
Goosebumps rose all over his body.
Having known the behavior of sodomites in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in the past, he shuddered.
As Cheon Hwi, who misunderstood his gaze of curiosity, became wary, Cheon Go, the person in question, tilted his head and opened his mouth.
"Hmm? Junior Brother? What is wrong?"
Just as Cheon Go, noticing something strange, was about to approach Cheon Hwi again—
"Haha, you really have recovered."
A white-haired, white-bearded old man appeared.
Cheon Go, who was about to approach Cheon Hwi, stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the old man and hastily paid his respects.
"I greet the Sect Leader."
"Hahaha, it has been a while."
The old man, who was speaking with a soft smile, turned his head toward Cheon Hwi and smiled.
Cheon Hwi's eyebrows twitched as he saw the old man smiling with wrinkled eyes.
'This guy is the current Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect?'
He tilted his head.
'Is he really the Sect Leader? Compared to that horse-faced Daoist back then, he is absurdly weak?'
He compared him to the horse-faced Daoist who had visited when the tension between the Central Plains and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had reached its peak.
The man who had identified himself as the Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect was an absolute master who had reached the Heavenly Martial Realm.
And what about his status?
Thirty years ago, he had lost to him and run away vowing revenge, yet despite that, he was revered in the Central Plains as the Plum Blossom Divine Sword.
His martial prowess and status were enough to cover the humiliation of that defeat.
'Thanks to that single horse-faced Daoist bastard, even the Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Sect had to yield a step.'
But Xuanxiang, standing before him now...
His head turned involuntarily.
The current Sect Leader's level might not be on par with the horse-faced Daoist.
However, Cheon Hwi hadn't known that he would be a presence this weak.
'The Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect is this weak, and another is a sodomite? Tsk tsk, they said Huashan would grow stronger, but they've completely ruined it.'
Just as he was thinking words that would have given the Plum Blossom Divine Sword a seizure if he had heard them,
*Swish—*
Xuanxiang smiled and took a step forward.
In an instant, his Daoist robe fluttered.
His abundant white hair, tied together with pure white cloth, swayed like a horse's tail, and in a flash, Xuanxiang closed the distance.
Soon, standing in front of Cheon Hwi, he reached out his wrinkled hand and stroked his head.
*Swish— Swish—*
"Are you alright?"
At Xuanxiang's completely child-like treatment of him, a fire of anger rose inside, but he held it in.
'Right now, I am Cheon Hwi... I am Cheon Hwi. I am Cheon Hwi of the Huashan Sect right now, damn it!'
His insides felt twisted, but he suppressed it firmly.
After hurriedly calming his boiling mind and body like that, he raised his head and met his eyes.
"I... greet the Sect... Leader."
"It is all thanks to Martial Brother allowing the Zixiao Dan."
Xian Lü appeared belatedly and interjected.
Looking at Xuanxiang stroking Cheon Hwi's head, she smiled softly.
"If it weren't for the Zixiao Dan, he wouldn't have recovered like this. Isn't that right?"
At Xian Lü's question seeking agreement, Cheon Go clapped his hands and answered vigorously.
"Oh my, of course it is! Furthermore, not only has Junior Brother recovered, but with heavenly fortune smiling upon him, he will no longer collapse again."
"Haha, what a relief, truly a relief."
Xuanxiang smiled brightly. In the meantime, Xian Lü gave Cheon Hwi a quick glance.
—You should say thank you, right?
Although the meaning contained in her eyes, which seemed soft yet unyielding, was far from agreeable, he had no choice but to open his mouth.
Since it was true that the Zixiao Dan had been of help.
"...Thank you."
"It is nothing. No matter how precious a divine elixir is, could it be more precious than the future of our sect?"
Xuanxiang, who was speaking, stroked his pure white beard that grew down to his chest.
Afterward, he withdrew the hand that was stroking his head and said.
"So do not worry about it."
'Obviously. Why would I worry?'
Even without being told, that was his plan.
'The Zixiao Dan only helped a very, very, very little bit. It was thanks to my outstanding knowledge that my body was cured.'
A moment later, Xuanxiang spoke up.
"Then is Cheon Hwi alright now?"
"He is."
Cheon Go nodded his head.
"To the extent that he can move around right away."
"Haha, the Heavenly Venerable has given us help."
Xuanxiang looked down at Cheon Hwi.
"What will you do?"
His eyes sparkled for a moment.
It was the question he had been waiting for all along.
* * *
"Will you really be alright?"
'...This is really sickening.'
This was exactly the sixth time she asked.
While coming here, Xian Lü had kept repeating the same question.
However, he never showed any sign of annoyance. Looking at Xian Lü who was watching him with worried eyes, he forced a smile.
"H-Haha. I am fine."
"I understand."
Xian Lü shook her head as she looked at Cheon Hwi and the small pavilion revealing its presence behind him, as if it was a pity.
"You still haven't forgotten Junior Brother..."
'What?'
As if she had made a severe misunderstanding and was about to choke up, she swallowed the rest of her words.
"Then I will be going."
With those words, she left.
However, as if something was so regretful, she turned back to check on him, and only after doing that action about five times did she disappear.
"Phew, she's finally gone."
Looking at the hill where not even her shadow could be seen anymore, he shook his head.
"Why do they overprotect a kid like this?"
Having lived his entire life in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he could not understand it at all.
"They'll stop soon enough."
He brushed off the annoying thoughts.
"Because there's something more important."
Entering the pavilion, a surprisingly neat interior greeted him, unlike its shabby exterior.
'I thought the inside would be a mess too, but it's at least clean.'
He casually inspected the interior before plopping down in the center of the pavilion.
'Should I check my body's condition?'
He slowly regulated his breath.
The air that entered through his mouth and nose gradually spread through the meridians of his entire body, and when the inside of his whole body became clearly visible as if he could grasp it—
'Hmm? What is this?'
He burst out in bewilderment.
His body now was in a completely different state from when he first recovered his body at dawn.
A state that had completely deviated from his expectations.