The next morning, while having breakfast with Xiandao, Tianhui listened to the conversations of the people around them.
"What? The Xi'an Oheup are dead?"
"Those scoundrels?"
"But why did those scoundrels come all the way here? Didn't they flee with their tails between their legs after causing a ruckus in Xi'an?"
"They say that lustful fiend tried to violate the young girl traveling with the Daehyeop and got severely beaten. So he went looking for them to get revenge, and then..."
The man, excitedly recounting the rumor he heard this morning, half-closed his eyes and slowly drew his thumb across his neck.
"Slashed to death just like that."
"Serves them right! Those damn scoundrels committed acts worthy of heaven's punishment, blind to everything, and they finally met their match!"
They must have been more notorious than he thought; the inn, which had been bustling last night with talk of Xiandao and himself, was now abuzz with a completely changed topic in just one morning.
"Too bad for the owner of Yinlong Zhenmi. I heard the third floor was completely destroyed..."
"Ah, too bad my foot!"
The man who spoke grumbled and jutted out his lips.
"When I went this morning, the owner was overjoyed, saying that the Daehyeop who killed the Xi'an Oheup gave him quite a lot of money to help with the broken inn. On top of that, he even gave a share to the waiters, so how envious is that?"
"Is that true?"
The man listening expressed his surprise.
What kind of people are murim-in?
They were lawless individuals for whom the sword was closer than the law.
It was an everyday occurrence for them to destroy buildings and just leave if they didn't like something, but money!
As the two men soon began chatting about how much money it was, Tianhui swallowed the noodles in his mouth.
'It seems the two of them took care of it on their own.'
Among the stories heard here and there, there was absolutely nothing about himself.
There was only talk that the man and woman seen at that time had defeated the Xi'an Oheup and handed their severed heads over to the authorities.
'No need to worry about...'
Smack!
At that moment, Xiandao put down his chopsticks on the table and glared.
"To think such wicked scoundrels were roaming freely in Shaanxi..."
Xiandao bit his lip with a terrifying expression like a malevolent deity.
They were extremely wicked and vicious people.
"Later, I must ask the Zhangmen Shixiong to definitely increase our sect's chivalrous deeds."
Tianhui looked at Xiandao, who was making a resolution with determined eyes, and then focused back on his meal.
A little later, after finishing their meal, the two slipped out of the inn and took their first step onto the long official road leading to Hubei Province.
However, their expressions were not very good.
"Horses are scarce," Tianhui grumbled.
At Tianhui's complaint, Xiandao smiled bitterly.
"We should have bought some yesterday."
They had wandered all over the streets today to buy horses, but it was in vain.
'I'm sorry. The horses were all bought by the customers who came a few days ago.'
Recalling the owner apologizing at the stable, Xiandao shook his head.
"I'll make sure to get some next time."
At that moment.
Clip-clop— Clip-clop—
From behind, the sound of rattling and hoofbeats was heard. Turning their heads, the two made way as they saw a carriage approaching.
Then.
Neigh—!
The advancing carriage suddenly stopped.
'Hm?'
As Tianhui stared blankly at the carriage that had stopped right in front of them, kicking up dust, he frowned.
It was because he felt a familiar presence from inside the carriage.
Creak—
Right on cue, the carriage window opened.
Through the slightly opened window, someone with their face covered by a veil revealed themselves.
"You are indeed the ones who dined at Yinlong Zhenmi last night."
A very deep and low voice, unforgettable once heard, flowed out.
'Those people from yesterday?'
The moment Tianhui was about to look at the veiled girl.
『Yinlong Zhenmi? What do you mean by that?』
At Xiandao's voice transmission, Tianhui realized his mistake.
'...Busted.'
『Did you perhaps sneak out secretly?』
At Xiandao's continued voice transmission, Tianhui shrugged and sent a voice transmission back.
『Yes.』
Thinking it was too much to hide it now, Tianhui confessed the truth.
『Why did you do that?』
『Because the noodles weren't enough.』
『...Sigh. Didn't I tell you to restrain yourself as much as possible?』
Xiandao sighed and shook his head.
Worry took precedence over anything else.
It wasn't a matter of sneaking out or anything like that.
He was just worried that Tianhui's existence might be revealed to the outside world.
'Tsk. I could have not gotten caught.'
As Tianhui was clicking his tongue.
"If it isn't too rude, may I ask where you are heading?"
The girl struck up a conversation.
"Why?"
"They say the four seas are one family; since we formed a brief connection last night, I would like to offer to travel together if our paths are the same."
"Travel together?"
Instantly, Tianhui's eyes fixated on the carriage.
'If I ride this, I can go comfortably, right?'
"Amitabha. We appreciate the kind offer, but..."
"We're going to Hubei."
Fearing he might miss the opportunity, Tianhui quickly cut off Xiandao's words.
"Hubei? That works out perfectly. We are on our way to Anhui, so if you're okay with it, shall we travel together until we part ways midway?"
"That's..."
"Sure."
Xiandao flusteredly sent a voice transmission.
『They are people of unknown identities. Yet you allow them to travel with us?』
『Since we have the chance, isn't it better to ride the carriage?』
『Are you doing this just to ride a carriage? We don't know what their ulterior motives might be, so how can you so easily...』
『It's fine. Those two are the ones who defeated the Xi'an Oheup last night.』
Xiandao's eyes widened.
Once Xiandao realized they were the heroes who dealt with the Xi'an Oheup, his guarded mind relaxed.
Then he snapped his gaze to Tianhui.
『But how did you know that?』
『Because Yinlong Zhenmi was right there.』
Creak—
Right then, the carriage door opened.
"I'll get in first."
Thinking this was the moment, Tianhui immediately entered the carriage.
The inside of the carriage was quite spacious, and not only the girl who had stuck her head out but also the middle-aged man seen last night were sitting side by side.
As Xiandao also boarded after him, the carriage rattled and started moving as if it had been waiting.
How long did they run like that?
Sitting in his seat, Tianhui stared at the girl who seemed to be piercingly looking at him through the veil.
'It really is strange.'
Even seeing her again, her body was strange.
To the point where one would think it was only natural if she died right now.
Meanwhile, the girl also looked at Tianhui.
'He is the same person from yesterday, but...'
Despite being right in front of her now, the young man's qi was extremely faint.
No, beyond faint, it was transparent.
'To be exact, it's as if his existence has assimilated with the world.'
She hadn't felt it wrong after all.
However, a question arose along with that.
'But a Daoist robe?'
Her piercing gaze shifted to the Daoist robe Tianhui was wearing.
It was an incomprehensible attire.
Hadn't he been drinking alcohol and eating meat to his heart's content last night?
'A real Daoist...?'
As she carefully scanned the rare black-and-red Daoist robe, she flinched. There was a familiar pattern on the sleeve of the robe he wore.
'Plum blossoms?!'
Discovering the faintly visible red plum blossoms drawn on the black silk, she turned her gaze to the side and stared at Xiandao.
Quickly scanning the red-and-white Daoist robe he wore, she discovered that, just like the young man, plum blossoms were drawn on his sleeve.
'To discover this only now.'
She chewed on her lip.
There was only one sect in the world that could engrave plum blossoms on their Daoist robes.
There was no greater oversight than this.
Having grasped their identities, she politely bowed her head and offered a greeting.
"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Duanmu Lin."
Xiandao's eyebrows twitched.
"The Duanmu Family?"
"That is correct."
"Do you know who we are?"
"Is there anyone in the world who does not recognize the Daoist robes engraved with the Hongmeihua?"
"...You have a lot of nerve. To think you'd offer to travel with your enemy."
"Even if the orthodox faction is divided in two, I know the main enemy is the demonic faction."
Xiandao's eyes narrowed.
Looking at her unwavering demeanor, Xiandao spoke softly.
"My name is Xiandao."
But the one who reacted to those words was not the girl, but the other person.
"Huashan Divine Sword!"
The middle-aged man next to Duanmu Lin flinched and exclaimed.
He, who had only been silently watching the two converse, couldn't take his eyes off Xiandao.
He was enveloped in bewilderment.
The young man alone was an unfathomable, mysterious person, but his traveling companion was the Huashan Divine Sword, the center of the storm in the current murim!
'I thought they were people wearing the mask of Daoists.'
Actually, he had been wary of the two.
It was understandable; although they wore Daoist robes, the young man had enjoyed meat and alcohol.
That alone was clearly suspicious enough, and on top of that, the one with him, though wearing a Daoist robe, looked exactly like a bandit.
It was perhaps only natural for the little doubt that had arisen to grow larger.
But now, the doubt was completely swept away.
'It perfectly matches the appearance of the Huashan Divine Sword in the rumors.'
The slanted eyes, the bulbous nose, and the sparsely grown beard.
At the Daoist's appearance, which was no different from the rumors, his hardened expression melted away like ice.
His appearance, which he had thought was that of a bandit, now even felt quaintly classic.
"Hahaha. I never expected to meet the Daehyeop who is currently shaking the world in a place like this."
The middle-aged man brightened with a smile.
"This humble one is Duanmu Jingang."
"Tiejian Qixia?!"
This time, Xiandao was greatly surprised.
"Hahaha, Amitabha. I, too, did not expect to meet the Daehyeop Tiejian Qixia in such a place."
A hearty smile hung on Xiandao's lips.
Tiejian Qixia was a famous hero, renowned enough that even Xiandao, who had been holed up in the Huashan Sect for a long time, had heard of him.
"It is an honor to meet you."
Xiandao expressed his liking without reserve.
He had always quite disliked noble families who calculated gains and losses, but if it was Tiejian Qixia, it was a different story.
"I sincerely admire the work you did a year ago in exposing the truth of the Heishamen, who were trafficking humans, and destroying their sect alone."
"I, too, am deeply moved by the Zhenren's heroic deeds against the Baiguicheng."
"Haha. Zhenren is too much."
"If you are not a Zhenren, who else can be called one?"
As the two began to praise each other and gradually bloomed the flower of conversation, Tianhui stared at them with an incredulous face around the time...
"What is the Daoist title of the young Xia?"
The woman's voice struck his ears.
Turning his head with a reluctant expression, the veil fluttered right in front of his eyes.
"Tianhui."
She savored the Daoist title Tianhui a few times before carefully asking.
"If it isn't too rude, may I ask just one thing?"
"That's perfect. I had something I wanted to ask the young lady as well. Let's ask each other one question."
"Alright..."
Just as she was about to answer.
"Then you mean to say you've been wandering the world for a whole year to find a Shenyi whose whereabouts you don't even know?!"
Xiandao's exclamation cut off the conversation.
"That is correct. Still, I obtained a rumor that they were seen in Sichuan a few days ago, so I am holding onto a thread-like hope."
"Haha. May I ask why you are looking for the Shenyi?"
"Well..."
As Duanmu Jingang trailed off, Duanmu Lin interjected and spoke instead.
"Because of me."
Xiandao's eyes shook.
Hearing that such a young girl was sick, his heart naturally moved with pity.
"What is wrong with you?"
"Her Neigong."
Duanmu Jingang said with a complicated expression.
"...For about two years now, Lin's Neigong has been suddenly dispersing."
"That's nonsensical..."
Xiandao's eyes widened.
Neigong was the Qi one accumulated over a lifetime.
For such Neigong to scatter was impossible except at the time of death.
"Fortunately, we were able to prolong her lifespan with the spiritual medicines periodically provided by the physician invited by our family, but starting from three months ago, the effect of the medicine has also dropped, so anymore..."
As a shadow fell under Duanmu Jingang's eyes.
"So that's why. No wonder."
At the suddenly interjected words, the gazes of the three focused on the source, Tianhui.
However, as if he didn't even care about their gazes, Tianhui looked at Duanmu Lin with an expression that had lost interest.
"Born with the Taiyin Qizhu Zhi Ti, I wondered how you managed to survive. So you just held on with spiritual medicines."