Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Reunion at the Inn
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Cheonhwi entered some random inn near Bangsan and poured liquor straight into his mouth.
"Kuh."
Was it because it had been so long since he'd had a drink? Even though it was cheap rice wine and not some precious vintage,
the fiery burn unique to rice wine felt surprisingly pleasant, something he wouldn't have enjoyed under normal circumstances.
In high spirits, Cheonhwi picked up his chopsticks.
With a cheerful hum, he moved them to grab the meat in front of him.
And the moment he took a bite,
"Mm, that's the stuff."
A smile naturally bloomed on his face.
Soon after, the pace of his chopsticks began to quicken.
Clack, clack.
The meal consisted only of rice wine and five-spice roast meat, but after three days of fasting, Cheonhwi savored it by chewing, tearing, and tasting repeatedly.
"Amitabha."
At that moment, a low Buddhist chant came from right in front of him, halting his relentless chopsticks.
'Huh? What are they doing here?'
He looked up to see the Tathagata Divine Fist and the Arhat monks he'd encountered in the annex standing there.
Their faces, as they clasped hands and gazed at Cheonhwi, were filled with goodwill. Especially the younger Arhat monks, some of whom looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
It was only natural.
Not only had he driven out the Sun-Moon Sect, but he'd displayed astonishing divine might.
And he'd even shown orthodox faction martial arts.
Already, the thought that Cheonhwi was the Blood Emperor's incarnation had vanished from their minds.
Then, the Tathagata Divine Fist spoke on their behalf.
"If it's not too rude, may we join you?"
"Join me?"
Cheonhwi glanced around as he replied.
The inn near Bangsan was already sparsely populated outside mealtime, and the current hour made it utterly empty.
"There's plenty of seats."
"Haha, we wished to speak with the benefactor."
The Tathagata Divine Fist shook his head as he spoke.
"With me?"
Cheonhwi furrowed his brow.
"What about?"
"Just light conversation."
Cheonhwi scratched his chin.
What a hassle.
He'd been enjoying some solitary drinking after so long.
But just as he was about to refuse,
'He did give me those Wall Valley Pills.'
They hadn't tasted great, but they'd chased away his brutal hunger.
'How long could a chat really take?'
Having quickly made up his mind, Cheonhwi said,
"Suit yourselves."
"Thank you."
The Tathagata Divine Fist and two Arhat monks sat at Cheonhwi's table, while the remaining Arhat monks took seats at nearby tables as if guarding them.
At that, the waiter who had been secretly watching from afar scurried over.
"What would you like to order?"
"Thin noodles for everyone, please."
"Right away."
The waiter retreated.
"Hahaha, I never imagined reuniting with the benefactor so soon."
The Tathagata Divine Fist greeted him warmly.
"Is that so?"
But Cheonhwi let the words go in one ear and out the other as he chewed and swallowed his meat.
"Ah! Come to think of it, we haven't properly introduced ourselves, benefactor."
The Tathagata Divine Fist clasped his hands together.
"This monk is Won-eum."
Having revealed his dharma name to Cheonhwi, he nodded to the Arhat monks.
Reading the meaning in his glance, the Arhat monks clasped their hands and spoke.
"Gongmun."
"Gongjin."
The Tathagata Divine Fist turned back to Cheonhwi as he watched the two politely state their names.
'Lightning's about to shoot from his eyes.'
Under the Tathagata Divine Fist's piercing gaze, as if he intended to watch until Cheonhwi revealed his name, Cheonhwi pondered briefly.
Should he give his courtesy name or not?
'If I do, it'll just get annoying.'
After much deliberation, he finally spoke.
"Guyeon."
What came out of his mouth was the very familiar name from his previous life.
'Never thought I'd use this name again.'
In searching for a suitable alias in place of a courtesy name, nothing but his past life's name had come to mind.
"Guyeon, a fine name."
The Tathagata Divine Fist seemed satisfied just hearing it, his eyes gleaming.
"And your sect is...?"
"That's a secret."
Cheonhwi cut him off sharply.
If he were going to reveal his sect, he wouldn't have used an alias in the first place.
The Tathagata Divine Fist looked at him with an understanding expression and smiled kindly.
"Haha, then I shan't pry further into the benefactor's background."
The Tathagata Divine Fist backed off slightly.
"But there is one thing I'm curious about..."
"Curious? Didn't you say it was just light conversation earlier?"
As Cheonhwi asked in a dry tone, the Tathagata Divine Fist realized his mistake and bowed his head.
"This monk has been rude. If the benefactor doesn't wish it, I won't ask."
Seeing this, Cheonhwi chuckled.
His words said one thing, but his face was full of disappointment.
"Your words and expression don't match."
"Haha, even if one hides emotions, completely concealing them is no easy task."
"Feels like you did it on purpose."
Cheonhwi eyed the Tathagata Divine Fist suspiciously before waving it off.
"Fine. Ask away. You gave me those Wall Valley Pills, so I'll humor you that much."
He couldn't keep dragging this out over one set of pills; it was time to wrap it up.
And this was the perfect moment.
"Thank you."
To Cheonhwi, who spoke as if granting a favor, the Tathagata Divine Fist smiled awkwardly and continued.
"Actually, after the benefactor left, we entered the area behind the collapsed wall."
The collapsed wall.
In other words, they'd inspected the room with the Heavenly Demon Reincarnation Circuit, but Cheonhwi remained unfazed.
He'd already anticipated as much.
A man suddenly bursting through a wall in an annex stripped bare of items?
Of course they'd check inside out of suspicion.
"You thought I'd stolen something like that Bright Moon Blade guy?"
"Haha."
The Tathagata Divine Fist gave an awkward laugh at the direct hit.
"So, what did you find?"
To Cheonhwi's immediate follow-up, the Tathagata Divine Fist shook his head side to side.
"Just as you said, there was nothing inside the wall."
Cheonhwi smirked.
'Of course there wouldn't be.'
That room was the boundary between the mortal world and the void, artificially created via the Heavenly Demon Reincarnation Circuit.
With the circuit gone, re-entering was impossible.
At that moment, the Tathagata Divine Fist's eyes lit up.
He knew Cheonhwi hadn't taken anything.
But one question remained.
"But why did the benefactor enter such a place?"
Cheonhwi twisted one corner of his mouth.
"Why? Can't I?"
"Ah, no, that's not it. But the purpose of entering..."
"I just went in."
Cheonhwi put on a stone-faced expression.
He had zero desire to explain the Heavenly Demon Reincarnation Circuit, nor did he want the hassle of lying to cover it up.
'And if I say I just felt like it, what then?'
The space behind the wall was empty.
So no one could guess what purpose he'd had for entering.
"Haha."
As Cheonhwi had calculated, the Tathagata Divine Fist could only give a wry smile, at a loss for words.
What more could he get by pressing further when the answer was "just went in"?
'No point asking more.'
The Tathagata Divine Fist lightly shook his head, met Cheonhwi's gaze, and spoke.
"But is it truly alright to dine so leisurely here?"
At the sudden question, Cheonhwi downed the last of his rice wine and looked at him.
"Kuh, what about?"
"You let the Bright Moon Blade go."
The Tathagata Divine Fist's voice lowered.
"If word reaches the Sun-Moon Sect Leader's ears, he won't sit idly by."
Along with his words, he sent a look of concern.
If it became known that the Sun-Moon Sect had been repelled by a single man, their leader was no one to stay quiet.
And that wasn't all.
Though he'd displayed astonishing prowess against the Bright Moon Blade, he was alone.
In contrast, what of the Sun-Moon Sect?
A colossal faction among the Five Imperial Gates.
Their disciples numbered beyond count, and their experts were far from few.
Facing them alone was like an egg striking a rock.
However, contrary to his worry,
"Is that so?"
The person in question, Cheonhwi, replied nonchalantly as he picked up more five-spice roast meat from the plate.
Gulp—
After swallowing the meat, he spoke.
"No need to hunt them down one by one. Sounds good to me."
The Tathagata Divine Fist and the Arhat monks gaped at Cheonhwi's impassive response.
Even Shaolin would need resolve to speak so against the Sun-Moon Sect.
Yet the young man before them brimmed with confidence.
The Tathagata Divine Fist narrowed his brow at Cheonhwi, armored in incomprehensible self-assurance.
'Bluffing? Or something else...'
He dismissed the thought.
'No, pointless speculation.'
Bluff or not, what did it matter?
He wasn't going to help him anyway.
"If you're unconcerned, then that's fortunate."
As the Tathagata Divine Fist murmured lowly,
"Your thin noodles!"
The noodles arrived right on time.
Before eating the bowl placed before him, the Tathagata Divine Fist politely clasped his hands.
"Amitabha."
Only then did he pick up his chopsticks, and their meal began.
Cheonhwi watched them curiously.
Extremely cautious chopstick work.
And fearing even the slightest noise, they slowly chewed and savored the noodles.
As if the meal itself were a form of cultivation.
'They eat so painstakingly.'
Glancing at them eating their noodles, Cheonhwi grabbed more roast meat.
In contrast to their silence, Cheonhwi stuffed his mouth full and chewed vigorously.
And as he downed his rice wine,
Thud— thud—
People were approaching.
Three young men and two women.
The five in their early twenties wore such flashy attire and accessories that anyone could tell they were scions of high officials or prestigious families.
At that moment,
One of them, a sturdy-built youth, stepped forward and cupped his fists in greeting.
"Peng Zhewei of the Murim Scholars pays respects to the esteemed Shaolin masters."
The Tathagata Divine Fist's eyes widened slightly.
Peng Zhewei was the third son of the current Hebei Peng family and one of the Nine Dragons and Five Phoenixes, hailed as the future of the Bicheon Association.
"I thought you seemed extraordinary at first glance. So it was the Blade Dragon hero."
"An overly generous title for this one."
A smile formed on the Tathagata Divine Fist's lips as he regarded the humbly replying Peng Zhewei.
'Haha, to think he'd come greet us first.'
It had already been decades since the Murim Alliance and Bicheon Association stood in opposition.
Their shared past had faded into enmity.
Yet here was the Blade Dragon, a top young talent of the Bicheon Association, personally coming to pay respects—it stirred fresh emotions.
"This monk is Won-eum."
At that instant, Peng Zhewei and his companions, about to follow suit, widened their eyes.
"So you're the Tathagata Divine Fist hero."
"Haha, an overly generous title for this monk."
The same words as Peng Zhewei.
But the weight was different.
"If even you say the title is too much, who in the world could be called Divine Fist?"
Then, one by one, the group behind Peng Zhewei began introducing themselves.
"I'm Huangbo Sohyun."
"Mo Yong-sang."
"Yang Se-ryeong."
"This one is Zhuge Sheng-hao."
The Tathagata Divine Fist nodded upon hearing the four men's and women's names.
As expected, they were all scions of the Eight Great Families.
'Another fateful encounter, perhaps.'
Meeting scions of the Eight Great Families in Shanxi was a rare sight.
The Tathagata Divine Fist signaled to the Arhat monks, who hadn't yet relaxed their tension.
The Arhat monks nodded slightly and,
"Amitabha. This monk is..."
introduced their dharma names one by one.
Once all introductions were done, Peng Zhewei glanced sideways.
There sat a handsome young man in pitch-black martial robes, alone.
"If it's not rude, might we know the young hero's esteemed name?"
At the question, Cheonhwi, tilting his cup, glanced at him and moved his lips.
"It is rude."