Several days had passed since Seomun Hwa-rin began traveling with us. Thanks to our diligent pace, we were able to arrive in Muhan City with a fair amount of leeway before the Dragon Phoenix Gathering was set to begin… but.
"Ugh."
"?"
Whenever she drew a little closer to me, or whenever our eyes met head-on, she kept averting her gaze.
Had something happened? Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred during our travels, as far as I could tell.
She was only avoiding me subtly, so it felt awkward to press her about it.
After all, Seomun Hwa-rin was a woman who, perhaps owing to her confidence in her own abilities, maintained a fundamentally composed and dignified demeanor.
What could have possibly made her react this way?
At most, it would be something like singing along to Seol Ri-hyang's song after drinking, which she normally enjoyed, or that time I tried to cook for her myself to celebrate the Thunder Step reaching minor completion and only ruined the ingredients, or when I bought a slightly risqué book from the Market Street, insisting that even a martial artist should know things beyond martial arts, and was out of sorts for a while.
Right now, it didn't seem to fit any of those, so it was hard to gauge.
…Still, I should count myself lucky that we had grown closer before the Dragon Phoenix Gathering began.
She was keeping her distance, but it didn't feel like aversion, so if I said something, she would probably listen.
If we had met only after the Dragon Phoenix Gathering started, I would have had to persuade her within the short time before the main rounds began.
Of course, Seomun Hwa-rin was an absolute master several ranks above me, so kidnapping her was out of the question.
"Hmm."
"Why are you suddenly nodding to yourself, Cheon Hwi?"
"Ugh…"
I couldn't very well answer that I was troubled by the thought that even if I got annoyed, I couldn't resort to the drastic move of kidnapping her, so I just nodded again.
Seol Ri-hyang stared at me as if she had seen a puppy wagging its tail at nothing, but her expression softened at Tang So-wol's following words.
"Hyang-i, you wouldn't understand. Young hero Cheon knew there would be a lot of people here, but actually being mixed in among this many people makes him uncomfortable."
"Huh? If he knew, then why is he uncomfortable?"
At Seol Ri-hyang's words, her eyes blinking, Tang So-wol playfully poked my side and continued.
"Well, young hero Cheon is wary of anyone approaching him unless he can fully trust them. Just passing through a crowd this size must cost him a considerable amount of Simnyeok."
"Is that true, Cheon Hwi?"
"…"
That was a complete miss. I was merely naturally aware of anyone who entered my domain—any cautious martial artist would do the same.
Of course, it was only possible because I still carried the enlightenment from before my regression, and my current body had also reached a fully mature Peak Realm.
At any rate, there was no way I would tire from something I did as naturally as breathing.
Still, it was true that it made for a convenient excuse, so I simply nodded.
"That's roughly right."
"You really do live a troublesome life, don't you?"
Seol Ri-hyang shook her head, while Tang So-wol, delighted at having guessed the answer correctly, giggled and pressed herself close to my side.
And then there was Seomun Hwa-rin, who knew that recognizing people within one's domain wasn't actually that difficult once you got used to it, but couldn't bring herself to say so given the current mood, so she covered her mouth with her small hand.
Was it because they were all so strikingly beautiful? One by one, the gazes of those around us began to converge.
If this had been Unorthodox territory, someone would have picked a fight with us by now.
But this was Muhan City, where the Murim Alliance's main headquarters was located. And right now, rising talents from the Orthodox Sects across the Central Plains, along with gossipmongers who found martial world affairs more entertaining than three meals a day, had gathered here to participate in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
I'd thought nothing out of the ordinary would happen, but the reactions that followed exceeded even my expectations.
"…Remarkable. You can't even be twenty-five yet, and you've already reached the Peak Realm."
"I've heard plenty of stories about the Tang Clan's daughter being a prodigy, but this is hard to explain with just that, Senior Brother."
"I heard you got caught up in some unpleasant business a few years back. Looks like you've been grinding away at your skills ever since."
"We've been working hard too, so we'll be fine, Senior Brother!"
What had started as eyes drawn by appearance ended with the senior and junior brothers genuinely admiring and steeling their resolve.
"Hooh. They all seem formidable, but I can't place any of them. Do you know their aliases?"
"Why think so hard about it? There's only one daughter of the Tang Clan with outstanding skill who stays out of the public eye and hasn't yet earned an alias."
"Indeed! Then I suppose the three around her are in a similar situation."
"Perhaps. The two wearing the Tang Clan's robes might be, but that little miss in different attire may have simply joined the journey."
"You have a point. Speaking of which, that hair color is quite unusual. The Tang Clan's daughter having green-tinted hair must be the effect of her poison art… but…"
"White hair. Surely at that young age it couldn't have turned gray naturally—she must have cultivated a yin-cold type martial art."
"Good heavens! You mean we might actually get to see real ice techniques?!"
"That remains to be seen. But one thing's certain—I may not know about the phoenix, but the flower is definitely growing."
"Agreed. Then it's no longer the Three Flowers of the Martial World, but the Five Flowers!"
Gossipmongers with impatient temperaments, already anticipating what martial art she'd use and what alias she'd earn.
"Ah! I never expected to meet you in a place like this! How have you been? With no word from you, I was starting to worry."
Jin Baek of the Zhongnan Sect, who happened to be wandering nearby.
"…Why are you here?"
"You're saying strange things, Brother Cheon. Of course, it's to participate in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering."
"That's true, but… wait, what did you just call me?"
"Huh? I called you Brother Cheon."
"I recall our ages being similar."
"What does age matter? What matters is that I've received so much help from you, Brother Cheon. That alone is reason enough to treat you like an elder brother."
"Elder brother, huh…"
I never expected him to be this grateful for the kindness I showed in an attempt to repay even a fraction of the life-debt I owed before my regression.
Looking at him now, it seems he's trained hard over the past three years—his martial level has clearly surpassed the early first-rate stage.
Considering that the last time I saw him, he was still at the second-rate level, and that by what he showed in his previous life, he was born with somewhat ambiguous talent, and finally, given that he's still young—at this level, he'd be enough to be treated as a prodigy even in a massive sect like the Zhongnan Sect.
Thinking about it that way, this reaction is somewhat understandable. Whatever else Jin Baek might lack, his character is solid.
Not long after the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance was formed, even when there were still hard feelings between the two sides, didn't he consistently show a respectful attitude toward us?
Even at the very end, he burned his own True Origin Vital Energy to open a path to save the others.
As for me, I failed to carry out the revenge I'd taken on as the price of my life…
With a mix of complicated feelings and pride, I let out a small snort and curled the corner of my mouth.
"Well, call me whatever's comfortable. But I'm not the warm type, so don't expect me to call you 'little brother.'"
"Haha! I'd feel awkward too if I heard you call me that affectionately, Brother Cheon, so this is actually more comfortable for me."
The guy laughed quite heartily. When I'd seen him before, he still felt very much like a child, but now he seemed much closer to how he'd been before the regression.
"By the way, Brother Cheon. Could you introduce me to your companions? Everyone here is a stranger to me except Young Lady Dang."
"There's no reason I can't. This is Jin Baek. He's someone I formed a connection with when Tang So-wol and I stayed at the Zhongnan Sect for a while."
As I explained briefly, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin exchanged greetings with a fist-and-palm salute, albeit somewhat awkwardly.
After that, we walked along, trading simple small talk and catching up on recent news, and before long we arrived at the inn that the Geumhwa Merchant Association supposedly ran.
"This is where we'll be staying."
"…It looks awfully lavish. Did they have any rooms left?"
"They'll make room. And if they truly don't have any, they can point us somewhere else."
He pulled out the letter he had received from Chujungsan and waved it, and only then did Jin Baek nod as if he understood.
"Ah-ha! Our Zhongnan Sect arrived early, yet we still had trouble finding an inn, so I was a bit worried. But if you've already been introduced by someone else, I'm relieved!"
"Is that all?"
"As you know, this Dragon Phoenix Gathering has the Shaolin Temple putting up the winning prize. The Spiritual Medicines from the other Five Great Families and Nine Great Sects and One Gang are excellent as well, but…"
"The Great Return Pill is on a different level from the rest. Indeed. So that's why more participants have flocked here."
"That's right. And on top of that, where people gather, those who want to make money off them follow, so they say it's even more crowded than the last Dragon Phoenix Gathering."
Jin Baek let out a sigh of relief, saying he'd heard it from the senior disciple who came with him.
"Well then, I'll be on my way. I'm staying at the Myeongwon Inn, which you'll see if you walk a bit further from here, so feel free to drop by if you're bored."
"Why would I go sightseeing? Let's focus on the Dragon Phoenix Gathering first. Once it's all over, we can have a meal together then."
"Oh! You're right! We should be focusing on the Dragon Phoenix Gathering now. Honestly, I know winning is impossible with you participating, Brother Cheon… but still, I have to give it my all, don't I?"
Jin Baek greeted them with a determined face and walked off into the distance. Watching him go, Tang So-wol whispered quietly by his ear.
"Unlike some people, he's certainly full of the vigor befitting his age."
"I don't know who 'some people' might be, but I'm sure there's a betrothed out there pretty enough to turn the Three Beauties of the Murim into the Five, and skilled in martial arts to boot."
At his natural retort, Tang So-wol's face cycled through a mix of pleasure and exasperation.
As he shrugged at her bizarre expression, Seol Ri-hyang, as if she could no longer endure it, shuddered and took the lead.
"If we keep talking, even listening from the side is going to become unbearable! Let's head inside! Rin-ah, you come here too."
"Mm. Understood…"
Seomun Hwa-rin, glancing at them while obediently following Seol Ri-hyang.
Her expression, as if she were looking at an unexploded bomb, was a bit worrying, but it was true that they couldn't just stand on the street forever.
After exchanging a glance with Tang So-wol, they both let out a hollow laugh and followed the two ahead into Geumhwa Inn.
At first, the innkeeper had expressed difficulty, saying there was no room, but after reading the letter from Chujusan, he changed his attitude and offered the room that was always kept vacant for urgent guests.
Apparently, the Geumhwa Merchant Guild had failed in all its other businesses, but the escort agency and the inn were doing well.
The facilities were that good. It was only natural, since it was a room meant for honored guests.
If there was one thing that bothered him… it was the fact that no matter how spacious it was, there was only one room.
I asked the innkeeper to bring me a separate set of bedding and laid it out in a suitable corner. Then, in a deliberately firm tone, I drew the line.
"Don't cross over here."
"…What?"
"???"
"Are you speaking to us?"
The three of them looked at me in disbelief. But there was no helping it.
I couldn't be sure myself what I might do.