Chapter 4-2

Bai Shixuan opened his eyes early in the morning. As soon as he got up, he washed his face and straightened his clothes.

‘How irritating.’

Since yesterday, he had felt someone watching him. The sensation annoyed him enough that he had considered immediately driving the watcher away, but since he sensed no Killing Intent, he had left them alone. Still, being watched by someone was never a pleasant feeling.

“Dumplings.”

“Yes, understood.”

When he spoke to a waiter different from the one who had served him the previous evening, the waiter immediately hurried into the kitchen. Perhaps because it was still early, the inn was quiet, and Bai Shixuan sat down wherever he pleased and waited for the dumplings to arrive.

“Here you are.”

When the waiter quickly brought over the dumplings, Bai Shixuan placed one in his mouth and slowly chewed and swallowed it. After settling breakfast with a single plate of dumplings, Bai Shixuan paid and headed straight outside. Although it was still early morning, many people were already bustling about. They were quite diligent. Only four years ago, he too would already have been chopping firewood at this hour. And beside him, Xuelan would always have been playing the qin or chattering away. Bai Shixuan smiled briefly at the old memories before slowly continuing on his way.

‘Gansu. A place I’ll return to someday.’

He had been born in Shaanxi. Yet Gansu felt more like home and was more familiar to him than Shaanxi. It was surely all thanks to Jin Yuha and Dan Yeryeong. Without them, the Bai Shixuan of today would not exist, nor would he have been capable of feeling this sense of ease. He would already have died in the Qilian Mountains.

-Tap, tap

After leaving the village, Bai Shixuan slowly walked along while tapping the Flexible Sword wrapped around his waist with the index finger of his right hand. The gaze that had been watching him had disappeared some time ago. Was that fortunate? Of course it was. Though whether it was fortunate for Bai Shixuan or for the watcher was another matter.

Now that the watcher’s gaze was gone, Bai Shixuan was considering using the Heavenly Demon’s Sovereign Steps when he spotted a young man sitting on a rock and tearing into a piece of jerky. It was the young man from the inn. Bai Shixuan still could not tell whether the white-robed youth was truly a man or a woman disguised as one. The young man sat there eating jerky. Bai Shixuan was not the only one who noticed; the youth also turned his head, spotted him, and smiled.

“Oh. We meet again here.”

The young man greeted Bai Shixuan warmly, but Bai Shixuan neither looked at him nor answered. He simply walked straight past.

“Good heavens, wait! We saw each other yesterday and again today. If that isn’t fate, what is? Don’t they say that all within the Four Seas are fellow travelers?”

“So?”

The young man rose and reached Bai Shixuan’s side in a single burst as he spoke. Bai Shixuan glanced at the youth now walking beside him. At Bai Shixuan’s reaction, the young man scratched his cheek and smiled awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.

“Since we’ve met like this, I was merely suggesting that we at least exchange names. I am Huang Zaizhen. And you?”

“Haah.”

At Huang Zaizhen’s words, Bai Shixuan sighed and looked at him. Huang Zaizhen, who had been talking away with an enthusiastic smile, flinched and promptly closed his mouth.

“Bai Shixuan.”

“Oh, so it’s Brother Bai. How far are you traveling?”

Why did this fellow have so many questions? Bai Shixuan looked at Huang Zaizhen and nearly said something, but instead closed his mouth. After a moment, he spoke again.

“Shaanxi.”

“Shaanxi! A fine place indeed. I happen to be heading there myself. Would you mind if I traveled with you?”

Was Shaanxi truly the destination? Or had Huang Zaizhen been waiting for Bai Shixuan for some other reason? Bai Shixuan honestly could not tell. There was, however, one thing he did know. The young man chattering beside him was not actually a man. Judging from the pitch of the voice and the way the youth moved, everything about him was far too feminine. Moreover, there was a faint scent of face powder coming from his body. It seemed quite some time had passed since the makeup had been applied, but it could not escape Bai Shixuan’s sense of smell.

“Do as you please.”

“Hoho. My thanks.”

When Bai Shixuan answered, Huang Zaizhen happily clapped his hands. Bai Shixuan stared intently at Huang Zaizhen’s face, prompting him to suddenly unfold the fan hanging from his waist and hide his face behind it.

“Why are you staring at me so intently?”

“I’m not interested, so don’t concern yourself with it.”

“Good grief. Brother Bai, you certainly are blunt with your words, aren’t you?”

It was a criticism of Bai Shixuan’s informal manner of speech. Bai Shixuan, however, did not respond and simply kept walking. If Huang Zaizhen disliked being spoken to informally, then he was free to leave on his own. At Bai Shixuan’s reaction, Huang Zaizhen grimaced, but quickly returned to his usual expression and followed after him.

‘It shouldn’t matter.’

Bai Shixuan did not know what purpose Huang Zaizhen had in approaching him, but with Huang Zaizhen’s level of skill, there was nothing he could do to Bai Shixuan. If necessary, Bai Shixuan could simply cut him down. With that thought, he allowed the youth to accompany him.

“Oh, look over there. Excuse me!”

Huang Zaizhen suddenly turned his head, spotted a cart slowly approaching from behind, and shouted while waving his hand. Bai Shixuan also turned and saw a cart being pulled by a single donkey.

“What is it?”

“I was wondering how far you were going.”

“I’m heading to Shaanxi. If you’re traveling in the same direction, climb aboard.”

When the middle-aged man leading the donkey answered Huang Zaizhen, Huang Zaizhen smiled and nodded.

“How fortunate. We were just heading to Shaanxi ourselves. Brother Bai, you should get on too. There is quite a bit of luggage, but surely it will still be more comfortable than walking?”

Huang Zaizhen spoke to Bai Shixuan, who was staring intently at the middle-aged man. Bai Shixuan soon withdrew his gaze and climbed onto the cart.

‘Whew, what kind of gaze was that…?’

It looked as though Bai Shixuan might devour him with his eyes alone. The middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead and began driving the donkey again.

‘Tch.’

He was probably someone Huang Zaizhen had hired in advance, or else the man who had been watching Bai Shixuan. Otherwise, no one would travel all the way to Shaanxi with only a single donkey. He did not look like a merchant, nor did he seem like an ordinary traveler. He was almost certainly the man whose gaze Bai Shixuan had felt watching him since yesterday.

“Brother Bai, have you studied martial arts as well?”

Bai Shixuan had placed the black saber hanging at his waist across his knees and was stroking it. Unable to contain his curiosity after watching him, Huang Zaizhen asked the question. Bai Shixuan glanced at Huang Zaizhen before returning his gaze to the saber and opening his mouth.

“A little.”

“It seems you practiced External Martial Arts.”

“More or less.”

Neither Huang Zaizhen nor the man driving the donkey ahead possessed enough skill to sense Bai Shixuan’s qi. Naturally, because of the characteristics of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the two of them would have sensed no more energy from Bai Shixuan than they would from an ordinary person. That was why they assumed he had practiced only External Martial Arts. Bai Shixuan fell silent and continued stroking the saber. The cool breeze blowing past put him in a pleasant mood, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.