Chapter 22

The three of them settled in an inn known for its delicious spicy noodles. Upon hearing the news that the famous Moonlight Flashing Sword was staying there, people flocked to see him, and soon the lower floor of the inn was packed with customers eating spicy noodles from early morning. Thanks to this, the inn owner's face was beaming with joy.

"Let's take advantage of this commotion."

Geum-hye, who had been pondering with a serious expression while looking down at the people outside the inn, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of Cheong-ra's face, spoke.

"Now that the news of our arrival has spread widely, those bastards must be on high alert too. Since we've sought the cooperation of the Beggar Sect, we'll know right away if they try to escape the city."

"Understood, Martial Sister."

Cheong-ra and Mu-gwang replied. In a city with such a large population, it was definitely easier to catch the fleeing culprits than to find the ones hiding. Tired from traveling all the way here, they settled into the inn and rested well. The next morning, after a good rest, the three of them decided to split up and search the city separately.

"Anyway, those runaway bastards can't handle us with their martial prowess. So let's each search the city separately."

Geum-hye gave instructions to Cheong-ra and Mu-gwang. Geum-hye, who was the fastest, would take the west and south of the city, Mu-gwang the north, and Cheong-ra the east.

Before leaving the inn, they went down to the first floor for a quick breakfast, and the inn owner rushed out. The owner greeted Baek Ri Cheong-ra, who had boosted the inn's sales, with a wide smile and respectful manner, as if he was about to bow.

"Esteemed guests, have you come down for breakfast? Don't do this; go up to the second floor. It will be pleasant to have your meal while overlooking the street from a high place. Our inn is not only famous for its spicy noodles but also for its steamed fish and braised tofu dishes."

The owner guided the three of them to a window seat on the second floor with a clear view of the street. Conversely, this meant that the window seat was also clearly visible from the street. It was evident that the owner intended to use Cheong-ra as a means of advertising the inn, but the three of them, accustomed to such situations, quietly sat down. They had grown tired of refusing such things. Soon, the food was served on the table.

Ju Mu-gwang drank the expensive Green Snail Spring tea (a type of green tea) that the owner had brought out without even charging for it and was soon happy. Geum-hye also enjoyed the food that filled the table. Only Cheong-ra, who had lost his appetite due to lack of proper sleep, picked at his food. He recalled the words he had heard from Dang Ran-yeong before and looked down at the people gathered on the street.

'Could I really earn a thousand gold pieces by playing the zither at the Pavilion of Golden Fragrance?'

He briefly imagined himself playing the zither at the Pavilion of Golden Fragrance. However, it didn't go well. It was difficult for him to even imagine himself not having joined Moon Lake Sect. In fact, he couldn't easily guess what kind of place a brothel was. He had never been to a brothel, let alone the Pavilion of Golden Fragrance.

Strictly speaking, Moon Lake Sect was not a Taoist sect, so it didn't prohibit the marriage of its disciples. However, it strictly punished acts that compromised one's dignity, such as visiting brothels and indulging in drinking and dancing. Naturally, there was no way he could play the zither at the Pavilion of Golden Fragrance.

He was lost in various thoughts, barely touching his food when it happened. Cheong-ra's eyes widened as he casually looked down at the crowd craning their necks to look up at him. He abruptly stood up from his seat, startling Geum-hye and Mu-gwang.

"Junior Brother Baek Ri, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Martial Sister. I thought I saw someone I knew."

Geum-hye looked outside and lightly clicked her tongue. In that brief moment, the crowd had somehow grown even larger.

"It's not surprising to see someone you know when so many people have gathered."

"Isn't it fortunate that Cheong-ra has learned martial arts? If he were an ordinary commoner, life would have been quite tough. Honestly, even now, there are many instances of annoying situations."

As Ju Mu-gwang muttered, Geum-hye nodded in agreement. Having been with Cheong-ra for a long time, they knew well how tiring the life of someone with exceptionally beautiful looks could be. While the two of them were having that conversation, Cheong-ra's brow furrowed. He thought he had seen Dang Ran-yeong in the crowd just now, but was it just his imagination?

He was certain that Dang Ran-yeong was looking up at him from the street, but in the moment he doubted his eyes, he had disappeared without a trace. Cheong-ra reflected that he must have been thinking too much about Dang Ran-yeong, failing to focus on the mission.

After a hearty breakfast, they left the inn. People tried to follow them in droves, but as they were commoners after all, they were easily left behind when the three used light footwork. Arriving at a place with few people, Cheong-ra put on a veil from his neck.

Even with his face covered by the veil, he couldn't completely hide his innate bearing, and people's gazes followed him in fascination. However, they didn't chase after Cheong-ra like they had at the inn. His light and straight gait, upright posture, the sword at his waist, and his well-dressed attire proved that he was a martial artist from a prestigious righteous faction. As Cheong-ra strolled through the streets, he speculated where the expelled disciples might have disappeared to.

'Did they disguise themselves? Or maybe they're hiding somewhere and not coming out.'

Cheong-ra's steps came to a halt. He felt someone's gaze constantly watching him from somewhere, so he looked around. At the end of his gaze, he saw the hem of a black robe embroidered with gold thread disappearing into an alley. He hurriedly used his lightness skill to reach there, but there was nothing to be seen inside the alley. He sighed as he rearranged his disheveled veil.

"Did I see it wrong...?"

Cheong-ra, feeling slightly on edge, resumed walking. Let's say he had encountered Dang Ran-yeong by chance at Full Moon Lake. Even in Dragon Spring, it was just a coincidence that he had met Dang Ran-yeong. So there was no way he would accidentally run into Dang Ran-yeong here in Hubei Province.

If they did meet, wouldn't that mean Dang Ran-yeong was intentionally following him, not by chance? The thought alone gave him goosebumps.

It gave him goosebumps, but for some reason, rather than feeling averse or disgusted, his heart raced.

'No, this won't do. I need to get a grip.'

Right now, he was in the middle of carrying out a solemn order given by his master. He couldn't afford to be distracted, so he composed himself and thoroughly scanned the streets. However, even after walking all day until his feet ached, he couldn't find the targets.

In fact, this was partly due to Cheong-ra's appearance. Even with his face covered by a veil, at some point, people who realized it was Cheong-ra began to secretly follow him. In this situation, the culprits would have heard about Cheong-ra from a hundred miles away and fled, so he had no choice but to return to the inn with a heavy sigh.

Cheong-ra wasn't the only one who failed to find the criminals. Soon, Song Geum-hye and Ju Mu-gwang also returned with tired steps and voiced their complaints.

"There are too many people in the city! If it were a place like Little Lake or Dragon Spring, outsiders would stand out, and we could easily spot them."

"That's why they must have hidden here."

"Master already said it might take a long time, so let's not start complaining from the first day."

Geum-hye sternly admonished the two tired junior brothers, but she didn't hide her disappointed expression. That night, an incident occurred, and both of them couldn't even sleep properly. Two women had tried to sneak into Cheong-ra's room. One of them, knowing shame, blushed and ran away as soon as she was caught by Ju Mu-gwang, who was sharing the room with Cheong-ra, but the other shamelessly rushed in.

"Young Master Baek Ri, please! If you spend just one night with me, I'll cherish it as a lifelong memory. I'll offer a million gold, no, ten million gold."

"Has this lady lost her mind!"

While Cheong-ra turned away, pretending not to see or hear, Ju Mu-gwang skillfully pressed her acupuncture point and knocked her out. Only then did Cheong-ra turn to his friend with an embarrassed and troubled expression.

"I'm always sorry."

"What can you do? It's not like it's the first or second time."

There was a reason why Ju Mu-gwang blocked these women on Cheong-ra's behalf. If Cheong-ra directly touched them to stop them or pressed their acupuncture points, they would become even more obsessed and rush at him afterward. From countless experiences, it was best to completely ignore them, not looking at them or acknowledging them.

Fortunately, a few days later, Cheong-ra's appearance started to be helpful. It was thanks to Geum-hye posting wanted posters of the three expelled disciples they were chasing, as large as the inn's front door. Then, people who were desperate to talk to Cheong-ra or see his face up close brought sightings of the expelled disciples they were pursuing.

"Young Master Baek Ri, I saw one of them! It was near the west market street!"

The first sighting was brought by a child with a flushed face. Since similar sightings followed in nearby areas, adding credibility, the three of them headed west.

"Maybe this will end sooner than we thought."

Ju Mu-gwang was excited at the thought of quickly returning and finishing the landscape painting he had been working on. All three of them carefully scanned the streets, thinking of finishing the task early and receiving praise from their master. Then, Cheong-ra suddenly flinched and stopped walking. Geum-hye keenly noticed his agitation.

"Junior Brother Baek Ri? Did you see something?"

"...No, Martial Sister. I think I saw it wrong."

Cheong-ra's voice was strangely weak as he answered. This time, too, he thought he had seen Dang Ran-yeong among the people. It was the third time.

However, he couldn't be sure if he was just seeing things because he was secretly immersed in thoughts of Dang Ran-yeong, or if he had actually seen Dang Ran-yeong but he had disappeared in an instant. Moreover, even if it was really Dang Ran-yeong, what could he do about it?

He decided to consider it as just seeing things to avoid worrying the other two. As he took another step, he suddenly heard a commotion ahead.