Rebirth of the Thunder God

-Swish!

A fierce golden capture hand unfolded from the stranger's hand.

Namgung Hui had no intention of meekly allowing the hand flying towards his face.

-Slap!

He immediately snatched her hand, frowned, and asked.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry. I thought there was a fly on your face, so I tried to shoo it away, but it was a mole. I was mistaken."

Namgung Hui was dumbfounded by the woman's shameless lie, but he had no intention of causing a commotion in the middle of enemy territory, so he meekly let her words pass.

After all, once he finished his meal, he would never see her again.

But Namgung Hui was not one to just take it.

He slyly let go of her hand and, pretending that static electricity had occurred, sent a stream of Thunder Ki.

-Crackle!

"Ouch!"

The woman, startled by the sharp pain, quickly pulled her hand back.

She then sent a sharp glare at Namgung Hui, but Namgung Hui smoothly passed it off with his Chichi-like skill.

He then shrugged his shoulders and called the waiter.

"Waiter. I hear the Dongpo pork here at West Lake is famous. Bring me a plate."

"Yes. But the young ladies here also ordered Dongpo pork. Is that alright?"

"It's not like we're going to share it, so just bring it."

"Yes. Then please wait a moment."

As the waiter scurried off to the kitchen, the strange woman began to glance at Namgung Hui's face again.

Namgung Hui had intended to avoid a confrontation with her, but her blatant staring at his face was quite uncomfortable.

How could he eat properly with her staring at him like that?

"My goodness. Stop staring and say what you have to say. Don't say you're chasing a fly again while I'm eating."

The woman spoke with a gentle tone, as if she had never been staring.

"Alright. Do you have some time after your meal? Let's have a cup of tea. Isn't Longjing tea another specialty of West Lake?"

Since the black market opened in the evening, he had some time to spare.

He would have enough time to prepare in one shichen, so he would have about two shichen left.

And above all, he was very curious about what business she had with him.

"Alright. But I'd prefer a teahouse with few people. And you're buying the Longjing tea."

"Alright. Longjing tea is a bit expensive, but I'll gladly treat you."

As the strange woman finished speaking, the waiter brought two plates of Dongpo pork.

As a dish called the 'West Lake Twin Delights' along with Longjing tea, its aroma was extraordinary.

Namgung Hui swallowed his saliva and inhaled the Dongpo pork.

As he emptied the food as if he were possessed by a hungry ghost, the women in front of him looked at Namgung Hui with a slightly surprised expression.

"You're a big eater, unlike your appearance."

"You shouldn't judge a person by their appearance, should you? Anyway, Please eat. I won't wait long."

"Yes."

As if she really had important business with Namgung Hui, her eating speed increased.

Namgung Hui's suspicion grew even more at the women's attitude.

'This changed face isn't one that would be popular. This is strange. Could this face resemble someone?'

As Namgung Hui waited for a while, the women who had finished their meal stood up from their seats.

"I'll pay for your meal as well, so please go out first."

Namgung Hui, not being one to refuse a freebie, readily nodded his head.

"Thank you."

As Namgung Hui went out of the inn, he felt the women's whispering.

But since they were talking in such a small voice, he couldn't hear them clearly.

'Young lady... that... disciple...'

Still, although it wasn't clear, he clearly heard the word 'disciple'.

He didn't know who was referring to whom as a disciple.

The women who had finished paying came out of the inn.

"There's a teahouse nearby with a good view and good tea. I'll head straight there, so please follow me well. The streets of Hangzhou are very crowded."

There was no way Namgung Hui's ki sense would lose them.

But as she had worried, if one took their eyes off for a moment in Hangzhou, they were likely to get lost.

"Alright. Just go ahead."

The woman nodded and walked straight to the signboard that said [Longjing Teahouse].

The Longjing Teahouse was located right next to the West Lake, so it was quite crowded with people.

Namgung Hui had clearly said to go to a place with few people.

'It seems she's not trying to have an important conversation.'

In any case, he could just get a cup of tea until the black market opened, so Namgung Hui followed the mysterious woman without much thought.

As soon as she entered the Longjing Teahouse, she unhesitatingly climbed the stairs to the top floor.

Namgung Hui, as he climbed the stairs, inwardly gauged the woman's purse as he saw the increasingly luxurious scenery.

'It doesn't matter since I'm not the one paying anyway.'

And so, the woman's steps stopped at the very top, the 5th floor of the teahouse.

Unlike the other floors, it was all made up of private rooms, so it felt like he had come to a completely different space.

And Namgung Hui thought he knew why she had insisted on coming here.

'There's a soundproof formation installed in each room.'

There was a formation installed in the teahouse.

A high-level formation that prevented sound from leaking out.

At this level, even if he had a secret conversation with the mysterious woman, it seemed it wouldn't leak outside.

The woman, as if she had been here many times, led Namgung Hui with familiar steps and entered the room with 'Phoenix' written on it.

"Bring me three cups of West Lake Longjing tea here."

"Yes. I'll bring it right away."

A sense of courtesy was felt in the waiter's demeanor.

To call it a simple teahouse, it had an extremely elegant feel.

Namgung Hui pushed aside such impressions and immediately got to the point.

"So what's the reason you called me here? What do you have to say?"

"Since you're asking so directly, Young Master, I won't beat around the bush either. That's not your real face, is it, Young Master?"

Namgung Hui said with an interested gaze.

"Why do you think so?"

"The mole on your face, it's a face-changing technique, isn't it? I said I was catching a fly earlier, but in fact, it was to confirm that."

Namgung Hui was amazed.

Even if his face-changing technique was clumsy, it was an application of the formation that contained the secret art of the Hao Faction Head.

In the first place, since Namgung Hui's cultivation was not low, even if it was clumsy, it was far beyond the ordinary level.

"So what do you want to say? Are you going to extort money from me with this as a pretext?"

"Absolutely not. If the person who taught you that face-changing technique is the same person I'm thinking of."

"If it's the same?"

The woman paused for a moment and then continued.

"We might be 'senior and junior brothers'."

"!?"

As soon as Namgung Hui heard the words 'senior and junior brothers', he was able to deduce her identity at once.

Because there were only a few beings who could call Namgung Hui 'junior brother'.

'She's the second disciple of the Hao Faction! If she's the one who inherited the direct line of the Hao Faction Head, it's not strange that she recognizes the face-changing technique.'

As Namgung Hui nodded in realization, the waiter appeared with a teacup.

Looking closely at the waiter, his steps were light even though he clearly hadn't learned martial arts.

Like a thief.

Could this Longjing Teahouse be a branch managed by the Hao Faction?

Thinking so, the woman's familiar visit also made sense.

"The second disciple of the Hao Faction's name was On Yuha, I believe."

"To call your senior sister's name so casually, did you learn that in the Namgung family?"

Not only the informal speech, but also the mention of the Namgung family made a vein pop on Namgung Hui's forehead.

"Although I'm a lay disciple, to be honest, do you see me as a fellow disciple? I'm sure I've already told the third one."

"I heard the third one met you. Still, are you going to pretend you don't know us after the master taught you the formation?"

"I have paid a fair price for that. And I'm closer to a business partner than a lay disciple. I heard the second one is well-versed in information, but you surprisingly don't know much."

"Hmph! You say I don't know much, but I know that you're a successor of the Thunder Sect and that you got a fortuitous encounter after being struck by lightning."

Namgung Hui looked at On Yuha with a surprised gaze, as she knew about him more accurately than he had thought.

Most of those who had realized he was a successor of the Thunder Sect were dead.

Because Namgung Hui hadn't let them live.

Well, there was no law saying that one couldn't guess based on his free use of Thunder Ki.

What he was most curious about was why she thought he had gotten a fortuitous encounter after being struck by lightning.

Because he had only mentioned this to his family and the people from the Sichuan Tang family.

"What do you mean by the fortuitous encounter I got?"

"Naturally, isn't it some kind of information or memory? It doesn't make sense for a person to change after being struck by lightning. Could it be..."

"Could it be?"

On Yuha had a thick smile on her lips and opened her mouth.

"You can see ghosts, can't you?"

"..."

Namgung Hui was dumbfounded, but then he realized that her words made sense.

It might be more plausible that he could see the spirits of the dead rather than recalling memories of a past life.

The insight of the Thunder Sect was one thing, but he had also said that he had discovered the Boundless Azure Sky Sword Art and the Emperor's Sword Form through the teachings of his ancestors.

Moreover, although she didn't know, the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers of the Sichuan Tang family was also plausible in that context.

'If the Baihui acupoint is opened, one can also gain spiritual eyes, so it's not an empty word. The eye that sees ghosts was called the Ghost Eye.'

However, as a result, one's innate ki is consumed, and it has a profound effect on one's lifespan.

That was why, as the saying 'a talented person has a short life' goes, a genius has a short life.

Because spiritual eyes, along with psychokinesis, were a function of the upper dantian.

'But I can't see ghosts.'

As Namgung Hui remained silent, On Yuha continued with a triumphant smile.

"As expected! You can see ghosts, can't you? That's why I have a proposal for you."

"A proposal. What's in it for me if I accept it?"

"First, since your Baihui acupoint was forcibly opened, your body will be under strain. Then you'll need a skilled physician or a miraculous elixir. I'll provide that for you."

"If you're talking about a skilled physician, I've already met the head of the Divine Physician Sect."

"Then a physician is out. I'll give you an elixir. And a top-grade one at that."

Namgung Hui was slightly suspicious of her true intentions. A top-grade elixir was a precious item that couldn't be easily obtained even with money.

Even a high-grade elixir like the Small Rejuvenation Pill was so expensive that the price was whatever one called it.

What was she trying to ask for by giving such a precious item?

Could it be that she wanted him to actively participate in the succession fight of the Hao Faction?

"You don't have to look at me with such suspicious eyes. I won't ask you to assassinate the great senior brother or any such unreasonable request. I know you can't beat the great senior brother, no matter how much of a master you are."

She had a knack for subtly offending people.

No matter how outstanding the great disciple of the Hao Faction was, he was still in the ranks of the younger generation.

To boast that Namgung Hui would lose to such a person hurt his pride a little. No, it hurt a lot.

"So what's the favor you want to ask?"

"I want you to go to the black market and find an item for me."

"You're looking for a haunted item, I suppose?"

"You're quite quick-witted. Yes. As you guessed, I'm trying to find an item with a soul attached to it."

This seemed to be something he could solve.

Because Namgung Hui had Chichi, the treasure detector (?).

As Namgung Hui peeked at the sleeping Chichi in his bosom, Chichi tossed and turned as if it had felt his gaze.

Namgung Hui caressed his bosom for a moment and then said to On Yuha.

"What exactly does the item look like?"

"It's an ordinary-looking flute. To be precise, it's an old flute. Because of its shabby appearance, it probably won't even be put up for auction. That's why I need your help to find it."

"Can I ask what it's used for?"

"No. You can't. It's a trade secret. So can you find it? Or not?"

Namgung Hui calculated for a moment.

Whether this would be a good thing for him.

'Since I have to go to the black market anyway, there won't be any risk. And with Chichi's ability, I should be able to find a flute in an instant.'

Namgung Hui, who had finished his calculation, nodded and asked.

"I'd like to see the reward first. Can you show it to me? Even if I don't receive an advance payment, I should at least confirm it."

"Alright. I can show it to you as much as you want."

On Yuha put her hand into her bosom.

And in her hand that came out was a small wooden box.

Since she had said she would pay for the request with an elixir, there must be a top-grade elixir in there.

But for a top-grade elixir, the wooden box itself looked shabby, and the medicinal scent was not strong.

Namgung Hui, at the sight of the wooden box, tilted his head and said.

"For a request fee, it looks quite modest."

"Junior brother. Not everything is as it seems on the outside. Look carefully."

On Yuha opened the wooden box with a triumphant expression.

And the appearance of the elixir that was revealed could not help but surprise Namgung Hui.

'This is an elixir made by an immortal.’

(End of Chapter)