Enshrinement as a God

"Then, travel safely."

Watching Hongjun's back as he returned to the tavern, Zhao Wei finally managed to speak.

"That move just now... it was definitely the Old Master's martial art."

"What?"

It was just one move, seen from a distance, but the technique Hongjun had just displayed was very similar to a move the Black Qilin had once shown.

Perhaps Hongjun had displayed his martial art because he knew they were looking for the Black Qilin.

'If so, does that mean the Purple Cloud Sword Art is also true?'

The fact that they were looking for the Black Qilin was a top secret.

Realizing that Hongjun had seen through all their objectives, a shiver ran down Zhao Wei's spine.

The Hermit's Valley, a place where reclusive masters who had turned their backs on the martial world resided...

"Leader. What do you plan to do with that child, Agong?"

"Since he has practiced the True Heart Auxiliary Method, he will die soon anyway."

"...Yes."

Without Agong's help, they would not have reached the Hermit's Valley, nor would they have received Hongjun's help.

In the end, Agong had unknowingly rendered meritorious service as a member of the Slender Moon Squad and would die, so he would be remembered as a member of the Slender Moon Squad, just as Zhao Wei had promised.

* * *

"Let me introduce you to some people."

After the Slender Moon Squad left, Agong was left alone.

He didn't know how long it would take for them to find the person they called the Black Qilin, and he didn't know if they would return and keep their promise or just leave. In this situation, he had no choice but to get used to this place.

"This is Li Hachan, you can call him Cook Li."

"I'm Li Hachan."

It was the old man who had been cursing on the second floor of the tavern.

He looked at Agong with his arms crossed, as if displeased.

"And this is Gongsun Yuan, the only long-term guest at our tavern. You can call him Master Gongsun."

"My name is Gongsun Yuan."

Gongsun Yuan also didn't show much interest in Agong.

"And I am Hongjun. Call me Old Ancestor Hongjun."

"I'm Agong."

In any case, even the youngest-looking of them, Master Gongsun, seemed to be in his forties, so to Agong, they were all venerable adults.

Agong greeted them as politely as possible.

"Tsk, you pitiful thing... Did you finally extend your evil hand as you declared?"

Cook Li sneered at Hongjun, but he quickly tucked his tail at a single glance from him.

"Then what should I do?"

"From today, you are the waiter of the Mountain Sea Tavern."

"A waiter?"

Fortunately, the job left for Agong in the tavern was surprisingly ordinary.

"Since it's your first day, start by cleaning around the tavern."

Hongjun assigned Agong the role of a waiter and instructed him to clean.

Agong went out of the tavern with only a broom in his hand.

He was already feeling troubled, so he thought it was for the better.

Sweep! Sweep!

"Heh, heh heh."

As he was sweeping, laughter escaped his lips without him realizing it.

It was not a laugh of joy, but a laugh of absurdity.

He had lived an ordinary life, climbing mountains and gathering medicinal herbs or firewood.

Occasionally, he guided people on mountain paths for pocket money, and somehow, he had even been swept up to the Hermit's Valley.

And his life had been threatened, and he had even learned martial arts for the first time in his life.

And in the end, a waiter at this strange tavern...

"Hahahaha."

Once the laughter burst out, he couldn't stop it.

After laughing for a long time, he felt a little more at ease.

"Let's not worry about the future in advance."

As his mood lightened a little, Agong changed his mind.

He might have been on the verge of death.

He hadn't been happy about getting involved with martial artists in the first place, but thanks to them, he had learned martial arts and was able to safely endure the cold winter while working at the tavern.

If he thought of it as a series of unfortunate events, it seemed like things had gone wrong repeatedly, but if he thought about it differently, he had also gained something in the process.

Sweep! Sweep!

He started sweeping vigorously again, but soon, Agong was breathing heavily.

Sweeping around the tavern was harder than he thought.

No, when he started sweeping in earnest, it was strangely not just harder than he thought, but very hard.

Agong had felt his body become lighter during the trek in the Hermit's Valley after learning the internal energy cultivation method from Zhao Wei.

But after just a few sweeps, his whole body felt as heavy as a waterlogged cotton ball.

"Gasp... Gasp..."

His back was soaked in sweat, and beads of sweat ran down his forehead.

It was hard to breathe, and his chest felt tight.

'Right, let's practice martial arts at a time like this.'

Agong put down the broom and circulated his energy according to the True Heart Auxiliary Method he had learned from Zhao Wei.

After circulating his energy for about fifteen minutes, Agong stood up and started sweeping vigorously again.

It was still difficult, but it was more bearable than before.

Agong marveled at how amazing martial arts were and worked hard.

"Ahem, ahem."

"Ah."

As he was engrossed in his work for a while, he didn't even notice someone approaching him.

The person who made his presence known was a man in his late middle age, who looked to be between fifty and sixty.

"I haven't seen you before."

"Ah, my name is Agong. I started working here today."

Looking closely, the man, wearing a bamboo hat and a black robe, was carrying a small net bag and a fishing rod on his shoulder.

"Is that so... a child like you..."

Looking at the man's net bag, there wasn't a single fish caught.

He seemed to be quite unskilled.

The man, noticing that Agong was glancing at his net bag, introduced himself as if it were nothing.

"I am Tongtian. I sometimes fish at the lake in front."

"Fishing?"

Having lived in the mountains his whole life, Agong had never had the chance to fish or watch it.

Agong's eyes sparkled.

For Agong, who had never had any proper entertainment, fishing was considered a form of recreation.

It was natural for him to be interested.

"Are you interested in fishing?"

"I've never done it before."

"I fish in front there every week, so if you're interested, come and find me."

"Is that okay?"

When Tongtian nodded, Agong was immediately excited.

Tongtian looked at Agong's sweat-soaked appearance and the broom he was holding.

"Are you the one cleaning here?"

"Yes."

"...You're having a hard time."

Tongtian silently stroked Agong's sweat-tangled hair.

Then, Agong felt his chest grow warm and the difficulty he had felt to the point of being out of breath just a moment ago disappeared as if it were a lie.

As Tongtian touched Agong, he seemed to feel something strange and tilted his head for a moment.

"By any chance..."

"If you're here to get some food, you should just mind your own business. Why are you touching someone else's child?"

"Old Ancestor."

When Hongjun appeared with a sharp voice, Tongtian withdrew his hand that was stroking Agong.

"That's enough for now. I told you to work, but you were dawdling. Go to the kitchen and help Cook Li."

"Yes."

Agong ran towards the kitchen like a child caught doing something wrong.

Tongtian still tilted his head, looking at Agong as if something was still bothering him.

"If you have business, you should just come straight in. Why are you dawdling with a child?"

"You seem to be firm, Old Ancestor."

"What brings you to the tavern today? You usually just fish and leave."

"A new person has entered the Hermit's Valley. It's faster to ask than to let things get complicated."

"Someone from the Black Contemplation Fortress has come."

Black Contemplation Fortress.

The center of the Demonic Path's rule, reigning as the hegemon of Xi'an and the center of the evil sects.

"If it's the Black Contemplation Fortress..."

"One person will be returning."

Tongtian's eyebrow twitched.

"The Sea Isle or the Mountain Peak?"

"The Black Qilin."

The Black Qilin was under the jurisdiction of the Sea Isle, that is, Tongtian himself.

Since the Old Ancestor had said it, the Black Qilin would surely break his seclusion and leave the valley.

"I see."

It was the first time he had known that the Black Qilin was related to the Black Contemplation Fortress.

If he had been in the martial world, it would have been great information, but here it had no great meaning.

Besides, it was a pity for Tongtian that the Black Qilin was leaving the valley.

"Since the Cult Master has visited, Lingbao will also visit soon, so if you don't want to see each other's faces turn red, it would be better not to go out for a while."

"Can the Black Qilin leave the Hermit's Valley?"

Hongjun was the gatekeeper of the Hermit's Valley.

He guarded the only entrance to the Hermit's Valley, and to pass through him, one had to pay the price.

And no one knew what that price would be.

"..."

Hongjun did not answer Tongtian's question.

Once Hongjun didn't answer, there was no way to find out by force.

Tongtian gave up cleanly and turned away.

As he had said, if Lingbao came, it was obvious that they would feel awkward with each other.

'But...'

It was only for a very brief moment, but he felt a slight sense of unease.

The Twelve Honored Ones of the World.

The strongest of the Three Demons, the peerless divine demon Tongtian Cult Master, who had once driven the world into terror, had to turn away, leaving behind an inexplicable sense of unease.

Following Hongjun's instructions, Agong went straight into the kitchen.

Since there were no customers, the kitchen couldn't be busy.

It was clean, but there was no one in the kitchen.

"Cook Master!"

"What do you want?"

"Ah!"

Hearing the voice from above his head, Agong looked up at the ceiling.

Cook Li was lying on a pillar several times Agong's height, looking down.

It was a pillar so high that he wondered how he had climbed up there at his age.

"He told me to help with the work."

Receiving Cook Li's angry gaze, Agong unknowingly avoided his eyes.

"Is that so? Then that's good. Go and chop some more firewood to put in the furnace."

The sight of Cook Li rolling around on a pillar thinner than his own body without falling was like a scene from an acrobatics show.

Agong did as he was told and picked up a few pieces of firewood stacked in a corner of the kitchen.

Having grown up in the mountains, he had chopped firewood until his hands were sore, so he was confident.

"Hah!"

With a short and concise shout, the axe headed for the firewood.

Wanting to make a good impression on Cook Li, Agong brought the axe down with all his might.

Clang!

"Ack!"

An unbelievable shock was transmitted from his palm to his wrist.

Agong unknowingly dropped the axe.

He had chopped firewood with an axe, but a strange sound echoed throughout the kitchen.

"Tsk, tsk... What good are you if you can't even chop a single piece of firewood."

Agong was so hurt and surprised that tears welled up in his eyes, but his sense of shame was greater.

He roughly massaged his still throbbing wrist and picked up the fallen axe again.

The axe was fine, and the firewood was fine.

Agong took a deep breath and brought the axe down again.

Clang!

"Aack!"

The firewood, which should have split in two, was fine, and thanks to that, only Agong's wrist and palm ached as if they were about to split.

It was like hitting a lump of iron, not firewood.

"You have no knack for it, so it's a good thing you didn't help Master Gongsun."

Cook Li jumped down from the pillar he had been lying on in one go.

Surprisingly, not even a small sound was made when he landed on the floor.

It was an agility that didn't match his age.

Agong, whose face was flushed with frustration and shame, immediately examined the firewood.

The color was a little dark, but it was definitely normal firewood.

"Something is strange!"

Agong couldn't have been more wronged.

"What is?"

"The firewood... no, the axe... This can't be. I've been chopping firewood for years!"

"Tsk."

At Agong's retort, Cook Li grabbed the axe with one hand and brought it down on the firewood in one breath.

Crack!

The firewood, which hadn't budged when Agong did it, split exactly in half as if nothing had happened.

It was so fast and precise that the surface of the firewood was as smooth as if it had been cut with a knife.

"This, this can't be..."

"You'll have to learn how to chop firewood all over again. You have nothing to help me with today, so go and help Master Gongsun with his work."

Agong, with his eyes welling up with frustration, was half-forced out to Gongsun Yuan's room.

(End of Chapter)