Chapter Two: The Hundred Blossoms Sword Sect

Watching Cheng Tiansheng and the others disappear from view, Tang Yi finally turned to Hong Bai and Lan and said, “Alright, everything’s settled perfectly. Now take me to eat something. I’ve been starving for ages!”

Hong Qianshan was helping Bai Jianyuan bandage his wounds; upon hearing this, he tugged the bandage a little too tightly, making Bai Jianyuan cry out in pain. Lan Tingxuan, sipping water, nearly choked.

After the bandaging, Bai Jianyuan bowed respectfully to Tang Yi. “Thank you, Master Tang, for stepping in and saving our lives. We shall never forget this kindness and will not bother with mere words of thanks. Please accept our bow.” With that, the three knelt before Tang Yi, fists clasped in salute. Tang Yi was thoroughly displeased by this; as someone who considered himself well-educated, he disliked these kneeling rituals. With a wave of his hand, he lifted the three into the air, then let them drop, so they landed sprawled on their backs.

“I detest all this kneeling. If you want to thank me, just treat me to a meal and answer a few questions,” Tang Yi said to the trio as they picked themselves up from the ground.

“Master Tang, a meal hardly repays your lifesaving grace. We three swear, should you ever require anything, we will not hesitate to risk our lives for you.”

“…Not hesitate!”

“…Not hesitate!”

The three immediately raised their hands to the sky and swore, making clear their determination to repay Tang Yi’s kindness—but dared not kneel again.

“Uh… Why are you all so troublesome? I’m new here… Let’s put it this way: I just left the mountain and know nothing about the world. Tell me everything you know. Where can I eat?”

Bai Jianyuan finally realized that Master Tang was, in fact, a novice. That said, his strength was undeniable, so Bai Jianyuan dared not show any disrespect. “Master Tang, the nearest town is Baihua Town, twenty-five li east of here. There’s an inn five li east; we can rest there overnight and head to Baihua Town tomorrow, if that pleases you.”

“You know the area, you arrange it. Let’s go now… By the way, what year is it, or rather, which dynasty? Is there an emperor? What’s his name?” Tang Yi asked as he walked, firing off questions like an inquisitive child, leaving Hong Bai and Lan parched and overwhelmed. So many questions—how was anyone supposed to answer them all?

Five li is only about two and a half kilometers; the four walked and talked, taking half an hour to reach the inn. The inn was a four-story wooden structure, occupying about three hundred square meters, facing south, with all trees cleared within a hundred meters.

“Baihua Inn—so your Baihua Sword Sect is quite famous in this area?” Tang Yi remarked to Bai Jianyuan after reading the inn’s sign.

“It’s alright. Our sect is somewhat known here,” Bai Jianyuan replied modestly, but inwardly scoffed: “Baihua Sword Sect is one of the top ten sects on this land—how has it become ‘quite famous’ in your eyes?” Thankfully, Tang Yi didn’t catch his thoughts.

“Let’s eat first. Boss, bring the menu!” Tang Yi strode into the inn and sat down at a table, calling out.

The other guests glanced at Tang Yi, noticed his attire, and looked away, uninterested, returning to their food and drink.

Hong Bai and Lan took their seats, now immune to Tang Yi’s eccentricities after the journey. A young waiter approached, “Ah, three heroes. Shall I bring your usual dishes?”

Bai Jianyuan waved his hand. “Let Master Tang decide what we eat today. Please let him order.”

Tang Yi was annoyed at being ignored but, hearing Bai Jianyuan’s words, calmed down. “Let me see the menu then. I want to know what delicacies your Baihua Inn offers.”

At that moment, a woman descended from the second floor—a striking beauty, about one meter seventy tall, with jet-black hair tied simply, cascading to her waist; a flawless oval face, bright, sparkling eyes; a pink dress with a pale blue sash—her taste in fashion was excellent, Tang Yi thought.

Seeing her descend, the diners all rose in unison, saluting, “Greetings, Boss Hua!” She smiled and nodded, and only then did everyone sit down—including Tang Yi’s three companions.

Tang Yi tapped Lan Tingxuan, who was still staring at the beauty. Lan Tingxuan snapped out of it and whispered, “What do you need, Master?”

“You all know her?” Tang Yi asked outright.

“She’s our martial aunt, the twenty-ninth generation disciple of Baihua Sword Sect. The inn belongs to our sect,” Lan Tingxuan admitted without reservation.

“Oh, so you’re secretly in love with your martial aunt, then? Not to worry, she doesn’t seem much older than me—twenty-three or twenty-four at most.”

“Cough, cough…” The three were drinking water, and all choked. Lan Tingxuan blushed and stammered, “No, not at all! That would harm her reputation!”

“How stodgy. Why so old-fashioned at your age? Let me tell you—” Tang Yi’s words were cut short as Boss Hua approached their table. Hong Bai and Lan immediately stood and saluted, “Greetings, Martial Aunt!”

Boss Hua glanced at the three and asked, “Why are you all injured? Was there trouble on the road?”

Bai Jianyuan replied, “Yes, Martial Aunt, there was some trouble. It’s a long story; we’ll report it later.”

Boss Hua nodded, then looked at Tang Yi. “And who might this be?” Tang Yi stood, scrutinizing her so intently that she frowned. “May I ask your name, beautiful boss? I’m Tang Yi—call me Tang, or Yi, or even Big Brother Yi if you like.” Boss Hua’s face darkened; nearby diners paused, turned to stare at Tang Yi, their eyes blazing as if ready to burn him alive. Tang Yi was baffled—how could a playful remark provoke such anger?

Bai Jianyuan saw Boss Hua’s sour expression and knew trouble was brewing. Despite her beauty, she could be fierce; her martial skills were formidable—Hong Bai and Lan together could not withstand ten moves from her, yet Bai Jianyuan believed she couldn’t take a single move from Tang Yi. Many admired her, but none lasted five moves under her hand; they could only fantasize, lacking both courage and skill. Bai Jianyuan whispered a few words to her, and her expression shifted several times before returning to normal. She bowed to Tang Yi, “I am Hua Ruoxue. Please, Master Tang, follow me to a private room upstairs.” She gestured politely, then called to the manager, “Li, serve the best dishes in our Baihua Paradise, and prepare a premium room.”

Tang Yi and his companions followed Hua Ruoxue upstairs to a private room, under the puzzled gaze of the other guests, who wondered at Tang Yi’s identity—what kind of extraordinary person was he, that after such bold words, Boss Hua invited him to a private room instead of punishing him?

Tang Yi, Hong Qianshan, and Lan Tingxuan entered a room called Baihua Paradise. Bai Jianyuan followed Hua Ruoxue to the third floor. Tang Yi asked, “Is Bai Jianyuan reporting in?” “Reporting in? Uh… yes, exactly,” Lan Tingxuan replied, catching Tang Yi’s meaning.

“Oh, the food’s here. Let’s eat!” As soon as the dishes arrived, Tang Yi eagerly dug in.

Tang Yi’s eating was simply appalling—noisy and messy. Hong Qianshan and Lan Tingxuan stared, chopsticks suspended, dumbfounded. “Why are you staring at me? Is there a flower blooming on my face? Eat, or there’ll be nothing left. Actually, there’s nothing left—tell the waiter to bring more food.” Ignoring them, Tang Yi continued his assault on the dishes.

On the third floor, Hua Ruoxue sat at the head seat while Bai Jianyuan reported the events of the day. “…That’s how it happened.” Bai Jianyuan finished, downing a cup of tea in one gulp—already wounded and exhausted from talking, he ignored etiquette.

“So this Master Tang is someone worth befriending. The saying goes, ‘More friends, more paths’—and even more so with a cultivator. Even if we can’t become friends, we must maintain good relations and never become enemies. Such an adversary would be disastrous.” Though young, Hua Ruoxue was a seasoned veteran; otherwise, Baihua Sword Sect wouldn’t have stationed her at Baihua Inn, their outpost.

“Master Tang saved you three, so we’ve made a good connection. It would be best if we could invite him to our sect—then we might truly befriend him. Let’s go down together now.” She led the way downstairs.

When Hua Ruoxue and Bai Jianyuan arrived at Baihua Paradise, they found Tang Yi still devouring food, while Hong and Lan stared in amazement. “Ahem!” Bai Jianyuan coughed twice. Tang Yi looked up, then returned to eating, mumbling, “Boss Hua’s here—don’t be shy, eat up. Waiter, bring more dishes.” His words were garbled.

The waiter kept serving food. When everyone else was full, Tang Yi was still eating—he was like a pig, no, worse than a pig. Finally, he was sated, rubbed his belly, and exclaimed, “Ah, food tastes best when you’re hungry! If I weren’t so stuffed, I’d eat a few more bowls!” The others nearly collapsed onto the floor in disbelief.

“Master Tang, I’ve prepared a premium room for you. You may rest whenever you wish. Once again, thank you for saving my three disciples,” Hua Ruoxue bowed to him.

“It’s nothing. I ate your food, stayed in your inn for free, and you answered some of my questions—so that’s about even.” Hong Bai and Lan nearly coughed up blood—Tang Yi regarded their lives as worth a meal, a night at the inn, and a few answers. “Oh, and you three heroes, please answer some more questions for me when you have time!” Before they could process this, Tang Yi’s request nearly drove them mad—answering his questions was more painful than banging their heads against a wall.

That night, Tang Yi changed into clothes provided by Hua Ruoxue, lay in bed, and reflected on the information he’d gathered from Bai Jianyuan and the others. He was now in the sixty-sixth year of the Tianyuan era of the Song dynasty; this Song dynasty had lasted over twelve hundred years, quite different from his former universe. During Emperor Renzong’s time, the empire had nearly unified the world, thanks to a genius named Shi Jian, known as the Talented Scion of Great Song, who led Song to world dominance through the science of ‘gewu’. Tang Yi suspected Shi Jian was a transmigrator like himself. However, gewu had caused too much environmental damage and was later abandoned; now, the world used cultivation technologies, such as flying shuttles and other vehicles. On this Earth, Chinese was the universal language; others had been eliminated. All in all, it was a very peculiar world. Perhaps exhausted from the day, Tang Yi soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Tang Yi accepted Hua Ruoxue’s invitation to visit Baihua Sword Sect’s base, Baihua Valley, with Bai Jianyuan and the others. Hua Ruoxue selected four fine horses from the stables; fortunately, Tang Yi had ridden two or three times during his global travels, or he would have embarrassed himself. Hua Ruoxue personally saw them off. As they departed, Tang Yi said to her, “Boss Hua, let’s chat again when we have time! And thanks for the clothes—even though they’re a bother to wear. Oh, I’ll be back! Haha…” Hua Ruoxue was left slightly stunned, realizing that truly, one could not judge this master by ordinary standards.

Baihua Valley’s entrance lay thirty li northeast of Baihua Town. From above, Baihua Town looked like a cork plugging a bottle’s neck; the surrounding mountains formed the bottle, with Baihua Town at the mouth, and Baihua Valley at the base.

Riding was much faster than walking. Tang Yi and his companions passed through Baihua Town, heading straight for Baihua Valley. As they neared the valley, flowers grew more abundant, and the temperature warmed. While autumn reigned outside, inside was spring year-round, with flowers blooming everywhere—thus the name Baihua Valley.

Inside the valley stood a grand gate, inscribed with four golden characters. Even from afar, they were greeted by two children, seven or eight years old. Dismounting, the four were approached as the children greeted them, “Ming and Qing pay respects to Master Tang, Uncle Bai, Uncle Hong, Uncle Lan!” Tang Yi was surprised—so Hua Ruoxue had already sent word to the sect. He would have to be careful—not that Baihua Sword Sect would harm him, but if he agreed to something he couldn’t fulfill, it would be troublesome. Time to use his superpowers again, though they were draining; best to avoid it if possible.