Guozhao Zhiqiang spent three weeks alone in Waterfall City, diligently waiting for Lim Peizhi and the Red Moon Hunters to arrive. During this time, Guozhao Zhiqiang watched Lim Peizhi's generals closely, but none of them did anything to show that they would betray Waterfall City and its citizens; there were no signs of treason.
In the third week, Lim Peizhi, the Red Moon Hunters, and their friend returned to Waterfall City. That night, after the welcome celebration dinner party, Guozhao Zhiqiang left a letter for Lim Peizhi, along with the Tiger soapstone seal, and he quietly departed Waterfall City.
Guozhao Zhiqiang walked the entire night and half a day, and finally arrived in a small, unassuming village. He found an outdoor roadside tavern and ordered a bowl of noodles and two steamed buns.
A little girl, about ten years old, brought him his ordered food. The little girl reminded him of himself when he was serving food in the brothel, a stark echo of his past. He noticed that the little girl was afraid of him; she put the food on the table quickly, avoiding eye contact, and she left without talking to him.
Guozhao Zhiqiang never took these small actions to heart, because he was so used to the kind of stares from people that it no longer bothered him.
He sat quietly eating his noodles. Immediately afterwards, a group of four men and six women, all dressed in purple and black, stopped and tied their horses. They sat on the left of his table. When this group of people ordered their food, another group of ten people, dressed in green and white clothes, stopped, dismounted from their horses, and tied their horses. They sat on the right side of his table. The two groups looked at each other, a silent tension in the air.
The child's mother, likely the tavern owner, must have felt sorry for what her little daughter did, seeing her fear. She took a small pot of wine and walked to Guozhao Zhiqiang's table.
"I'm here to apologize for my daughter," the woman said, a kind smile on her face. "I hope this customer doesn't mind." She poured the wine into a cup and placed the wine jar on the table. "Please enjoy the wine."
"I don't mind," Guozhao Zhiqiang replied. "Do you know how far Capital City is from here?"
The woman chuckled. "Young man, the closest way to Capital City is by boat. You have to start from Waterfall City."
"What if I don't want to take that route?" Guozhao Zhiqiang inquired, his voice even.
The woman then said, "The other way is longer. You go this way." She pointed to the road on the left. "From here to the Mountain Village, it's three days' walk, and then another two days' walking from there will take you to Stone Village." She paused. "From Stone Village, if you go west for two days, you will arrive at Sunshine Town. If you go South, you will reach Border Towns in four days. If you go east, you will reach Capital City in two days."
"Thank you, Madam," Guozhao Zhiqiang said.
The woman smiled and said, "Enjoy, my old man is calling." She turned around and yelled to her husband in the kitchen. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" She rushed toward the open kitchen.
Three more horses stopped, and six people got off their horses. There were two men and four women, all dressed in pure white. When the group looked around, all the tables were full, except for the table of the man in black. The group of people in white walked up to his table.
A soft voice said, "I'm sorry, this hunter..."
Guozhao Zhiqiang looked up. The handsome, tall man had pearl-white skin and was dressed in white. His hair was neatly tied with a white ribbon, and he smiled, looking down at him. The most memorable thing about this young man was his striking red hair.
The man spoke again. "I'm Hu Dingxiang of Snow Sector, may we sit with you?"
Guozhao Zhiqiang stared at the man without saying a word. He placed two coins on the table, payment for his meal, and grabbed the two buns with his left hand, finishing his meal. He stood up and walked in the direction the woman had pointed, choosing to avoid the crowd.
Xiao Yan, one of the female disciples from the white-clad group, looked at Guozhao Zhiqiang and said, "What a weird person!"
Xi Yue, a senior disciple, warned the younger junior, "Pay attention to your mouth."
"Senior brother, let's eat and go quickly," Hu Dingxiang urged, eager to continue their journey.
One of the men in purple and black, from the Golden Gate Sector, spoke up. "What exactly does Snow Sector plan to do at the foot of this mountain?"
"We are just running errands," Hu Dingxiang replied smoothly. "May I ask, why is Golden Gate Sector so far away from Capital City?"
"Sightseeing," Yi Guozhi from Golden Gate Sector smiled, a challenging glint in his eye.
"Yi Guozhi!" Hu Jianguo, another man from Golden Gate Sector, said madly, escalating the tension.
"Hu Jianguo," Yi Guozhi retorted, standing his ground.
"Big brother," Hu Dingxiang said, shaking his head, trying to mediate. "You guys, please calm down. Everyone here is from the Six Sectors. We are all brothers. We need to work together. We are here because people are calling us to help them."
"Brother Hu is absolutely correct," Fu Pengfei from Lotus Sector interjected, siding with Hu Dingxiang.
Yi Guozhi pointed his finger at Fu Pengfei, disdain evident in his voice. "The Lotus Sector is just a small Sector. If I were you, I wouldn't speak at all!"
"Yi Guozhi!" Fu Pengfei yelled, his face red with anger. He rushed towards Yi Guozhi, but was stopped by Hu Dingxiang, who skillfully stepped between them.
Hu Dingxiang softly whispered, his voice calm and firm, "Brother Fu, it's not that you don't know him. Don't turn a small dispute into a major event. We are here to catch the fire demon, not to exchange swords. If you really want to fight him, wait until the Sectors' annual competition. You can fight him at that time."
Fu Pengfei breathed heavily through both nostrils, slowly calming down.
Hu Dingxiang turned to Yi Guozhi. "Brother Yi, please calm down. I apologize to you."
"Dingxiang, you are such a loser!" Hu Jianguo said angrily, embarrassed by his brother's apology. "Why are you afraid of him?"
"Big Brother, forget it," Hu Dingxiang sighed, trying to diffuse the situation. "We have more important things to do. Please..."
The three hunters, though still tense, calmed down and began to eat their meals.
The four female disciples of the Snow Sector, however, began to gossip.
"Do any of you recognize that black loner hunter?" Wang Ying asked, referring to Guozhao Zhiqiang.
"No, I have never seen him," Su Yun replied.
"He may be a southerner," Xiao Yuan giggled, making an assumption.
"How do you know he is from the south?" Xi Yue asked, intrigued.
"Because his skin is darker than ours," Xiao Yuan said. "And our northerners have whiter skin."
"Thinking about it, I think he is indeed a southerner," Wan Ying agreed. "Because once I went to the South to visit my sister and brother-in-law, the southerners' skin was indeed darker."
Hu Dingxiang looked at the four juniors, his expression serious. "You four know that the Snow Sector prohibits gossip?"
The four ladies looked at each other, then replied sheepishly, "Yes, da shixiong."