A Blood-Moving Realm has arrived in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

"Brother Huai, see you at the Heroes' Gathering."

Yang Guo stood at the entrance of Chongyang Palace and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Huai.

"Alright, you two be careful on your journey," Zhang Huai nodded in response.

Little Dragon Girl nodded slightly to the side, as if to say goodbye.

A few birds suddenly flew across the branches in the woods, startling the withered yellow leaves that drifted slowly away on the wind.

Zhang Huai walked alone down the mountain path, humming a tuneless little melody:

"It's a good day, a day of great celebration..."

His departure had no other purpose than to make a trip to Mount Hua.

Based on his calculations, Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, and Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar, would likely meet on Mount Hua in about six months.

He still remembered that in the original story, the two masters fought on the summit of Mount Hua, and in the end, they both passed on the essence of their martial arts to Yang Guo.

Of course, Zhang Huai wasn't interested in their martial arts skills.

With his current martial arts foundation and level, even though Ouyang Feng and Hong Qigong's martial arts are world-renowned, it will not significantly improve his own cultivation.

His trip to Mount Hua was to learn the Dog-Beating Staff Technique in place of Yang Guo.

It wasn't that he needed the martial arts technique so much, but rather the identity and status it brought him.

He planned to join the Beggars' Sect, and even become its leader. If he could gain Hong Qigong's personal approval, that would be ideal.

As for why one must join the Beggars' Sect, the reason is quite simple—the Beggars' Sect has a large number of disciples, who are widely distributed, making it the most adept at gathering information in the martial arts world.

He needs to rely on the Beggars' Sect to find the whereabouts of top-tier spiritual herbs so that he can further advance his Blood-Moving Realm cultivation and break through the shackles.

Even if Yang Guo mastered the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, he might not have been interested in vying for the position of Beggar Clan leader. Rather than forcing him to do something he didn't want to do based on brotherhood, it was better to take matters into one's own hands.

Moreover, he also wanted to witness firsthand the true prowess of these two legendary masters, the Western Poison and the Northern Beggar.

He also didn't want these two masters to perish on the summit of Mount Hua.

Although for them, that was already a very good outcome.

The only uncertainty in Zhang Huai's mind was whether he would be able to successfully encounter the two of them.

Before we knew it, it was past noon.

Zhang Huai walked into a small town and found the most popular restaurant to sit down.

The restaurant was bustling with diners, most of whom carried weapons. They gathered in twos and threes to drink and eat, discussing various stories and strange tales from the martial arts world.

Zhang Huai casually found an empty table and sat down.

"Waiter, bring the wine."

Most of the alcohol in this era was not very strong, so Zhang Huai was not afraid of getting drunk and causing trouble.

The waiter immediately rushed over, beaming, "Alright, sir! Would you like to order some snacks to go with your drinks?"

"Just bring two of your restaurant's signature dishes; I can't finish any more."

Upholding the virtues of diligence and thrift, Zhang Huai, despite having a considerable amount of money, did not squander any.

"Okay! Please wait a moment!"

While waiting for the food to be served, another group of men entered the restaurant. Judging from their clothes and appearance, they seemed to be ordinary wandering swordsmen, and it was impossible to tell what their background was.

As soon as they sat down, they started talking loudly.

"Did you all see that? That female demon was really ruthless."

"That's right! She's so pretty and charming, but who knew she could be so ruthless when she gets going. Just because someone glanced at her a couple of times, she threatened to gouge out their eyes! Luckily we left quickly, or we might have been in trouble too."

A rough-looking man next to him replied in a gruff voice.

"Tsk tsk, that's really ruthless. She's probably still causing trouble in the woods right now. Such a beautiful face, what a waste. Come on, let's not talk about it anymore. If this gets back to her ears, who knows how she'll beat us to death. Let's drink, let's drink."

"Haha, that's right. But we brothers aren't afraid of her. What can a little girl do?"

The group raised their glasses together and drank the wine in their bowls in one gulp.

Zhang Huai, who was standing to the side, listened to their conversation and suddenly became quite interested.

Could it be Li Mochou? Her ruthless and domineering actions do indeed seem to be her style.

A while ago, because he was unfamiliar with Li Mochou's strength and didn't know his own strength, he had been embarrassed in front of her. If it were really her, he could get his revenge.

He picked up the wine jar beside his table and walked straight to the table of the group of men. Since practicing the Nine Yin Manual, he had become increasingly silent, and his sudden appearance startled the men.

"Hey guys, I need to ask you something."

As Zhang Huai spoke, he raised his hand and filled the rough bowls in front of the group with wine.

"What is it, young man? Tell me."

"What does the woman you're talking about look like?"

"Oh, is that what you're asking about? You're too kind, young man."

The man took a big gulp of wine, wiped his mouth, and grinned lewdly:

"She's quite the beauty, with an oval face, arched eyebrows, and a very graceful figure. Young man, you wouldn't be thinking of provoking this venomous snake, would you?"

Zhang Huai remained calm and retorted without backing down, "Why not? What's the difference between a poisonous snake and a caterpillar? When it comes to me, it'll obediently turn into a caterpillar."

"Haha, young man, you have ambition!" the man laughed loudly, then added.

"Besides being ruthless, this woman also has another flaw: she has a limp in her left leg, which is a real pity considering her beautiful face."

"Lame?"

A thought stirred within Zhang Huai's heart, and a name faintly surfaced in his mind.

Could it be such a coincidence that it was her?

Based on the timeline, she shouldn't be here.

"Thank you for informing me. Waiter, please put all the food and drinks on my tab."

"Young man, you are truly righteous!"

The group of men at the table immediately beamed with joy. They never expected that a casual chat would lead to a free meal of fine wine and food.

"Eat and drink to your heart's content, brothers."

Zhang Huai patted the big man on the shoulder, turned around and returned to his seat. By then, the restaurant had already brought the food over.

"By the way, young man! If you really want to see that woman, it's just ten miles east of here. If you hurry, you should still make it!"

Hearing the man's reminder behind him, Zhang Huai turned around and clasped his hands in thanks.

Zhang Huai ate very quickly, and in no time he finished both large plates of food.

After finishing the last sip of sake, he waved to the waiter.

"Waiter, the bill is due."

"Alright, sir, including that table, the total is one tael of silver."

"So expensive?"

Zhang Huai was somewhat surprised. Since the incident at the Yihong Courtyard, he had a general understanding of the purchasing power of silver. One or two taels of silver was indeed a considerable sum.

The waiter looked troubled.

"Sir, you didn't eat much; it's the other table that ordered quite a lot."

Zhang Huai followed the waiter's gaze and saw that the six people at that table had ordered a total of eight dishes. He couldn't help but chuckle. After all, he had already said that it would be on his tab, so eight dishes for six people wasn't unreasonable. He didn't want to make things difficult for the waiter, so he casually tossed him a tael of silver.

"Alright, sir, take care!"