Chapter 179 Tianlong Inn (I)

Shaolin Temple, which has the reputation of "all the martial arts in the world come from Shaolin", is one of the leading martial arts schools in the Central Plains, along with Wudang, and is collectively known as the Two Sects of the Wulin.

There is a small town at the foot of Wudang Mountain, called "Phoenix", and there is also a small town at the foot of Shaolin Mountain, called "Tianlong".

"Brother Liu, Shaoshi Mountain is very far from the official road, why is there a small town there?"

On February 28, in the evening, Liu Xunyi and his party arrived at Tianlong City. Suddenly, the night wind blew up, dark clouds covered the moon, lightning flashed, dark thunder rumbled, and it seemed that a torrential rain was about to fall.

Since it was inconvenient to go up the mountain on a rainy night, Liu Xunyi decided to rest in the city for one night and go to Shaolin early the next morning.

Along the way, Pan Yun chattered around Liu Xunyi and asked questions all over the place.

Although Pan Yun's martial arts skills are mediocre, his personality is very much like Pan Chuba when he was young. He wants to get to the bottom of everything and is particularly interested in strange stories in the martial arts world.

"Tianlong City was not originally a city. It was just a market at the foot of Mount Shaoshi. On the first and fifteenth day of every month, people from the nearby villages would bring their own vegetables and fruits to sell to the monks in the temple to provide for their daily needs. Later, because Shaolin Temple became famous all over the world, more and more people came here to visit. Whether they were people from the martial arts world or devout men and women who burned incense and worshipped Buddha, there was an endless stream of people all day long. The market gradually became prosperous day and night. Where there are people, there are business opportunities. Therefore, after decades, the market gradually evolved into a market town, and finally developed into the small city today."

"Then why is it called Tianlong City?" Pan Yun asked curiously.

"Because this city was born because of Shaolin, and it is located at the foot of the mountain, it is the only way to enter and leave Shaolin. It is considered to have a connection with Buddha, and it also means to protect the mountain gate. Therefore, in order to seek good luck, the word "Tianlong" from the Buddhist patron saint "Eight Heavenly Dragons" was taken as the name, and it was called Tianlong City."

Pan Yun looked at Liu Xunyi with admiration, and exclaimed: "Brother Liu is indeed Brother Liu, he is really knowledgeable!"

Hearing this, Tang Cong joked, "In theory, the Sect Master should have called Master Pan 'Uncle'. But now Master Pan keeps calling me 'Big Brother Liu'. How weird! How weird!"

Tianlong City was built on the mountain, with only one main road in the city, which was the mountain road leading up the mountain. On both sides were alleys of varying depths, with teahouses, wine shops, and inns scattered in an orderly manner.

As they were talking, Liu Xunyi and his party arrived at the door of Tianlong Inn.

"It's going to rain hard. Please come in quickly, gentlemen! Do you want to stay overnight or stay here?"

"Stay in the hotel!"

Liu Xunyi glanced around the inn lobby cautiously, and seeing that the inn was bustling and lively, he said, "Let's get some food first so we can fill our stomachs."

"Okay! Please come in, gentlemen!"

Liu Xunyi led Xu Heng, Tang Cong, Liao Chuan, and Liao Hai. Pan Chuba brought Pan Yun, Pan Yuyin, Pan Feng, He Hu, and Li Lao Hu, whose acupuncture points were sealed. There were eleven people in the group. To hide their identities, they disguised themselves as a family coming to Shaolin to burn incense and worship Buddha. There were old and young, men and women, and they looked quite similar.

"The food and wine are here!" The waiter said as he served the dishes, "Look at how you are dressed, would you like to go to the temple to burn incense?"

"That's right! That's right!" Pan Chuba asked calmly, "I wonder if the second brother has any advice for me?"

"Then please go back! Come back in a few days." The waiter explained, "From tomorrow until the third day of March, Shaolin Temple will be closed to visitors. This is the order of Master Xuanming, who said that a ceremony will be held in the temple and it needs to be quiet."

Liu Xunyi of course understood what the waiter meant by "Ceremony", and then changed the subject and asked tentatively: "Have many people come to Shaolin in the past few days?"

"Same as usual, no more, no less." The waiter replied casually, obviously not hearing the deeper meaning of Liu Xunyi's words.

"Besides the pilgrims, are there any other people?" Xu Heng asked straight to the point, "For example... people from the underworld?"

“I can’t say for sure. Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen. I’ll be leaving first.” The waiter had been here for many years and was used to seeing the people in the martial arts world who had grudges with the Shaolin Sect. He had also witnessed countless fights and killings. Naturally, he understood that trouble comes from the mouth. So in order to avoid getting into trouble, he just made a few prevarication remarks and hurriedly left.

"Pooh!"

Suddenly, a strange noise came from another table, followed by a loud complaining voice that instantly resounded throughout the lobby of the inn: "Waiter, what kind of wine is this? Why doesn't it taste good at all? Tell me! Did you secretly dilute it with water?"

Liu Xunyi looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a tall and fat man holding a wine bowl, pouting and muttering in dissatisfaction. This man was wearing a linen shirt and coarse pants, and tattered cloth shoes. He had a bun on his round head and a small braid hanging down his back. There was a long knife lying across the table.

This person was none other than the sackcloth-robed swordsman Qin Ku, who had almost killed the Zither Demon and the Dance Demon in Changxing Inn in Xingyuan Prefecture.

"Sir, what you drank was originally other people's leftover wine. I let you sit here because I felt sorry for you. It's good enough that I didn't ask you for money. How dare you be so picky?" The waiter complained, "If you don't like it, you don't have to drink it!" After saying that, the waiter was about to step forward and take away Qin Ku's wine.

“No, no, no!” Qin Ku’s face, which was originally full of resentment, suddenly became happy. He stretched out his hand to hold the wine bowl with a playful smile and said with a simple smile: “I’ll drink! I’ll drink it! Hehe… Don’t be angry, little brother, I was wrong just now. Go to the kitchen and see if there are any leftovers or rice. Bring me some. The ones on the table are not enough.”

"Hey!" The waiter glared at Qin and cursed with a bitter smile, "Do you really think this is a charity? If the shopkeeper knew that I secretly helped beggars, he would definitely deduct my monthly salary? No more! No more! Eat this and leave quickly!"

"When you are in the underworld, it is inevitable that you will be poor at one o'clock and rich at another. Didn't I just happen to have spent all my money? Hehe..." Qin Ku said shamelessly, "When I have money, I will definitely send it to you. Besides, it is stormy outside now, I will be soaked to the skin if I go out. Second brother, please be a good person and help me check it out. By the way, bring me some good wine that has not been diluted with water. This clear soup is really tasteless."

"I said you are..."

"Waiter, serve this brother some good wine and food!" Without waiting for the waiter to scold, Liu Xunyi suddenly said with a smile: "All his expenses today will be charged to me!" Liu Xunyi was generous by nature and always liked to "meddle in other people's business", which was well known to everyone when he was in Tianji Pavilion.

"Okay!" The waiter was stunned at first, then agreed readily and went to prepare the wine and food excitedly.

Qin Ku turned around curiously, and Liu Xunyi could see his appearance clearly. He had a small nose, small eyes, and a small mouth on a round face, which was very strange. Pan Yuyin couldn't help laughing. "Do we know each other?" Qin Ku asked doubtfully. After that, he looked at Li Lao Hu, who was gloomy and motionless, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

"do not know."

"Then why did you buy me a drink?"

"It's just an emergency!" Liu Xunyi said with a smile, "Besides, what's the big deal about a meal? Just order whatever you like. I'll treat you today."

Hearing this, Qin Ku's eyes rolled, a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he waved his hand and said loudly: "Then I won't be polite! Second brother, bring me ten more jars of good wine, five catties of beef, and three servings of chicken, duck and fish. Hehe..."

"You eat so much, aren't you afraid of dying of overeating?" Tang Cong asked sarcastically.

"What are you afraid of? It's better to die of fullness than starvation!" Qin Ku was not angry, but smiled nonchalantly, "What's more, it was your master who took the initiative to treat me to a meal, and now he hasn't said anything. Why should you, as a subordinate, feel distressed? It's true that the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is!"

"Ha ha……"

Qin Ku's words immediately caused a burst of laughter from the diners. Even Xu Heng, Liao Chuan, Liao Hai and others who were sitting at the same table with Tang Cong couldn't help laughing.

"you……"

"Tang Cong!" Without waiting for Tang Cong to refute, Liu Xunyi suddenly said, "We are all brothers from all corners of the world, why do you have to be sarcastic?" After saying that, Liu Xunyi looked at Qin Ku meaningfully, thinking to himself, "I have never met this person before, but he can tell at a glance that Tang Cong is my subordinate. I think he is definitely not an ordinary person."

The incident was fleeting, and after everyone had enough food and drink, Liu Xunyi arranged for everyone to go back to their rooms to rest. Before leaving, he even went forward and toasted Qin Ku with a bowl of wine as a greeting.

The sea was calm and there was no conversation for half the night, until the middle of the night.

"Boom! Snap!"

There was thunder and heavy rain outside. Tianlong Inn was immersed in a deep sleep under the howling wind and rain.

The rainier it is, the more soundly people can sleep.

Qin Ku, who was staying in the corner of the lobby, slept with his legs spread out and his snoring was deafening, echoing the sound of wind and rain outside.

The guy on night watch couldn't bear the fatigue anymore and fell asleep on the table.

A cool breeze quietly blew in through the half-open door of the inn, and along with the wind came a black shadow as fast as lightning.

The innkeeper was still dreaming about meeting Zhou Gong, but suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He subconsciously opened his sleepy eyes, but suddenly found that there was a person standing beside him. At the same time, a dagger that was icy cold was pressed tightly against his neck.

The person who came was none other than Long Yu.

"you……"

"Shh!"

Before the waiter could speak, Long Yu suddenly made a gesture to silence him. A frightening smile appeared on his face, and he leaned over to the waiter, asking in a half-smile, "Young man, which room is Liu Xunyi staying in?"

"Master, please spare me... I don't know who you are talking about..." The man lowered his voice and begged for mercy tremblingly, "I have never offended you..."

"Him!" Long Yu spread out a portrait with his left hand. The person in the portrait was Liu Xunyi. Then he asked nervously, "Little Second Brother, have you seen him?"

"I've... I've seen it..." The waiter nodded tremblingly, "It's the one right opposite the stairs..." As he said that, the waiter hurriedly pointed to a guest room on the second floor.

"Very good!" Long Yu nodded with great satisfaction, then reached out and gently stroked the back of the guy's head, as if to coax him to sleep, and murmured, "Be good! Go back to sleep!"

The waiter looked at Long Yu tremblingly. How could he want to sleep at this moment? He just hoped that Long Yu would leave quickly. But before he could beg for mercy again, Long Yu's left hand on the back of his head suddenly shook, and with a light "click", the waiter's skull was instantly shattered, and the back of his head collapsed strangely. Long Yu's five fingers took advantage of the situation and "popped" and inserted straight into the waiter's head, and then squeezed hard, and the waiter's seven orifices suddenly turned white, and blood spurted out. He didn't make a sound until he died.

Long Yu dealt with the guy with one move, then slowly turned around and walked towards the second floor, sucking on his five fingers that were covered in red and white stuff as he walked, a terrifying gleam of madness and greed in his eyes.

As for Qin Ku who was sleeping soundly in the corner of the lobby, Long Yu just glanced at him but ignored him.

"I went from Luoyang to Yingchuan, and from Yingchuan to here. I thought about you day and night and couldn't eat or drink. Today, I finally caught up with you here." While talking to himself, Long Yu came to Liu Xunyi's door with great interest. The bloodthirsty look in his eyes became more intense. He smiled excitedly and said, "I have chased you for so long, please don't let me down."

After saying that, Long Yu quietly inserted his dagger into the crack of the door, trying to pick the bolt. But before he could make any move, a teasing echo suddenly came from the room.

"How could I have deserved to trouble you to come all the way to chase me? But since you are here, how can I let you down?"

Before he finished his words, a sharp sword pierced out from the room as fast as lightning, instantly pierced through the door and hit Long Yu's forehead.

……

(End of this chapter)