Chapter 246 Danger Surrounded
Tang Cong's sudden visit caught Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei off guard. They frowned and looked at each other hastily, with a solemn look on their faces.

Qin Wei quickly stood up and paced hurriedly back and forth in the narrow room, looking around, as if looking for another exit or hiding place.

At the same time, Liu Xunyi rushed to the door, gently pressed his hand against the door, and asked calmly, "What's the matter?"

"Just now in the lobby, the master didn't even eat a bite of food. I was really worried, so I asked the chef to cook two of your favorite dishes and bring them to you while they are hot." Tang Cong smiled and his tone was quite relaxed. He didn't notice anything unusual in the room.

"That...I..."

"Master, the food must be eaten while it's hot. It will lose its taste if it gets cold." Without waiting for Liu Xunyi to prevaricate, Tang Cong urged loudly and impatiently.

At this moment, Qin Wei had walked around the room several times, but this simple old house only had a creaking wooden bed, a dilapidated square table and two wooden stools. Apart from that, there was nothing else and there was nowhere to hide.

In the entire guest room, apart from the door, there is only a small window two feet square on the left side of the door. Apart from this, there is no other way out.

If Qin Wei climbed out of the window, he would bump into Tang Cong outside the door, so this method would definitely not work.

"What should we do?" Qin Wei lowered his voice as much as possible and asked Xiang Liuxunyi anxiously.

"Master, please open the door quickly! What's the matter?" Almost at the same time, Tang Cong's suspicious voice came from outside the door.

Being "attacked" from both sides by Qin Wei and Tang Cong, Liu Xunyi suddenly felt overwhelmed. His face was solemn and his brows were frowning, and he was thinking of countermeasures quickly in his mind.

In desperation, Liu Xunyi hurriedly took off his boots and socks, then quickly stretched out his hand, first pointed at the kettle on the table, then pointed at the copper basin on the ground, signaling Qin Wei to continue pretending to be a waiter who came to deliver foot washing water.

Qin Wei understood and quickly hunched his upright body a little, rubbed his hands hard on the ground, then wiped the dust and stains on his face, and then scratched his hair.

The handsome man just now turned into a dishevelled and slovenly waiter in the blink of an eye.

"Ahem..." Liu Xunyi nodded to Qin Wei and said lazily to Tang Cong outside the door, "Here I come! Here I come!"

"squeak!"

With a slight sound, the door opened. Tang Cong, with a smile on his face, walked into the room without hesitation, holding a plate of food and wine, and jokingly said, "Master, why did you open the door after such a long time? I thought you had a beautiful lady hidden in your room, hehe..."

"Hehe..." Liu Xunyi chuckled twice to ease the embarrassment, pointed at the basin on the ground, and said perfunctorily, "Don't talk nonsense! I'm just a little tired after running around for a few days, so I want to soak my feet and take a rest."

"Master, this is..."

Without waiting for Tang Cong to ask, Liu Xunyi waved his hand and pointed at Qin Wei, who was looking down and saying nothing, and said nonchalantly: "Waiter, there is enough hot water, you can go out first."

"Yes!"

Under Tang Cong's puzzled gaze, Qin Wei hurriedly nodded and agreed, then walked quickly out of the room.

"Wait a moment!"

Just when Qin Wei was about to step out of the room, Tang Cong's voice suddenly rang out, and Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei's hearts sank at the same time.

Liu Xunyi's eyes were complicated and tense. Qin Wei had his back to Tang Cong, with a cold murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

"Sir, do you have any instructions for me?" Qin Wei asked without turning his head. Due to his nervous mood, his voice sounded slightly trembling.

Tang Cong was not surprised. He put the food and wine on the table, pointed at the kettle on the ground, and said jokingly, "What? You don't want the kettle anymore? How can you serve water to other guests without the kettle? Be careful or I'll tell your shopkeeper and fine you."

It was a false alarm, and Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei both breathed a sigh of relief. Their hearts, which had been hanging high in the air, slowly settled down.

"It was my fault for being careless." Qin Wei agreed hesitantly, turned back to his room, quickly picked up the kettle, and was about to leave again.

"Wait a minute!"

Before Qin Wei could get away, Tang Cong's voice rang out again. He placed the food and wine on the table and absentmindedly told Qin Wei, "Waiter, since you're here, why don't you stay a little longer?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei's hearts, which had just settled down, instantly rose again. There was an indescribable anxiety in their eyes.

"Tang Cong, the second brother has other things to do, why do you have to make things difficult for him?" After hesitating for a while, Liu Xunyi took the initiative to speak up to help Qin Wei out.

"Master, you misunderstood. I am not trying to embarrass him, but giving him a chance to make some money." Tang Cong took out a few copper coins from his pocket and threw them to Qin Wei, saying with a smile, "Waiter, massage Mr. Liu's legs and feet. If you do a good job, you will be rewarded later."

"This……"

"Master, please sit down." Before Liu Xunyi could speak in surprise, Tang Cong pushed him onto a stool without further ado, and placed a steaming basin of water under his feet, saying with a joking smile, "Master, your legs and feet are tired, so let this waiter give you a good massage. You and I can just drink and eat."

"But I..."

"Master, don't worry. I won't give him less money." Tang Cong waved his hand and said with a smile, "This kind of guy can't even earn two cents of silver even if he works himself to death in a month. He is so eager for such an opportunity! Hehe..."

After that, Tang Cong waved his hand impatiently at Qin Wei and urged him, "Get to work! What are you still standing there for? You're stupid!"

"Yes."

Qin Wei was worried that he was too stubborn and would arouse Tang Cong's suspicion, so he quickly agreed and quickly leaned down at Liu Xunyi's feet. Without waiting for Liu Xunyi to stop him, he began to massage Liu Xunyi's legs.

"Tang Cong, I was born to be a nobody, I don't like to enjoy myself..."

"What are you talking about, Sect Master?" Tang Cong shook his head indifferently, "You are the Sect Master of the Xianwang Mansion, and you are highly valued by the Mansion Master. Maybe in a few days, you will become the son-in-law of the Northern Xianwang, haha..."

As soon as Tang Cong said this, Liu Xunyi could clearly feel Qin Wei's hands stagnate. He was immediately shocked. He was worried that Tang Cong's outspokenness would cause Qin Wei to misunderstand him, so he hurriedly said, "Don't lie! The young lady and I are innocent and have absolutely no relationship at all."

"Playing hard to get, retreating before advancing. The easier it is to get, the less you know how to cherish it." Tang Cong said mysteriously with a sly smile, "We are all men, I understand the master's mind! Hehe..."

Liu Xunyi wanted to explain everything to Qin Wei, but because of Tang Cong in front of him, he had to pretend to be indifferent. He was in a dilemma for a moment and felt very aggrieved.

Liu Xunyi felt bitter in his heart. He looked at Tang Cong with complicated eyes and said sadly, "Tang Cong, ah Tang Cong, you are really going to hurt me badly this time!"

"Oh, right!" Tang Cong suddenly changed the subject and said seriously, "The last time the Mongols came to Luoyang to recruit us, they were ambushed and killed on the way back. Who do you think did this?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei were both stunned.

"Why do you ask?" Liu Xunyi was concerned about Qin Wei, so he didn't want to say many things directly, so he pretended to be confused and said perfunctorily, "There are many people in the world who want to kill them. God knows who did it."

"It's been widely rumored in the martial arts world, and people suspect that it was done by our Xianwang Mansion." Tang Cong sneered, "How is that possible? At that time, the Lord of the Mansion had already decided to accept the Mongolian amnesty, so how could he be so foolish as to cut off his own retreat..."

"Tang Cong..."

"Boom!"

Before Tang Cong finished speaking, the shocked Liu Xunyi was about to stop him. But before he could finish his words, Qin Wei, who was about to add hot water to the basin, was shocked by the news and his face suddenly changed. At the same time, the kettle he was holding in his hand fell to the ground subconsciously, and the boiling water splashed on Liu Xunyi's legs, causing the unprepared Liu Xunyi to scream in pain instantly. In fact, Liu Xunyi didn't want Qin Wei to know that Luo Tianjin had intended to compromise with the Mongolian court. But Tang Cong had just blurted it out inadvertently, and the current situation made him a little overwhelmed.

"Are you looking for death?"

Tang Cong was shocked and immediately flew into a rage. He slammed the table and without saying a word, he kicked Qin Wei hard, causing him to fall over.

"You can't even hold a kettle steady, what the hell are you doing for a living?"

Tang Cong spat at Qin Wei viciously, then quickly squatted in front of Liu Xunyi and carefully examined his burned calf.

At this moment, Qin Wei had quietly stood up, and he looked at Liu Xunyi with a complicated look, with an indescribable and inexplicable complex look in his eyes. It seemed suspicious, puzzled, shocked, stunned, and questioning...

Liu Xunyi had no time to care about his burns. He stared at Qin Wei earnestly, watching his every move closely.

"You bastard! I will never forgive you!" Tang Cong half-knelt beside Liu Xunyi's legs, cleaning the affected area with a focused expression while yelling at Qin Wei without turning his head.

Qin Wei glanced at the unsuspecting Tang Cong with a strange expression, and then under Liu Xunyi's solemn gaze, he slowly reached for his lower back and took out a sharp dagger shining with silver light.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi's eyes changed instantly, and he shook his head at Qin Wei silently.

But Qin Wei turned a deaf ear to Liu Xunyi's dissuasion. He hid the dagger inside his arm and slowly approached the unaware Tang Cong.

When he walked behind Tang Cong, Qin Wei solemnly made a "kill" gesture to Liu Xunyi, meaning that Tang Cong had seen his appearance and he must not be left alive.

Liu Xunyi's heart was as hard as stone, his face was firm, and he shook his head again.

Qin Wei hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned his wrist, revealing a dagger, and stabbed Tang Cong's neck without hesitation.

Liu Xunyi was shocked and instantly stretched out his hand, grabbing Qin Wei's wrist tightly in mid-air. No matter how hard he tried, he could not push the dagger down even a little bit.

The two looked at each other silently, with completely different expressions in their eyes.

"Master, fortunately nothing serious happened."

Tang Cong's relieved voice suddenly sounded, and Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei were both startled.

Just when Tang Cong raised his head, Liu Xunyi suddenly waved his hand and pushed Qin Wei back several steps.

Tang Cong, who was confused, first glanced at Liu Xunyi, who had a strange look on his face. Then, when he was about to turn around to look at Qin Wei, Liu Xunyi called him first: "Tang Cong, my leg still hurts a little. I wonder if it's caused by an old injury..."

"Really? Let me see!"

Liu Xunyi's move gave Qin Wei enough time to hide the dagger again.

At this moment, the narrow room fell into deathly silence. The three people each had their own thoughts, and no one acted rashly for a moment.

"Master, I'll apply some cooling cream on you later and you'll be fine."

Tang Cong slowly stood up, turned and stared at Qin Wei, who had a complicated expression, with a gloomy face, and said in a cold voice: "Xiao Waiter, what should we do about this matter?"

"I……"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Without waiting for Qin Wei to speak, Tang Cong waved his hand and said bluntly, "I won't make it difficult for you. Go call your shopkeeper and I'll settle the score with him!"

If they found the innkeeper, Qin Wei's identity would be exposed. Therefore, Tang Cong's words made Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei feel embarrassed.

"Why don't you go quickly?"

"That's it!"

Without waiting for Tang Cong to urge him, Xunzhen, who had appeared out of nowhere, walked into the room with a smile on his face, holding a bottle of cooling ointment in his hand.

She casually threw the ointment to Tang Cong and said with a faint smile: "When traveling in the world, it is better to have less trouble than more. It is better for you to avoid trouble."

After saying that, regardless of Tang Cong's reaction, Xunzhen turned to Qin Wei and said, "You are so clumsy, why don't you get out quickly?"

"Yes……"

In a panic, Qin Wei and Xun Zhen passed each other and looked at each other at the same time.

Just this one glance was enough to make Qin Wei pale with fear, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. Because he and Xunzhen had met once at Yanmen Pass, Qin Wei guessed that when he recognized Xunzhen's identity, Xunzhen would probably recognize him as well.

Thinking of this, Qin Wei became more and more afraid. He did not dare to hesitate for even a moment. He hurriedly lowered his head and ran away in a panic.

"Wait a moment!"

Liu Xunyi suddenly stood up, and under Tang Cong's puzzled gaze, he hurriedly picked up the kettle, then ran out of the room barefoot.

When he came to Qin Wei, Liu Xunyi first put the kettle into his hand. At the same time, he also put Zhao Xin's handkerchief into Qin Wei's hand and said, "Waiter, today is just a misunderstanding. I won't tell your boss, nor will I deduct your wages. I hope... you can also believe what you see and what you hear."

Tang Cong wanted to chase out to find out what was going on, but was stopped by Xunzhen, who dragged him without saying anything and started to study the usage of the cooling ointment.

"Don't worry, I know what to do. Please... take care of yourself, sir." After hesitating for a moment, Qin Wei nodded heavily at Liu Xunyi and glanced in the direction of Xunzhen.

Liu Xunyi felt relieved, smiled calmly, and said in a hissing voice: "The handkerchief..."

"rest assured!"

Qin Wei patted Liu Xunyi's arm gently, then looked at him deeply, and quickly left Ruyi Inn.

Looking at the direction where Qin Wei disappeared, Liu Xunyi's face was bitter, and he couldn't help but sigh. When he calmed down and turned around, he saw Xunzhen leaning against the door frame, staring at him meaningfully with her beautiful eyes.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi was slightly stunned, but before he could open his mouth, Xunzhen had already walked forward slowly. When passing by Liu Xunyi, a mysterious smile quietly appeared on the corner of his mouth, and at the same time, he whispered in his ear in a secretive manner: "Remember, you owe me another favor! Lord Liu..."

After that, in the shocked and complicated eyes of Liu Xunyi, Xunzhen suddenly turned around and smiled at the confused Tang Cong, "Pack your luggage, we will leave Huazhou early tomorrow morning."

"Ah?" Tang Cong was stunned and asked in surprise, "Don't we want to rest here for two days?"

"Yes!" Xunzhen looked at Liu Xunyi pitifully, pretending to complain, "Originally, I wanted to stop in Huazhou, but now is different from the past, and we have to leave now. Let's go to Hexi early and solve the trouble early. Who made your Liu Sect Master... homesick?"

……

(End of this chapter)