Chapter 65: Each Goes His Own Way
In the early morning, Long'an Inn, which had been silent all night, began a new day of busyness, and the streets of Huodu City gradually became lively from being deserted.

Liu Xunyi, who had been sleepless all night, had already packed up. He put on the tattered linen clothes he wore when he was a laborer and waited for dawn in the room. When he heard the noise of noise downstairs, he got up and left the guest room, preparing to go to Fuhe Granary to find the housekeeper Lao Xu and find out the news about the four people from the Western Regions.

Liu Xunyi was worried and in a hurry, so much so that he almost bumped into Lei Biao who was coming towards him when he was going down the stairs.

"Get out of here, you're blinding my dog ​​eyes!"

Lei Biao shouted in an urgent tone, and without waiting for Liu Xunyi to reply, he waved his hand and pushed Liu Xunyi, who was blocking his way, aside. After glaring at him fiercely, he hurriedly ran upstairs with four or five Yuhu Hall disciples without deliberately looking for trouble.

Since Liu Xunyi had important matters to attend to, he did not insist. He just turned his head with a puzzled look at the hurried backs of Lei Biao and others, then shook his head slightly and walked downstairs.

"Little brother, where are you going so early?"

When Liu Xunyi was about to leave the inn, he suddenly heard a greasy and teasing laugh. He saw Ding San, who had drunk with Liu Xunyi last night, sitting at a table in the corner with his legs crossed and leisurely. There were two dishes, some steamed bread and a bowl of rice porridge on the table. When Liu Xunyi came over following the sound, Ding San waved at him in a familiar manner.

"I got so drunk last night that I thought I would sleep until noon today, but I didn't expect you to get up so early." Ding San said with a smile, "You treated me to a drink last night, so today I'll treat you to porridge, come on..."

"I appreciate your kindness, Brother Ding, but I have something else to do, so I'm sorry I can't keep you company!" Liu Xunyi didn't want to waste too much time on someone like Ding San, so he bowed hurriedly and wanted to leave.

"Little brother, what do you think about what happened last night?" Ding San smiled calmly, "I can help you with that matter." As he spoke, Ding San winked at Liu Xunyi with a cunning look on his face.

Liu Xunyi paused, and said with a half-smile: "I told you last night that I'm not the person you're looking for, and I'm not interested in what you're talking about..."

"Hey!" Before Liu Xunyi could finish his words, Ding San quickly shook the chopsticks in his hand towards him and said, "Don't be too confident. There are still two days before the Jade Dragon Festival. You can think about it slowly. I will be at Long'an Inn these two days. You can come to me anytime when you have figured it out. Hehe... little brother, I am counting on this deal to have a good year. I hope you won't let me go back empty-handed."

"If that's the case, then you should find a reliable buyer. Why bother looking for me?" Liu Xunyi said with a smile, "Isn't this like looking for a monk to sell a comb? Sooner or later, it will be a false hope."

"I do business for three years without opening, and then I can make a living for three years after opening." Ding San said with a smile, "I have waited for three years, let alone these two days. If you have something to do, go quickly. If you come back early, I might be able to leave you a bowl of hot porridge." After that, Ding San no longer paid attention to Liu Xunyi and lowered his head to eat.

Liu Xunyi looked at Ding San suspiciously, hesitated for a moment, and then quickly left Long'an Inn.

At the same time, in a room on the second floor of Long'an Inn, Lei Biao was explaining his purpose to Su He, while Bater, Chagan, and Zhuoya sat aside in silence. Several Yuhu Hall disciples stood outside the door with serious expressions, not allowing anyone to approach.

"I have conveyed the hall master's meaning truthfully, but I wonder what Brother Su thinks?" Lei Biao stared at Su He with an anxious look.

"Huodu is the territory of your Yulong Palace. It seems that we outsiders don't need help, right?" Bater curled his lips and interrupted, "Why don't you just take action to deal with this group of thieves?"

Lei Biao was inevitably displeased by the young Bater's unauthorized interruption, but he couldn't get angry because of Su He and Chi Fengling's face, so he could only reply in a deep voice: "As the saying goes, those who are involved are confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see clearly. My hall master is now worried and confused, and he is worried that he has not considered it carefully."

"So Hall Master Cao wants me to help him rescue Young Master Cao?" Su He asked thoughtfully.

"That's right." Lei Biao replied, "This time the help is entirely out of the hall master's own will, and has nothing to do with the Jade Dragon Palace and the Red Wind Ridge factions. Brother Su is a contemporary hero, and his chivalrous heart is known to everyone in the world. I hope Brother Su can lend a hand. No matter what hatred that group of thieves has with the Jade Dragon Palace, the young master is innocent after all."

"We don't seem to have much friendship with your Hall Master Cao, do we?" Zhuoma gently rubbed a strand of black hair on her shoulder with her fingers and smiled charmingly, "Why do I feel that Hall Master Cao asking us for help seems to be a bit...killing someone with a borrowed knife?"

"That's right!" Chagan echoed slowly in a hoarse and old voice, "You don't even know who the other party is, so how can we rashly make enemies with them? Forgive me for being frank, but if this matter is brought up by the head of the Jade Tiger Hall, it still has some weight, but if it is just Cao Qin's private matter, then it seems unnecessary for us to intervene, lest we fail to catch the fox and get into trouble instead."

Although Lei Biao had anticipated their response, some of the words were too direct and made people feel uncomfortable.

Lei Biao suppressed his dissatisfaction and said to Su He with a dry laugh, "Brother Su, everyone in the martial arts world knows that having more friends means having more paths. My hall master is now willing to make friends with Brother Su, and he naturally understands that friends should support each other. If Brother Su can rescue Master Cao, it would be like saving our hall master's life. Hall Master Cao is a person who will repay a favor, and he will naturally never treat Brother Su, a friend who helped him in his time of need, unfairly afterwards."

"It's natural for a father to care about his son's life and death. Those thieves knew that Master Cao wouldn't dare to act rashly since they had Master Cao in their hands. Now Master Cao has the power but nowhere to use it, and he's also worried about alerting the enemy. He's in a dilemma." Su He said seriously, "It's really inconvenient for Master Cao and the people of Yulong Palace to take action in this matter. Master Cao thought of asking me for help in such a situation, which shows that he has great trust in me."

"That's right! That's right!" Lei Biao couldn't help but be delighted when he saw Su He agreed. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Only Brother Su can ensure that this matter is foolproof. The hall master is extremely worried about others, including me!" Su He smiled bitterly and said, "Hall Master Cao thinks too highly of me. We are all people of the martial arts world. We should help others when we see injustice. Although I dare not guarantee that I can save Master Cao, I will do my best. As for the result..."

"Brother Su's words are enough." Lei Biao quickly added, "As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. No one can predict the outcome now, so Brother Su, don't worry about it. Your agreement to help is a great favor to our hall master."

"Brother Su, are you really going to help Cao Qin save his son?" Bater asked in surprise.

"I've already said it last night in Yuhu Hall. If Master Cao needs any help, just ask. I will never refuse. A real man's word is as good as gold. How can he go back on his word?" Su He said, "If I refuse Master Cao today, wouldn't I be a hypocrite who says one thing and does another?"

"But we still don't know where the other party came from?" Chagan retorted worriedly, "If we act rashly, what if we cause trouble for Chifengling..."

"You three don't need to get involved in this matter." Before Chagan could finish his words, Su He interrupted him and said, "Since this matter is Hall Master Cao's private matter, then his asking me for help is also my private matter. It has nothing to do with Chifengling and you. Even if the other party has bad intentions and really causes a big mess, let them just come after me, Su He, and it has nothing to do with others."

Upon hearing this, Lei Biao's admiration for Su He increased. He immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Su He, saying gratefully, "Brother Su, you are so kind. I, Lei, would like to thank you on behalf of the hall master and the young master! The hall master said that as long as Brother Su agrees to help, he will personally introduce you to the palace master afterwards."

"That's great. It saves us from all the trouble." Su He did not refuse Cao Qin's promise. He agreed cheerfully, helped Lei Biao up, and asked, "According to what you said just now, the two bandit leaders are now staying at the Longxiang Inn across the street?"

"That's right." Lei Biao reminded carefully, "It's just that the whereabouts of the young master are unknown now, so please be careful, Brother Su, and try to lure the snake out of its hole and find the young master's hiding place. Otherwise, you will alert the snakes and force those thieves to do something extreme."

Su He nodded gently and said, "Please go back and tell Master Cao that I will do my best on this matter."

……

South of Huodu City, Fuhe Granary.

The granary here is similar to the rice shop in the Central Plains, with a shop in the front and a warehouse in the back.

Liu Xunyi walked around the front of the granary and went straight to the backyard. There were more than a dozen bare carts lined up against the wall. More than a month ago, Liu Xunyi followed them here, but at that time each cart was piled high with grain barrels, but now it was empty. Presumably, all the grain had been unloaded into the granary.

Two coolies who were resting by the car saw Liu Xunyi and greeted him, and Liu Xunyi also came forward enthusiastically. They chatted about all sorts of things in their spare time during the journey, so they had a close relationship.

"Where is Old Xu?" Liu Xunyi asked after the greetings.

"They're checking the accounts in the counter!" a young coolie replied. "The head shopkeeper said he would come to check the accounts this morning. Old Xu has been busy since yesterday afternoon. He plans to leave for home tomorrow. Our legs haven't rested enough yet. We'll have to get a few more blisters on the way back."

"Xiao Liuzi, are you coming back with us this time?" Another older laborer asked with a smile, "Although we won't get paid if we don't have the goods, at least we'll have enough food and drink along the way. Hehe..."

"You leave in a hurry, so I have to stay here for two more days." Liu Xunyi said casually, his eyes kept looking towards the rooms in front, trying to find Lao Xu.

The young coolie teased, "You are in such a hurry to find Lao Xu, maybe he didn't pay you enough yesterday?"

"Oh! Enough, enough, I have something else to think about..." Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, he saw Old Xu, with a tired face, holding a stack of account books, walking slowly out of a room, intending to deliver them to the shop in the front yard.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi hurried forward, took the account book from Old Xu, and said with a smile, "Old Xu, you have come all the way to Huodu, why don't you stay a few more days?"

When Old Xu saw Liu Xunyi, he was stunned at first, then he looked her up and down suspiciously. The intriguing gaze made Liu Xunyi feel uncomfortable. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Old Xu, you don't recognize me, do you? I am..."

"Ahem, little Liuzi." Before Liu Xunyi could speak, Old Xu suddenly coughed twice and said in a strange tone, "You are here after all."

……

(End of this chapter)