Chapter 66: Follow the Map
"This place is not like the Central Plains. We only have some coarse tea. Just drink a couple of sips!"

In the accounting office of Fuhe Grain Store, Old Xu personally made a cup of hot tea for Liu Xunyi.

Although it was already noon, the light in the accounting office was very dim because there were no windows, and the air was even filled with a dark, damp and musty smell. Old Xu seemed to notice Liu Xunyi's subconscious action of stroking his nose, and explained with a faint smile: "This was originally a warehouse, and later it was changed to an accounting office. Because it has not seen sunlight for many years, the smell is a bit... hehe..."

"Old Xu, how did you know I would come to see you?" Liu Xunyi didn't care about this account office, and asked jokingly, "Then do you know why I came to see you?
"I don't know." Old Xu was holding a big tea bowl with a missing corner, sitting on a broken stool with mottled paint, shaking his legs and saying, "But I felt that you would come to find me, but I didn't expect you to come so soon. It seems that our fate has not yet ended. Xiao Liuzi, did you encounter any difficulties in Huodu? We all came here for the same reason, and I will not sit idly by, but you also know that Old Xu has a big family to support, so..." As he said that, Old Xu reached out and took out a not-too-deflated purse from his arms, threw it to Liu Xunyi, and said, "Don't think it's too little, take it!"

"This……"

Liu Xunyi looked at the purse in his hand and felt a little amused. It turned out that Old Xu thought he came to borrow money.

Facing Old Xu, who looked tired, Liu Xunyi did not explain, but instead fumbled out two large, shining silver ingots from his body. Under Old Xu's surprised gaze, Liu Xunyi stuffed the gold ingots into the purse, and then handed the purse to Old Xu with a kind smile on his lips.

"Xiao Liuzi, what are you doing..."

"Old Xu, thank you for your care along the way. This is Xiao Liuzi's gift to you." Liu Xunyi stuffed the purse into Old Xu's hand without saying a word, and stared at the confused Old Xu with a smile.

Old Xu weighed the money bag and said with a wry smile: "Xiao Liuzi, you've made a fortune in just half a day? I knew you were different from those coolies out there..."

"Old Xu, the manager is at the street corner. Hurry up and take the account book with you to the shop to wait for him!"

Suddenly, a waiter's voice came from the courtyard. Hearing this, Old Xu quickly agreed, then turned to Liu Xunyi and said with a smile: "Xiao Liuzi, I'm afraid I can't stay with you for long today, I have to go..."

"Old Xu." Liu Xunyi interrupted hurriedly, "I came to you to ask you something. I will leave after asking. It won't take me long."

"What's the matter?" Old Xu knew that Liu Xunyi would not come to visit him for no reason. He put the purse on the table, his old eyes shone with shrewdness, and said, "Little Liu, there is no need for us to ask for advice. Just tell me what you have to say."

Liu Xunyi pondered and said, "Yesterday at noon when we first entered Huodu, I accidentally ran into a few people from the Western Regions. Do you remember this?"

Old Xu frowned, nodded solemnly, and advised: "Xiao Liuzi, are you trying to cause trouble for them? I have already advised you yesterday that it is better to have less trouble than more in this place..."

"Hey!" Liu Xunyi shook his head and said, "I know you can understand Khitan language. I want to ask what those Western Regions people said to each other yesterday that made them stop arguing with me and leave in a hurry?"

"How do you know they are speaking Khitan?" Old Xu asked instead of answering.

"I met another Khitan person last night. She told me that those people from the Western Regions cursed me in Khitan language at the beginning." Liu Xunyi said and imitated a few words such as "looking for death" and "Song dog".

Old Xu nodded slightly, half-believing, and then asked, "Are you asking me these questions because you want to seek revenge on them?"

"Old Xu, I understand what you mean... It seems that they did mention where they were going during their conversation yesterday." Liu Xunyi was able to discern the meaning of the words and immediately got the clue from Old Xu's words.

Old Xu was stunned at first, then a flash of admiration flashed across his eyes, and he nodded and said, "Xiao Liuzi, you are more powerful than I thought."

"So where did they go?"

Old Xu shook his head and said, "First tell me why you are asking these questions?"

"Because they stole my things yesterday." Liu Xunyi deliberately lied, "When I bumped into them, they took advantage of the situation and took away the jade pendant from me. It was a relic my mother left me. Although it is not worth much, it means a lot to me. I must get the jade pendant back." Liu Xunyi looked sincere and spoke with certainty. Ordinary people could not tell whether his words were true or false.

"Is there such a thing?" Old Xu seemed very surprised.

Liu Xunyi nodded and said, "I just noticed it last night. Whether they stole it or not, I have to look for it. Old Xu, I know you are doing this for my own good and are afraid that I will end up suffering by fighting against the strong with the weak, but the jade pendant is too important to me, so..."

Old Xu sighed and said, "Xiao Liuzi, although I don't know what you want to do, since you want to know the whereabouts of those people, I will tell you. As for whether you are looking for the jade pendant or seeking revenge, I don't want to care. Whether you can be safe and sound in the end depends on your own luck. As I said, you have to take care of yourself."

"Thank you." Liu Xunyi's face lit up and he asked hurriedly, "Where are they?"

Old Xu recalled and said thoughtfully, "They mentioned yesterday that there seemed to be something important waiting to be done in the Luohan Temple, so they didn't have time to tangle with you too much, so they left in a hurry."

"Luohan Temple?" Liu Xunyi had never heard of this name before, and asked in confusion, "What is this place?"

"There is a century-old temple here, twelve or thirteen miles west of Huodu City. It is said that there is an iron arhat enshrined in it, hence the name." Old Xu said, "But they only mentioned the name of the Arhat Temple, but did not say much else, so I can't say for sure whether they are still in the Arhat Temple now, or maybe they just mentioned it casually."

"Thank you." Liu Xunyi got the information he wanted and didn't plan to stay any longer. He drank the rough tea in the cup and stood up to say goodbye to Old Xu. "You still need to check the accounts with the head shopkeeper. I won't bother you any more."

"Xiao Liuzi, this matter..." Old Xu stood up and walked her to the door, smiling bitterly with embarrassment, "If anything bad happens from this matter... don't say that I told you."

Liu Xunyi said sternly: "Don't worry, Old Xu, this matter has nothing to do with you. I won't betray you. Just go back to Zhongyuan tomorrow."

"That's good!"

Old Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Plus, he had just received two large silver ingots, so he was obviously in a very good mood. He took the initiative to send Liu Xunyi all the way to the backyard door.

"Old Xu, how long are you going to make me wait?" Just as Liu Xunyi and Old Xu were saying goodbye to each other, a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes suddenly walked into the front yard, followed by seven or eight followers.

This person is dressed in silk and satin, wearing gold and silver, and he wishes he could wear emerald and gold rings on all ten fingers. Although his dress is rather vulgar, the temperament revealed between his eyebrows is quite solemn, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a serious face, and a tall and strong body. Standing there, he gives people a sense of domineering power from a distance.

"The... the chief manager..."

As soon as Old Xu saw the chief innkeeper, the tiredness on his face disappeared immediately. He said goodbye to Liu Xunyi in a hurry and trotted away into the courtyard. The chief innkeeper glanced at Liu Xunyi outside the courtyard gate with an expressionless face, then turned around and walked into the accounting office.

Old Xu, who was always steady, followed in like a servant, nodding and bowing.

"It's really like the brine and tofu, one thing conquers another." Liu Xunyi shook his head and smiled bitterly, while muttering to himself he had already quickly left Fuhe Granary.

After much thought, Liu Xunyi determined that Master Cao was most likely imprisoned in the Luohan Temple, so he decided to visit the Luohan Temple tonight. Once he could find Master Cao and the group of Westerners who kidnapped him, he would be able to follow the clues to the Jingfenghuayutu.

The worst plan Liu Xunyi had was to repay in kind, rescue Master Cao from the Western Regions people, and then use Master Cao as a threat to obtain the "Jingfenghuayutu" from Cao Qin.

There was no conversation along the way, and it was already noon when Liu Xunyi returned to Long'an Inn.

The lobby of the inn was bustling with people, but Ding San seemed to have never left. He had breakfast and lunch at the same time. It was still the same table and the same disgusting hippie smile.

As soon as he saw Liu Xunyi, Ding San took the initiative to greet him, "Little brother, come quickly, the Dragon King just invited a table of wine and food, and I haven't even started eating yet. Are you interested in joining us to enjoy it?"

"Dragon King?"

Liu Xunyi had found the clue now, so he was in no hurry to leave. He simply walked to the table and sat down, looking at the table full of delicious food with interest, and asked with a smile: "Is the Dragon King that Brother Ding mentioned the owner of this Long'an Inn?"

"That's right." Ding San held a jar of wine and quickly opened the seal. Instantly, the aroma of the wine filled the air, making people salivate. While pouring wine for Liu Xunyi, he nodded and smiled, "The Dragon King is a big businessman. I originally wanted to introduce you to this big shot, but unfortunately you came back at the wrong time. The Dragon King just left not long ago. He only comes here once a month to collect the interest for this month. You'll have to rely on luck if you want to see him next time!"

"Why would he invite you to a banquet?" Faced with Ding San's hospitality, Liu Xunyi was not polite and took the wine glass and asked casually, "Could it be that he knows you too?"

Ding San seemed very unhappy when he heard this. He glared and said seriously, "Why? I am so nameless? The Dragon King can't recognize me?"

"Brother Ding, you misunderstood. What I meant was why would the Dragon King invite you to drink for no reason? Have you ever given him any benefits?" Liu Xunyi said with a smile.

Ding San raised his eyebrows and said jokingly, "The Dragon King is a rich man. This table of wine and food is nothing to him. You think this table is a favor, but in the eyes of the Dragon King, this table of wine and food is just a greeting to me. There is no difference." After that, without waiting for Liu Xunyi to ask again, he pointed at the table full of wine and food with chopsticks and urged, "Don't ask, eat it quickly. There are not many good things like free food and drink in the world. Don't waste it if you can. Hehe..."

As he spoke, Ding San took the initiative to clink glasses of wine with Liu Xunyi, and they each drank it all in one gulp, feeling very happy.

"Little brother, where did you go just now?" Ding San asked vaguely while stuffing meat and vegetables into his mouth.

"I'm going out for a walk. This is my first time in Huodu, and I want to see the world." Liu Xunyi pretended to be nonchalant and answered casually. Then he changed the subject, raised his glass and said with a smile, "Brother Ding, thank you for the wine and meat. Come, I toast you!"

"Okay, okay." Ding San drank the wine with a smile, then wiped his mouth and said, "By the way, why didn't you tell me before that you have such a pretty little mistress. Hehe..."

"What little mistress?" Liu Xunyi was stunned when he heard this, and said suspiciously, "Brother Ding, please don't make fun of me!"

"That's the beauty from the Central Plains that I told you about last night." Ding San said with a wicked smile, "You were pretending to be noble in front of me yesterday, saying that you didn't know her. Are you afraid that I would snatch her from you?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi was completely confused and said in surprise, "I really don't understand what Brother Ding said. What on earth are you saying..."

"Little brother, don't play dumb. The girl has asked for you by name. Do you really want to pull up your pants and deny her? Haha..." Ding San winked and grinned, "How is it? It feels good to be with such a beautiful woman, right?"

Liu Xunyi looked at Ding San with a frown on his face, bewildered.

"As soon as you left this morning, they came looking for you. It's a pity that you were not there, so they left." Ding San said, reaching into his arms to grope for something, and said incoherently, "Before the beautiful lady left something for you on the counter, I just took it and played with it. Although it looks quite valuable, I treat you as a friend regardless of age difference, so I won't steal your token of love. Hehe..."

"Oh!"

Ding San took something out of his pocket, threw it on the table, and said with a smile: "Here, this is it. Do you still dare to say that you don't know her?"

Confused, Liu Xunyi glanced at the table curiously, wanting to open his mouth to refute. But with just one glance, Liu Xunyi's expression suddenly changed from confusion to shock, and his half-open mouth suddenly became silent, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

On the table was an exquisite golden hairpin, which was the one that Bai Shuang gave to Liu Xunyi at Yuanyang Pavilion.

The "beauty from the Central Plains" that Ding San mentioned was Bai Shuang.

……

(End of this chapter)