Chapter 896 Tianyuan Inn (I)

After a conflict with the disciples of Kongtong Sect, Xunzhen realized that his whereabouts had been exposed. If he did not get away quickly, troubles would surely follow.

There was no conversation that night. They rode their horses at full speed and Xunzhen and his party entered the territory of Shenzhou before dawn.

The early morning in late autumn is chilly. The biting wind sweeps the autumn frost and morning dew through the sleeves and collar into the body, making people shiver with cold.

It was daybreak and the city of Shenzhou was quiet. The streets were empty and every household was still asleep. The doors of the shops lined up one after another were closed and had not yet opened.

More than a dozen dusty horse-drawn carriages squeaked through the streets and alleys, seeming somewhat out of place in the silent city of Shenzhou.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door of the silent Tianyuan Inn, which startled the waiter who was sleeping soundly in the lobby. He trembled so much that he fell off the bench and to the ground. He grimaced in pain and cursed.

As the largest inn in Shenzhou City, the rule here is that it is open all year round, day or night.

However, Shenzhou was not a prosperous place after all. There were not many diners during the day, and even fewer guests staying at night. Over time, most of the waiters became lazy and undisciplined, and simply closed the door and went to sleep at night. They would not encounter such a disturbed sleep as today, which happened only a few times a year.

"Bang bang bang!"

Before the waiter could get up from the ground, the dull knock on the door sounded again.

"Damn it! Knocking on the door so early in the morning, announcing a death?"

The waiter got up hastily, brushed off the dust on his body with one hand, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with the other, and walked towards the door, muttering to himself and complaining all the time.

The locals are tough and casual, even if they are just a small inn waiter, they still give people a sense of arrogance and dominance. In fact, they are not targeting you intentionally, but it is just their temperament. They speak and act as they please, and they don't know what subtlety and euphemism are.

Therefore, if the newcomers are not familiar with the local customs and practices, the timid ones will feel that the place is full of wolves and tigers, and will be bullied everywhere. As for the bold ones, they will probably fly into a rage at the slightest disagreement, and even fight.

"squeak!"

There was a slight sound and the door opened to the left and right. The sleepy guy was about to ask something, but he was frightened away by the twenty or so burly men holding knives and swords in front of him. He swallowed back the complaint that was on his lips.

"You...what do you want to do? This is the Yuan family's business..."

"Stop talking nonsense! Clear out all the guest rooms in your store and prepare a few tables of good wine and food. Xiao Yang, Xun Budao, carry Liu Xunyi upstairs to rest."

Before the waiter could finish his words, Abaolu pushed him away rudely and led his men into the inn at high strides. They sat down in groups of three or five.

"Miss Xunzhen, I'm going to the kitchen to make some medicine for Brother Liu."

"Do you need help?"

"It's just a bowl of medicine, no need to bother. You've been running around for days and are already exhausted, so why don't you stay here to rest your legs and eat something!"

"Okay! When the medicine is ready, I'll have them bring it up for you..."

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Xunzhen, but I can do it myself."

After saying that, Pan Yuyin bowed slightly to Xunzhen who was hesitant to speak, then asked the bewildered waiter for directions, and walked quickly towards the kitchen with the medicine bag.

Looking at her slender back, Xunzhen's eyes flashed with an inexplicable light, and he murmured: "It seems that everything is destined. I tried my best to persuade you in the beginning, but you still fell in love, and... you fell deeper and deeper, unable to extricate yourself..."

"Dear guests, it's still early now and there's no one in the kitchen. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer for the food and drinks!"

The waiter's voice interrupted Xunzhen's thoughts. Before she could answer, Abaolu, who was sitting next to her, cursed and yelled, "Bullshit excuse! Are you going to starve to death when the cook is not here? What do you do with your hands and feet? Can you cut a few pounds of beef and serve a few jars of good wine?"

"I……"

"We are starving. Bring up anything that is ready." Xiao Yang walked down the stairs slowly after sending Liu Xunyi upstairs, and said unhappily, "Are you afraid that we will eat for free?"

"That was not what I meant……"

"If you don't want to, stop talking nonsense and serve the food and wine!" Su Hu drew out the scimitar from his waist and threw it on the table with a "clang", which scared the waiter so much that his face changed.

Seeing that the other party looked ferocious and carried swords, it was clear that he was not a good person. Even though the waiter was indignant, he did not dare to confront him openly. He could only shrink his head and roll his eyes at Abaolu and others, muttering to himself, and walked towards the kitchen unwillingly.

"Damn it! I'm so hungry, why don't you guys starve to death?"

As soon as they stepped into the kitchen, the waiter who dared not speak out showed his true colors. Taking advantage of the fact that the kitchen was far away from the lobby, he cut beef indignantly and cursed at the top of his voice: "You have shifty eyes and a face full of fat. You are obviously not good people. Eating meat and drinking alcohol so early in the morning. Pah! Be careful that your stomachs will be rotten and your intestines will be eaten to death..."

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, a crisp sound came from the kitchen, which startled the waiter. He then remembered Pan Yuyin who had just asked him for directions. His heart immediately tightened and he regretted that he should not have spoken without restraint and forgot that walls have ears.

"Ugh!"

The waiter became more and more frightened the more he thought about it. He quickly dropped the beef in his hand, walked slowly towards the kitchen with his head held high, and stammered, "Um... girl, I wasn't talking about your friend just now, I just..." Before he could finish his words, the waiter's voice stopped abruptly, and a look of deep shock instantly appeared on his embarrassed face.

Just because he opened the door curtain, he was shocked to find Pan Yuyin lying motionless on the ground, her life or death unknown. The pot of medicine on the stove was ruthlessly overturned, the steaming medicine soup flowed everywhere, and the air was filled with a pungent and unpleasant smell of medicine.

However, what surprised the waiter the most was that there were actually two middle-aged men standing in the kitchen. One was dressed in white as white as snow, and the other in black as black. Their distinct outfits made them look like the enchanting "Black and White Impermanence", which was intimidating and chilling.

These two people were none other than Ji Hou, the "Sunlight White Jade Sword", and Fu Yin, the "Moonlight Ink Wash Sword", who had followed Tang Afu all the way under the orders of Jin Fu Yu.

"You...you are..." The guy looked at the two of them with fear in his eyes. His throat tightened and his tongue tied for a moment. He stammered for a long time and couldn't say anything.

"Is there a seriously injured man coming with those people outside?" Ji Hou asked indifferently.

"It seems... there was a 'paralytic' who was carried directly to the second floor."

"Which guest room?"

"Number One..." Knowing that he could not afford to offend the other party, the arrogant guy, faced with Ji Hou's questioning, told him everything he knew.

Hearing this, Ji Hou and Fu Yin looked at each other, unable to hide a hint of joy between their brows.

"After searching everywhere for something, it is easy to find it." Fu Yin sneered, "Tang Afu has been circling around Changbai Mountain and has not shown up. I wonder what he is wasting time on? Since we can kill Liu Xunyi in Shenzhou, why wait for him to come out of the tiger's den? Lord Ji, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Tang Afu is not reliable at all. Why don't you and I take action to deal with Liu Xunyi directly to avoid more trouble and more variables."

"Alright!" Ji Hou pondered, "Ding Ao and Dong Xiao'er are both 'foreign monks' like us, but they have repeatedly made remarkable achievements and are highly valued and appreciated by the Lord of Jinwu. Especially the cunning Ding Ao, whose status in the heart of the Lord of Jinwu is no less than that of Song Yu, Leng Yiyi and other veterans of Jinwu. If we can't show our strength, we will be squeezed out by them sooner or later and have nowhere to stay."

"That's right!" Fu Yin nodded heavily, "There's no time to lose, let's go up immediately..."

"No!" Ji Hou grabbed Fu Yin who was eager to try, thinking, "Those Western Region masters are not vegetarians. If we act rashly, we will be easily exposed. Once we start fighting, they are outnumbered and it will be difficult for us to gain an advantage."

"That……"

"Liu Xunyi is seriously injured and can hardly move. Without Xunzhen's protection, he is like a turtle in a jar. To ensure that nothing goes wrong, we...solve the trouble outside first."

Having said this, Ji Hou cast a sly look at the confused waiter and asked meaningfully, "You just said that you wish those people out there would have their stomachs pierced and rotten. Are you telling the truth?"

"This……"

"Take it!"

Ji Houshun took out a jade bottle from his arms and stuffed it into the waiter's hand without saying a word.

"This is……"

"This is the Death Powder, which is colorless and tasteless, and can kill people without leaving any trace. Even a silver needle cannot detect it." Ji Hou said indifferently, "You mix it with wine and meat, and serve it to those people outside. Within an incense stick of time, they will bleed from all seven orifices and their intestines will be ruptured."

"No!"

Whether out of fear of Ji Hou and Fu Yin who treated human life as worthless, or out of fear of the poison that killed people without anyone noticing, the waiter subconsciously uttered a cry of surprise and was about to throw away the medicine bottle, but Fu Yin grabbed his wrist first.

In an instant, the blood circulation was blocked and the pain was unbearable, making the guy complain bitterly.

"Master, spare my life... I was just grumbling to vent my anger..." The waiter was sweating profusely from the pain, his voice trembling, "I'm just a waiter who serves tea. Even if I had the guts of a bear or a leopard, I wouldn't dare to kill anyone..."

"A man of honor should stick to his word. How can you go back on your word?" Fu Yin gradually applied force, almost breaking the waiter's wrist. "I hate fickle villains the most in my life. If you don't obey, I will pour this bottle of death powder into your stomach."

"Please spare my life, sir. I have an eighty-year-old mother and an unborn child..."

"Is it a common tactic of Peach Blossom Sword Island to threaten the powerless people? I thought the methods of the 'Sun and Moon Twin Swords' were very sophisticated, but it turns out they are just like this!"

Suddenly, a sneer full of contempt came from outside the room. Then, a white shadow broke through the window like a lightning dragon and flew in.

"Tang Afu?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Ji Hou and Fu Yin were stunned, and a trace of embarrassment appeared on their faces. After all, Jin Fu Yu ordered them to follow Tang Afu secretly, but they ended up exposing their whereabouts and even being approached by him. It would be a lie to say that they were not embarrassed.

"Young Master Tang, why are you..."

"bass!"

Before Ji Hou and Fu Yin could look at each other in bewilderment or evasive, Tang Afu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he drew his sword from its sheath. With a long sword sound, the sharp and silver-glowing ruthless sword pointed directly at Ji Hou's brow.

"I have been reluctant to show myself because I want to see what you are up to." Tang Afu had a blank expression on his face and spoke coldly, "From Jingjiang to Shenzhou, you have been haunting us. Instead of hiding, it is better to come straight to the point. Tell me! Why are you following me? Is it your own decision, or... Jin Fuyu doesn't trust me?"

……

(End of this chapter)