Chapter 973 Luzhou Inn (I)

It was a dark night with strong winds and sudden thunder and lightning.

A whirlwind suddenly arose from the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust and raging on the deserted narrow street, making the flags of the shops on both sides flutter, and blowing up scattered tiles that circled in the sky and then fell to the ground with a crackling sound.

As midnight approaches, every household in Luzhou city closes its doors and turns off its lights, leaving the world in total darkness.

Under the cover of the howling wind, dozens of masked men in black filed out of Gan Mansion, quietly walked through the streets and alleys, and headed straight for Luzhou Inn in the north of the city.

When they reached the intersection, a plain-looking, thin middle-aged man rushed out from the dark alley at lightning speed and blocked their way.

"who……"

"Don't panic, I'm from the Gan family."

Before the two masked men in black who were rushing in front drew their swords, the middle-aged man hurriedly introduced himself.

"Ganfu!"

Accompanied by a call, Gan Yonglin took off the black scarf on his face, pushed aside the crowd, and walked quickly towards the middle-aged man.

"Master?" Gan Fu was stunned when he saw Gan Yonglin. He asked in surprise, "Why did you come here in person?"

"This is a serious matter, how can I not come?" Gan Yonglin dragged Gan Fu to him without hesitation and urged, "Stop talking nonsense and come and meet Palace Master Xie and Fourth Master Yan!"

While they were talking, Xie Xuan and Yan Bugui had already taken off their black scarves, revealing their true faces.

"I am Gan Fu, honored to meet Palace Master Xie and Fourth Master Yan!"

"Where is Liu Xunyi?" Without any extra greetings, Yan Bugui asked straight to the point, "What's the current situation?"

"Everyone, please see!"

Gan Fu led everyone to the corner of the street, pointed to the three-story building opposite, and introduced: "This is Luzhou Inn, with a total of 27 guest rooms. Among them, the nine upper rooms from No. A1 to No. A9 are all on the third floor. Liu Xunyi and his friends have booked the entire floor tonight."

"Which room is Liu Xunyi staying in?" Xie Xuan's eyes were sharp as torches. He slowly scanned the dark windows and asked, "Which room is Xunzhen staying in? And...how many guests are there in the inn tonight? In addition to Liu Xunyi and his group, are there any other suspicious people?"

"There are not many guests tonight. Except for the nine upper rooms that Liu Xunyi has booked, only about 30% of the other guest rooms are occupied, and no suspicious people have been found. As for which room Liu Xunyi lives in... I am ashamed to say that since he moved into the inn, he has sent people to guard the stairs. Even the innkeepers... can't go up to the third floor." Gan Fu answered helplessly, "Therefore, we only know that Liu Xunyi lives on the third floor, as for which room he lives in... we don't know either."

"Bastard thing!"

Gan Yonglin felt ashamed when he saw Gan Fu's vague words, so his face darkened and he said angrily: "I have repeatedly told you to keep a close eye on Liu Xunyi's every move. But you don't even know which guest room he is staying in. You are really a bunch of useless trash! Just wait and see how I will deal with you when I get back."

"So... you didn't see Liu Xunyi in person for the whole afternoon?" Liu Yi, who was standing behind Yan Bugui, frowned and interrupted quietly, "In other words, whether Liu Xunyi was in the inn or not... you had no idea at all."

As soon as these words were spoken, Gan Yonglin, Xie Xuan and Yan Bugui's faces changed at the same time, and they all turned their scrutinizing eyes to the horrified Gan Fu.

"No, no, no!" Gan Fu waved his hands and explained hurriedly, "Ever since he entered the inn, our people have been watching him outside, not daring to blink. If Liu Xunyi leaves, whether he goes through the door or the window, he will not be able to escape our sight. Unless he escapes into the sky or into the ground..."

"Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Gan Yonglin interrupted Gan Fu's argument impatiently, "I ordered you to put knockout drugs in the food and wine, but you can't even see him..."

"We voted! We voted!" Gan Fu's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to take credit. "Although they don't allow anyone to go to the third floor, we still need tea, wine and food. The guys delivered the food and wine to the stairs, and then they brought it up. Although our people couldn't go up, they didn't miss any of the food and wine we 'carefully prepared'. Hehe..."

Looking at the complacent Gan Fu, Yan Bugui frowned slightly and cast his gaze towards Xie Xuan who seemed to be thinking about something: "Master, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure..." Xie Xuan hesitated, "What if they didn't fall into the trap..."

"We have mixed knockout drugs into not only the food and wine, but also the tea." Gan Fu encouraged with a sly smile, "To be on the safe side, we have not only knocked out Liu Xunyi and his group, but also knocked out the other guests. Half an hour ago, we quietly dismissed the innkeeper and waiters. I dare to assert that there is no sober person in Luzhou Inn now, so you can act boldly and without worries."

"This……"

"Thank you, brother. Although Gan Fu is a rough man, he is meticulous and reliable in his work." Gan Yonglin pondered, "In your opinion, this matter..."

"They come, the security!"

After hesitating for a long time, Xie Xuan's eyes suddenly became fierce, and he cast a resolute gaze at the silent Yan Bugui, and said word by word: "Bugui, I mean..."

"Palace Master, Fourth Master! Forgive me for being so bold, but this matter went too smoothly, even a little too smoothly... unbelievable." Liu Yi was worried and reminded again, "Liu Xunyi knew that he was the public enemy of the martial arts world, and Luzhou was very close to the Xianwang Mansion. How could he be so unguarded? How could he be so brazen in the streets? At the very least... he should have disguised himself. How could he show his true face? How could he be easily followed by a group of Gan family disciples who were not familiar with him? As you know, when he returned to Lin'an from Mobei last year, he took great pains to 'transform' dozens or even hundreds of real and fake substitutes, and only then did he luckily escape the pursuit of heroes all over the world. The situation today is more severe than before, but instead of doubling his precautions, he relaxed his vigilance. Don't you think it's strange?"

"This..." After Liu Yi's reminder, Xie Xuan, who had been determined in his thoughts, seemed to waver again.

"Perhaps... they are well aware of the truth that 'the most dangerous place is often the safest' and are deliberately taking an unconventional approach." Gan Fu smiled indifferently, "This brother is right to be cautious, but... he doesn't need to be too cautious, and he doesn't need to be too worried."

"Even so, I don't think the knockout drug can deal with them." Liu Yi was still worried and shook his head repeatedly, "Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen are both veterans in the martial arts world. Poisoning or drugging is a crude trick..."

"I absolutely disagree with what you said." Seeing Liu Yi repeatedly undermining his plans, Gan Fu became increasingly dissatisfied, so he refuted in a sarcastic tone, "It is precisely because they are veterans in the martial arts world, they claim to be able to see through fire and have nothing to fear, but they are most likely to fall into clumsy tricks."

"But Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen are definitely not arrogant people..."

"enough!"

Just as Liu Yi and Gan Fu were arguing, the upset Yan Bugui suddenly shouted, interrupting their argument. "Tonight, everything is subject to the orders of the Palace Master. If anyone dares to speak nonsense again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"That's right!" Gan Yonglin followed closely and echoed, "Tonight, all disciples of the Gan family must obey the orders of Palace Master Xie, even this old man is no exception."

Hearing this, Liu Yi, who was about to speak but hesitated, and Gan Fu, who was indignant, looked at each other fiercely. With a cold snort, no one spoke again.

"Master, give the order!"

"Thank you, brother. I and the Gan family disciples will obey your orders tonight..."

"Thank you, Brother Yonglin, for your help!" Xie Xuan gave Gan Yonglin a grateful smile and changed the subject, "However, tonight's events are extremely dangerous and unpredictable. If you are not careful, you may lose your life. I think that the Gan family disciples... should stay outside and keep watch for us!"

"But……"

"Brother Yonglin has risked his life to help, which is enough to make me and the Xianwang Mansion grateful. If any of Gan's disciples were to suffer any misfortune, I would be guilty even if I died a thousand times." Xie Xuan interrupted Gan Yonglin's argument righteously, "Brother Yonglin just promised that he would follow my orders. Now, I order you to keep watch outside. No one from the Gan family may step into Luzhou Inn without my permission."

Gan Yonglin knew that Xie Xuan was thinking about him, and he couldn't change his temper, so he agreed reluctantly.

"After careful consideration, what Liu Yi said makes a lot of sense." Xie Xuan stared at the expressionless Yan Bugui with his peripheral vision and said hesitantly, "I think... it's better to be safe than sorry. It's better to send someone in to check it out first."

After saying that, Xie Xuan called two disciples from the Xianwang Mansion, whispered with them, and then sent them into the inn, while the others stayed on standby.

"Boom! Snap!"

At the moment when the two disciples disappeared at the door of the inn, a deafening thunderclap resounded in the night sky without any warning, frightening everyone who was holding their breath and concentrating with their hearts tense, to the point of their livers and gallbladders shattering and their souls flying away.

Immediately afterwards, there were thunder and lightning, strong winds, heavy rain, flying sand and rocks, and the sky was dark... The huge city of Luzhou was instantly engulfed in a heavy rain that fell from the sky.

The rain came so suddenly that everyone was caught off guard.

The rain came so violently that no one had anywhere to hide.

The rain was so cold that it chilled everyone to the bone.

Looking at the Luzhou Inn in front of me, it stood under the thunder and lightning, in the wind and rain, sometimes close, sometimes far away, sometimes bright, sometimes dark, sometimes a mess, sometimes pale, sometimes spotless, sometimes filled with clouds and mist...

Just like the complex mood of the group of masked men in black standing outside the inn at this moment.

Perhaps, they can return tonight unscathed. From then on, they soared to the sky and became the most sought-after "great contributors" in the Central Plains martial arts world.

Perhaps, many of them will be seriously injured in the fighting, or even become a wisp of wronged soul and stay here forever, never to see the bright sunshine after the rain.

They are all disciples of the Xianwang Mansion, they all have black scarves covering their faces, they all have murderous intent, they all have sharp blades in their hands...

The difference is that the optimist's mind sees a glorious paradise of success and fame, admired by thousands of people, while the pessimist's eyes see a hell on earth with rivers of blood and corpses everywhere.

"boom!"

"what……"

However, just when everyone was on edge and had a lot of thoughts, a window on the third floor was suddenly knocked open.

Immediately afterwards, a heart-wrenching scream burst out from the "black hole"-like window, instantly drowning out the roar of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, making the people standing downstairs feel their hair stand on end and their backs chilled for no reason.

"call!"

"Oh!"

"puff!"

Before anyone could figure out what was going on, a figure suddenly fell from the third floor and landed heavily in the mud. The violent shock shattered his bones and rotted his internal organs.

"That's...our people!"

Xie Xuan took a closer look and quickly identified the person who fell from the building. His face changed immediately and he flew forward to embrace the dying disciple of the Xianwang Mansion. He said angrily, "What happened? Did Liu Xunyi take precautions? Were you ambushed..."

“No…no…cough cough…”

The Xianwang Mansion disciple's facial features were grim, blood was flowing from all seven orifices, and a pair of bloody hands tightly grasped Xie Xuan's sleeves. His lips and teeth trembled, and he spoke intermittently: "They were all drugged... Most of them slept like dead pigs... But some people with strong wills were still in spirit, and the drug effect could not be completely suppressed, so... so... poof!"

Before he could finish his words, the dying disciple of the Xianwang Palace suddenly stiffened, vomited blood, and his head tilted, and he died.

Heaven and hell are just a thought away. Although everyone had a vague feeling that tonight would not be peaceful, they never expected that a bloody massacre... would start with the tragic death of one of their own.

……

　Travel far away during the holidays and stop writing for a week. Stay away from the paperwork and get close to nature.

　　I wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and a happy family! I also wish you a happy and enjoyable National Day holiday!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)