Chapter 331: Chapter 164: Netherworld (2)
Near a fork in the road leading to the pier, a two-story earthen building named "Pingyang Inn" stood by the roadside.
A large banner snapped in the wind at the inn’s entrance. The courtyard was spacious, with a stable to the side where several magnificent, tall horses were tethered. Though they lacked any Exotic Beast bloodline, they were well-muscled and robust, with thick, powerful legs—clearly valuable steeds that no ordinary Wandering Martial Artist could afford.
Chen Qing concealed his aura and slowly walked inside.
The first-floor hall was quite spacious, furnished with seven or eight large square tables, which were surprisingly more than half full.
Yet the atmosphere lacked the usual boisterous clamor of an inn. Instead, a strange, stagnant silence hung in the air.
The faint smell of wine and food mingled with an invisible, palpable tension.
Chen Qing’s eyes swept the room, immediately landing on Yan Yaoyang and Li Lei at a corner table.
They saw him too and gave a slight nod.
Chen Qing calmly walked over and took the empty seat at their table.
"Junior Brother Chen, you’re here."
Yan Yaoyang’s voice, grave and low, reached him via Secret Transmission. "The situation is more complicated than we expected. Look over there—"
Chen Qing followed his gaze. At a table in the center of the hall sat five or six men in earth-yellow Martial Attire, each with a profound aura and bulging temples.
The two leaders of the group were particularly conspicuous. One was an extremely fat man who resembled a mountain of flesh as he sat, but his small eyes glinted sharply whenever they moved, proving he was no amateur. The other was a tall, tough-looking man with sharp features.
Both men had profound auras. They were, shockingly, masters at the Late-stage of Embracing Pill, having opened all Eleven Orthodox Meridians.
The rest of their group also had fierce demeanors and considerable strength.
"These men are from the Earth Element Sect."
Yan Yaoyang continued his Secret Transmission. "Their Tracking methods are notoriously difficult to shake on Fenghua Path, especially their Earth Listening Technique and Tracking by Scent. The fat one is Lu Da, and the tall one is Stone Dragon. Since they’re here, it’s highly likely that Zhu Yi is somewhere nearby. We just need to watch them, and it could save us a great deal of effort."
Chen Qing nodded slightly, his gaze once again sweeping across the entire hall.
Aside from the Earth Element Sect’s table, a few other tables were occupied by scattered Wandering Martial Artists. Some whispered amongst themselves, while others had eyes that darted about restlessly, glancing around nervously from time to time. It seemed they hoped to profit from the chaos, but the inn’s bizarre atmosphere had left their Heart and Spirit deeply unsettled.
Behind the counter, the Shopkeeper, a lean middle-aged man, kept his head down, the beads of his abacus CLACKING away.
A waiter, carrying wine and food, moved nimbly between tables, but his eyes were shifty and nervous.
Chen Qing rested the Cloud-Coiling Spear within easy reach, his True Qi circulating silently within him. He was prepared to react in an instant, whether to fight or to flee, should the situation change.
Just then, the inn’s somewhat dilapidated wooden door was pushed open with a CREAK.
Instantly, the eyes of nearly everyone in the hall shot subconsciously toward the door.
Several figures filed in, all dressed in the distinctive dark-gold clothing of Golden Sand Castle, their auras sharp and menacing.
Their leader was a middle-aged woman with a face as cold as ice. Her gaze swept over the room, pausing on the men from the Earth Element Sect, her expression frighteningly grim.
The Shopkeeper hastily came out from behind his counter, a forced smile on his face. "Welcome, honored guests. Will you be dining in or staying the night?"
The middle-aged woman, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard him. Her gaze remained locked on Lu Da and Stone Dragon of the Earth Element Sect as she said coldly, "Bring us some appetizers."
Lu Da, the portly Elder from the Earth Element Sect, slammed a hand on the table and heaved his massive frame to its feet. His voice thundered with rage, "Yu Jiayao! You people from Golden Sand Castle have been tailing us all the way from Lin’an Prefecture to this Black Water Pier! What the hell do you want?"
The middle-aged woman from Golden Sand Castle, Yu Jiayao, sneered and shot back, "Fatty Lu, does the Earth Element Sect own this inn? Did your family build this road? Since when do I, Yu Jiayao, need to report my movements to you?"
Lu Da was momentarily speechless. With a cold snort, he sat back down heavily, his anger clearly unabated, though he knew better than to lash out right then and there.
Yu Jiayao paid him no further mind, leading the people from Golden Sand Castle to another empty table. Her cold gaze periodically swept over the Earth Element Sect, and she threw a subtle, fleeting glance at Chen Qing and Yan Yaoyang’s table. The atmosphere in the inn grew even more tense and oppressive, like a drawn bowstring ready to snap at the slightest touch.
At that very moment, a young woman stood up as if to leave.
A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of Stone Dragon from the Earth Element Sect. He slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Zhu Yi, hand over the Treasure Pearl!"
The name "Zhu Yi" was like a thunderclap, instantly detonating the tension in the inn!
"What? She’s Zhu Yi?!"
"The Treasure Pearl is on her!"
"Stop her!"
In an instant, masters from all factions drew their Weapons. Cold steel flashed as killing intent surged, and every eye in the room locked onto the seemingly delicate young woman.
The already taut atmosphere instantly reached its breaking point. Inside the small inn, all parties were spurred to action, the situation ready to explode.
Yan Yaoyang’s eyes flew wide. He looked the woman up and down in utter disbelief and stammered, "She... she’s Zhu Yi?"
He simply couldn’t reconcile the image of the slender woman before him with that of the old Patriarch of the Zhu Family.
Chen Qing was also inwardly astonished.
’As a veteran of the Jianghu, Zhu Yi is skilled in Disguise and Bone Shrinking. While disguising himself as a woman is surprising, it’s not entirely out of the question.’
He covertly circulated his True Qi, vigilantly observing his surroundings.
A vicious light flared in Yu Jiayao’s eyes. With a CANG LANG, the long saber in her hand was unsheathed, its tip aimed straight at the woman. "If you know what’s good for you," she barked, "hand it over quietly!"
