Chapter 61: Idle Talk at the Inn
"Hello. Excuse me, may I sit here?" Ye Xing asked the man at the square table by the window.
The square wooden table was laden with vegetables, beef, rice, and a jug of wine. A large man with a thick, curly beard was eating his rice with beef and vegetables, occasionally smacking his lips as he took a swig of strong liquor.
"Sure, no problem! There are still three empty seats here. Go ahead and sit!" The bearded man was quite hospitable, his voice booming.
"Well then, my thanks, brother!" Ye Xing smiled, cupped his hands, and sat down.
Most of the tables in the inn were square, with long wooden benches for seating. They could typically seat four, but if people squeezed together, they could fit eight or nine.
Just then, a waiter came over. He took a rag from his shoulder and began wiping the table. "What can I get for you, sir?" he asked.
"Hmm, I’ll have a bowl of rice, a plate of vegetables, a dish of stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, and a bowl of tomato and egg soup. Oh, and bring two jugs of your finest wine. I’d like to join this brother for a few drinks," Ye Xing said with a smile.
"Right away, sir! Please wait a moment!" The waiter slung the rag back over his shoulder and hurried into the kitchen to fetch the food.
"I am Li Yunlong, Leader of the Escort for the Weiyuan Escort Agency. And how might I address you, little brother?" the bearded man, Li Yunlong, said, cupping his fists in introduction.
"I’m Ye Xing," Ye Xing replied with a slight smile.
"With your refined features, you must be new to the martial world, little brother. May I ask which sect you belong to?" Li Yunlong asked.
"Haha, I don’t belong to any sect. I’m just a humble merchant, doing a bit of business lately," Ye Xing replied.
"A merchant! Haha! To tell you the truth, since I’m in the Escort Agency business, I travel all over the country. Other than bandits and robbers, merchants are the people I deal with the most." The bearded Li Yunlong let out a hearty laugh. "If you ever need anything escorted in the future, little brother, just come find me at the Weiyuan Escort Agency."
The Wind and Cloud Inn was highly efficient. Since Ye Xing had ordered common dishes, the waiter emerged in no time carrying a Wooden Plate. On it sat a bowl of rice, a plate of vegetables, a dish of stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, a bowl of tomato and egg soup, and two jugs of fine wine.
"Enjoy your meal, sir!" The waiter set down the Wooden Plate, then placed the rice, vegetables, and other dishes from it onto the table in front of Ye Xing.
The inn’s rice was wonderfully fragrant. The vegetables, free of pesticides and chemical additives, were completely natural. Their flavor was much purer than anything from Earth.
Ye Xing uncorked a wine jug, first filling the cup in front of Li Yunlong, then filling his own.
"I’m actually planning to open a shop in Sunset City soon, so I might really need to trouble you in the future, Brother Yunlong. Come, let me toast you first! I’ll empty my cup as a sign of respect!" Ye Xing raised his cup and downed the wine in one go.
"Haha, you’re too kind, brother! If you bring your business to the Weiyuan Escort Agency, you’ll be doing me a favor. I’ll toast to you as well!" The bearded man was incredibly straightforward, raising his cup and draining it in one gulp.
"Huh? Oh, by the way!" Li Yunlong looked Ye Xing over, a curious expression on his face. "Judging by your bearing, you must be a Martial Artist as well, right, brother?"
"Yes, I’m self-taught. I bought a couple of Secret Manuals from the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower to practice my Cultivation. A poor showing compared to you, Brother Yunlong," Ye Xing said.
"To have reached such a level of Cultivation by teaching yourself... brother, that’s incredible." Li Yunlong’s gaze turned serious. "From your breathing, I can tell your qi is long and steady. You must be close to breaking through to the Martial Arts Second Realm, aren’t you, Brother Ye?"
"Haha, I’m still a little ways off, but I’m getting there!" Ye Xing laughed. "By the way, Brother Yunlong, I’m from Phoenix Town. Your agency must make runs there, right?"
"We do. We frequently run escorts to all the towns near Sunset City. As for Phoenix Town, we go there four or five times a month," Li Yunlong said.
The two continued to eat, drink, and chat, finding their conversation easy and that they were kindred spirits.
Suddenly, Ye Xing felt a cold, sinister presence draw near from behind. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine, and a wave of discomfort washed over him. He whipped his head around to look.
A man in a gray robe wearing a Conical Hat had just walked in from outside. A sinister aura coiled around him. As he passed by Ye Xing’s side, Ye Xing noted that the veil hanging from the hat obscured the man’s face, making it impossible to see his features.
"Waiter, a plate of sheep intestines and pig liver!"
The gray-robed man’s voice was hoarse and deep. He sat down directly at the table adjacent to Ye Xing’s.
"What is it, Brother Ye?" Seeing Ye Xing’s odd expression, the bearded Li Yunlong couldn’t help but ask.
Ye Xing snapped out of it and gestured discreetly toward the table behind him. "Who is that?" he asked in a low voice. "His presence is so strange. It’s bone-chilling and makes my skin crawl."
"From the way he’s dressed, he must be from the Five Poison Sect." Li Yunlong glanced at the table behind Ye Xing, his expression turning grave. He lowered his voice and said, "The people of the Five Poison Sect are neither good nor evil—they are mysterious, eccentric, and exceptionally skilled with poisons. Brother Ye, you must remember this: never, ever offend them. Otherwise, you could be poisoned and die from anything—your food, your clothes, even a sip of water."
After a pause, Li Yunlong continued, "You have to be extremely careful when traveling in the martial world. It’s a little safer inside the city walls. But out in the dangerous territories, people can kill you in countless ways. Especially when interests clash or feuds arise, it’s as common as breathing for Martial Artists to draw their blades and kill one another..."
The bearded Li Yunlong was quite enthusiastic. As he and Ye Xing continued their pleasant conversation, he began sharing some of his own experiences from his time in the martial world. Of course, he’d also mix in a little bullshit from time to time to make himself sound good.
The inn was bustling with noise and activity. There was the GLUG-GLUG of wine being drunk, the lip-smacking sounds of people savoring their meat, and the buzz of countless conversations.
"Brother Sun! We haven’t seen each other in months. You must be in Sunset City for the auction at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, right? Have you got your eye on any particular treasure?"
"Haha, of course! I heard they’re selling a few suits of Silver Threaded Armor at this auction. I’m going to see if I can get my hands on one."
"Whoa, you must have struck it rich! A single suit of that Silver Threaded Armor costs several hundred Gold Coins, doesn’t it?"
"Haha, what ’struck it rich’? I just earned a little extra cash a few days ago hunting a couple of Demon Beasts in the Lianyun Mountain Range. The starting bid for the Silver Threaded Armor is five hundred Gold Coins. I don’t even know if I can afford it. If the bidding goes too high, I’m probably out of luck!"
...
"Hey, you’ll never guess who I saw outside the city yesterday afternoon!"
"Who?"
"The Gale Swift Sword, Zhao Tianxuan! A master from the Tang Country’s Wind and Cloud List."
"Zhao Tianxuan’s Gale Sword Skill is said to have reached the Great Success Realm. His power is immense."
"He’s a master on the Wind and Cloud List. Of course his power is immense! The weakest on that list are masters of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer!"
"So what if his Martial Arts are powerful? That Zhao Tianxuan is no saint! The man is bloodthirsty. I heard he once slaughtered an entire village just to practice his sword, killing people only to test the power of his Sword Techniques. Hundreds of innocent lives..."
"Shut up!"
"Hey, Liu Datou, what’s your problem? What’s with the attitude? It’s not like I said anything wrong..."
"Wang San’Er, shut your mouth! If you want to get yourself killed, don’t drag me down with you! Look at the door," Liu Datou hissed, his voice low but sharp.