Chapter 193 - 190: Fang Brothers
The two burly men were incredibly loud, instantly drawing the attention of many people in the inn. At the adjacent table, the Three Heroes of Xibei had noticed the commotion a while ago.
"Hey, it’s the Fang Brothers! That kid is in for it now!"
"It’s his own fault for being weak. Most of the people in this inn are at the Fifth Realm. Even the Fourth Realm cultivators stick together in groups of three to five. That kid’s all by himself, occupying a whole table. Who else would the Fang Brothers go after? They always go for the easiest target."
"Speaking of which, the Fang Brothers are pretty well-known for their strength around here."
"Yeah, the Fang Brothers are both at the Peak of the Martial Arts Fifth Realm, and they have a specialized Combined Attack Skill. If we were to fight them for real, I reckon we Three Heroes of Xibei could only manage a stalemate."
"So, is the kid going to leave?"
"Of course he will. He’s only at the Martial Arts Fourth Realm. Does he have a death wish, daring to defy the Fang Brothers?"
"Not necessarily. Fighting is forbidden inside the Phoenix Cloud Inn. No matter how audacious the Fang Brothers are, they wouldn’t dare make a scene in here."
"The Phoenix Cloud Inn is incredibly powerful; the Fang Brothers would never dare to break its rules. But what happens after he leaves? Is the kid planning to live in the inn forever? If he offends the Fang Brothers, he’ll be a dead man the second he walks out that door."
"Yeah, that’s true. Both of the Fang Brothers are ruthless. They’re infamous around here."
"Hey, look! The kid’s just carrying on with his meal. It doesn’t look like he’s planning to leave!"
"He’s got some backbone!"
"’Backbone? Hah!’ a Martial Artist shook his head and said. ’If it were me, I’d just take it.’"
"True. Being stubborn without the strength to back it up... he’s probably going to get himself killed."
Inside the inn, the eyes of many Martial Artists were fixed on Ye Xing’s table. Martial Artists are a nosy bunch by nature, so a commotion like this was bound to attract their attention.
At the square table, Ye Xing continued to eat his meal, paying the Fang Brothers no mind at all.
"Kid, didn’t you hear me talking to you?!" the burly man bellowed at Ye Xing.
Ye Xing glanced at the man and said calmly, "If you don’t want to share the table, just wait a moment. I’m almost done." With that, he went back to eating. And indeed, he had nearly finished his meal.
Ye Xing picked up his spoon, about to have some of the clear soup.
Suddenly—
PTOOEY!
The sound of someone hawking and spitting echoed next to him, and a thick gob of phlegm landed right in his soup.
Staring at the disgusting gob of phlegm in his soup, a cold glint flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes. He set down his spoon and looked up at the Fang Brothers.
"What’s wrong? Not happy about it? Go on, keep eating! PTOOEY!" One of the Fang Brothers sneered, looking as if he had Ye Xing completely under his thumb. He opened his mouth wide and spat two more gobs of phlegm into the soup.
The phlegm floated on the surface of the soup. It was utterly disgusting.
"What’s going on here? Are you two trying to cause trouble in my Phoenix Cloud Inn?!"
Just then, the Shopkeeper of the Phoenix Cloud Inn hurried over. His face was grim as he spoke to the Fang Brothers in an icy tone. Fighting is strictly forbidden inside the Phoenix Cloud Inn. Even sworn enemies are not permitted to come to blows here. This is an explicit rule of the Wind and Cloud Inn, and to this day, no Martial Artist has ever dared to challenge it.
"Not at all! Shopkeeper, you misunderstand. My brother and I are just here for a meal and a room. How could we possibly be looking for trouble?" one of the Fang Brothers said, his face breaking into a sycophantic grin.
Let’s not even talk about the Phoenix Cloud Inn’s Shopkeeper being a powerful expert himself. The name "Phoenix Cloud Inn" alone was enough to keep the Fang Brothers from getting too out of hand. They were just toeing the line; they would never dare to actually violate the rules of the Wind and Cloud Inn.
"If you’re not here to cause trouble, then what’s this phlegm in the soup?" the Phoenix Cloud Inn’s Shopkeeper said coldly, pointing to the bowl on the table.
"Oh, that wasn’t us. You’re mistaken, Shopkeeper," one of the Fang Brothers said, then turned to Ye Xing, his voice laced with threat. "This phlegm wasn’t from us, was it, kid!"
The Shopkeeper of the Phoenix Cloud Inn immediately turned to Ye Xing and said in a heavy tone, "Young man, there’s no need to be afraid. Just tell the truth. We at the Phoenix Cloud Inn will ensure justice is done for you."
At the Shopkeeper’s words, a flicker of fear appeared in the Fang Brothers’ eyes, and their hearts pounded with unease. If the Phoenix Cloud Inn really decided to intervene, the two of them would be in for a world of hurt. At this thought, they glared daggers at Ye Xing, a vicious light in their eyes. If Ye Xing dared to ’run his mouth,’ they would make him pay the moment he left the Phoenix Cloud Inn.
Every eye in the inn instantly fell upon Ye Xing, everyone wondering how he would respond. Judging by the Shopkeeper’s attitude, if Ye Xing told the truth, the Fang Brothers would undoubtedly face severe punishment from the Wind and Cloud Inn.
However, most people guessed Ye Xing wouldn’t dare tell the truth. In their view, the young man wasn’t strong enough to survive the Fang Brothers’ inevitable retaliation.
And just as they expected—
"Shopkeeper, the bill!"
Ye Xing spoke calmly, taking two Silver Coins from his pocket and handing them to the Phoenix Cloud Inn’s Shopkeeper. After settling his bill, he turned and walked straight out of the inn.
*Phew!*
The Fang Brothers let out a long sigh of relief. "Guess the kid knows what’s good for him."
𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Facing the pressure from the Phoenix Cloud Inn, they had been genuinely nervous. But thankfully, the kid hadn’t dared to cross them or ’run his mouth.’ Thinking this, the two brothers felt a surge of smug satisfaction and immediately started ordering food and wine.
With the incident over, the noisy chatter returned to the inn. Martial Artists at every table went back to drinking, eating, and shooting the breeze, though most of the conversation still revolved around what had just happened.
"So that young man in green really just caved and left?"
"What else could he do? He’s just a Martial Arts Fourth Realm kid. You think he could actually stand up to two Martial Artists from the Martial Arts Fifth Realm?"
"Those Fang Brothers really take it too far. The kid was just trying to eat a meal in peace, and they go and spit in his food. That’s just..."
"So what? In the martial world, strength is all that matters. If that young man was at the Fifth Realm, the Fang Brothers would never have been so brazen. And if he was at the Sixth Realm, I bet the Fang Brothers wouldn’t have dared to make a peep."
"Actually, if the kid had just told the truth, the Fang Brothers would have been skinned alive. I could tell the Shopkeeper was already getting angry."
"And what good would that do? The Fang Brothers were only toeing the line, not actually fighting. According to the Wind and Cloud Inn’s rules, it’s not a crime punishable by death."
"The Fang Brothers are vicious and tyrannical. They’re both at the Peak of the Martial Arts Fifth Realm, and when they team up, they can even pose a threat to a Sixth Realm Martial Artist. They’re notoriously infamous around here."
"To be honest, I knew he wouldn’t dare tell the truth."
"True. When you’re not strong enough, you have to swallow your pride. Otherwise, you’ll lose your life."
"Ah, enough talk. Let’s eat! Once we’ve had our fill, we’re heading straight to Biluo Mountain to fight for the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pill!"