Chapter 164 - 113: Seeing Luo Qingyi Again
It seemed this young man brought a gang with him every time he appeared.
He led the way, and after ordering food and drinks, a crowd of people followed him inside.
The moment the Shopkeeper saw them, his face broke into a wide smile. He hurried over to personally attend to his most important customers.
At the same time, he didn’t forget to look up and shout for Old Wang to hurry down.
Old Wang quickly exchanged a few words with Jiang Ran and Ye Jingshuang before trotting downstairs.
By then, the young man and his group had already pushed a few tables together and taken their seats.
His eyes swept across the room before glancing upstairs.
Jiang Ran pulled Ye Jingshuang back, out of the man’s line of sight.
Ye Jingshuang shot Jiang Ran a curious look.
Jiang Ran quietly told her what he knew about the young man.
Ye Jingshuang was taken aback.
"So that’s him... Who is he, exactly?"
Jiang Ran shook his head. Their only encounter had been a fleeting one in the forest, and the man had run the moment he saw him. How could he know anything about his background?
Just then, several more people came in through the door.
One of the men was holding a rope, the other end of which was bound around a person’s wrists.
Jiang Ran and Ye Jingshuang stared, both of them stunned.
’Zhang Zhihua!?’
’Isn’t she supposed to be in Cangzhou Prefecture?’
’How did she get captured again?’
The other patrons in the inn had noticed the situation as well. Some frowned, while others quickly averted their eyes.
But without a clear understanding of the situation, no one was willing to step forward and play the hero.
The young man laughed.
"Young Mistress Zhang, come now. This rain is much too heavy. I’ll have someone draw you a bath in a moment. We can’t have you catching a chill."
"Our Young Master is waiting for you at Red Maple Manor as we speak."
"Once the two of you are wed, you’ll be our Young Mistress."
At these words, Jiang Ran and Ye Jingshuang couldn’t help but exchange another glance.
The Red Maple Ye family was located on Red Maple Mountain, and on the entire mountain, there was only one estate: Red Maple Manor.
’That’s Ye Jingshuang’s home!’
’Why would the Young Master he mentioned be at Red Maple Manor?’
Zhang Zhihua, however, was furious.
"Pah! You shameless bastards! All you know is how to bully a helpless woman."
"If Brother Li were here, he’d beat you all so badly you’d be black and blue, begging for mercy on your knees!"
The young man didn’t seem annoyed by her words. He simply ordered the Shopkeeper to get them a room.
This put the Shopkeeper in a difficult position.
"We’re all booked up... there are no rooms left."
"Hm?"
The young man raised an eyebrow. With a SHING, several of his men drew their blades.
The Shopkeeper’s face went white. The young man chuckled.
"No need to put yourself out, Shopkeeper. Most of us are a rough-and-tumble lot; it makes no difference to us if we have rooms or not."
"However, our future Young Mistress is far more... delicate."
"If she were to be treated poorly... well, I’m afraid we couldn’t answer for the consequences..."
"Do you understand what I’m saying, Shopkeeper?"
"This... this..."
After a great deal of hesitation, the Shopkeeper finally called Old Wang over.
"Go upstairs and ask if anyone is willing to give up their room."
"Offer them a full refund—double the price of the room—plus a feast of our best food and wine on the house."
"Right away."
Old Wang nodded eagerly, turned on his heel, and went upstairs to start knocking on doors.
Only then did the young man nod, satisfied. He turned back to Zhang Zhihua with a smile.
"You were talking about Li Tianxin, weren’t you?"
"He’s certainly a capable one. At the Cangzhou Heroic Assembly, he completely overwhelmed Zuo Kuangge with that saber of his, leaving the man powerless to retaliate."
"But for him to try and save you all by himself..."
"...is pure fantasy."
"Forget him. Even if the great Jiang Ran himself were here... he couldn’t save you."
"This time, you’re going to come see the Young Master with me, and you’re going to behave."
"Our Young Master is on the verge of acquiring a world-shaking fortune, and once..."
He cut himself off, suddenly realizing this wasn’t the place for such talk. He scanned the room and snorted.
"What are you looking at?"
Some patrons immediately lowered their heads. Another, however, just gave a cold snort, raised his cup, and drained it.
The young man sneered, about to continue lecturing Zhang Zhihua on the wisdom of obedience.
But as he did, he saw Zhang Zhihua look up, her expression a mixture of shock and utter delight.
Realizing something was wrong, the young man spun around. There, leaning against the second-floor railing, was a swordsman in black robes who had appeared without anyone noticing.
The man looked utterly exhausted and slightly peeved, as if he had just been woken up and was suffering from a case of morning grumpiness.
"Brother Li!!"
Zhang Zhihua finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and cried out his name.
The shout made Li Tianxin—who still hadn’t grasped the situation and was merely annoyed at having his sleep disturbed—go pale.
His eyes focused, and only then did he see Zhang Zhihua.
"What are you doing here again?"
Zhang Zhihua held up her bound hands and pouted.
"Do you think I had a choice?"
Li Tianxin’s expression immediately grew troubled. He sighed.
"How did you get yourself captured again?"
"It’s all your fault..." she mumbled.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ran said to Ye Jingshuang:
"You see? They only have eyes for each other. It’s like we don’t even exist."
Ye Jingshuang nearly burst out laughing.
Stifling her laughter, she nodded again and again. Yet as she looked at Li Tianxin, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Li Tianxin’s sudden appearance from his room had also taken Ye Jingshuang by surprise.
She never imagined he would be waiting for them here.
If Old Wang hadn’t come upstairs looking for someone to give up their room for the young man’s group...
...he probably would have slept straight through until morning.
In that case, they most likely would have missed him completely.
"Li Tianxin?"
Downstairs, the young man’s eyes went wide when he saw Li Tianxin. He shot to his feet.