Chapter 157: Meeting Again

"How to exchange?"

"Just you ask me one, then I ask you one—didn't you play 'Guess the Tiger' when you were little?"

"... We call it 'Guess the Old Wolf'."

Seeing Pei Ye smiled and nodded: "It's just like that."

"... No need to exchange." The green-clothed man raised his eyes, this time his gaze was firm, "Before the time runs out, I will answer your questions, and then you decide whether we are enemies or friends."

"That's fine," Seeing Pei Ye said, "I suppose you have no interest in me now—who are you?"

"Yang Yan."

"..."

"A person on the run," the green-clothed man added, then frowned and urged, "Continue."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded: "... You are very sincere. The next question is, where do you come from?"

"From the west, under the Tianshan Mountains."

"So far, I have never been to such a far place," Seeing Pei Ye said, "What are you here for?"

"Running for my life, washing away grievances... revenge."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded and smiled lightly: "An elder told me before that when walking in the martial world, figuring out these three questions can initially pin down a person's image."

"Ask quickly."

"Why do you want to kill?"

"Because they want to kill me."

"Why do they want to kill you?"

"... This question is too long."

"Fine, let's talk about the present—who is your target tonight?"

"... I don't know, he hasn't come yet."

"The guest at Table D-4?"

"Correct."

"You are at the Fifth Life cultivation, why were you chased by the Fourth Life Lake Heart Gang leader that day?"

"He has more powerful enemies behind him."

"What is the relationship between him and the one you are dealing with now?"

"It is him."

"How did you lock onto him?"

"Investigation, I knew he would come here tonight, but I didn't know his identity."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded and said nothing more.

"Finished asking?"

"Correct, but I have to see who you are dealing with before I can determine whether we are enemies or friends," Seeing Pei Ye said, "Where is Table D-4? Can you point it out to me?"

Yang Yan was silent for a moment and pointed to a table in the distance.

"I have to put the wine over first, I can't face him," Yang Yan said.

"So you just put it on the table and let people..." Seeing Pei Ye nodded in realization and added, "You go over, aren't you afraid I'll run away?"

"... Afraid, but I've always been living in fear," Yang Yan looked at Seeing Pei Ye silently. He actually looked even younger than Seeing Pei Ye, "You can do anything according to your thoughts, I will accept all consequences, and then continue to do what I want to do. Until I die."

The string in his heart seemed to have become tougher again.

It was also at this moment that Seeing Pei Ye looked at the youth whose brows had become a bit more hardened and suddenly thought that this was the first person he had met who was younger than him but had walked further than him on the path of cultivation.

Li Piaoqing was only the same age.

Yang Yan picked up the wine and walked toward that table. Seeing Pei Ye stood where he was, waiting for him quietly.

He watched Yang Yan put the wine on that table, wiping the cups and setting them up like a real attendant, and finally didn't forget to insert a flower into the porcelain vase, and then walked back at a uniform pace.

Yang Yan put the tray and the remaining wine back on the table, looked outside the railing, paid attention to the entrance of the guests with his peripheral vision, and said: "Coming soon."

Seeing Pei Ye glanced in the direction of his gaze and turned back: "If eventually I don't intend to cooperate, what will you do?"

He actually didn't have any enemies. The person Yang Yan wanted to deal with might not be known to him at all, and there was a small probability that it was an acquaintance.

The two actually had a hard time having a common goal.

Yang Yan glanced at him: "Run."

"Don't kill me first?" Seeing Pei Ye smiled.

"No need."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded: "Many thanks, but I won't let you go."

Yang Yan looked at him coldly.

"Regardless of any grievances, the Prefecture Office is less than three miles away," Seeing Pei Ye said seriously, "Killing because of self-defense is not a crime. If there are any grievances, they can all be presented in the public court."

"..." Yang Yan looked at him and suddenly smiled, "There is actually someone more naive than me."

"How is it naive? The Prefecture Office is precisely the place to do these things. You come to kill according to your own thoughts, at least I am very worried watching."

"What are you worried about?"

"Worried that you might hurt my friend by mistake—that day in the casino, the water tank you shattered almost hurt a young woman."

"... I can't take care of so much, and I won't go to any public court," Yang Yan said with pursed lips, "If you insist on looking for death, I will draw my saber."

"Just a hypothesis," Seeing Pei Ye smiled, "Maybe I am willing to cooperate with you."

Although he said so, both of them felt the atmosphere that had tightened again.

Just at this moment, the sound of going upstairs came from the end of the corridor.

Both turned their heads at the same time, but it wasn't the guest they were waiting for, but a green-clothed man who came up, bringing two black-clothed guards.

It turned out to be the green-clothed man Seeing Pei Ye had just sent away who brought people back.

"Guest!" The green-clothed man was still a bit panicked and confused, waving his hand, "I brought people here, what exactly is going on?"

The atmosphere between Seeing Pei Ye and Yang Yan tightened like a string.

Seeing Pei Ye's sword had never been sheathed. He tightened his grip again, turned to stare at the youth beside him, and opened his mouth: "Come help me—"

Yang Yan looked back at him and retreated silently.

Just at this moment.

A figure walked up from the stairs where the other guests were.

Seeing Pei Ye's second half of the sentence seemed to be pinched off.

This figure was wearing a light-colored cloak, with the hood pulled over his head, and a few white hairs floating out. He was neither tall nor short, but rather thin, and slightly hunched, which was the figure of an old man.

He held a staff in his hand—not a short staff used for leaning, but a length that could be relied upon.

He walked straight toward Table D-4, lifted his cloak, and sat down cross-legged.

The green-clothed man and the guards walked over and asked again: "Guest? What did you say?"

As he said this, he had already leaned over to look at Yang Yan behind Seeing Pei Ye.

"—Come help me with a favor." Seeing Pei Ye picked up a cup of wine, drank it, turned around with a smile, and true Qi had already urged two red clouds on his cheeks, "People found? Do these two big brothers have martial arts skills?"

The green-clothed man cupped his hands: "Both are Second Life, guest."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded, pointed, and walked to the railing with his sword: "I am also Second Life. I was just drinking and dancing with a sword here, and was thinking, after drinking this pot of wine, and then jumping down from this fifth floor, what kind of feeling would it be to be floating like an immortal."

"..."

"But I am also worried, with my cultivation, if I jump down from the fifth floor, will I be injured?"

"... Second Life realm, as long as the root bone isn't too weak, there should be no major problems," a guard said with a hard scalp and cupped his hands, "The guest looks strong and sturdy, there should be no problem—but it's better not to jump, after drinking wine, it's hard to avoid true Qi not being mobilized in time in a daze."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded and pointed: "Makes sense! So please ask the two of you to try jumping first, I'll take a look."

"..."

"..."

This job wasn't dangerous, but it wasn't very good-looking either. The two guards perhaps had seen too many strange guests. At this moment, they just looked at each other helplessly, then stepped and flipped, jumping down from the fifth floor.

Seeing Pei Ye leaned on the railing, clapped his hands watching the two rolling and landing, and turned to look at the green-clothed man beside him.

The green-clothed man's face turned pale, and he retreated two steps: "I... I have no cultivation, guest."

"Really none at all?"

"None at all! Guest!"

Seeing Pei Ye was disappointed: "Oh, then you go."

The green-clothed man turned and left quickly.

Seeing Pei Ye watched him disappear, turned back, the red clouds on his face had gone down, and he was expressionless.

In the dark corridor, he stood side by side with Yang Yan, holding his sword, looking silently at the old man drinking and sipping under the flowing light of the jade lamp.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 158 =====