Chapter 142: 137 Stormy and Impetuous

There is sleeping potion in the tea.

Sleeping potion is best paired with wine, for the potion is often a murky, yellowish color, and ordinary yellow wine is also yellow, while village-brewed spirits are even cloudier and greenish; adding anything to them is not easily detected.

But the shopkeeper likely saw that the four were young and might not drink alcohol, and the tea was not of high quality anyway, being dark in color, so adding a little something would not be noticeable.

But not being noticeable does not mean it cannot be smelled. Sleeping potion has a somewhat sour odor; unless masked by spices, anyone with profound Internal Energy and keen senses would know it upon smelling it.

Tang Zhao had just entered Lingzhou and experienced a run-in with water bandits, had not eaten lunch, and then encountered a black shop; he was truly furious. It seemed that what Wan Laoban said about Lingzhou having tens of thousands of petty thieves was not an exaggeration; it might even have been an understatement.

He put down his bowl indignantly, only to see the other three looking at him with curiosity.

Jiang Shenyi said, "What is it?"

Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment and said, "You didn't smell it?"

The three looked at him blankly; the smart one hadn't smelled it but gradually guessed it, showing a look of sudden realization, while the slow-witted one, like Wusun Tong, remained completely oblivious.

Tang Zhao realized, repeating to himself in his heart: among this group, Tang Zhao was the most seasoned veteran. Including the two from Liangzhou, this still held true.

Che Sha and the others were not like Jiang Shenyi, who had stayed on the mountain the whole time; they had experience, but their way of doing things was entirely that of the frontier. If it were identifying a Natural Disaster, they might be proficient, but Liangzhou clearly did not produce black shops.

In truth, Tang Zhao had never seen a black shop either. Although he had read many books and knew some underworld lore, he could not possibly know how to identify sleeping potion from that alone. But he had at least spent time in the Five Poisons Society's direct line, the Black Spider Villa, and had put effort into guarding against poisoning; he could defend against those poisons, so a mere sleeping potion was nothing to speak of.

This is what they call having many skills that do not weigh one down.

However, even if Tang Zhao could not distinguish it and had drunk the sleeping potion, it would not be a big problem; those with strong Internal Energy naturally have strong resistance, and ordinary sleeping potion would at most make one yawn. On the other hand, the two from Liangzhou practiced external arts and had trained a fine physique, but they could not defend against sleeping potion.

Che Sha twirled the bowl in her hand and said, "Are we still listening to Big Brother for this operation?" She was not particularly angry, but rather eager to try.

Just as Tang Zhao was about to speak, the proprietress smiled and brought out a plate of meat, placed it on the table, and said, "Little guests, try our braised meat."

The plate of meat was red, oily, and fragrant. The group had long been hungry, and although they knew that everything in this black shop was inedible, they could not help but swallow their saliva.

Tang Zhao was just pondering how to make a move when his chopsticks unconsciously poked the meat; suddenly his expression changed, and he said, "What kind of meat is this?"

The proprietress giggled, "Has the little YoungMaster never seen this? This is our secret-recipe beef, just braised."

Tang Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "It's not..."

Jiang Shenyi thought about it carefully, his face turned green, and his hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.

Tang Zhao had originally been thinking about how to maneuver and toy with the black shop, but at this moment, he felt his stomach churning and had no time to think. He flipped the table with both hands and shouted, "Move!"

The few youths jumped up and smashed everything in the shop with a clatter. The proprietress shouted, "Come quickly—" but before she could finish, Tang Zhao kicked her in the face, and she fell into the counter.

Two waiters rushed out from the back kitchen, each brawny and thick-limbed, carrying bone-cleaving knives to hack and slash. Wusun Tong and Che Sha each took on one. After a few exchanges of blows, it was clear the waiters had decent skills and greater strength; their knives danced with a fierce wind, and they were actually able to trade blows with Wusun Tong and the others.

Jiang Shenyi grabbed a wine jar from the side and smashed it on a waiter's head, shattering it to pieces. The waiter fell forward and happened to collide with Che Sha's blade. The other was swept in the legs by Tang Zhao wielding a stool; stumbling slightly, he was struck by Wusun Tong's blade and also collapsed to the ground.

The proprietress groaned and climbed up, shouting, "Where did these wild bastards come from..." Wusun Tong heard this and struck back with his blade. The proprietress grabbed a wine jar to block, and with a crash, it shattered into pieces.

The four of them were now free and surrounded her, each holding their weapons. The woman immediately shut her mouth and dove into the counter.

Tang Zhao was just about to split her and the counter together when he heard someone shout, "You cannot! Good heroes, please spare her; I have something to say."

The group turned back and saw a man with a purple-bronze face rushing into the shop. He had a tiger-like face and leopard-like eyes, quite different from ordinary people. He first bowed and said, "My wife has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai; it is her fault. Good heroes, for the sake of the underworld's code, please spare her once."

Tang Zhao said coldly, "Who are you?"

The man cupped his fists and said, "I am Chang Wu, originally from Songhun County. I opened a small shop with my wife at Longpo in Wusu County, also doing underworld business. I have told her before that in this business, one must have a discerning eye and not slight good heroes of the underworld. She usually knows how to conduct herself and would never act against fellow travelers. I did not expect her to offend you all today; it is because she is blind. For my sake, please spare..."

Before he could finish, a *puff* sound was heard, and a Wind Cut flew over. The man rushed to dodge, but with a *rip*, a large gash was cut into his chest, and blood immediately flowed profusely; had he been a second slower, he would have been disemboweled.

Jiang Shenyi sneered, "What the hell are you spouting? What kind of face do you have?"

The man was both shocked and angry. He had spoken according to the underworld rules of Lingzhou, giving plenty of face. The saying goes that one does not hit a smiling face; usually, good heroes would show some leniency. Who knew he would run into a few greenhorns who didn't buy that? At this point, according to the procedure, he should have turned hostile and fought, but that move just now was truly like an antelope hanging by its horns—leaving no trace; he didn't even know what weapon had injured him. Knowing he couldn't afford to provoke them, he said repeatedly, "Good heroes, we are all fellow travelers in the underworld, why must it be a life-or-death struggle? My wife and I have always known etiquette and never harmed the lives of old acquaintances. Rich merchants and fat sheep come and go, everyone eats, surely there is a bite for us? If I have no face, surely the Cock-Crow Banquet of Baixiong Mountain has three parts of face..."

Tang Zhao reached out, his hand already gripping a sword, but it was not his usual Lihuo Sword; it was a Wooden Sword, the very Heavy Art Tool he used for sword practice. He said, "I'll handle this. You all go check the back kitchen."

Jiang Shenyi made a gesture to leave, then suddenly flicked his hand, and a Wind Cut flew over, slicing through both the counter and the proprietress behind it.

The man was shocked and angry; he drew his knife and lunged, but with a *bang*, an object swept horizontally across, spinning him like a top until he fell to the ground. He saw the most scholarly-looking youth approaching with a Wooden Sword, raining blows down upon him.

Years ago in the dungeon, when Tang Zhao was held hostage, he had used a wooden sword to beat that lone bandit severely. At this moment, his anger was the same as it was back then, only not as out of control. After all, the change in strength meant he did not need to lose control.

One could see the wind whistling where the wooden stick struck, beating the man until he flew wildly around the shop, and finally, a strike swept him against the wall. The wall was not sturdy, and with a crash, it collapsed, burying the man.

As the wall collapsed, it immediately revealed the kitchen behind it. Two people were hanging on the kitchen wall, their limbs removed, bloody and looking like livestock. On the chopping board were large chunks of red meat, with half the bones already removed. The entire room was filled with an indescribable, fishy stench.

Jiang Shenyi and the other youths who had entered first stared blankly at the wall, their expressions twisted. Che Sha covered her mouth and said, "I almost... almost ate..."

Jiang Shenyi's features were ferocious. He reached out, his Qi coating his hand like a giant palm, and moved the collapsed wall aside. He dragged the dying Chang Wu out and threw him onto the chopping board. Wusun Tong, standing nearby, picked up a bone-cleaving knife and stabbed it into his neck, cutting it off just like chopping vegetables.

Tang Zhao let out a breath and said, "No need to learn from those beasts. Burn the shop and the people together; consider it a purification."

Wusun Tong grunted and said, "These bandits all love to eat at the Cock-Crow Banquet. Sooner or later, I will drown that bandit leader in the Cock-Crowing Spring so that he will only know how to crow like a chicken forever."

Tang Zhao said, "That's a good method."

The group searched around. Che Sha dragged someone out from under the chopping board and said, "There's someone here too!"

It turned out to be a young girl, tied up like a rice dumpling, currently unconscious.

It seemed she had also eaten the shop's sleeping potion. The reason she hadn't been hung on the wall and dismembered was likely because she was still at a prime age. Although her dress and appearance suggested she was just an ordinary village girl, with at most three parts of beauty, she was ultimately worth money; selling her to a filthy place could fetch quite a bit of silver.

Those who run black shops also engage in human trafficking, and they still talk about underworld rules about not encroaching on others' territory—that's like burning newspapers at a grave—just fooling ghosts.

Since they had encountered her by chance, it could be considered her luck. Tang Zhao asked Che Sha to help her outside, while he and the others took the grease stored in the shop—not wanting to think about where it came from—and splashed it all over the kitchen, lighting the fire.

Before long, a raging fire burned, reducing the black shop to ashes.

Che Sha said, "We destroy everything wherever we go; sooner or later, we will attract the attention of the bandit leader, right?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "Can you blame us for that? Blame them for having too many thieves; there's dog shit everywhere, and there's no place to step. I haven't even complained about them dirtying my shoes."

Tang Zhao reminded them, "Do not let your guard down. The ones we have encountered are all petty thieves, so they were easy to deal with. But Baixiong Mountain can dominate a province; there must be true powerhouses in the bandit den, and even the branch strongholds under him might have Sword Guests."

Although he did not want to make such a comparison, just as the Town Guardians of the Land Inspection Division are all Sword Guests, the mountain strongholds that sit in each county are likely the same.

In this era, one cannot stand firm without a set of skills; the head of a major force must be the strongest. Tang Zhao had not seen the strength of the master of Yunzhou, the Gaoyuan Marquis, but the Land Inspection Division's inspectors were already Sword Heroes. He could still contend with a Sword Guest by relying on his Art Tool, but there was truly no way against a Sword Hero. And the Land Inspection Division was only one of the forces under the Gaoyuan Marquis; there were even more experts in the regular army. Baixiong Mountain certainly could not compare to a proper feudal lord, but since he could suppress a province and act as a local tyrant, how could he not have Sword Guests at his command? He himself must at least be at the level of a Sword Hero.

A Talisman Sword Master is a valuable profession, not a profession used for combat, especially not skilled in encounter battles. Tang Zhao was also reminding everyone that killing a few petty thieves did not mean they could run rampant in Lingzhou.

"Instead of thinking about fighting the bandit leader, let's first think about where to eat and rest today. Is there any food in this godforsaken place that we can eat with peace of mind, or a bed we can sleep in securely?"