Chapter 275: Inn

The sky had brightened.

Liu Liu Chengxuan and Wen Wen Lianrong slowly opened their eyes, both seeing the cold sweat that had accumulated on the other's hair and the bloodshot eyes.

"Senior brother... you couldn't meditate either."

Wen Wen Lianrong smiled bitterly.

"How could I... it's a miracle I didn't suffer a Qi deviation."

Liu Liu Chengxuan didn't even dare to look toward that wooden house.

Only then did they realize the weight of An Shen Ziyang's words about the "unpleasant sounds" from last night.

*Creak*—

Suddenly, the small door of the wooden house was pushed open, and An Shen Ziyang walked out slowly, stretching his back.

The two, who had already risen, saw An Shen Ziyang come out and involuntarily took a step back, their hands also subconsciously reaching for their sword hilts. It wasn't that they wanted to draw their swords; it was just that holding the hilts gave them a sense of security.

"Young Master... Lu Yu..."

"I disturbed your rest."

An Shen Ziyang turned his head and smiled kindly.

"I asked for a whole night; at first, I thought she was stubborn, but later I realized she just had a small brain, and she climbed up as soon as someone instigated her, without looking at how much she weighed."

"It's a pity for this face; it was all wasted."

"Oh, right, you two are going to Mount Song for the banquet, right?"

Liu Liu Chengxuan nodded.

"Yes."

"Might as well go together."

An Shen Ziyang smiled.

"I asked Miss Lu last night; these evil-path people have already linked up, waiting to cause trouble on Mount Song, and they have all obtained disguise techniques."

"Among them, who is replacing whom is all accounted for."

Liu Liu Chengxuan immediately realized something was wrong.

"In other words..."

"That's right."

An Shen Ziyang smiled.

"Your troubles are far from over. The closer you get to Mount Song, the more people you will encounter who have already been replaced."

"Although no one knows the news of Lu Yu and Xu Bing's deaths, as long as you show a single flaw in front of these replaced people, there will immediately be at least ten evil-path experts coming to silence you."

"It is not impossible that there will be top-tier experts, or even the 'Celestials' from Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu legends."

"With your Wu Gong, it will be ten deaths and no life."

An Shen Ziyang said with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

"It just so happens that I am also interested in the schemes of these people. Since you have already been dragged into this matter, you might as well go with me. At least below the top-tier, I can ensure you are worry-free."

"How about it?"

Liu Liu Chengxuan and Wen Wen Lianrong looked at each other and bowed to the ground.

"Thank you, Young Master. May I ask your name? If there is any command in the future, my Huanhua Sword Sect will obey."

An Shen Ziyang waved his hand and smiled mischievously.

"Who I am, you will naturally know when you reach Mount Song. And you don't need to thank me; there are many evil-path replacements, and I came to save you specifically because I was entrusted by someone to be loyal to that person's affairs."

"If you want to thank someone, you should thank him, not me."

Liu Liu Chengxuan was confused.

"Uh... I wonder which hero..."

An Shen Ziyang whistled, and the sound of horses neighing echoed in the distant forest, and then the sound of hooves approached rapidly.

He then smiled.

"Last year, when Master Master Master Xingchi passed on his position, someone brought your sect to pay respects. Weren't you the leader that day, Brother Liu?"

"Do you still remember an old friend?"

Liu Liu Chengxuan widened his eyes suddenly.

"Hero Li!?"

An Shen Ziyang mounted his horse and nodded with a smile.

"Indeed."

"He is currently on Mount Song. After learning about this, he specifically asked me to bring an old friend up the mountain; investigating the evil path was actually just incidental."

"He asked me to bring a message to Brother Liu."

An Shen Ziyang smiled.

"'The Mid-Autumn banquet, how can it be without an old friend to accompany?'"

"'The words 'meeting again in the Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu' said that day, I wonder if the little friend still remembers?'"

"'The little friend has had a hard time over the past half year. I have prepared good wine and will wash away the dust of the Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu for the little friend.'"

Looking at Liu Liu Chengxuan again, he was stunned for a moment.

Then, he couldn't help but choke up.

Over the past half year, his master's life or death was unknown, and the factions he had been on good terms with not only didn't extend a helping hand but were instead kicking him while he was down, gradually devouring the Huanhua Sword Sect's disciples and territory.

The disciples in the sect were not capable, and only Wen Wen Lianrong could share a little burden for him. As a second-rate head disciple, he had truly seen the cold and warmth of the world to support the Huanhua Sword Sect, and he had already given up his illusions about the Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu.

He had walked to this day just to hold on for his master and his sect.

Just at this moment, someone reached out and pulled him out of the abyss, smiling and saying "hard work" to him, having people protect his safety, preparing good wine for him, and saying they would wash away the dust for him.

Suddenly, he seemed to have someone to rely on, someone to confide in, and the bitterness and hardships of the past half year surged into his heart all at once.

This mood, whether it was grievance, relief, gratitude, or joy, made his eyes sore, and he almost wept.

Wen Wen Lianrong stepped forward and held his hand, squeezing it hard.

Liu Liu Chengxuan then took a few deep breaths, barely suppressing his restless emotions.

An Shen Ziyang then smiled.

"The message has been delivered. You two, don't let him wait too long."

"Let's set off immediately."

Liu Liu Chengxuan nodded vigorously.

————————

The 24th year of Jiajing, August 12th.

Henan Provincial Administration Commission, Nanyang Prefecture, Tang County.

Liu Liu Chengxuan looked left and right, amazed for a moment.

He had been to this Tang County before; it wasn't a big county, nor was it wealthy, and usually, not many Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu people came here to make a living. But now, just upon entering the city, there were four or five groups of Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu people carrying swords and blades on both sides of the road, all looking at the three of them.

These people were all heading toward Mount Song.

An Shen Ziyang lowered his voice and smiled lightly.

"You two, this place is less than five hundred miles from Mount Song. With the footwork of first or second-rate experts, you can reach Mount Song in a day or two."

"Before today, perhaps it was because we hadn't entered the city, or perhaps those who were plotting to cause trouble on Mount Song hadn't gathered yet, so we didn't encounter any trouble."

"But from now on, you two must be careful."

"If they want to test whether you have been replaced, they won't wait until they reach Mount Song to take action. It will be about today or tomorrow."

An Shen Ziyang seemed to be talking to the two, but in fact, the sword hilt at his waist pointed faintly at a group of Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu people on the side of the road, leading Liu Liu Chengxuan and Wen Wen Lianrong to look.

"That group of people is not right."

Liu Liu Chengxuan understood, pretending to be talking to An Shen Ziyang, and scanned the group with his peripheral vision, observing for a moment, but frowned.

"Young Master An, what is not right?"

"Scent, clothing, weapons."

An Shen Ziyang smiled.

"There is a strange fragrance on them."

"You two might have had little contact with Tang Men poison; this scent can only be smelled by Tang Men members, and it is a backup measure left by the Tang Men to prevent their members from being harmed by the poison they sell."

"As long as you smell this scent, you know these people are carrying Tang Men poison, and it's not ordinary goods; it must be good stuff worth a hundred taels of silver a bag."

Liu Liu Chengxuan suddenly realized.

"So that's it."

"People who can afford such poison cannot have clothing and weapons as shabby as theirs."

An Shen Ziyang smiled and nodded.

"That's right."

"Tang Men poison is not something anyone can buy. To buy something worth dozens of taels of silver, you have to buy a year's worth of trash worth a few taels; to buy poison worth hundreds of taels a bag, you have to buy a year's worth of goods worth dozens of taels."

"Ordinary poison can naturally be digested by Tang Men internal arts. Only those outstanding poisons will secretly bury this strange fragrance as a precaution. To buy this kind of thing, you have to spend at least hundreds of taels of silver at the Tang Men."

"But these people, their clothes have patches, and they don't even remove the rust on their weapons."

As they spoke, the three had already passed the tavern where the group was.

"The three of us entered the city, and other Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu people would take a look, but only this group didn't even lift their heads, which is too deliberate."

An Shen Ziyang smiled.

"Tonight, I estimate there will be blood."

The three were talking as they arrived outside an inn.

Dismounting, handing the reins to the waiter, the three walked into the inn.

As soon as they entered, several gazes wandered back and forth on the three.

Suddenly, someone laughed loudly.

"Is this a fellow from the Huanhua Sword Sect? Are you also going to Mount Song for the banquet?"

Liu Liu Chengxuan turned to look.

At a long table sat a burly man, his front open, revealing a palm-wide chest hair, bald, with arms as thick as Liu Liu Chengxuan's thighs.

A nine-ringed broadsword was leaning against his leg.

As soon as he spoke, the other Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu people silently shifted their gazes away from Liu Liu Chengxuan and the other two.

"Hero Qi!"

Liu Liu Chengxuan showed joy.

This person was a first-rate righteous expert on good terms with the Huanhua Sword Sect, and one of the few who had extended a helping hand to the Huanhua Sword Sect over the past half year.

The Blade Madman, "Qi Qi Shuyun."

That's right, although this person looked like a mountain king, his name was as elegant as a woman's. He was on good terms with the Huanhua Sword Sect because he was also often mocked by Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu people for his name, and there was a sense of sympathy between them.

The three walked over and sat down with Qi Qi Shuyun.

After catching up, and after three rounds of drinks, Qi Qi Shuyun suddenly lowered his voice and said in a low voice.

"You two, have you encountered any trouble on this journey?"

Liu Liu Chengxuan's expression turned stern.

"Hero Qi as well?"

Qi Qi Shuyun nodded.

"It seems you two were also intercepted and killed; I am the same. If it weren't for some improvement in my Wu Gong during this time and hiding some methods, I would have almost died."

He reached out and pulled open his clothes, revealing the bandaged wound at his waist.

"Just a little bit more, and my kidney would have been shattered."

"I roughly interrogated them and learned some news."

"Inside this, there is an evil-path conspiracy."

After speaking, he suddenly turned to look at An Shen Ziyang.

"Speaking of which, I haven't greeted this young master yet. May I ask your name, which sect you are from, and why you are traveling with the Huanhua Sword Sect?"

His words were full of suspicion, and his hand had already slowly reached for the hilt of his blade.

Liu Liu Chengxuan hurriedly stopped him.

"Hero Qi, Young Master An is definitely not a bad person; the reason we two could walk to Tang County alive is all because an old friend entrusted Young Master An to protect our safety."

Qi Qi Shuyun then slowly withdrew his hand, but he didn't give up his suspicion and continued to ask.

"Who was it entrusted by?"

Liu Liu Chengxuan said.

"Li Miao, Hero Li."

Qi Qi Shuyun pondered for a moment before saying in astonishment.

"Is it Hero Li who presided over Master Master Master Xingchi's nirvana ceremony last year? Hasn't he not appeared in the Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu for nearly a year? How do you know him?"

Speaking of which, Li Miao had only appeared publicly in the Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu twice, once in Tai'an and once in Shaolin. The names "Four-Season Battalion Commander" and "Li Miao" had already become famous throughout the world, but no one had officially linked them together.

Liu Liu Chengxuan explained it this way, and Qi Qi Shuyun suddenly realized.

"So, you have only met Hero Li once."

"Just one meeting, and he entrusted Young Master An to escort you two to Mount Song, saving both your lives."

"Truly worthy of being the person entrusted by Master Master Master Xingchi; I don't know what kind of demeanor he has! Even if it's just one meeting, it will be worth this trip to Mount Song!"

An Shen Ziyang looked at Qi Qi Shuyun mischievously and laughed to himself.

"Alright."

He put down his wine cup and laughed lightly.

"The three of you have caught up, and you all know the schemes of the evil path, so you should be clear that this Tang County probably won't be easy to leave."

"Tonight, it's likely there will be blood."

Qi Qi Shuyun's expression also turned stern.

"Yes, as far as I know, because of this matter, the evil-path experts involved include many top-tier ones."

"If it were only the two from the Huanhua Sword Sect, they would probably only send a few first-rate ones. But adding me, they might send top-tier experts!"

Speaking of this, Qi Qi Shuyun slapped his thigh.

"Oh, I was just reminding you to be careful, but I dragged you into my disaster."

Saying this, he was about to stand up.

"In that case, I'll go first and see if I can draw away some evil-path experts for you. You take care!"

"If I can luckily survive, we'll see each other on Mount Song!"

After speaking, he was about to stand up and leave.

Just as he was about to take a step, he found he couldn't move.

Qi Qi Shuyun looked down and saw An Shen Ziyang had reached out to grab him and pinch his pulse point, a powerful and domineering Qi pouring into his meridians, suppressing his movements.

"Hero Qi, you seem to be to Hero Li's taste as well."

"People he likes must not die in front of me."

An Shen Ziyang smiled.

"Don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen."

"Eat your meal in peace."

"You will all arrive at Mount Song in one piece and see Hero Li."

————————

That night.

Liu Liu Chengxuan, Wen Wen Lianrong, and Qi Qi Shuyun sat at the table, drinking tea, their hands tightly gripping their weapons, their eyes scanning the door and window from time to time, all extremely nervous.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door.

The three were on full alert, ready to stand up and fight at any time.

*Creak*—

The door was pushed open slowly, and An Shen Ziyang walked in, looked at the three, and let out a chuckle.

"You three, no need to be so nervous."

He closed the door, walked to the table, sat down, poured a cup of tea, took a sip, and turned to look at Qi Qi Shuyun.

"By the way, Hero Qi, how is your internal art progressing?"

Qi Qi Shuyun didn't understand why An Shen Ziyang suddenly brought this up, but knowing he wouldn't do anything without a reason, he answered truthfully.

"Top-tier first-rate level."

"But, I have no sect, and what I practice is not any profound mental cultivation. The quantity is enough, but the quality is not; I've been stuck at the first-rate level for many years and haven't made any progress."

Speaking of this, he let out a long sigh.

"Background, opportunity, how many geniuses have been stuck. At my age and realm, even if I wanted to join a sect, no one would accept me; I can only watch others step into the top-tier while I waste my years day by day."

"It's shameful."

Liu Liu Chengxuan heard this and was about to say some comforting words, but An Shen Ziyang laughed lightly.

"It's okay, Hero Qi's opportunity might just be today."

The other three were confused.

An Shen Ziyang didn't explain, turned to look out the window, sniffed a few times, and smiled.

"The smell is not small; these people spent a lot of money at the Tang Men."

"They're here. Listening to the footsteps, there must be more than a dozen people, with at least two first-rate experts. And besides the strange fragrance smelled during the day, there is also the scent of Tang Men poison."

Liu Liu Chengxuan said in astonishment.

"Tang Men poison!? Can this thing be bought!?"

An Shen Ziyang smiled.

"Ordinary people can't buy it. As far as I know, the poison sold by the Tang Men in recent years is basically all with me. This thing is not easy to store, and after a year, it basically loses its toxicity."

"Smelling this scent, the poison in this person's hand uses a lot of things to replace the original poisonous herbs, and the toxicity is much smaller than the original version; it should be homemade."

Liu Liu Chengxuan's expression was already extremely ugly.

Homemade poison?

This thing is the secret of the Tang Men, which Ordinary Ordinary Ordinary Jianghu people have rarely seen, let alone being able to "replace" the materials and make a weakened version.

This person must know the formula for the poison and have deep attainments in poison-making. Combined with the "Iron Palm Gang extermination" matter that the old dart head told him when they just set off from the Huanhua Sword Sect.

The identity of the person coming was already obvious.

"Tang Men outcast, 'Heart-Eating Green Pouch'."

"Tang, He."

Evil path, top-tier expert.

And a top-tier expert from the Tang Men.

Looking at An Shen Ziyang's methods of dealing with Xu Bing and Lu Yu earlier, he probably put most of his effort into poison and mechanisms. Dealing with others would be fine, but against Tang He, this Tang Men outcast, he might be lacking.

Liu Liu Chengxuan sighed and looked at An Shen Ziyang.

"Young Master An, if things don't go well, you should run."

"On my behalf, convey an apology to Hero Li."

An Shen Ziyang waved his hand and smiled.

"Don't, don't."

"If you die, I wouldn't dare to see him. You should go and say it yourself."

"Alright, you three drink your tea; I'll go out and meet this outcast. Speaking of which, I can be considered cleaning up the sect."

After speaking, he stood up, stopped the three from moving, walked out of the room, and stood in the inn's corridor.

This inn had already been bought by An Shen Ziyang, and even the boss and waiter had left, so there was no need to fear accidentally hurting others.

An Shen Ziyang looked at the stairs.

Footsteps approached slowly.

Several people walked up the stairs, looking at An Shen Ziyang, their weapons already gripped in their hands, reflecting the moonlight brightly.

A smile appeared on An Shen Ziyang's face.

"Distinguished guests have arrived; I have been waiting for a long time."

He turned to look at a middle-aged woman among them and smiled mischievously.

"Tang He, you seem to have been living quite comfortably since you betrayed the Tang Men all these years."

"Today, this elder will work hard to clean up the sect for the Sect Leader."

He raised his hand, extended an index finger, and slowly hooked it toward the gloomy-faced Tang He.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Come over here~"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 276 =====