Chapter 3: Storm in the Teahouse

Worried that the band of mountain bandits might have sent scouts ahead, Liang Yan chose only small paths and avoided the main roads. Even when he could barely run anymore, he dared only to rest for a few breaths by a tree before immediately continuing on his way.

When he finally reached the entrance of the inn, he found seven fast horses already tethered there.

"Damn it, I didn't expect them to ride so fast. They’ve already arrived; I’m a step too late after all."

Inside the teahouse.

"Boss, the surrounding area has been checked. There’s no one else, only an old monk in the back room of the teahouse."

Chen Lin frowned and said, "An old monk? Come with me and take a look."

The group followed him inside. When they reached the door of that room, Chen Lin secretly sensed the area, confirming that there wasn't the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power in the old monk's body. Only then did he feel at ease and gave a wink to Cheng Lao'er.

The latter understood, a ferocious look appearing on his face. He was just about to enter the room to finish off the old monk when a voice suddenly shouted from outside the teahouse

"Old charlatan, your luck has arrived! The fortune you told my young mistress yesterday—she believes in it deeply and specifically ordered me to come back and find you to ask for another one."

As soon as the words fell, the door banged open. A boy of about ten years old entered, tall and thin, dressed in gray linen clothes, clutching a bundle in his hands.

"Don't worry, I won't let you divine for free, I brought..." He didn't finish his sentence; seemingly noticing the group in the shop, he immediately went quiet, subconsciously hiding the bundle behind his back.

The people in the shop exchanged smiles. It seemed this kid had brought silver to get a fortune told.

Cheng Lao'er coughed and said with a kindly smile, "Little brother, are you here to find someone for a fortune?"

The boy looked panicked, then seemed to force some courage as he said, "Who are you people? My master is a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and my young mistress is a daughter of nobility. I am here on her orders to seek a fortune. If I don't return soon, my mistress will surely come looking."

Cheng Lao'er found this amusing, then thought of something and asked gently, "You just said you were sent by your young mistress?"

The boy seemed to gain more courage upon hearing this question. He put his hands on his hips and said loudly, "That’s only natural! My mistress is of such grace that several royal young masters come to our house just to get close to her. As for those high officials and wealthy young masters, they’ve worn down our threshold! Hmph, there’s no telling how many people want to curry favor with us!"

He shouldn't have said that, but once he did, Cheng Lao'er’s eyes filled with lecherous light. He leaned over to whisper a few words into Chen Lin's ear, and Chen Lin nodded with a smile.

With his permission, Cheng Lao'er said, "Little brother, we are seven traveling merchants, and meeting here today is fate. After hearing what you said, we admire your mistress greatly. Could you please introduce us?"

The boy shook his head vigorously and waved his hands, saying, "No, no! My mistress is here to pay respects to her ancestors and has agreed not to see anyone. If I bring you along, I’ll surely have my legs broken! Besides, your identities are unknown, and who knows..."

He was about to continue when, with a sudden *bang*, Shi Laosan slammed his palm onto the wooden table beside him. The table instantly shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor.

"Kid, I advise you to be sensible. Think about it: is your head harder, or is this table?"

The boy was already dumbfounded, muttering to himself, "You... you..."

Seeing this, Cheng Lao'er coughed. "Little brother, we are just a group of traveling merchants, but we all have different temperaments. While I am willing to reason with you, my friends here might not have the same patience. I advise you to cooperate obediently, otherwise, hehe..." The threat in his words was obvious.

The boy’s courage drained away, and he became like a frost-bitten eggplant, looking at them timidly.

Seeing that he was thoroughly frightened, Cheng Lao'er said gently, "Don't worry, we seven brothers love making friends. Today, we just want to catch a glimpse of your mistress's grace and make an acquaintance, nothing more."

The boy seemed to be swayed by his words and said weakly, "In that case, I will introduce you. I’ve been out for quite a while; why don't you gentlemen borrow some horses?"

Cheng Lao'er nodded and said, "That would be appropriate." He then winked at two other bandits. The two understood and walked silently toward the boy, subtly sandwiching him in the middle, clearly to prevent him from escaping.

However, none of them noticed the bitter smile that appeared on the boy's face the moment he turned to walk out the door.

This boy was, of course, Liang Yan.

Earlier, he had heard their conversation in the forest and deduced that they were lecherous men. In his desperation, he had come up with this ruse of creating a beautiful mistress out of thin air to lure them away. But he wasn't a servant of any wealthy family, so where was he going to find a beautiful young lady for them?

Liang Yan smiled bitterly to himself. He feared that the moment they realized something was wrong, they would kill him first to vent their anger. He only hoped to lead them far away so the old monk could take the opportunity to escape.

He then sighed in his heart: "Old monk, old monk, I hope you're sharp enough to slip away when the time comes. You saved my life, and I’m returning the favor; we’ll be even. Hmph, I, Liang Yan, may not have much ability, but I am not an ungrateful person!"

Inside the back room of the teahouse, the old monk was sitting cross-legged in meditation. Everything happening outside fell perfectly into his divine sense. He had long since sensed the group of bandits; they were all mundane martial artists, and the leader was merely a junior at the first level of Qi Refining. He hadn't taken them to heart.

However, when he discovered that Liang Yan had returned and was peeking around outside the shop, he couldn't help but feel a strange sensation. He wanted to know what this little kid was doing back here.

By now, he knew Liang Yan's intentions and couldn't help but chuckle.

"This kid is small but has a big spirit; he's truly a troublesome one. Hmm, although his personality is extreme, he is a person who distinguishes between gratitude and resentment and values loyalty. If guided properly, he might not end up on the wrong path in the future..." The old monk thought to himself, and without realizing it, he had already begun to view Liang Yan as his half-disciple.

As he pondered, his prayer beads flew out, and he prepared to strike.

Suddenly, his right ear twitched, and he flipped his hand to retract the beads.

"It seems this teahouse is about to get lively. Hehe, let's wait and see."

At this moment, Liang Yan had walked outside the teahouse with the group and was just about to set off when the sound of hoofbeats came from the main road. Chen Lin and the others stopped once they saw who it was.

The horse reached them, and a middle-aged man in black dismounted, kneeling on one knee.

"Reporting to the leader, the targets have somehow accelerated their journey. They are traveling day and night and are now within ten miles; they will arrive shortly."

"What?" Chen Lin glared. "Didn't the scouts say two days ago that they wouldn't arrive until the day after tomorrow at the earliest?!"

The man in black said hurriedly, "I don't know, sir. They suddenly increased their speed and didn't even rest at night, only sleeping in the latter half of the night. They are traveling day and night like this. I didn't dare delay for a moment, but I only arrived slightly ahead of them."

Chen Lin’s expression softened slightly. He said slowly, "Since they are in such a hurry to die, we shouldn't be impolite. Brothers, proceed according to the plan."

Cheng Lao'er leaned over and whispered, "What about this kid and the old monk? Should we kill them and bury them in the backyard?"

"It's too late to kill them now. There is an extremely powerful expert among the targets. At their level, they are extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. If she discovers anything suspicious, it will be detrimental to our plan."

"Then what should we do?"

Chen Lin pondered for a moment and said, "That old monk hasn't moved from the beginning; I don't know if he's blind or deaf, but he's no threat. As for this kid... don't we still need a tea boy? Hehe, we'll have this kid pretend to be a tea boy to serve tea. People have the least guard against children, don't you think?"

Cheng Lao'er’s eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up. "Brilliant plan!"

Chen Lin smiled slightly, secretly channeling his spiritual power. He raised a finger, and a small blue blade shot out, embedding itself an inch in front of Liang Yan, shattering the stone on the ground.

"Little brat, I won't hide it from you. We are doing big things. Later, I'll have you pretend to be a tea boy and do as we say. If you do it well, I'll let you go. If you mess it up, I will kill you instantly. The stone on the ground is your fate!"

With that, Chen Lin looked at Liang Yan with a murderous gaze. Liang Yan’s face turned pale, his whole body trembling, and he nodded repeatedly on the surface. But in his heart, he thought: "From what I heard in the forest, there is an expert among the people they are ambushing, someone even this man in purple fears. They are setting an ambush here, clearly wanting to avoid a head-on fight. If they finish off the targets, I will definitely die. My only hope now is to find a way to warn the newcomers and disrupt their plan. Only when they are fighting each other will I have a chance of survival."

"But this man in purple is watching my every move. If I make any suspicious movements, I'll be the first one he kills. Wouldn't that be a wrongful death?" Even though Liang Yan was usually clever and full of schemes, he couldn't think of a foolproof plan at this moment.

While he was thinking, the others had changed their disguises. Cheng Lao'er dressed as the shopkeeper, one bandit as a waiter, and Shi Laosan and the remaining bandits as tea-drinking customers. Chen Lin hid in the back room. Shi Laosan handed Liang Yan a tea boy's outfit. Liang Yan took it and sighed inwardly: "I can only play it by ear now."

Once everyone was disguised and in position, Liang Yan took a broom and began sweeping the front yard. After a while, a chaotic sound of hoofbeats came from outside.

Soon after, someone walked quickly into the courtyard. Liang Yan looked up and saw that the newcomer was a woman. She had a slender figure, wore fiery red martial arts attire with a black belt at her waist, a sheathed long sword on her back, and her hair tied up high.

She seemed to favor red, as she also had a red silk ribbon tied around her ankle.

As soon as the woman entered the courtyard, her eyes scanned the surroundings. Seeing Liang Yan looking at her, she stared back without hesitation, looking him up and down. Liang Yan was so scared that he hurriedly lowered his head, fearing he would anger the man in purple hiding in the shadows and get a blade in his back.

The woman in red looked at Liang Yan twice, then ignored him and walked straight into the teahouse.

"Shopkeeper, we’ll take all the guest rooms here today." The woman in red said, taking out a silver ingot and throwing it on the table.

Cheng Lao'er looked troubled and whispered, "That’s not very convenient, miss. Look, that table is also occupied by martial artists who arrived first to drink tea. We’re a small business and can't afford to offend them."

The woman glanced over and said, "It doesn't matter. As long as they don't provoke us, it's fine. I just want to book the rooms in the back courtyard; no one else is allowed to stay there tonight."

Cheng Lao'er’s expression shifted, and he then took the silver with a grin, calling out to the waiter, "Come, clear a table for the guests and wipe it down well!"

The woman in red gave a few more instructions, and Cheng Lao'er nodded repeatedly. Only then did the woman look satisfied and whistle through her teeth.

The people outside then slowly entered. A dozen guards surrounded a middle-aged beautiful woman, who was holding a little girl by the hand. The little girl wore a small emerald green jacket, her features were as delicate as a painting, and her hair was tied into two small buns. She was quiet, and beneath her gentle demeanor, there was a hint of spirit in her eyes—truly a beauty in the making.

For some reason, when the little girl entered and saw Liang Yan, she stared at him intently, showing curiosity. It made Liang Yan feel quite uncomfortable, and he scratched his head, thinking secretly: "Is there a flower on my face or something?"

It wasn't until the woman in red called her that she reluctantly withdrew her gaze.

"Little girl, what are you looking at so intently?"

The little girl blushed. "It's nothing, Auntie Qing. I'm just tired from the long journey, and there happens to be a teahouse here, so let's drink some tea and rest."

The woman in red touched the girl's head dotingly and said, "It has been hard on you these past few days. Things have changed, and we need to speed up our journey. Fortunately, we aren't far from Yun City now, so let's rest here for the night."

After speaking, she took the little girl and the middle-aged woman to a clean table and shouted to Cheng Lao'er, "Shopkeeper, bring two pots of cold tea first."

"Coming right up!" Cheng Lao'er agreed, handed two pots of cold tea to Liang Yan, and gave him a look.

Liang Yan took the teapots, grabbed a set of cups, and walked silently toward their table.

He knew in his heart that the tea must have been tampered with, and they were just waiting for them to drink it before starting the slaughter.

Liang Yan wanted to warn the woman in red, but he knew that if he made any suspicious moves or spoke, the man in the inner courtyard would kill him instantly without hesitation.

One step, two steps, three steps. Finally, Liang Yan walked silently to the woman's table, placed the tray with the teapots and cups on the table, and turned to leave, not saying a single word from start to finish.

Just as Liang Yan turned, the woman in red seemed to pause slightly, then immediately returned to normal.

The little girl behind the table had a flushed face. Ever since Liang Yan walked over, she had been stealing glances at him. By the time he reached the table, her face was as red as an apple, and she looked down at her feet, not daring to look up again. Unfortunately, Liang Yan was so tense that he didn't notice at all.

The middle-aged woman smiled and touched the girl's head, then picked up the teapot and poured a cup for each of them, and one for herself. The little girl was thirsty and picked up her cup to drink. The woman in red suddenly reached out to stop her.

"Shopkeeper, please call the waiter over. I have a few questions for him."

Cheng Lao'er, seeing that things were about to succeed, was suddenly interrupted and was completely confused. He had no choice but to say to the waiter, "Did you hear that? Go over and see what the noble guest wants and serve her well. If you offend her, hmph! See if I don't skin you alive!"

The bandit disguised as the waiter responded and walked over quickly. The woman in red didn't turn around, just said faintly, "We have our own standards when dining, and we must be cautious when traveling. Why don't you drink the first cup of tea for me?"

The bandit didn't expect her to make such a request and was speechless, not knowing how to answer.

In that moment of hesitation, the woman in red already understood. Without turning around, her sword was already out of its sheath. Everyone saw a flash of silver, and the waiter's head flew high into the air, blood splattering everywhere.

The woman in red held her sword to protect the girl and the middle-aged woman behind her. The surrounding guards immediately became alert and formed a circle, protecting the two in the middle.

"Hmph, since the waiter knew, the shopkeeper must be involved too, right?" The woman in red sneered.

This sudden turn of events meant that Chen Lin and the others, who had designed the ambush, not only failed to strike but had also lost one of their own.

For a moment, they were stunned. However, these men were mountain bandits who had seen their fair share of storms. Seeing their plan foiled, they actually calmed down instantly.

Cheng Lao'er smiled sinisterly. "Good eyes, miss. I wonder when you noticed the flaw."

The woman in red looked at him coldly, clearly not intending to answer.

"Clang!" A cup shattered on the ground. Immediately after, Cheng Lao'er shouted gloomily: "Do it!"