Before he could finish speaking, a middle-aged man dressed as a waiter came out to greet him after hearing the commotion outside.

"Young master, would you like to eat here or stay at the inn?"

The middle-aged man smiled gently.

"Let's eat! Bring out all your best dishes, and we'll take the extra to eat on the road!"

"Zhe'er—"

"Alright, young master, please wait a moment!"

After saying that, the middle-aged man smiled and went inside.

"Zhe'er, we shouldn't have ordered that! Let's go!"

"Fourth Sister found out?"

Jing Zhe didn't reply, but suddenly asked a question.

Pei Yunxi nodded solemnly and sighed, "Since Zhe'er has also discovered it, why stay for dinner?"

The middle-aged man who appeared to be the shopkeeper walked with a steady and powerful gait, with broad shoulders and a rather robust build. He was clearly a martial arts expert, and his cultivation level was above the fourth level. He was hardly a shop assistant.

Jing Zhe grinned and said, "We'll meet force with force and water with earth. Since we're here, let's make the best of it! Fourth Sister, with me here, there's nothing to be afraid of!"

I'm only afraid because you're here!

Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Pei Yunxi rolled her eyes at Jing Zhe, thinking that she could only be more careful herself!

At this moment, Hanhan also came over and whispered, "Young Chieftain, I checked the places you told me to pay attention to yesterday last night and this morning, and they're fine!"

Jing Zhe anticipated that even if there were assassins, they wouldn't target Hanhan, so yesterday he specifically instructed him to carefully observe whether anyone else was hiding at the inn when he arrived.

However, given his simple mind, it would be pointless for him to even look at it.

Jing Zhe patted him on the shoulder to encourage him.

...

Perhaps because they were the only guests at their table, the food was served quickly, and soon all six main dishes were served.

"Young master, all the dishes are served. This is a small mountain inn; I wonder if the dishes suit your taste?"

After bringing the food over, the middle-aged man didn't leave immediately. Instead, he smiled and said something, as if he wanted to watch them eat and was waiting for praise.

But this made Pei Yunxi even more suspicious, and she kicked Jing Zhe under the table.

Jing Zhe didn't touch his chopsticks either, but smiled at the middle-aged man: "Shopkeeper, it must be tough running a shop here, right?"

"..."

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "It's alright. Being both the manager and the employee, I'm just barely making ends meet!"

"Supporting a family while also practicing martial arts, that's amazing!"

"..."

When Jing Zhe exposed him, the middle-aged man was not angry. Instead, he continued to laugh and said, "Young master, you know that there are all kinds of people in this desolate place. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to open a shop here. I rely on the fact that I spent a few years in a sect when I was young and learned some martial arts. That's why I dare to open a shop here to make a living. Don't you believe me, young master?"

"Yeah?"

Jing Zhe said with a smile.

Seeing that Jing Zhe didn't touch his chopsticks, the middle-aged shopkeeper angrily said, "What, young master? Are you afraid to eat the food I made? If you don't want to eat it, I'll take it away!"

After saying that, he made a gesture as if to strike a pose.

Jing Zhe stopped him and said with a smile, "Shopkeeper, there's no need to be angry! When we're out and about, especially in the middle of nowhere, we naturally have to be careful, don't we?"

Then she glanced at him and said, "If the shopkeeper doesn't mind, how about eating with us?"

"..."

After hearing this, the middle-aged shopkeeper picked up a brand-new bowl and chopsticks from the table without saying a word, put some of each dish into the bowl, and then ate it all in front of the three of them.

After finishing his meal, he sat down at another table and said, "I've been running this shop for over ten years, and this is the first time I've ever met someone as cautious as you, young master! Hehe, I've already eaten it all, do you still think it's poisoned?"

The middle-aged man spoke bluntly, appearing very angry.

"Shopkeeper, you're overthinking it. We never thought of it that way!"

After Jing Zhe finished speaking, he turned around and asked, "Are you hungry?"

Pei Yunxi shook her head, "I'm not hungry."

Although Hanhan was simple-minded, he could only shake his head after hearing Pei Yunxi say that, "I'm not hungry either."

"Listen, shopkeeper, none of the three of us are hungry. Let's sit and chat for a while, and eat when we get hungry! You're overthinking it!"

"..."

The middle-aged man was furious: "If you're not hungry, why did you order anything? By the time you get hungry, the food will be cold. Do you prefer cold dishes?"

After about fifteen minutes, Jing Zhe chatted with the middle-aged shopkeeper for a while longer, and finding that he was not acting strangely, he said, "Alright, we've been chatting for a while, and we're hungry too. Let's start eating!"

The middle-aged shopkeeper chuckled twice and said no more.

...

Because they still had a long way to go, the three of them ate quickly.

Perhaps to avoid being suspected again, and to prove his innocence, the middle-aged shopkeeper never left.

This dispelled Jing Zhe's concerns. After finishing the meal, they took some more food and water and continued on their way.

After that, because of Hanhan's presence, Jing Zhe's interactions with Pei Yunxi became much more normal. Apart from occasionally touching Pei Yunxi's hand or hugging her, only to be glared at and slapped away by her, there was nothing else.

Jing Zhe wasn't in a hurry either, at least compared to when they were in Jinxi, Pei Yunxi's attitude had improved considerably.

The closer he got to Liangzhou, the stronger his worry for Liu Jinghong became, and it was also the right time for him to do something else with Pei Yunxi.

Everything will have to wait until he goes to Kunlun Mirror in the future!

They traveled for another two days without incident.

On the fourth day, the carriage began to enter a canyon, with towering cliffs on both sides.

Pei Yunxi went outside the car, and Jing Zhe also felt a little uneasy. He lifted the car curtain and stared at the cliff outside, lost in thought!

The surrounding area is filled with rocks of varying sizes, making it suitable for Tibetans, and the canyon itself is quite spacious, making it ideal for fighting.

If he were an assassin, he would definitely choose a place like this!

So he leaned out and said to Hanhan, "Hanhan, just like the day before yesterday, you ride your horse ahead alone to find the post station. When you rest, observe whether the environment is safe!"

"Yes, young chieftain!"

Without giving it much thought, Hanhan rode away.

Pei Yunxi glanced at him, knowing that Jing Zhe had deliberately sent Hanhan away to deal with any potential danger.

"Fourth Sister, you felt it too, didn't you?"

"Um."

Pei Yunxi nodded, her brows furrowed with worry.

Logically speaking, she and Jing Zhe are both at the sixth level of the realm. Unless an assassin of the same level is dispatched, it would be difficult to pose a threat to them. But why would someone who has reached the sixth level of the realm become an assassin?

If that's the case, they should be safe, but for some reason, her heart was pounding and she had a bad feeling.

After traveling for another half hour, a wide open space appeared ahead, and it seemed that they were about to leave the canyon.

Could it be a false alarm?

The two exchanged a glance, thinking the same thing.

Just as they were about to reach the canyon exit, a sudden gust of wind swept in, blowing up sand and stones. Jing Zhe and Pei Yunxi covered their eyes with their hands, and in addition to the howling wind, they also heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind them.

What was bound to happen has finally happened!

————