The King of Black Fog

"The situation is turning grim," one said.

"Hasn't it always been like this?" came the reply.

...

Eagles soar through the sky, fish dart in the shallow waters,...

Chapter 399 Never Close Your Eyes

Moving forward in the blizzard, one either doesn't want to move at all, afraid of stirring up even a little wind, or once one starts moving, one doesn't want to stop. Li Changzhou led his men and ran into the Snowstorm Town in one breath.

The simple stables could barely keep out the wind and rain, but with so many horses inside, the heat they emitted made the temperature inside the stables bearable.

A few lights were scattered on the top of the shed, and ghosts would occasionally crash into the lights and die.

After everyone dismounted, before Li Changzhou could make a move, a lean man, holding his own horse with his left hand, reached out with his right hand to take the reins from him.

"Hurry! Let's go into the tavern! I'm freezing!"

"Damn it! My hands are frozen!"

The two quick-handed riders tied the reins first and ran towards the brightly lit tavern in the distance. Before they even left the stable, the old man pulled them back.

"What do you mean, old man?!"

The old man struck the back of their heads hard, producing only the sound of fabric hitting fabric.

The snow on the hat and collar fell in a hazy, dusty pattern.

The old man glanced quickly at Li Changzhou, then glared at the two of them.

Following the gaze, they saw Li Changzhou standing in front of the stable door, not going out. The two immediately fell silent and waited obediently with the others.

"Captain," the old man glanced at the tavern and asked, "What's the problem?"

Li Changzhou didn't speak. He turned around and saw the man who had been leading his horse finally tie up the two horses and hurried over as if afraid of being left behind.

He nodded to the lean man, stepped out of the stable, and headed towards the tavern.

The old man seemed to be deep in thought, patted the lean man on the shoulder, and followed him out.

"You little rascal! You're quite the flatterer!" the others teased the lean man, and followed him.

The snow was knee-deep. Li Changzhou wanted to be the first to walk and clear the way with his 'great strength', but three or four men ran up at the same time and rushed to push the snow away with their legs.

Li Changzhou didn't force him, letting the wind and snow whip his face, and then using the tavern lights to survey the snowy town.

The houses seemed to shiver with cold, hunching their necks in the night, like giant beasts ready to rise and hunt at any moment.

Turning my gaze away, I found myself already in front of the tavern.

The tavern has three floors, all made of wood, and is now brightly lit, as if it were bathed in light.

Before even entering the house, one could hear the lively noise and smell the food and drinks, which were so enticing that everyone was irresistibly drawn inside.

Li Changzhou stopped again.

The crowd stood on either side of him, awaiting his orders.

"Remember!" Li Changzhou said, "Don't cause trouble, but if anyone dares to mess with us, just fight them. I'll take care of things if anything happens!"

The already impatient crowd became even more excited.

"yes!"

boom!

The tavern door was kicked open, and Feng Xue was even more anxious than Li Changzhou and his group. Xuanfeng, carrying Feixue, rushed in first.

Damn it!

"Which son of a bitch!"

The tavern was filled with curses, clearly unable to withstand the sudden onslaught of wind and snow.

Amid the curses, Li Changzhou and his group walked in, and the warm light washed over them like a flood.

"Bang!" The last person closed the heavy door, casting their shadows on it, making them appear imposing.

This reduced the amount of cursing in the tavern—but only slightly.

Li Changzhou surveyed the tavern.

The layout is very simple. At the far end of the pub, directly opposite the entrance, is the front desk, which also serves as the bar. The open space in the middle is filled with tables and chairs, and there is a roaring fireplace on each side.

The fireplace was piled high with firewood, which stretched all the way to the ceiling like beams.

All the guests in front of them lined up and chose the wooden table closest to the two fireplaces on the left and right, with the middle clearly defined like the Chu-Han River.

This reminded Li Changzhou of a scene: two people getting fish spa treatments facing each other, with dead skin fish gathered on their legs.

These people clung to the fireplace like fish eating dead skin—it was just that cold.

After a quick glance around and not seeing Li Qianxia and the others, Li Changzhou looked at the weapons at everyone's waists before turning his gaze to the woman at the bar.

This woman was clearly not a waitress, but the tavern owner, exuding an air of authority that could drive away customers at any time.

She was in her thirties, very fair-skinned, with a mature demeanor and beautiful features. Her left eye was a deathly gray, and she stared at each guest listlessly and silently.

"If you kick the door again, I'll tie you up and freeze you to the ground!" the tavern owner roared.

The old man went up to him and said, "Give me some food, stay one night, three rooms, and borrow a light when you leave."

The tavern owner sized them up, his living right eye lingering on Li Changzhou for a couple more moments, and said, "Seven people, twelve blocks of solid ice."

Six.

"At least eight!"

"Seven."

“I hope that when you come back next time, you will be dead,” the tavern owner said.

The old man smiled smugly, clearly taking the curse as a compliment.

The crowd then began to line up—choosing a seat that was still available and closest to the campfire.

The old man walked alone to the bar, and with great effort, took out a beast-shaped bag from his layered clothes, from which he pulled out a handful of ice cubes about the length of a finger.

“Exactly seven.” He placed seven blocks of ice on the table.

The proprietress stuffed the solid ice into a drawer, then tossed three keys to the old man: "The room number is written on it. We eat horse bone soup, roasted horse meat, and some baked flatbread."

The old man frowned: "Where did the horse meat come from?"

"If you die, your horse will end up on my plate, and I'll sell it for a higher price to make up for what I lost out on you."

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