Human skin lantern 1

"Thank goodness it's almost dawn, otherwise I'm afraid we'd have to kill the villagers again." Mo Huan sighed with a good mood as he looked at the gradually brightening sky.

Upon hearing the man mention killing villagers, Xiao Congzhi recalled the long sword and the Qilin blood he had been forced to give up. He narrowed his eyes, turned around without a word, and left.

Mo Huan stared at Xiao Congzhi's back for a while and almost burst out laughing. He then turned and followed him.

"You're not angry, are you? I was just joking."

Xiao Congzhi stopped and looked at Mo Huan, saying, "The Qilin blood?"

Mo Huan said decisively, "Why don't you just let me keep it?"

Xiao Congzhi knew that his stop was unnecessary, so he snorted and continued walking towards the edge of the forest. He had to go and pick up Ge Yun.

“Brother Xiao, this Qilin blood is much smaller than before. It is probably only good for treating illnesses. If you need it later, I will gladly offer it to you.”

Xiao Congzhi continued walking, only saying lightly, "Then how should I find you, Brother Mo?"

"If you don't get drunk, just ask the manager to send me a letter, and I'll ride as fast as I can."

Xiao Congzhi was surprised that Mo Huanzhen would actually give him his contact information. He had long suspected that this person's identity in the martial arts world was extraordinary. Now that a winery had been exposed, how could he not find any clues? Thinking this, Xiao Congzhi felt a little better and let Mo Huanzhen follow him to find Ge Yun.

When Xiao Congzhi found Ge Yun, Ge Yun was fast asleep at the edge of the forest.

"Your follower is really carefree."

Xiao Congzhi was used to it, and squatted down to tap Ge Yun on the head.

"Ah! Who is it!" Ge Yun sat up abruptly, and after recognizing the person, he said respectfully, "Young Master! Young Master, you're finally back. Can we leave now?"

Before Xiao Congzhi could say anything, Mo Huan asked, "Why don't you ask about the harvest?"

Ge Yun helped himself to his feet, glanced at Mo Huan when he looked up, but didn't answer. Instead, he asked Xiao Congzhi, "Did you find anything, young master?"

Xiao Congzhi glanced at Mo Huan indifferently, then turned to Ge Yun and replied, "It was originally there, but this person snatched it away."

"This can't be called robbery..."

Mo Huan's rebuttal was interrupted by Ge Yun: "What! Then, young master, we!"

"Forget it, we've been through a lot last night. The outcome isn't important. What's important now is to leave Weiyao Mountain."

Upon hearing that he could leave this awful place, Ge Yun almost jumped up and cheered, instantly forgetting all about Mo Huan's act of stealing his things.

If they could enter Weiyao Mountain, they could also leave it. Before the sun was about to set, the three of them returned to the foot of Weiyao Mountain, where there were wide official roads in front and behind them.

"Then let's part ways here, and meet again in the martial world if fate allows." Before parting, Xiao Congzhi was quite polite and even performed a gentleman's bow, although what he was thinking was to quickly investigate this person's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Mo Huan's eyes flickered, and he also put on the air of a refined gentleman, bowed and asked politely, "May I ask where Brother Xiao is headed?"

The place where they stood was Yidu to the south and Xiacheng to the north.

Although Xiao Congzhi didn't want to say, his every step revealed his destination, and hiding it would only make things more obvious, so he frankly replied, "Yidu."

Mo Huan laughed, his tone exaggerated: "What a coincidence! I'm also going to Yidu. Why don't we travel together?"

"..."

It takes a whole day to get from the foot of Mount Weiyao to Yidu. Yidu is the location of the imperial city, and the gates are strictly guarded. It is impossible to enter after dusk.

So the three of them rested at the foot of the mountain for one night, and set off early the next morning. Even so, by the time they entered Yidu, the sun was almost setting.

"Brother Xiao!" Mo Huan greeted Xiao Congzhi with great enthusiasm.

Xiao Congzhi's eyelids twitched, and he heard Mo Huan continue, "It is fate that we meet. The journey has been tiring, so let me treat you to good wine and food at Yanlou Restaurant in the east of the city."

Yanlou is the place where Xiao Congzhi and Ge Yun bought information about Qilin Village from an information broker in their story.

Xiao Congzhi initially wanted to refuse, but after glancing at Ge Yun, he agreed.

In the east is Yanlou, and in the west is Huating, the two major restaurants in Yidu. The only difference is that Yanlou is frequented by more江湖人士 (jianghu figures) and wealthy idlers, while Huating is mostly frequented by high-ranking officials, nobles, and imperial relatives.

When Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan arrived at Yanlou, it was the busiest time of day. The private rooms on the third floor and the elegant seats on the second floor were naturally all taken, and only the lobby on the first floor had a few empty seats.

After sitting down, Mo Huan hurriedly apologized: "I really haven't been a good host. I hope Brother Xiao won't mind. I will definitely invite you to come again another day."

Xiao Congzhi could tell that Mo Huan was being insincere, but he still politely went along with it, saying, "Brother Mo, you don't need to be so polite."

"Brother Xiao, you shouldn't be so polite," Mo Huan said with a smile as he poured Xiao Congzhi a cup of tea.

To be honest, Mo Huan's affected manner, coupled with his handsome face, was quite deceptive. Xiao Congzhi almost forgot what this person was like when he wasn't serious.

The waiter ran over at that moment, interrupting the two's superficial politeness.

"What would you three gentlemen like to order?"

Mo Huan waved his hand and said, "Bring two jugs of good wine first, and then some of our signature dishes."

"Alright, we'll get right to it then." Seeing such a generous customer, the waiter happily agreed and ran off.

"Brother Mo, you haven't been to Yanlou much?"

"To be honest, Brother Xiao, I am also a newcomer to the martial world. I have been confined to my home for a long time, and this is my first time entering Yidu."

Xiao Congzhi knew that Mo Huan was laying the groundwork. After all, it was conceivable that Mo Huan's name was as unknown in the martial arts world as Xiao Congzhi's, so Mo Huan naturally had to come up with some reasons as soon as possible.

"I remember Brother Mo once said that we could contact you through the manager of the Buzuigui Winery?"

"Sigh, I was just planning to go over and say hello to the manager later. The Bu Zui Gui Winery is very famous, but that's all I know about it."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Congzhi stared at Mo Huan and smiled, which made Mo Huan laugh along with him.

Ge Yun, who was standing to the side, couldn't understand any of the witty remarks and could only smile foolishly as he waited for the food to be served.

After the food and wine were served, Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan stopped putting on airs. If you don't count the time spent in the illusion, the two of them had lived like wild men for a few days. If you count the time spent in the illusion, the two of them hadn't eaten for almost a month.

Therefore, although they acted politely, the two of them drank and ate meat very quickly, not bothering to talk, and temporarily setting aside any probing or subtle hints.

When the drinks were flowing freely, the two could occasionally exchange a genuine laugh, which was truly rare.

"Have you heard? About that!"

"You mean...the matter with the Martial Arts Alliance?"

"Yes, yes, that's really terrifying. The Martial Alliance actually dared to cover this up."

Although the two people at the next table were speaking in a secretive manner, their voices were so loud that Xiao Congzhi couldn't help but ask, "What are you two talking about?"

The two men exchanged a glance and said in a low voice, "You mustn't tell anyone about this."

Xiao Congzhi could tell that the two men were quite drunk, so he smiled and nodded good-naturedly.

People who are drunk are naturally very open and honest.

It turns out that a recent incident has been reported in Xiacheng, where the Martial Alliance is located, involving the mysterious disappearance of young men and women. This matter was initially kept secret. However, two or three days ago, the body of one of the men was discovered in the desolate outskirts of the city, making it impossible to conceal the truth any longer, and the news has spread among martial arts practitioners.

"Rumor has it that the disappearance has been going on for over a month."

"More than a month?"

"Definitely, the rumors are quite detailed and convincing."

Xiao Congzhi's eyes flickered, seemingly quite interested. Mo Huan noticed Xiao Congzhi's expression and seized the opportunity to ask, "Brother Xiao, do you wish to go to Xiacheng to investigate?"

Just as Xiao Congzhi was about to nod, Ge Yun grabbed his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Ge Yun staring at him expectantly, slowly shaking his head, clearly indicating his disagreement.

Xiao Congzhi could only reassure him, saying, "It only takes three days to travel between Xiacheng and Yidu. I'm just going to take a look, and I'll be back in five or six days."

Seeing that Xiao Congzhi didn't seem to be giving up, Ge Yun felt extremely resentful towards Mo Huan, who had brought them to the banquet hall. After glaring at Mo Huan, he said softly, "Then, young master, I will go with you."