The scholar paused for a moment, then continued, "It is thanks to the owner that we were taken in and opened this Sifang Inn. He allowed us to stay in his shop, saving us from being homeless and destitute. Moreover, he did not ask for any payment. He only asked us to clean and tidy the shop every day, tell stories, and write words, which was our way of repaying him."
Qing nodded slightly, understanding dawning on her.
No wonder the boss wasn't welcoming to them; it seems he didn't just not welcome them, but all cultivators.
"If he does this, will anyone retaliate?"
The scholar sighed, "Afraid? Of course I'm afraid." He put away his book and said, "It's just that our boss is amazing. He has no cultivation, yet he can stand out like a clear stream in this filth. It's truly remarkable. In the past, some people would try to buy the inn. When they couldn't persuade the boss, they would throw things around and beat him, even threatening him with his cultivation. Several times they almost succeeded, but fortunately, the boss has a strong character and refused to yield to the death. Those people had no other choice. After all, he is known as a righteous person. It would be bad if someone died. So after a while, those people stopped coming."
Qinghe's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them, and he said to him, "The boss did the right thing, but you must remember that people in this world are not simply black and white. There are despicable people in the righteous path, and there are kind people in the underworld. It is not an easy thing to distinguish people's hearts."
The scholar looked grateful and said to Qinghe, "It's obvious that you are all truly righteous people. Please don't take the boss's words to heart."
"Of course," Qinghe said. "By the way, I noticed that most of the people working in your shop are scholars, and the decor is quite elegant. Is the owner also a scholar?"
"Yes, the boss told us that he studied books in his early years, hoping to go to Tianqi Kingdom to take the imperial examination and live a life of good fortune. Unfortunately, his wish was not fulfilled. He said that he admired the erudition of scholars the most in his life and did not care about cultivation at all."
"I see."
The scholar glanced at the sky, cupped his hands in farewell, and said, "It's getting late, I'll take my leave now."
"Farewell."
After leaving the Sifang Inn, the group found another inn. Learning from their previous experience, Qinghe scouted the inn before entering, and only stepped inside after discovering that it was full of cultivators.
"Boss, six superior rooms." He said, taking out some silver and placing it on the counter.
The shopkeeper looked up, his eyes sweeping over the silver coins, and then at the group of people. He sized them up several times before beaming and welcoming them, saying, "Gentlemen, you are clearly talented, handsome, intelligent, and brave heroes. Look at your physique and appearance, you are truly outstanding individuals!"
Qinghe had no time to listen to his praise and impatiently said, "Six superior rooms."
The shop owner was always good at reading people's expressions. Seeing Qinghe's impatience, he immediately came out from behind the counter to greet him personally, saying, "Alright, six superior rooms, please come upstairs, gentlemen."
After assigning the rooms, Qinghe took out a silver ingot to shut the innkeeper up. The innkeeper, who was skilled at changing his expression, immediately shut up and went downstairs with a smile.
The room was luxurious, exuding wealth in every corner. Qing wandered around aimlessly for a while, and finally sat down to the side, resting her chin on her hand and lost in thought.
The door opened, and it was Qi Rong.
He brought over a pot of freshly brewed tea, went straight to the table, took out a teacup, and poured it for Qinghe, as if he was certain that Qinghe couldn't brew tea himself.
"What are you thinking about?"
Qinghe composed himself, "Thinking back to that scholar from earlier."
Qi Rong put down the teapot, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Don't think about other men."
Qinghe laughed, "It's not that I miss him, it's that I miss what he said. I'm very angry, I even miss..."
"You want to kill those people?"
"Um."
Qi Rong sat opposite him and said, “Human hearts are hard to discern. Most of the ugliness in the world is hidden under the guise of kindness. You can’t kill them all.”
Qinghe tilted her head and looked at the candlelight, her dark eyes gleaming with a cold sharpness. "But there's nothing we can do, isn't there?"
Qi Rong rarely showed this expression; it was quite different from her usual self, which only added to her charm.
A thought stirred within him, and he leaned closer, leaving a kiss on the corner of her lips.
With a touch as gentle as a dragonfly skimming the water, Qinghe was slightly taken aback, her fingertips brushing towards the corner of her mouth, "You're taking advantage of me."
Qi Rong smiled wickedly, "Then take it back."
Qinghe got up and moved closer to him. The two were very affectionate across the table. Just as their lips were about to touch, the sound of a door opening interrupted them.
At the doorway, Mu Dong covered Shen Xun's eyes with both hands, his big eyes wide open, his cheeks bulging, completely dumbfounded.
Shen Xun pushed Mu Dong's hand away and walked away expressionlessly. Qing He vaguely heard him say, "Why does this kind of thing always happen to me? I'm going to go blind..."
The sound gradually faded into the distance. Qinghe stopped, walked up to Mu Dong, and seeing that he hadn't come to his senses yet, waved his hand and said, "Wake up, it's time to eat."
Seeing that he didn't react, Qinghe sighed, turned him around, and pushed him down the stairs step by step.
Even when the food was served, Mu Dong was still dazed. Qing He sighed and thought to herself that this child was hopeless. So innocent, how could she possibly find happiness in the future?
"Have you heard? Yuanbei Valley will open in three days. I heard that a lot of rare and precious treasures have been found there, such as water salamanders, seven-colored golden lotuses, Zhu Yuan fruits, and forged meteorite iron. Even the once-in-a-century Heavenly Cicadas have appeared, and there are quite a few of them!"
"Really? That's a windfall!"
"Get rich? Don't even think about it. With our cultivation levels, we'd be lucky to find a piece of copper or iron in the valley. Every year there are countless experts, hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and..."
He looked around and whispered, "I heard that the Liu family will be coming this time, and they've brought quite a few experts with them!"
"The Liu family? Aren't they supposed to live in seclusion, detached from worldly affairs? What happened this time?"
"I don't know the reason, but I heard that the head of the Liu family was undergoing a heavenly tribulation a few days ago. He was just one step away from becoming a god, but he made a mistake at the crucial moment, and his efforts were in vain. He almost lost his soul."
He took a sip of tea and continued, "Fortunately, he has a good son who used his power in time to save his father's life, thus averting a major disaster. However, this has severely damaged his physical and mental health. Therefore, I speculate that the Liu family came out this time to find the Heavenly Cicada to refine the Slaughtering Yuan Pill in order to heal the Liu family's leader."
"If that's really the case, it seems we won't be able to get a single cicada. The Liu family is not to be trifled with. Don't be fooled by their reclusive nature and detachment from the mortal world. On this Chaos Continent, besides the five major sects, the Liu family is the most powerful, even surpassing them. It's generally considered the sixth major sect, which shows their immense prestige and influence. We small fry probably won't be able to snatch anything good."
He sighed, finding even the fragrant tea tasteless.
After that, they chatted casually. Qinghe's ears twitched, and he withdrew his divine sense to look at Qirong, who seemed lost in thought.
She had just heard the two men mention the Slaughtering Yuan Pill, which required the use of Heavenly Cicadas to refine. It seemed that the Heavenly Cicadas were the most important ingredient in refining the Slaughtering Yuan Pill.
A slight stirring in her heart led her to place her hand on the back of his hand, which was slightly cool.
Qi Rong paused, looking into Qing He's deep eyes, knowing what the other was thinking without needing to say a word.
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