Chapter 15
Xu Dahe hurriedly stood up and saw a young swordsman in blue standing behind him, with a long whip wrapped around his waist.
"Who are you...?"
"They're here to stay at the hotel."
"Then please follow me this way. This is the back door, and the room is upstairs."
Shen Yu and Qiu Chiyan were both at the counter in the lobby. When they saw Xu Dahe leading someone over from behind, Shen Yu went over to greet him.
The blue-clad swordsman responded calmly and walked past them with extremely light footsteps, without making a sound.
"Brother Qiu..." Xu Dahe sidled up to Qiu Chiyan after he went upstairs and whispered, "I saw blood on that man's whip, the dried, blackened kind..."
"Scared?"
“…I didn’t,” Xu Dahe stubbornly insisted.
Qiu Chiyan chuckled: "That person's martial arts are quite good, and he has a bit of a reputation in the martial arts world. Have you heard of Thousand Threads?"
Xu Dahe shook his head.
"His soft whip moves like silk threads, continuous and unbroken, and can imprison the enemy's mind and lock down vital points within a few moves."
"That's amazing! How come you're staying here...?"
"What, you look down on us now?" Qiu Chiyan teased him, but as he expected, Xu Dahe was not one to joke.
"Just greet them normally. Even the most capable person still needs to eat and sleep."
"Oh... okay..."
After Xu Dahe returned to the back to continue training, Qiu Chiyan's expression became less relaxed.
As Shen Yu came downstairs, he raised his hand to gesture for her to come closer, his voice extremely low: "Be careful of him, I don't think he has good intentions."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Qiu Chiyan tacitly agreed, and Shen Yu had already noticed that the man's martial arts skills were quite good: "It's not that he's bad. It's just that at this critical juncture, he's traveling alone. What do you think he's planning to do?"
Shen Yu thought for a moment: "Because he doesn't like crowds."
"...That's possible, but what if he did it on purpose?"
"Intentionally...let people know he's a person, so they'll come looking for him? You mean that mysterious person?" Shen Yu realized belatedly.
"Keep an eye on your pots and pans. When these lone warriors fight, they don't care whether they're inside or outside the house, or whether their belongings are valuable."
"Then you must stand up for me, Officer Qiu!" Shen Yu exaggeratedly clasped her hands in a fist salute, which amused Qiu Chiyan so much that he smiled and pressed her hands down.
Zhao Ze happened to see this as he entered, and he picked up the teapot and poured it directly down his throat.
"I'm out here running around every day, and you're here with a beautiful woman by your side. Fine, fine, I'm not doing this job anymore!"
Qiu Chiyan glanced at Shen Yu urgently, and seeing that she didn't mind, he looked at Zhao Ze again: "Really not doing it anymore?"
"...None of your business!"
"Speak, what is it?"
"Actually, it's nothing much. I just wanted to remind Manager Shen that things have been a bit chaotic lately. Please keep an eye out for the inn and also keep an eye out for anyone with high martial arts skills or suspicious behavior."
"Yes, one just went up."
"Who?" Zhao Ze immediately became alert, afraid that someone would hear him.
“Ye Wushuang, the one who uses a whip,” Qiu Chiyan replied.
Zhao Ze then relaxed: "That's good, the upright people can rest a little more at ease. The real danger is those who don't know where they come from, and want to show off with the Hundred Sects Sacrifice Blade. That's the hardest to guard against."
“Ye Wushuang…” Shen Yu thought carefully. She had never met this person, but she had heard others talk about him. “Is he the one who defeated three top-ranked experts at the age of eighteen?”
“Exactly.” Qiu Chiyan put down the ledger and sighed softly. “Opinions about him in the martial arts world are mixed. Some say he achieved fame at a young age, while others say he is arrogant and conceited. However, judging from his past actions, he is also a person with a strong sense of justice. Therefore…”
He then looked at Shen Yu.
However, Shen Yu herself didn't mind. She liked liveliness, and worrying about things that hadn't happened yet would only add to her own troubles.
But the next few days were calm.
Ye Wushuang simply went downstairs to eat on time every day, went out for a stroll, and always returned to the inn before dinner.
However, Yao Liuliu is becoming increasingly eccentric.
She often gets distracted and serves the wrong dishes or uses the wrong seasonings, but fortunately she notices quickly and doesn't cause any complaints.
Unable to contain herself any longer, she pulled Shen Yu back into the room and asked her nervously, "Have you noticed that someone has been secretly watching us lately?"
Shen Yu exclaimed with admiration, "Not bad, you haven't lost your skills, and you're still alert."
Yao Liuliu was taken aback: "What do you mean? It really exists? You discovered it a long time ago??"
"Yes, on the third day after Ye Wushuang moved in."
"Then why didn't you tell me!" Yao Liuliu snapped angrily, unleashing a flurry of punches at Shen Yu. "You only ever talk to Qiu Chiyan, don't you! You traitor!"
"...I didn't!" Shen Yu denied quickly, but there was a strange sense of guilt in her heart.
After venting her anger, Yao Liuliu tidied her hair and took a deep breath: "Did you see who it was?"
"No, that person is quite skilled. Although he gave himself away, I haven't been able to catch him immediately."
The feeling of uncertainty is the most unbearable. Yao Liuliu anxiously tapped her fingers back and forth, her mind racing to find a solution.
“If you’re worried, you can sleep with me for a while,” Shen Yu suggested.
“…Really? Never mind, never mind…they…” Yao Liuliu couldn’t hide her surprise and joy, but after a moment of emotion, reason prevailed.
“Oh…it’s not me who’s afraid.” Shen Yu said, taking a few steps back, but his eyes were fixed on her, calm and direct.
"...Wait a minute!"
Yao Liuliu's mind raced for a moment, and after hesitating for a while, she finally gave up resisting.
Even though I'm such a grown-up, it's a bit embarrassing to hide in someone else's bed out of fear, but life is more important than saving face.
So, in broad daylight, she began moving things upstairs and relocating the house.
Zhao Ze has been coming more often lately.
The cases of Yanyu Pavilion and Huichun Hall were resolved relatively smoothly, but he and Qiu Chiyan had a lot of official documents to deal with.
The two of them huddled in Gong Er's room, listening to the clanging and clattering noises outside.
"What's going on? Has business been slow at the inn lately?"
"It's alright, I guess. Although they're not inseparable all the time, they do have their little secrets." Qiu Chiyan wrote with a light touch, his tone quite ordinary.
They had known each other for a long time, so it's normal that they had some common topics.
“Sigh…” Zhao Ze sighed, looking up at the sky. “Although I’m often away from home, I’m mostly busy with cases, and I only know suspects. I rarely get to interact with interesting people from the martial arts world like Manager Shen.”
Qiu Chiyan looked up at him, then turned to another page: "You've been in Sanhe Town for several years now, and I haven't seen you come here."
"...I'm busy! And they're all low-key people. Who would have thought that this inn is full of such people? But once this case is closed, we'll go our separate ways. I don't even know where I'll be sent to work next. What about you? When are you going back to the capital?"
Qiu Chiyan remained silent, writing furiously with his pen.
Zhao Ze added, "Although the source of some of the hallucinogenic drugs has not yet been found, we've caught the drug dealers, so we can investigate slowly. Your master certainly won't let you waste time here."
"...Even snacks can't shut you up. Let me have some peace and quiet, I'll finish writing first."
Qiu Chiyan stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth and then buried himself in his work.
Zhao Ze naturally stayed for dinner as well.
Just then, Ye Wushuang returned from outside.
After a while, these people became familiar with each other, and they silently nodded to each other as a greeting.
However, today, Ye Wushuang took the initiative to ask Shen Yu, "Shopkeeper, do you have any cold water?"
"Yes, I'll take it upstairs for you in a bit."
"No need, shopkeeper, just show me the way, I can lead the way myself."
Shen Yu didn't think much of it. Having such a guest was very convenient, so he led him through the back door to the backyard.
The stone railing beside the well in the courtyard was covered with a light layer of green moss, and an uncollected wooden bucket was still hanging by the well rope.
The well reflected the shadows of two people. Just as Shen Yu was about to turn around, she saw Ye Wushuang suddenly raise her hand slightly on the water.
Almost without making a sound, the slender whip tip shot out like a snake's tongue, slicing through the air and bringing with it a gust of cold wind that went straight for Chen Yu's shoulder.
Shen Yu leaned slightly to one side, turned his waist, and his sleeve swept past the whip's shadow, causing a corner of his robe to be lifted by the wind.
"What are you doing? Did you come here specifically to smash my water bucket?"
Ye Wushuang put away his whip, a faint smile on his face: "No offense intended, I just wanted to test your skills, Manager. You are indeed extraordinary."
"Does simply turning around make you extraordinary?"
"When I went out yesterday, I saw the shopkeeper move in a flash to catch the bowls and plates that were about to fall, and I realized that the shopkeeper was a man of great skill."
"So what? Are you going to drink water or not?"
Ye Wushuang cupped his hands towards Shen Yu: "Since the innkeeper possesses such skill, he must have noticed that someone has been lurking suspiciously near the inn recently. Yet the innkeeper seems indifferent to it?"
"Whoever it is, as long as they haven't entered my inn, they have nothing to do with me." Shen Yu felt that this person was always talking to himself and ignoring her, so she lost her patience. "You're so boring. You didn't even say hello before you started fighting with me. I don't care what you're doing here, so you should mind your own business."
“…Manager Shen!” Ye Wushuang couldn’t stop her, and didn’t want to go forward to stop her again.
Shen Yu sat back down at the dining table, not even glancing at Ye Wushuang as she went upstairs.
After he returned, Qiu Chiyan asked in a low voice, "What happened just now?"
"It's nothing, he's just itching for a fight."
"...?"
"Let's eat! I bought some wild Sichuan peppercorns today, and I braised some free-range chicken pieces with double the spice. It's so delicious!"
Shen Yu didn't want to talk about it, and no one else asked anymore.
After dinner, Yao Liuliu monopolized Shen Yu, leaving the task of washing the dishes to Gong Er and the others.
Since Shen Yu agreed to Kai Ping and Wei Qi's request for the weapons trial, the two of them went back to prepare. Today, when they came again, they didn't even have a chance to speak to Shen Yu alone.
The razor blades tucked in the bundle were never taken out.
Gong Er offered a few perfunctory words of reassurance, then glanced upstairs at Chen Yu's room, a flicker of worry crossing his eyes before returning to normal when facing the others.
Yao Liuliu closed the door, turned around, and her face turned pale.
"What's wrong?" Shen Yu rarely saw her like this.
"Today, I think I saw him...one of their people..." Yao Liuliu bit her lip, anxiously. "Right on the roof! But only for a moment, I'm not sure...maybe I've been too stressed lately and am hallucinating..."
Shen Yu had always known Yao Liuliu's fear, but the other woman's momentary hesitation just now made her blurt out:
Are you afraid of Moonshadow Gate, or are you afraid of someone?
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