Neither Ye Moxun nor Song Tantan came downstairs, and there were dogs guarding the stairs, so the bodyguards dared not go up. They could only ask the Bai family guards and maids, who could freely go up and down the stairs, to reason with them.
But the guards and maids had no say in Ye Mo's search for them, and they dared not say much. They tried to avoid going downstairs as much as possible because they were annoyed. But people have to relieve themselves, and they couldn't go to the outhouse without going downstairs.
"Young man, could you please talk to the shopkeeper and ask him to come down here? We really have something urgent to discuss with him." Although it's been raining heavily all day, it might stop raining tomorrow, and they want to leave as soon as possible then. But before they leave, they need to get rid of the poison in their bodies.
Some of the bodyguards suspected that the shopkeeper was lying to them, because they hadn't actually been poisoned at all, since they didn't feel anything unusual. They could eat and sleep well, and there was nothing wrong with them; their complexions were normal.
But the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was cautious. He tried to lift a box filled with heavy objects, and this attempt caused him great distress. His blood rushed to his head, and his internal organs began to ache terribly. When the other镖师 saw his condition, they all tried to lift heavy objects and had the same reaction as the head镖师.
At this point, they dared not even think that the shopkeeper was lying to them. The shopkeeper was not lying; they were really poisoned and would surely die without the antidote.
So when the guards who came downstairs to use the outhouse were blocked, they wouldn't let them leave until the guards agreed to help invite the shopkeeper down.
The guards, tired of being pestered, had no choice but to agree to the bodyguard's request and went upstairs to call the shopkeeper.
After hearing the guard's grievances, the shopkeeper Ye Moxun nodded lightly, "I understand. I'll go down and explain things to them later."
"Young Master Ye, I don't think those bodyguards are bad people. It's not easy for anyone traveling. Please don't be angry with them and let them go." For some reason, the guard started pleading for the bodyguards.
Ye Moxun glanced at the guard and said, "I hate it when people tell me what to do; it's like adding unnecessary details."
The guard shivered under his gaze. Strangely, he was a martial arts expert, had killed people and seen blood, and was considered worldly-wise and bold. Yet, in front of this Young Master Ye, he instinctively wanted to lower his head, feeling a strange sense of fear.
Just now, when he glanced at me with his piercing eyes, I instinctively flinched. After I came to my senses, I was terrified. Was it because he knew poison and kept a pack of wolf-like dogs that I was intimidated by him?
A young boy, whose identity was not obvious, yet his aura and powerful presence, like that of someone in a superior position, were truly oppressive.
The guard left in a daze.
Just as Ye Moxun was about to return to his room, he saw Song Tantan come out from next door. She poked her head out, blinked, and said, "Do you want me to come downstairs with you and back you up?"
"Hmm." That means yes.
So the two changed their appearance again, dressing up as they had when they opened the door for the bodyguard the night before.
The bodyguards were now like ants on a hot pan, in a frantic rush. The twenty-odd men paced back and forth in the guest hall, making the head bodyguard's eyes blurry.
Just as the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was about to lose his temper, one of the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) exclaimed, "The shopkeeper is down, and the proprietress is down too!"
There was a moment of silence among the people downstairs, but they started making noise again after only ten seconds. The group squeezed to the stairwell, wanting to ask the shopkeeper for the antidote.
But when they met the shopkeeper's sinister gaze, the bodyguards were as if they had been doused with cold water. They immediately sobered up and dared not act rashly again. They obediently stepped aside and waited for the shopkeeper and his wife to come down and sit down at the table before winking and signaling the head bodyguard to come forward and negotiate.
"I heard you want to see me. What is it?" Ye Moxun said slowly and deliberately in a rough voice.
The镖头 (bodyguard/escort) stepped forward, bowed, and after a moment's hesitation, said, "Shopkeeper, we were very ignorant last night and offended you. Now, I've brought my brothers here to apologize to you. We hope you will be magnanimous and let them off the hook."
After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling the others to be quick-witted and express their support to the shop owner.
More than twenty bodyguards bowed to Ye Moxun and Song Tantan, apologizing and hoping to gain their forgiveness so that they could quickly give them the antidote.
Ye Moxun never intended to do anything to them; he only administered the drug to prevent them from taking action. Seeing their good attitude and genuine apology, he nodded in agreement.
“The antidote is not a problem,” he said, tapping the table with his fingers. “However, the inn’s rules cannot be broken. The lodging fee and the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt must be paid in full. Have you finished eating all the meat in the kitchen? How much vegetables have you eaten? You can give me the money accordingly.”
Upon hearing this, the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) fell silent again, exchanging glances and hesitating to speak. Finally, the head镖师 stepped forward and asked, "Shopkeeper, how much is the antidote?" They didn't believe that this strange shopkeeper would give them the antidote for free.
Song Tantan said in a high-pitched voice, "We already said to give whatever you think is appropriate. We're not bad people. Just give us a little something, don't feel too pressured, just a token amount is fine."
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) glanced quickly at the plain-looking, downright ugly proprietress with a "I don't believe your nonsense" look. Hearing her voice, which sounded like fingernails scraping against a table, he felt a bit uneasy.
But he couldn't show it, for fear of angering the other party. He could only pretend to be uncomfortable and say in a nice tone, "We all have families. We have elderly parents to support and wives and children to raise. Running escort missions is risking our lives. Earning some money is really not easy."
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was shrewd. When it came to money, he started playing the victim. Song Tantan touched her rough, plain face and thought that she looked like a compassionate person.
Looking at Ye Moxun's weathered and somewhat sleazy face, he didn't look like a good person at all. What gave the head镖头 the wrong impression that she and Ye Moxun would ask for less money after hearing his sob story?
Song Tantan's mind wandered again for a moment, until Ye Moxun noticed her strange expression, coughed, and reminded her to be serious. Was this the time to daydream?
There were over twenty bodyguards, all trained martial artists. Although they seemed honest, who knew what their true nature was? These men all knew martial arts; don't let a moment of hesitation lead to you being taken hostage.
You need to learn to protect yourself when you're out and about; you were too careless.
The head镖师's eyes flashed, and after a moment's internal struggle, he handed over a bag, saying, "Here is one hundred taels of silver. Please accept this as a token of my appreciation."
Ye Heixun didn't take it immediately. Instead, he chuckled in a rough voice and said, "Half a tael per person for lodging and half a tael for food and other expenses. If you stay for two nights, it'll be two taels of silver per person. There are twenty-four people, so that's forty taels in total. I'll charge you fifty taels."
They often didn't earn fifty taels per escort mission, but if you break it down, each person spent two taels. Although it was a bit pricey, it wasn't excessive and they could easily afford it.
The bodyguards were quite surprised. They had initially thought it was a shady inn, and that the owner was a heartless man who would poison people and extort a lot of money from them.
Although the internal strife of the Great Jin Dynasty has ended, the world has been in chaos for so many years that local governments have no control over many areas. People who run black shops have been killed, and the victims may have died in vain.
The bodyguards were worried that the shopkeepers would try to steal their money and kill them, so they were willing to hand over their money to save their lives.
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