Back at the inn, all three rooms were empty and locked. Hong Xiaoduo asked the cleaning staff and learned that the eight people—one adult and seven children—were practicing martial arts in the inn's backyard.
Hong Xiaoduo went over and indeed saw the eight masters and disciples squatting in a horse stance and practicing their fists.
The seven children were sweating profusely from practicing. They took off their cotton robes and put them aside, their short stubble steaming with heat.
When Quan Jinghuai saw her return, he gestured for his disciples to continue practicing, then looked at her and asked, "Is the matter settled?"
"Okay, all done." Hong Xiaoduo replied, looking at the seven children practicing martial arts earnestly, feeling very gratified.
"You have quite a wide network of connections," Quan Jinghuai joked.
Hong Xiaoduo raised an eyebrow and said, "It's alright, mainly because I have good character."
After saying that, he didn't stay to disturb their martial arts practice. He turned and left, went back to his room, lay down on the bed fully clothed, pulled the blanket over half of his body, closed his eyes, and took a nap.
When the seven disciples returned, Yuheng found her asleep and quickly came out to signal everyone to keep their voices down.
When Hong Xiaoduo woke up, the sun was already almost setting.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I didn't see Yuheng and Yaoguang. I stretched and walked out of the room and saw that they were practicing calligraphy in Tian Shu's room.
"Mother, those military officers are here and waiting downstairs," Tianquan immediately told Hong Xiaoduo as soon as he saw her.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo said, "Then why didn't you wake me up sooner?"
The children looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
They didn't mean to wake her up, but unfortunately, she was sleeping so soundly that they just couldn't bear to!
Hong Xiaoduo immediately walked out and saw Quan Jinghuai outside the door: "Are you just going like this?" He pointed to Hong Xiaoduo's head and asked.
Although I just wore a high ponytail, my hair was all messed up after sleeping all afternoon.
"Are you alright?" Hong Xiaoduo muttered to herself, but still returned to her room to quickly wash up.
In the lobby downstairs at the inn, six men in military uniforms were sitting opposite each other, drinking tea, while the other four stood and frequently looked towards the stairs.
"This kind-hearted young lady you've met has quite a bit of an air about her, doesn't she?" Lin Ansheng said with a smile, picking up her teacup.
Peng Xian hurriedly said, "You must be tired after such a long journey. If the general is hungry, why don't we go to a restaurant first? I will pay for it later."
Ying Hai, who was standing nearby, heard everything clearly and inwardly complained about General Lin, who insisted on coming along as soon as he learned that the deputy general was coming to host a banquet for Miss Hong.
"Hehe, did I come here to freeload?" Lin Ansheng wasn't going to leave.
Peng Xian had been by his side for many years, and he knew his personality best. Why would he be so interested in a young woman he met on the street? It sounded like there was something fishy going on.
That's why he deliberately followed along, wanting to see what kind of person the young lady praised by his trusted confidant really was.
As they were talking, they heard footsteps coming from the stairs. The six of them turned around and saw several children coming down, followed by a young man, and finally Hong Xiaoduo.
"Miss Hong, we meet again." Qi Feng and the others greeted Hong Xiaoduo happily.
"Hello, it's nice to see you again," Hong Xiaoduo replied happily.
Upon approaching, Peng Xian introduced the man beside him to Hong Xiaoduo: "This is our General Lin."
"General, she is the young lady Hong that I told you about."
"Hello, General Lin." Hong Xiaoduo greeted the other party politely. The person Peng Xian brought must have a good relationship with him.
So, for the sake of Peng Xian and the others, we should be more enthusiastic towards them.
Looking at the poised and elegant young woman before him, Lin Ansheng suddenly understood why Peng Xi and his subordinates had acted this way. She was unpretentious, her face devoid of makeup, her hair simply styled without even a hairpin.
Lin Ansheng smiled and nodded to Hong Xiaoduo, which was considered a greeting.
"Who is this?" Peng Xian asked, looking at Quan Jinghuai standing to the side, puzzled.
I thought the person coming down the stairs was one of the other guests at the inn, but it turns out they were with her.
"My name is Quan Jinghuai. I greet the general and the officers." Quan Jinghuai said, clasping his hands in greeting.
“He is Tian Shu’s master,” Hong Xiaoduo added from the side.
Lin Ansheng and the others returned the greeting with smiles, which was considered a way of saying hello.
Once everyone had arrived, they headed out to the restaurant they had booked.
As Yang Yichuan and the others walked, they made a ruckus with the children. Peng Xian walked beside Hong Xiaoduo and whispered, "So fast, they actually found them a master?"
“Yes, Tian Shu and the others wanted to learn, and he happened to want to teach, so it was a good fit and they became his disciples,” Hong Xiaoduo replied.
General Lin Ansheng and Quan Jinghuai, the master of the seven children, lagged behind, walking side by side. They were strangers to each other and didn't know what to talk about, so they simply remained silent.
Not far from the inn, we arrived at the restaurant that Peng Xian had booked, Linjianglou.
We booked a private room, which had two tables inside.
Without Peng Xian even having to make any arrangements, Ying Hai and Qi Feng sat down at a table with the seven children.
Hong Xiaoduo and Quan Jinghuai sat at a table with Peng Xian, Lin Ansheng, and the other two.
The other two also wanted to sit at the same table as the children; no one wanted to sit at the same table as Lin Jiangjun. However, the children's table was a bit crowded, so they had no choice but to sit at the same table as their deputy general.
"Young Lady Hong, would you like a drink?" Peng Xian asked.
"Thank you, but I won't drink," Hong Xiaoduo replied decisively.
Everyone at the table except her was drinking alcohol. The food and drinks were served quickly, and Hong Xiaoduo ate and chatted with them while drinking light tea.
“Young Lady Hong, when you came here, did you hear about that incident near Baishi Town?” Peng Xian asked, remembering the question.
Hong Xiaoduo looked at him, puzzled: "Did we skip Baishi Town? Is there some gossip behind it?"
"A gang of robbers who made a living by robbing people on the road were all wiped out," Peng Xian told him, thinking to herself that she and the children were really lucky.
Otherwise, if we had encountered that group of robbers earlier, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Even if he now has a master with seven children, no matter how powerful he is, he can still take on more than twenty robbers by himself!
"Is that so? They're really unlucky. The New Year is almost here, and now they're going to spend it with the King of Hell." Hong Xiaoduo was quite surprised to hear this, and she was also glad that she had taken the shortcut.
"Yeah, I wonder who the people who took care of them are. They're really ruthless," Ying Hai remarked.
Who are they? Hong Xiaoduo couldn't help but think of Tang Xihua and his group. The numbers were about the same, but... could it be?
"Could it be some kind of feud between gangsters, or double-crossing?" Hong Xiaoduo casually guessed.
While talking, he didn't stop eating.
Sitting across from her, Lin Ansheng drank his wine and couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. It was the first time he had ever dined at the same table with a young woman, a complete stranger. She was the only young woman at the table, yet she was completely at ease.
Judging from her attire, she seems like a woman from the martial arts world, but why don't I sense any internal energy in her...?
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