Chapter 134: The Inn

Heavy breathing.

On a rugged mountain road, Chen Ji waded through weeds and bushes, taking a step and looking back three times.

Feng Huai, who was originally trailing behind, had disappeared, and even Feng Lie and the giant axe were nowhere to be seen.

He gripped the "Whale" in his hand tightly, suddenly abandoned the mountain road, and darted into the forest, hiding his body under the dense canopy of trees.

However, just as Chen Ji turned his head to look around again, a flash of knife light suddenly burst forth from the canopy in front of him, like a silk ribbon pulled from the Milky Way, chopping down head-on.

Howling wind accompanied a sharp shriek.

Chen Ji subconsciously raised his knife to block, but just as the knife was halfway up, Feng Huai's knife tip was already stopped at the center of his brow.

In the silence, the knife tip did not fall.

Chen Ji breathed heavily, recalling everything that had just happened.

He didn't know when Feng Huai had hidden in the tree. He also didn't know why Feng Huai could guess that he would walk this path.

He only felt like a beginner at chess, each step calculated precisely by someone else.

Feng Huai's face was smeared with grass juice, and his body was tied with branches. The knife tip remained motionless, without the slightest tremor: "Before, the King only let us fight on the mountaintop to protect you, so that we could only compare skills. But true combat is not just about skills."

Chen Ji thoughtfully said: "Combat?"

Feng Huai asked solemnly: "What is combat for?"

Without waiting for Chen Ji to answer, he continued: "So-called combat is to think what the enemy thinks, to anticipate the enemy's first opportunity. To utilize everything that can be utilized. Mountains, rivers, trees, the human heart. To end the opponent's life."

Saying that, Feng Huai sheathed his knife and slowly retreated into the forest behind. Before disappearing into the shadows, he said softly: "Teacher, these are all things you taught us in the past, now it is my turn to teach you."

Only at this moment did Chen Ji understand that Feng Huai's strength did not lie in his knife technique, but that true combat had just begun.

From noon to evening, on this green mountain, Chen Ji was assassinated by Feng Huai again and again.

His opponent was like a ghost, exhausting all of his lifelong learning to the extreme.

He would be killed walking in the forest, killed walking by the river, and even killed when walking in the open by Feng Huai and Feng Lie surrounding him.

Feng Huai sometimes stuck to a tree like a piece of bark, and sometimes was like a piece of driftwood in the river water, acting whatever role was needed. He forcibly turned the green mountain into a huge ghost mountain, terrifying to the extreme.

But this time, Feng Huai no longer made a move to kill people, but withdrew his hand again and again at the moment he was about to kill, leaving Chen Ji alone in the original place to recall all the details.

At a certain moment, Chen Ji walked to an empty place and turned his head to look towards the mountain peak.

Xuanyuan was holding the king's banner with his hand, quietly overlooking him from the highest point. The expression on his face was unknown, whether it was mockery or pity.

"Chen Ji, wake up. Chen Ji!"

Someone slapped Chen Ji on the shoulder. He suddenly stood up and subconsciously swung the 'Whale' in his hand, chopping towards the left side.

At this instant, when he swung his knife and raised his hand, he was still in the dense forest shadows of the green mountain.

When his arm fell, he was already back in the sunset afterglow of Yichuan County city. His hand was empty.

Chen Ji hesitated and lowered his head to look around. Mister Wang, White Carp, World Son, and Chen Wenzong were all sitting in the ox cart, looking up at him in astonishment.

White Carp's hand, which had patted his shoulder, was still hanging in the air.

The ox cart had already stopped. Beside it was the empty 'Welcome' inn.

It was an old two-story wooden building. Looking up, one could get some idea of its age.

Wang Daosheng carefully sized up Chen Ji for a moment, then asked: "Had a nightmare?"

Chen Ji quickly replied: "Yes, Mister, I just had a nightmare."

Wang Daosheng smiled: "Presumably it is because you didn't rest well. We'll stay in this inn shortly. Everyone should rest early."

At this time, several clerks from the shop came out with smiles: "Several guest officials, please come inside."

Zhang Xia asked: "Do you have hot water?"

The clerk quickly replied: "Yes, yes, it's boiling in the backyard. One pot of hot water costs two *wen*."

Zhang Xia didn't care: "Do you have beans to feed the horses?"

The clerk smiled and said: "Also have, have. This guest official's horse is majestic and divine, it must eat the best beans to be good."

Zhang Xia casually threw the horse whip to the clerk, smiled and said: "You can talk."

The clerk busily and awkwardly caught the horse whip and bowed low, leading them through the door.

Before entering the door, Chen Ji subconsciously surveyed the environment inside, sweeping all the surrounding corners. He was afraid that a Feng Huai would jump out from somewhere.

White Carp asked curiously: "Chen Ji, what are you looking at, east and west?"

Chen Ji came back to his senses and secretly laughed at himself for being so psychologically scarred by Feng Huai's assassination.

On the first floor of the inn, there were several *baguan* tables casually placed. Several tables of guests were just eating. The second floor was the guest rooms.

He didn't know if it was because Chen Ji's nerves were too tense, but as soon as he stepped over the inn's threshold, he felt that all the diners were intentionally or unintentionally sweeping their gaze over him.

Chen Ji rubbed his brow. Was he too vigilant, leading to a misunderstanding?

While rubbing his brow, he lowered his head and used his peripheral vision to examine all the diners.

Not a misunderstanding.

These people had wine on their tables, but none of them had taken a single sip. Their eyes were clear, and their faces were as usual.

The most important thing was that these diners all had short knives hidden in their sleeves.

Others might not see it, but Chen Ji could.

He took a step forward and gently pulled Wang Daosheng's arm: "Mister, this inn is a bit dirty, let's change to another one."

Wang Daosheng was slightly startled: "Oh?"

The shopkeeper behind the counter quickly walked out and smiled apologetically: "This guest official, you are joking. Within ten li and eight villages nearby, our Welcome inn is absolutely the best. Big merchants coming from the south and north to Yichuan County city all stay here."

Chen Wenxiao turned his head to look at Chen Ji and said disdainfully: "You don't have the destiny of a noble son, but you have the illness of a noble son. This inn is already very good. None of us dislike it, but you do."

Chen Ji didn't look at him, but looked towards Wang Daosheng: "Mister?"

Wang Daosheng looked at him deeply, thought for a moment and said: "Let's change and take a look over there."

Having said that, he turned and went out the door, without any hesitation.

They walked along the long street for two *li*, until sunset. They only found three inns, and without exception, all three inns were full. Even the horse stable was occupied by people. Most of them were going to Lu Hun Manor to watch the literary meeting.

Chen Wenxiao complained: "Hurry back to the Welcome inn, otherwise even there will be no place to live. Chen Ji, if you want to be sick, don't drag everyone down with you, okay? You can't even endure this little hardship. I think Taiyi Yao spoiled you too much."

White Carp frowned: "Why do you speak so unpleasantly? That inn was indeed not clean."

Just at this time, Wang Daosheng suddenly turned around and asked Chen Ji: "You didn't just want to change inns because it was dirty, right? Tell me the reason."

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke his worries: "In that inn just now, many guests were carrying short knives on their bodies, and their behavior was suspicious."

Chen Wenxiao suddenly burst into laughter: "I think you haven't been out much. What's the problem with carrying a knife?"

King Jing also smiled: "I thought it was something serious. Going far out in this day and age, carrying a knife is a matter of course. Even if you don't encounter mountain bandits or robbers, you have to guard against local snakes extorting money."

Saying that, King Jing took out a short knife from his sleeve.

Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao also took out a short knife from their own cloth packages.

Even Zhang Xia drew a dagger from his boot.

Chen Ji: ......

He had noticed King Jing carrying a knife. But he didn't expect others to be carrying one too.

Chen Ji couldn't think of any words to retort for a while, so he just cupped his hands and said: "Apologies, I made a fuss over nothing."

Wang Daosheng shook his head: "No harm, it's not wrong to be careful when going out. This time, the literary meeting at Lu Hun Manor has attracted too many outsiders. If we don't stay at the Welcome inn, we really will have to sleep on the street tonight."

Chen Ji said "Um," and "Then let's stay at the Welcome inn."

The crowd returned to the inn. The shopkeeper still greeted them with a smile.

Chen Ji looked around. Those diners from before were all gone.

He cupped his hands towards the shopkeeper: "I offended you earlier. I hope the shopkeeper doesn't mind."

The shopkeeper smiled so much that his eyes narrowed and said: "Look at what you're saying. We open our doors for business, how can we be afraid of guests finding fault? Just feel free to stay. Our Welcome inn is very clean."

Wang Daosheng asked: "Shopkeeper, how many rooms are left?"

The shopkeeper pointed towards the second floor and said: "There is only one *tian* character upper room left, and one *huang* character common bunk."

Chen Wenxiao raised his voice: "Common bunk? When have we ever stayed in a common bunk? Shopkeeper... do we look like people who stay in a common bunk? Here we... but there is..."

He was about to say that the distinguished King Jing was also among them, but he was stopped in time by Chen Wenzong, who politely asked: "Shopkeeper, I remember when we first entered the door, you said there were still many rooms?"

The shopkeeper said with difficulty: "If you had just stayed directly, there were still three *tian* character rooms at that time. But while you were out just now, more merchants came to stay."

Chen Wenxiao frowned: "I'll go find them. Since they are going to Lu City for business, presumably they will give us some face."

However, Wang Daosheng lightly raised his hand to stop him: "It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but difficult to go from extravagant to frugal. A common bunk is a common bunk. It's fine as long as there is a place to sleep. White Carp and Zhang Xia will stay in the *tian* character room. We will go to the common bunk."

Inns in this era were all like large courtyards. The front building was where guests stayed, and the backyard had tying stakes for horses, drinking pools, and piles of goods belonging to who knows how many merchants.

Inns also rarely had single rooms, mostly common bunks prepared for merchants and horse teams.

One room could accommodate twenty or more people.

Inns used to name rooms using *tian*, *di*, *xuan*, and *huang*.

*Tian* character rooms were the best, and *huang* character rooms were the most chaotic common bunks.

Chen Ji looked at the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, can you really not spare a *tian* character room?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "Guest official, I really can't spare one."

Chen Ji's heart sank. All the inns in Yichuan County city were full. Only the Welcome inn still had rooms. This was mostly waiting for people.

Then, if they were the last batch of guests, it meant that the opponent was waiting for them.

But why couldn't King Jing and Wang Daosheng see it?

The shopkeeper led the crowd upstairs and came to the door of the *huang* character common bunk. He lightly pushed the room door open.

The room was dark. On the large common bunk, which could sleep twenty or more people, several guests were already covered with quilts and sleeping. Snores echoed one after another in the room, and the smell of foot odor hit them in the face.

Chen Ji softly said: "Apologies, Mister, it was my delay that made you have to stay in this kind of place."

Before he finished speaking, he saw that Wang Daosheng and King Jing both walked in as if nothing had happened.

Wang Daosheng smiled and replied: "When leading soldiers outside, the greatest wish is to have a bed mattress and a quilt. The smell of those soldiers is countless times worse than here. No harm."

King Jing also laughed heartily: "I also lead soldiers, not worse than Mister Wang."

The night was deep and quiet.

Chen Ji lay on the common bunk and slept in his clothes, not even covering himself with the quilt.

He closed his eyes but was unwilling to sleep, only silently listening to the snores one after another.

Outside the window, a night watchman passed by, shouting "Heaven is dry, things are dry, be careful of fire."

At this time, a rustling sound rang out in the room. Someone seemed to be getting up.

Chen Ji slightly opened his eyes and saw King Jing quietly and silently going out the door.

Outside the door, someone softly said: "Please come this way. The lord is already waiting for you in the backyard."