Chapter 1309: Time to Pay the Bill

Jiang Wang's hand, poised to push open the door, froze in mid-air.One unexpected event after another – this surely wasn't mere chance.Who was targeting him?And how had they discovered him?Jiang Wang reflected that in Zhao, these past days, he had scarcely left his room, never doing anything to expose his identity. It seemed improbable he had been discovered recently; any clues they had must be from before.But if those manipulating matters secretly had known his whereabouts beforehand, why wait until today to act?Moreover, what methods were behind these various "accidents"? Why was there no discernible fluctuation of elemental force, not a trace left behind?These questions surfaced in his mind, while the hand that had paused in mid-air now grasped a sheathed longsword.The 神龍木 (Divine Dragon Wood) sheath was ancient and unadorned, yet the sharpness of the 長相思 (Everlasting Longing) already pierced through.Sword in hand, Jiang Wang strode out the door –Whoever it was, he must face them. And in this state of being targeted by these frequent "accidents," he did not wish to implicate the innocent.Beyond the door was a corridor. Jiang Wang quickly turned, suspecting that if he remained, the entire inn might collapse.But at that very moment, a small knife suddenly appeared before him.This small knife was strangely formed, and its appearance was equally peculiar.Jiang Wang felt no fluctuation of elemental energy, nor did he perceive how it had appeared… did it fly from somewhere, or manifest in some way, or arrive by breaking through space?In any case, when his vision caught it, the small knife was already before him.It exuded a mysterious aura.But it was only pointing its handle towards him, seemingly without intent to attack.Jiang Wang regarded it with cold eyes, maintaining vigilance.He saw the small knife, tip forward, land on a nearby corridor pillar. As if held by an invisible hand, it moved with the grace of a dragon and phoenix, and wood chips flew. The small knife began to carve characters. From top to bottom, it wrote –"In the streets of Linzi, a protective talisman was once taken. Payment is now due!"Yu Beidou!Upon seeing these words, it was no longer difficult to guess the source of this series of anomalies.Thinking carefully, although today's collapsed bed and fallen door suggested extremely bad luck, there were indeed no "accidents" that truly endangered his life. Rather than a targeted ambush, it seemed more like some kind of prank.Only…Upon seeing these words, Jiang Wang's first thought was – "Didn't I already pay one刀錢 (dao coin)?"Back then, everyone agreed on one 刀錢 per protective talisman; that's why I requested it.After the transaction was complete, why were they charging extra?As if knowing what Jiang Wang was thinking, right before him, the carving knife finished its last stroke. It suddenly shed its cold light, dropped, and transformed back into a dao coin, flipping in the air and falling towards Jiang Wang's hand.It was precisely the one Jiang Wang had paid initially!No wonder he had felt the strange form of this small knife before; it was clearly a mutated dao coin!From this, Jiang Wang also roughly understood how Yu Beidou had tracked him down. A dao coin given by his own hand would inevitably have some connection to it. For a physiognomist of Yu Beidou's level, performing some manipulation or capturing some trace was entirely possible without his awareness.Though he recognized the dao coin, Jiang Wang decisively clasped his hands behind his back, avoiding receiving it.The protective talisman Yu Beidou had given was now completely gone. How could he possibly take this dao coin back?The dao coin could be returned, but the protective talisman could not!Jiang Wang avoided it by clasping his hands behind him, but the dao coin was persistent, circling back like a frenzied bee to a flower, insisting on landing in his hand.The Azure Cloud mark appeared and vanished, and Jiang Wang, with graceful movements, twisted and shook it off.The dao coin pursued again, Jiang Wang fled again… one person and one dao coin, thus, twisted back and forth in this narrow corridor, appearing and disappearing like phantoms.To this day, Jiang Wang did not know what Yu Beidou's protective talisman had blocked for him. Although, according to Chong Xuan Sheng, something did seem to have happened. Perhaps a curse, an attack… he should indeed be grateful.But then again… hadn't he already paid one dao coin?!Yu Beidou's affairs were not easy to get involved with.His strength was already far from sufficient, and the man himself was often entangled in some mysterious and strange matters.Jiang Wang considered himself weak and thin-armed, unwilling to take on trouble.Who knew what "account" Yu Beidou wanted to settle?The dao coin, having pursued in vain for a long time, finally seemed to understand something. It flew back to the pillar and continued carving –"How about helping me with a favor?"It didn't mention the payment anymore.Jiang Wang, regardless of whether the other party could see or hear, decisively shook his head and said, "Please don't mention it if you have something. I can't help you."The dao coin paused, as if startled by his bluntness, and quickly resumed carving: "I will pay.""It's not about money!" Jiang Wang softened his tone and said apologetically, "I'm really not convenient right now. Please find someone more capable!"The dao coin carved with great emphasis: "Ten elemental stones."Jiang Wang said with very little confidence: "I'm not short of money either…"The dao coin circled in the air for a while, then carved again: "I'll also teach you a top-tier Outer Manifestation level dao art.""Meeting is predestined fate!" Jiang Wang had already taken a step forward, a smile on his face: "If you have anything, Venerable Elder, please feel free to say it. This junior will absolutely not decline to help!"The dao coin swiped across the air, wiping away the carved characters on the pillar. It no longer "conversed" with Jiang Wang, but flew away on its own.Jiang Wang tightened his cloak and followed discreetly. Passing the innkeeper who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, he casually handed him a gold ingot: "I've caused you trouble. This is compensation for the damaged items in the inn."The innkeeper received the gold ingot in a daze, and before he could say anything, the cloaked figure in hemp robes had already walked far away.His steps appeared leisurely, but his speed was extremely fast, and he had a carefree, immortal aura.Only the authentic Linzi accent words were left behind, like listening to celestial music.He bit the gold ingot in his hand, confirmed its full purity, and couldn't help but sigh: "As expected of a Linzi person!"In the top-floor room that Jiang Wang had inexplicably broken into, two fleshy-bodied mandarins were also talking on the bed.The curtain covered the four-poster bed, making them seem like they were hiding in a fortress."What was he doing just now?" The woman peeked through the gap in the curtain, glancing outside."I don't know." The man was still shaken.The woman asked again: "Was he peeking at us before? Then he got excited… and fell down?""I don't know." The man was dispirited.The woman whispered: "It seems like a transcendent lord…""Probably." The man was dejected."It seems that although this person is transcendent, he cannot escape the mundane.""Alas." The man sighed."Who was he talking to just now?" The woman asked."It seemed like no one." The man was in a daze."Was it to hide his embarrassment?""Who knows?" The man's heart was still."You seem scared." The woman said.The man forced a smile: "Hehe, I'm not scared at all."The woman glanced: "It's really broken."The man stopped talking."Should we report it?" The woman asked again."Everyone's gone…" The man reacted: "Let's get dressed first!"When the orders exceed ten thousand, I will hold a lucky draw event in the Qidian book review area to thank genuine readers. The current planned prizes include three copies of my book "Journey to the West" published this year, signed and sent out. Other prizes are probably some Red Heart peripherals.Currently, the average order is 9,400. Ten thousand orders, charge!)Source: