Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 244: Chapter 195: Entering the Bandit’s Den

Xie Yuan knew before he even stepped inside that any establishment in a place like the Fengsha Collection would be anything but normal.

However, he had also considered that it was so close to the West Pass, serving as the first stop from the Great Li into the West Desert. It was unlikely to be home to any truly formidable powers.

It was just that spies and informants from every major power were gathered here, making the situation unusually complex. If you weren’t strong enough, you could be quietly buried in the sand and no one would ever know.

But if you did display your strength, you could get by without any trouble.

He had spent several months as a Darts Master. And while his martial prowess hadn’t been very high back then, that was the life of an escort. Experts only needed to worry about their training, but Darts Masters who scraped by at the bottom of the martial world had far more to consider. This had given Xie Yuan a wealth of experience and keen instincts.

Compared to a disciple like Huang Zifeng, who had been taught by a Major Sect, Xie Yuan’s senses were far more acute in places like this.

This was the kind of place where showing weakness only attracted hungry wolves.

While his companions were still exchanging wary glances with the other patrons, Xie Yuan had already calmly sat down at a table, leaving the other four stunned.

He looked at the others and smiled guilelessly.

"Seniors, aren’t you going to sit?"

A corner of Huang Zifeng’s mouth turned down. ’And here I thought this Zhang Mountain was about to offer some profound insight. Can he really be so slow that he hasn’t noticed anything is wrong?’

’Just a moment ago, I thought this kid was sharper than the others, but I was wrong... For a place this obviously dangerous, he’s being far too dense, far too simple. All he thinks about is food.’

He frowned slightly, his opinion of Zhang Mountain dropping a few notches.

The group sat down at the table, waiting quietly for their food to be served amidst the tavern’s oppressive silence.

Huang Zifeng quietly surveyed their surroundings, his eyes narrowing.

’When I was here before, the atmosphere wasn’t this tense, and it wasn’t this crowded... Did something happen recently?’

He wouldn’t have dared to bring Xie Yuan and the other three here if he wasn’t confident.

According to Cui Zhi, who had guided him on his travels before, the Fengsha Collection was a den of saints and sinners alike. The truly powerful might not be found within the town itself, but it was an excellent place to hone the kind of skills needed in the martial world—skills beyond mere cultivation.

However, the town seemed more crowded than usual today, which put him on high alert. He decided he would let the others get a feel for the place, find their target, and then leave as soon as possible.

Before long, a waiter came trotting over with their order: a plate of peanuts, a plate of fennel beans, a plate of soy-braised beef, a plate of meat buns, and a pot of clear wine.

Xie Yuan eyed the plate of meat buns with some hesitation, muttering to himself,

"They wouldn’t be *that* cliché, would they?"

But even with the love for fine cuisine that Situ Qin had instilled in him, he didn’t dare try these.

Huang Zifeng remained impassive. The Lin siblings, however, exchanged a glance before silently taking out silver needles to test each of the dishes. Before they could see the results, a sneer echoed from behind them, followed by a coquettish voice:

"If you’re so afraid my food is poisoned, then just don’t eat. Why make things so difficult for yourselves?"

The Lin siblings were instantly mortified, unsure how to respond. Then, Pei Yu’s cold voice cut in.

"I bought this food. I’ll do whatever I want with it."

The proprietress glanced at him and said coolly,

"You haven’t paid yet."

Pei Yu walked to the counter, pulled a glittering gold ingot from his robes, and slammed it down.

The ingot’s gleam was blinding, like a juicy slab of meat thrown to a pack of wolves. In an instant, it captured the attention of everyone in the tavern. The burly patrons at the other tables all fixed their gazes on it, their eyes locked.

Huang Zifeng’s brow furrowed deeply, but it was too late to stop him. His hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his sword.

He shot Pei Yu a cold look, but from his angle, he could see the faintest smirk playing on Pei Yu’s lips. Startled, his expression of displeasure softened slightly.

The pale-faced proprietress stared at the gold ingot, her mouth agape and her eyes wide, looking as if she were about to drool. Fortunately, she managed to restrain herself; otherwise, the thick layer of powder on her cheeks would have been washed away in two white streaks.

She instinctively reached for it, forcing a brilliant smile onto her face.

"Yes, yes, of course! Do whatever you like with the food. You can feed it to the dogs for all I care..."

Her fingers touched the ingot, but when she tried to grab it, it wouldn’t budge. Pei Yu had no intention of letting go.

The proprietress looked up to find Pei Yu watching her, a faint smile on his face.

"This isn’t just for the meal. It’s also to buy some information. I wonder, is it enough?"

"That depends on what you want to know."

The proprietress raised an eyebrow, not agreeing immediately.

Pei Yu said calmly,

"Are there any irredeemably evil External Training Martial Artists around here? Preferably nearby, and in a group of about four."

The proprietress stared at him for a moment after he asked, then suddenly burst into loud, exaggerated laughter.

"What a question... You think people like that are hard to find around here? Everyone in this hall is exactly what you’re looking for!"

She extended a slender, pale finger, gesturing to encompass everyone in the hall. Then, she grinned and jutted her chin toward the street outside.

"Take the entire Fengsha Collection—if you killed nine out of every ten people you met, you wouldn’t be wrong about a single one, and you’d still have a few who slipped the net. Irredeemably evil? What a quaint term!" she cackled.

Laughed at like this, Pei Yu’s face flushed. He felt he had made a mistake, and his embarrassment quickly turned to anger.

He was about to retract the gold ingot when the proprietress slammed her hand down on it with a loud THUD.

The proprietress’s eyes narrowed and her mouth split into a wide grin, revealing a row of neat, pearly-white teeth.

"What do you think you’re doing? You’ve already paid. Are you trying to take it back?"

Pei Yu’s expression faltered, and for a moment he was unsure whether to let go. But the proprietress’s grip was astonishingly powerful; he couldn’t wrench his hand free no matter how hard he pulled. Defeated, he had no choice but to leave the gold ingot and return to his table in disgrace.

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