Chapter 62

Following the established agreement, the group spurred their horses westward, heading for the Sword Gate Pass. Along the way, the mountains were majestic and the Sichuan peaks towered high, blocking the north wind from the south.

Although the north was already desolate with withered trees, outside the Sword Gate Pass, the grass stretched to the horizon, and the green trees lined up, with chirping birds giving a sense of summer.

Liang Wenjing, forced by the group to impersonate the Prince of Huai'an, was extremely unwilling. On the journey, he tried every means to delay time, either defecating or urinating, causing endless trouble.

Bai Pu and the other two were extremely annoyed, but they dared not act rashly due to Liang Tiande. Li Wuqing, however, just watched the commotion from the side.

Thus, they dragged along, and by dusk, they should have entered the Sword Gate Pass, but they only reached a small town called Xigu. Seeing the sky already dark, it was inconvenient to travel at night, so Duanmu Changge suggested finding an inn to stay for the night.

"Waiter," the six people sat down, and Yan Gang called out, "Bring us the best wine and dishes."

The waiter, with his keen eyes, saw that the guests were not ordinary and smiled, "Coming right up, coming right up." He then lit the lamp.

There were about seven or eight tables of guests in the inn. Nearby, a man and a woman were seated.

The man was about twenty years old, with a sharp nose and deep-set eyes, dressed in black. He stared straight ahead, his face cold and expressionless. On his right side was a long, black silk bag, the contents of which were unknown.

The woman wore a pleated embroidered skirt, with a graceful figure. Her black hair was tied up with a gold ring, revealing her snow-white neck.

As soon as they saw the two, Li Wuqing's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing that they must be Xiao Qianjue's two disciples, Xiao Leng and Xiao Yuling.

Although Xiao Qianjue was a top expert in the Kunlun world, he would not appear in the Iron Blood Hero. The experts Li Wuqing would face were Xiao Leng and Xiao Yuling.

Compared to Xiao Qianjue, Xiao Leng's martial arts were much weaker, but he was still a top expert, and Li Wuqing had no confidence in defeating him.

"Sir, this is our inn's signature dish," the waiter said, placing a white porcelain box on the table and smiling, "It's called 'Drunken Crab.'"

He opened the box, and a fragrant aroma of wine immediately filled the air. Upon closer inspection, the box contained over ten bright red crabs.

Duanmu Changge laughed, "Isn't it just 'drunken crab'? What a fancy name."

"Is this good to eat...?" Liang Wenjing asked.

"Sir, do you know that in autumn, crabs are fat and full of roe, making this the best time to eat them."

"Oh."

Liang Wenjing looked a bit scared and dared not pick up the chopsticks.

"Sir, try it and you'll know," the waiter urged.

Liang Wenjing looked at Bai Pu, who smiled and said, "Your Highness, please."

Liang Wenjing had no choice but to pick up a crab and take a big bite. The others then heard a crunching sound, like the sound of a stone mill.

"Hmm, it's good, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, really good," Liang Wenjing said, pretending to be an expert, to the amazement of the others.

Suddenly, a crisp northern accent said, "Brother, so crabs can be eaten like this!"

Liang Wenjing looked up at Xiao Yuling, his face turning red and his heart pounding, completely captivated.

Xiao Yuling was indeed very beautiful, with an oval face, rosy and white, a straight nose, and arched eyebrows. Her large, alluring eyes sparkled, captivating the onlookers.

Even Li Wuqing, who had seen many beauties and had met the goddess Wang Yuyan and Huo Qingtong, couldn't help but praise her beauty.

A beauty that even Li Wuqing had to secretly admire, Liang Wenjing, who had seen little of the world, was naturally captivated and couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Hey, fool, why are you always looking at me?" Xiao Yuling laughed at Liang Wenjing.

Xiao Leng turned his head, his gaze like ice and snow, piercing Liang Wenjing's face. Liang Wenjing was startled, and his enthusiasm cooled by half. Xiao Leng "hmm"ed, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Li Wuqing glanced at Xiao Leng but did not pay much more attention, fearing that it would draw the other's attention and lead to a conflict.

Li Wuqing had considered inciting Bai Pu, Yan Gang, and Duanmu Changge to attack Xiao Leng together, but after some thought, he decided it was not safe.

With the four of them, it was uncertain whether they could defeat Xiao Leng, let alone kill him. Therefore, he decided to wait until he was fully prepared before making a move.

Xiao Yuling said to Liang Wenjing, "Fool, can I have one of the crabs from your box?"

"Sure," Liang Wenjing quickly agreed and was about to pick up the chopsticks.

Suddenly, Xiao Leng said, "Yuling, stop fooling around, you already ordered this dish."

Xiao Yuling pouted, "But why do we have to peel our crabs, while they can eat them whole?"

Liang Wenjing was startled and saw Duanmu Changge peeling a crab, revealing the red and white crab meat, which made his face flush, and he almost wanted to dig a hole and hide.

The waiter hurriedly apologized, "Miss, you misunderstood. Crabs do need to be peeled, but... but this guest's eating method is a bit different."

"Is that so?" Xiao Yuling said, "I think their crabs are different. Are you bullying me because I'm from the north, giving us the bad crabs and them the good ones?"

The waiter repeatedly protested, but Xiao Yuling walked over to Liang Wenjing, ignoring the others, picked up a crab, and took a bite, then slapped him, shouting, "Are you a fool? Can you really eat this?"

Liang Wenjing was dazed by the slap, with five clear finger marks on his left cheek.

Bai Pu, Duanmu Changge, Yan Gang, and Liang Tiande were all shocked and angry. Yan Gang, in particular, slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "You woman, you eat and then hit people. Where in the world is such a principle?"

Xiao Yuling coldly laughed, "Not convinced? I never hit people for a reason." As she spoke, she flipped her hand and slapped Liang Wenjing again.

Liang Wenjing, seeing her coming, quickly leaned back, but Xiao Yuling's hand followed his movement, and with a crisp sound, another handprint appeared on his right cheek.

Yan Gang, enraged, pressed his hand on the table, leaped up like a hawk, and struck at the girl's face.

Midway through his strike, seeing Xiao Yuling's beautiful face, Yan Gang's heart softened. He raised his arm, changed his palm to a claw, and grabbed at her hair.

At the moment he changed his move, the girl's fingers opened like a white lily. Yan Gang heard a "swoosh," felt intense pain in his hand, and quickly kicked out.

Xiao Yuling's red sleeve lightly brushed his ankle, and Yan Gang felt as if he had kicked an iron plate, falling backward, causing a loud crash as he crushed the table behind him.

Lifting his right hand, he saw five bleeding holes, blood gushing out, and he was both shocked and angry.