Chapter 46. I'll be a good teahouse owner.

In the afternoon, the sky suddenly turned dark.

Looking at the dark sky and the damp atmosphere, it seemed like winter rain was about to fall. Everyone was perplexed, especially since the weather had turned this way right after they left the city.

Zhuo Gao Ming, the leader of the Five Peaks Ten Heroes, seemed to recall something and said,

"Wait! There was an old shrine somewhere around here, remember?"

Xin Yang Jue, the leader of the Gumi Fubian, exclaimed,

"That's right. If we go about 2.5 kilometers further, we'll reach the Po Clan Shrine."

"That's it! I remember seeing it when I passed by. Come on! Let's hurry. We can't get caught in the rain on the road."

Encouraged by Zhuo Gao Ming, the Five Peaks Ten Heroes quickened their pace.

Fortunately, the Five Peaks Ten Heroes found the shrine before the rain started. Although only four pillars were intact, it still had a roof and walls, which was something!

As soon as they found the shrine, Zhuo Gao Ming shouted to the Five Peaks Ten Heroes to gather firewood. He knew the importance of dry wood from their previous nights outdoors.

Feng Yan Chao, the innkeeper, also ran around to collect wood.

Thanks to their efforts, a large pile of wood was gathered in a short time.

Lian Ji Xia kept bringing more wood without resting.

When he brought the third pile of wood, a sudden 'thud' was heard, and heavy rain started pouring down.

Pitter-patter.

Lee Cheol San and Han Chae Yeon, who had gone a bit further, returned drenched like drowned rats. Despite this, they chuckled when they saw the pile of wood.

The diligent Lee Cheol San started a fire with flint.

The Five Peaks Ten Heroes gathered around the bonfire as if they had been waiting for it.

Feng Yan Chao joked, looking at the Po Clan's memorial tablet in a corner of the shrine,

"At least we can rest well thanks to the Po Clan."

Zhuo Gao Ming, who had been nodding, frowned at the heavy rain.

"However, this rain doesn't seem to be stopping soon. We might be stuck here, unable to move."

"There's still a lot of food left, right?"

"Yes."

"Then it's fine. Since we're here, let's make offerings and rest well. Han Chae Yeon and Xiao Bai have blisters on their feet from the journey, so there's no need to rush."

Han Chae Yeon poked the fire with a branch and said,

"Ah! It would have been nice if it had rained when we were at the inn in Taopu. It's a shame, a real shame."

"That's true..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As the warmth from the bonfire spread, the Five Peaks Ten Heroes started to doze off.

Lian Ji Xia, who had been sitting huddled, woke up to a slight noise.

It was still early evening, but the sky outside was dark due to the rain.

The interior of the shrine was dimly lit by the embers of the bonfire.

The Five Peaks Ten Heroes, exhausted from their long journey, were scattered and asleep.

Next to him, Xia Bai groaned and shifted in her sleep.

She must have woken up from her movements.

He considered adding more wood to the embers but decided against it to avoid waking the others.

As he stared blankly at the embers, Xia Bai sat up groggily.

"Ugh. Big Brother, when did you wake up?"

"Just a little while ago."

Xia Bai looked around furtively and then said,

"Do you know? One day, Big Brother will come down from the mountain."

"Maybe."

"Pfft, I'm serious. Just wait and see. It will happen as I say."

"I never said I would live on Wufeng Mountain for the rest of my life."

"True."

Xia Bai nodded.

Indeed, Lian Ji Xia had never talked about his future.

"When will I be able to do what I want?"

Xia Bai glanced at Lian Ji Xia.

If he were with her, she could live the life she wanted right away, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Hmm, after about two or three years of training, you won't lose easily. Then you'll need to start saving money, right?"

"Phew. It will take at least ten years, won't it?"

"You're still young. What's there to worry about? Even if you become a teahouse owner in ten years, that's pretty fast, isn't it?"

"Ha! That's true. Will you help me?"

"Sure."

Lian Ji Xia nodded without much thought.

Xia Bai bit her lip, looking at him.

The answer she wanted wasn't like that. She wanted a deeper relationship. But Lian Ji Xia seemed to have no interest in that direction.

"Big Brother..."

"Hmm?"

"Who do you like, Big Brother?"

"Not really..."

A sigh escaped Xia Bai's lips.

As expected, he had never thought about it.

'They say some people are slow in that area...'

At seventeen, shouldn't he be very interested in girls? While she found his innocence charming, it was also frustrating.

"What about me?"

Xia Bai looked at Lian Ji Xia intently.

A while ago, Han Chae Yeon had said, "If a man is slow, a woman can lead him." She had said this while watching Xia Bai constantly circling around Lian Ji Xia.

"You'll be a good teahouse owner."

"..."

A bitter smile appeared on Xia Bai's face.

Aside from his lack of experience with relationships, he didn't even see her as a woman.

Feeling dejected, Xia Bai got up and gathered more branches.

Just as she was about to place them on the dying embers,

"Wait."

"Why?"

"Shh."

Lian Ji Xia focused his ears.

Pitter-patter. Thud. Thud.

Amid the sound of the rain, urgent footsteps could be heard. They were getting louder and clearer.

Someone was coming to the shrine to seek shelter from the rain.

'In the middle of the night?'

Lian Ji Xia, puzzled, looked at Xia Bai and said,

"Don't try to revive the fire yet. People are coming."

Xia Bai quietly put down the branches.

Experience had made her cautious.

Bang. Crash.

The uninvited guests burst in noisily.

The door, which had been hanging loosely, fell off, waking the Five Peaks Ten Heroes.

Five people had entered the shrine.

One of them shouted sharply,

"Who are you?"

The Five Peaks Ten Heroes looked at the intruders in disbelief.

There were five young men, two of whom were carrying large sacks on their shoulders. They clearly looked like thieves who had just robbed a place and were fleeing.

They might have been in the same line of work, but this was different. It was one thing to be a thief, but to barge into someone's shelter and start yelling was too much!

The hot-tempered Ma Xing Dao burst out,

"We were here first. What kind of nonsense are you spouting, coming in late? You look like thieves with those sacks on your shoulders. Who do you belong to? Speak up, you bastards!"

At that moment, lightning struck outside the window.

The bright light illuminated the room, and the sacks twitched.

"Damn! Kidnapping!"

The men put the sacks down.

Two of them blocked the entrance to the shrine.

A middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader, clicked his tongue.

"You guys are really unlucky. To meet us here of all places."

With that, the middle-aged man, Zhan Xue Mada Bai Shu Fan, drew his yuye sword.

The other four also drew their weapons.

The faces of the Five Peaks Ten Heroes hardened.

To draw swords without even asking who they were?

They felt they had been drawn into something serious.

Despite the shock, the Five Peaks Ten Heroes immediately gathered around Lian Ji Xia.

Naturally, Lian Ji Xia found himself at the front.

Only then did Bai Shu Fan look at the boy with a strange expression.

The way the ten people moved in unison and the fact that they were not ordinary was evident.

"Who are you?"

Lian Ji Xia, who had somehow drawn his saber, scratched the shrine floor and asked,

"Why? Are you going to set up a memorial tablet for us?"

Bai Shu Fan frowned at his casual demeanor.

The way the ten men and women had put the boy in front suggested they had some confidence, but he couldn't figure out why. There were no light-hearted high-level martial artists.

He examined the boy again but found nothing special.

"Attack!"

Bai Shu Fan shouted and charged at the boy.

Since he intended to kill them anyway, there was no need to waste time.

Grrrr.

A strange sound filled the shrine.

Bai Shu Fan's eyes widened as he was about to strike down with his yuye sword.

The moment the boy scratched the floor with his saber, the stone slabs on the shrine floor burst open. Suddenly, a sword flew out like lightning.

"Ugh!"

Bai Shu Fan instinctively screamed and blocked the sword with his yuye sword.

Clang.

With a heavy sound, Bai Shu Fan was pushed back.

The other three uninvited guests were also not faring well.

They were facing Xin Yang Jue, Feng Yan Chao, and Zhuo Gao Ming.

The shrine was too small for all ten to fight, so only three had stepped forward.

Xin Yang Jue, a well-known demon, was expected to be strong, but Feng Yan Chao and Zhuo Gao Ming were also holding their own.

While Feng Yan Chao and Zhuo Gao Ming held the line, Xin Yang Jue beheaded his opponent in five seconds.

"Ugh!"

The man clutched his chest and fell back.

From then on, the tide of battle turned completely.

With Xin Yang Jue's support, the two men were forced to retreat.

Bai Shu Fan watched his subordinates being overwhelmed with a perplexed look.

He never expected to be cornered in such a place.

Now, instead of killing others, he had to find a way to survive.

'Damn it! If it hadn't been for this heavy rain, we wouldn't have come here.'

Unlucky people fall and break their noses, and this was exactly that. Why were martial artists gathered in this long-abandoned Po Clan Shrine?

'I might have to give up the offering for the temple.'

Honestly, he didn't have the confidence to carry the terrifying monster and the offering away.

Bai Shu Fan's eyes darted around.

Then, in a moment, he threw his favorite dagger at the boy and fled through the door.

A desperate scream echoed in Bai Shu Fan's ears as he crossed the courtyard.

But he didn't look back.

He could always find new subordinates and offerings, but he only had one life.

Lian Ji Xia examined the dagger thrown by his opponent.

He had no intention of chasing after him.

Why would he go to such lengths when he didn't even know who the man was?

Especially in this rain!

Lian Ji Xia's attention was entirely on the dagger.

It was too precious to use once and throw away, especially with gems embedded in it. He couldn't understand why someone would throw such a valuable item and run.

Meanwhile, Feng Yan Chao and Xin Yang Jue searched the bodies but found nothing special.

While they were doing this, the other Five Peaks Ten Heroes opened the sacks.

Surprisingly, a Taoist and a monk emerged from the sacks.

The Five Peaks Ten Heroes, who had expected a beautiful woman, frowned.

Why had they captured a useless Taoist and a monk?