Chapter 26

"You said it was the Tongfu Inn, why is the name different?" Outside the inn, two people had stopped. One of them was familiar to Shen Lian; he was the Prefect of Qingzhou, Shuo Zhizhou.

At this moment, he was dressed in casual clothes, his head full of confusion.

The person who spoke wore dark clothing, his eyes bright and black. A lock of hair fell over his left forehead, partially covering his face, giving him a cold and stern appearance, looking to be around thirty years old.

Shuo Zhizhou said, "It can't be wrong. Perhaps the name was just changed recently. Let's go in and ask, and we'll know."

The man coldly replied, "You guys are all just holding your positions without doing anything. You can't even get a simple thing like this right."

Shuo Zhizhou could only awkwardly smile, cursing in his heart: "You're just a lackey of the Xuanming Office, a dog of the emperor. What's there to be so proud about?"

Although he cursed in his heart, he didn't dare to say it out loud. In terms of rank, the other party was on par with him and was a watchdog used by the emperor to supervise officials. He had come from the capital, so it was best not to offend him.

Shuo Zhizhou, as his name suggested, only wanted to be a quiet parasite, to spend his term of office peacefully and accumulate enough wealth for the rest of his life. As for becoming a marquis or a prime minister, he, a third-class graduate of the imperial examination, had never even thought about it.

This envoy from the Xuanming Office had come from the capital to take away the man in the green robe. However, for some reason, although the matter had been reported and a reply had been sent to the prefecture, the envoy's departure from the Xuanming Office was delayed by a few days, leading to his arrival only now.

Shen Lian, as the last person to see the man in the green robe and who had returned safely to the Shen family, while the man in the green robe had disappeared, naturally had to be questioned by the envoy from the Xuanming Office.

However, the Shen family was highly respected in the area. Publicly sending people to take Shen Lian to the government office would give the wrong impression that the government and the Shen family were at odds. Shuo Zhizhou, a seasoned official, naturally wouldn't create unnecessary trouble.

He understood the stakes and, after much persuasion, managed to get the envoy to come to the inn to look for Shen Lian.

Moreover, the envoy from the Xuanming Office didn't seem to want to make a big fuss. He was particularly concerned about the man in the green robe, who was a notorious bandit known to both the Ministry of Justice and the Xuanming Office.

People in the Xuanming Office had intricate ties with the martial world. The envoy himself was from a martial arts sect. This time, finding the man in the green robe was both official business and personal. After all, he knew the man in the green robe's background and couldn't help but be interested in his Divine Sword and Divine Footsteps techniques.

******

Although Shen Lian was nominally the owner of the inn, the daily operations were handled by Manager Wu.

Manager Wu was heartbroken when Shen Lian changed the name of the century-old inn. After all, even though the Shen family was wealthy, the value of such a century-old business went beyond mere wealth; it represented a legacy and a symbol of enduring prosperity.

However, the patriarch of the Shen family was a very decisive person. He had instructed that all matters concerning the inn should be decided by Shen Lian without needing to inform him.

Even the deeds and other documents were all in Shen Lian's possession.

This place was truly Shen Lian's private domain. Even if Manager Wu had wanted to advise, he couldn't do much in the face of Shen Lian's usual calm smile.

High officials don't concern themselves with the gains and losses of a city or a region, and those far from the government don't worry about petty calculations.

The inn had three floors, and Shen Lian was on the top floor, which was not yet open to the public.

The inn was located on a bustling street in the city, a place deep in the secular world. The buildings opposite did not block the sunlight, which fell on Shen Lian by the window, giving him a sense of peace and comfort.

Since he had come to this world, this was the first time Shen Lian had truly felt the real life of this world.

Unlike the modern world with its bright lights and various social media tools, communication here was more face-to-face.

The neighbors and shopkeepers around the inn, far from feeling that Shen Lian was unapproachable because of his wealthy background, felt more sympathy for him due to rumors about his background.

In the three days since the inn's opening, many had helped in small ways. After all, Shen Lian was a bastard who had been cast out of the Shen family. Even though he now managed a century-old business, in the eyes of ordinary people, he seemed to have been driven out.

These things were like drinking water; only the drinker knew whether it was hot or cold.

Footsteps interrupted Shen Lian's thoughts. It was Manager Wu's footsteps, accompanied by two outsiders.

Shen Lian immediately recognized them and was somewhat surprised, as one of the two was skilled in martial arts and seemed quite accomplished.

The person's footsteps were very light, and if not for Shen Lian's special abilities, he might have overlooked him.

The knocking sound rang out.

Shen Lian stood with his hands behind his back, still facing the window, and said, "Come in."

"Master, there are distinguished guests looking for you," Manager Wu said.

When Manager Wu recognized Shuo Zhizhou, he was almost startled. He hadn't expected the Prefect to come today, though the Shen family was a constant while the Prefects came and went.

However, nominally, this man was the most powerful person in Qingzhou Prefecture, and Manager Wu, just a servant of the Shen family, felt a great deal of pressure in his presence.

If the other party had wanted to make a big fuss, Shen Lian would have had to personally go downstairs to greet him to avoid being impolite.

Shen Lian turned around and waved at Manager Wu, saying, "You can go down now."

Manager Wu wanted to say something but was deterred by Shen Lian's gaze and had to leave obediently.

It was strange, as Shen Lian was young and never harsh with people. Manager Wu wasn't particularly afraid of him, but once Shen Lian gave an order, he would instinctively obey. Even if he later thought it was wrong and went to find Shen Lian, seeing his usual calm demeanor, he found it hard to say anything.

Shen Lian's gaze first fell on Shuo Zhizhou, then on the envoy from the Xuanming Office.

The envoy wore dark clothing and carried a sword, his brows exuding a faint aura of blood and slaughter, making Shen Lian feel a bit uncomfortable.

Shuo Zhizhou, seeing Shen Lian, said, "Young friend Shen Lian, I hope you are well. I haven't had the chance to thank you for your help last time. This is Lord Meng Han from the Xuanming Office in the capital. He has some questions for you."

His words were carefully chosen, implying that he still remembered Shen Lian's favor and that he wasn't there to cause trouble, just to ask some questions.

As for what questions, you should know.

At the same time, he mentioned Meng Han's background, hoping Shen Lian would understand the gravity of the situation.

After all, Shuo Zhizhou had dealt with Shen Lian before and knew that although the boy was young, he was not to be underestimated.

Of course, if Shen Lian were an ordinary person, he wouldn't have been able to earn Shuo Zhizhou's gratitude.

Meng Han, upon seeing Shen Lian, couldn't help but inwardly praise him. He hadn't expected to find such a young man in a remote place like Qingzhou Prefecture.

However, that was all. He coldly said, "Boy, tell me what happened with Yang Xuan."

PS: The updates for the past few days might be delayed, but I'm keeping track of them. I haven't had time to write during the New Year. I hope you understand. Last night's update might have gone unnoticed; it was around 4 AM because the gathering only ended at 2 AM, and I then went to the internet cafe to write the chapter. To be honest, other authors might update many chapters a day, and I could do that too, but writing fast might be meaningful for others, but for me, the current pace is already quite fast.

Writing is different from work; it can't be mechanically repeated. Would you read something that's the same over and over? I wouldn't. I can't guarantee that my writing will be great, but I hope that one day I can say to someone in real life, "Look, this is something I wrote," without feeling ashamed.