Chapter 36

The snow never ceased, and today's matters had yet to settle down.

An Renjie shouted at the steward Wu, "Old Wu, it's time to fix the inn's door. Why are you saving that bit of money for your young master Shen?"

"This door has been here for a hundred years. It's made from a piece of dragon-subduing wood, which is worth a thousand gold pieces. It's our inn's golden signboard," the steward Wu said proudly. Of course, this door wasn't left from the past; it was given to Shen Lian by Old Master Shen because the inn was well-managed.

Saying it's worth a thousand gold pieces might be an exaggeration, but it was indeed very valuable.

This wood grows slowly, is hard and resilient, with a smooth and fine surface, and is not easily broken. When forcefully broken, the edge is like a knife, sharp as a blade.

More remarkably, this wood emits a faint fragrance that repels venomous insects. With this door, many of the guests entering the inn would have any unclean creatures on their bodies driven away.

An Renjie, who was uneducated, didn't know what dragon-subduing wood was, but he knew that Wu wasn't one to make baseless claims. It seemed that the material of this door was indeed somewhat valuable.

"Since this door is so precious, aren't you afraid it will be stolen if left outside?"

"Master An, you're joking. Who in Qingzhou City would dare to steal from our inn?"

"Alright, stop bickering. There's someone outside the door. Uncle Wu, send two people to bring him in." Shen Lian's brows furrowed slightly; trouble always picked the right time.

He smelled a faint trace of blood.

The steward Wu, who was used to Shen Lian's ability to know things without seeing or hearing them, sent two attendants to open the door. Sure enough, not far away, a person was lying there.

The two attendants carried the person inside. It was a man in black, about twenty years old, with his eyes tightly closed, clearly unconscious.

His body was intact, but his clothes were covered in snow and somewhat wet.

Laying him down on the ground, Shen Lian had someone bring a basin of hot water.

He gently touched the man's forehead, which was burning hot.

His gaze fell on the man's chest and abdomen, where there were three barely noticeable puncture marks, as if made by needles.

The smell of blood came from here.

"Such a high level of hidden weapon technique, each needle hitting the acupoint with perfect accuracy. If they were all fired at once, that person must be truly formidable."

Striking acupoints is a common skill among martial arts experts, but using hidden weapons to strike acupoints with such precision requires both talent and hard work.

Moreover, there was a malevolent aura inside the man's body, which couldn't be suppressed and was running rampant. It was this malevolent aura, which was extremely hot, that prevented him from freezing to death in such cold weather.

In such weather, even martial arts experts with true qi to protect them would find it hard to travel far. Not everyone is as powerful as Xin Shisiniang, who isn't even human but a supernatural being.

"Master, the hot water is here."

There were still many diners in the hall. In such weather, there wasn't much entertainment, and Xin Shisiniang had come and gone in a hurry.

Now they all gathered around, hoping to see some excitement.

"Friends, I don't like being watched when I save someone. Please disperse."

"Master Shen, we just want to watch; we won't interfere."

"Exactly, we've heard that Master Shen is a skilled physician, and we want to see it for ourselves."

Shen Lian smiled faintly, not getting angry. He moved like a gust of wind, so fast that these people only saw a blur.

The shadow circled around the crowd and returned to its original spot. At this point, including those who had spoken, everyone was frozen in place, motionless.

These diners remembered that Master Shen was no ordinary person.

"I have a problem. When people don't listen to reason, I tend to use force. I apologize for offending you all," Shen Lian said, still polite and refined.

"If you agree to disperse, blink once, and I will release your acupoints," Shen Lian continued.

After he spoke, everyone blinked.

"Alright, I have one more thing to say."

The onlookers, fearing that Shen Lian might do something else, couldn't speak or move. They wanted to apologize and calm Shen Lian down but were powerless to do so.

"If I release your acupoints and anyone still refuses to leave, I will make everyone suffer with them, making them feel more guilty and reflective. I'm sure you won't object."

After saying this, Shen Lian released their acupoints as he had done before.

Even those who were still不服气 (unconvinced) thought of Shen Lian's final words and feared the collective anger.

Everyone dispersed, and some, impressed by Shen Lian's prowess, tried to curry favor by ordering more wine and food, hoping Shen Lian would notice and leave a good impression.

After all, people tend to bully the weak and fear the strong. Fear of power rather than respect for virtue is a common flaw.

Shen Lian, with a compassionate heart, used stern measures.

He wasn't a bad person, nor was he a spineless good person. Although the Bodhisattva is compassionate, it doesn't mean being overly kind. Manjushri, when he attained enlightenment, also killed ten thousand demons, without diminishing his compassion.

As for offending some guests and potentially affecting the inn's business, it wasn't something Shen Lian considered. Living in the secular world, he had no desire for wealth or fame, so why should he care about these things?

Shen Lian refocused his attention on the man in black. His stubble was prominent, indicating he hadn't groomed himself for a long time. From the other marks on his body, it was clear he was on the run.

His right hand had thick calluses, suggesting he practiced with a knife or sword, but he had no weapon, indicating it was lost.

Apart from the three needle holes, there were no other wounds on his clothes, suggesting he was injured by hidden weapons and immediately fled.

The loss of his weapon likely meant the incident was sudden, or he had thrown it with great force to delay his pursuers. This proved how fast the attacker was and how decisive the man in black was.

This seemed to fit the pattern of a martial arts vendetta. The fact that the man in black came to this inn might have something to do with him.

After all, Shen Lian now had some reputation in the martial arts world.

These were all Shen Lian's speculations, and he wouldn't let a person die just because he wasn't sure. He sought the Dao but didn't ignore human nature. If he could save a life, he would.

Perhaps in the future, he would follow the path of supreme detachment, but for now, he was still human, with human feelings.

After a cup of tea, the man in black was slightly lifted and faced the basin of hot water. He began to vomit, and what came out were ice-encrusted blood clots, dark purple and clearly toxic.

They melted into the hot water, but the smell of blood still lingered.

Shen Lian, smelling it, felt somewhat annoyed.

If the hot water hadn't melted the blood clots, the smell would have been even stronger and more unbearable.

PS: Thank you to Liuyue Bie Ku for the 588 reward, and to Wufa Wutian Busan Sifeng, Dasui Diguo Yang, and Qingqing for their support.

[Page Flip AD Start]

[Page Flip AD End]