Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 170 There is a ghost
When He Chen returned with his horse, He Liang had told him about traveling together, and the eldest son of the second generation of the He family readily agreed with a smile.

The He family of Aocheng seems to have a truly magnanimous family tradition.

The horses were also easy to divide. He Chen and his sister He Yuan rode together, leaving one horse for Han Youzhi and Lu Li to ride together, and Pei Xia and Ye Lu each rode on the twin brothers' horses.

As for the luggage, most of it was hung on He Liang's horse, which he was riding alone.

A group of nine people—that's quite a large group.

After leaving the small village, the horse headed east and rested for a while by the river at noon.

It was just a short rest, so there was no need to light a fire. Everyone tied up their horses, took out some dry food and water to fill their stomachs, and chatted for a bit.

The man with the red turban, He Liang, was probably older and didn't have much to talk about with the younger people, so he sat down alone on a rock to rest.

He Yuan leaned against Han Youzhi, whispering something to her, perhaps about a girl's makeup or clothing. She had asked Han Youzhi several times on the way here whether her tight-fitting farm clothes that constricted her chest and thighs were some new fashion trend in the martial arts world.

Two equally young twin brothers, one clinging to Ye Lu, wanting to see his extraordinary sword, and the other extremely curious about the ball of fur on Lu Li's head, wanting to poke it every now and then, and was being chased and beaten by Li Zi at the moment.

Pei Xia took a sip of water, looked at He Chen who was also scrutinizing everything, and smiled: "It seems your family really trusts you, leaving so many younger brothers and sisters in your care."

He Chen was slightly taken aback, then smiled wryly: "Uncle Liang should make the decisions on important matters. Just like you said, I'm just someone who takes care of the kids."

Uncle Liang.

Pei Xia glanced sideways at He Liang, who was sitting a little further away, resting alone.

However, it was He Liang who invited them to come along in the village. Moreover, this uncle was quite distant, knowing that the others were all young people and that he would feel uncomfortable here, so he even deliberately sat far away.

He Chen took a bite of his dry rations, then turned to Pei Xia and asked, "Speaking of which, I still don't know your name."

Pei Xia clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Junma City, Luo Xiaojin."

With a flatbread in his mouth, He Chen quickly returned the greeting: "He Chen from Aocheng, it's a pleasure to meet you."

His familiar yet naive demeanor was strikingly similar to Pei Xia's when he first entered the martial arts world, making Pei Xia want to laugh. Pei Xia asked him, "You don't even know our background, yet you dare to invite us to travel together?"

“Firstly, I trust Uncle Liang’s judgment, and secondly,” He Chen turned to look west, “there is fighting on the western front of Youzhou, and many Jianghu people who don’t want to cause trouble are moving east. The recent road closures in Chang County have stopped quite a few of them, so there’s nothing strange about it.”

Originally, Pei Xia just mentioned "Junma City" casually, but unexpectedly it resonated with the war on the western front.

"A discerning eye, a truly discerning eye! Haha!"

Pei Xia offered a dry, half-hearted attempt at flattery.

The rest stop will be short; after a brief pause, everyone will continue on their journey.

As evening approached, the outline of the town finally appeared in the distance, allowing everyone, especially Pei Xia and her group, to breathe a sigh of relief.

This was the first time they had returned to a human town since Zhu County—the mountain village was quiet, but it lacked the liveliness and human touch of a human village.

After dismounting and passing through the gate smoothly, the noise of the street immediately filled the air. Looking at the vendors along the street, the long-lost liveliness flooded into her mind, making Pei Xia's recently somewhat unruly "Huo Zhi" (a nickname for a character) much quieter again.

If it weren't for the three clusters of heart fire acting as a counterbalance, Pei Xia would have given up long ago.

According to the plan, once they arrived in the county town, Ye Lu had his own arrangements, and the group should part ways there.

But when they arrived at the inn, He Liang went inside and very naturally booked two rooms for Pei Xia and the other three.

This made Pei Xia feel flattered.

"It doesn't need to be much money. Just consider it a small favor to the He family. Otherwise, if word gets out, wouldn't it be said that we've neglected our friends in the martial arts world?" That's what He Liang said. He Chen didn't respond, but the children cheered.

Ye Lu, in particular, even reached out and tugged at Pei Xia's sleeve, whispering, "Having a more private environment isn't a bad thing."

Pei Xia wanted to make eye contact with Han Youzhi again, but since this morning, Han Youzhi had often been staring blankly into space, seemingly lost in thought, and thus did not respond to Pei Xia's gaze.

In the end, Pei Xia had no choice but to decline.

With two rooms available, Pei Xia couldn't share a room with Lu Li, so she had to let Li Zi sleep with Han Youzhi.

I've known Lao Han for so long, so I have nothing to worry about.

However, thinking about the journey today, Pei Xia had an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Isn't this a bit too hospitable? Does the He family treat everyone like this?"

Ye Lu, who was in the same room, guessed and replied, "Maybe they came for Han Baiyi?"

Pei Xia was taken aback: "Oh, that's quite possible."

If Ye Lu hadn't mentioned it, Pei Xia would have almost forgotten that Han Youzhi, with her tall stature, long legs, big breasts, and plump hips, was indeed a stunning beauty who would attract attention wherever she went.

Oh dear, all the beauties I've seen along the way—Xu Shangxin, Xia Xuan, Fu Hongshuang, and Xi—are rare gems. Pei Xia's aesthetic sense is practically malfunctioning, and she hasn't even remembered this ironclad rule of the martial arts world.

He Chen and his group immediately changed in his mind from a hospitable and generous family who liked to make friends in the martial arts world to lewd passersby who coveted Lao Han's good looks.

However, the fact that it was just lust actually put Pei Xia's mind at ease a little.

Being lustful is fine, what's wrong with being lustful? I'm lustful too.

Ye Lu ignored Pei Xia's mutterings. He took out a strip of cloth and wrapped it around his sword to disguise himself. He then wrapped an inconspicuous headscarf around his head, walked to the window, and said to Pei Xia, "I'm going out for a bit."

Then he jumped out of the window and left.

Oh, so that's what you mean by a private environment.

Ye Lu naturally went to find Heishi's moles in the county town. The matter of Prefect Zhu's dereliction of duty, the losses caused, and Cheng Zhatu's ashes were all issues he urgently needed to resolve.

Pei Xia had no desire to get involved in espionage, so she sat on the bed in the guest room, patted the soft bedding, and wondered if she, now with three clusters of heart fire, would no longer need to go to brothels and might be able to sleep well in the inn.

Just as I was trying it out, I heard footsteps outside the guest room.

Without warning, someone pushed open Pei Xia's door.

It's Han's naivety.

She entered the room, closed the door behind her, and looked up at Pei Xia, who was rolling around on the bed: "Listen to me."

Pei Xia raised her head from under the covers: "Wait, why didn't you knock before coming in?"

Han Youzhi took a deep breath and looked at Pei Xia with a serious expression: "There's something fishy going on with the He family."

Pei Xia was taken aback at first, then nodded: "I know, you're a pervert! Hey, I'm telling you, that's just how your figure is, there's nothing you can do about it when you're walking down the street. If people look at you, are you going to gouge their eyes out? If you can't do that, why don't you change into some looser clothes and wear a straw hat to cover your face and pretend to be a fairy? What else can you do?"

Han Youzhi's eye twitched; his desire to fight was rising.

But as the snake-keeper's restriction behind her sent piercing pain through her, she forcibly suppressed her anger and said in a deep voice, "There is a thief among them who is after one of my secret treasures."

(End of this chapter)