Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 348 Qi Family Second Son
"You've come at just the right time!"

An elderly man with sunken eyes and a sallow complexion carefully led Pei Xia to sit down near the iron pot.

Leaving aside the intoxicating aroma of the meat, just being close to the fire and warming up is quite comfortable.

Pei Xia looked up and saw that Feng Yao and Jiang Shu were also there, so she sat down nearby.

Although the villagers looked thin, they all had gentle expressions and were very hospitable.

However, Pei Xia and the other two were not pale and thin, and did not look like ordinary people, so they were somewhat reserved in their behavior.

Apart from that, Pei Xia didn't notice anything else unusual.

The person was indeed a person; their words and actions were genuine, and there were no illusions interfering.

This makes it even stranger.

The fields outside the town were barren, and the villagers were all emaciated. You could say that by sheer chance, they managed to get some food, and that they could just cook a pot of meat soup.

A wedding banquet?

Are there really such special requirements for a wedding banquet under these conditions?

Pei Xia couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, whose wedding did you just say this was?"

The gaunt old man immediately replied with a smile, "Qi family's second son."

Qi Jia, and Erlang?

Yes, Qinzhou has not regressed to the era of wild beasts in the jungle. Not to mention Jiang Shu, even Pei Xiu, when he was first sold out of Qinzhou by Guo Han, also had a single-character name.

But to say that someone with a name and surname could be called "Decent Erlang" in this run-down town is really too incongruous.

Pei Xia kept quiet. Since it was a wedding banquet, she figured she would see the so-called second son of the Qi family soon.

He then asked, "Old man, did a few well-dressed young men come by before?"

The old man paused for a moment, blinked his bulging eyes, and revealed a genuine look of bewilderment: "I didn't see it. Did you just pass by?"

Leaving aside the footprints, the horse was still outside the town, so how could it have been passing by?

Pei Xia was about to ask more questions when a shout suddenly came from not far away: "The soup is ready! Come and have some soup!"

An old woman with thinning hair and a hunched back stood by the iron pot, holding a large wooden spoon and tapping the edge of the pot.

The old man in front of Pei Xia immediately brightened up and said with a smile, "Let me get you a bowl of soup too, so you can share in the good fortune!"

After saying that, he took two bowls and went over.

The old woman scooped several large pieces of meat out of the large iron pot with her wooden spoon, which then splashed and rolled into the bowl with the broth.

The old man serving the soup beamed and came back with the bowl, carefully placing it in front of Pei Xia: "It's very fresh and tender, enjoy it while I go serve the others."

Pei Xia lowered her head.

This soup has a light amber color, with a layer of oil floating on the surface. Bones with tender, fatty skin and meat stand upright on the surface of the soup, emitting an exceptionally rich aroma.

To be honest, Pei Xia hadn't eaten any real meat since she crawled out of the soil of Tianbao Mountain.

But just as he picked up the wooden spoon beside him, he caught a glimpse of Jiang Shu across from him out of the corner of his eye.

Jiang Shu placed his hand on the spoon on the table, showing no intention of making a move. At the same time, his expression was solemn, and he stared at Pei Xia with great seriousness.

Pei Xia suddenly remembered what Jiang Shu had said to him when he met Zhao Beishi and the others before.

In Qinzhou, someone like him would be stewed in a pot sooner or later.

Pei Xia squinted, holding a spoon in her hand, and stirred the contents of the bowl a few times.

A tiny black particle floated up from the bottom of the bowl.

Hanging it with a wooden spoon and examining it closely, it was clearly a fragment of silk.

The old man then served soup to the other villagers, and the open space was filled with the sounds of slurping and chewing, small and dense, mixed with the crackling of firewood and the bubbling of boiling soup.

Turning his head, he saw that Pei Xia and Jiang Shu hadn't eaten. The old man opened his eyes wide and leaned over to ask cautiously, "What's wrong, you two? Is it not to your liking? This kind of soft meat is not easy to come by normally."

Pei Xia waved his hand and smiled reluctantly; even he looked a little pale at this moment. It was Jiang Shu who, as a native of Qin, showed great composure and calmly said, "Please don't be offended, sir. My senior brother and I have recently reached a bottleneck in our cultivation. We plan to fast for a while before trying to break through with dietary supplements. It's inconvenient for us to eat recently."

After saying that, he turned to look at Feng Yao: "My senior sister is fine and can celebrate with everyone."

Feng Yao can hardly be considered human anymore.

Upon hearing Jiang Shu's words, she immediately understood and took a big gulp of the soup in front of her.

The old man nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with a mixture of appeasement and regret.

Although the scene was strange in every way, the old man's behavior and demeanor were just like those of an ordinary person.

Could it be that Zhao Beishi and his group were deceived by this appearance and made a mistake, stepping into a trap?

Or is there another expert here, who is why these young masters and ladies from Beishi City couldn't escape unscathed despite using all their life-saving methods?

The key to this is probably that so-called Qi family second son.

Just as Pei Xia was about to find an opportunity to inquire, she saw the old man's face straighten up with joy, and he said to Pei Xia first, "Honored guest, look, Erlang has arrived!"

There were no gongs or drums, no firecrackers, just a few clappers struck for celebration, followed by the sound of wheels rolling on the ground.

A woman with a sallow complexion pushed a wooden wheelchair into the open space.

The woman was very tall, and although years of malnutrition had made her thin and frail, her large frame was still evident.

The person sitting in the wheelchair was a young man of about twenty-five, wearing a faded white long gown.

If entering this open space and seeing the villagers all around with joyful faces feels incredibly incongruous...

This young man, then, seemed out of place in the atmosphere.

He was emaciated, barely breathing, and his bulging eyes slanted downwards, filled with despondency and numbness.

Right.

This is more like a poor, downtrodden person from Qinzhou.

"Erlang."

The woman pushing the wheelchair called out, "Today is your big day, be happy."

Qi Erlang's eyes, which seemed to have been dead for a long time, moved with difficulty. He looked at the villagers surrounding the iron pot, his expression not joyful, but filled with an indescribable pain.

He paused abruptly when his gaze swept over Pei Xia and Jiang Shu.

But soon, when they saw Feng Yao on the other side, devouring the soup bowl, the faint light that was about to rise immediately fell silent again.

He exhaled a tired breath from his empty body and said softly, "Sister, I'm tired."

The tall woman looked at him for a while before saying, "Then I'll push you to the side to rest for a bit."

They sent their younger brother to the edge of the village and entrusted him to the care of a few warm-hearted villagers.

The tall woman turned around and glanced at Pei Xia and the other two.

She took a soup bowl, filled it with soup, sat down next to Pei Xia, opened her mouth, and swallowed the soup along with the meat.

After finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth, avoided Pei Xia's gaze, and stared at the empty bowl, muttering, "Now that the feast is over, it's time to get out."

This woman could naturally tell that Pei Xia and the others were cultivators, but she still spoke with great confidence, indicating that she had something to rely on.

The strange situation in Sishui Town is probably related to this woman.

Given the situation in Qinzhou, Pei Xia had no intention of forcibly upholding any justice. Zhao Beishi and the others were all sons of high-ranking officials in Beishi City. Even if it was just to give Beishi City a plausible explanation, Li Qing would not remain completely inactive.

Your actions will have their consequences.

Pei Xia was concerned about something else: "Could I have those people's personal belongings?"

The woman glanced at him sideways and sneered, "Greed is insatiable. Those top-grade tonic pills are all offered as tribute. I can't even use them, and you dare to ask for them?"

(End of this chapter)