Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

The lobby fell silent.

All that remained was the crackling sound of the oil lamp burning and the faint sound of the wind outside the window.

The proprietress behind the counter put down her needlework and slowly stood up.

The smile on her face vanished, replaced by a cold, scrutinizing expression.

She walked to the table and looked at the six people lying on the table: five children, an old man, and a man who looked like a wandering swordsman.

"They've all collapsed?"

She asked, and her voice changed; it was no longer gentle and warm, but dry and devoid of emotion.

The waiter stepped forward, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile on his face: "It's all gone, the dosage is sufficient, enough for them to sleep until noon tomorrow."

The proprietress nodded, walked over to Qinglong, and gave him a push.

The Azure Dragon swayed, and then—bang!

He lay motionless on the ground.

"Search them and see if they have anything valuable," the proprietress ordered.

The waiter quickly stepped forward and began to search each person.

He searched very carefully, turning over his clothes, sleeve pockets, waistband, and even the soles of his shoes.

But the more he searched, the uglier his expression became.

"Boss lady..."

He straightened up, his voice slightly weak.

"No, nothing valuable..."

"What?" The proprietress frowned.

"So many people, and not a single thing of value?"

"No, really."

The waiter had a long face.

"These children only have a few taels of silver and some copper coins on them. This old man is even cleaner, with only a few dozen coins. This wandering swordsman..."

He pointed to the Azure Dragon on the ground.

"I have nothing on me except this cloth bag."

The proprietress walked over to Qinglong, squatted down, and opened the cloth bag.

Inside were some dry rations, a water bag, and a few changes of clothes.

It really isn't worth much.

She stood up, her face grim.

"What's been going on lately?"

She muttered a curse under her breath.

"For seven or eight days in a row, all those who came were poor wretches. Last time, the scholar on his journey only had two books on him. The time before that, the peddler's load was full of needles and thread. This time it's even more outrageous, a bunch of children, an old man, and a penniless wanderer..."

The waiter didn't dare to reply, and just kept his head down.

The proprietress took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

She kicked the Azure Dragon on the ground: "Fine, same old rule. Take it to the kitchen."

The two began to move the items.

Move the five children first.

The waiter carried one, the proprietress dragged another, and after several trips back and forth, they moved Lin Feng and the others to the back kitchen.

The kitchen was larger than the main dining area, with stoves, cutting boards, water tanks, and piles of firewood.

Bundles of dry firewood were piled up in the corner, and they just haphazardly piled people up next to the firewood.

Next, move Mo Wen and Qinglong.

While carrying Mo Wen, the waiter muttered, "This old man looks thin, but he's quite heavy."

When they moved the Azure Dragon, the proprietress frowned: "This person... has solid muscles, unlike an ordinary martial arts practitioner."

But the person collapsed. She had personally administered the medicine, and she had great confidence in her medicine.

So I only glanced at it a couple more times and didn't think much of it after that.

The six people were piled up next to the woodpile, lying haphazardly, like a pile of goods waiting to be processed.

An oil lamp was lit in the back kitchen, casting a dim light.

All sorts of knives hung on the wall: cleavers, butcher knives, kitchen knives, each one gleaming coldly.

A strange smell filled the air, like the smell of blood, or the stench of rotten meat left out for too long, mixed with the smell of firewood and dust, creating a nauseating odor.

The aroma was emanating from a small, hidden door in the corner of the kitchen.

The door was closed, but an even stronger stench wafted from the crack.

The proprietress and the waiter stood beside the pile of firewood, their backs to the unconscious crowd.

"I've been having such bad luck lately," the proprietress muttered, her voice tinged with annoyance.

"If this continues, I won't be able to make this month's mortgage payment."

"Boss lady,"

The waiter asked cautiously.

"How about... we go somewhere else? This place is too remote, and all the people who come here are poor."

"Change? You make it sound so easy."

The proprietress sneered.

"Do you know how hard it is to find a suitable place? This place is in the middle of nowhere, making it easy to do the deed and clean up. If we go somewhere else, what if we get caught..."

She paused, then added, "Besides, we haven't even collected enough stock for this month. The higher-ups said we need at least three fresh ones, and we only have one so far..."

As she spoke, she glanced back at the group of people on the firewood pile, a cruel glint in her eyes: "But now it's all good, six of them have come. Although they're all children and old men, their flesh is tender. That little girl's flesh would be delicious as minced meat..."

The waiter swallowed hard, not daring to reply.

As they were talking, they suddenly felt a weight on their shoulders at the same time.

A hand rested on their shoulder.

Large hands, long fingers, and distinct knuckles.

The palms were warm, and through the thin clothing, one could feel an undeniable power.

The two of them froze, then slowly, bit by bit, turned their heads.

Then, they saw the Azure Dragon.

Qinglong stood behind them, his left hand on the proprietress's shoulder and his right hand on the waiter's shoulder.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes shone frighteningly bright in the dim oil lamplight, like two ice-cold knives.

Of course he didn't faint.

It was all an act; that little bit of sleeping potion wouldn't have any effect on someone with his level of cultivation.

"You..." The proprietress's expression changed drastically, and she was about to speak.

Qinglong applied slight pressure to his hand.

"Click."

A very faint sound of joints dislocating.

The proprietress's shoulders slumped down. She was in so much pain that her face turned deathly pale, but she bit her lip hard and didn't make a sound.

Xiao Er reacted quickly, almost at the same time as Qinglong made his move, he clenched his right fist and slammed it backward!

The fist was fierce, carrying the sound of air being torn apart, and aimed straight for the Azure Dragon's chest!

At the same time, the proprietress also made a move!

She slammed her left elbow backward, aiming for Qinglong's ribs!

The two worked together seamlessly and acted ruthlessly, clearly indicating this wasn't their first time doing something like this.

But Qinglong moved even faster.

He pulled his hands off their shoulders, leaned back slightly, and just barely avoided the waiter's fist and the proprietress's elbow.

Then, he took a step forward and pushed forward with both hands at the same time.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled thuds.

The proprietress and the waiter both stumbled forward a few steps and bumped into the stove.

Pots and pans crashed to the ground.

The two quickly turned around and distanced themselves from Qinglong.

They stared intently at the Azure Dragon, their eyes filled with shock and vigilance.

Only then did they realize that there was another person standing next to the pile of firewood.

Don't ask.

He moved a stool and sat down beside the woodpile, slowly stroking his beard as he watched them.

His expression was as if he were watching a play.

The other five people remained unconscious, lying haphazardly on the pile of firewood.

The light from the oil lamp flickered.

The knives on the wall gleamed coldly.

The kitchen was filled with the smells of blood and decay.

Qinglong stood in front of the stove, while Mowen sat beside the pile of firewood.

The proprietress and the waiter leaned against the wall, their faces deathly pale.

silence.

A deathly silence.

The only sound was the crackling of the oil lamp burning.