I'm here in the martial arts world just to find love.

Finally, the waiter brought up two jars of fine wine, worth a hundred taels of silver, and they were both swallowed by Jiang Chao.

Chu Liuxiang didn't drink a drop.

He simply picked up his chopsticks, took a few bites of the newly served hot dishes, and then put them down.

Beneath the straw hat, a pair of long, bright eyes were fixed on Jiang Chao.

Jiang Chao paid no attention to this, and continued to enjoy his meal with great relish.

A bite of food, a sip of wine—how delightful!

Jiang Chao didn't stop until all the food and wine on the table were finished. He wiped his mouth and stretched.

"Brother Chu, it's late. Why don't you rest early and continue your journey tomorrow morning?"

The other party had eaten a few bites of food after he had been polite, which was considered a response to his earlier suggestion.

Travel together.

Seeing that he had downed two jars of wine without changing his expression, Chu Ning knew that this seemingly reckless young man was no ordinary person, and he became somewhat wary.

But Chu Ning was no ordinary woman either.

On her journey away from home, she had already shed blood. Although she had never killed anyone, she could still teach some arrogant martial arts practitioners a lesson.

The Chu family of Western Shu and the Tang family of Bazhong are both renowned families specializing in hidden weapons.

Both families have their own strengths and are equally matched, both being martial arts families with a history of thousands of years.

She has been diligently practicing the Chu family's secret hidden weapon skills since childhood, and now, after real combat experience, she has made rapid progress, far surpassing her former self.

  

Even though she felt that the person in front of her was not simple, she remained fearless.

The two bowed to each other in farewell and returned to their respective rooms.

Led back to his room by the waiter's attentive manner, Jiang Chao, who had drunk two jars of strong liquor to show off his heroic spirit, felt hot all over and his body was churning with the effects of the alcohol. Although he was not drunk, he had drunk too quickly and had not made a conscious effort to neutralize the effects, which caused his internal energy to become somewhat agitated.

Smacking his lips, Jiang Chao no longer hesitated. He found a spittoon under the bed, pointed it like a sword, circulated his inner energy, and forced out the strong liquor he had drunk.

Once the spittoon was full, Jiang Chao spread his five fingers wide, gathering his true energy in his palm to evaporate the liquid in the spittoon that faintly emitted the aroma of wine.

Then he went to the tatami mat and lay down.

Nothing more was said that night. This inn, which had been open for who knows how long, clearly had some kind of background.

Nothing unexpected happened during the night.

Apart from the poor soundproofing, where you could faintly hear the soft breathing coming from the next room, everything was normal.

"Even while on the road, I find myself with such leisurely pleasures..."

Jiang Chao muttered something to himself, then turned over and went to sleep.

The next morning, Jiang Chao arrived at the inn's lobby, where "Chu Liuxiang," his face hidden by a bamboo hat, was already waiting.

"Good morning, Brother Chu."

Jiang Chao greeted him with a smile as he walked down the stairs.

Upon seeing Jiang Chao appear, "Chu Liuxiang" spoke in a deep, booming voice:

"We are still hundreds of miles away from Yunzhou. There are many mountain roads in between, and there may not be any inns where we can rest. Let's set off as soon as possible and try to reach the nearest town before dark to avoid sleeping in the wilderness."

This Miss Chu was clearly well-prepared and thoughtful, so Jiang Chao had no objections.

Traveling alone is certainly comfortable, but it can be lonely and boring without anyone to talk to. Having someone to accompany you can help relieve boredom.

Jiang Chao called over the waiter, took out some silver to pay the bill, and paid a little extra so that the waiter could prepare more dry food for them.

The waiter was extremely attentive to this distinguished guest who appeared to be simply dressed but was exceptionally generous with his money.

Not only were dry rations prepared for them, but two jugs of wine were also brought to them.

The waiter had witnessed Jiang Chao's drinking capacity last night and knew that this generous and chivalrous man must be a connoisseur of wine, so he catered to his taste.

After getting ready, the two came out of the inn. The waiter had already led Xiao Hong out, and Jiang Chao mounted his horse.

Looking back, Jiang Chao saw "Chu Liuxiang" standing alone in the same spot and asked in surprise:

"Brother Chu, do you not have any horses?"

Chu Ning frowned slightly and turned to look at the waiter.

The waiter gave an awkward smile. "Last night, it seems the stable boy was robbed. Your donkey is missing, sir..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning's anger surged, and his voice trembled slightly as he said:

"Since you were robbed, why didn't you say so sooner?"

The waiter shrank his neck and said aggrievedly:

"I spoke to you about this before, but you ignored me..."

Chu Ning then remembered that earlier in the lobby, the waiter had sneakily approached her, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated, which she found quite disgusting. So she closed her eyes to rest and ignored him.

It turned out that the donkey that had accompanied her all the way had gone missing!

She bought the donkey at the market. Although it was inexpensive and slow-moving, it was extremely intelligent and perceptive.

Quiet and hardworking, Chu Ning liked her very much.

I never imagined that I would lose my things after only staying at this inn for one night!

Jiang Chao, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow, feeling puzzled.

A thief in the stable? How could that be?

Which chivalrous hero would have nothing better to do than steal a donkey in the dark?

If anyone's going to steal, it should be his Little Red.

Thinking this, Jiang Chao gestured for the waiter to come over and take them to the stables to find out what was going on.

The waiter treated Chu Ning and Jiang Chao with completely different attitudes.

Although the two were dressed similarly, both looking like they were wandering the martial arts world.

One person was generous, while the other was short of money.

The waiter treated Jiang Chao, who casually gave him silver ingots, with utmost respect, but treated Chu Ning, a penniless man who drank the worst wine and ate only peanuts as snacks, with perfunctory service.

Although Jiang Chao disliked the waiter, he didn't show it; it was simply a matter of survival.

It was still early, and many guests had not yet woken up. The three of them went to the stables in the side courtyard, where many horses were still resting.

However, the waiter did not stop and led the way forward for a while.

There were mostly mules and horses there, and it was clear that the waiter treated both the animals and the people differently.

"Look..."

The waiter pointed to a manger and said, "Sir, your little donkey was tied up here. I got up early this morning to feed it, but it was gone..."

A donkey may not be worth much, but to its owner, it is priceless.

The wooden stake where a small donkey should have been tethered had marks on it, as if the donkey had struggled.

Jiang Chao observed for a while and understood.

It certainly wasn't some thief; rather, the little donkey had somehow broken free of its rope and run away.

In addition to the strangulation marks, there were also several shallow bite marks on the wooden stake.

Chu Ning naturally noticed it as well.

His face immediately fell into a grim expression.

No wonder the little donkey was so quiet the whole way; it had been looking for a chance to escape all along!

The two stopped harassing the waiter and turned to leave.

The waiter breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad that he was smart enough not to tell the truth, otherwise that shabby man in the straw hat might have made him pay for it.

Although a donkey isn't expensive, it's still worth a lot of money. He had finally earned a small tip yesterday, but he didn't expect it to be gone just like that.

"It seems that Brother Chu and I will have to ride together."

Leading his horse away from the inn, Jiang Chao looked at the distant mountains and couldn't help but laugh.

Chu Ning, in a bad mood, said in a muffled voice:

"No need, thank you for your kindness, Brother Jiang. You can ride a horse, I can catch up."

Jiang Chao blinked. "Brother Chu, are you sure?"

He patted the broad back of the chestnut horse and laughed, "My horse may not be some legendary steed, but it's quite fast when it runs. Do you really think you can keep up?"

Chu Ning adjusted his straw hat and said calmly:

"Try it and you'll see."

Hmph, so what if I don't have a mount? This heroine's lightness skill isn't something I've practiced for nothing!