Excessive ferocity due to caution

The man in black knew very well just how terrifying the power of his darts was.

Even if it had already pierced through a person's skull, at such close range, it was by no means something an ordinary person could withstand!

The woman in that corner showed no trace of internal energy cultivation, clearly indicating that her internal energy cultivation had reached a state of perfection, surpassing even his own!

Could it be... that this woman is a master of the Transcendent Mortal Realm?

Among the six kingdoms, all those who reached this level were renowned throughout the land!

However, according to my understanding, there are not many women among the other experts in the Transcendent Mortal Realm.

I recognize most of the men in black, or at least I've heard of them.

Their figures and temperaments were completely different from the woman in front of them.

"Could he be a hidden master among the philosophers?"

Thinking of this, he turned his gaze to the man opposite the woman.

The other party may seem ordinary, but they are actually quite extraordinary!

How could an ordinary person be staring blankly out the window while there was such a commotion in the inn?

Either this person is deaf, or... the other party doesn't take them seriously at all!

hiss--

After this analysis, the man in black's aura weakened by three points.

Based on his judgment, the woman who caught his dart in the corner was either at least at the Transcendent Mortal Realm (half-step Great Ferocity).

The woman looked at the man opposite her with awe, which meant... that the man's strength was even more terrifying.

Thinking of this, the man in black couldn't help but swallow hard, coughed lightly, and said to the waiter:

"Um... I was just joking earlier. If the shop isn't big enough, we can free up part of the storage room."

"The money will still be paid."

The waiter, seeing this, was momentarily incredulous and stammered:

"The storage room can be cleared out for you gentlemen, but... forget about the money."

Although the shopkeeper should be in charge of this matter, he is the one facing the man in black at this moment!

What if the other party suddenly gets angry and chops off his head? Where can he go to seek justice then?

At worst, I'll just lose some money, which I can deduct from my wages!

However, the man in black seemed impatient and glared at him, saying:

"I already said I'd pay you, can't you understand human language?"

The waiter was nearly scared to death and immediately bowed and scraped, saying:

"Here...here!"

"Sir, that'll be two taels and three mace in total..."

The man in black took out a piece of silver from his pocket, tossed it into the waiter's hand, and then walked towards a corner of the inn, bowing to Su Qingyao and saying:

"The incident happened suddenly just now. I didn't mean to disturb you, and I hope you won't mind."

The people in the inn were so shocked by what they saw that their jaws nearly dropped!

The man in black who was so ruthless and decisive just now is actually... apologizing to a weak woman who has no internal energy cultivation?

How is that possible?

Everyone was extremely surprised, but then they suddenly remembered the dart in Su Qingyao's hand and immediately understood!

How could a frail woman possibly catch a dart thrown by a martial artist at the Tiger Roar and Dragon Cry Realm?

This woman... is a hidden master!

Seeing the sincere expressions on the faces of the men in black, Su Qingyao flicked her wrist, returning the dart to one of them, and said with a half-smile:

"I am just an ordinary woman, so it doesn't bother me a little... but if you disturb my sect leader, you'll be in big trouble."

"Next time you do something... be more thorough."

Sweat beaded on the man in black's forehead.

Just as Su Qingyao was speaking, he sensed an extremely sharp and terrifying killing intent!

Only one strand!

But the man in black and some experts around him who were sensitive to killing intent immediately realized... how terrifying Su Qingyao was!

Yes……

This woman is really...

A peerless master in the mortal realm!

No wonder they couldn't sense Su Qingyao's internal energy cultivation!

Who would have thought that such a small, shabby inn would house a peerless master of the mortal realm!

Moreover, if Su Qingyao is already this terrifying, then what kind of strength must the 'cult leader' she speaks of, the man sitting opposite her, possess?

Is it...

No way...

At that moment, the man in black felt a chill run down his spine.

Recalling his earlier boast at the inn, his harsh words about kicking all these people out, made him break out in a cold sweat...

If Su Qingyao and the man opposite her had even slightly worse tempers, he and his subordinates would probably be corpses by now...

"Thank you, young lady..."

The man in black took a deep breath, thanked Su Qingyao, and led his men to the storage room to put away their luggage.

As he left, he carefully glanced at the black-robed man looking out at the snowstorm outside the window.

Su Qingyao called him the leader.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the man remained indifferent to everything that happened at the inn.

He simply enjoyed the snow in silence.

It seems that for him, a snowflake drifting past the window was more important than the lives of people inside the inn.

He exuded an aura of authority.

After the group of men in black left, the inn gradually returned to its lively state.

People would intentionally or unintentionally glance at Zhao Yi and Su Qingyao in the corner.

Finally, Zhao Yi's unconventional behavior caught the attention of the Ghostly Scholar not far away.

He carried a wine pot, sat down opposite Zhao Yi, poured himself a cup, and said with a gentle smile:

"Could I buy my friend a drink?"

Zhao Yi withdrew her gaze from the snow and curiously examined the handsome man in front of her.

Do you like to call strangers "friends"?

The scholar, seemingly carefree, said:

"Those who have drunk together are friends."

Zhao Yi raised his glass, about to clink it with Su Xingcan's, but suddenly said:

"Aren't you afraid I'm here to kill you?"

Su Xingcan's expression changed slightly, but he still smiled and said:

"We have no grudge against each other, what do you mean by that, brother?"

Zhao Yi clinked glasses with him and drank the yellow wine in one gulp.

"You fled from the State of Qi..."

"The King of Qi wants to kill you, so at least half the people in the world want to kill you."

Su Xingcan remained silent for a long time, then drank the wine and said with a wry smile:

"Su thought he had hidden it well, but he never expected that he would still be found out."

"Brother, you have excellent eyesight...May I ask how I should address you?"

Zhao Yi:

"Zhao Yi".

"The lady next to me is Su Qingyao."

Upon hearing this, Su Xingcan smiled at Su Qingyao:

"I never imagined that Miss Su and I share the same surname. What a coincidence!"

Su Qingyao smiled, her eyes filled with a strange, inexplicable eagerness as she looked at Su Xingcan.

After the three of them drank for a while, Zhao Yi whispered:

"You were second only to the ruler of Qi, wielding immense power and influence. Why did you suddenly defect?"

Su Xingcan sighed.

"This is a long story..."

"Brother Zhao, shall we talk somewhere else?"

Zhao Yi replied:

"Can."

The three of them got up and headed outside the inn.

Su Qingyao held up a green umbrella for Zhao Yi, while Su Xingcan had to hold the umbrella herself.

Su Xingcan brought a flask of strong liquor, stood on the stone bridge, and while drinking, said wistfully:

"Brother Zhao, do you know why I follow the King of Qi?"

Zhao Yi thought for a moment:

"It certainly wouldn't be for such an absurd reason as the well-being of the people."

Su Xingcan touched her nose somewhat awkwardly:

"Brother Zhao's guess was spot on."

"I, Su, chose to help the King of Qi in order to stop the wars and chaos of the Warring States period."

"After all, among the six states, Qi is the strongest, and with its political stability and its ruler possessing great talent and strategic vision, it is the most likely place to realize my lifelong dream..."

At this point, Su Xingcan looked at the frozen river in front of her, her expression shifting.

"But later, I discovered that King Qi was not only ambitious, but also suspicious and extremely cruel!"

"In the past, when conquering cities and seizing territories, his orders were always to massacre the entire population... regardless of age or gender..."

"If we help such a person unify the world, it will be a catastrophic disaster for the people of the six kingdoms!"

"So after much deliberation, I finally decided to leave the State of Qi."

Su Xingcan tilted his head back and drank a mouthful of strong liquor, then sighed:

"If I were to help such a ruler conquer the world, even if I achieved my ambition, I fear I would spend the rest of my life in regret!"

Zhao Yi reached out and gently stroked the snow streaks on the stone bridge railing:

"You're too soft-hearted."

"Unsuitable for governing."

Upon hearing this, Su Xingcan was slightly taken aback.

After a moment, he gave a wry smile.

"Another friend of mine often says the same thing about me."

Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow:

"Oh?"

"Who is your friend?"

Su Xingcan said:

"Fan Qingxue".

Zhao Yi's eyes gleamed:

"Since he's your friend, he shouldn't have come to kill you."

Su Xingcan shook the wine pot:

Even so, he's still a good friend... except for being a bit cold.

"In the State of Qi, although it never snows all year round, the people are colder than the snow in the State of Lu."

"Among them, Fan Qingxue is the coldest of the cold."

"When you talk to him, never expect him to reply."

Seeing Su Xingcan's smug expression, Zhao Yi couldn't help but laugh:

"Perhaps to him, you're just a noisy cricket."

Su Xingcan's expression stiffened upon hearing this.

However, he still refuted very seriously:

"I invited him to listen to the most exquisite opera in Qi, to see the most beautiful woman in Qi, and to taste the most fragrant peach blossoms in Qi..."

After a moment of silence, he suddenly said somewhat awkwardly:

"Except for the drinks I treated him to, which weren't very good..."

"Because almost all the money was spent on the top dancer at Zui Chun Lou, the drinks I offered him afterwards were just the most ordinary green ant wine... But unexpectedly, that night, when it was pouring rain, he drank an astonishing amount and ended up getting completely drunk with me in a dilapidated temple..."

At this point, Su Xingcan suddenly shifted the topic to Zhao Yi:

"By the way, Brother Zhao, after all this talking, I still know nothing about you..."

Zhao Yi smiled and said:

"I didn't come for you, but naturally for the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon."

"Otherwise, why would I come all the way to the State of Lu to admire the snow in the dead of winter?"

Su Xingcan:

"I see that Brother Zhao really enjoys watching snow..."

Zhao Yi shook his head:

"I'm not looking at the snow, I'm counting it."

Su Xingcan raised an eyebrow:

"Oh?"

"What are you counting, Brother Zhao?"

Zhao Yi carefully brushed a snowflake from the corner of his clothes and said calmly:

"I'm counting... how many people are hiding outside who want to kill you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ice river in front of him suddenly cracked, and a terrifying killing intent surged out from beneath the ice river!

The sharp sword had already pierced the throat of the ghostly scholar in the blink of an eye!

It was at this moment that Su Qingyao closed the umbrella.

The snow fell heavily.

The glacier...spread a crimson hue.

PS: Okay, 6000+.

This story is not supernatural; it leans more towards martial arts.

I'm courting death.

Writing martial arts stories about the supernatural.

That's really something!

Goodnight everyone!