Chapter 51: A Chance Encounter at the Riverside Inn

Wolf Girl was raised by Ji Wushuang, so her personality was very similar to his. She was only good at killing, not at strategy.

If she had wandered the jianghu alone, she would have been overwhelmed by enemies. But fortunately, she saved Chen Yuanyuan, who had given up all hope.

Chen Yuanyuan was a woman who could be loved by both Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui at the same time in chaotic times, which naturally showed her exceptional qualities.

She was sharp-minded, and having followed powerful men, she had learned slick tactics and superb leadership skills.

Wolf Girl handled the kidnapping, Chen Yuanyuan handled the brainwashing. Soon they gathered a large group of women to work for them and established the Demon Palace at Yingyue Lake in Shu region.

With Wolf Girl’s notorious reputation guarding it, the Demon Palace quickly gained a foothold in the jianghu. The area within a hundred li of Yingyue Lake was automatically designated as Demon Palace territory, off-limits to strangers.

Shui Jingxuan and his party hurried on and arrived at the nearest town to the Demon Palace three days later. Not having seen Wolf Girl for five years, Shui Jingxuan did not rashly go to ask for help. Instead, he found an inn in the town to settle down.

The spring sun was warm by the pond. The inn they stayed at was built along the river. The windows facing the river were wide open, letting in brilliant sunlight and fresh river breeze without hindrance into the hall.

The scenery outside included peach blossoms and green willows, swallows dancing and orioles flying, very charming.

Shui Jingxuan chose a seat by the window and sat down, half-closing his eyes in the sun. His jade-like face, carefully carved by time, had lost its youthful greenness and now emitted a dazzling brilliance. Just sitting quietly, he attracted the attention of most people in the inn hall.

He deliberately restrained his aura. Dressed in a fine, luxurious red robe, his lips were red, teeth white, eyebrows like paintings.

His hands were extremely smooth, without a single callus. He looked like a pampered rich young master who didn’t know martial arts.

The Axi and Black Tiger beside him dressed as guards, standing respectfully nearby, along with the bright-eyed girl disguised as a maidservant. The group showed no trace of the jianghu world.

This inn was the closest to the Demon Palace. Most who dared to stay here were martial artists. Suddenly, a rich young master who didn’t fit in appeared, naturally drawing attention.

But after looking, no one paid further attention to the master and his three servants. They turned back to discussing Wolf Girl’s recent deeds, some indignant, some admiring, some condemning, the atmosphere lively.

With many voices, everyone chattering, Shui Jingxuan gathered a general picture. Only then did he learn that Wolf Girl had wiped out Wudang again last month.

She not only ruined the wedding of Wudang’s new young leader Feng Junjie and kidnapped his bride Yu Qin, but also killed all the new disciples Wudang had worked so hard to recruit in recent years.

Wudang had suffered repeated heavy losses; their talents were depleted. It might be a hundred years before they could revive the sect.

Feng Junjie and Yu Qin, these names were already in Shui Jingxuan’s memory database.

He lowered his eyes and thought briefly, then recalled that these two were the protagonists of the second part of “The Legend of the White-Haired Demoness”.

The Demon Palace was also destroyed because of them. He was surprised that the second part’s plot had started five years early, but thinking of the butterfly effect, he let it go.

What did the destruction of the Demon Palace have to do with him? He only needed to use Chen Yuanyuan to lure Wu Sangui. He didn’t care about anything else.

Thinking this, he slightly curled his lips, picked up his teacup, and slowly sipped while enjoying the view outside the window.

Wolf Girl had long been expelled from the Demon Sect and had no connection with her people. Naturally, Axi, Black Tiger, and the others didn’t care about her affairs. They listened to the discussions with unchanged expressions.

Just as the atmosphere in the hall grew heated, a slightly magnetic female voice spoke indignantly. “Wolf Girl commits heinous crimes and kills like a demon.

The sect leaders of Wudang, Kunlun, and Diancang have all died by her hands. Wudang was barely rebuilt, and she destroyed it again.

If this continues, where will we righteous sects stand in the jianghu? Instead of condemning the demoness here, why don’t we unite and storm the Demon Palace to fight her to the death?”

Everyone followed the voice and saw a girl dressed in men’s clothing, with a very heroic face, standing up and pounding the table with her proposal.

Seeing the cold reactions, her impassioned expression froze on her face. Her hands still supported the table, her body very stiff. The other eight people at her table looked downcast and embarrassed.

Among the eight, an old woman in white had the most distinguished bearing. She smiled faintly, then pulled the mannish girl to sit down, saying gently,

“Yue’er, you’re still young and don’t understand these jianghu conflicts. From now on, let others speak and don’t interrupt.”

After speaking, seeing the girl want to retort, she pinched the girl’s waist to signal her to shut up.

The girl’s round big eyes showed some stubbornness and resentment, but she finally shut up. She reached into her bosom and pulled out a delicately crafted cigarette, lit it with a tinder, and smoked to drown her sorrows.

Her crossed legs and the skilled posture of puffing clouds, if placed in a modern bar, would have been the image of a mature woman.

Shui Jingxuan’s eyes lit up immediately.

He wasn’t very familiar with the plot of “The Legend of the White-Haired Demoness”.

He only vaguely remembered that the second part involved Chen Yuanyuan’s lesbian romance and Wolf Girl and Zhuo Yihang’s tragic death together. But what impressed him most was Kunlun’s Feng Xing’s homemade hand grenades.

He had already thought that when the plot progressed, he could make cigarettes a specialty product to generate income for the Demon Sect.

Cigarettes are addictive, their value no less than a gold mine. Gold mining would be very beneficial for the sect’s development. Now, since the plot had started early, what would he do?

Thinking this, Shui Jingxuan narrowed his fox-like eyes and put on a perfect smile. Using a magnetic voice, he slowly said, “Miss, may I ask if the thing in your hand is a cigarette?”

When the girl heard this extremely pleasant voice, her earlobe moved. Turning to look, it was that extraordinarily handsome noble young master speaking to her. No matter how thick her face was, her cheeks couldn’t help but blush slightly.

“Yes, this thing is specially made by me. It’s different from ordinary rolled or dry tobacco. I named it ‘xiangyan’ [cigarette]. But how do you know?” the girl asked with curiosity and a hint of wariness.

Shui Jingxuan smiled slightly and said gently, “This smoke smells sweet and refreshing, making one’s mouth water. The fragrance lingers around the nose, long-lasting. So I also call it ‘xiangyan’, but I didn’t expect to share your thoughts.”

His elegant aura and friendly attitude almost immediately won over Ling Yue’er. Hearing him praise her creation so highly, the wariness in her eyes disappeared, replaced by some shyness.

Not knowing how to respond to his literary phrasing, she just scratched her head and grinned.

Shui Jingxuan laughed heartily, cupped his hands, and said,

“Forgive my boldness. I’d like to ask for a smoke. Would that be alright?” In his previous life, he had a smoking habit. Later, with the apocalypse, cigarettes became rare luxuries, and he was forced to quit. Now seeing them again, he felt nostalgia and craving.

Seeing the longing in the noble young master’s eyes wasn’t fake, Ling Yue’er was overjoyed at meeting a fellow enthusiast. She repeatedly said “of course” and handed him a cigarette, even lighting it for him.

Shui Jingxuan leaned back against the chair back. With his slender, elegant index and middle fingers, he gently held the cigarette, placed it to his crimson lips, and took a deep drag.

Then he narrowed his long phoenix eyes and slowly exhaled the white smoke. The mist floated in the air, blurring his supernaturally handsome face, making it appear mysterious and lazy, also revealing a seductive charm that could make people fall.

His intoxicated expression wasn’t like smoking, but like a nighttime demon absorbing essence. The scene was extremely bewitching, making people unconsciously drift in the dense tobacco aroma, their souls lost.

“Gulp.” Someone in the crowd made a swallowing sound. Everyone’s burning gazes locked onto the red-robed young master, whether they were looking at his handsome face or the cigarette in his hand was unclear.

Ji Wushuang had disguised himself as a man with a common appearance, medium build and features. He had arrived at Yingyue Lake a few days ago with Jin Haofeng and others. They settled at the inn set up by Tingtao Villa, waiting for the best opportunity to kidnap.

Many of the inn’s guests were martial artists. To gather information, he would come down to the hall for a while at mealtimes.

But today, as soon as he came downstairs, he saw the red-robed young master smoking by the window. His gaze couldn’t move away. His heart pounded violently, as if wanting to break free from his chest.

He stared straight at the red-robed young master, walking slowly but firmly towards him, ignoring Jin Haofeng’s strange expression and the guests all around.

“Sir, do you need something?” Seeing this sturdy, ordinary-looking man blocking his way and staring without blinking, Shui Jingxuan exhaled a puff of smoke and asked gently.

He was playing the role of a refined young master, so he had to be polite, even if the man’s undisguised gaze displeased him; his tone remained very soft.

“Nothing… nothing.” The young master’s pleasant voice scratched his ears, his clear eyes electric, numbing his heart. Ji Wushuang’s expression stiffened, and he felt somewhat tongue-tied. The voice altered by medicine sounded even hoarser. Luckily, he wore a human-skin mask, so no one saw his flushed cheeks.

His heart still raced. Ji Wushuang bit his lip, worried that the noble young master would notice his uncontrolled heartbeat and think him frivolous. He pressed his hand to his chest, his expression stiff.

Seeing the man say “nothing” but still stand there stupidly, Shui Jingxuan turned his face and looked at the man’s companion with questioning eyes. He saw that the other person was also in red robes, with narrow eyes and handsome features, somewhat resembling himself. He raised an eyebrow.

Jin Haofeng was also shocked when he saw the red-robed young master. This man wore the garish red robe with three parts passion, three parts elegance, three parts awe, and one part dominance. Standing next to him, his own handsome face and refined aura seemed plain and common.

Now that he had a more suitable target, Jin Haofeng decided to bring this red-robed young master over to make it easier to control him later. The young master was just a naive rich boy, easy to deceive.

Thinking this, Jin Haofeng smiled, cupped his hands, and said,

“This is my uncle, also the owner of this inn. My uncle loves to befriend prominent figures. Seeing you, he felt an instant connection, so he approached to talk. I hope you won’t mind being friends with us.”

Shui Jingxuan glanced at Ji Wushuang, who was staring fixedly at him with burning eyes, then at Jin Haofeng, who appeared to be pimping. He understood inwardly: he had likely met a leopard with homosexual tendencies.

He had experienced many similar situations in his previous life and was used to it. This time, he was traveling incognito and didn’t want extra trouble. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he coldly glared at the two men, then flicked his sleeve and left, saying in a deep voice,

“You can know a person’s face but not their heart. I never make friends easily.” After speaking, he paused, then his tone became very gentle: “Thank you for the cigarette, miss. It is indeed a supreme treat!”

Seeing that the noble young master ignored the two extraordinary men but spoke softly to her, Ling Yue’er was flattered. She called out loudly to his back,

“If you like, young master, Yue’er can give you the roasting method. But the method is complicated and needs to be written down. I’ll write it and send it to you tomorrow. Noon at the dining hall, see you there, okay?”

Ji Wushuang, whose heart was stolen, saw the person ignore him and walk away.

He wanted to rush forward and grab him, but looking at his tall, jade-like back, his outstretched hand didn’t dare to land on his shoulder, afraid his brashness would cause aversion.

Shui Jingxuan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Sensing Ji Wushuang’s intention to stop him, he snorted, flicked his thumb and index finger, and the cigarette butt was thrown up high, landing straight into a guest’s large bowl of strong liquor.

The liquor met fire and erupted in a blaze, shooting up half a zhang of flames, startling those around and blocking Ji Wushuang’s steps forward. Jin Haofeng’s eyes flickered; he thought that this young master was extraordinary and likely not ordinary. He needed to investigate thoroughly.

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