The Stranger, the Monk, the Twin Fiends

Chen Yan swept his gaze around at the words. The boisterous, brawny men in the hall cast Chen Yan rather unfriendly looks. One glance was enough to tell they were not locals of Mountain Creek.

The local Thugs had long since gone silent the moment they saw the youth, fidgeting uneasily.

The man who had wiped out the Blood Wolf Gang alone—what Thug in Shanxi Town was not afraid of him?

Chen Yan merely glanced at those men before expressionlessly looking away. They were just a few ruffians from out of town. Drawing his blade on them would only dirty his hands.

Still, there were not no figures in the main hall worth his attention.

What drew the youth's attention most was the strange man in the northwest corner of the hall. He occupied a table by himself, silently eating plain vegetarian fare, his entire body shrouded in a black robe.

From head to toe, he was covered by a voluminous black robe. Even his exposed hands wore black gloves. An aura that warned strangers to keep away radiated from him; no matter how Chen Yan looked at him, he found the man strange.

Chen Yan paid attention to him because he could sense an inexplicable threat from this Black Robe Stranger.

Chen Yan's strength had greatly increased by now. For someone to make him feel threatened, they had to be at least on the level of White Lotus Dao Soldier A Jia.

But Chen Yan had come to eat today. As long as no one stirred up trouble, he had no interest in drawing weapons.

Looking away, Chen Yan shook his head and said, "No need. The main hall will do."

"Right away! One guest in the main hall! This way, sir!"

The waiter called out, then led Chen Yan to the only vacant table left in the main hall.

As it happened, this empty table was right beside the Black Robe Stranger's. Perhaps because they were intimidated, every diner who came to eat in the main hall had instinctively avoided this table.

Naturally, Chen Yan had no such reservations. He sat down calmly and even studied the Black Robe Stranger. Unfortunately, the stranger had concealed himself too well. He even wore a black, vicious ghost mask over his face, revealing only his mouth for eating.

As though sensing the youth's gaze, the Black Robe Stranger paused while picking up food. His dark eyes glanced at the youth, lingering briefly on the flying fish embroidered on the Daoist robe before him, then he lowered his head again and silently continued eating.

"What a strange fellow."

Chen Yan shook his head and stopped paying attention. At that moment, the waiter beside him enthusiastically asked what he wished to eat.

Without a moment's thought, Chen Yan blurted out, "Premium five-grain rice—millet, broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, wheat, and beans—cook one dou of each. Then bring five jin of beef and mutton, and a pot of top-grade Fen wine."

The waiter was dumbfounded by his words and stammered, "G-Guest... that's enough for ten strong men..."

Chen Yan smiled faintly. "Go bring it. My appetite is a little large."

With that, he took out a hundred-tael silver note and placed it on the table.

The waiter wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurriedly bent at the waist. "Yes! Yes! I'll prepare it right away!"

Before long, five huge rice buckets, each fully three chi tall, were piled onto the table. Together with two large platters of beef and mutton, they nearly covered the entire tabletop.

When the food arrived, the entire main hall noticeably fell quiet. Even the ever-silent Black Robe Stranger could not help but glance over.

Chen Yan felt nothing at all and paid no heed to the others' stares. As if no one else were there, he picked up a platter of beef and set it before Facai. Man and cat then feasted heartily on the food before them.

The people in the hall only glanced over for a while before losing interest again. The world was vast, and strange things abounded. A person with a somewhat larger appetite was hardly anything particularly unusual.

The several bare-chested, brawny men continued noisily chatting away.

"Hehe! Things have really been lively lately. Wonder where that Plum Blossom Bandit is hiding. If I find him, I'll make him pay and carry the beauty home in my arms! Tell me, how did that little wench Liu Xian'er grow such a big backside and such perky tits? Damn, she's gorgeous!"

"Keep dreaming your spring-and-autumn dream! Why don't you piss in a puddle and take a good look at yourself? You think Liu Xian'er would ever fancy you?"

"What! Why wouldn't she fancy me? I'm a famous figure on the roads myself. Throughout Jing'an County and its surrounding villages, who hasn't heard the name of yours truly, Wang Mazi?!"

"Quit arguing. What's the Plum Blossom Bandit worth, anyway? Other than being able to run, what else can he do? The real vicious affair happened in Cangwu Commandery some time ago.

A family massacre took place in Dangyang County. Steward Li's entire household, servants and guards included, more than thirty people in all, were slaughtered clean in a single night... Tsk, tsk, it was horribly tragic. They say the killers were the Twin Fiends of Hejian. Truly ruthless and savage!"

At the words "family massacre," Chen Yan instinctively pricked up his ears. But upon hearing that the culprits were not Skin-Peeling Puppets, he lost interest and resumed eating.

The first-floor main hall remained lively, but all of a sudden, the hall fell slightly quiet. Even those boisterous men abruptly stopped making noise.

Chen Yan raised his head in some confusion. At some point, a burly figure had appeared at the entrance to the tavern.

The man was tall, powerfully built, and fierce-looking, with dark skin. The firm muscles on his bare arms gleamed brightly. A tuft of chest hair covered his bare upper body, a kasaya was tied around his waist, and ordination scars marked the top of his head. Holding a gold-ringed monk's staff, he was unmistakably a monk.

The moment the Burly Monk appeared, the entire main hall became silent as a graveyard. Even the boisterous, brawny men instantly changed from fighting cocks into plague-ridden chickens, silent as cicadas in winter.

Sweat covered the waiter's head. Gathering his courage, he stammered, "M-Master, are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?"

"Hehe, Amitabha. This humble monk has come to pay respects to the temple of his five organs."

The Burly Monk rubbed the ordination scars atop his head. His booming voice rang out, making the tables and chairs tremble.

Cold sweat streamed down the waiter's face as he hurriedly wiped his brow. "Master, the first floor is already full. Would you please follow me upstairs to a private room?"

"This humble monk can squeeze in."

The Burly Monk shook his head in refusal. His bell-like leopard eyes swept across the hall. Every diner he looked at instinctively lowered their heads, except for Chen Yan and the Black Robe Stranger, who continued eating calmly.

His gaze paused briefly on Chen Yan and the Black Robe Stranger before moving away. He strode toward the noisy men at the center of the hall.

The moment he approached, the men became plague-ridden chickens. Each of them looked as though they were sitting on red-hot iron plates. Before long, they could no longer bear it and rose with hunched shoulders and bowed chests. Just as they were about to beg for mercy and surrender their seats, the monk stopped them with his large hands.

He grinned, revealing a wide mouth, and said, "You gentlemen don't mind if this humble monk shares your table, do you?"

"Not at all, not at all..."

How could those men dare object? Their heads shook like rattles.

"Good!"

With a grin, the Burly Monk sat down in a broad, commanding posture, waved a large hand, and ordered, "Bring ten jin of beef and mutton, and five jin of top-grade Fen wine!"

Hoh, another fellow who let wine and meat pass through his guts.

Yet before one wave had settled, another rose.

The wine-and-meat monk had barely taken his seat when two fierce-looking, evil-visaged men appeared at the tavern entrance.

Both wore fitted martial garb, with a long scar carved across one side of each face. Weapons hung at their waists, and Baleful Intent lurked between their brows. One look told anyone they were not people to be trifled with.

Weapons in hand, the two men brazenly surveyed the room. Their gazes finally settled on a table in the corner—or, more precisely, on the Black Robe Stranger eating at that table.

"As expected, you're here! You dared snatch food from the mouths of the Twin Fiends of Hejian. You've got some nerve!"