Trap

"Half a month ago, Second Senior Disciple Brother came down the mountain and brought Senior Disciple Brother a jar of Spring Breeze Fine Wine. He also brought back another interesting piece of news."

"Spring Rain Tower had just opened a branch in Huayin County at the foot of our mountain. To make a name for themselves, they were holding a drinking contest—gathering a group of people to see who could drink the most. Whoever drank the most would win. Not only would they not have to pay for the wine, they would also receive a reward of fifty taels of silver."

As Ji Boying listened to Lu Dayou, he more or less understood.

Such an event was simply irresistible to Linghu Chong.

Not only could he drink to his heart's content, he could also win fifty taels of silver.

He could enjoy himself and obtain enough silver to repay Ji Boying's debt.

So Senior Disciple Brother had secretly taken Sixth Senior Disciple Brother down the mountain.

"Then Senior Disciple Brother didn't win?"

Ji Boying asked.

Lu Dayou sighed.

"Who could have imagined that Senior Disciple Brother would fail to win? He had loved wine since childhood, and now he was in the prime of his life. Training and practicing swordsmanship on Mount Hua had given him profound internal cultivation."

"No matter how one looked at it, in this part of Mount Hua, there shouldn't have been anyone who could outdrink Senior Disciple Brother."

"But this time, when he competed in drinking with others at Spring Rain Tower, Senior Disciple Brother did not even make the top three before becoming dead drunk. Not only did he fail to get the reward, even the cost of the wine could not be waived."

Ji Boying asked again, "So because he had to pay, Senior Disciple Brother obediently let himself be detained? Didn't he tell them that we are disciples of the Mount Hua Sect? They should at least give us that much face, shouldn't they?"

Lu Dayou said, "We did say we were disciples of the Mount Hua Sect. We offered to leave our swords there as security and return to the mountain to get money for the wine, but they absolutely refused. There was nothing we could do."

Ji Boying understood Linghu Chong and the others' helplessness as well. At the foot of Mount Hua, they could not do anything that would tarnish Mount Hua's reputation.

They could only leave Linghu Chong there to wait obediently while Lu Dayou went up the mountain for help.

But they did not dare let Master Yue Buqun know about this matter either.

Lu Dayou had gone to Yue Lingshan, but neither of them had enough money. There was no way around it.

Naturally, Yue Lingshan had come looking for Ji Boying.

After returning to the courtyard, Ji Boying put away the three sets of clothes and took out some silver from his bundle.

"Sixth Senior Disciple Brother and I will go down the mountain. Junior Disciple Sister, you should wait here."

"No, I'm going too."

"Junior Disciple Sister, stay here and cover for us. If Master comes looking for us, you'll have something to say. If all of us leave and Master cannot find anyone, he will surely fly into a rage. If this matter gets exposed then, it will be disastrous."

Hearing this, Yue Lingshan could only stay behind unwillingly.

"Sixth Senior Disciple Brother, let's go."

"Let's go."

The two hurried down Mount Hua's rugged mountain paths.

Ji Boying's internal energy was now far deeper than Lu Dayou's. Though they were both walking mountain paths, he found it much easier than Lu Dayou did.

But he still needed Lu Dayou to lead the way, so he could only slow down and walk alongside him.

He casually gripped his sheathed sword in his hand and swung it idly.

"Proficiency +1"

"Proficiency +1"

...

Lu Dayou was slightly out of breath.

Seeing his Junior Disciple Brother so calm and unruffled, he did not think much of it, assuming only that he himself was tired from having traveled the mountain road twice.

But when he saw Junior Disciple Brother swinging the sword in his hand even as he walked, he smiled and sighed. "Junior Disciple Brother truly is a Martial Arts Fanatic. This senior brother is ashamed of his own inadequacy."

Ji Boying smiled. "There's nothing else to do while we're traveling anyway."

The two spoke no more and continued on with their heads down.

After traveling for an hour, they finally arrived outside Spring Rain Tower in Huayin County.

Huayin County could be considered a large county, but it could not exactly be called prosperous.

Ji Boying cast his gaze over the streets of Huayin County and Spring Rain Tower.

There were quite a few pedestrians on the streets, but there were even more people in front of Spring Rain Tower. Still, it was not particularly bustling—the event had likely already ended.

The pillars and signboard of Spring Rain Tower were all new, with strips of red silk still hanging from them.

The two stepped inside. At the corners and by the windows, there were still around ten customers.

Further in, however, were large stretches of empty tables.

There were only three to five customers at the counter, with two or three attendants doing odd jobs nearby.

A somewhat well-off-looking shopkeeper stood behind the counter.

Senior Disciple Brother Linghu Chong was slightly tipsy. His longsword rested casually against the table, while he sat backward on a stool, leaning against the table and lazily resting there.

"Senior Disciple Brother! I'm back."

Lu Dayou called out happily toward them.

Only then did Linghu Chong leap to his feet, snatch up his longsword, and happily head toward Lu Dayou.

"Sixth Junior Brother, Junior Disciple Brother."

Just as he was about to go over, the three waiters rushed up and surrounded him.

"Hey, hey, hey, where do you think you're going? You haven't paid yet. Pay first!"

The three waiters boxed Linghu Chong in, separating Ji Boying from him.

"Stop making such a racket. I've already brought the wine money."

Ji Boying took out the payment and held it out.

Two of the three waiters split off and moved to flank Ji Boying from either side.

As one reached for the money, he said, "None of you move around yet. Let me first see whether it's enough. If it isn't, no one's leaving."

With fingers pinching such a large ingot of silver, how could it possibly fail to cover the wine bill?

Nor had any of them shown the slightest unwillingness to cooperate.

These men were simply being unreasonable.

The taverns in other places really had no manners.

Ji Boying frowned slightly.

Yet the two waiters kept edging closer, as though they truly feared he might run and intended to seize hold of him.

Ji Boying retreated half a step and extended one hand to keep them at a distance, unwilling to let them get too close.

"The silver is already here. Hurry up and inspect it, settle the wine bill, and we'll be even."

The waiter on Ji Boying's left was still two steps away when he saw Ji Boying retreat half a step, and his brow furrowed.

The two exchanged a look.

Still smiling, they tried to crowd closer, making Ji Boying frown even more.

Ji Boying vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

These people's attitude carried a certain brazen, lawless air.

What kind of way was this for people in business to behave?

Even toward ordinary customers, they should not have been so rude—let alone when these were disciples of the Mount Hua Sect.

Who would dare offend the Mount Hua Sect here in Huayin County?

Ji Boying felt displeased, and he remained on guard as well.

Unwilling to let them come any closer, he casually tossed the silver toward the waiter on the left.

But that toss proved no small matter.

It provoked the two waiters.

Seeing Ji Boying throw the silver at them, the two thought he had discovered something.

Their expressions changed.

Without prior agreement, they both flung the rags in their hands at Ji Boying's face.

A swipe at their waists, and gleaming daggers flashed into their hands.

Then the two sprang forward together, pouncing on Ji Boying.

"Die!"