Leave the Pass

Just then, the inn's heavy, dilapidated wooden door burst open with a "bang!"

A figure, shrouded in a miasma of bloody, turbid air and a whirlwind of flying sand, roared in. The lamps flickered and dimmed, casting an unsteady light, and the oppressive atmosphere in the hall was shattered.

"Innkeeper, a room, and hot water!"

Qin Shuang's right arm tightly cradled the bleeding body in his embrace, while his left arm strained to support the staggering Hong Yifei as he rushed towards the second floor of the inn.

"Hey, what kind of person are you..." Jin Xiangyu's delicate brows furrowed. Her words still echoed as she chased after them.

Xu Xianchun's sinister gaze watched Qin Shuang disappear into the doorway of a room on the second floor, his eyes sharp and piercing.

"Chief Steward, that's our arrow!" Jia Ting, with his keen eyes and meticulous mind, noticed that the person Qin Shuang was supporting had an Eastern Depot arrow embedded in him.

"I saw it!" Xu Xianchun's face was etched with cold killing intent.

"Then what should we do?" Lu Xiaochuan asked.

"The people in this inn are becoming more complicated, and they're all enemies, not friends! We won't make any rash moves for now. Just guard the entrances and exits and wait patiently for the Grand Supervisor to bring his men!"

"Yes!" Jia Ting and the others nodded in unison.

Inside the room, Qin Shuang gently placed the semi-conscious Hong Yifei against the wall. Then, he carefully laid the cold, soft body he was holding onto the earthen kang.

Wolf Girl, Xiao Jin, had used her own flesh and blood to shield Qin Chao after he was exposed for setting fire to the Eastern Depot's encampment, taking the fatal poisoned arrow for him.

Xiao Jin's face was contorted in pain. Her thick black hair, damp with sweat, clung messily to her clammy neck and forehead. Her pale lips trembled slightly from the intense pain.

The black short arrow was lodged just below her right shoulder blade. The arrowhead had already embedded itself completely into her flesh and bone. The fletching was soaked in blood, turning it ink-black, and the tail pointed menacingly upwards.

Jin Xiangyu, who had followed them, leaned against the doorframe. Her eyes, narrowed and devoid of laughter, curved habitually at the corners of her mouth. However, the usual smooth charm was gone, replaced by a cold scrutiny. "Guest, if you've caused trouble, don't bring it to my inn!"

"An Eastern Depot barbed arrow!" Qin Shuang's voice rasped through his throat, hoarse and almost unrecognizable.

He fumbled inside his tattered clothes and pulled out a small blue porcelain medicine bottle. He gently placed it on the oil-stained tabletop and pushed it towards Jin Xiangyu.

Along with it, he pushed three golden beans.

"There's a difference between men and women. I ask for the innkeeper's assistance." Qin Shuang's tone was earnest.

Jin Xiangyu's gaze swept over the medicine bottle, lingering on Qin Shuang's blood-stained, dusty, yet iron-hard profile, finally settling on the arrow shaft that was still trembling slightly.

"Hmph," a cold snort, seemingly light but heavy, carried a hint of understanding and mockery. "My Dragon Gate Inn opens its doors for business, but it seems I'm also doing the work of a doctor."

She walked directly towards the slender figure curled up on the earthen kang, her scarlet skirt rustling silently across the dirty floor.

"At a time like this, what does it matter? Come and help!" Jin Xiangyu's voice wasn't loud, but it struck the heart like an iron nail.

Qin Shuang, resigned, immediately bent down decisively to steady Xiao Jin's waist and one arm.

Jin Xiangyu leaned down, her fingertips as cold as ice, and swiftly brushed past the leather sheath of the short dagger at Xiao Jin's waist.

With a "clink," the short dagger was drawn, its narrow blade reflecting the dim light of the oil lamp, illuminating Jin Xiangyu's suddenly stern, iron-like eyes.

"Girl!" Her voice, close to Xiao Jin's sweat-dampened temple, was low and extremely penetrating. "This arrow has a deadly force. Bite down hard and don't let out a single sound."

As she spoke, the cold blade was already steadily cutting into the flesh and skin around the arrow shaft.

Xiao Jin's entire body suddenly convulsed, and she jolted upright, only to be firmly held down by Qin Shuang.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, a strong scent of blood welling up between her teeth. Her teeth sank deeply into the flesh.

The roar churning in her throat was forcefully suppressed by a ferocity like that of a wild desert wolf, transforming into a long string of whimpers bursting from her nostrils.

The cold blade tip was exceptionally steady under Jin Xiangyu's fingers, precisely cutting through the flesh and blood that had been locked by the barbs.

Jin Xiangyu's movements were swift and ruthless, with the practiced skill of a butcher. She gripped the arrow shaft and with a sudden twist and pull!

"Pfft..."

A stream of dark, almost purplish-red, thick blood spurted out like an arrow, splattering against a nearby pillar and the ground.

The arrow detached from the body, along with a piece of flesh torn by the barbs, which Jin Xiangyu casually tossed to the ground.

Xiao Jin's entire body tensed like a drawn bowstring. In the extreme agony, she lifted her head, her neck muscles stretched taut, and a muffled sound of utter crushing emanated from deep within her throat.

Immediately, her entire body went limp, like a snapped bowstring falling slack. She slumped powerlessly, only a faint, thread-like breath remaining.

Jin Xiangyu reached out and took the steaming hot liquor-soaked cloth handed over by an attendant. Without hesitation, she pressed it directly onto the wound that was deep enough to see bone.

The "sizzle" of flesh being scalded accompanied a plume of scorched white steam. Xiao Jin's body trembled violently again. Even unconsciousness couldn't extinguish this heart-wrenching pain.

Jin Xiangyu continued her work. She picked up Qin Shuang's blue porcelain medicine bottle, evenly sprinkling the precious powder into the still slowly bleeding wound. Then, she quickly wrapped it tightly with clean strips of cloth.

Finally, Jin Xiangyu tied a firm, neat knot over the wound. She straightened up and looked down at the girl's sweat- and blood-stained profile.

The girl was extremely weak from blood loss and intense pain. Her slender eyebrows were slightly furrowed, carrying a wildness and forbearance akin to a wolf cub.

Jin Xiangyu's blood-stained fingers did not wipe themselves. Instead, she looked at Qin Shuang, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hoarseness, "Her poison?"

"It's already been neutralized!" Qin Shuang replied, inwardly praising Jin Xiangyu's sharp eyes.

"Alright, call me if you need anything else." With that, Jin Xiangyu turned to leave without another glance.

"Wait!" Qin Shuang called out. Facing Jin Xiangyu's puzzled expression, he continued, "Innkeeper, I want to do some business with you!"

"Oh!" Hearing about business, Jin Xiangyu was naturally interested.

She pulled a handkerchief from her robes, wiped the bloodstains from her hands, then dragged over a stool from the room. As she sat down, she asked, "Since we're doing business, let's get acquainted. I am Jin Xiangyu. And you, sir?"

"I am Qin... Dao!"

Jin Xiangyu's eyes flickered, as if she saw through him, yet she remained unfazed. "Tell me, what business do you have?"

Seeing this, Qin Shuang cut to the chase. "I want to take a few people out of the pass!"

Jin Xiangyu listened, fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, her voice drawn out, soft and slow. "A few people?"

Qin Shuang didn't hide anything. He pointed to Xiao Jin and Hong Yifei, answering truthfully, "The three of us. There are four more downstairs."