A Pair of Eyes

Under the shroud of night, in a narrow alley, a man hurrying along suddenly paused as if sensing something, his gaze warily fixed on the depths of the alley. The next moment, as if seeing some terrifying existence, his eyes filled with despair and terror. He instinctively tried to cry out for help, but with a flash of a dark figure, the man's body rapidly shriveled, leaving behind only a desiccated corpse drained of its very essence.

He Yuan watched the Naked Ghost-faced Yaksha Idol, which had devoured the man, with immense excitement. His gaze greedily fell upon the long street at the end of the alley, where streams of Flesh and Blood Soul Aura were beckoning him.

With a casual wave, the corpse on the ground instantly turned to dust, and He Yuan vanished without a trace.

By this time, there were few pedestrians left on the street, but He Yuan's face broke into a smile as he looked not far ahead.

"The eighth one, still far from enough. If I didn't want to alert those people from the Great River Sect too early, just a few households would provide dozens of Blood Food. Tsk, those so-called Guardian Spirits and Guardian Deities can only ward off minor Malevolent Spirits. For us Cultivators, or even powerful Gods, Demons, and Malevolent Spirits, there are plenty of ways to bypass these Guardian Spirits. It's only the Ordinary Mortals who believe the statues they worship can protect them from all harm. Little do they know that many tragedies of ruined families and wiped-out households are caused by High Gods, who then blame it on Malevolent Spirits!"

He Yuan, his form seemingly merged with the darkness, indifferently glanced at the corpse lying at his feet. As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard footsteps. He Yuan's eyes lit up, and following the sound, he saw a person walking briskly. It was none other than Huang Huai.

"Tsk, another one!"

He Yuan's gaze locked onto Huang Huai, his evil stare, almost tangible, sending shivers down one's spine.

At this moment, Huang Huai saw his destination ahead – a remarkably conspicuous inn caught his eye, and his heart leaped with joy.

This was one of the inns he had noticed during the day, and this particular one happened to be the closest to him.

The inn was a full three stories high, constructed entirely of wood, giving it a rather elegant appearance. Two lanterns hung on either side of the main entrance, and a waiter stood by the door, seemingly trying to attract customers.

As if noticing Huang Huai, the waiter's eyes lit up.

Huang Huai, whose mind had just relaxed, suddenly stiffened. The feeling of being stared at by some terrifying entity made him instinctively look around.

"Hiss, what is that!"

From the dim alley in the distance, a pair of eyes radiating a chilling cold seemed to be fixed on him. Just meeting those eyes sent a shiver down Huang Huai's spine.

"I'm going to die, I must leave here!"

With a surge of alarm, Huang Huai instinctively wanted to open the mysterious portal that connected the two worlds to escape. But just then, a voice rang out, "Esteemed guest, are you looking for lodging?"

The waiter's voice was like heavenly music. In an instant, Huang Huai felt the chilling gaze that had been fixed on him vanish. The crisis averted, Huang Huai's potential surged, and to the waiter's slight astonishment, he instantly arrived at the inn's entrance.

Seeing this, the waiter smiled, "Please come in, esteemed guest."

Huang Huai forced himself to calm down, trying his best to appear normal. Even so, recalling the sense of danger from moments ago, he still felt a lingering fear.

He let out a breath, steadying his startled nerves, and stepped into the inn. Upon entering the main hall, the first thing he saw was a statue about a person's height. This statue held a sword in one hand and a golden Golden Ingot in the other, with a fierce tiger lying at its feet. Apart from having wings on its back, Huang Huai might have mistaken it for a statue of the God of Wealth Zhao Gongming at first glance.

Looking at the rather ordinary-looking statue before him, he inexplicably felt a sense of security.

Having visited over a dozen shops in the past half-day, Huang Huai had gained some experience. After seeing the various statues in the shops he had entered, he was now accustomed to seeing such a prominent statue in the main hall of an inn and was not surprised.

In fact, if this inn didn't have a statue, it would be what surprised him.

The waiter, who had been following Huang Huai, seemed to notice his gaze lingering on the statue and immediately said, "Esteemed guest, our Ping'an Inn is a century-old establishment in Great River City. Our reputation and safety guarantees are well-known."

As he spoke, the waiter subtly highlighted the inn's guardian statue, the Crouching Tiger Subduing Demon God Idol, beside him. Based on the waiter's experience, any guest visiting Ping'an Inn for the first time, upon hearing it's a century-old establishment and seeing the worshipped statue, would definitely not doubt the inn's credibility.

After all, common sense dictated that being a century-old establishment implied a deep foundation, meaning the statue worshipped in the inn had likely been there for a hundred years, accumulating immense Incense and Fire Prayer Power, capable of displaying great divine power to protect the inn's occupants in times of danger.

Unfortunately, the waiter's display and hints were like trying to wink at a blind man, a wasted effort, as Huang Huai, being an outsider, had no idea of the underlying implications.

However, upon hearing the waiter mention that the inn was a century-old establishment, Huang Huai had already made up his mind. Never mind being a century-old establishment, even if it wasn't, after his recent experience, he would still choose to stay at this inn, even if it were a den of thieves.

Glancing at the waiter, Huang Huai smiled, "I have long heard of the fame of Ping'an Inn in Great River City. Since that is the case, arrange the best room in your inn for me."

The waiter's eyes immediately lit up. His eyes, honed by years of welcoming and seeing off guests, subtly swept over Huang Huai from head to toe, pausing for a moment on Huang Huai's exposed wrist and neck. Then, with a smile, he bowed to Huang Huai and said, "Divine Character No. 1 Courtyard, for one esteemed guest!"

Under the waiter's guidance, they passed through the lobby and a door, and suddenly their eyes brightened. Before Huang Huai lay several extremely secluded and elegant independent courtyards.

Huang Huai truly hadn't expected the rooms at Ping'an Inn to be individual courtyards. This alone made him believe the waiter's words.

With a creak, the waiter pushed open a door, and a faint fragrance wafted out, revealing a serene courtyard. Though not large, the courtyard was meticulously clean and elegant. Seeing this, Huang Huai couldn't help but show a hint of satisfaction.

The waiter, adept at reading people, saw Huang Huai's satisfied expression, just as he had expected, and smiled, "Esteemed guest, this is our best Divine Character No. 1 Courtyard at Ping'an Inn. Are you satisfied?"

Huang Huai chuckled lightly and casually tossed a prepared Silver Gourd Seed to the waiter. "This courtyard is excellent, I am very satisfied!"

The waiter took the Silver Gourd Seed. As soon as it landed in his hand and he felt its weight, his smile grew even brighter. "I will escort the esteemed guest this far. If you require anything later, please ring the doorbell, and we will be there."

Huang Huai nodded slightly. With a thought, he suddenly spoke to the waiter, "I am traveling and have just arrived in Great River City. Is there anything I should be aware of in Great River City?"