Local Tyrant

After selling the bear hide, Ye Yun, carrying his cloth bag, checked into a decent inn. Although it was a Heavenly Grade room, it was far from the Shanhaiyuan where Zhang Xiaofan and the others stayed in the original work. However, this inn, unlike the luxurious Shanhaiyuan with its individual courtyards for each guest, was a place that combined lodging and dining. Precisely because it wasn't as luxurious or high-class, it attracted all sorts of people from different walks of life. With more people came more circulating information, and perhaps among it was what he was looking for.

After tidying up his room, Ye Yun went downstairs, handed the Bear Paw to the waiter to take to the kitchen, and then found a seat by the window. He then asked the waiter to bring a few signature dishes.

The other dishes arrived quickly. The Bear Paw was a bit slower and would take some more time. So, Ye Yun quietly savored the delicacies on the table while waiting for his Bear Paw to be served. However, most of his attention was focused on listening to the conversations of the inn's patrons. Unfortunately, most of their conversations were worthless, talking about nothing more than Old Wang from the west city losing the silver buried under his tree, or Old Li's daughter from the east city being pretty and catching Old Zhang's eye, which greatly disappointed Ye Yun.

Fine, treasures belong to the virtuous. I didn't come down the mountain purely to find treasures. Experiencing the local customs, culture, and enjoying the delicacies is also good. Most importantly, it's about honing myself. As for treasures, I'll go with the flow. There are plenty of treasures in all the worlds; I'll just go and get them when I want.

With his thoughts cleared, Ye Yun instantly felt much more relaxed. He left only a portion of his mind to monitor the inn's activity, focusing the main part of his energy on the meal before him, savoring the taste of each dish. When Ye Yun had eaten about half of the food on the table, his Bear Paw was finally brought by the waiter. The moment the Bear Paw appeared, everyone in the inn stopped what they were doing, their eyes fixed on the plate of Bear Paw the waiter was carrying.

When the waiter placed the Bear Paw on his table, Ye Yun not only enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention but also heard the sound of incessant swallowing. However, he paid no mind, extending his chopsticks and lightly picking at the Bear Paw, which had become crystal clear after steaming. He then gently picked up a piece of golden, translucent Bear Paw meat, placed it in his mouth, savored it, and swallowed it with a gulp. At this moment, Ye Yun heard even more sounds of swallowing.

"This Bear Paw is well-made, much better than just roasting it. This is for you." Ye Yun was very satisfied with the taste of the Bear Paw and casually took out a piece of shattered silver the size of a peanut and tossed it to the waiter. The waiter thanked him and happily ran off.

When Ye Yun had eaten a little more than half of the Bear Paw, a young man dressed in a tattered scholar's robe walked over, put down his chopsticks, picked up his plate of five-spice beans and stir-fried meat with vegetables, and very naturally placed the two dishes down before sitting down. He said with a smile, "It's a joy to have friends from afar. Brother, judging by your attire, you must be from out of town, right? I am a local scholar. I find you very approachable, Brother. How about I take you around here?"

Ye Yun looked up at the scholar, then lowered his head again, diligently focusing on the Bear Paw before him. The scholar, seeing this, was not annoyed. He continued to smile and did not reach for any other dishes, only eating the two he had brought over.

Ye Yun found this amusing but still ignored him. Just then, another tall, fierce-looking man holding a long saber strode over, pulled out the stool next to Ye Yun, and sat down imposingly. He took a pair of chopsticks from the table and reached for the pot of Bear Paw.

The other patrons in the inn shook their heads upon seeing this. Some were regretful, some were pitying, some were indifferent, and some were gloating, but not a single person spoke.

"Slap"

The chopsticks the big man was reaching for the Bear Paw were directly knocked away by Ye Yun without mercy.

This scene not only stunned the other patrons in the inn, but the big man was also dumbfounded. After two or three seconds, he angrily stood up, looking at Ye Yun with a menacing aura, and shouted, "Kid, what do you mean by this?" At the same time, the other two people who had been sitting at his table, holding long sabers, stood behind Ye Yun with unfriendly eyes.

Ye Yun calmly picked up another chopstickful of food and slowly retorted, "What do I mean?"

Ye Yun's reaction made Gu Dahai's pupils contract. He was a native of Heyang City. In his youth, by chance, he obtained a secret manual. Driven by intense curiosity and a yearning for the celestial beings who could fly high and leap far, he began to practice the movements of the figures in the manual. In the end, he actually achieved some success. Although he couldn't fly through the sky or burrow through the earth like an immortal, he could at least scale walls and leap over eaves.

By chance, while helping his parents sell goods, he knocked down a young master who was trying to force a sale and all his retainers. Unexpectedly, when he was worried about retaliation, the young master chickened out. He didn't dare to say a word, and even compensated him with money. Since then, he began his career of "robbing the rich to help the poor," specifically targeting suitable individuals in various inns. Because he knew Heyang City very well, most of his attempts were successful. Of course, there were times when he kicked an iron plate, but he mostly managed to escape unscathed. This young man before him, however, was so calm and composed that he had a bad premonition. In such a situation, someone who could remain so calm was either extremely confident or a clueless greenhorn.

I hope it's the latter, Gu Dahai prayed silently in his heart and prepared to intimidate Ye Yun according to his usual routine. But unfortunately, it seemed all the gods and Buddhas in heaven were on vacation today and didn't hear his prayer, because he was about to provoke Ye Yun.

Gu Dahai steadied his nerves and said fiercely, "Kid, you knocked away my chopsticks and ruined my meal. This Bear Paw cost me a hundred taels of silver. What do you say we do about it?"

"Tsk." Ye Yun couldn't help but laugh, and said to Gu Dahai with a playful expression, "You bought this Bear Paw? When did I sell it to you?"

Gu Dahai placed his right hand on his saber hilt, looked at Ye Yun with his ferocious eyes, and said coldly, "Kid, what did you say? Say it again!"

The scholar Zhang Zifeng saw that Gu Dahai was truly angry and quickly said to Gu Dahai with a fawning expression, "Boss Gu, please don't mind. My brother hasn't seen much of the world and was momentarily dazzled by the prosperity here, he misremembered. I'll have my brother compensate you right away." Then, he turned back to Ye Yun and whispered, "Little brother, this is the famous Boss Gu of Heyang City. His saber is as fast as lightning, and he can scale walls and leap over eaves. Now that he's got his eye on you, just give in and pay him some money. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble, big trouble."

Hearing this, Ye Yun's eyes lit up and he said, "Boss Gu? So you're the Local Tyrant here. I happen to need a well-informed guide. You've come at the perfect time."