"They're all dead..."
"Thank you, great hero, for saving my life... I'll never forget your kindness for as long as I live..."
"Thank you, young hero..."
After Chen Guan had slaughtered all the bandits, the people in the inn froze for a moment, then hurriedly offered their thanks, fearfully and one after another.
They no longer feared the bandits. Instead, they were even more afraid of this "strange young hero" who killed people at the drop of a hat!
Especially after the bandits' heads had been cut off and the stench of blood filled the air.
As they breathed in the mingled scents of food and blood, and watched blood, heads, fine wine, and delicacies scatter across the floor, their reverence for Chen Guan only deepened.
At that moment, the inn was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
But just then,
a merchant timidly raised his head. After studying Chen Guan's ears a few times, he asked cautiously, fear and admiration in his voice:
"Ch-Chen Guan... Could you... could you be the Chen Strange Hero of Liu Town?"
As it happened, there was a merchant in the inn who had heard the tales about the "young Strange Hero."
Chen Guan's introduction had sounded familiar to him earlier.
And it was only after noticing Chen Guan's unusual ears that he dared to risk asking.
Of course, the atmosphere was stifling, and Chen Guan was so powerful.
With his words, the merchant also hoped to attach himself to someone strong, putting on the air of "none of you in this inn recognize this expert, but I know this great hero."
Perhaps he could even use this as an excuse to cultivate some connections.
"That's right." Chen Guan paid no heed to what he was thinking and walked toward the nearest corpse.
"There's no need to thank me, everyone. I just happened to come across them, so I took care of them while I was at it."
"Th-this many lives... and he calls it taking care of them while he was at it..."
"Truly a great hero! I'm in awe!"
"How chivalrous of the Strange Hero! No wonder he's the Strange Hero of Liu... Liu Town!"
Hearing Chen Guan's words, the people took turns praising him, their gratitude for being saved mingling with their fear and reverence.
Even the two wandering knights put on the ingratiating airs of worldly men, unwilling to be outdone by anyone.
At that moment, the merchant who had tried to strike up a conversation could barely get a word in.
But
Chen Guan ignored their chatter. He used his long saber to turn over the bandits' clothes one by one, searching each corpse and delivering a finishing blow to each.
Some had only had their throats slit, or had been stabbed in the heart with a blade that hadn't gone in very deep. They might not be dead, so he had to cut them down completely.
Since he had already struck, he had to see the job through and do it as thoroughly as he could.
As he finished them off,
Chen Guan came across some manuals and handwritten notes.
He picked them out to take a look, too.
Meanwhile, the people in the inn had been trying to ingratiate themselves with Chen Guan.
But when they saw how careful and ruthless he was,
they didn't dare say another word.
Chen Guan was glad of the peace and continued delivering finishing blows, one after another.
He turned them over and finished them off for just under two minutes.
Chen Guan found some silver and a book of swordsmanship notes written by Pengfeng Sword.
It was a modest haul.
At least it would cover the cost of his meal today.
But to the others, Young Hero Chen's swift killing, followed by his searching the bodies and finishing off the wounded, seemed even more practiced than the bandits' own methods!
For a moment, they couldn't tell which of them were bandits and which were heroes.
Or perhaps heroes and bandits were one and the same, both engaged in killing.
But bandits killed for profit, without asking about right or wrong.
When good and evil were blurred, those who did evil were bound to be bandits.
Those who did the opposite, rooting out evil, were naturally heroes.
Such sayings were very popular among the common folk of this dynasty, because they had been spoken by the "current Prime Minister."
The Prime Minister's words had also established a certain unspoken precedent.
That was why when a knight-errant killed someone in a town, they generally weren't charged with a crime.
Swish—
Only after he had picked the last man's wallet free did Chen Guan look toward the silent crowd, his gaze settling on the innkeeper.
"I..."
When the innkeeper saw the ruthless man looking his way, then glanced at the scattered corpses, he trembled all over in fright.
Chen Guan tossed some of the silver he had collected in front of him.
Clack—
The silver pouch landed on the quiet inn's floor.
"Though I did save your lives,"
Chen Guan pointed to the pouch.
"When I fight someone, I never hold back."
Chen Guan glanced at the overturned, broken tables and chairs, and the blood and corpses covering the floor.
"Settle the bill.
Pay for the meal, and for the damage to the inn."
In the end, the innkeeper refused the money and didn't dare accept payment for the damages.
Chen Guan saw him refuse again and again, so he stopped bringing it up. Otherwise, he would have seemed needlessly coy.
Still, those who dared to run an inn out in the wilderness, and the travelers who passed through, were no strangers to the world.
After they had made certain that Chen Guan wasn't some great evildoer,
and the merchant who knew of Chen Guan's exploits told the others about them,
they finally relaxed a little. Together, they moved the corpses to the woods up ahead with reasonable calm.
But once they had finished, they saw that the Strange Hero was still standing in front of the corpses, seemingly with no intention of leaving.
"Great hero..."
They wanted to ask why he wasn't leaving.
"Everyone, go on ahead." Chen Guan gazed at the moonlit sky, as if waiting for something.
"We'll be on our way..." The others didn't dare ask more. They cupped their hands in farewell one after another.
Some even knelt to thank Chen Guan for saving their lives before taking their leave.
Only after everyone had gone
did Chen Guan take out a leather pouch and dabbed some liquid onto his eyes.
"I wonder what it looks like when the Underworld Bureau comes to collect souls."
Chen Guan really was "waiting for someone."
To be precise, he was waiting for an Orthodox God from the Underworld Bureau.
After meeting Chen Changhong, Chen Guan had learned, to his surprise, that this world had something like an "underworld."
As for the figures from mythology,
Chen Guan truly wanted to see them, which was why he had gone out of his way to take the Yin-Yang Eyes' mucus from the Dilapidated Temple while traveling.
Of course, Chen Guan had also asked Chen Changhong about it and learned that there was no danger.
According to Chen Changhong, the Orthodox Gods of the Underworld Bureau were people who had been made into gods by Heaven and Earth after their deaths.
Aside from a very few exceptions, most of these gods were approachable.
As long as you didn't make any demands while your relationship was still new,
a simple "gentleman's friendship," or just meeting them, was absolutely safe.
Especially since even those rare Orthodox Gods who were difficult to deal with at worst were cold and indifferent. They wouldn't pay any attention to the living in the mortal world.
Faced with such "nice gods," Chen Guan naturally wanted to meet them.
And if he could build a good relationship with them, there was another benefit.
For instance, if they got along and became friends,
and someone in his family passed away,
it might happen that this particular Orthodox God was on duty and came to detain their soul.
He could put in a good word and ask the spirit official to wait a little longer before taking them away.
Or perhaps he could even use magic to let the deceased's younger relatives meet their soul one last time.
If he had to give an example, it would be like the "Night of the Returning Soul on the Seventh Day."
The descendants of the deceased could see their loved one's soul return and say one last goodbye to their family.
Such a miraculous occurrence on the Night of the Returning Soul was a backdoor granted by a spirit official to someone they knew.
A small favor like this was not some major matter like "bringing someone back to life." It was perfectly reasonable.
After all, most Orthodox Gods had been people in life, too. They understood the ways of the world and valued personal ties.
Even if an evil spirit became a ghostly god, it still had the full range of emotions and desires, and would be reluctant to slight a friend.
But there were also spirit officials who simply saw that a family was kind and had done many good deeds in life, so they made an exception and let the deceased reunite with their family one last time.
Of course, there were also ghostly gods who showed no favors and followed only the laws of the Underworld Bureau.
As for Chen Guan now,
besides wanting to try to expand his "connections in the underworld," he also wanted to see what spirit officials, Soul-Snatching Envoys, or Roaming Gods looked like.
Would they be Ox-Head and Horse-Face, or perhaps Black and White Impermanence?
Before you continue