Tea Stall

Several days later, Zu Hao and his group finally left the disaster zone.

At noon, the blazing sun hung high overhead. Heat waves rolled across the yellow-earth official road, leaving everyone hot and parched.

Not far ahead, a crude tea stall stood beside the road. An elderly woman with graying hair fanned the stove with a palm-leaf fan, while a hunchbacked old man carefully wiped down the tables and chairs.

"Wuji, let's rest here for a while."

At Zu Hao's word, Zhang Wuji pulled the reins, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.

The moment the five of them sat down, the old woman brought over four bowls of tea, her face creased with a kindly smile. "Guests, have a bowl of cold tea to quench your thirst."

Just as Zhou Zhiruo reached for a bowl, Zu Hao suddenly pressed down on her hand.

Through his psychic senses, he saw fine yellow powder floating in the murky teapot, slowly dissolving.

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Wuji asked in confusion. Thirsty and dry-mouthed, he had already picked up his bowl.

Zu Hao's gaze turned cold, and he drew his sword in a flash.

The blade flashed, and a thin line of blood appeared across the old woman's throat.

Her eyes widened as she collapsed in disbelief, the tea bowl in her hand shattering on the ground.

"Ah!"

Zhang Wuji sprang to his feet in fright, and his tea bowl fell with a clatter.

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Buhui went pale, clutching tightly at Zu Hao's robe as their bodies trembled slightly.

Yin Li, on the other hand, remained comparatively calm.

Seeing his old companion killed, the hunchbacked old man wailed and rushed forward. "Old woman! Why did you kill my old woman?"

Zu Hao remained unmoved and said coldly, "You drugged the tea."

The hunchbacked old man knelt beside the corpse, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably. "What drug? We only added a little ginseng powder to the tea to refresh weary travelers!"

As he spoke, he poured a packet of medicinal powder into his mouth to prove his innocence.

Watching the grief-stricken old man suffer no ill effects after eating the powder, then looking at the old woman lying on the ground, Zhang Wuji could not help saying, "Brother Zu, perhaps... perhaps you misunderstood?"

Zu Hao's face remained expressionless. His psychic senses had already surveyed the surrounding area.

"You're too naive. How many copper coins can a tea stall make in a day?"

Zu Hao said coldly, "Ginseng powder? You two certainly were generous."

The old man's crying abruptly stopped. His eyes flickered as he said mournfully, "We... we're kind-hearted. We couldn't bear to see travelers suffer. Now that my old woman is dead, I don't want to live either. Kill me..."

Before he could finish, the sword flashed again.

The old man clutched his spurting throat and fell. His eyes were filled with terror and confusion, as though he could not understand, even in death, why this young man had acted so decisively and ruthlessly.

Zu Hao flicked the blood droplets from his sword, wiped it clean, and sheathed it. "In this desolate wilderness, there might not even be ten customers a day."

"A bowl of tea sells for two copper coins, with less than one copper coin in profit."

"And ginseng powder, even the cheapest kind, costs dozens of copper coins per qian."

"If you're so rich, why not open a charity hall instead?"

Zhang Wuji stood frozen, unable to say anything for a moment.

Zhou Zhiruo asked softly, "Brother Zu, then why was that old man fine after eating the medicine?"

"Because what he ate was real ginseng powder!"

As Zu Hao spoke, he used his sword to lift the old man's lapel, revealing a gleaming dagger. Then he pointed toward a dried-up well partially visible behind the nearby brush. "I'd wager there's more than water in that well."

"The martial world is dangerous, and the human heart is impossible to predict."

"You must remember: it is good to possess compassion, but the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong is even more essential."

As he spoke, Zu Hao walked to the dried-up well. With a sweep of his sleeve, telekinesis cleared away the grass covering its mouth, revealing more than a dozen already-rotting corpses within.

Zhang Wuji leaned closer to look, and his face immediately went white. His stomach churned, and only then did he realize they had encountered a murderous roadside inn. He had nearly become one of its victims.

Zu Hao threw the couple's bodies into the dry well, shoveled some earth over it, then searched the tea stall and found more than a dozen money pouches along with several useful items. He packed them up and placed them in the carriage.

"Let's go. The town ahead shouldn't be far now."

Zu Hao patted Zhang Wuji on the shoulder and climbed into the carriage first.

The sound of hoofbeats resumed. The tea stall and that dried-up well gradually fell behind them, vanishing amid the rolling yellow dust.

Zhang Wuji remained silent for a long time. Whenever he glanced at Zu Hao in the carriage, however, there was a little more complicated reverence in his eyes.

Inside the carriage, Zhou Zhiruo quietly took Zu Hao's hand and said softly, "Brother Zu, you're amazing."

Zu Hao smiled faintly. If not for his psychic senses detecting the subtle anomaly, he might have been fooled by that black-hearted couple as well.

But with the Negative Reversal System, even if he drank something poisonous, Zu Hao would not be harmed. Instead, he could gain benefits from it.

Ruffling Zhou Zhiruo's hair, Zu Hao said, "When traveling, you must always guard against others. In this cannibalistic world, one careless mistake can lead to eternal ruin. Only by being cautious can you live a long life."

"Zhiruo understands."

Zhou Zhiruo nodded obediently.

The group continued on their way.

After the carriage had traveled along the official road for about an hour, the outline of a small town finally appeared ahead.

The town was not large. Earthen houses were scattered among the mountain hollows, and several narrow dirt roads crisscrossed through them, giving the place a desolate appearance.

"We'll find an inn here and rest for the night."

Zu Hao said, "We'll continue tomorrow."

Zhang Wuji nodded and drove the carriage slowly into town.

There were not many pedestrians in town. Seeing outsiders arrive, they all cast curious looks their way.

Several children hid behind the houses, timidly studying the rare carriage.

They found a small inn that looked relatively clean, and Zu Hao parked the carriage in the rear courtyard.

The innkeeper was a middle-aged man. Seeing customers arrive, he hurried over with a professional smile on his face.

"Guests, are you dining or staying the night?"

"Prepare three upper rooms, and have some food brought out as well."

Zu Hao spoke as he handed over a piece of broken silver.

The innkeeper accepted the silver, and his eyes lit up. His attitude became even more enthusiastic. "Certainly! This way, guests."

After making the arrangements, the four of them rested briefly in their rooms.

Zu Hao and Zhang Wuji each took a room, while the other three women shared one.

It was not that Zu Hao was reluctant to spend money, but that he feared some unexpected incident might occur and leave him unable to rescue them in time.

After putting away their belongings, the group went downstairs to eat.

There were few guests in the inn's main hall. Only several locals sat drinking and chatting in a corner.

The food and wine were served. Though not exquisite, they were edible enough.

Zu Hao sampled them first. Only after confirming there was nothing wrong did he allow Zhang Wuji, Zhou Zhiruo, Yin Li, and Yang Buhui to begin eating.

Zhang Wuji had clearly not fully recovered from his earlier shock. He absentmindedly picked at the food in his bowl.

Zhou Zhiruo, Yang Buhui, and Yin Li were obediently eating in silence, occasionally stealing glances at Zu Hao.

Zu Hao saw it all and slowly asked, "Wuji, are you still thinking about what happened at the tea stall?"

Zhang Wuji set down his bowl and chopsticks and said in a low voice, "Brother Zu, I just don't understand. Those two elders looked so kind. Why would they commit such evil deeds?"

"In the martial world, the most dangerous things are often not open blades and spears, but smiling people who harbor evil intentions."

Zu Hao said gently, "Your parents died early, and you grew up overseas. You have rarely seen the wickedness of human hearts, so this cannot be blamed on you."

"In the martial world, there are countless people who look righteous but are not. Villains do not carve the word 'villain' onto their foreheads."

He paused. "Some of the corpses in that well had been rotting for a long time, while others were still fresh. That means they had been doing this for far more than a day or two."

At this, Zhang Wuji's face turned even paler. "They... they killed so many people. Did no one do anything?"

"The authorities these days are useless and only know how to exploit the common people. Where would they find the time to care about such things?"

Zu Hao said, "Travelers passing through such remote wilderness often carry money and have no acquaintances nearby, making them perfect targets for those murderous inns."

"They first drug their victims unconscious, then rob and kill them before tossing the bodies into a dried-up well. No one knows, and no one notices."

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Buhui were so frightened that their little faces turned pale.

Zu Hao patted their shoulders and comforted them. "Don't be afraid. With me here, no one can harm you."

"But you must remember as well: having a kind and pure heart is a good thing, but mercy depends on whom it is shown to. Being merciful to enemies is being cruel to yourself and those around you."

Zhang Wuji and the others silently nodded, seeming to gain some understanding.