Coming Clean

"Yuelou Inn..."

An Chen muttered to himself as he looked at the plaque. Then his ears twitched, and he stepped into the inn.

A waiter came forward and asked, "Would you like a room or a meal, sir?"

An Chen recited the code Guan Yue had given him. "How many threads does your establishment have?"

The waiter froze for a moment, then smiled. "You sure know how to joke, sir. We don't have any threads here."

Was that wrong?

At that moment, the innkeeper behind the counter hurried over upon hearing this. He waved for the waiter to leave, then said with a smile, "Sir, there are 1,002 threads. Go straight in from here."

As he spoke, the innkeeper pointed toward the backyard.

An Chen nodded and headed toward the backyard.

"Since when does our inn have over a thousand threads?" the waiter leaned over and asked curiously.

The innkeeper rolled his eyes at him. "Why are you asking so many questions..."

An Chen passed through the backyard gate and entered the courtyard. There were several small courtyards here, and the surroundings were tranquil.

After looking around, An Chen spotted Courtyard No. 1002 and walked over.

After entering the courtyard, An Chen saw a handsome young man sitting inside. When he saw An Chen enter, he smiled faintly. "We meet again."

Gou Dongxi? Had my actions yesterday been exposed? Did the club send him to capture me?

As An Chen thought, the shadow beneath his feet gradually turned pitch-black, transforming from a shadow into a pool of black water.

Just as his foot sank into the shadow, a familiar, aged voice rang out. "Wait, little brother. We mean no harm."

After seeing who it was, An Chen stopped himself from entering the shadow. He lifted his foot and planted it