"Ah! Innkeeper! You forgot the salt in this minced pork and eggplant! How am I supposed to eat it?" Li Xiaoya said, struck by a sudden inspiration. As he spoke, he made sure to give Zhang Dafu a covert poke in the waist.
"Ah! How could that be?!" Zhang Dafu replied instinctively, taken aback.
"Why couldn't it be?! Try it yourself if you don't believe me!" Holding the cockroach between his chopsticks, Li Xiaoya swished it around in the sauce of the minced pork and eggplant. It really did look rather like a piece of eggplant now. He raised his hand and offered it to Zhang Dafu.
Zhang Dafu took it and was just about to slip it into his sleeve. Before he could speak, the bearded man suddenly raised his hand. With a whoosh, a streak of cold light shot out, hurtling straight toward Zhang Dafu's hand. Clang! The cold light seemed to strike an invisible wall and bounced back, embedding itself beside the bearded man's foot with a metallic chink. It was a silver dart. "Who's there?! Which master is here?!" The bearded man's expression changed drastically. His life-snatching silver dart technique might not rank among the finest martial arts, but he had attacked without warning, and someone had actually struck after him yet arrived first. How fast must that person be? He had not even seen anything before his dart was deflected. Could Li Fei, the world's foremost hidden-weapons master, be here? If that attack had been aimed at him instead of his dart... The bearded man secretly wiped away cold sweat, counting himself lucky. By now, the succession of startling events had left everyone else in the hall as silent as crows and sparrows struck dumb. Zhang Dafu had also gone pale with fright, inwardly cursing Li Xiaoya for being a trouble magnet.
"Innkeeper!" Li Xiaoya was the first to react, crying out. He was fairly certain that the elderly man and the girl had intervened.
Zhang Dafu froze, then threw caution to the wind. Hastily opening his mouth, he swallowed the minced pork and cockroach in one gulp and said, "No! There's salt in it!"
A snort of laughter rang especially clearly through the silent hall. Everyone looked toward its source and saw the girl dressed as a boy, her little face flushed crimson as she covered her mouth and giggled. Finding everyone's eyes on her, she hurriedly put on a solemn expression. But anyone could tell from her trembling shoulders how hard she was struggling to hold it in.
The bearded man looked over too. Just as he was about to say something, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear. "If you want to live, go back and sit down quietly!" His expression changed again. Condensing sound into a thread? How could a technique found only in legends...?! He became even more certain that an extraordinary master was present, most likely that elderly man or the girl. At that thought, he instinctively glanced toward them. The elderly man was watching Zhang Dafu and Li Xiaoya with a silent smile, apparently paying him no attention, while the girl was covering her mouth and snickering, ignoring him completely. Could it be someone else? he wondered. Forget it. The martial world has more extraordinary people than anyone can count. Better to be cautious. With that, he called out, "Innkeeper! The bill! Keep the change!" He reached into his clothes and tossed out a silver ingot, which landed lightly on Li Xiaoya's table.
"Ah?!" Zhang Dafu was surprised by how suddenly agreeable the man had become. He was about to speak when he caught sight of Li Xiaoya reaching for the silver ingot. He quickly snatched it away and said respectfully, his face wreathed in a fawning smile, "Thank you, great hero! Thank you, great hero!"
Without looking back, the bearded man led his companions outside. Their conversation drifted faintly back.
"Brother Zhao! Why are we leaving already?!"
"Don't ask. We'll talk when we get back!"
"Heh-heh! My esteemed Innkeeper Zhang." Li Xiaoya grinned at Zhang Dafu, looking positively deserving of a beating.
"I haven't settled accounts with you yet!" Zhang Dafu changed his expression faster than turning a page. The sight of Li Xiaoya's face sent his temper flaring. "You actually made me eat...!"
"Hey now!" Li Xiaoya grabbed his wrist, interrupting him with that exclamation. Leaning closer, he whispered, "Innkeeper! There's still plenty of my minced pork and eggplant left. Would you like some more?!"
"You!" Zhang Dafu seethed. He flicked his sleeve and glanced around. Seeing that many customers were still watching them, he sighed. "Just my rotten luck! Your meal's free. Get lost!"
"Then thank you, Innkeeper!" Li Xiaoya grinned and cupped his hands in salute, then rose and headed outside.
"Wait!" Zhang Dafu suddenly called after him.
"Changed your mind, esteemed Innkeeper Zhang?" Li Xiaoya looked back and asked carelessly.
Zhang Dafu strode over, seized Li Xiaoya's hand, and slapped the silver ingot heavily into his palm. "Take this silver back, and don't ever eat at my inn again. If you come back, don't blame me for showing you no mercy!" Without another word, he shoved Li Xiaoya outside.
Li Xiaoya looked at Zhang Dafu, tucked the silver into his clothes, and walked out without speaking. Just as he crossed the threshold, he suddenly turned back with a grin and called, "Esteemed Innkeeper Zhang! Was that minced pork and eggplant tasty?!"
Zhang Dafu's heart lurched. As though suddenly remembering something, he grabbed the abacus beside him and made to hurl it at Li Xiaoya, bellowing furiously.
"Get lost!!!"
Li Xiaoya nimbly dodged, burst into laughter, and vanished like a wisp of smoke. Zhang Dafu chased him a few steps before running back and telling a nearby worker, "Watch the inn for me. I'm going to the back courtyard for some water!"
"Ah... ah... oh dear... oh dear! Grand... Grandpa... I'm dying of laughter!" The girl finally abandoned all concern for appearances and sprawled over the table, shaking helplessly with laughter.
"And you're still laughing! Who gave you permission to use magic?!" the elderly man scolded, his face stern.
"Oh, Grandpa! Li Xiaoya does have an immortal root, after all. As immortal cultivators, how could we just stand by?" The girl stopped laughing and tugged at his clothes, wheedling.
"Forget it! It wasn't anything serious. Let's leave too. We're only another half day from Beast Spirit Valley!" the elderly man said helplessly.
"Oh, Grandpa! Let's stay here and play for another two days!" Looking disappointed, the girl pleaded coaxingly.
"No! We agreed to meet tomorrow. How could we delay any longer?!"
"Oh," the girl said in disappointment.
Meanwhile, Zhang Dafu ran into the back courtyard and retched at the ground, but after a long while, nothing came up. Looking up, he spotted Xu Er lying beneath the eaves, dozing. Without a word, he rolled up his sleeves, cursing inwardly. I told you to stop that damned Li Xiaoya, but you didn't, and now you've got the nerve to laze around here?! He ran over and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on Xu Er, cursing as he struck. "It's all your fault! All your fault! You useless good-for-nothing!"
Xu Er had been dozing, utterly unaware that punches and kicks were about to rain down from the heavens. Beaten until he howled, he burst into curses. "Fuck! What bastard's hitting me?!"
At those words, Zhang Dafu struck even harder. "You little shit, you dare curse me?!"
Hearing his voice, Xu Er opened his eyes and took a look, then jumped in fright. He rolled over, scrambled up, and ran away, begging as he fled, "Innkeeper! Innkeeper! Spare me! Stop hitting me!"
Without a word, Zhang Dafu chased after him, still swinging. Xu Er dodged and shouted, "Innkeeper! Innkeeper! Did Li Xiaoya make you angry again?! I know how to deal with him! I have a way!"