"Just one. Are there any seats left upstairs?" the old man asked.
"Yes, yes! Go on up and pick an empty table. I'll be right back to take your order." The waiter stepped aside, clearing the way for the old man to go upstairs first.
On the third floor, Yang Hengchang and the others quietly drank their tea. Feng Xiaofeng glared angrily at Huang Xiao but said nothing more.
Thud, thud, thud. Footsteps came from the stairs.
Although the third floor was relatively quiet, the Jianghu folk around them were still talking, so it was by no means silent.
Normally, however loud those footsteps were, they should not have drowned out the voices. Astonishingly, though, they silenced all the Jianghu folk on the third floor.
Yang Hengchang had been lifting his teacup to drink. Now, halfway up, his hand stopped in midair, and his eyes turned toward the stairs.
Huang Xiao felt as though his heartbeat had changed, beating in time with the thud, thud, thud of the ascending footsteps. The sound seemed to pass straight into his mind, impossible to block out.
Hmm? Something suddenly stirred within Huang Xiao, and his mind cleared. He swiftly regulated his breathing and brought his heartbeat back to normal.
Just as Huang Xiao recovered, he saw an old man appear at the top of the stairs. Only when the man's foot landed on the final step did the thudding abruptly cease.
"Pfft-"
"Pfft-"
"Ah!"
Muffled groans rang out across the third floor. The Jianghu folk at the surrounding tables spat blood and collapsed limply over their tables.
As for Huang Xiao, he felt as though some force had suddenly clenched his heart. But because he had come to his senses earlier, he could withstand the sudden change. His face merely paled a little,