Old Ox aside, Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu were both clever people. With only a slight hint from Ji Yuan, they understood his meaning, so he said no more. It was merely a pretext anyway; they could fill in the rest themselves.
Ji Yuan walked to the table and picked up the wine pot from earlier. Giving it a shake, he found wine still inside. Clearly, after his brief departure, neither Old Ox nor Shi Jiu had touched it. Otherwise, the remaining half-pot would have long been emptied.
"I'll take this pot of wine. The three of you can discuss matters further yourselves, but it would be best to leave this city soon as well."
Ji Yuan lifted the wine pot and turned to leave. As his footsteps carried him away, the noise within the tavern gradually grew louder.
"What is Mister Ji leaving to do?"
Shi Jiu asked this, and Ji Yuan glanced back at him. He merely smiled without answering before departing once more.
At the same time, Ji Yuan's voice rang in the ears of both Old Ox and Shi Jiu.
"Investigate the people abducted by the demons this time, as well as the matter of the Human-Animal Kingdom. Get to the bottom of it."
Once Ji Yuan left, the people at Old Ox and Shi Jiu's table seemed to blend back into the tavern's noisy surroundings. After quite a while, Wang Youhong, who had been standing at the table's side all along, finally let out a heavy breath and collapsed onto an empty bench as though all strength had drained from him.
"Phew..."
The sinister cultivator with the appearance of a young man wore an expression full of exhaustion. To be honest, after being grouped with Wang Youhong for so long, this was Old Ox's first