Chapter Three, The Peaceful Inn

The traveler in the bamboo hat slowly removed his hat, revealing a face that appeared to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, exuding an ethereal and transcendent aura. He had his hair styled in a topknot, his complexion was fair, and beneath his chin hung a long beard that swayed gently without wind. His eyes were like phoenixes, with delicate eyebrows and lips red and teeth white, presenting an extraordinary elegance. Every gesture he made radiated the demeanor of a highly accomplished individual.

The reason these Eagle Group assassins are still alive and able to leave is simply because they are still of use. The lives of their subordinates have never been regarded as lives; they must die in a manner that holds value. This is the principle of this individual

A few years ago, when he last fought that person, he was already well aware that the individuals present today were simply no match for him. Moreover, having incapacitated Li Qianhu, who was one-fortieth of his strength, with just a casual gesture, made it clear to him that these Eagle Group assassins lacked even the ability to test his strength.

The celestial wolf walked directly into the inn's door, where a yellow dog, lazily lying at the entrance with a layer of sand on its body, perked up upon seeing the celestial wolf. It joyfully wagged its tail, stood up straight, and shook its body, instantly stirring up a small sandstorm at the entrance.

The man in the bamboo hat chuckled softly, extending his right hand. A gentle force silently enveloped the three-foot radius around him, instantly neutralizing the rapidly spinning wine jar, which then settled steadily onto the table in front of the man in the bamboo hat. Meanwhile, the pile of yellow clay, which was meant for sustenance, was unexpectedly shaken apart by the force, and the rich aroma of wine quickly filled the entire inn.

The man sighed, remaining silent as he lifted the wine bowl and gently took a sip. He felt the liquid was scalding hot, and a wave of heat surged through his abdomen, as if his heart were on fire. He frowned and spoke: "You already have a difficult time suppressing the fire within you. Drinking such strong liquor is likely to make your internal energy uncontrollable. In the mildest case, you may lose control; in the worst case, you could fall into madness, leading to the severing of your meridians."

A prolonged voice came from the corner: "How come you have also learned my family's Ah Huang's technique of shaking off sand?"

Without casting another glance at the yellow dog, the wolf pulled a sheep bone from his pocket and tossed it far into the corner to the right of the door. The yellow dog joyfully let out a "woof" and ran to the corner, happily gnawing on the bone.

On the second day at dawn, the Sirius arrived at an inn thirty miles away. This was the only inn within a hundred miles. Inside the courtyard, surrounded by walls as tall as a person's chest, stood a lonely two-story building made of rammed earth, its surface battered by the wind and sand of the desert, appearing riddled with holes. The yellow earth walls were dotted with small holes, giving the inn the appearance of a face covered in pockmarks.

Two streams of energy collided in mid-air, producing a tremendous sound of "bang," which stirred up a cloud of dust. Li Qianhu let out a muffled groan, followed by the sound of bones cracking, "ka la la." He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body flew backward like a kite with a severed string, tumbling over ten steps before crashing into a killer from the Eagle Group behind him. The two of them fell heavily onto the sandy ground, motionless.

The person underground ordered his subordinates to withdraw, not out of pity for their lives, but because it was unnecessary to waste them in vain. He was never a merciful person, just as the Sirius had just claimed he was not a good person.

The light in the inn is dim; although it is daytime, the swirling sand obscures the bright sunlight that should be shining outside. The surrounding windows are essentially just a two-foot square earthen cave, supported by short wooden sticks holding a wooden board tightly shut.

The cold gaze of the wolf-like figure swept over the table, as he pulled down the towel, channeling his energy. A black tight-fitting outfit and the sand covering his eyebrows suddenly formed a yellow mist around him, which then slowly settled down with a soft rustling sound

After leaving this sentence, Tianlang turned around gracefully and walked away without looking back. The footprints, uniform in depth, instantly vanished in the wild winds of the desert. Behind him, beneath the pitch-black opening, a heavy sigh was heard.

Several wooden tables were haphazardly arranged in the lobby, and in the corner, a figure sat prominently in the shadows, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, making it difficult to discern his face in the dim light

The Celestial Wolf sat down before the Daoist, grasping the heavy wine jar, which weighed several dozen kilograms, with ease. The fragrant wine flowed like a gentle stream into the bowls in front of the two. Glancing at the Daoist, the Celestial Wolf lifted the wine bowl before him and drank it all in one go

Above the rooftop, a windmill as tall as a person spins rapidly in the wind, resembling a whirlwind or a spinning wheel. In front of the inn stands a tall flag, which is raised high by the strong wind, displaying the four large characters "Ping An Inn". Alongside these characters, there is also a line of Mongolian script that resembles tadpole writing.

The celestial wolf seemed not to have heard the Taoist's words, and, lost in its own thoughts, filled a large bowl for itself once again. It tilted its head back, and with a movement of its throat, produced a sound of "glug"; in an instant, the enormous bowl was left completely empty.

The eyes of the Eagle Group assassins were filled with even greater fear, while in their ears echoed the cold, inhuman voice of Sirius: "Who else would like to give it a try?"

In that instant, without seeing how the foot of the Sirius moved, the entire person suddenly floated to a table in front of the Hat-wearing Guest, gently pressing down on the tabletop with the left hand, causing two wine bowls to rise into the air and fly directly in front of the Hat-wearing Guest

From the opened hole, a melodious sound of a flute suddenly emerged, playing three short notes followed by two long ones. All the members of the Eagle Group assassins displayed expressions of joy in their eyes, as if they had just received a great pardon. They no longer paid attention to the Tianlang and jumped down the hole one after another. The last two individuals carried the already unconscious Li Qianhu and another unfortunate Eagle Group assassin, and also jumped down.

Tianlang stood with his arms crossed, coldly watching these people hurriedly leave. He had no intention of pursuing them, as he did not wish to reveal his strength in front of that person just yet

Tianlang shook his head; he knew that the person would absolutely not reappear until he was confident of defeating him. He coldly addressed the pitch-black tunnel, saying: "If you want to find me, come yourself; you know where I am."

Tianlang's expressionless face remained unchanged, and with a slight raise of his hand, a jar sealed with thick yellow clay flew over from a pile of wine jars by the wall. It appeared that there was at least twenty jin of wine inside the jar. After spinning around in Tianlang's hand, he pushed the jar with his right hand, sending it hurtling like a shooting star straight towards the hat-wearing guest in the corner.

The man smiled wryly and shook his head, then downed a bowl of wine in front of him. A fleeting flush of red appeared on his face, quickly vanishing.

The north wind howled fiercely, and several short wooden sticks at the lower ends of the planks had vanished without a trace. The planks were blown open and closed by the wind, and the inn was filled with the creaking sound of the planks on their hinges, which was enough to make one feel increasingly irritable.