The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

After a long journey, Smith stepped into a busy inn, found an empty seat, sat down, and ordered some food.

While he was eating, the door of the inn was pushed open. He looked up casually and was instantly frozen as if struck by lightning.

It was Xi Yu who walked in and asked the waiter to prepare food for him.

"How is this possible?" Shi Daming's heart was filled with shock and his eyes widened with an expression of disbelief on his face.

He originally thought that after what Alexander did, Xi Yu would definitely be in deep trouble, but now this man appeared in front of him in good health. Does this mean that the strange spell was actually ineffective?

In a panic, Shi Daming hurriedly lowered his head, thankful that he was sitting in the corner, and quickly turned his face to the side, his body trembling slightly, for fear that Xi Yu would discover him.

His heartbeat accelerated rapidly and his mind was in a mess. He was filled with astonishment and confusion about this unexpected situation. He didn't understand why things had deviated from his original expectations.

Xi Yu sat at the table in the inn, eating quietly. His mind seemed to be entirely focused on the difficult journey to the extremely cold land to find herbs, and he was unaware of Shi Daming's presence.

Shi Daming had his back to Xi Yu, his body stiffly facing the wall. His heart was beating violently in his chest and he dared not even breathe.

After a while, the waiter came over with a big smile on his face and said to Shi Daming, "Sir, how does the food taste?"

Shi Daming tried his best to keep his voice steady and answered calmly, "Very good." But he never turned around, and the brim of his hat, which was pulled down deliberately, covered most of his face.

The waiter scratched his head, feeling strange, the customer's behavior was really unusual.

However, seeing that Smith had no intention of talking anymore, he left tactfully.

Shi Daming heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the waiter's footsteps fading away, but he still didn't dare to slack off. He continued to keep his back to Xi Yu, wondering what to do next. Should he continue to follow Xi Yu secretly, or should he first find out the reason why Alexander's spell failed?

I couldn't make up my mind for a moment, but my tense nerves never relaxed.

Xi Yu continued to enjoy the food on the plate slowly and at a leisurely pace, taking each bite calmly and attentively, unaware of the undercurrents lurking around him.

Finally, he finished his meal, took out some coins from his pocket and put them on the table to pay the bill, then stood up and walked steadily out of the inn.

Shi Daming held his breath until he heard Xi Yu's footsteps fading away, then he cautiously and secretly turned back.

He stared at Xi Yu's departing back, his eyes full of shock and anger.

His face turned red with anger, his hands clenched into fists involuntarily, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

"Hmph!" Smith snorted coldly and cursed in his heart, "That thief Alexander keeps saying that he has the ability to see through the heavens and the earth, but now it seems that he is just a liar with no ability. He is still talking nonsense here. It is simply absurd!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His chest heaved violently, and his trust in Alexander collapsed in an instant, leaving only the anger and unwillingness after being deceived.

But at this moment, he also knew that the most urgent task was to replan the next action. After all, Xi Yu was still safe and sound, and his own mission was far from complete.

Shi Daming gritted his teeth. Although he was unwilling, things had come to this point and there was really no other way.

He had no choice but to suppress his anger, waved to the waiter, hurriedly paid the meal, and hurried out of the inn.

When he came to where the horse was tied, he jumped on it and pulled the reins hard. The horse felt pain and started running wildly, raising dust all the way.

Smith was only thinking about returning to the Parthian Empire as soon as possible. He drove at lightning speed all the way, constantly reviewing the whole incident in his mind.

Now that he had confirmed that Xi Yu was safe and sound, he naturally did not dare to rashly hunt down Xi Yu.

Not to mention that the previous plan had already failed, Xi Yu was always protected by secret guards. Those secret guards were highly skilled and elusive. If he was not careful, he might even lose his life.

While galloping, Shi Daming secretly felt lucky that he had not been discovered by Xi Yu just now. He just hoped to return to the Parthian Empire as soon as possible and then make a long-term plan on what to do next.

Xi Yu walked forward and unknowingly arrived at a quiet little village.

At this time, the sky gradually darkened, like a piece of black silk slowly covering the earth, so he planned to find a farmer's house in the village to stay for one night.

Leading the horse, he came to a house and gently knocked on the door.

After a while, the door slowly opened and a middle-aged woman appeared at the door.

In the dim light, Xi Yu saw that there seemed to be traces of tears on her face and her eyes were red, as if she had just cried.

Xi Yu bowed slightly and asked politely, "Sister-in-law, I'm a traveler on the road. It's getting late. Can I stay here for one night?"

The woman looked embarrassed, hesitated for a moment, and said softly: "It's really inconvenient. There are only me and my daughter at home. It's not convenient to entertain guests. You should find another place."

Having said that, he was about to close the door.

Just then, a man came hurriedly outside, who looked to be about the same age as Xiyu.

He took a few steps to the door and saw Xi Yu standing there. He was stunned at first, then looked at the woman and shouted, "Aunt, what's going on?"

The woman hurriedly forced a smile, but her expression was still a little unnatural, and said: "Hai Xu, this guest passing by wants to stay at our house for one night, and I was just telling him that it's not very convenient."

Upon hearing this, Hai Xu looked Xi Yu up and down, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

Seeing this, Xi Yu bowed and said, "Brother, I am on my way here and have nowhere to rest. If you can help me, I will be very grateful. I will abide by the rules and will not disturb you."

Hai Xu hesitated for a moment and said, "Aunt, let's keep him here. It's dark here and he has nowhere to go as a stranger. Besides, I can stay here tonight. You can rest assured with me here."

After hearing Hai Xu's words, the woman's hesitation lessened a little, and she nodded slightly and said, "If that's the case, it's much more convenient."

After saying that, he stepped aside to let Xi Yu into the house, "I'm sorry to trouble you, my house is very simple, I hope you won't blame me."

Xi Yu hurriedly bowed his hands to express his gratitude, and said sincerely: "Thank you, sister-in-law, thank you, brother, for your timely help. I will always remember it in my heart."

When I entered the house, I saw that the furnishings were simple and plain, but clean and tidy.

Haixu helped Xiyu lead his horse to the simple stable behind the house, and then they sat together.

Although Xi Yu was curious about this family's situation, he knew it was inappropriate to ask rashly, so he just exchanged a few words with them. The atmosphere gradually became harmonious, but he could occasionally catch a glimpse of worry in the woman's eyes, as if there were something unknown hidden under this calm appearance.

At this moment, the door curtain of the inner room was gently lifted, and a woman walked out. It was the daughter of this woman.

She had a slender figure and although her face looked a little haggard, she still looked pretty.

When she saw Hai Xu, a light flashed in her eyes and she said softly, "My cousin is here." Her voice was gentle, with a hint of joy at seeing a relative.

Xi Yu looked at her subconsciously, and then he noticed that the woman was still wearing a white cloth on her head. He immediately understood something.

It turned out that this woman was in mourning for her dead husband. No wonder the sister-in-law looked so sad just now. It seemed that this family had suffered such a heartbreaking change.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became a little heavy and depressing, and the atmosphere that had gradually become harmonious seemed to be shrouded by a layer of faint sadness.

Hai Xu looked at his cousin's thin figure, couldn't help but sigh, and said softly: "Xiu Xiu, you have to accept your grief, there are still many days to come."

The woman nodded slightly, thanked him softly, and turned back to the house.

The woman asked Xiyu to sit down. Xiyu responded politely and sat down slowly.

Then, Hai Xu was heard talking to the woman.

From their conversation, Xiyu learned that the woman's name was Hailing and her daughter's name was Guo Xiuxiu.

Hailing's voice was filled with fatigue and helplessness.

"Time flies by so fast. Xiuxiu has such a hard life. She is a widow at such a young age."

Hai Xu also sighed and comforted her, "Aunt, don't worry too much. Everything will get better slowly." Xi Yu listened quietly and couldn't help feeling sympathy for the family's experience.

He observed the furnishings in the house calmly. Although simple, they were arranged in an orderly manner. It was obvious that Hailing was a hardworking person.

In this remote village, their lives might have been peaceful and simple, but this incident broke all the peace.

Haixu turned around and looked at his aunt and cousin with concern, and said earnestly: "Aunt, Xiuxiu, I came here just to see you. No matter how difficult life is, you have to look forward and be more open-minded."

Then, as if he remembered something, he looked at Xi Yu and asked curiously, "I haven't asked for your name yet, brother?"

Xi Yu thought for a moment and replied calmly, "My name is Yu Xi."

He knew very well that it was not appropriate to reveal his true identity on this trip, so he simply reversed his name and responded casually. There was no sign of abnormality on his face, and his eyes were open and natural, leaving no room for flaws.

Hai Xu nodded slightly and murmured "Yu Xi" again, as if he had memorized the name in his mind.

Xi Yu quietly observed the expressions of Hai Xu and Hai Ling, secretly wondering whether they had any doubts about him.

Hai Xu stood up and said to his aunt Hai Ling, "Aunt, please prepare a room for Brother Yu and me. We must be tired after traveling all the way."

Hailing responded and pointed to the south room and said, "You two can live in the south room. Although it is simple, it is clean."

Haixu took Xiyu and walked towards the south room.

Xi Yu was grateful. He took out some money from his pocket and handed it to Hai Ling respectfully, saying, "Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry to bother you. Please accept this money. I can't stay here for free."

Hai Ling waved her hands quickly, showing a hint of displeasure on her face, and said, "What kind of talk is that? I don't run an inn, how can I take your money? It's not easy to be away from home, you should take the money back as soon as possible."

Hai Xu also advised: "Brother Yu, please don't be so polite. My aunt is not the kind of person who is greedy for money. You are making things difficult for her."

Seeing Hailing's firm attitude, Xiyu no longer insisted, put the money back, and thanked Hailing again.

Looking at Hailing's departing back, Xiyu felt a mixture of emotions. This simple and kind-hearted family still maintained a warm heart in this difficult world, making him feel the long-lost warmth in this strange place.

Entering the south room, Hai Xu lit the oil lamp on the table, and the dim light illuminated the simple furnishings in the room.

A wooden bed, a tattered table, and a few chairs. Although simple, it was neatly arranged.

Xi Yu looked around and said to Hai Xu, "Today, I am grateful to my brother and sister-in-law. Otherwise, I really don't know what to do."

Hai Xu smiled and said, "Everyone has problems when they are away from home, so don't worry about it."

The two sat on the edge of the bed and chatted casually.

From the conversation, Xi Yu learned that Hai Xu was a peddler who traveled all over the country, often running around selling small items to make a living.

Most of the people in this village are simple farmers. Although their lives are not rich, they lead a peaceful life.

As they chatted, Haixu's eyelids gradually became heavy. After all, a day of running around made him exhausted.

He yawned and said to Xi Yu, "Brother Yu, go to bed early. We can talk about it tomorrow if there is anything."

Xi Yu, however, had no desire to sleep. He looked out the window at the night scene, his thoughts drifting away.

Thinking about my mission to find herbs in the extremely cold land, I don’t know what kind of difficulties and obstacles I will encounter along the way.

Seeing that Haixu had not yet fallen asleep, Xiyu hesitated for a moment, but still spoke softly: "Brother Haixu, I am really curious. I wonder how your cousin's husband died? If it is inconvenient for you to tell me, just pretend that I didn't ask."

Hai Xu was silent for a moment, then sighed heavily, a trace of sadness appeared on his face, and he slowly said, "He died of illness. He had not been in good health for some time, but he finally couldn't make it, leaving Xiuxiu alone. Alas, how pitiful."

Xi Yu nodded slightly. Although he felt that this matter might not be that simple, he didn't want to ask any further.

The house fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional chirping of insects outside the window breaking the quiet atmosphere.

After a while, Xi Yu said softly: "Life and death are determined by fate. I just hope Xiuxiu can get over this pain as soon as possible."

Hai Xu responded and turned over, as if he didn't want to talk about this topic anymore.

Xi Yu stopped talking and just lay quietly in the darkness.

Xi Yu had just closed his eyes and was about to rest when he heard Hai Xu beside him suddenly become emotional and said indignantly: "Brother Yu, you don't know, those people in my cousin's in-laws are so hateful! As soon as my brother-in-law left, they couldn't wait to send Xiuxiu back to her parents' home. It was obvious that they wanted to take away the things left by my brother-in-law. They have no sense of shame at all. It's really hateful!"

Hai Xu became angrier as he spoke. He clenched his fists tightly, his face full of anger and unwillingness.

Xi Yu's heart moved, and he asked softly: "Is this true? If they act like this, is there no one to take care of it?"

Hai Xu snorted coldly and said, "In this world, who cares about the lives of ordinary people like us? Xiuxiu is a weak woman, what can she do? She can only be sad in secret."

Xi Yu frowned slightly and secretly took note of this matter.

He thought to himself, this seemingly peaceful little village actually had such a lot of grievances and entanglements behind it. Since he was staying in this family and had received their kindness, if he had the chance, he would definitely help this poor mother and daughter, let those evildoers get the punishment they deserve, and give justice to this family.

Hai Xu took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the anger in his heart. After calming down, he said to Xi Yu, "Brother Yu, we are tired today. Let's take a rest first and stop thinking about these bad things."

Xi Yu listened, nodded and responded: "Okay, brother, you are right, let's take a rest first, and we will talk about it tomorrow."

Although he said this, he secretly made up his mind that he would investigate the matter thoroughly the next morning.

This family was so kind, yet they were treated so unfairly. He really couldn't bear to see it, and thought that perhaps with his own abilities, he could find out the truth behind it, so as to vent his anger for the poor mother and daughter and let those evil people who tried to rob property and bully the weak receive the punishment they deserved.

Even when Haixu started snoring, Xiyu still couldn't fall asleep. He just hoped that the day would get brighter soon so that he could start investigating the matter.

The first ray of sunlight in the morning shines through the gap in the window and falls on the floor of the south room. A new day comes quietly.

Haixu and Xiyu stood up almost at the same time, tidied themselves up briefly, and walked out of the room.

When Hai Xu saw Xi Yu, he said casually out of politeness: "Brother Yu, let's have breakfast together."

In his expectation, a passerby like Xi Yu would be in a hurry to get on with his journey and would not really stay for dinner. This was just a polite remark made for the sake of appearance.

However, Xi Yu smiled and readily agreed: "Then I'll take the last seat with you. Thank you, Brother Hai Xu."

Hai Xu couldn't help but be stunned, a flash of surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly came to his senses and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, as long as Brother Yu doesn't mind."

In fact, Xi Yu had other plans in mind.

He had decided last night to investigate what was happening in the village. Staying for dinner would allow him to spend more time with the family. From their words and actions, he might be able to find more clues about the death of Xiuxiu's husband and the evil deeds of her in-laws.

Moreover, the kindness and simplicity of this family made him feel good about it. He also wanted to feel the warmth of this ordinary farm family and see if he could be of any help to repay their kindness in taking him in.

So, the two of them went to the main room together, where a simple but steaming meal was already placed on the table.

Hailing and Xiuxiu were slightly surprised to see Xiyu coming to eat, but they still warmly invited him to sit down.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was a little subtly awkward, but also revealed a different kind of warmth.

"Please sit down. Don't be polite." Hailing said.

But Guo Xiuxiu was a little unhappy.

I was thinking, this lodger is really interesting. He has already stayed for a night and still wants to eat! (End of this chapter)