Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 29 A Chance Encounter is Cause and Effect

Mo Ci asked worriedly, "You wicked disciple, what are you planning to do? You mustn't try to use this kind of thing against Su Chunyi. Even cultivators above the Qi Condensation Realm won't be affected."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "Master, I'm a little devil, not a little fool. Besides, Miss Su and I have a gentlemanly friendship, why would I need to resort to such methods?"

"So what exactly do you want to do?"

"Cui County is, in the end, still the fiefdom of that Princess Hongyu. According to Miss Su's investigation, the order to forcibly conscript boys and girls came from the imperial court. What a coincidence that this Princess Hongyu is coming to Cui County. I don't believe you that this matter has nothing to do with her."

Mo Ci laughed and said, "Hehe, you little devil, trying to use your good looks to seduce me."

Chen Ye also laughed. It wasn't that he really wanted to bewitch Princess Hongyu and then take her hostage. He just wanted to find a breakthrough as soon as possible.

The affairs of the imperial court are complicated and even seeking help from the county magistrate may not be effective. Since Princess Hongyu is coming, why bother going to such lengths?

However, to meet this princess, one ultimately needs fame.

Chen Ye went to the teahouse as planned. Retrieving his bundle was secondary; his main purpose was to check how famous he, the "little immortal," was, and whether he had reached the point of being renowned throughout Cui County.

I had assumed that the waiters and manager of this teahouse would greet me with smiles as I returned.

But what Chen Ye saw was a teahouse with its doors tightly shut, and a waiter squatting in front of the door with a worried look on his face. The man's right leg was in a splint, and there were bruises on his face.

Chen Ye walked over in confusion and asked, "What happened at the teahouse?"

The young man looked up and saw Chen Ye, whose face was covered, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

Chen Ye untied his mask, revealing his true face. The waiter was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses.

The waiter cried out, his voice trembling with emotion, "Master, you're back?! You're finally back!"

"Calm down, tell me what happened?"

Chen Ye offered a few words of comfort, and the waiter then sobbed, "Master, please forgive me, the bundle you left here has been stolen. They not only shut down the teahouse, but also injured the manager. It's all my fault, I was too talkative..."

Chen Ye listened patiently to the rambling words, then frowned deeply.

This was a completely undeserved disaster.

Chen Ye's performance with Su Chun that day indeed made him famous, which also boosted the teahouse's business considerably.

But with more guests, unpleasant guests began to arrive.

The shopkeeper said miserably, "I just boasted that you and that fairy were unparalleled in beauty, and they said I was bragging. I argued with them for a bit, and they broke my leg, smashed the shop, and even injured the shopkeeper."

Chen Ye asked, "Has anyone reported this to the authorities?"

"We reported it, but the yamen said the county magistrate was too busy to hold court and told us to go home and wait. I heard they gave the yamen a lot of money..."

Chen Ye sighed.

It seems that Zhao Hezhou was right; Magistrate Cui was indeed a corrupt official.

The waiter cried and said, "Master, your bundle has been stolen. I was just being nosy and have implicated you. Please forgive me. Please save the shopkeeper. He was seriously injured because of me, and the doctor says he may not last much longer."

Chen Ye looked at the waiter's severed leg, which was still oozing blood, and it seemed that it hadn't been properly treated. He asked, "Have you been waiting for me here?"

“I have no other choice. The shopkeeper has been incredibly kind to me. I beg the immortal to save his life. All the blame lies with me.”

He took out a medicine bottle and handed it to the man.

"For external injuries, taking one pill with warm water should save your life. You should also take one; it will help your leg heal faster."

The shop assistant took the medicine bottle and immediately kowtowed to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye helped him up and asked, "Where are those thugs? What are their names?"

The waiter quickly said, "There were more than a dozen of them. I don't know their names, but they should all be working together. The reason they attacked was because they boasted that their young master's appearance was unparalleled in the world. I couldn't stand it and argued back, so they attacked me. They also left a message saying that if you want to find them, go to Hengdao Inn and look for room number four in the 'Heaven' section."

Chen Ye was speechless. Where did this inexplicable competitive spirit come from? What's the use of being good-looking? After a hundred years, we're all just bones. Besides, this guy was arguing about someone else's appearance. It was truly absurd. Chen Ye waved his hand and said, "Go on, and stop arguing like this in the future."

The man thanked him profusely and limped away.

Chen Ye sighed as he watched his faltering figure.

Mo Ci's voice came from the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls again: "What, are you getting soft-hearted again? Want to play the hero again?"

“I wouldn’t say I’m soft-hearted, it’s just…” Chen Ye remained silent for a long time before speaking again: “Master, if I hadn’t met you, my fate might have been even worse than this fellow’s. If he hadn’t met me, who could have saved him? There is no cause and effect in this world, which is truly unpleasant.”

Mo Ci retorted, "Why don't you say he wouldn't have gotten this beating if he hadn't met you?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "With a county magistrate like this who takes money to protect evildoers, he's bound to get beaten up sooner or later. It has little to do with whether he saw me or not."

Mo Ci laughed and said, "You little rascal, it's a real pity you don't learn the 'Opening Zen' technique. Why don't you just join the Nirvana Sect? They don't ask for any conditions for accepting disciples. It doesn't matter if you kill their people, as long as you recite 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.'"

"Who would want to be a monk if they had hair? I want to get married and have children."

"Wait until you've lost your pure yang virginity before saying that."

……

The master and apprentice bickered, but Chen Ye kept walking towards the Hengdao Inn.

Whether it was to uphold justice, kill to refine souls, or make a scene to see Princess Hongyu... Mo Ci didn't ask, and Chen Ye didn't say either. Both master and disciple knew that the reason didn't matter.

The coincidence is the cause and effect.

Hengdao Inn is the place in Cui County with the strongest sense of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world).

The innkeeper was once a renowned swordsman, but he had retired from the martial arts world ten years ago and used his savings and reputation to start an inn business in Cui County.

Half a stone lion stands at the entrance, with a long knife stuck inside.

This is the treasured sword that the boss used when he traveled the world. It has not been rusted by wind and rain and still shines with a cold gleam.

This knife is also the inn's signature item.

Once you check into Hengdao Inn, you are forbidden from using knives or guns; this is a tacit rule among martial artists. Anyone who breaks the rule will be beheaded.

For ten years, no one has broken this outrageous rule, and the powerful figures in Cui County have turned a blind eye. This shows that the boss not only has a high status in the underworld, but also has considerable connections in the officialdom of Cui County.

The Hengdao Inn, with its connections to both the legitimate and criminal worlds, naturally became the top choice for people from all walks of life.

The recent incident of forced recruitment of boys and girls in Cui County has caused a great uproar, and the large Hengdao Inn is already full of guests.

Chen Ye walked halfway through the city before finally arriving at Hengdao Inn from the teahouse; his legs were starting to ache.

Chen Yezhen came to this place not because he was concerned about the loss of his luggage, but because there were hardly any inns to stay in this vast Cui County.

The issue of virgin boys and girls had already attracted many martial arts figures to cause trouble in Cui County, resulting in numerous deaths, but the situation was still being suppressed.

Cui County has stricter rules. Ordinary inns no longer accept outsiders like Chen Ye, who clearly belong to the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world). They can only choose Hengdao Inn, which is somewhat a sign of unified management.

Upon arriving at the inn's gate, what immediately caught Chen Ye's eye was the precious sword stuck in half of a stone lion.

The gleaming sword was stuck in the broken stone lion. Its imposing appearance and solemn atmosphere rekindled Chen Ye's martial arts spirit from his previous life.

Which young man hasn't dreamed of being a dashing swordsman, picking up a perfect branch, cutting away the rapeseed flowers covering the mountainside, and imagining himself as a hero who can kill a man in ten steps?

This world of martial arts seems to have some interesting aspects again.

Chen Ye strode into the inn. He was here today to make a name for himself, so he would bully the mortals a little.

(End of this chapter)