Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

Li Hu was speechless for a long time after Qin Lie's words.

He opened his mouth, but then felt that no matter how he explained it, it wouldn't be quite right.

Finally, he could only say somewhat resentfully, "I just talked a little too much, didn't I?"

"How come it becomes 'can't speak human language' in your mouth?"

Qin Lie glanced at him.

"Don't you know what kind of person you are?"

Li Hu snorted, too lazy to argue with him any further.

As the two were talking, they had already arrived outside Lijia Town.

Upon arriving here, the surrounding fields noticeably diminished.

The houses on both sides of the road are becoming more and more densely packed, and the number of pedestrians on the road is gradually increasing.

There were a few simple stalls set up by the roadside.

There were people selling eggs, selling vegetables, and others who laid out needles, thread, ropes, and other everyday goods on wooden boards and sat in the back waiting for customers to come in.

Several children, barefoot, chased each other through the alley.

He was sweating profusely from running, and he kept shouting.

The adults nearby didn't care.

As long as you don't mess things up, let them do whatever they want.

Some elderly people carried low stools to sit in front of their houses and basked in the sun.

Holding a needle and thread, she chatted with the person next to her while working.

Not long after Li Hu rode in, someone recognized him.

The man was picking out vegetables by the roadside.

He looked up at Li Hu a few times, and his face quickly showed obvious surprise.

"Hey, isn't this Li Hu? You dare to come back? Aren't you afraid your ancestor will beat you with a stick again?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hu immediately stiffened his neck.

"Why wouldn't I dare come back? I didn't do anything wrong, so why did she beat me up?"

The passerby burst out laughing after hearing that.

"Why should I hit you?"

"Does your ancestor need a reason to beat you up?"

"I heard her yelling in the yard just two days ago."

"I told you that if you don't come back, the next time you walk in the door, I'll break your legs."

Li Hu's expression immediately stiffened.

However, he was clearly unwilling to show weakness in front of Qin Lie.

He immediately straightened his back and said with a forced smile, "I was just worried that she was too old and might hurt her back when she was pursuing me."

"Otherwise, with that stick, she wouldn't be able to catch me at all."

The passersby laughed even harder after hearing this.

"Fine, fine, you'd better not hide in our house when she comes out with a stick later."

Li Hu waved his hand.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't get beaten up today."

They spoke with great conviction, but their progress was slowing down more and more.

Before entering the town, he had been ahead of Qin Lie, but now he was far behind.

Qin Lie naturally noticed the change in Li Hu.

"We're already in Lijia Town, where do you live?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hu's tense expression subsided.

He then turned to look at Qin Lie, revealing a somewhat mysterious smile.

"Don't worry, just walk a little further and you'll see."

Qin Lie was somewhat puzzled.

Why are you still hiding things when the person is already at your doorstep?

However, he did not press the matter further.

I just rode my horse forward, wanting to see what this guy was up to this time.

We walked a little further ahead.

A somewhat worn wine flag appeared beside the road.

The wine flag was hung on a wooden pole.

After being exposed to wind and sun for a long time, the color of the fabric has faded considerably.

However, the character for "wine" above is still clearly visible.

A gust of wind blew by, and the wine flag fluttered slowly by the roadside.

The wine shop was indeed not very spacious, with several wooden tables set up outside.

The desktop has been worn smooth over time, and there are many scratches and marks on the edges.

It's not lunchtime yet, so there aren't many customers in the liquor store.

Only two elderly people were sitting at the door.

A plate of peanuts sat in front of them, and each held a wine bowl, taking a sip and then slowly exchanging a few words.

When Qin Lie saw the wine flag, the smile on his face slowly faded.

The wine shop that Li Tiezhu mentioned to him must be this place.

Near the entrance to Lijia Town, a wine flag that has been used for many years still hangs outside the door.

All of these match up.

Qin Lie raised his hand and touched the piece of iron he was holding in his pocket.

Even through a layer of clothing, you could still feel the rough edges of the metal sheet.

This was given to him by Li Tiezhu, who told him to bring it here and exchange it for a drink.

Li Hu did not notice Qin Lie's actions.

He sat on his horse, pointed to the wine shop in front of him, and his face was full of pride.

"See this? This is the liquor store. My home is right here."

Qin Lie turned and glanced at him.

"Do you own this liquor store?"

Li Hu raised an eyebrow.

"What else could it be? It's not like it's your family's business, is it?"

"I grew up here."

At this point, he recalled the bet they had made on the road, and his smile widened.

"You just said you'd buy me a drink."

"Come."

"Let's see who's treating whom to drinks."

Qin Lie had no time to argue with him about this; he felt his mind was a bit of a mess.

Li Tiezhu invited him to drink here, and this wine shop was owned by Li Hu's family.

Is it a coincidence that both of them share the surname Li?

Or is there really some kind of relationship between Li Tiezhu and Li Hu?

Qin Lie thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Brother Li."

Do you know someone named Li Tiezhu?

Upon hearing the name, Li Hu thought about it seriously for a while.

"Li Tiezhu?"

"Someone does use that name."

"Most people in our Lijia Town are surnamed Li, and there are probably more than one person named Tiezhu."

"If you're looking for someone, I can definitely help you find them."

Qin Lie shook his head.

"I'm not looking for anyone."

"I just want to ask, does anyone in your family have a name named Li Tiezhu?"

After listening, Li Hu smiled and waved his hand.

"The name Li Tiezhu sounds very old-fashioned; no one in my family would have such a name."

"Look at my name, Li Hu. Tiger means king of the mountains, which gives off a very domineering feeling."

Normally, Qin Lie would definitely have exchanged a few more words with Li Hu, but he had no intention of doing so now.

Could it be that Li Tiezhu and Li Hu have no connection?

But if there was no connection, why would Li Tiezhu let him come to Li Hu's wine shop?

Did you just happen to know that the wine here is good?

That seems plausible, since Li Hu just said that his family's liquor is very famous in several surrounding towns.

But if the wine is just good, why give yourself a keepsake?

They even said that with this token, you can get a free drink?

While Qin Lie was still pondering, Li Hu had already dismounted.

"I wasn't bragging to you just now."

"Our family's liquor is among the best in several nearby towns."

"Today I'm going to bring out the best wine from home; we're not leaving until we're drunk."

After saying that, Li Hu led his horse to the entrance of the wine shop and tied the reins to a wooden stake next to it.

He then strode into the wine shop.

Although Qin Lie still had some doubts, he dismounted and tied his own horse to the side.

Then he followed Li Hu inside.

Li Hu shouted before he even entered the door.

"father!"

"mother!"

"Ancestor!"

"I'm back!"

The shout caused the wine shop to fall silent.

The two old men who had been talking just moments before stopped drinking and turned to look inside.

A moment later, footsteps came from the backyard.

An elderly woman with white hair walked out, leaning on a wooden cane.

The old lady looked quite old; she was rather thin, and her back was noticeably hunched.

When walking, one needs to use the wooden stick in their hand to support their body.

However, her eyes still looked very bright.

The old lady was clearly taken aback when she first saw Li Hu.

Without saying a word of welcome, he raised the wooden stick in his hand and swung it at Li Hu.

When Li Hu saw the old woman raise the wooden stick in her hand, her face full of grief.

"Grandmother, I haven't been back for so long! You don't welcome me, fine, but why are you carrying a stick?"

Before he could finish speaking, the wooden stick had already fallen.

Li Hu quickly dodged to the side.

"Ouch! Ouch! Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!"

The old lady took two steps forward, leaning on her wooden cane.

"So you finally decided to come back?"

"We haven't seen a single person in over a year."

"I thought you'd died out there!"

Li Hu walked around the table next to him, still explaining in his head.

"Oh, our ancestors!"

"You know I haven't been back for so long."

"We finally managed to meet, can't you wish me well for once?"

"Why are you saying I died out there?"

As he spoke, he turned around and pointed at Qin Lie.

"Besides, I brought some friends back today."

"There are outsiders here, please give me some face!"

After hearing this, the old woman raised the wooden stick in her hand again.

This time, the blow was aimed directly at Li Hu's leg.

"Now you know you have a sense of shame?"

"When I told you not to join the Demon Suppression Division, did you listen to me?"

"I told you to stay home and sell alcohol, but you wouldn't listen."

"If you just stayed home obediently, would I have to hit you every time I see you?"

Li Hu quickly dodged to the side, the wooden stick grazing his trouser leg as it fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Oh, our ancestors!"

"I joined the Demon Suppression Division to slay demons."

"Protecting the people is a serious matter."

When the old woman heard the words "slaying demons," she paused for a moment while holding the wooden stick.

She looked at Li Hu, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.

However, the wooden stick was quickly raised again.

"So this is a serious matter, huh? You'll see how serious it really is when you lose your life!"

Li Hu dared not stand still and take the beating.

He turned around and started running around the wooden table by the door.

The old woman, leaning on a wooden stick, chased after him, hitting him.

The two of them circled the table several times.

Li Hu ran very easily, but he didn't dare to widen the distance too much, and would stop every now and then to shout a few words.

"Grandpa, slow down!"

"Watch your step!"

"If you're going to fight, then stand still and fight. Don't chase me!"

Although the old lady was very old, her steps were not slow at all.

When the wooden stick is swung out, the force is quite solid.

Judging from her appearance, she was probably a martial artist when she was young.

Qin Lie stood to the side, and couldn't help but want to laugh.

Seeing the old lady chasing after Li Hu, he worried that she might lose her footing.

If he really falls, things could get complicated.

Thinking of this, Qin Lie quickly took two steps forward.

"Grandpa, please calm down."

"Brother Li just returned from Duanfeng Pass, and he's still injured."

As soon as she said those words, the old woman suddenly stopped holding the wooden stick.