The Prodigies War
Chapter 53: Old Crow Inn

As Lin Xun strolled along the street, he found several gazes glancing at him; some of these looks contained a sliver of unconcealable greed.

Lin Xun understood that the giant leather sack on the scaled horse was a little too conspicuous. An experienced veteran would only need a single glance to identify what was hidden within it. A few sniffs would tell anyone the quality of the items and their value.

In addition, he appeared to be all alone, which naturally made him seem like an easy target.

A disturbance suddenly spread in the distance, drawing many people’s attention. When Lin Xun arrived, he saw a man in leather clothes fail to avoid a fatal swing from a cultivator. The man’s head was lopped off, causing blood to spurt out from his neck.

Instead of panicking, the watching crowd cheered as if wishing there was more action.

“How dare you steal from me. You’re basically asking for death! Puih!” The cultivator kept his blade and viciously glared at the corpse before swaggering away.

This was murder on the street!

However, no one moved to stop it. Evidently, the people here were already accustomed to such things.

Two figures, who looked like guards, soon arrived and hurriedly cleaned up the mess. The street quickly returned to its usual busy atmosphere as if the earlier murder had never happened before.

Lin Xun could not help but narrow his eyes. He could already tell that there were no laws in the Qingyang Tribe. Strong martial force was definitely one of the necessary conditions to establish a foothold here.

It did not take long for him to come across another two people who seemed to be fighting over some goods. However, they were soon stopped by a cultivator. The cultivator’s method was very simple and violent: kill the two individuals which instantly resolved the dispute while also working to intimidate the crowd.

There is always murky darkness hidden under the vibrance of a place.

Lin Xun suddenly recalled what a prisoner had said in the mine prison, which he had been too young to comprehend back then.

As he moved through the Qingyang Tribe and observed the many hidden greedy gazes amidst the bustling atmosphere, Lin Xun instantly understood the true meaning of the prisoner’s words.

However, Lin Xun was not afraid. After observing the crowds so far, he was quite certain that there were far fewer cultivators than ordinary folk. In addition, most of them were at the True Martial stage, and he would rarely catch sight of Spirit Dipper stage cultivators.

If someone was ballsy enough to have designs on his merchandise, Lin Xun did not mind giving them a memorable lesson.

Regretfully, Lin Xun’s luck seemed to be pretty good today. Although he felt several avaricious gazes, no one came forward to cause trouble.

The sky soon darkened as night descended.

Lin Xun found himself standing in front of a building called the Old Crow Inn. He tossed two copper coins to an attendant to let him take care of the scale horse before stepping into the inn. Lin Xun planned on heading to the Stone Cauldron Alms branch the next morning to exchange his wares.

There were numerous tables in the inn and it was exceptionally busy at this time. Many figures were reveling in their food and drink and conversing in loud voices, making the place extremely noisy.

The owner was a one-eyed giant of a man. He had a scary face and was currently lazily enjoying his alcohol.

Several pairs of eyes in the tavern brightened at Lin Xun’s entry, their gazes darting towards the giant leather sack in his hands.

Greed began gleaming in their eyes when they did a double take on Lin Xun.

However, there was also a portion who tactfully withdrew their eyes. This was a thirteen-year-old boy who dared to appear alone with a hundred-pound sack despite how attention-drawing it would be. Any half-wit could guess that he was certainly no pushover.

The one-eyed man behind the counter nonchalantly asked, “Looking for lodging?”

“Yes.” Lin Xun smiled and nodded.

“Twenty copper coins a night.” The one-eyed man glanced at Lin Xun, his words immediately drawing unrestrained laughter from the room.

“One-eyed Dragon, have you started slaughtering guests again? Don’t you remember how you lost your eye?”

The one-eyed man ignored the laughter. He only stared at Lin Xun without explaining anything.

“Alright.” Lin Xun retrieved twenty copper coins and passed them over, “Where’s the room?”

“That room is yours tonight.” The one-eyed man pointed at the corner of the second floor before resuming his drinking.

Lin Xun smiled, “Thank you.”

He turned around, picked up his sack, and walked up the stairs.

As Lin Xun headed towards the room, a half-drunk fatty suddenly walked to the counter, “What a rare little fat sheep. He has many nice things on him which are at least worth this much.”

He extended four fingers and wiggled them in front of the one-eyed man.

The one-eyed man seemed unconcerned and continued to focus on his alcohol. After a long time, he finally glanced at the fatty and said, “Fatty Xiao, it’s been roughly six years since you’ve come to the Qingyang Tribe, right? Do you plan on staying here your whole life?”

Fatty Xiao’s expression abruptly changed, “What are you trying to say?”

The one-eyed man sighed, “Heed my advice and forget this matter. That young man is not someone you should mess with.”

After some consideration, he added in another sentence, “No, he’s definitely someone you should not mess with at all.”

Fatty Xiao’s expressions rapidly fluctuated. A long time later, he smiled bitterly and said, “I understand.”

He then turned around and left.

The one-eyed man narrowed his eyes as he watched Fatty Xiao walk out of the inn. He had already said what he could, whether or not the fatty listened was not his business.

The old-eyed man picked up his cup. He stared at the rippling amber liquid and mumbled, “It hasn’t been peaceful recently…”

……

Meanwhile, at the Wu Corporation.

As one of the leading merchant groups in the Qingyang Tribe, the Wu Corporation was known to be a rich and overbearing faction with solid foundations. The boss of the corporation was said to be one of Donglin City’s influential figures.

Amidst the darkness of the night, the Wu Corporation rear hall was brightly lit.

Wu Deyong silently sat in the head’s chair with a stormy face.

He was the chief manager who had been dispatched to the Qingyang Tribe to oversee the Wu Corporation for the past four years and was currently in his prime. He hailed from the Dongling City Wu Clan, possessed True Martial seventh layer cultivation, and was well-known in the Qingyang Tribe.

The corporation managers sat below Wu Deyong. All of them were silent, not daring to make even the tiniest noise.

“Three days have passed since the deadline given by Chief Steward Wu Henshui, but not a single piece of news has been sent back. May I ask about everyone's thoughts on this matter?” Wu Deyong’s deep voice broke the stifling atmosphere in the hall.

A person cautiously answered, “Feiyun Village is more than two thousand miles away. The chief steward might have met with some delays.”

Wu Deyong icily said, “Humph! Even if he encountered some delays, someone as meticulous as the chief steward would have sent a subordinate back here to report. However, there has been zero news till now. Do you feel that this is normal?”

Another person could not help but ask, “Chief Manager, do you think that something has happened to the chief steward?”

Wu Deyong was silent, his expression dark and stormy. That was precisely what he was thinking.

At this moment, a servant rushed into the hall and reported, “Reporting to the managers, the city guard has informed us that they saw a youngster riding Lian Rufeng’s scale horse in the evening, and he has already entered the Qingyang Tribe.

Wu Deyong’s eyes immediately brightened at these words. He remembered Lian Rufeng; he was the Feiyun Village’s guard leader.

Wu Deyong asked, “Where is that youngster now?”

The servant swiftly replied, “According to our informants, the youngster is lodging at the Old Crow Inn.”

One of the men in the hall frowned and said, “Something is amiss. If the youngster was dispatched by the chief steward, he should have headed straight to the Wu Corporation. However, he instead went to the Old Crow Inn. There’s clearly something fishy about this.”

Wu Deyong’s eyes flickered in thought. After some consideration, he waved his hand and commanded, “Send a few of our men to the Old Crow Inn and bring back the youngster at any cost!”

The servant immediately accepted the order and left to give instructions.

Wu Deyong pondered for a while before he changed the topic, addressing the managers present, “Everyone, the Three Thousand Great Mountains have not been peaceful recently, and numerous powerful figures from the empire have gathered here. Make sure to be extra careful over this period and don’t cause any problems. Otherwise, even I won’t be able to save you!”

The group solemnly nodded.

They naturally understood the importance of this matter. Many unfamiliar faces had arrived in the Qingyang Tribe recently, with several extremely powerful and noble figures among them. In such circumstances, local powerhouses like them had no choice but to keep their heads down for the time being.

Wu Deyong waved his hand, “Alright, dismissed. When the youngster is brought back, I will replace out what happened and inform everyone.”

Since they now had a lead, there was naturally no need for everyone to be gathered.

Most importantly, Wu Deyong was certain that dispatching a few men would easily deal with a mere youngster from Feiyun Village.

……

The second-floor room of the Old Crow Inn.

Lin Xun immediately began inspecting the room after entering. After making sure that there was nothing suspicious, he threw the leather bag into his storage ring.

He had to show the bag outside as a cover for his storage artifact. Since there was now no one else present, it was no longer necessary.

He would take out the bag again when he left the inn.

Lin Xun crossed his legs on the bed and fell into thought.

I wonder if the Wu Corporation has noticed that I rode Lian Rufeng’s scale horse into the Qingyang Tribe. No matter, this problem will have to be resolved sooner or later.

He knew that the Wu Corporation would not let him off due to Wu Henshui’s death. Rather than give them the initiative and allow them to head to Feiyun Village, he would prefer to settle the issue here in the Qingyang Tribe.

This was why Lin Xun had so openly rode Lian Rufeng’s steed into the Qingyang Tribe. I hoped to draw all of the Wu Corporation’s attention.

Although it was a dangerous move, Lin Xun had his own plans and did not feel nervous.

While he was contemplating this matter, a few men in gray walked into the Old Crow Inn.