After half an hour, Hai Qingshan returned looking grim.

Chu Li looked at him.

Hai Qingshan went beside the carriage and whispered into the wagon, "Lady Siao s.h.i.+, the Hu Ren Public House is after us!"

"Young fellow Hai Qingshan, how do you know?" Mulin asked.

"I acted as one from the Hu Ren Public House, so I found out about it instantly!" Hai Qingshan said as he smiled.

"You may look straightforward and honest, but you're quite clever!" Mulin scoffed as he complimented him.

Hai Qingshan scratched his head and shyly smiled. He found out not because of his wit, but because he had learned from the others.

"Don't care about them." Siao s.h.i.+ said with a gentle voice.

"They must want to hurt Lady Siao s.h.i.+!" Hai Qingshan hurriedly said.

"I have the six elders with me. I'm not afraid of them attacking me," she said calmly.

"I'm afraid that they're fully prepared." Hai Qingshan replied.

"What if they also sent their Grandmasters?"

"I understand. Just continue on our way" replied Siao s.h.i.+.

Her voice was so gentle that Hai Qingshan could not find the heart to push her any further. 

He shook his head and sighed. He then looked at Chu Li.

"Can our Public House add on more masters?" Chu Li asked.

"Adding more Grandmasters would be impossible," Hai Qingshan said while shaking his head.

The Public House only has eight Grandmasters. Us using six of them is already far too many. The other two must not be moved because The Public House was of utmost importance and it represented the foundation and the

root. There were also many spirit herbs there as Master Siao and the Third Lady. If all eight Grandmasters were deployed, someone would have taken the opportunity to attack the Public House which would lead to unimaginable consequences.

If the Second Lady's status was not that highly honorable, they would not have taken out six Grandmasters. Even when Master Siao and the Third Lady go out for an outing, there would only be four Grandmasters a.s.signed to them.

Chu Li furrowed his brows and muttered to himself that leaving only two Grandmasters in the Public House was risky. The people in the martial arts would hate the Public House and would destroy it in a heartbeat if given the chance.

The best way to go about the situation they were in was not to add any more protection but to surround the enemy to force a surrender or to make them redeploy the Hu Ren Public House's masters. Once they go out to an outing, they needed the Grandmasters to follow them which would be no different from decreasing the forces that were preparing an ambush around them. He thought about all this in his mind but hesitated to tell anyone.

With the knowledge that the Second Lady hated clever people, he knew that if he said it she would have thought that he was showing off his intelligence. This would cause him to earn her scorn.

He took a deep breath.

"Lady Siao s.h.i.+, I've something to say," he whispered.

"Say it." Siao s.h.i.+ said in a gentle and delicate voice.

"We need to redeploy their Grandmasters," Chu Li said.

"What a joke! You think the Grandmasters will listen to what you say?" Mulin scoffed as soon as he heard what Chu Li had to say.

Chu Li seemed like he was not listening to Mulin.

"We'll write a letter. Let Master Siao find a way to redeploy the Hu Ren Public House's masters to leave their Public House. The Grandmasters will surely follow them," Chu Li suggested.

"That's easy for you to say. How would they let others control them?" Mulin impolitely insulted him.

Chu Li did not have an expression.

"I think Master Siao will know what to do," he said.

"Your idea is indeed quite good," Siao s.h.i.+ gently said.

"But it'll be difficult. They aren't stupid." Chu Li replied with a smile.

There are many ways to have them leave their Public House. If plan A fails, then he would have to improvise. He knew that they would not stay in their Public House forever but he did not wield the power. He was worried and felt helpless but there was no point repeating it. It would only cause Lady Siao s.h.i.+ to hate him.

"Just some useless c.r.a.p. What other ideas do you have?" Mulin scoffed.

"If it really doesn't work, we'll just have to walk separately from Lady Siao s.h.i.+," Chu Li said.

"Does that imply that you guys would act as a distraction while Lady Siao s.h.i.+ and I stealthily escape?" Mulin asked.

"You're correct! If we lose, we'll just run" Chu Li said.

With Siao s.h.i.+ there, they would have been unable to run, even if they wanted to.

"If you were attacked by Grandmasters, you wouldn't be able to run away even if you wanted to" Siao s.h.i.+ calmly said.

"I understand," Chu Li said and tactfully shut his mouth.

"This fellow's idea is quite good. It'd be better for us to walk separate ways" Mulin softly said.

"Elder Guo, we can't separate," Siao s.h.i.+ said while shaking her head in disagreement.

"Once they start fighting, you'd only be a burden and drag them down and when that happens, you won't even be able to run away," said Mulin impolitely

"Why should I be afraid of those deceitful tricks! What do you think our Yi Public House is?" Siao s.h.i.+ said, with a strong tone of determination in her voice.

"You..." Mulin helplessly muttered.

"You'd be at a disadvantage with your temper. A great man knows when to stand for himself and when to surrender but you don't have to care as much since you're a woman. The only thing you need to think about preserving is your own life," he added.

"I'd like to see what the Hu Ren Public House is going to do!" Siao s.h.i.+ said.

"They'll have you killed. That's my guess. Master Siao will go insane and Yi Public House will also be doomed!" Mulin scoffed as he said.

"Elder—Guo—!" Siao s.h.i.+ angrily stared at him.

Mulin twitched his mouth and scoffed.

"You think I'm trying to scare you? Just think about it, if you died, wouldn't Master Siao go insane?"

"There is no need to worry. Big brother looks stupid but he is actually very awake and can sill calm himself down when it is crucial" Siao s.h.i.+ said. 

"You're such a stubborn girl. You really know how to get on a person's nerves," Mulin scoffed as he stood up, opened the curtain and left.

He exited the cabin as the six Grandmasters were looking at him at him as they helplessly shook their heads.

Mulin scoffed and sat down because he could not convince the very stubborn Second Lady. The fatal mistake was that she was not afraid of death and she found life boring. She had a weak body and spirit since birth and for her, staying alive was like being tortured.

In this situation, however, them trying to convince her was going to be useless.

Chu Li rode the carriage to the left and continued the journey along for fifty miles until they arrived at the Town of North Guard in the evening. This town may have looked small but it was still a bustling town because it was located beside the main road. Both travelers and pedestrians will visit for a meal or stay for a night which made the town look very likely.

Hai Qingshan had already prepared the lodging for them as they were not going to stay in an inn.

It was a residence with two entrances. After they settled down, Hai Qingshan began occupying himself. As a Scribe himself, he always had neat and tidy work.

Chu Li was unable to help with anything so he was tasked with purchasing a list of materials that Mulin provided.

He went out and quickly came back carrying all the ingredients. Mulin personally cooked and prepared a table full of exquisite dishes which included vegetable, meat, and other light dishes.

Siao s.h.i.+ and Mulin sat in the study room and helped themselves to the light dishes while Chu Li and the others feasted in the main hall.

All eight of them were cheerfully eating when one of the elders suddenly frowned. They looked at each other as the elder put down his chopsticks and immediately went outside.

"Bang! Bang!" Loud sounds went off, and it didn't stop.

Chu Li activated the Omniscient Mirror and saw the Elder, Zhao Qingshan, flying onto a wall while pus.h.i.+ng his palms. In the blink of an eye, there was a person falling off a tree, twenty feet away. He then fell and flipped over as he rolled on the ground, stood up in one hop and ran away.

Zhao Qingshan threw a fist and suddenly, another middle-aged man that was thirty feet away flew out and crashed into a wall, which caused him to faint.

Zhao Qingshan went over and picked him up and the middle-aged man suddenly opened his eyes. A cold light came out from his sleeve intending to pierce Zhao Qingshan.

He laughed and gently shook it off. The blue light from the dagger suddenly dimmed mid-movement and a 'ding' sound went off. It was the sound of the dagger falling to the ground.

After the middle-aged man was stopped by Zhao Qingshan so effortlessly, he was no longer able to exert any more energy which caused him to be weak and paralyzed.

Zhao Qingshan brought him back to the main hall, threw him onto the ground and continued eating his meal.

Chu Li looked at the man, trying to see what was on his mind.

Hai Qingshan put down his chopsticks, moved in front of the man and asked, "Are you from the Hu Ren Public House?"

The man shut his eyes which was the only part of his body that wasn't paralyzed.

"Be careful, Hai Qingshan. Don't be deceived by this cunning fellow" Zhao Qingshan said.

Hai Qingshan nodded and looked at the man's eyes.

"How many are there with you? Where are you guys going to strike?" he asked.

The man kept quiet and did not open his eyes.

"If you intend to stay silent, don't blame me for not warning you. You'll have no choice but to undergo cruel torture that will be inflicted upon you." Hai Qingshan said to the unreplying man and then proceeded to pat the man's body three times.

The man trembled again and again and his face quickly turned red. He looked like he was being shocked and could not control his body and his eyes quickly turned bloodshot.