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"That's right. It just so happens that the left patrol officer from the Lie Feng Hall gave it to me."
Xu Taiping nodded.
For the sake of the merit coins, he had no choice but to reveal this. However, he decided to keep the part about the two men threatening him that day to himself.
"Grandpa always said, 'Leave a little room for others, so you can meet again in the future.'"
Xu Taiping thought magnanimously to himself.
"This is an ordinary communication talisman. It can't transmit sound..."
Liu Songshan took the talisman and glanced at it. His face immediately turned pale again, and his mind buzzed.
Having been the head of the West Wind Pavilion for so many years, how could he not know the tricks his subordinates played? These kinds of talismans, which could only send messages but not transmit sound, were mostly used by his subordinates to extort outer sect disciples!
"What are you standing around for? Pay up!"
Uncle Jiu's icy gaze swept over Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi.
"Yes... yes!"
Without another word, Liu Songshan took out a bag of merit coins and placed it on the table. Then, he glared fiercely at Xu Youzhi, who was standing beside him.
At this moment, Xu Youzhi stood frozen in place, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead like rain. He was completely stunned.
"Stop dawdling. It just so happens that this talisman was given by Zuo Ju, so we can notify him right away."
Uncle Jiu said coldly.
"Brothers Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu are both very kind-hearted. They were worried I might encounter demons, so they specially gave me this communication talisman."
Xu Taiping decided to go all out in being a good person and took the opportunity to praise Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu.
But little did he know, the people present were all old foxes who had already guessed what Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu had been up to that day.
"With you saying that, Little Brother Taiping, we should definitely invite these two to join us for a meal. Hurry up, Liu Songshan, stop dawdling and call them over!"
Uncle Jiu urged impatiently.
"Alright, alright, I'll... I'll call them right away..."
Liu Songshan, on the verge of tears, went outside to activate the communication talisman.
...
A short while later.
"Kid, finally come to your senses, huh?"
"It's been over half a month since you called us. You must have suffered a lot, right? If only you had listened earlier!"
Uncle Jiu and Xu Taiping, who were eating roasted lamb wrapped in perilla leaves, along with Xu Youzhi and Liu Songshan, who were sitting nervously without daring to touch their chopsticks, all heard the two voices shouting outside the courtyard.
"Is that... them?"
Uncle Jiu, his mouth full of meat, mumbled as he pointed his chopsticks toward the door.
"I'll get the door!"
Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi, both drenched in sweat, stood up simultaneously and said in unison.
They couldn't let those two outside say another word!
...
Outside the courtyard.
"Where is he? Open the door!"
"Open up!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Because no one answered the door for a while, Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu's tone became impatient. Zhou Gu even started kicking the door.
"Brother Zuo, do you think this kid is messing with us?"
Zhou Gu looked warily at Zuo Ju beside him.
"He wouldn't dare!" Zuo Ju snorted. "This area is our territory. Even if it were Hall Master Xu or Hall Master Liu, they'd have to show us some respect."
"Bang!"
As soon as Zuo Ju finished speaking, the courtyard door was forcefully pulled open.
"Looks like you finally came to your senses... Hall Master Liu... Hall Master Xu?!"
Zhou Gu's words were cut short.
Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi were standing side by side, their faces dark with anger as they glared at Zhou Gu and Zuo Ju. The fury in their eyes was almost palpable.
"Y-you two... why are you here?"
Zuo Ju, snapping out of his daze, asked in a trembling voice.
"What are you all dawdling at the door for? Come in, the food's getting cold."
Before Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi could answer, Uncle Jiu's impatient voice came from inside the house.
"Coming, Uncle Jiu!"
"We're on our way!"
Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi's expressions changed instantly, shifting from winter to spring as they turned to face the courtyard with forced smiles.
However, when they turned back to look at Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu, their expressions returned to the depths of winter.
"Get in here!"
Liu Songshan glared at the two and hissed in a low, urgent voice.
"Yes!"
By now, Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu were utterly terrified.
No matter how foolish they were, they could tell that someone even Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi had to flatter and appease was inside the courtyard.
...
Once inside the house.
"L-l-little... little..."
As soon as Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu saw Uncle Jiu, their legs went weak. They stammered and sweated profusely, standing frozen at the door.
"Call him Uncle Jiu!"
Xu Youzhi kicked Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu fiercely.
"Oh, oh, Uncle Jiu!"
"Greetings, Uncle Jiu!"
The two, jolted awake by Hall Master Xu's kick, hurried forward to pay their respects to Uncle Jiu.
"Stop standing around. Sit down and eat."
Uncle Jiu didn't even glance at them. He simply pointed to the seats next to Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi, indicating they should sit.
"This..."
Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi were already sitting close together. With Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu added, they had to squeeze in tightly.
"U-uncle Jiu, sh-should we... maybe stand to the side instead?"
Zuo Ju, seeing Liu Songshan sweating profusely from being squeezed, stammered out a suggestion.
"Ah, just squeeze in. There's always room if you squeeze."
Uncle Jiu's tone became impatient again.
"What are you babbling about? Sit down properly. There's plenty of space. Isn't it enough for you?"
Liu Songshan glared fiercely at Zuo Ju.
"Y-yes, yes!"
Zuo Ju immediately became as docile as a lamb, sitting down silently and pressing tightly against Liu Songshan. In moments, his clothes were completely soaked with sweat.
"How did these people offend Uncle Jiu?"
"To scare Hall Master Liu like this, Uncle Jiu's status must be extraordinary. Could he be at the level of the Black Dragon Elder?"
Watching the four men squeezed together on the other side, Xu Taiping found it both comical and intriguing.
"Ah, forget it. These big shots' grudges are none of my business. As a mere outer sect disciple, I can't afford to offend any of them."
Unable to figure it out, Xu Taiping decided to focus on his meal.
...
The meal lasted until evening.
It had to be said, Uncle Jiu had quite the appetite. Xu Taiping had to order several more dishes before Uncle Jiu was finally satisfied.
"Thank goodness I got paid. Otherwise, this meal would have been a huge loss."
Looking at the mess on the table, Xu Taiping thought to himself with relief.