Chapter 14: Straightforward

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The smell of blood was faint and subtle.

After all, Xu Bai had experienced the life and death of the Raging Tiger Bandits and had killed many people. In addition, he was already suspicious of Yun Xiang. With so much experience, he naturally could smell the scent of blood.

In the middle of the night, a woman ran around and came back with the smell of blood. It would be a lie to say that there was nothing wrong.

“Take care, sir. The store is about to close,” Yun Xiang said, not intending to continue the conversation.

Xu Bai glanced at the dark street and subconsciously glanced at Yun Xiang’s right hand.

The progress bar increased again.

He got a little more.

The other party did not want to chat. There was no point in staying here. He turned around and left the inn.

Yun Xiang watched Xu Bai leave until he reached the end of the street before walking into the inn.

“Squeak—”

The door of the inn closed, and the street returned to silence.

…

After Xu Bai walked to the corner of the alley, he did not go home. Instead, he stood in the corner and sized up the inn and its tightly shut door.

Strange. It was too strange.

To be honest, Xu Bai was not a busybody.

Logically speaking, there was something fishy about this matter. The world was not as peaceful as he thought, so it was best to leave now.

However… the progress bar wasn’t completely full yet.

Within these past few days, Xu Bai had visited and tested almost half of Sheng County. Only then did he realize how scarce the things that could trigger the progress bar were.

Currently, other than the that he had obtained from the bookstore and the Slaughter Mental Cultivation Technique that he obtained from the middle-aged man, he had only found the maple leaf tattoo on the back of Yun Xiang’s hand.

“I can’t waste it…” Xu Bai thought.

“From tomorrow onwards, I’ll come and take advantage of you every day.”

He looked at the inn again and turned to leave.

As long as he got his clutches on it and filled the progress bar, he would stop.

No!

Now that he said that, why did it sound like he was setting up flags?

He wouldn’t be that unlucky, would he?

Xu Bai thought to himself as he walked.

The streets were dark, and the night was as dark as water.

Apart from one or two gongs, the street was silent. From time to time, a cat meowed.

…

The next day.

Xu Bai woke up early. After washing up, he went to the inn again.

As usual, he ate and drank. His eyes would occasionally linger at the back of Yun Xiang’s hand.

The progress bar was increasing, and he was so happy that even the wine in his hand became delicious.

Yun Xiang was still standing at the counter, acting as the accountant as usual.

The woman is full of charm. Xu Bai was not the only one who looked at her. Yun Xiang seemed to be used to it as she busied herself with her work.

He thought that everything would go on as usual today, but just as Xu Bai put down his wine glass, footsteps came from outside.

There were people coming and going in the inn. Even if there were footsteps, one wouldn’t feel that that was anything strange. However, these footsteps were different.

In addition to the sound of footsteps, there was also the sound of bells ringing.

Xu Bai cast his gaze at the door.

Before he could see the person, the first thing he saw was a long banner.

The banner was tattered and had several patches. It was very shabby.

One word was embroidered on the front of the banner.

—Straightforward.

Even though it was embroidered, the lettering was still strong. Just the writing alone was enough to make people look away.

The long banner gradually approached, and a man in a tattered moon-white Daoist robe walked in.

Not only was the moon-white Daoist robe old, but there were also patches on it. Especially the sleeves, they were even more patched up.

From the beginning to the end, there was a hint of embarrassment.

The man looked to be in his thirties. He was quite handsome, but his gaze was not so.

From the moment he entered, his gaze had been darting around non-stop.

It was normal to look around randomly. No matter who was, in an unfamiliar environment, one would subconsciously size it up.

However, this man was different. From the beginning to the end, his gaze gave off an uncomfortable feeling.

It was as if he had a serious illness and ran to the doctor. However, the doctor only sighed and shook his head.

That was the gist of it.

If Xu Bai had not been at the inn, this fortune-teller would have been beaten up.

While he was thinking about these things, the fortune-teller did not find a seat. Instead, he went straight to the counter.

He seemed to know Yun Xiang, and the two of them whispered to each other.

The inn was too noisy, and no one could hear what was said clearly.

After a while, the fortune-teller made to leave.

Before he left, he looked around again, just like he did when he came in.

When his gaze landed on Xu Bai’s position, he paused slightly.

Xu Bai noticed his gaze and frowned slightly.

His gaze was vivid and different from before. It was filled with surprise.

The fortune-teller didn’t leave. He held the long banner and changed direction, walking towards Xu Bai.

Xu Bai finished the wine in his glass and watched with interest.

When the fortune-teller approached, Xu Bai heard a voice.

“Greetings, brother. I am Tie Suanxian.” Tie Suanxian greeted, waving his sleeves slightly. The patch on his sleeves was even more eye-catching.

Xu Bai did not say anything. He only raised his head and looked at Tie Suanxian, his eyes filled with confusion.

“I can see a faint ominous omen in your eyes. There might be a bloody calamity in the near future…” Tie Suanxian sat at the side and spoke to himself.

He didn’t care whether Xu Bai cared or not, as if everything was logical.

“What do you mean?” Xu Bai asked.

“Speaking of which, it’s strange. I’ve seen many bloody calamities, but this is very strange. It seems like they can be resolved in the next moment, but at the same time they also can’t be resolved. It seems that they lack an opportunity.” Tie Suanxian frowned.

“It’s said that fortune-tellers can cure life. How can I cure mine?” Xu Bai poured another glass of wine and drank it.

Tie Suanxian shook his head and said, “Your fate is very strange. The bloody calamity can either be resolved or not resolved, but you’re in between. It’s too strange.”

As he spoke, Tie Suanxian stared at Xu Bai’s face.

However, after looking at it for a long time, he could not figure anything out.

At this moment, Xu Bai suddenly said, “I see that you know the boss. Do you know what kind of person the boss likes?”

The waiter’s idle chat last night enabled him to come up with this excuse.

He might as well pretend to be Yun Xiang’s pursuer now. He had a reason to freeload on the progress bar here.

This fortune-teller was very strange. As soon as he entered, he spoke to Yun Xiang. It seemed like they knew each other.

Hence, he went along with it and deepened the reason.

Unexpectedly, Tie Suanxian was stunned.

“How would I know what kind of person the boss likes?”

“Huh?” Xu Bai frowned. “Then why did you go to the counter just now?”

“To return the money. I borrowed money from the boss a few days ago. I’m here to return the money today.” Tie Suanxian pointed at himself and then at the counter.

Actually, Tie Suanxian also found it strange.

In the beginning, he only saw that Xu Bai’s face was abnormal, so he specially came over to take a look.

However, Xu Bai’s question confused him.

He was a fortune-teller, not a matchmaker. What was the use of asking him?

But now, Tie Suanxian understood.

It turned out that he had someone he admired.

No wonder… the bloody calamity would appear and disappear.