After Chu Li killed the two brothers, his anger dissipated a little.
He swept past the treetops, his white robe fluttered in the wind, and arrived at a teahouse.
The teahouse was located beside a dense forest.
Beside the forest which is full of luxuriant trees, a shed was set up along with five tables and ten benches. Everything looked simple and neat that it gave a refreshing and pleasant feel to the people.
An old man and a young girl were seen bustling about.
The young girl was busy making pancakes while the old man tottered as he cut braised pork. He was doing it much slower and in a leisurely manner.
On the stove beside them, there was a big kettle with bubbling sounds and white steam coming out of it.
Chu Li looked around and then entered the teahouse and sat on an empty seat.
Among the five tables that were available, two of them were occupied. A young scholar sat on one of them. He was holding a book and was reading it while eating pancakes. He took sips of tea in between and was enraptured by the book.
At the other table, there were two young and well-built men with bushy eyebrows and big eyes. They placed their long blades on the table, talked in a low voice, and even chuckled from time to time.
When they heard footsteps, they looked up and saw Chu Li. Their gaze was as sharp as knives as they stared at him carefully.
Chu Li looked at them calmly.
Both the young men were acting in an overbearing, unscrupulous manner.
The way that they were staring, especially towards a person in the martial arts world, it was no different from provoking someone. It was like bullying someone who did not practice martial arts.
Chu Li dispersed his inner energy and paced into the teahouse. He wanted to mislead them that he did not know martial arts and that the long blade at his waist was merely used to frighten people.
Their eyes lingered on the long blade that was placed at Chu Li’s waist and could not take their eyes off it for a long time.
As one who used knives on a daily basis, they knew that the blade was an extraordinary one just by looking at the scabbard.
If it was carried by a master of the martial arts world, they would definitely not scruple and dared not to act recklessly but when carried on the waist of a feeble young scholar, how could they not be interested? They became greedy instantly and wanted to make it their own.
Both their eyes wavered as they looked at each other. They looked away slowly and then turned towards the young girl in the teahouse, looking much more fervent than before.
Chu Li could not be bothered at all and sat at the side of the table.
Soon after, the young girl walked over to him gently. She had a slim figure, wore a floral green jacket, and had delicate features. She then asked him if he wanted anything, in a clear and sharp voice.
Since Chu Li had no appetite, he only ordered tea.
The young girl wiped the table again and brought over a big bowl. She carried the kettle with both hands and moved it over with much effort.
There was too much water in the kettle that some even spilled out halfway.
Chu Li only smiled and looked at her. He did not lend a helping hand.
The old man looked up for a while, then continued cutting the meat again.
Both the lads wandered their eyes on her waist and hip. They were getting fiery and were itching to touch it.
When the big bowl was filled up with tea, Chu Li nodded to thank her. Although the tea was of poor quality, it was enough to quench his thirst.
“Miss, there’s something I’d like to inquire about,” Chu Li said gently.
The young girl looked over, “Yes Young Master, what would you like to ask about?”
“Where is this?” Chu Li asked.
He had bolted through the night, went over mountains and crossed waters, but he was not aware of where he ended up at.
“This is Yue Shan,” The young girl smiled and replied, “It’s only fifty miles away from Yue Shan Town.”
“Yue Shan Town…” Chu Li thought for a while then laughed and asked, “Which road is it?”
“Green Hill Road,” The young girl answered.
“Green Hill Road…” Chu Li was amazed and he laughed.
What a coincidence! It seemed like even in a disturbed and disoriented state of mind, he still had some sense of rationality and went on the right direction to his destination.
Green Hill Road was a road in the Green Hill Town where the Ren Public House was located.
The young girl smiled, “Is there anything else that the Young Master would like to inquire about?”
“Are there any martial arts factions over here?” Chu Li asked.
The young girl looked at him astonished, “Martial arts faction, are you a master of martial arts too?”
Chu Li waved his hand, “I’m just very interested in such anecdotal matters of the martial arts world, so I naturally pay a visit whenever I encounter one to revere.”
“We have quite a number of factions here. There is the Godly Knife Faction, Yue Shan Faction, Horse Racing Camp and Sworn Camp,” The young girl seemed to be very familiar with it, clearly it was not her first time answering a question like that. She then laughed and said, “Godly Knife Faction is the greatest among all.”
As she said that, she took a glance at the two young men who looked over with their shining eyes.
“Godly Knife Faction…” Chu Li muttered to himself and recalled something in his mind and nodded slowly.
He had heard of that faction before, but it was only a second-class faction, so it was not one that was noticeable.
Back at the Tower of Wisdom, he came across a book which stated that the founder of Godly Knife Faction was a top-notch master of sword skill who rampaged everywhere. But it was a pity that the disciple successors after his generation failed to continue the legacy of his teachings and techniques, which caused the Godly Knife Faction to slowly end up as a second-class faction.
“Young Master, do you want to know where the Godly Knife Faction is?” The young girl asked.
Chu Li laughed, “Where is it?”
“It’s not far from here, just ten miles away,” The young girl pointed north, “Just follow this path for about ten miles and you’ll see a big square building at the foot of the hill. It has a sign that states Godly Knife Faction on it, which can be seen from afar.”
Chu Li smiled and nodded, “Alright, thank you miss.”
The young girl returned to her own duties and continued making pancakes. The fragrance of the food traveled with the wind.
Suddenly, Chu Li regained his appetite and ordered two plates of braised pork and two pancakes.
The braised pork had a distinctive flavor. He glanced at the old man as he was astonished that a man possessing such cooking skills and talent stayed in a small shop on the hill. He would definitely be able to make a living in the town.
Nonetheless, everyone had their own story, just like himself.
—–
After his meal, Chu Li stood up and left one silver on the table and walked out casually. He was ready to take a stroll in Yue Shan Town and relax.
He walked step-by-step without using Light-body Technique and waited for the two men.
After walking for about a mile, Chu Li turned to look.
As expected, the two young men followed closely behind him and checked him out profoundly.
Chu Li frowned and put his hands behind his back and asked, “Sirs, how can I help you?”
“Nothing,” The two young men shook their heads and moved closer to him with smiling faces. Then, they paused about ten feet away from him and eyed the knife at his waist, “Brother, both of us are knife lovers. It’s just that when we saw the knife on your waist, we’re just thrilled and can’t help but to admire it.”
Chu Li shook his head and asked, “This isn’t very right, is it?”
Looking at the knife of someone else was an impolite request.
Weapons were closely related to life and death; how could it be anyhow looked at?
The young men said while smiling cloyingly, “We won’t lay our hands on it. We just want to look at it from afar. Is this far enough?”
Chu Li replied, “I think there’s no need for that. Goodbye!”
As soon as he was ready to leave, he heard a shout from behind, “Stop right there!”
Chu Li turned slowly and looked at them calmly, “Is there something else that you want to see me about?”
“We’re disciples of the Godly Knife Faction!” They cupped one fist on another hand and saluted him, looking proud as if they were looking down on him, “I’m sure you’ve heard of us?”
Chu Li nodded, “I just did. The Godly Knife Faction is such a huge faction that the both of you can just throw your weights around and do as you like to look at my knife? I think looking at my knife was just an excuse. You actually want to steal it, don’t you?”
“Nonsense!” The taller young man scowled at him, “Clearly we were the ones who dropped the knife. Since when it became yours?”
Chu Li forced a smile, “You dropped it?”
“That’s right, both of us made a concerted effort and spent a lot of energy to find that knife as we planned to give it to our master as his birthday gift. I can’t believe you picked it up!” The shorter man laughed loudly, “Please return the treasured knife to us, thank you.”
Chu Li forcefully smiled again, “Does everyone from the Godly Knife Faction use these tricks to forcefully take away things from the elders?”
“Don’t you dare smear the Godly Knife Faction!” The shorter young man shouted, “You can’t afford to bear that sin!”
“You’re lucky that it’s the both of us,” The taller man shook his head, “If it was any other bystander, they would’ve killed you right away for what you said!”