The Reticent Blade-Chapter 195 - Unreasonable Demands

"Me?" Tang Jinnian raised an eyebrow. "For what? I don’t recall owing you money."

Ye Beizhi opened his mouth, hesitated, and then turned to glance at Chi Nanwei. When he turned back, he finally said, "I... want something of yours."

Tang Jinnian’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "What?"

"Transcendence—"

"Don’t have it!" Tang Jinnian immediately denied before Ye Beizhi could finish.

Ye Beizhi stared at Tang Jinnian intently. "You do."

Rao Shuang glanced at Tang Jinnian. She knew the Transcendence Stone was in his possession and how much he valued it.

At this moment, Tang Jinnian was tense like a cat with its fur standing on end. Sneering, he said to Ye Beizhi, "You’re funny. You personally escorted the Transcendence Stone all the way to Meizhou. Why do you think I have it now?"

Ye Beizhi said nothing, just kept staring at Tang Jinnian. Slowly, he extended his hand. "Give it to me."

"I don’t have it!" Tang Jinnian swatted Ye Beizhi’s hand away. "Go find the one who does! Don’t pull this nonsense on me!"

Xue Qiming, who had been watching the drama unfold, finally seized the chance to butt in. "Hey, hey, what’s this about? What is this Transcendence Stone you’re talking about? Mute Ye, why do you need it?"

Ye Beizhi shifted his gaze from Tang Jinnian to Xue Qiming and gradually explained, "Impending Sword went to the capital."

Xue Qiming tilted his head, waiting for Ye Beizhi to continue. Tang Jinnian perked up his ears to listen as well.

"He went to kill Qi Zongbi."

When Ye Beizhi mentioned that name, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

"No way!" Xue Qiming’s eyes widened. "Qi Zongbi... the Prime Minister Qi Zongbi?"

Ye Beizhi nodded.

"Did he succeed?"

Ye Beizhi shook his head.

"So he failed..." Xue Qiming’s curiosity was plain to see. "Then did he die?"

Ye Beizhi shook his head again.

"Was he gravely injured, and then you saved him?" Xue Qiming continued to ask.

Ye Beizhi thought for a moment and shook his head again.

Tang Jinnian, unable to hold himself back anymore and shouted, "He’s neither dead nor injured, so why do you need the Transcendence Stone?!"

Chi Nanwei finally couldn’t take Ye Beizhi’s vague explanations and stepped forward. "It’s not for him... he needs it for someone else!"

"Who?" Tang Jinnian and Xue Qiming asked in startled unison.

Chi Nanwei took a moment to gather her thoughts before explaining.

"It’s for a young woman. She suffered grievous injuries saving Young Master Baili and is now on the brink of death. She needs the Transcendence Stone you have to survive... And Young Master Baili isn’t unscathed either...

"His meridians are damaged, rendering his martial arts useless. Only that young woman can heal him. That’s why... we’ve come to you."

By the end, Chi Nanwei’s voice had grown softer. She knew that asking for such a priceless treasure so directly was unreasonable, but she quickly added, "I... I know the Transcendence Stone is a priceless treasure. It’s presumptuous of us to ask, but... but this is a matter of life and death..."

"Heh!" Tang Jinnian sneered. "A matter of life and death? That woman’s a stranger to me. Even if she were Impending Sword’s lover, what does her life or death have to do with me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Jinnian sensed a strong gust of wind behind him. Was he being ambushed? In that split-second of confusion, an enormous force struck the back of his head.

Bang!

Xue Qiming’s room was on the second floor of the inn, but now there was a gaping hole in the floor that opened into the kitchen below. Through the hole, the terrified faces of several chefs could be seen peering up.

Rao Shuang’s beautiful eyes widened in shock, and her mouth gaped open as she stared at Xue Qiming, speechless.

Ye Beizhi looked down at the floor and saw dust swirling below. Then he turned back to Xue Qiming and gave him a sincere nod.

Xue Qiming scratched the back of his head with his raised hand, glanced at Rao Shuang, and said to Ye Beizhi, "That guy’s got a hard head. I had to use some extra force to knock him out... Looks like I used just the right amount of strength."

"What are you doing?!" Rao Shuang shoved Xue Qiming aside. "What if you killed him?!" Anxious, she leapt through the hole in the floor to find Tang Jinnian.

Xue Qiming spread his hands helplessly. "Alright... looks like she's upset."

Chi Nanwei had also been startled. Who would have expected Xue Qiming to strike so suddenly? She couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What’s their... relationship?"

At some point, Xue Niang had quietly entered the room. She peered through the hole and saw Rao Shuang propping up the unconscious Tang Jinnian, and using her sleeve to wipe the dust off his face. Turning back, Xue Niang pointed a finger at Xue Qiming and said, "You’re in trouble."

Ye Beizhi nodded in agreement.

Xue Qiming shrugged dismissively. "Stop dawdling. Tie him up and take him with us. Do you think he’d willingly go help you with Impending Sword if I didn't knock him out?"

"There... must be a better way, right?" Chi Nanwei laughed awkwardly. She couldn’t quite make sense of these people’s relationships.

Ye Beizhi jumped downstairs and yanked Tang Jinnian away from Rao Shuang, temporarily putting aside Chi Nanwei's confusion.

Rao Shuang instinctively tried to stop him, but before she could act, a silver flash appeared, and Ye Beizhi’s Tang blade was already pressed against her throat. She immediately froze, not daring to move.

Ye Beizhi stared at her for a moment before slowly withdrawing his blade.

"Follow."

With that, he hoisted Tang Jinnian onto his back and walked out, ignoring Rao Shuang. Rao Shuang gritted her teeth and followed him.

Xue Qiming watched as the people downstairs left, then turned to Chi Nanwei smugly. "See? It's so peaceful. Isn't this the best way to do things? Let’s go."

"Ah... okay, sure." Chi Nanwei hadn't quite gotten her bearings, but she quickly followed the large smug man as he dragged Xue Niang toward the door.

Bang!

Someone shoved the door open from outside.

The innkeeper stood at the door, flanked by several attendants, and blocking the way out.

"Hold it right there! Are you trying to sneak off?" The innkeeper snarled. "You wrecked my inn and want to run? Pay up!"

Xue Niang looked up at Xue Qiming, blinking cutely. "That man says you need to pay."

"Heh." Xue Qiming puffed out a breath, blowing a stray strand of hair from his forehead. "Pay?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xue Qiming raised his long arm. With a sound like a fan cutting through the air, his massive palm slapped out, accompanied by a thunderous shout.

"Do you really think I, your Granddaddy, am a pushover?!"

Smack!

A deafening impact echoed as the innkeeper spun through the air, flying from one end of the inn to the other before finally smashing into the wall of a room across the hallway with a resounding crash!

The remaining attendants stood frozen in place, none daring to move a muscle.

Xue Qiming spat on the floor and waved at Chi Nanwei who was behind him. "Let’s go!"