Chapter 107: Elephant or Squirrel Child?
"Greetings," a man’s voice boomed when the door opened. Anji thought it sounded like a middle-aged man. From her corner, she could not see who it was or their cultivation level. Her brother’s poker face was unreadable, and Anji was unsure if she should activate the talismans. Judging from the angle of her brother’s neck, the person outside the door must be taller than Gu Ying.
The man who knocked on the door was rugged-looking. However, there was no mistaking that he was a pugilist. Mingshen was cautious but courteous, not wanting to alarm his younger sister. Neither of them in the room was his match, and Gu Ying was nowhere close. However, the martial artist did not seem to have any ill intentions.
"I knew there were children! My friend did not agree. She said I was crazy. Nobody sane would stay at a Fighter’s Inn willingly. The boss rarely has regular customers."
Despite the booming voice, the man at the door sounded friendly. Anji thought he was visiting out of curiosity, but her brother would not let up or invite the guest inside. Putting on his most polite smile, he did not say anything else to confirm or deny the man’s statement. It wasn’t often that he stumbled onto an illegal fight club and underground gambling lord’s establishment that did not belong to them. However, he was also no stranger to how this worked. It would explain why the inn was very shabby. The innkeeper must have thought they were here to register for the fight club as participants. This uninvited visitor was trying to assess his opponents before meeting them officially in the den.
No wonder this town was full of thugs. The civilians living here were either children of crooks born here or crooks themselves on the run. It wasn’t a safe town to be in. However, they were running a little low on supplies needed to last the next few days of travel before reaching the valley where Bai Dajin was waiting for them.
When the fighter realised the young scholar was not replying to him, he dropped the friendly uncle act and immediately stopped smiling. Ordinary children would have flinched or become close to tears. The youth in front of him remained steady with cold and unwavering eyes. He refused to let the fighter even one step into the room as if guarding something. The other child was a young girl. It was obvious how he prioritised protecting his younger sister now that their guardian was not with them.
"Relax," the fighter rolled his eyes. "I’m not here to pick a fight. It doesn’t seem like any of you are here to compete for the grand prize, either. Close the doors and turn the lights out by ten if you don’t want trouble. Don’t step out of the room until the sun rises tomorrow, and leave as soon as you can. That’s my only advice. I don’t know why rich children are travelling to such a dangerous place, but for your sister’s sake, you should heed my warning."
Finally showing an expression that wasn’t fake, Mingshen bowed slightly and clasped his hands in front of him to thank the fighter. However, in doing so, the fighter caught a glimpse of the fan in his hand. A glint of realisation of who this young master was made him back off a few steps.
"Thank you for the kind advice," Mingshen smiled and noticed the look of panic in the fighter’s eyes. "I, Zhao Mingshen, the second prince of the Celestial Dragon Sect, will remember your kindness."