Book 16: Chapter 44
For there to be such a peaceful inn at the crack of dawn was not just rare but suspicious, yet it was left alone. Ever since a few special guests chose to lodge here, business declined along with its popularity. In spite of that, the proprietor showed no signs of concern because merely being able to catch a glimpse of them was worth closing shop for two months, let alone having the honour of their business mentorship. As per the prior days, they leisurely chatted on the first floor without batting an eye.
“Wang Sanping is dead,” declared a man attired in teal. “He lost his life on the way to Hangzhou.”
Song Lian, also referred to as Song Zhiming, did not look anywhere near as old as his biological age. The resident of Yangzhou’s Song Fortress was referred to as “Martial World Marquis” among folks of the pugilistic world. Thus, his words held a lot of weight.
“If the goal is insurrection, it’s a good thing,” remarked an elder, face virtually buried in his own beard and hair.
“Hahaha.” The elder slammed the table. “Hey, Monk, you’re not the culprit, are you?”
The elder’s smile was contagious in the sense that it could affect one’s mood for the better or worse as if it was invisible magic. When he smiled, the atmosphere was joyous. When he paused, it rendered people apprehensive. It worked as well at the business table as it did against warriors. Some even touted it as a Heart Realm discipline, but it was really just Patriarch Jin’s natural talent. While he could not explain how he did it, he could sense one’s mood effortlessly.
Ru Xing could intimidate somebody quite advanced in their internal-energy training with a mere glare, but he had been unable to persuade the four patriarchs present regardless of how he wagged his tongue. They either provoked him, inebriated him, deployed mockery or resorted to brushing him off. They had maintained an ambivalent attitude regarding their stance between mutiny and loyalty to the imperial court; he had been treated as a close friend on his last leg.
The handsome monk had faith that the four of them had bottom lines that might have been different or perhaps unspoken due to personal ambitions, intelligent people who had decisive opinions about the Seven Champion White Princes’ situation at present, not folks who were playing the passive game. Therefore, instead of trying to persuade them, he patiently waited for a change; no matter how miniscule the change was, it might have been enough to determine what the four clans were thinking.
He shook his head and softly replied, “This one would not dare to challenge Hero Wang, let alone be qualified to. Putting himself aside, there are only a select few here who could do so considering the level of the South’s Six Greats.”