The flow of time in the Realm of the Bell was different from the outside world. When Feng Bujue and Passing Rain stepped onto the island, it was already the next day in the outside world.
That day, the already turbulent Chang Lin Town started to stir again.
At noon, in the lobby of Chang Lin Inn.
Other than a small number of people, almost everyone in the martial world was looking for the answer to the same question. And that question was — where had Xie San gone?
After a whole night and a whole morning, even the sects that were not that well-informed had heard the news … At dusk the previous night, the Nameless Sword, Xie San, had crossed Copper Hill and gotten onto the main road, heading straight to Chang Lin. When it was almost dusk, Xie San's horse trotted back to Copper Hill alone.
Over at Cang Lin, no one had seen Xie San.
Then … where had Xie San gone? Why would a person suddenly disappear on the road?
These few days, there were people on the road, but there were not many of them. They were mostly disciples from various sects who came to Copper Hill to deliver messages. In any case, none of them had seen Xie San on the way.
Logically speaking, the situation was that … after Xie San got on the road, he did not go to Chang Lin but turned into the forest.
But that did not make any sense. Could it be that after Hero Xie asked around at Copper Hill, he found out that Chang Lin Inn had run out of rooms, and he did not want to stay in an abandoned house, so he chose to stay in the mountains to survive?
Or … was Xie San ambushed? That wasn't very likely. Who could beat him? Unless Ye Cheng was there, even if the Six Blades worked together, they would not be able to do anything to Xie San. That was how the martial world worked. The difference in quality could not be made up with quantity. As a solo martial artist, Xie San was as famous as the Master of the Ye family. With his skill, he could take on ten people at once.
Of course, if he found a thousand people to surround Xie San and trap him in a place where he could only fight and not run, then when his inner strength and physical strength were completely exhausted, he would be able to succeed.
That was even more impossible.
There was one last hypothesis. Perhaps there was a one in ten thousand chance that … Xie San had run into a ghost.
The people of Jianghu, especially those who were experienced in Jianghu, were not in awe of ghosts and gods, but they were not completely untrustworthy. The legend of Chang Lin Town being haunted was something that many people had heard when they were at Copper Hill.
In addition, there were people who mysteriously disappeared every night these days, and their corpses were nowhere to be found. This indeed made the people of the town panic.
However, it was not entirely the fault of the ghost on the mountain. She did not come to town to capture anyone. Many people had died along with the corpses when they went up the mountain to dispose of the corpses after killing someone.
To put it bluntly, this group of people was seeking their own deaths. If they had entered the mountain before nightfall and not gone too deep, they would have found a random corner at the edge of the forest and buried their bodies before leaving. That would have been fine.
However, the reality was that they would enter the mountains in the middle of the night, carrying the warm corpses on their backs. They would deliberately walk a long distance into the heart of the forest before dumping the corpses. Not to mention Ling Er's ghost, even the corpses they brought with them would be a threat.
A person who had just died would have their resentment and soul still lingering, but the murderer carried the body into a haunted forest shrouded in resentment. It would not be strange for the dead to come back to life …
In conclusion, even though we knew from God's perspective that Xie San was ambushed, the people of Chang Lin Town did not know that. They would not have guessed what happened to Lin Chang, so they could only guess blindly …
"What do you think Great Hero Xie is trying to do? Even though the Nameless Sword usually keeps a low profile, this time, it is really strange … "
"There are so many strange things happening in this town. Last night, a few more disciples from the Whale Gang and Sea Sand Faction disappeared without a trace. Their bodies were nowhere to be found. "
"Hmm, have you heard? That Falling Plum Sword, Lu Qingning, disappeared the night before last. She was nowhere to be seen yesterday, and she still hasn't shown up today."
"Sigh, I've heard about this since this morning. I also heard that of the five who came to Broken Sword Chahitsu yesterday, only Hero Jin is still at the inn. The other four did not return last night either."
"By the way, speaking of this, have you heard? I heard that last night, the young master of the Tang family suffered a great loss at the hands of Hero Jin. "
"What? Tang Size with Fast Hands? That kid is a tough one. "
"I know, right? I also heard that he was taught a lesson by that Hero Jin and had no choice but to admit defeat."
"Wait, why would Young Master Tang fight with that … Young Hero Jin?"
"Hmm, you don't know about that? For a woman, of course. "The speaker then shared the gossip about Mu Rong Yin and Tang Size.
"Oh, I see." He laughed gloatingly. "But … speaking of which, this Broken Sword Chahitsu is not as simple as it seems. I wonder what the background of this sect is."
"Didn't the leader say that he opened his own sect and created his own kung fu?"
"Hmm, you've been in the martial world for so many years, and you believe that? A twenty-something year old creating his own kung fu? Do you think he's the reincarnation of a god? In my opinion, that kid might have been taught by some otherworldly master. That's why he has such shocking inner strength. "
"Alright, you're all off topic. We're talking about Hero Xie. Why don't you tell us what's going on?"
"What do you mean what's going on? To put it bluntly …" They lowered their voices. "The duel is tomorrow, and that Great Master Ye hasn't shown up yet. Maybe …"
With a bang, a large wine jar was placed on the table.
Lu San's tall figure appeared beside the wooden table where the speakers were sitting.
"Waiter, there seem to be flies in the lobby of your inn," Lu San said. Lu San said, "Let me see. One, two, three, four. Four flies buzzing around here. It's so annoying."
Although the four of them were furious in their hearts when they heard this, none of them dared to voice out their anger. They obediently put down the teacups in their hands, left some loose silver on the table, and left the inn with their tails between their legs.
Actually, the four of them were third-rate characters in the martial world. Be it in terms of kung fu or character, they would not amount to anything. This bunch of people loved to criticize those who were doing better than them. Sometimes, they would make malicious guesses and spread rumors.
Lu San was close, and when he heard what they said, he could not stand it anymore, so he walked over to chase them out of the inn.
It was one thing for the four to shamelessly criticize those important characters, but as they spoke, they even started to insinuate that Ye Cheng had ambushed his opponent before the duel. How could something like that be said so carelessly? Who was Ye Cheng? If the martial world had to elect a leader, Ye Cheng would be the one to take up the position. The Blade God's kung fu and character would not be slandered by a few idiots. Even an outsider like Lu San was angered when he heard that. If Ye Mu Han heard that, she might have drawn her sword and cut them down on the spot.
"Monk, don't be angry. Come, let's have a few drinks." A slightly tipsy young man came to the table and invited Lu San to sit. Who else could it be but Tang Size?
Lu San glanced at Young Master Tang. The kid was already drunk in the middle of the day, and his face was crestfallen.
"Ha … Sure. Let's drink. I am always happy to oblige. "Lu San sat down boldly, and his face was plastered with his usual generous smile.
Even though Lu San's nickname was the Drunken Monk, he rarely got drunk. Experts like them knew how much they could drink. Naturally, they knew how much they could drink. If they could not hold on any longer, the alcohol could be forced out through internal energy.
However, the Tang Size in front of her was clearly drunk.
As the saying went, 'If you use a knife to cut water, water will still flow.' Young Master Tang's way of drinking was not going to solve any problem. When the monk saw that, he wanted to advise him.
"Did you hear what they said?" Lu San asked.
"Humph … I heard them," Tang Size answered weakly.
While they were talking, a waiter had already come over to clean up the table. He also collected the money left by the previous guests, and then quickly left.
"They were right. Young Hero Jin's martial arts are extraordinary, and his morals are better than mine," Tang Size continued with a bitter smile. "I have no choice but to admit defeat."
How could Lu San not know what he was thinking? He shook his head and said, "Amitabha. The troubles of the mortal world are nothing but wine, women, wealth, and pride. I'm afraid I can't enlighten Young Master Tang's troubles right now."
"Ha! Who needs you to enlighten me? You're a monk who never stops drinking, and you still have the nerve to say that? " Tang Size said. "I just think that wine is hard to drink alone, and I want to find someone to drink a few cups with. Don't waste your breath on me."
"Young Master Tang, you are wrong," a woman's voice rang out.
Tang Size heard the voice and knew who it was. His body immediately froze, and he slowly turned his head.
Mu Rong Yin had already walked to Tang Size's side.
In Young Master Tang's eyes, no matter when he saw this fairy from beyond the clouds, she would always be so elegant and beautiful. But at that moment, there was another man standing next to her, Jin Fugui!
Is this Jin fella here to show off his power? Tang Size thought. He immediately pulled back his neck and downed another mouthful of wine.
"Master Lu is kind and benevolent. He saw how troubled you are and wanted to give you some advice," Mu Rong Yin said as she sat down at the table.
Atobe also sat down, but he did not sit next to Mu Rong Yin. Instead, he walked to the other side of the table.
Tang Size raised his eyes to look at Atobe. The latter had a smile on his face, and in Young Master Tang's eyes, it was a mockery.
"Humph … What's so funny?" Tang Size scoffed and asked Atobe.
"Oh, because there is also someone called Master Lu in my hometown. When I heard someone else being called that, I thought it was quite interesting," Atobe answered honestly.
Tang Size heard that and did not know how to respond, so he lowered his head and downed another cup.
"Young Master Tang, there seems to be some misunderstanding about Young Hero Jin," Mu Rong Yin said. Mu Rong Yin spoke again. "That's why I invited Young Hero Jin here to explain everything to you."
"Misunderstanding?" Tang Size asked. "What misunderstanding? Humph … I don't understand. "
Right then, Atobe interrupted. "Miss Mu Rong has already told me what happened between the two of you." He shrugged. "I was wondering what happened last night, so that's what happened." He cut straight to the point. "Young Master Tang, Miss Mu Rong and I are at most acquaintances. Yesterday, I went to her room to ask for some advice on the rules of the martial world. That was an order from the master. We didn't do anything shameful. Young Master Tang, you're being so inexplicably jealous. "
When Tang Size heard those words, his expression changed several times, and his heart rose and fell. Before he could react, Mu Rong Yin spoke first. "Young Hero Jin, there is nothing between Mr. Tang and I. Just now, when you said 'something between the two of you', that was not the right way to put it …"
"Alright, alright, you don't need to explain yourself to me," Atobe interrupted. "I'm just here to resolve the misunderstanding that Young Master Tang has toward me. I am not interested in your relationship." He turned to Tang Size. "I will give you some advice. First, if you have the time to come and fight with me, why don't you go and ask her directly? Do you not trust her that much? Also, if she really does not like you, is there a need for her to call me here to explain things to you? "
After saying that, Atobe stood up and left. From the perspective of a young man from the 1930s of the twenty-first century, he did not think that these things were that big of a deal. Little did he know that in ancient times, there were many things that could not be said openly, especially not in this kind of public place with so many people around.
After he finished speaking, the remaining three people at the table were dumbfounded. Lu San immediately stood up with a "Amitabha", as if he was just a passerby who didn't know the people at the table. He quickly moved to the side. Mu Rong Yin was so embarrassed that her cheeks turned red, and her impatience reached her ears. She did not say a word, lowered her head, and fluttered away.
As for Tang Size, he sobered up in a few seconds, and his eyes widened like a black cat. His mind was a mess, and his heart was racing. His joy was palpable. But soon, he felt a burning sensation on his back, as if everyone in the inn was looking at him.
Actually … the situation was not that bad. The hotel lobby was rather noisy, so not many people heard what Atobe said. Only the people who were closer to them heard him. Furthermore, it was not their place to comment on something like that, so they probably pretended not to hear it. They were all people with status, and even if they were not, they had some status. In any case, they were not going to yell about it, right?
Ignoring the fact that Tang Size left the lobby in a daze, Atobe was also annoyed by the situation. He waited for a whole night, and there was still no sign of his teammates. He was considering whether to go out to look for them when Mu Rong Yin came to ask him to solve their relationship problem.
On the way back to his room, he was considering what to do next when he heard the system announcement.
"Current quest completed. Main quest updated."
He opened the game menu. 'Enter the Realm of the Bell to find Ling Er's soul.' The tick was ticked. A new quest had appeared. 'Defeat the Bell Demon.'
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