The boy continued shaking his head desperately, his eyes filled with a pleading look.
The black eyes of the yellow-jacketed boy darted around thoughtfully before he suddenly appeared to have an epiphany. “Ah, did you cause some kind of trouble there, and that’s why you’re so afraid?”
The boy hesitated, first shaking his head, then nodding reluctantly.
The yellow-jacketed boy frowned immediately. “What should we do, then? Little brother, do you have any other family?”
Seeing the boy shake his head, he stood up, thinking aloud, “This place is far too dangerous. If you stay here, it’s only a matter of time before you lose your life. The closest city is Xiang Yang. Maybe the innkeeper here could escort you to the city and have the local authorities help you get home?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the plump innkeeper began trembling, his ample flesh quivering visibly.
Cautiously stepping forward with a forced smile, the innkeeper said, “Young master, you must be joking! With so many people from Xing Yun Manor dead here tonight, the officials won’t let this boy leave so easily. And let’s not forget Master Jiao from Xing Yun Manor—he won’t just drop the matter without asking questions. If I were to escort this young master to Xiang Yang, how could I possibly handle either side? I can’t afford to offend anyone!”
Before he could finish, a deafening clap of thunder shook the inn, causing the candlelight to flicker and dim momentarily.
When the hall brightened again, the innkeeper thought he was seeing things. He blinked hard, but the sight before him remained unchanged.
Three black silhouettes were now cast on the wall.
The three assassins from the Tang Clan had returned!
The frail boy immediately ducked behind the yellow-jacketed boy in fear. The guests, who had been watching the scene unfold, instinctively stepped back. San’er growled lowly, standing upright with an aggressive posture, glaring fiercely at the intruders.
For a moment, the inn’s hall fell so silent that only the sound of the storm outside could be heard.
Six icy eyes swept across the room slowly, noting that everything was as they had left it. Without a word, the assassins split into three groups and began meticulously searching the corpses on the ground as if no one else was present.
The yellow-jacketed boy was astonished, his dark eyes darting up and down as he observed the scene.
Could the treasure not have been in the bundle after all? Why else would the three return?
What kind of rare and precious object could have caught the attention of the Tang Clan?
And what kind of treasure, prized by the Tang Clan, had ended up in the hands of Xing Yun Manor?
The corpses were searched quickly.
The three icy faces betrayed clear disappointment.
They had returned without much delay, having already guessed that if the treasure wasn’t in the bundle, it must still be on the bodies of the Xing Yun Manor group.
Yet, even after thoroughly searching the corpses, they found nothing.
A single thought simultaneously flashed through their minds: someone in the inn must have taken it.
With this realization, six piercing gazes locked onto the boy in the yellow jacket and the frail child beside him.
The three assassins stepped forward in unison.
The leader slowly extended a hand.
It was an unnaturally large hand, almost double the size of an average one, pale and ghastly, as though it were no longer made of flesh and blood. The palm glowed faintly blue, shimmering ominously in the flickering candlelight.
Even now, the boy in the yellow jacket managed to laugh.
“San’er, San’er, look at that! They really do suspect us.”
Before the laughter had fully subsided, the pale hand suddenly expanded in size, bones elongating grotesquely. With lightning speed, it lunged toward the frail child beside him!
In that critical moment, the boy’s yellow robe fluttered as he moved. The attacker abruptly realized that the distance between his hand and the child had widened.
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