"It's me..."

The voice was somewhat hoarse and furtive.

Su Xuan frowned. What's he doing here?

He recognized the voice. It was the old innkeeper.

"How did you get in?" Su Xuan asked immediately.

"Your door wasn't properly shut, so I came in," the old innkeeper said from behind the door. "I'm not here for any trouble. Our inn's TV signal is out, so we can't watch any programs. I came specifically to bring you some movies."

"Just leave them on the table. I'm taking a shower."

"Alright."

A moment after the old innkeeper left, Su Xuan stepped out of the bathroom. He saw several discs on the table with racy covers that would make one blush.

They even have... this kind of stuff here?

Su Xuan picked up a disc to look at it, then his gaze fell on the door, a smile curving his lips. He clearly remembered closing and locking his door! The old innkeeper must have opened it himself! His purpose probably wasn't as simple as just delivering a few movies!

...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

After leaving Su Xuan's room, the old innkeeper knocked on Qi Li's door.

Qi Li was washing Su Xuan's clothes in her room. When she heard the knock, she didn't open the door right away. Instead, she asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me," the old innkeeper said from outside. "The TV isn't working, so I've come to bring you some movies."

"I don't need any, thank you."

Qi Li refused, a hint of disappointment on her face. She had been hoping it was Su Xuan.

The old innkeeper's footsteps faded away again, probably heading toward Lu Dongshan's room.

More than half an hour later, Qi Li finally finished meticulously washing Su Xuan's clothes and hung them in the bathroom. She lay on the bed for a while but couldn't fall asleep. Rubbing her forehead, she got up, took Su Xuan's clothes, and left her room.

"Su Xuan, are you asleep?" she asked softly, standing outside his door.

"What is it?" Su Xuan opened the door.

"It's nothing," Qi Li said, handing the clothes to Su Xuan. "I've washed them. Just hang them to dry, and you can wear them tomorrow."

"Thank you for the trouble!" Su Xuan said, taking the clothes and starting to close the door.

"Su Xuan, wait. There's something I need to tell you," Qi Li said, placing her hand on the door to hold it open. "Let me tell you about the Floating Cloud Sect so you won't be completely clueless when we get there."

"Sure." Su Xuan let Qi Li into the room.

"Ah..." As soon as Qi Li entered, she spotted the discs. Her cheeks immediately flushed red. He likes to watch this sort of thing? Is it really that interesting? she murmured to herself.

"Go on," Su Xuan said, pulling over a chair for Qi Li before sitting on the edge of the bed himself.

"Our sect is called the Floating Cloud Sect because of a line from a poem: 'Be not afraid of floating clouds blocking one's view,'" Qi Li said slowly, looking at Su Xuan's face. "After all, cultivation is about not fearing hardships and obstacles."

MOAN... GROAN...

She had barely finished speaking when strange sounds started coming from the television in the neighboring room.

Qi Li subconsciously glanced at the discs again.

"My father's name is Qi Xiuyuan. Although he usually keeps a stern face, he's actually a warm-hearted person. The disciples in our sect may seem afraid of him, but behind his back, they all affectionately call him Old Qi," Qi Li continued. "My mother passed away early, dying from an illness not long after I was born, so I don't have many memories of her. Oh, and the sect has a total of five hundred disciples, divided into several tiers based on their strength..."

MOAN... GROAN...

The bizarre sounds from the next room started up again.

"Does your sect have any skilled Physicians or Pill Masters?" Su Xuan asked, frowning at the bizarre sounds. "Could they cure a strange illness like Alice's father's?"

"Yes, there are several," Qi Li nodded. "But I can't promise anything right now. I'll have to ask them first to be sure."

"Alright." Su Xuan took out his phone and opened the photo album. It contained several pictures of Richard's condition. Even though Richard wasn't there in person, the photos could be used for a diagnosis.

"How did you manage to learn our sect's heart method so quickly?" Qi Li couldn't help but ask again, still completely puzzled.

"I used to study Ruyi Tai Chi, and your entry-level heart method has some similarities," Su Xuan replied evasively, not revealing his secret. He then suddenly turned his head to listen intently to the noises from next door, gesturing for Qi Li to be quiet.

He then stood on the bed, pressing his ear against the wall. After listening for a few seconds, he whispered to Qi Li, "Come here and listen. Something's not right next door."

Qi Li also got on the bed and pressed her ear to the wall.

Beneath the strange moans and groans, she could hear people whispering.

"The one in their bag is Senior Brother Niu!"

"We can't attack them rashly, or Senior Brother Niu will be in danger."

"They aren't asleep yet..."

"Let's just wait a bit longer..."

Then, the conversation faded, but the bizarre sounds from the TV only grew louder.

Qi Li was pressed so close to Su Xuan that she could smell his pleasant scent. Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red, and her breathing grew heavy. Su Xuan, however, remained completely unaffected, his expression natural.

"This inn isn't safe," Su Xuan whispered.

"Mhm." Qi Li nodded. "It's still those people who don't want us to return."

"What's your plan?" Su Xuan asked.

Qi Li thought for a moment. "I think it's best if we leave the inn quietly. Otherwise, there's bound to be a conflict."

"They're watching us, so it won't be easy to leave," Su Xuan said, shaking his head. "Besides, both you and Brother Lu are injured, and we don't know how strong our opponents are. It would be a huge problem if they caught up to us. In my opinion, the best solution is... to strike first!"

"But there seem to be three of them," Qi Li said with concern. "Won't it be dangerous for us to make the first move?"

"There are four," Su Xuan corrected. "The old innkeeper is one of them, or at least they've bribed him."

The old innkeeper's visit earlier must have been to scout us out.

"But that's not important," Su Xuan continued. "What's important is that I have this!"

With a flick of his wrist, Su Xuan produced an object.

Qi Li's eyes widened when she saw what was in his hand.

It was a syringe.

It was the anesthetic—the very same trump card Lycar had used to capture the lead senior brother!

"Later, I'll go to their room," Su Xuan said, gently shaking the syringe. "And I'll give them this little 'gift'."

"That's a great idea," Qi Li said. "The inn rooms are small, so it'll be hard for them to escape once you use the drug. The only question is, how will you administer it?"

"Exactly!" Su Xuan's gaze inexplicably landed on a corner of the room, and he smiled. "We'll use that..."

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