Chapter 266 Sure enough, he has good taste
"Hey, this senior..."

The old man had a solemn look on his face as he held down Tong Le's hand. Even though the latter hadn't reacted yet, he still didn't dare to delay and clasped his fists and spoke hoarsely.

"Don't talk to me." The handsome man who called himself Hou Qing frowned.

The old man looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak, but because of consideration, he just kept silent.

Tong Le sneered, shook off the old man's hand, leaned on the table and squinted at Hou Qing, whose sleeves were fluttering: "Little white face, you are so arrogant. What, do you know that boy from the Central Plains?"

The old man sighed, thinking that his young master was too arrogant. He was only polite on the surface to his family's offerings, but he insisted on having his own way once he had made up his mind. He even refused to listen when he was told not to provoke that person.

The old man did not know Hou Qing, but he had heard of his name. It was said that he traveled to Raojiang many years ago and was given the title of "Bloodstained Mountains and Rivers". He was also an old acquaintance of the Witch King and the Gu King, and was quite famous.

However, because the old man was only a worshiper of the Tong family, he did not have a deep understanding of these rumors. But no matter how arrogant he was, he knew that if this person was really Hou Qing, he must not be provoked.

But then again, the rumored "blood-stained mountains and rivers" Hou Qing's travels in Raojiang happened more than 20 years ago. The handsome man in front of him with three blood-drop-shaped red moles on his eyebrows clearly looks to be only in his twenties. Is there anyone in the world who doesn't age?
For a moment, the old man also muttered in his heart. After all, he didn't know much about the word Hou Qing. He just remembered it after accidentally hearing the legendary story of the man. At present, it is difficult to connect the god who drank and talked happily with the Witch King and the Gu King with the young man in front of him who was hanging a red umbrella, with strange words embroidered on the hem of his clothes, and was quite mysterious.

He and the old woman next to him exchanged a barely perceptible glance, and each of them held a most lethal poisonous insect in their sleeves.

Chi Meng was just whispering to Ji Ruxue, but when he saw Tong Le's arrogant and domineering appearance, he became even more angry. He slammed the table and shouted, "Hey, hey, hey, can you please speak properly!"

"Little sister in purple, your brother and I are talking to this pretty boy and the boy next to you. Have you ever heard of the saying, 'When adults are talking, little girls should not interrupt'?" Tong Le said with narrowed eyes.

Xiao Yan still had a smile on his face. He stopped Chi Meng who was about to go berserk, and then just pointed at the remaining bench beside the table and said to Hou Qing with a smile: "Since Brother Hou wants to share the table, we can't go to the young master's place for free meals. It's a coincidence that Brother Hou came at the right time and just happened to be with us. But we have to make it clear in advance that we have to pay for our own meals."

"It's very elegant." Hou Qing nodded, then brushed up his clothes and sat down, turning his head away from Tong Le: "Don't talk to me either, you two are equally ugly, an eyesore."

Tong Le's face turned dark.

The old man looked even more embarrassed, and then his eyes became a little gloomy. He used his inner strength to gather the sound into a line and transmitted it to the old woman, saying that he would test the so-called Hou Qing's strength after a fight.

The little girl named Tongyue next to him was so happy that she clapped her hands on the table and laughed, "Brother Le, he said you are ugly!"

“Ahem.” Seeing Tong Le’s face turning increasingly pale, the village chief gave a dry laugh. Finally, he found an opportunity, stood up with his teacup in hand and said with a smile, “Everyone, everyone, our Huailiu Village is in trouble now. It is a critical moment for the survival of thousands of people in the entire village. It just so happens that you all meet here by chance. It is fate. Why are you making such a fuss? Isn’t this dispute giving those beasts outside the village an advantage…”

After that, he waved his hand and said loudly: "All of you guests have come to my Huailiu Village to exorcise monsters, so you should be well received by my Huailiu Village. All your expenses during your stay in the village will be charged to me."

The shopkeeper who was hiding in the distance responded quickly.

The village chief saw Xiao Yan turn around and smile at him, and nodded as well. However, his eyes were mostly on Hou Qing. Seeing that the latter remained indifferent, he naturally sighed inwardly, and then looked at Tong Le and said with a smile, "Young Master Tong, just give me a favor and let this go. How about that? Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth..."

The old man nodded and immediately took the step, whispering a few words to Tong Le.

The latter's expression was still grim, but he smiled heartily in an instant, clasped his fists towards Chi Meng, and said with a half-smile: "Everyone, enjoy your meal and drink."

After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the inn with a gloomy look on his face.

The village chief saw that the old man and the smiling Tong Yue and others also left. He was helpless at first, and waved to the shopkeeper who wanted to come over, and then hurriedly followed. It was really that at this critical juncture, he could not afford to offend these guys, otherwise in the past, Beijiang and Wandu Cave had nothing to do with each other, and as a village chief of a big village, he really would not be so servile to a little brat like Tong Le.

As for the two wild Gu Masters, they hesitated for a moment, clasped their fists towards Xiao Yan and the other three, and followed them out.

Xiao Yan returned the gift with a smile, then took out a small bag of copper coins from his bosom and placed it on the table, asking the shopkeeper to serve the dishes quickly.

"Hey, who are you and why are you getting so close to us!" Chi Meng was quite alert and also a little resentful. If Hou Qing hadn't suddenly rushed in, she might have already dealt with those guys who looked down on others. How could the dignified Saint of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave need to endure this!
Ji Ruxue looked at Xiao Yan. She was from Central Plains and had been to Huanyinfang before. She knew that Hou Qing was one of the four corpse ancestors of Xuanming Sect. Her eyes looked a little strange and inquiring.

However, with the previous experience of Jiangchen and Ajie, there is no need to be too surprised.

Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head at her. He understood what Ji Ruxue meant. She was asking whether Hou Qing came to look for him.

But judging from the situation, that shouldn't be the case.

As expected, Hou Qing said seriously, "I came here just for you."

"Home?" Chi Meng was startled and pointed at herself uncertainly. Then she looked around at Xiao Yan and Ji Ruxue. However, seeing Hou Qing's serious eyes on her, she asked again in surprise, "Home?"

"That's right." Hou Qing nodded seriously, raised his eyebrow with a blood-red mole, and said with a look of pity, "I was originally planning to kidnap you, but this man was here, and I couldn't find a suitable opportunity, so I thought of coming to say hello to you."

As he spoke, he ignored Chi Meng's stunned look, and even more ignored Ji Ruxue's raised eyebrows, and saluted to Xiao Yan: "Brother, your sword-controlling skills that night were really amazing. I followed you all the way, and after weighing it over and over again, I feel that the chances of snatching you away from me are too small. I'll treat you to this meal today, and I hope you can help me."

Xiao Yan said with a smile: "Can you give me a favor?"

Hou Qing nodded seriously, then slowly shifted his gaze to look at Chi Meng at the opposite table.

The latter was horrified and hugged his chest and shrank back: "Following? Robbery? Hey, hey, hey, don't do anything rash! I, I... I am very powerful!"

Ji Ruxue said nothing, but just held down the scabbard on the table.

This was Xiao Yan's suggestion. She carried a sword while he carried a saber, working the other way around to improve her skills. This was the reason why Xiao Yan did not intervene during the last battle with the corpse monster in Zangke Village.

Hou Qing looked serious and said sincerely: "Don't worry, you are not good-looking, I am not interested in you."

"No, no, I can't stand it anymore!" Chi Meng was so angry that her teeth were itching. This bastard could say that she was not pretty, but he could never say that in front of Xiao Yan!
What a rude person!

Xiao Yan smiled faintly and pushed a cup of tea to Hou Qing, saying, "Hou Qing, if you have any purpose for your ancestor's corpse, you might as well tell me directly. Otherwise, it will inevitably lead to misunderstandings."

At this time, the old Gu Master hiding outside the inn had a serious look on his face. Before Xiao Yan spoke, he suddenly realized that he could not hear any sound. He held his breath for a while, drew on his palm with his fingers, and muttered something, but no matter how he commanded the Sound-Seeking Gu left in the inn, he could not get any results.

He frowned, glanced at the inn, and left quietly without making any sound.

Inside the inn, Hou Qing was a little surprised: "I have been in hiding for twenty years, and you still know my name?!"

Chi Meng's face puffed up with disdain, he felt that this pretty boy was clearly pretending, saying that he had disappeared from the world for twenty years as if he was so famous.

Xiao Yan wanted to say that he knew Jiang Chen, but after thinking about it, he just smiled and nodded: "Sister is an old acquaintance of ours. I have indeed heard a lot about the deeds of the Corpse Ancestor from her."

Ji Ruxue had a strange look on her face and tilted her head to the side and coughed.

My sister's evaluation of Hou Qing is quite interesting. I haven't heard of any good deeds of him, but there are many deeds such as helping her catch the black-faced bear and working together to handle the funeral.

"No wonder." Hou Qing sat upright on the bench: "Ying Gou has not been home for a while."

"Hey! What are your intentions?" Chi Meng slammed the table. He was too lazy to listen to Hou Qing's nonsense and rolled his eyes.

Hou Qing, who had been calm and composed since entering the inn, was unusually hesitant at this moment. Under the gaze of the three people, he looked at the flute that Chi Meng casually placed on the table, and took out a blade from his sleeve.

Chi Meng suddenly felt a chill and immediately became alert. His hand quietly reached for the wooden flute, his heartstrings tense.

Suddenly, Hou Qing flicked his clothes and stood up proudly.

Chi Meng tightly grasped the wooden flute. She knew that Xiao Yan and Ji Ruxue were sitting next to her, but her heart was still in her throat because of the weird Hou Qing. She opened her mouth and was about to shout to give herself courage.

"Please accept me as your disciple and teach me the method of controlling poisonous insects." Hou Qing clasped his hands together, bent down 90 degrees, and his attitude was extremely sincere and serious.

"Ah?" Chi Mengdu picked up the wooden flute, and was stunned again after hearing that. After a moment, he was still stunned: "Ah?" Ji Ruxue covered her mouth and laughed. She should have thought of it earlier.

Among the four corpse ancestors, she had met two of them. Jiang Chen did things according to his mood, and her elder sister was even more brainless. This corpse ancestor Hou Qing really could not be regarded as an ordinary person.

What normal person would think of tying the master back first when he wants to become a disciple?

As expected... Ji Ruxue glanced at the three red moles with blood drops on Hou Qing's right eyebrow.

……666.

Xiao Yan drank by himself and nodded slightly from time to time. It was unclear whether he was tasting the tea or agreeing with Hou Qing's action.

Chi Meng glanced at the small blade in Hou Qing's hand, and felt his brain freeze. He subconsciously moved a little towards Xiao Yan, thought for a while, and moved towards Ji Ruxue. Then, regardless of Hou Qing who was still bending down, he covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to Ji Ruxue.

"Miss, this person...is he mentally ill?"

"Maybe some." Ji Ruxue said bluntly.

"Master, why did you say I was sick?" Hou Qing's hearing was obviously very good. He raised his head and frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"Which one is your master!" Chi Meng was so frightened that he jumped back and waved his hands straightly. Then he felt that he had lost his momentum, so he put his hands on his hips and put his face on them. He wanted to say something to make this guy give up. When he was about to say it, he remembered that his mind was empty, so he could only say stiffly: "No!"

"Why?" Hou Qing was particularly puzzled, and was about to kneel on one knee, but thinking that the table might block Chi Meng's sight, he jumped on the table again, knelt straight down towards Chi Meng, clasped his fists and said, "Master, do you think I am not sincere enough? If so, Master, just tell me what you want. I still have some belongings in Shuzhong that I have accumulated for many years. Master, just follow me to Shuzhong to see..."

Ji Ruxue carefully held the teacup and dodged backwards to avoid being affected.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh, and felt that this trip was worthwhile. This Corpse Ancestor Hou Qing was indeed a man of character.

"What on earth are you going to do?" Chi Meng's face flushed with embarrassment, especially when he saw the guys in the distance looking at this side in confusion, he stamped his feet in anxiety: "We have a rule in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave that we cannot accept disciples before getting married! Come down quickly, it's really embarrassing!"

Hou Qing frowned, and without any movement, his body naturally floated back to the bench. Then he thought carefully for a few breaths and looked at Xiao Yan.

Ji Ruxue grabbed the scabbard with a fierce look.

Chi Meng blushed again and waved her hands repeatedly: "Please stop making trouble here, it's really annoying."

Hou Qing ignored the two of them and stared at Xiao Yan.

The latter smiled and asked, "Does the ancestor Hou Qing sincerely want to become your disciple?"

"Sincerely, brother, are you willing to lend me a helping hand?" Hou Qing was cheered up.

"Let's not talk about whether it will help or not." Xiao Yan said, "I wonder if Corpse Ancestor has heard of the title of registered disciple?"

"A registered disciple..." Hou Qing raised his eyebrows and glanced at Chi Meng.

The latter rolled his eyes and was too lazy to pay attention to him.

"As the so-called nominal disciple, to Corpse Ancestor, Miss Chi Meng is your nominal master, but in front of Miss Chi Meng, you don't have to be acknowledged as her disciple. But Corpse Ancestor wants to observe and learn some music-controlling Gu techniques, so that's fine."

"What a registered disciple!" Hou Qing suddenly realized and bowed his head: "Disciple greets Master!"

"No bowing!" Chi Meng didn't want to teach Hou Qing at all, and pouted, but for Xiao Yan's sake, she still accepted it with a pinch of her nose.

"Since Hou Qing Shizu is already Miss Chi Meng's disciple, although he is only in name only, as a disciple..." Xiao Yan glanced at a large backpack placed at the door of the store: "Miss Chi Meng's luggage is a little extra."

"I'll carry it!" Hou Qing nodded repeatedly.

"Miss Chi Meng is young and is still growing up. The food..."

"I'll buy it!" Hou Qing took out a gold ingot and slapped it on the table: "Boss, the best dishes and the best wine, all of them!"

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "We are on this trip to save Miss Chi Meng's father. We may have to go to the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, so it may not be convenient for us to meet Corpse Ancestor..."

"I'll go save him!" Hou Qing said seriously, "Saving Grand Master is the responsibility of my disciple."

"This young man is teachable." Xiao Yan said with relief: "In this way, Corpse Ancestor is one step closer to becoming Miss Chi Meng's last disciple."

Hou Qing was full of admiration, clasped his hands and said, "My dear brother, you are indeed a man of character!"

The two girls next to them looked at each other, already stunned.

------

"I'm so angry!"

In the exquisite courtyard, Tong Le smashed the teacup in his hand, "When have I, Tong Le, ever suffered such humiliation!"

"Young master, please be patient." The old man winked at the old woman beside him, who immediately understood and asked the two uneasy wild cultivators to go somewhere else.

The old man then advised, "Young Master, we are here to carry out the important task of the clan leader, and it is also related to the Witch King. We should not cause trouble for a few outsiders."

Tong Yue nodded continuously, smiling: "Yes, yes, Brother Le, just be patient, after this period of time, we can just kill them all."

"Don't gloat over other's misfortune!" Tong Le held his breath and scolded.

The former curled his lips, touched a centipede in his hand, and snorted.

Tong Le sat back in his chair and looked at the old man with a gloomy face: "Uncle Miao, is that pretty boy really that powerful?"

"If it is really the 'Bloody Mountains and Rivers' Marquis, then..." The old man shook his head, but immediately said: "But this guy is a bit strange. Maybe he really has some relationship with the Marquis, but it is unlikely that he is the real Marquis, so he is doing things under the name of the Marquis. But I think it is better for the young master not to provoke this person easily."

"I can't bear this humiliation unless this man is dead." Tong Le looked unhappy. There were many people in the inn at that time, and all the important people in Huailiu Village were there, all watching him make a fool of himself. How could he bear this?
"What's the big deal?" Tong Yue said as a matter of course, "Just vent your anger on those three people. Brother Le also likes those two girls. Anyway, that Central Plains guy is incompetent and can't keep two delicate beauties."

As she spoke, she patted the centipede in her hand and said with a clever and strange smile: "Afterwards, the two girls will belong to Brother Le, and the Central Plains man will belong to me. It's just right to use him to test the insects. How do you think?"

"You made a good plan."

Tong Le sneered, then took out a bell from his bosom and squinted his eyes and said, "That damn Hou Qing, I want him dead too."

The old man saw the bell, thought for a moment, and said nothing.

"Uncle Miao, call those two useless wild cultivators in. I want to reward them with an opportunity."

……

In the mountains, several corpse monsters that were sitting cross-legged seemed to have heard the call. They all stood up, looked towards the big village at the foot of the mountain, and growled.

(End of this chapter)