Volume 1: Martial World Chapter 84: Youjian Inn

  The days of pain and joy always pass especially quickly, Ye Wen enjoyed the piercing heart-piercing pain in the cold pool during this period, the Shu Shan faction was busy with their feet off the ground, and finally sorted out all the assets obtained from Zheng Quanmen in the shortest time.

  Those dozens of acres of arable land and hundreds of acres of wasteland were easily dealt with, as Ye Wen only sent a few disciples to take a look around, showed them the contract they had obtained, and everything was settled. The two farming households did not have any opinions on who their employer was, what they cared about was whether the employer would take back these arable lands.

  Shu Shan sect has no desire to make any changes, especially when they have just taken over. Ye Wen also doesn't want to stir up too much trouble and a smooth transition of these assets is the best choice.

  In the guest house, Xu Xian rushed over and indeed encountered trouble. The Zhengquan Gate disciples who were dispatched to guard the place found it unacceptable that Xu Xian was leading people to receive 'property', and they immediately got into a fight with him.

  Perhaps they looked down on Xu Xian, the weak and gentle young master, thinking that even if he joined the now flourishing Shu Shan Sect, he would still be useless. Because martial arts is not something that can be achieved in just a few days, so they had no doubt that as soon as they made their move, they could beat this weak and timid scholar to tears, begging for mercy on his knees.

  Alas... In life, eight or nine out of ten things don't go as one wishes. In the end, it was not the weak and feeble scholar they had imagined who ended up crying and begging for mercy on his knees, but rather themselves, whose cheeks were swollen from being slapped by Xu Xian with the hilt of his long sword.

  As for Xuan's bad taste, Li Sen was speechless. However, for the young master of the Xu family who had been in Shu Shan Sect for less than two years, he actually had such a strong swordsmanship, which also made Li Sen, who was also a swordsman, extremely surprised.

  Although before this, Xü Xiān would occasionally go to teach some martial arts to the outer disciples of Shǔ Shān Sect, but what Xü Xiān taught were mostly basic internal skills or techniques for cultivating Qi and physical movement. No one had ever seen him actually fight with anyone, not even his fellow disciples from the Xü family, who only thought that this young master started learning martial arts after joining Shǔ Shān Sect. It was just because he directly joined the inner circle of Shǔ Shān Sect and became the junior brother of the sect leader, so he could learn more advanced and profound martial arts.

  But now it seems that they were all wrong! Li Sen had been traveling around the country for a period of time before joining Shu Shan, and Xu Xian's calmness in his movements was definitely not something that a novice who had only learned martial arts for less than two years and had never fought with anyone could possess.

  So the only explanation is that Xu Xian already had martial arts skills before joining the Shu Shan Sect, and what's even more frightening is that no one knew about it.

  Li Sen thought to himself, secretly admiring his own sect's leader and Xu Xian. They had managed to keep this matter hidden so perfectly that no one suspected a thing - he didn't think Ye Wen was unaware of Xu Xian's martial arts skills; if that were the case, then Ye Wen would be an incompetent sect leader, especially since once training in martial arts began, it would be easy to tell whether someone had any foundation or not.

  They, the outer disciples, didn't know that it was because they had little contact with Xuan Ye in their daily lives, and Xuan Ye's practice was basically not in front of outsiders. However, Ye Wen was with his own junior brother day and night, and many of Shu Shan Sect's kung fu had to be personally taught by Ye Wen, so it was impossible for Xuan Ye to continue hiding the fact that he knew martial arts.

  At the same time, Xu Xian's swordsmanship was so exquisite that Li Sen was amazed. In just one moment, Xu Xian had made no less than twelve swords, and with a series of swift and precise movements, he slapped the two men from Zhengquan Gate in the face without injuring them. Such eyesight and precision were beyond his capabilities.

  Not to mention twelve swords, even if he were to use his sword to lightly tap someone's mouth, he wouldn't dare guarantee that he wouldn't hurt the other person.

  "No wonder the master asked Master Xu to lead us here!"

  At first, Li Sen thought that the head of the sect was letting him handle these Zhengquanmen disciples on his own. Now it seems that he was actually letting Xu Gongzi come and show off his skills, while also using these Zhengquanmen disciples to tell everyone: Shushan Sect is not just Ye Wen alone!

  Li Sen's guess was correct. Before Xu Xian came down the mountain, he had already received Ye Wen's instructions. In a situation where he could establish his authority, he should try to show as much of his own skills as possible. If he could make everyone surrender with just one move, that would be best.

  Xu Xian also remembered these words, so when the Zhengquanmen disciples came to provoke him, Xu Xian was not only not angry, but very happy: "I've been waiting for you!"

  He then drew his long sword, and with one move, he unleashed the newly mastered "Wind Chasing Wild Goose" sword technique! The two Zhengquan Sect disciples didn't even have time to react before they saw a flash of sword light in front of them. The sunlight at noon was reflected off the long sword, dazzling their eyes so much that they could hardly see anything. Immediately after, a series of scorching pains exploded on their cheeks.

  As the light in front of them faded, Xu Xian deliberately showed off several sword moves in front of the two of them before putting away his sword and standing there with a smile, looking at himself, only then did they realize what had just happened.

  At first, they thought it was impossible! A weak scholar actually had such a ghostly and swift swordsmanship, no one could immediately believe everything that happened, so they even suspected that everything just now was just an illusion.

  But the scorching sensation on their faces told them that this was no illusion. One of them trembled and touched his cheek, only to feel a sharp pain, and they finally realized that they had just taken a turn at the Ghost Gate. If Xu Xian had used the blade of his sword instead of the back of it earlier... The thought made their legs go weak, and they immediately became aware that this young master was not someone they could afford to provoke. As for protecting the sect's property and whatnot - "Let those damned things be considered by the big shots in the sect!" They were more concerned about their own lives.

  Watching the two Zhengquan Gate disciples flee in disarray, Xue Xian was very pleased with himself, and after showing off enough of his martial prowess, the subsequent handover work went quite smoothly. Fortunately, Zhengquan Gate had not yet had time to withdraw the inn's earnings for the recent period, so it could be said that Ye Wen not only got the inn but also brought in several months' worth of profits into the Shushan Sect's coffers.

  Then Xu Xian took the innkeeper up the mountain, because this was what Ye Wen had specifically instructed. Ye Wen hoped that the scale of the inn could continue to expand, and even if it couldn't become the largest inn in Shu Shan County within a short period of time, he wanted to strive towards this direction.

  "So, should this inn change its name?"

  "Change names?" Ye Wen seemed to have never thought about this issue, he just felt the need to expand the scale of the inn, and was not very concerned about these trivial matters.

  "Yes, once you change masters, you have to change your name! It's also a way to get a good start!" The innkeeper looked a bit awkward, because he wasn't sure what kind of temper this new master had. But judging from the fact that they sent people to drive away the original master's men right from the beginning, it was likely not a good-tempered one.

  Ye Wenke didn't know that he had already left a bad impression on the shopkeeper, and his mind began to think of some more interesting names for inns: "Dragon Gate Inn? Although the name sounds very domineering, it seems to be taboo..."

  "Yue Lai Inn?" But as soon as he thought of this legendary restaurant group, the largest in Jianghu, Ye Wen wondered how many inns had already taken on this name in this world. He himself planned to open inns all over Pingzhou in the future, and if it shared a name with some small inn, it would be too...

  After some thought, Ye Wen suddenly remembered the name of an inn from a movie. He had found it amusing at the time and couldn't help but burst out laughing, saying: "Let's just call it Youjian Inn!"

  "Is there a guest house?" The shopkeeper obviously didn't understand what Ye Wen meant, in his impression this seemed to be a sentence rather than a name.

  "Yes, there is a room or rather this place has a room for guests! There is a guest house!" The two sentences that left the deepest impression on Ye Wen were:

  "Huh? There's an inn!"

  "It's really a homestay!"

  If it weren't for this era without advertisements, Ye Wen really wanted to turn this conversation into an advertisement and play it every day! However, he also had no way.

  At the entrance of the inn, two signs were placed. One side read: "Huh? Is there an inn?" The other side was written: "Really have an inn!" He didn't think that setting up such a thing would be out of place. In fact, at this time, most inns and hotels would set up similar things at the entrance to attract guests.

  The shopkeeper apparently didn't think there was anything wrong with it, just thought it was quite interesting. He immediately memorized what Ye Wen said and nodded to show his understanding: "That old man will prepare to change the signboard as soon as he returns!"

  Ye Wen thought for a moment, and finally considered that his Shu Shan Sect was not lacking in silver now, and the income from the inn was also wasted if left unused. "Except for the signboard, renovate your inn properly, you should still have some silver money left, right? Use it all up, if it's not enough, find my junior brother Xu, ask him to allocate a part of it!"

  Handing over the past to call handing over, originally a not big thing was dragged on for half a day, and Xu Xian who had been sitting aside all along also listened with relish to Ye Wen's chaotic ideas.

  After the shopkeeper had respectfully withdrawn, Ye Wen suddenly thought: "Right, what's the name of this shopkeeper?" He was so focused on asking those questions earlier that he forgot to ask about this matter, and now he thinks it's a big mistake.

  "Family name Tong!" Xu Xian was not much better off, he was only slightly stronger than Ye Wen. On the way back to Shu Mountain, he could only remember the person's surname, and thinking about it later, he felt a bit embarrassed, so he casually replied: "Ask Li Sen about these things, he remembers clearly!"

  "Never mind, I'll ask Li Sen when he gets back later!"

  "But brother, I really didn't expect that you would have such unique insights into running an inn. I think if you weren't practicing martial arts, you could also make a name for yourself in business!"

  As for Xuan's teasing, Ye Wen just muttered a sentence: "Managing a sect and doing business actually have many similarities..."

  Ye Wen didn't know that while he and Xu Xian were discussing business strategies in a small room that was about to be renamed Youjian Guest House, the two of them were quietly talking about Shu Shan's affairs under the dim light.

  "Has anyone seen that young master's swordsmanship today?" One of them had a straight figure, wearing a long scholar's robe that made him look quite extraordinary, but his eyes gave people a feeling of evasiveness, which completely ruined his extraordinary demeanor. If he closed his eyes, the impression would be even better.

  The person opposite him also seemed to be quite displeased with this man's behavior, so when speaking, they didn't even make eye contact, just sipping their tea: "Look at that! I didn't expect Mount Shu Sect to have such a master, this is completely different from what you said earlier!"

  "Hey! I initially just met two Shu Shan disciples halfway, tried to probe them a bit and thought they were nothing special. Who would have thought that the Shu Shan Sect still had such good hands hidden?" If Ye Wen heard this, he would definitely think of the incident where his own disciple was ambushed and seriously injured a few days ago.

  Xu Ping would have recognized this person as the one who ambushed him on his way back to the mountain, nearly taking his life.

  The man opposite him, however, remained calm and took a sip of tea: "I knew you were up to no good, otherwise how could you have returned to the branch so quickly! If I hadn't had business in the north recently and happened to pass by Book Mountain, that little trick of yours would have almost ruined everything!"

  That person, however, didn't think much of it and curled his lip in disdain, saying: "A small door and a small faction between the countryside, even if there are a few good hands, what can they do? The Helmsman is being too cautious!" This person's words were extremely arrogant, clearly looking down on the power of the Shu Mountain Sect, despite having personally seen Xu Xian's swordsmanship in broad daylight.

  Just as he finished speaking, the person drinking tea opposite him let out a cold snort: "Don't underestimate the Shu Mountain Sect! Just based on the young man's exquisite swordsmanship today, it's not hard to see that this sect still has some depth! After all, that swordsmanship can't be faked! You, Lu Tian, may have extraordinary lightness skills, but if you really want to go up against that young master, you won't necessarily be able to dodge his swift sword!"

  "It's just a fancy move, what's the big deal?" The man known as Lu Tian said with a nonchalant tone, but his expression turned slightly cautious. To be honest, if he really had to face that sword-wielding young master from White Day, he wasn't sure if he could dodge his swift sword.

  During the day, Xu Xian's swordsmanship was really too beautiful, from drawing his sword to striking and then sheathing it, everything was done with extreme speed. If not for Xu Xian intentionally showing off several moves at the end, those two guys probably wouldn't have even known what hit them.

  Lu Tian was not so inferior, and he could even count the twelve swords that Xu Xian had made while watching from the side. Moreover, he could see clearly the angle of each sword's departure. However, it cannot be denied that being able to make twelve consecutive swords in such a short time is indeed something that ordinary people cannot achieve.

  However, Lu Tianzhi was also a well-known figure in the Pingzhou martial arts world, and he had some reservations about this sword-wielding young master. As for being afraid? That's absolutely impossible.

  "Just be a bit more careful, as long as I use all my skills, no matter how fast that young master's sword is, he won't be able to hurt me!" Lu Tian had this confidence because of his lightness skill.

  In the Tianle Gang, if it were any other skill, there would be many people who are more powerful than him, and he wouldn't think that his fist and footwork could suppress everyone. However, when it comes to lightness skills, Lu Tian really hasn't feared anyone! He can even loudly declare himself as the number one expert in lightness skills in Pingzhou, without anyone refuting him.

  It's precisely because of his exceptional lightness kung fu that ordinary people in the Pingzhou region can't catch up with him, so some tasks like scouting out the enemy or verifying intelligence are all handed over to him.

  The last time he investigated the strength of Shu Shan Sect was actually done by him, but he wanted to slack off and coincidentally met Xu Ping halfway, so he didn't go to the mountain gate of Shu Shan Sect to investigate. Otherwise, the true strength of Shu Shan Sect would have been discovered by Tian Le Gang long ago, and it wouldn't be until today that they were aware of it due to this unexpected event?

  The one who was with Lu Tian was Wei Peng, the leader of the Tianle Gang's branch, whose Eagle Claw skill, although not a rare martial art, was used to its full potential in his hands. He even created a unique Twelve-Road Great Power Eagle Claw Hand due to his exceptional innate talent, each move being ruthless and unknown how many people were disabled by Wei Peng using this skill.

  In addition to having a good way of dealing with people, he also knows how to intimidate his subordinates and is cautious in doing things. Therefore, although his martial arts skills are not among the best in the Tianle Gang, he was sent to Pingzhou to take charge of this important branch.

  After all, Pingzhou Wulin developed late and had the worst strength. It was easiest for Tianle Gang to control here. It can be said that Tianle Gang could gain the most benefits from here, so for Tianle Gang, the Pingzhou branch was still highly valued.

  Today I came to Shushan County, because Wei Peng wanted to go to Hu Shan personally. In addition to wanting to take a look at the situation in Pingzhou, he also wants to explore the truth and falsehood of the Hu Shan School.

  Since Liu Qingfeng of Hu Shan Sect broke through the major industry of Tian Le Gang, Wei Peng realized that he would eventually have a battle with Hu Shan Sect!

  It's not just because of Tianle Gang's actions, but more importantly, as the two most powerful forces in Pingzhou, it's almost inevitable that they will clash due to conflicting interests. And since there are no other powers in Pingzhou that can threaten either family, they don't even need to consider a third party taking advantage of them. Once war breaks out, it will be a fight to the death.

  Either the Hu Shan faction drives the Tian Le gang out of Pingzhou, or the Tian Le gang wipes out the Hu Shan faction and at least makes it impossible for them to recover.

  Some time ago, news came from the Central Plains that Liu Qingfeng of Hu Shan Sect had a conflict with Chi Yang Shen Jun Pei Gonglie and was seriously injured. Wei Peng realized that this might be the best opportunity for Tian Le Gang, if it was true, then Hu Shan Sect would have lost a major force before the battle even started, and starting a war at this time would undoubtedly be very beneficial to Tian Le Gang. However, it seems that this matter has already passed for some time, and it's unknown whether it's still possible or not. But considering Chi Yang Shen Jun's abilities, Liu Qingfeng's injuries shouldn't be easily recovered from.

  It was for this reason that he hastily brought Lu Tianbei, who had the best lightness skills and was good at reconnaissance, but unexpectedly encountered such an interesting thing when passing through Shushan County.

  Originally an insignificant small fry, he seems to possess unexpected strength. However, Wei Peng didn't mind; he didn't think Shu Shan Sect could stir up any waves.

  However, the cautious Wei Peng would not continue to ignore this, he decided to stay in this place for a few more days, to thoroughly investigate what level his eyes saw as small fry.