Chapter 56; Rumors

Li Jain was very miserable when he returned. His clothes were all torn with blood on his skin. Everyone was shocked when they saw him, some of the children were even frightened. 

"Father, you're back." They all called out and ran to him but none of them touched him, as if a little touch would worsen their father's pain.

When Li Yuhan saw his brother was safe in his father's arms, his heavy heart finally relaxed. 

"Daddy, are you okay?" Li Juanxin asked with a trembling voice. The tears in his eyes were threatening to fall at any moment. 

"I'm okay, don't worry. Those are minor injuries." Li Jain saw all the children worry about him and felt soft in his heart. Even though he is in so much pain, he still tries to reassure them.

Li Jain turned to Bai Lian who had been silent at the bad like a transparent person and asked; "Where are the others?"

Bai Lian then began to explain that there was more than one demon. After Li Jain chased the first one out, twenty more suddenly appeared. By the time those demons tried to enter the house, they were exposed by Zhou Lifen and ran away. Zhou Lifen and Hou Mingyu chase after them and aren't back yet.

Hearing this, Li Jain nodded in understanding. "When Zhou Lifen and Hou Mingyu return, tell them that the restaurant will be closed for a few days."

"Yes, Boss." Bai Lian nodded in understanding. 

Li Jain softens his expression and looks at his precious buns with gentle eyes: "Your eldest brother is not well and Daddy will take him into seclusion to recuperate. It might take three to five days. While Daddy is away, you guys are not allowed to step out of the gate of this resident. Can you do it?"

The children looked at each other and nodded firmly. They knew their father was looking out for them. Staying at home for a few days wasn't much of a challenge. There's nothing to do outside anyway. 

"Don't worry, in a few days, your brother will be all better in a few days. Meanwhile, you have to be on your best behavior. Yuhan, you and Cheng will take care of your brothers while I'm away. Everything is in the house, but if you want something that's not available, you should tell your uncles, they'll get it for you."

"Don't worry father, we can take care of ourselves. Just take your time to recuperate and heal slowly." Li Yuhan said 

The others also voice out their opinions and urge Li Jain to go rest and not worry about them.

Seeing them acting so responsibly, Li Jain couldn't help but laugh. He took their words to heart and decided not to worry anymore. He took Li Yujian into his room, closed the door, and set up two barriers, a protective barrier, and a sound barrier. 

It was already 3:00 o'clock in the morning. Li Yuhan didn't want to sleep in his room alone and was hesitant about what to do. Seeing this, Li Cheng invited him to join them. "Brother Han, you can sleep with Zhang and I. We have lots of space in our room."

"Ok, I will trouble you then."

"It's not a bother."

"Where can I sleep?" Li Juanxin who also became roomless asked when he saw everyone were about to go to bed. Previously, he was sleeping with his father but his father is using their room to recuperate. 

"Come on, let's go. You can sleep with us." Jingsheng took his hands and led him to their room. 

The Li residence once again regains its silence. 

A few minutes later, Zhou Lifen and Hou Mingyu came back. Unlike Li Jain who was in a miserable state, they were unharmed. 

"Oh, you are back. It took you long enough." Bai Lian greeted them.

"Those damn demons are cunning. They ran separately in different directions and we have to chase every single one of them." Zhou Lifen complained. He could have killed all of them together, but those demons actually decided to split up and run, making him look for them.

"What about the master? Is he back yet?" Hou Mingyu asked 

"He's back, but he was injured badly. I'm afraid there are internal injuries." Bai Lian explained 

"What? How could that be?" Those demons they caught weren't that strong and the boss should have no trouble dealing with them. 

Bai Lian saw through his thoughts and snapped: "How could those stupid demons you went after be the same as the one the Boss fought? The first one that came must have been their leader. Even I was slow to detect his presence."

"The Boss could've just sent us after him. Why did he have to go himself?"

"When that stinky demon was leaving, he took the eldest little master with him."

"What? This…. Could it be the awakening power that attracts the demons?"

"I think so too. Anyway, the master said the restaurant should be closed until he's out of seclusion. Our job now is to look after the little masters."

"Understood"

The night wasn't peaceful but everyone did get a little sleep in the end. 

…

The next morning, those who weren't aware of what occurred last night came to the door of the Spiritual Tavern to get breakfast only to be met with a notice on the locked gate.

"The Spiritual Tavern is closed for a few days, sorry for the inconvenience?" Someone read the notice out loud and asked confusedly, "What's going on? Wasn't this place open yesterday?"

"I have the same question as you brother. Could it be that the tavern owner is doing another experiment again today?"

"That could only delay the opening, but it says that the tavern will be closed for a few days."

"What to do? What's going on?"

"Oh, this place is closed as expected." A man wearing a scholar robe came out of his expensive carriage and said lazily. 

When everyone hears him, they know he must know what happened so they gather around him to get information. 

"This brother, do you know why the tavern is suddenly closed?"

"Where were you all last night? Didn't you hear the noise?"

"I did, but it was far away so I didn't bother." The man who spoke starched his hair in embarrassment. 

"There was a fight at the town gate last night. Guess who was fighting?" The man asked mysteriously, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the people around him. 

Someone suddenly figured it out and said excitedly; "Don't tell me the Bai Clan has come to settle the account for when their elder was beaten?"

"You're way off track!"

"Then tell us, apart from the Bai Clan elder, we have never seen the Tavern owner having a disagreement with anyone else."

"Fine, I'll tell you. Master Li Jain of the Spiritual Tavern was in a fight last night with a powerful demon."

This answer was very far from what everyone had expected and they couldn't react for a moment. It had been a long time since they heard about demons causing trouble. After all, Qingyuan town was a small town filled with more ordinary mortals than cultivators. 

"Why would Master Li Jain fight a demon at the town gate?" 

This was the main concern. Even if demons appeared in town, they just needed to report to the officials and people would be sent to look into the case. 

"It was only after the fight ended that we found out. It turns out that the demon has Kidnapped master Li's child and wanted to use the child as his vessel."

"Whoa, that's terrible." 

While everyone was discussing, a group wearing a particular uniform arrived and asked the young man who had been narrating the story. "Is this the famous Spiritual Tavern and the Li residence?" The leader asked. 

"Yes, but the master of this place was injured and the tavern is being closed for a few days."

The person also looked at the notice on the door and nodded. "Senior brother, we are staying here for a week, so let's check out the source first." A joiner brother suggested. 

The senior brother agreed and thanked the young man before leaving with his group.

The rumors of the night spread throughout Qingyuan town and storytellers were making different versions of it.