A Reunion with Da Xiong

"Young man, it's already noon. You haven't had lunch yet, have you?" The innkeeper smiled at me, his eyes occasionally glancing at the gold coins in my Qiankun Bag. He had stopped me, intending to have me dine at the inn.

I had only grabbed a quick bite in the morning to rush on my way, so I was indeed feeling a bit hungry. Since Aunt Yu was likely still busy, and the antidote at the pharmacy wouldn't be ready until the afternoon, I hesitated for a moment before deciding to have a simple meal here.

The dishes at Woma Inn ranged from extravagant meals costing over a hundred gold coins per dish to simple home-style dishes for just a few coins. Naturally, I ordered two inexpensive dishes with some white rice. Just as I was about to start eating, the innkeeper came over with a pot of wine.

"Young man, how should I address you? Judging by your looks, you don't seem to be a local. Where are you from?" The innkeeper kept his friendly smile. Although he appeared kind, I felt that his smile was somewhat insincere.

I briefly introduced myself, and he started talking about Woma Inn. His surname was Lin, and his family had been running this inn for three generations, always maintaining good business. In Baiqi City, there were three major inns: Tianyuan Inn, Woma Inn, and Baiqi Inn. Baiqi Inn was smaller in scale, while Tianyuan Inn was the main competitor of Woma Inn. In addition to lodging and meals, Woma Inn also offered storage and pawn services, boasting well-equipped warehouses. Baiqi Inn, on the other hand, provided delivery and courier services. Tianyuan Inn had an additional business—the gambling den.

"The gambling business at Tianyuan Inn is booming, and the owner has connections with many people in the martial world. Recently, they introduced snake meat dishes, an idea supposedly suggested by a gambler who couldn't pay his debts. Surprisingly, the owner took the advice seriously, and it turned out to be a big success." Innkeeper Lin spoke while pouring me a drink.

I wasn't good with alcohol. Back in the village, I had tried drinking a few times, but I always found the taste too strong and hard to swallow. If I drank too much, I would end up vomiting and passing out, which led to Lu Xi and Zhang Yi often making fun of me. Seeing my hesitation, Innkeeper Lin didn't insist and continued drinking on his own.

After downing a few cups, he suddenly said, "Ah Zheng, I can tell you're not an ordinary person. Could you do me a favor?"

"Innkeeper Lin, you must be joking. I'm just a country bumpkin. What could I possibly help you with?" I replied honestly.

"You may be a country bumpkin now, but that might not be the case in the future." Innkeeper Lin looked at me meaningfully. "Take the deer you brought in, for example. I took a glance earlier—its throat was sliced clean through with a single stroke, and there were no other wounds on its body. Am I right?"

I nodded. When I had hunted that deer, I had instinctively used a sword technique, taking it down with a single strike.

"That means you're not just an ordinary hunter," Innkeeper Lin stated firmly. "I want you to help me catch snakes. I've already found a top-tier chef, but I'm lacking a supply of snake meat. This has been a big problem for me lately."

"Catching snakes?" I was a little surprised but didn't find it entirely unreasonable. I was free at the moment anyway. "Where would I find so many snakes? Judging from how you're talking, you must need more than just one or two."

"Ninefold Ridge," Innkeeper Lin lowered his voice and said, "I did some digging, and it turns out Tianyuan Inn gets its snakes from there. What puzzles me is why Ninefold Ridge suddenly has so many snakes. Years ago, I passed through that area—though it was a dense mountain range with wild beasts, I had never heard of it being filled with snakes."

"Old Innkeeper, it's because of the demonic creatures! That's why there are so many snakes now!" a waiter suddenly interrupted.

"Demonic creatures?" That was a term I had been hearing more frequently lately.

"Yes!" The waiter ignored Innkeeper Lin's attempt to hush him and continued, "I'm not making this up! The other day, two Taoists from different sects were dining here, and I overheard them talking. They said that demonic creatures have appeared recently, causing beasts to go berserk. Places that originally had no snakes, like Ninefold Ridge, are now crawling with them."

If demonic creatures were involved, catching snakes might not be as simple as it seemed. I hesitated. Seeing my reaction, Innkeeper Lin quickly scolded the waiter and sent him off to work.

Innkeeper Lin quietly finished the last of his wine. When I paid my bill, he gave me a discount, half as a gesture of goodwill. Feeling his sincerity, I told him that I needed some time to think about the snake-catching task and would give him an answer later. He nodded repeatedly, looking grateful.

After leaving the inn, I saw that it was about time to pick up the antidote, so I headed straight to Wang Pharmacy. Unexpectedly, as soon as I stepped inside, I saw a familiar figure.

"Da Xiong!"

"Ah Zheng!"

I hadn't expected to meet Da Xiong here. It turned out that after we had left Border Village, he had recovered quickly from his injuries. However, with his parents and the shop's staff all gone, he had no one to rely on. So, he joined a supply convoy heading to Baiqi City and sought refuge with his uncle—who happened to be the owner of Wang Pharmacy.

I told him I was here to pick up medicine, and he brought out a prepared medicinal paste. "Who is this for? My uncle said this is an antidote for a strange spider venom. By the way, where are Lu Xi and Zhang Yi? Why are you alone?"

I briefly explained our journey after leaving the village and mentioned Xiao Han's poisoning. Before I could bring up Zhang Yi and Lu Xi, Da Xiong was called away by a customer. So, we agreed to catch up properly later that night after the pharmacy closed.

Taking the antidote, I headed back to Aunt Yu's place. She had been worried that I had run into trouble with Lord Wang, seeing as lunchtime had passed and I still hadn't returned. I roughly explained my visit to the inn and asked for her thoughts on catching snakes.

"You should give it a try!" As always, Aunt Yu was straightforward. "Didn't the old man in our family tell you to gain more experience? Whether it's catching snakes or dealing with demonic creatures, it's all a form of training, isn't it?"

Her simple words cleared away my hesitation.

That's right—this was all part of my training. If it was just catching snakes, I could earn some money. If there really were demonic creatures, I could treat it as swordsmanship practice. With demons appearing, I wouldn't be able to avoid them anyway, so I might as well improve my skills as quickly as possible.

Having made up my mind, I felt much more at ease. I wandered around Aunt Yu's shop, casually browsing and asking questions about things that piqued my curiosity. Aunt Yu always answered straightforwardly without unnecessary words. It turned out that aside from making everyday clothing, her shop also customized armor and protective gear for martial artists. That afternoon, I even helped her deliver two orders to clients. However, the entire time, I didn't see Xiao Han. Aunt Yu only mentioned that she had already administered the antidote and instructed her to rest well, telling us not to disturb her.

After dinner, I went to find Da Xiong. We had grown up together and had always been close. Though he had been helping run his family's business over the past two years and we had seen each other less often, our bond remained unchanged.

Leaning against the firewood pile in his uncle's backyard, we gazed at the summer night sky filled with countless stars, chatting about anything and everything. I told him about Zhang Yi going to Ginkgo Valley to study magic, about my experiences with Lu Xi in the Orc Cave, and about Lu Xi heading to the Daoist sanctuary. He seemed a little envious but was also genuinely concerned for us.

"What are your plans for the future?" I asked.

"What plans could I have? Right now, I'm just helping out at the pharmacy—I can't live here for free forever," he said with a smile before suddenly changing his tone. "But one day, I'll open the largest pharmacy in the entire continent! I'll make sure everyone has access to the best medicines!"

"What about you? Do you plan to return to Border Village?" he asked.

I shook my head. From what he told me, after we left, the village chief had organized a Security Patrol that patrolled the village daily and had even started constructing Earthen Walls as a precaution. At the very least, my parents were relatively safe for now.

I shared my idea about catching snakes with him. He thought about it for a moment and agreed, mentioning that snakes weren't just valuable to the inn—they could also be sold at the pharmacy for their gallbladders, which were precious medicinal ingredients. Moreover, snake meat could be used to make medicinal wine, which was beneficial for strengthening the body.

As we chatted, time slipped away, and before we knew it, it was already late at night. Da Xiong ran inside and returned with a small package. He said catching snakes was dangerous and that inside were some Antidote Powder and Golden Wound Medicine—just in case.

I tried to give him some gold coins in return, but he stubbornly refused.

"This isn't yours—it belongs to your uncle. It's better to pay for it," I insisted.

"Don't worry about it, really! You don't need to pay!" He remained firm, so I didn't press the matter further.

The next morning, when I woke up, Aunt Yu was already up as well. I was about to bid her farewell before heading to Ninefold Ridge, but she spoke first.

"Leaving today?"

I nodded.

"Look at yourself—your pants and shoes are all torn. Didn't you notice?" Aunt Yu sighed, then handed me a bundle. "Take this with you. It's a set of Light Armor, made of leather. While it's not great at stopping blades, it's enough to protect you from venomous snakes and wild beasts. There's also a pair of Leather Gloves—you can't just catch snakes with your bare hands, can you? And a new pair of boots—the mountain paths are rough."

With Aunt Yu's personality, I didn't dare argue or refuse. I quickly accepted the bundle. Then, while she wasn't looking, I secretly left two hundred gold coins in the shop before heading out of Baiqi City and making my way toward Ninefold Ridge.