The road to Jianghu started from the martial arts hall

Suddenly, the lobby was silent for a moment.

Then, under the gazes of everyone, the dozen or so Liangshan bandits turned around and left without hesitation, as if the two corpses who had just been drinking and chatting with them as brothers had become irrelevant people in the blink of an eye.

Fang Xun just watched quietly as a dozen people quickly left the inn, leaving two tables vacant.

As soon as the door was opened, there was a thunder explosion outside.

Boom——

Outside the door, there was heavy rain, howling wind and dust all over the sky.

The pale light illuminated the dark world and also shone into the house, shining on the two bodies that were still warm.

The figures of more than a dozen big men disappeared in the rain and dust.

Squeak—squeak—

The door creaked in the strong wind, and Manager Qu quickly closed the door.

When he turned around again, he saw Fang Xun already sitting at an empty table.

The other guests staying in the hotel looked at Fang Xun in surprise a few times, then ignored him and continued drinking and chatting.

The lobby returned to its previous bustle, and even the two corpses did not affect the guests' appetite.

The Protectorate of the Western Regions is located on the border of the Western Desert. The living environment is harsh and horse bandits are rampant. The capital city is under military control and one can imagine how fierce the people are.

What is most lacking here is desperate criminals who wear their heads on their belts, and they prefer using knives rather than swords.

Because a knife does not have as many functions as a sword, it can be used to chop, cut, and kill people. As long as you are brave enough, you can draw a knife and chop people.

So when mentioning the Western Desert, people will think of the "Desert Swordsmen", and these desert swordsmen are all doing life-threatening work.

The death of two people in the inn was nothing unusual in the eyes of other guests.

Soon, Shopkeeper Qu came to Fang Xun's table as if nothing had happened. He quickly cleaned up the scattered food and drinks on the table while speaking enthusiastically.

"Sir, the mountains over there block the way, so no matter how strong the wind is, it can't reach our store. We don't have to worry about food and drink. What would you like to order?"

While Manager Qu was speaking, several waiters with their sleeves rolled up carried the two bodies out of the lobby.

After hearing this, Fang Xun nodded, indicating that he understood what the other party meant.

The mountains block the wind, which means that as long as you stay in the inn, you don't have to worry about the revenge of the Liangshan bandits.

Because if you walk about fifty miles north of this store, you will reach the foot of Qi Tian Mountain.

The Liangshan bandits might have some reputation in other parts of the Western Desert, and their notoriety might even be enough to stop children from crying at night, but at the foot of the Qi Tian Mountains they were nothing.

No matter how bold the horse thieves and bandits in the Western Desert are, they dare not cause trouble under the nose of the Vajra Temple.

Fang Xun glanced at the waiters again and saw them carrying the corpse towards the back hall of the inn. He didn't know whether they were going to bury it or do other things with it.

He glanced around again.

I saw more than a dozen knife and sword marks on the table, some new and some old.

There was still a hint of blood on the floor. Although it had been washed, it still couldn't escape Fang Xun's nose. It was obvious that blood was often seen here.

After taking a quick look around and confirming once again that this was a shady shop, Fang Xun spoke to Shopkeeper Qu.

"A jar of wine, a plate of dried fruit, and five pounds of lamb legs. Please be patient, boss, and don't make the mistake with the meat!"

"Sir, you are such a joke. My store is only fifty miles away from Qi Tianshan. How could you be wrong?"

Shopkeeper Qu also laughed after hearing this. Although his shop was a shady shop, it was at most a case of robbing one’s nephew. The meat he sold was the most genuine beef and mutton. Otherwise, he would not have opened his shop so close to Qi Tianshan.

"It's right. Please wait a moment. It will be ready soon!"

The shopkeeper then shouted to the back hall, asking the waiters inside to prepare wine and meat, and the table was cleared in a short while.

Everything feels brand new, as if nothing had ever happened.

The mutton still had to wait for a while, but the wine and dried fruits were soon brought to the table by a waiter, and Fang Xun began to drink by himself with the dried fruits.

In the lobby, there were more than thirty tables and nearly a hundred guests of all kinds, some drinking and playing finger-guessing games, some playing dice, some talking loudly, and some chatting quietly.

Some of them had curly hair and strange eyes, and their clothes were full of exotic flavor. It was obvious at first glance that they were not from the Central Plains, but merchants from hundreds of countries in the Western Desert.

Fang Xun drank bowl after bowl of dried fruits as a side dish, but he didn't drink quickly. A quarter of an hour later, he finished the third bowl of wine.

After another bowl was filled, a fragrant aroma wafted into the lobby, accompanied by the shop assistant's shouting.

"Sir, your leg of lamb is here!"

In the blink of an eye, a golden, crispy leg of lamb dripping with fat was served on the table, and the appearance made people's mouths water.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by a rough voice.

"Qu Laitou, if the store is not full, please open it quickly. This damn weather is really unlucky!"

"Hey, it's Captain Xu, coming right over!"

Shopkeeper Qu shouted and opened the door.

In a flash, more than a dozen men and a gust of wind rushed into the hall.

“You have a good business.”

The leader was a big square-faced man with a bronze complexion. After coming in, he first glanced around and his eyes finally fell on Fang Xun's table and the empty table next to it.

"My friend, let's share a table. We will cover the cost of the wine and the food!" Xu Biao looked at Fang Xun and asked. There were more than a dozen of them and it would be hard to fit into one table. If Fang Xun was willing to share a table, there would be no problem.

Fang Xun took a quick glance and saw that these dozen men had sharp eyes, deep aura, and their spirits were different from those of ordinary traveling merchants. The leader, Xu Biaotou, was even a master of Yin Shen.

Looking at their clothes again, there was the logo of the Sihai Escort Agency.

Seeing that the other party was a bodyguard from the Sihai Escort Agency, Fang Xun smiled and nodded.

"When you are out and about, it is best to share a table with others. You don't have to pay for my drinks, brother."

"Hey, brother, you are looking down on me, Old Xu. It's just a meal of wine, what's the big deal?"

Escort Captain Xu also laughed, and as he spoke he took his escorts to sit at the table. In the blink of an eye both tables were full of people.

Headmaster Xu sat down next to Fang Xun and called out to Shopkeeper Qu in a familiar manner.

"Old Qu, as usual, hurry up, I've been traveling all day and I'm starving!"

But while he was speaking, his eyes were fixed on the leg of lamb on the table.

Not only him, but the other escorts were also staring at the roasted lamb leg and drooling, looking exhausted, as if they had not had time to eat yet.

Fang Xun smiled and said, "Since you are hungry, eat first. Don't worry about me. This meal is paid for by Brother Xu anyway."

"Haha, then I'm not welcome!"

As they were talking, Escort Captain Xu took the lead and tore off a large piece. The other escorts also stopped holding back and started to work on it. Suddenly, only bones were left of the whole lamb leg.

"Damn it, I ate a piece of your leg. You guys are all reincarnated starving ghosts!"

After seeing this, Headmaster Xu laughed and cursed, then began to eat heartily, chatting with Fang Xun while eating.

"You don't look like a local. I'd like to ask your name and which sect you belong to."

Fang Xun threw a piece of dried fruit into his mouth and said with a smile.

"Brother Xu has figured it out. Yes, my family is from Wuzhou in Jiangnan. My surname is Fang and my given name is Ming."

After hearing this, Xu Biaotou's eyes lit up: "Oh? Brother, your surname is also Fang? Could it be related to the Black Hand Sword?"

Fang Xun shook his head and said self-deprecatingly: "Everyone knows that Black Hand Sword is an adopted orphan with no relatives or friends. The only difference between me and that guy is that we both have the surname Fang, so I don't dare to marry someone higher than me.

I have some reputation in Wuzhou, but here, no one knows me even if I tell them about it.”

After hearing this, Xu Biaotou immediately looked sideways and even looked at the other party with a higher opinion.

Looking at the other person's young age, he is no different from those young knights who are just starting out in the martial arts world.

But they don't have the arrogance that a 'young hero' should have. Many 'young heroes in the martial arts world' will resort to their own master's teachings when encountering problems, as if the sky is the boss and their own sect is the second in command.

However, the young man in front of him refused to talk about his own master, and it was obvious that he was a wise man.

Jiangnan and the Western Regions Protectorate are separated by countless miles. Apart from the Thirty-Six Sects, who here has ever heard of other martial arts sects?

"Haha, Brother Fang is too modest. You have achieved the status of Yin Shen Grandmaster at such a young age. The martial arts sect you came from must be a big one in Jiangnan."

Patrol Captain Xu did not ask any further questions, but just casually praised him. Unexpectedly, Fang Xun replied in a gloomy tone: "No matter how big the sect is, can it be bigger than the Prince of Yue's Palace?"

Just one sentence choked Xu Biaotou.

Everyone knows by now that at the Jiangnan Martial Arts Conference more than five months ago, all factions were silent and the eighty-five Yangshen Grandmasters were suppressed by Bai Qingmeng and Fang Xun and could not even raise their heads.

This incident has made all the major families in Jiangnan a laughing stock in other places.

Headmaster Xu reacted immediately and felt that he was rubbing salt into the wound by bringing up this matter in front of the other party, a true disciple of a major Jiangnan sect.

"Hahaha, it was Mr. Xu who made the mistake. He should be fined a drink. Brother Fang, don't take it to heart."

As he said this, he filled the porcelain bowl and was about to drink it all in one gulp. Fang Xun also quickly picked up the wine bowl.

"Brother Xu, what are you talking about? I was the one who ruined the fun. Don't mention self-punishment or anything like that anymore."

As they were talking, the two porcelain bowls clinked together and each of them drank from the wine.

"Brother Fang is straightforward!"

After a glass of wine, Biaotou Xu started addressing Fang Xun as "Brother Fang" and started talking.

"Brother Fang, you came to the Western Regions Protectorate this time. You should go to the Vajra Temple to observe the pilgrimage, right?"

Fang Xun nodded after hearing this: "Yes, you have reached a bottleneck in your hard practice at home, so you want to go out and travel. The giant Buddha in the Vajra Temple is well-known to the world. Anyone who goes there can observe it carefully and feel it. Of course, I am also very interested."

After hearing this, Captain Xu nodded. A "young hero" like Fang Xun would not go to a remote place like the Western Region Protectorate for no reason.

Apart from the giant Buddha in Vajra Temple, there is nothing else worth coming here.

At this time, Biaotou Xu's expression became serious.

"Fortunately, Brother Fang arrived at the right time. If he had come later, he might have been trapped in the other three states of the Western Prefecture. It's not safe there now."

Fang Xun was stunned for a moment when he heard this: "Did something big happen in the West Mansion?"

Escort Leader Xu was also stunned: "Brother Fang, I don't know how long it has been since you last met anyone. Now any merchant knows that the Blood Demon Sect has mobilized its forces and caused a blood disaster in the other three states of the Western Prefecture except the Western Region Protectorate!"

"A bloody disaster? Or mobilize all the troops?"

Fang Xun's eyes immediately became serious. (End of this chapter)