Mortal Bones

"Yes, it was given to me by the patrolman from Lie Feng Hall, who is surnamed Zuo."

Xu Taiping nodded.

For the sake of the merit coins, he decided to disclose the matter, although he chose to conceal the part about being threatened by the two of them that day.

"My grandfather used to say that one should leave some room for others, so that they can meet again in the future."

Xu Taiping thought to himself with magnanimity.

"This is an ordinary message talisman. It can't transmit sound…"

Liu Songshan took the talisman and glanced at it, his face once again turning pale, his head ringing as if struck by a heavy blow.

Having served as the head of the Westwind Pavilion for so many years, he knew full well the tricks his subordinates played. Talismans like these that could only transmit messages but not sound were often used by his subordinates to extort outer disciples!

"Why are you still standing there? Pay up!"

Uncle Jiu's cold gaze swept across Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi.

"Yes... yes!"

Liu Songshan no longer hesitated. He immediately took out a bag of merit coins and placed it on the table, then glared at Xu Youzhi.

At this point, Xu Youzhi was standing still, sweat pouring down his forehead like raindrops, and his whole body seemed frozen in a state of daze.

"Stop standing there. Coincidentally, this talisman was given to me by Zuo Ju, so it should be able to notify him."

Uncle Jiu said coldly.

"Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu, both of these big brothers are warm-hearted. They were worried I might encounter demons, so they specifically gave me this messaging talisman."

Xu Taiping decided to complete the good deed and praised Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu.

What he didn't know was that everyone in the room had long since figured out the actions of Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu during their visit, and their suspicions were nearly confirmed.

"Brother Taiping, now that you mention it, we should really invite these two over for a meal. Quickly, Liu Songshan, don't hesitate, hurry and bring them here!"

Uncle Jiu urged impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I'll bring them right away..."

Liu Songshan was on the verge of crying as he went outside to activate the messaging talisman.

A moment later...

"Kid, have you finally come to your senses?"

"Half a month later and you're only calling us, must have gone through a lot of hardship, huh? If you'd known, why bother in the first place!"

While they were eating grilled lamb wrapped in perilla leaves, Uncle Jiu, Xu Taiping, and the others, including the trembling Xu Youzhi and Liu Songshan, all heard two voices shouting from outside the courtyard.

"Is that... them?"

Uncle Jiu, his mouth full of meat, grumbled while pointing at the outside.

"I'll go open the door!"

Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi, already drenched in sweat, stood up together and said in unison.

They couldn't let the two outside continue yelling.

Outside the courtyard.

"Where are they? Open the door!"

"Hurry up and open the door!"

Bang, bang, bang!

Because no one had opened the door yet, Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu's voices became increasingly impatient. Zhou Gu even started kicking the door.

"Brother Zuo, do you think this kid might be messing with us?"

Zhou Gu looked suspiciously at Zuo Ju.

"He dares!" Zuo Ju snorted coldly, "This area is controlled by both of us, even Xu and Liu would have to give us some respect."

Smack!

Before Zuo Ju could finish his sentence, the courtyard gate was suddenly forcefully opened.

"Looks like you're smart enough to recognize your mistake... Liu... Liu Pavilion Master... Xu Hall Master?!"

Zhou Gu's words came to an abrupt stop.

Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi were standing side by side at the door, their faces ashen, glaring at Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu with eyes full of fury.

"How... how come you two are here?"

Recovering from his shock, Zuo Ju stammered, his voice shaking as he asked.

"What are you two still standing out there for? Come in, the food's getting cold."

Before Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi could reply, Uncle Jiu's somewhat impatient voice came from inside.

"We're coming, Uncle Jiu!"

"We'll be there right away!"

Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi quickly changed their expressions, their faces transforming from winter to spring in an instant, both smiling as they turned back to the courtyard.

However, when they turned their heads to look at Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu again, their faces immediately returned to a wintry look.

"Get in here!"

Liu Songshan glared at the two of them before hissing in a short, urgent tone.

"Yes!"

At this point, Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu were so scared that they were almost paralyzed.

Even they, with their limited wits, could see that someone in this small courtyard was so important that even Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi had to smile and show respect.

Once inside the house.

"Li... Little... Master..."

The moment Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu saw Uncle Jiu, their legs turned to jelly. They stood at the door stammering and sweating profusely.

"Call him Uncle Jiu!"

Xu Youzhi kicked Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu sharply.

"Oh, oh, Uncle Jiu!"

"Greetings, Uncle Jiu!"

Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu were jolted awake by Xu Hall Master's kick. They quickly moved forward to greet Uncle Jiu.

"Don't just stand there, sit down and eat."

Uncle Jiu didn't even glance at them, simply pointing to the spot next to Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi, signaling them to sit down.

"This..."

Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi had originally been sitting side by side. Now, with Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu joining, they were forced to sit close together.

"Uncle Jiu, should we... should we sit aside instead?"

Zuo Ju glanced at the sweating Liu Songshan and tentatively suggested.

"Oh, don't be silly. Just squeeze together, there's enough room."

Uncle Jiu's tone grew impatient.

"Why are you saying so much? Hurry up and sit down, there's plenty of space!"

Liu Songshan glared at Zuo Ju.

"Yes, yes!"

Zuo Ju obediently sat close to Liu Songshan, and in no time, his clothes were soaked in sweat.

"How exactly did these people offend Uncle Jiu?"

"To make even Pavilion Master Liu scared like this, Uncle Jiu must have a powerful identity. Could he be as powerful as the Black Dragon Elder?"

Looking at the four people closely packed together on the opposite side, Xu Taiping felt both amused and curious.

"Forget it, I shouldn't get involved in the grievances of these important figures. Not a single person here is someone I can afford to offend."

Xu Taiping decided to mind his own business and continued to eat.

The meal didn't end until evening.

Uncle Jiu's appetite was truly impressive. At one point, Xu Taiping had to add more dishes just to make sure he was full.

"Good thing we got paid, or else this meal would have been quite a loss," Xu Taiping thought to himself as he looked at the messy table.

This concludes the translation! Let me know if you need any adjustments.