Mountain Patrol Military Officer
Chapter 429 - 343: Doubts over Qingshan (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_2

Chapter 429: Chapter 343: Doubts over Qingshan (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_2

"Ah, demons."

"Ow!"

Some were so frightened that they ran in haste, slipped, and fell to the ground.

Luckily, it was early in the morning, and it was still cold, so there weren’t many people on the streets.

An unlucky passerby was paralyzed with fright and ended up standing motionless when suddenly a tiger-leopard exotic beast halted right in front of him. The towering beast, standing ten feet tall, lowered its head, its pale yellow, fierce eyes staring at the unfortunate passerby as it bared two teeth, each over two feet long and sharp like blades.

"Roar"

A fierce roar and the stench of its breath caused the passerby to collapse on the ground and then flee in utter terror.

Meanwhile, a shrill snicker could be heard from the carriage pulled by the exotic beast.

At that time, an employee of Qingshan Inn, with a white cloth draped over his shoulder, probably heard the commotion outside and came out to take a look. As soon as he stepped out and saw the scene, he was startled and quickly scrambled back inside, slamming the door shut with a bang.

And in front of the door, a person got off the Fang Family’s carriage.

Then, with a sway of his body, he kicked open the doors of Qingshan Inn and walked in.

This person’s eyes carried haughtiness and disdain as he coldly addressed the shopkeeper and the worker cowering behind the counter:

"We’re taking over this place!"

"My family’s ancestor likes peace and quiet, and doesn’t allow others around, understood?"

"Understood, understood." The shopkeeper, though somewhat reputable in Qingshan County, was merely a Second Realm Peak Martial Artist and felt a terrifying aura emanating from the visitor. He didn’t dare utter a word of protest.

Not long after, Qingshan Inn was cleared out. Upon seeing the impressive retinue outside, the guests cooperated, and thus, the Fang Family moved into Qingshan County with such a domineering presence.

And this commotion caused the small county, blanketed in snow and ice, to buzz with excitement as people discussed who these people were and what they had come to do in their place.

In the limited understanding of the Qingshan County residents, they only knew these were the Important people beyond their reach.

...

Qingshan Inn, third floor, a private room.

A lady in white opened the window, letting the cold wind blow in, then took a deep breath.

Returning to her roots, Fang Qingzhu felt somewhat conflicted.

The Fang Family’s members barged into Qingshan County with no regard for discretion, their approach aggressive. She couldn’t understand why the Fang Family Ancestor, who came for the Night Navigation Ship, made such a conspicuous display. Was it a habit of the Fang Family, or did he not fear being known by others?

At that moment, Fang Qingzhu’s sleeve rustled, and a fluffy fox head emerged from her wide sleeve.

Following that, something seemed to be moving beneath her strikingly beautiful bosom. A furry little thing was wriggling from her embrace, a squirrel chirping away; then with a leap, it jumped onto the windowsill. Its obsidian-like eyes gleamed with excitement, apparently because it had returned to a familiar place.

Next, the little squirrel inhaled through its nose, and its belly swelled visibly, making its body so light that it was about to fly out of the window.

But in the next second, a fair hand caught it by the neck and pulled it back.

"Don’t run off."

Fang Qingzhu flicked the squirrel’s forehead and then gently rubbed her hands over its belly as if kneading a fuzzy toy, squeezing the air out from it.

"Squeak, squeak"

The little fox on the windowsill made a fox cry, tilting its head back, with both paws covering its belly as if laughing at the squirrel’s predicament.

Just then, a knock came from outside, and then a cautious voice of the inn’s servant:

"Dear guest, the weather is cold and freezing, and we have freshly brewed tea and some pastries in the kitchen to warm you up!"

Without turning around, Fang Qingzhu lightly flicked her hand towards the door behind her.

The door opened as if by a breeze.

The servant from the inn stepped inside with his head down, carrying the tea and pastries, and placed the refined tea set and pastries on the table in the room.

"Please enjoy!"

With that said, he withdrew, closing the door behind him, not daring to take an extra glance, fearing any mistakes.

As the door closed,

"Whoosh"

"Whoosh"

Two blurred figures zoomed onto the room’s table, the two little demons that were previously showing off by the window now sat on the table, their eyes fixed on Fang Qingzhu, crying out as if asking for her approval.

"Eat, go ahead and eat!"

Fang Qingzhu saw the two little creatures’ antics, smiled, and then stepped forward to sit down.

Obtaining permission, the two little demons started eating and grabbing food.

"What are you all doing?"

"Squeak, squeak"

"You’re saying these are for some friends of yours here?" Fang Qingzhu’s beautiful eyes reflected a hint of surprise.

"Chirp, chirp"

"It turns out to be that little fellow; I’ll take you there later." Fang Qingzhu realized, then smiled somewhat helplessly.

She then poured herself a cup of the hot tea that had been served.

The tea was clear and steaming, though not a rare delicacy, it conveyed a sense of warmth in this cold weather.

However, just at this moment, a crisp sound of a cup being shattered "snap" came from upstairs.

Following that, the heavy, somber voice of the Fang Family’s Ancestor reached Fang Qingzhu’s ears.

"Do not drink this tea!"

Fang Qingzhu’s brows instantly furrowed; she looked at the swirling tea in the cup, then raised one hand, pinched a spell, and directed a silver light at the tea.

The silver light entered the tea, and after several breaths, nothing changed.

She found it strange why the Fang Family’s Ancestor suddenly said such a thing.

Then, a scream came from upstairs at this moment.

Fang Qingzhu’s eyes immediately shifted.

Not long after, in a room on the fourth floor, the shopkeeper of Qingshan Inn knelt on the ground. Next to him, the boy who had just served the tea lay on the ground, blood streaming from his seven orifices, dead.

The shopkeeper looked as if he was scared stiff, continuously begging for mercy,

"Please spare my life, lord. The water for the tea comes from our own well, we always drink it this way, how could there possibly be a problem, and I wouldn’t dare harm the esteemed guests."

"I don’t believe it, look for yourself."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper clutched the teapot on the table to his chest and poured it straight into his mouth; the scalding tea went directly down his throat, yet he forcibly drank it.

Then, behind a screen in the room, a cough rang out.

"Cough, cough."

"Let him go; it has nothing to do with him!"

The middle-aged man sitting at the table, who was Fang Qingzhu’s father, looked indifferently at the shopkeeper with a face red from the scald,

"Leave, and take the body with you."

"Do not speak of what happened here."

The shopkeeper felt as if he were in a daze, filled with terror; he had no idea why these people had killed the boy.

All because he served a teapot!

His employee was slain on the spot with just a slap.

He staggerly carried away the body of the boy, just as Fang Qingzhu arrived at the door, causing her delicate brows to inadvertently furrow.

At this moment, others heard the commotion and came from their rooms.

"What happened, father?"

Fang Qingzhu’s sister, Fang Mingyue, was the first to enter, asking.

"Everyone come in."

At this time, the voice of the Fang Family’s Ancestor sounded.

The members of the Fang Family were all somewhat curious, not knowing what had happened, and entered..

"Cough, cough."

Quickly, an emaciated old man walked out from behind the screen in the room.

He held a Dragon Head Cane in his hand, his frame was skinny, his eye sockets deep-set, his skin wrinkled like old tree bark, his face dotted with age spots, and his eyelids drooping, the very image of a person in his twilight years.

But when this elder appeared, the Fang Family members all respectfully paid homage.

"Elder Ancestor!"

Upon the Fang Family Ancestor’s presence, he reached out and grasped a fist-sized glob of tea that had spilled on the room’s floor.

Then, with a swift flicking movement from the Elder Ancestor’s fingers, he extracted a blood thread from the tea that was even finer than a strand of hair.

This blood thread seemed to be alive, wriggling around.

The Fang Family members saw this scene; their expressions slightly shifted, "This tea is poisoned."

Yet the Elder Ancestor narrowed his eyes, "It’s not poison."

"It’s Demon Gu."

"And it’s not just any Gu; you all couldn’t detect it, let alone the common people here."

"Just now I investigated a little; if I am not mistaken, the water source of this county must have been contaminated."

"And as far as I know, this is the work of the Human Demon!"