Chapter 10: Distinguished Guests

Su Tang slept until noon and was startled awake by a burst of noise. He couldn’t help but frown. Zhu’er knew he was resting, so she would definitely make sure the servants did not disturb him. Could something have happened outside again?

Ke’er was not in the room, so Su Tang casually threw on an outer robe and strode out.

In the front yard of the Inner Castle, there were seven or eight strangers. Behind those people stood a huge man over two meters tall. Bare-chested, he dragged a carriage. The carriage’s decorations were plain, but it was wide and long; usually, such a carriage would require at least three or four horses to pull.

Shang Bin’s build was already quite burly, but compared to that huge man, he was not even in the same league. He was a head shorter and several sizes smaller.

None of this was the main point. The main point was that a giant silver tiger lay beside the carriage. Although the giant tiger seemed well-behaved, it had already caused the entire Inner Castle to descend into chaos, with chickens flying and dogs barking, and horses and cows neighing. Clearly, they had smelled the aura of the giant tiger.

“Miss, we just came out of the Black Forest and would like to rest in your castle for a few days. Is that alright?” an old man dressed in black clothes asked with a smile.

“No!” Zhu’er shook her head vigorously. In fact, she was terrified by the giant silver tiger, and her voice trembled slightly. However, she still summoned her courage to refuse. If she let these people into the Inner Castle and the terrifying tiger went mad, what if it hurt the young master?

“We are not staying for free.” The old man in black took out a small animal-skin bag and poured out several gold coins, letting Zhu’er see them with her own eyes. He then put the coins back into the bag and casually tossed the bag to the feet of Zhu’er.

For a moment, Zhu’er wanted to give in, because Little Forest Castle was truly short of money, and those were glittering gold coins! However, the young master’s safety had to come first. Zhu’er grit her teeth and tried to make her tone as gentle as possible. She vaguely felt that the other party was a powerful figure: “Elder, please continue traveling south to Changshan County. There are many inns there. Our place… our place is a bit inconvenient…”

The old man in black showed a look of mixed emotions. He didn’t expect to encounter a little girl here who would not be swayed by neither kindness nor money. Leave? Impossible. The orders from above were to rest here. Force their way in? Even worse. Setting aside how the adult would feel about him bullying the weak, he could not stand the mockery of his colleagues.

The old man in black paused for a moment, then reached into his robe and took out a glowing plaque. A strange pattern was carved in the center of the plaque: “Miss, do you recognize this?”

Seeing this, the middle-aged man in gray clothes standing behind the old man couldn’t help but laugh: “My friend, in such a remote and poor place, who would recognize an official plaque?”

Zhu’er indeed did not recognize it. However, Shang Bin, who was standing nearby on full alert, showed a look of shock. Before Zhu’er could refuse again, he jumped in and said: “Miss Zhu’er, quickly… quickly take people to clean up the East Yard and let the guests stay.”

Zhu’er was very surprised. Her eyes shifted and she happened to see Su Tang watching the commotion at the corner gate. Su Tang nodded slightly, signaling Zhu’er to do as Shang Bin said.

Su Tang had been observing the carriage. The ground in the front yard was packed with yellow soil; it looked unremarkable but was very hard. Yet, the carriage had left deep ruts in the yellow soil, meaning the carriage was extremely heavy. The carriage curtains were covered with dandelion seeds, and he also found bird droppings, as well as thorns and branches that had been forcibly torn off by the sharp edges of the carriage. There were also dense scratches on the walls of the carriage.

The old man had not lied; they truly had come out of the Black Forest. But how difficult was it to drag such a carriage through a steep forest with no roads?

The person sitting in the carriage must have an exceptionally noble identity.

He had no interest in flattering anyone, and of course, there was no need to offend them.

He quietly returned to his own main courtyard. Before long, Shang Bin hurried over. Since he had decided on his own to let the strangers stay, he naturally had to give Su Tang an explanation.

“Young Master, I…”

“I already know.” Su Tang waved his hand and asked, “You recognize that plaque?”

“I do. Years ago, on the battlefield with the Master…” Shang Bin began to explain. In the army, a general surnamed Duan had carried the same plaque. Because the plaque glowed like a night pearl and the pattern on it was very strange—it was not landscapes, people, flowers, birds, or insects—the thing in the drawing should have never appeared in the world of ordinary people, otherwise there would have been some rumors. Therefore, Shang Bin remembered it very clearly.

Su Tang remained silent for a long time. Shang Bin had mentioned a dignified general, and now, a powerhouse of general level was actually serving as an attendant?

Who could have such status?!

“Uncle Shang, did they say how many days they would stay here?” Su Tang asked.

“They said two days.”

“Tell Zhu’er that everyone should be careful for these two days. Do not laugh or talk loudly, and do not wander around, so as not to disturb the guests,” Su Tang said.

Shang Bin’s expression was somewhat strange. He had come here partly to give an explanation and partly to remind Su Tang to be careful. What Su Tang instructed was exactly what he wanted to say.

The young master has really grown up… Shang Bin sighed in his heart once again.

In reality, the worries of Su Tang and Shang Bin were unnecessary. Those guests were very low-profile. The courtyard gates were tightly closed, and no one entered or left. At dinner time, Su Tang did not dare let Ke’er go; he sent a maid from the kitchen to the East Yard to invite the guests to dine. Once again, the old man in black stepped forward and politely declined, saying they had brought their own food.

Early the next morning, Su Tang, whose spirit and physical strength were fully recovered, originally thought of exercising at the martial arts field. Considering the presence of those strangers, he found an excuse to send Ke’er away and sneaked out of the Inner Castle alone, jogging toward the Black Forest.

The changes in his body were becoming more obvious. He had practiced flying knives for a whole day and night, and for every throw, he had put in as much effort as possible without holding back, yet he had not felt tired at all. Even he found it unimaginable.

However, he also discovered one unexplained problem after another. He seemed to have opened two Spirit Apertures; what should he do to open the third one? If he had a better Spirit Tool now, could he continue to refine it? Also, how to upgrade the Spirit Soul, and so on.

Su Tang thought as he ran. The farmers working in the fields woke up earlier than Su Tang. Seeing Young Master Su, who had just recovered from a serious illness, recklessly heading into the forest again, some farmers became anxious. They chased after him and shouted, trying to stop Su Tang. But Su Tang was thinking about important matters and ignored the shouts behind him. He quickened his pace, and in an instant, he approached the dense forest, turned a few corners, and disappeared without a trace.

Su Tang did not run deep into the forest. He found a relatively clean spot, felt the blood and energy in his body circulating, took a few deep breaths, sat on a small mound, and began to practice the Inner Breath General Formula.

After circulating for about thirty breaths, Su Tang suddenly opened his eyes with a look of confusion. He listened carefully; he thought he had faintly heard the sound of footsteps.