Chapter 301: 燕 Brothers and Brother Niu

“Mr. Ji, who were those four people?” Yan Fei couldn't help but ask, seeing Ji Yuan turn the people who had attacked him into ashes.

Before Ji Yuan could answer, the ox demon beside him began to speak volubly.

“Those four haven't been human for a long time,” the ox demon explained. “That nasty woman sucked all their vital essence dry. Their bodies seemed alive but had no sensation or consciousness, only an instinctive aggression. If they had been left for longer, their bodies would have died and turned into even more troublesome corpse spirits, probably something like zombies.”

Yan Fei frowned, looking at his long sword, and thought to himself, ‘No wonder those four were so strange.’ Then he suddenly remembered the original purpose of his and Ji Yuan's chase.

“Mr. Ji, does that mean the culprit at the inn was the female demon we just encountered?”

Ji Yuan looked at the ox demon beside him upon hearing this.

“Ahem, haha... This brother is right, it was that nasty woman!” The ox demon shamelessly jumped to a conclusion, glancing at Ji Yuan. Seeing that Ji Yuan didn't object, but was instead using the newly collected strand of hair for a divination, he enthusiastically started chatting with Yan Fei again.

“Brother, you seem to be a mortal martial artist,” he said. “Old Ox here also enjoys wielding a spear and staff. How about we get acquainted? My name is Niu Batian. How's that, impressive, right? What's your name?”

Although Yan Fei felt a slight pressure, he still clasped his hands while holding his sword.

“Yan Fei.”

“Oh...” The ox demon responded, then quietly gestured towards the golden-armored warrior with his lips. “What about him?” he whispered. “That guy also looks formidable, and he's so cold. He hasn't said a word from beginning to end, hasn't even blinked. He looked at that nasty woman with such a disdainful attitude.”

Yan Fei also looked at the golden-armored warrior, then hesitated before speaking.

“I, Yan, don't know either. I only heard Mr. Ji refer to him as ‘Warrior’...”

Ji Yuan performed calculations for a long time, but his skill was ultimately insufficient; he couldn't divine anything. He regretfully put the item away. He glanced at the ox demon and Yan Fei, slightly surprised that the old ox could chat so freely with Yan Fei.

“Let's go,” he said. “Back to the city. Tonight's events are more or less settled.”

With that, Ji Yuan waved his hand, and the golden-armored warrior dispersed like glowing dust, transforming into a yellow paper talisman that fell into his hand, which he then tucked into his sleeve. This scene left Niu Batian slightly stunned; he hadn't witnessed the warrior being summoned earlier. But while he was still momentarily bewildered, Ji Yuan had already begun to walk away.

Ji Yuan didn't use any special techniques; he simply walked forward at a slightly faster pace. Yan Fei looked at Niu Batian, cupped his hands in a gesture of farewell, and then quickly followed Ji Yuan. The ox demon stood there awkwardly for a moment, then hesitantly took a few steps, noticing that Ji Yuan was walking faster and faster without reacting. He then hurried to pick up his pace and followed for a while, eventually catching up and walking alongside Yan Fei. Niu Batian was certain that Ji Yuan had the ability to undo the strange magic rooted in his neck. Although he still didn't quite trust Ji Yuan at that moment, he was unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.

And so, that night, the three of them returned to Nandao County together. They first returned to Yuanqi Inn, put the unconscious woman back in her original room, and then went to find a place to eat. The previous meal was, of course, long gone. Ji Yuan could go without eating, but Yan Fei, no matter how skilled in martial arts, was still an ordinary person. While he wouldn't collapse from missing one or two meals, he was definitely hungry, and since they were back in the city and not short on money, there was no need to eat dry biscuits. However, by the time they returned, it was late, and many taverns and restaurants had already closed. They had no choice but to go to another inn, where they not only stayed overnight but also had the inn bring out whatever was left in the kitchen.

While they were checking in, the innkeeper kept muttering about the “thunder” that had just occurred.

About fifteen minutes later, at a square table in the inn's main hall, Ji Yuan ate a little and then went back to rest, leaving only Yan Fei and Niu Batian still seated. On the way back, Yan Fei had grudgingly gotten acquainted with Niu Batian. Ji Yuan had also transmitted a message to him, saying that while the old ox was a demon, he was of good character and wouldn't cause trouble as long as he wasn't provoked. More importantly, people ultimately judge by appearance, and the old ox's plain, unassuming looks gave off little sense of threat, so Yan Fei wasn't particularly afraid of him.

Besides, Yan Fei and the old ox remained in the inn's main hall for their own reasons: the former wanted to learn more about immortals, demons, and mystical affairs, while the latter wanted to understand Ji Yuan himself. While Ji Yuan was still at the same table, the old ox hadn't dared to speak much, and Yan Fei had been quietly eating and drinking. The moment Ji Yuan left, the old ox's eyes lit up, and he shifted on the bench to move a little closer to Yan Fei.

“Brother Yan, you seem to be in a bad mood?”

Yan Fei sighed, drained his cup, and looked seriously at the old ox. “Senior Ox, does all my martial arts training pose absolutely no threat to you?”

“Hey, hey, hey, don't be so formal! Just call me Brother Niu, Brother Niu...” While correcting Yan Fei, the old ox cheerfully refilled his cup. He wouldn't usually be so chummy with ordinary mortals, but today, he absolutely had to build this connection. “Actually, Brother Yan, being skilled in martial arts is truly impressive,” the old ox said. “Even among demons, certain combat and fighting techniques are extremely important. It's just that ordinary humans, with their thin arms and legs, aren't usually of much use in that regard.” At this point, the old ox quickly added. “But you're different! With Mr. Ji here, you can beg him to teach you immortal arts!”

Yan Fei smiled and shook his head. “Mr. Ji won't teach me,” Yan Fei said. “I don't know why I feel this way, but I just know that even if I asked, he wouldn't impart immortal arts to me. On the contrary, he might look down on me...”

The old ox refilled Yan Fei's cup again. “Ah, Brother Yan is indeed a dragon among men, to have such a feeling,” the old ox exclaimed. “Say, Old Ox has a question: When did you and Mr. Ji meet, Brother Yan? And how much do you know about Mr. Ji? Oh, oh, oh, come on, let's drink, cheers!” The old ox raised his wine bowl and clinked it with Yan Fei's, then they both drank. The old ox's expression remained unchanged, while Yan Fei became even more flushed with alcohol.

“Thinking back now, I can barely recall some of the details from that year...”

“Oh, come on, tell me! Just tell me,” the old ox urged. “Old Ox and Brother Yan hit it off immediately, and I truly admire Mr. Ji. I really want to know more!”

Yan Fei looked at the plain, almost simple-minded face before him, finding it hard to believe that this was a powerful demon.

“Speaking of which, there was a demon back then too...” Yan Fei began. “It was in the early spring, twelve years ago, in Jizhou of Dazhen. The master of Luoxia Villa was making a big name for himself in the martial arts world. I went there with my elders to attend a ceremony and met eight other like-minded friends...” When Ning'an County suffered a tiger calamity, the nine young martial artists who were traveling in Jizhou immediately agreed to take on the official bounty and eliminate the threat for the people. It turned out they encountered a tiger spirit in the mountains and nearly lost their lives. Ji Yuan saved them, rescuing their lives.

Niu Batian listened intently, rarely interrupting, and continuously refilled Yan Fei's cup. Only when Yan Fei finished recounting the events in Ning'an County did he appear thoughtful.

“Then, during the day today, I met Mr. Ji again at the Wuli Pavilion outside the city,” Yan Fei continued with a chuckle. “A few ignorant ruffians tried to rob and murder him...” Yan Fei didn't mention the chase for the culprit that night. He sighed, picked up a piece of stewed mutton that had turned into jelly, and chewed it.

“Did Mr. Ji really let that tiger spirit go back then?” Niu Batian asked. “And then the tiger spirit even bowed to him as a disciple?”

“Yes, that scene was too profound; I can't forget it.”

Niu Batian's eyes flickered. He picked up his wine bowl, took a gulp, and mumbled, “An immortal showing the way...”

“Brother Niu, hic... Brother Niu, what did you say?”

“Oh, oh, nothing, nothing,” Niu Batian quickly said. “Brother Yan, let's keep drinking. Innkeeper, bring more wine, more wine! We're out again. Did you water down this wine?”

The innkeeper, who had been dozing at the counter, was startled awake by Niu Batian's loud voice. He looked at the only table where guests were eating; there were two small wine jars on the square table, and two more overturned under it, all empty.

“Drinking so much without needing to pee...”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, nothing, nothing! Guests, please wait, I'll bring you more wine right away!” The innkeeper responded swiftly, quickly telling a waiter to fetch more wine. He didn't care how much they drank; even if they drank themselves to death, it was fine. Only a fool would pass up an opportunity to make money.

Around midnight, Yan Fei was carried directly to his room by Niu Batian. The old ox had truly plied him with so much alcohol that he was utterly drunk, and at the table, he had almost started confessing things like wetting his pants as a child. In Yan Fei's room, Niu Batian placed him on the bed. Although he didn't undress him, he did pull a blanket over him. Niu Batian understood Yan Fei's inner turmoil that night, which was ultimately a collapse of confidence. Yet, seeing Yan Fei still gripping his sword tightly even in bed, he felt a surge of emotion.

‘No wonder Mr. Ji also holds you in high regard.’

Yan Fei was naturally already drunk and asleep, but Niu Batian still stood by his bed and spoke. “Brother Yan, the pact you made before that fierce tiger back then wasn't as simple as you think,” Niu Batian said. “Mr. Ji was testing both you and the tiger. In your current state, it's hard to say whether you would have been eaten...”

Just as the old ox was about to turn around, Yan Fei muttered drunkenly in his sleep.

“Drink... Brother Niu, keep drinking...”

Niu Batian looked back. “Hehehe...” Niu Batian chuckled. “But rest assured, since you call me Brother Niu, Old Ox will naturally protect you. If that tiger transforms and comes looking for you in the future, Old Ox will beat him up for you!”

The three of them were not in adjoining rooms at the inn; Ji Yuan's room was at least seven or eight rooms away. At this moment, Ji Yuan lay on the bed in a cultivation sleeping posture, with the Azure Vine Sword resting quietly by the bedside. He was neither cultivating nor asleep, but instead, with his extraordinary hearing, he had been listening to the two men chat for a long time in the quiet night. Ji Yuan had heard every word of Niu Batian and Yan Fei's conversation in the hall downstairs, as well as what the old ox said after taking Yan Fei back to his room. A slight smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

“Quite interesting!”