Quickly collecting his expression, Meng Qi turned around and looked at Zhen Hui with a serious face: "I'm just going to order dinner. Little brother, you're at the critical stage of breaking through to the Great Completion of Qi Storage, how can you still think about playing? Hurry up and work hard!"

  Zhen Hui and "Nianhua Zhi" are indeed very compatible, and it's almost time for a breakthrough. This speed can rank among the top five in the history of monks who have cultivated "Nianhua Zhi".

  Zhen Hui nodded heavily and stared at Meng Qi with pleading eyes: "Brother, I want to eat roasted lamb leg."

  "Haha, there's nothing much here, just a lot of sheep and camels!" Meng Qi laughed in response. After Zhen Hui started meditating again, he strolled out to the corridor, closed the door behind him, and thought to himself, "Little brother, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you any roasted lamb legs this time. If we meet again someday, I'll make it up to you with ten roasted lamb legs!"

  He also knew that the possibility of escaping from his master's side was very small, but as a person, he had to have some hope, and be optimistic. After so many attempts at escape, fighting wits and strength, he felt that he had gained a lot, equivalent to a difficult cultivation. His master probably also had this in mind, which is why he never warned him not to try to escape, but instead "played" this "game" with him.

  Of course, if he could really escape, Meng Qi wouldn't give up. It's just that he seemed to be targeted by the Jie Lu Yuan and had a major secret of the Six Paths Reincarnation Master on him. Many of his martial arts skills were special, and if he wasn't careful, he would be discovered, which was extremely dangerous. The earlier he left, the better.

  So Meng Qi continued to spread his spiritual energy all over his body and headed downstairs.

  He tread carefully, afraid of startling his master, while optimistically imagining life after escape:

  "As soon as I leave Liusha Village, I'll head back. As long as I enter 'Kanle City', Master will not be able to find me. At that time, I'll go to the Zhenwu Sect to look for Zhang Shixiong. He is a broad-minded person who values relationships and righteousness, so he won't mind me joining him. Moreover, his family is one of the three major surnames of the Zhenwu Sect's secular families. If I follow him, I'll definitely not have to worry about the source of spiritual herbs and medicines. Once I open up my four orifices, I can formally roam the Jianghu, search for treasures, and make a name for myself."

  "Ke Zhen Wu Pai is a major sect of martial arts, with many people and prying eyes. Its relationship with Shaolin is also extremely good. If one isn't careful, their true identity will be discovered, leading to all sorts of trouble. And living under someone else's roof is never ideal - I am a person with self-respect! Why not go to Xi Jian Ge to find Zhi Wei? She should be about ready to come down from the mountain and temper her sword intent. Hehe, when that happens, Jin Tong Yu Nu will join forces and make a name for themselves in the martial arts world - how wonderful, how carefree, how attention-grabbing!"

  "No, it doesn't feel right to draw attention... Isn't this just getting caught and taken back to Shaolin? Sigh, might as well wait three or four years, grow taller, mature in appearance, and become unrecognizable to those who don't know me well, then find Zhiwei and roam the Jianghu together."

  "Hmm, first go to the Huāhuā Jiàn Pài (Flower Washing Sword Sect) to find Qi Shīxiōng (Elder Brother Qi), after he successfully opened his aperture and applied for an external industry of the Zhènshǒu Pài (Town Guardian Sect), no one is in charge, no one pays attention, haha, it's decided so happily, go find Elder Brother Qi to eat delicious food and drink spicy wine!"

  Meng Qi's eyes shone brightly as he walked through the hall with anticipation for the future, about to rush out of the inn gate and run towards a life of freedom.

  Just then, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

  "Zhēn dìng, gěi wèi shī diǎn yī fèn sù jī."

  Translation: "Order a vegetarian chicken dish for the teacher."

  Su Ji... Su Ji... Meng Qi's expression was dull, and it took him a great effort to suppress his disappointment. He said in a low voice: "Yes, Master."

  As expected, Master is watching from behind...

  He took a deep breath and turned around to walk into the hall. At this time, many of the noisy guests had dispersed, leaving several empty tables.

  "Little master, what would you like to have?" The young waiter had a clear and bright face, a pleasant smile, and didn't look at all like Qu Jiu Niang who loved to be lazy and had an air of "Sir, I'm your mother".

  Isn't it said that there are all sorts of bosses and employees? Meng Qi thought amusingly, his mood recovering a bit, and he spoke up: "Roasted lamb leg, vegetarian chicken..."

  "Alright!" The waiter shouted out the dish names while wiping down the table.

  After ordering food and drinking the tea brought by Xiao Er, Meng Qi hadn't had time to mourn his 103rd failed escape when Xuan Bei and Zhen Hui walked down from upstairs.

  "Brother Shi, have you ordered the roasted lamb leg?" Zhen Hui licked her lips.

  Meng Qi sighed inwardly and calmly said: "Alright."

  Xuan Bei still looked gloomy, asking the young waiter who was pouring tea: "Sir, has there been any news from the west recently?"

  Since it's impossible to escape for the time being, Meng Qi was also very concerned about this problem and looked at Xiao Er with his eyes.

  "Returning to the master, apart from Ma Fei's bandits appearing and robbing several merchant caravans, there is only one major event. That is, the crying old man who had been missing for many years has re-emerged in the world and become the national teacher of 'Hale', widely recruiting knife-wielding guests and thieves. He plans to unite the countries and oases from Hanhai in the west to Shenmo Desert in the east, just like your Zhongyuan's Great Jin and Great Zhou." Xiao Er's eyes were yellowish, his hair was curly, and he was a standard Western Regions person.

  "This is indeed bold..." Meng Qi exclaimed. If he could complete the great undertaking, Crying Old Man would be considered to have made a contribution to the Western Regions as well.

  In the midst of praise, Meng Qi suddenly discovered that his master's face was not right. Normally, he was gloomy and depressed except when praising himself and Zhen Hui, but at this time, his face was as dark as water, without a hint of melancholy.

  "Master, do you know 'Crying Old Man'?" Meng Qi could only make such a guess.

  Xuan Bei looked at the teacup in his hand, and said with a hint of melancholy: "Crying Old Man, true name unknown, an outer scenery peak master, active in Da Jin Longxi, Death Vast Ocean, and Burial God Desert, ranked 33rd on the Earth List, skilled in 'Kuang Sha Shen Gong' and 'Yuan Hun Shi Ba Pai', can be called a generation of fierce and unyielding."

  "It's so formidable..." Meng Qi was no longer a naive little monk, he wouldn't think that being ranked 33rd on the Earth List was nothing after hearing about it. He knew that there were only ten people on the Heavenly List who had achieved enlightenment and became high-ranking cultivators. Even if you added those who were hiding in seclusion or keeping a low profile, Crying Old Man was still one of the top sixty most terrifying figures in the world.

  Xuan Bei saw Xiao Er going to greet others and softly sighed, saying in a low voice: "Master's expression just now must have been very ugly, right?"

  "Master, do you have a grudge against Crying Old Man?" Zhen Hui's words were sharp and to the point, without any intention of covering up for her master.

  Meng Qi smiled secretly, fortunately there was Daidai's little Shidi, otherwise it would be really hard for him to ask.

  Xuan Bei gazed at the floating tea leaves in the tea water, and his melancholy suddenly deepened: "My secular name is Tang Zhan, and I'm considered a top-notch master on the Gan-Lu Road, just one step away from entering the ranks of the sect masters. At that time, I was as fierce as an enemy, and once killed a lecherous villain who had murdered many female heroes while escorting a friend to the 'Burial God Mountain' where the Diamond Temple is located."

  "Who would have thought that this lecherous thief had a good master, called 'Tian Huang Shang Ren', who couldn't defeat him but was also unwilling to see his disciple killed. So, taking advantage of the fact that his master hadn't returned from Ganluo Dao yet, he suddenly attacked his master's manor, killing all the old and weak women and children, leaving only one old servant who managed to escape with two young sons of his master, searching for him all the way west, but unfortunately was caught up before entering Hanhai..."

  He spoke in a flat and calm tone, without any ups and downs, but Meng Qi somehow heard the thick desolation and bone-piercing hatred inside.

  "After the master knew about this matter, there was indeed a sense of disillusionment like waking up from a 35-year beautiful dream. A strong desire for revenge ignited, and the fire of revenge burned in his heart. However, 'Tian Huang Shang Ren' also had a good master."

  "Is he crying?" Meng Qi thought to himself, if he couldn't even guess this much after watching so many times.

  Xuan Bei nodded slightly: "My master endured for several years, finally waited for the opportunity, killed the entire family of 'Tian Huang Shang Ren', and was then pursued by 'Ku Lao Ren' all the way to the Central Plains. Fortunately, he was favored by Fang Zhang and accepted as a disciple into Buddhism, which is why I am now at peace. Therefore, in the future, if you encounter Ku Lao Ren or his disciples, be careful."

  No ups and downs, no cruel scenes, Xuan Bei's words were like talking about someone else's business.

  He was willing to talk about this painful matter because after hearing the news of Lao Lao's comeback, he wanted to remind his disciples to be careful not to reveal their identities carelessly in front of others.

  He spoke in a normal tone of voice, but all the guests around him seemed not to have heard anything, as if no one was speaking here at all.

  This power made Meng Qi secretly lick his tongue, compared to the perfect Duan Xiang's Fantastical Shape Shifting Technique, it was countless times more powerful, without any hint of smoke or fire.

  Xuan Bei finished speaking and fell silent, focusing on savoring his vegetarian dish. Zhen Hui, on the other hand, was eating lamb legs with big mouthfuls, seemingly without any worries that could distract him from enjoying his meal.

  The atmosphere became heavy and strange, Meng Qi could only shift his attention, perked up his ears to listen to the nearby customers' loud discussions, to see if there was any special news.

  Perhaps because the young waiter mentioned the crying old man just now, a nearby table of guests also started discussing this topic.

  "Unbelievable, the old man is still not dead!" A hooded "desert guest" in a black robe muttered to himself, with a curved dagger hanging from his waist, its blade sharp and stained with blood.

  A man with a similar sandy complexion, but with a mustache on his face, chuckled and said: "Yes, nine years ago Su Wuming went west, the old man didn't know his own strength and went to challenge him, but as a result he disappeared from then on, everyone thought he died under Su Wuming's sword."

  "It's said that at the time, Su Wuming's goal was to bury a divine relic in the Desert of Gods, without any intention of competing, but Ku Lao Ren forced his hand, so he casually gave him one sword. Later on, Ku Lao Ren disappeared for nine whole years." Another "Desert Guest" with blue eyes chuckled and said, as if he were Su Wuming himself, looking down on Ku Lao Ren.

  Meng Qi listened with utmost admiration, Jiang Zhi's master was indeed a high-handed expert, casually wielding his sword to slay the evil Gai Dai, and in the future, I will be like this too!

  "Sir, ten taels of silver." After finishing dinner, the waiter came over with a smile to collect the money.

  Robbery! Meng Qi had a deeper understanding of the nature of this black shop, but thinking of Qu Jiu Niang's frowning face and thinking that his master would not stand up for himself, he still honestly took out the silver to pay the bill, after all, it was not his money!

  "You all go wherever you want." Xuan Bei suddenly spoke up and walked slowly towards the outside of the inn.

  Meng Qi looked at Zhen Hui with a puzzled expression, seeing his natural appearance, and could only suppress the surprise in her heart, following Shifu out of the inn.

  Three people just left the inn, Qiū Jiǔ Niáng, who had been keeping a cold face all along, suddenly raised her head and looked at Xuán Bēi's back, tapping her fingers on the table in puzzlement.

  The three "desert guests" who were just discussing and crying about Laozi lowered their voices and whispered to each other.

  "Boss, didn't see any fat sheep, how about we rob these three monks, they seem to have a lot of money?" asked the desert bandit with sapphire-like eyes.

  The Saha with a curved knife slung over his shoulder shook his head: "It's best not to rob this monk."

  "Why? When did you become a Buddhist, Boss?" asked the bearded Sha Ke in confusion.

  The saber-wearing Sand Guest angrily said: "I believe your mother's Buddha! You two show off your skills, this kind of monk who dares to travel across the vast ocean with just a few people is generally not easy to mess with. Let's focus on that merchant caravan instead, although their guards are stronger, we can unite with other horse gangs."