Chapter 29: He’s Just a Client?

The moment Mu Yunzhe heard him say he had seen her before, his eyes lit up as if he had seen hope.

“When did you see her? Can you tell me in detail?”

As long as he didn’t have to talk about the Dream River Village, the restaurant owner was more than willing—especially with five thick stacks of red bills laid out in front of him.

Who could resist this kind of temptation?

He immediately confessed honestly, “It was probably five or six days ago. She came to my restaurant with three Taoist priests to eat.”

“Because of that village’s issues, there have actually been quite a few Taoist priests coming to town over the years. I’m used to it by now.”

“Did you hear them say anything? Or was there anything that left a strong impression?” Mu Yunzhe pressed on, wanting to dig out more clues.

“I didn’t hear much from them. Just one thing—she, that madam, didn’t eat a single bite and looked very worried. At the time, I wondered if the food at my restaurant was just that bad.”

“But later I realized that wasn’t it. Because the three Taoist priests had great appetites and looked very relaxed.”

…

…

Mu Yunzhe’s expression turned dark and unpleasant.

Those three fake Taoist priests must have been in cahoots with the one who scammed him.

They had already drained him dry.

Now that he had hired someone even more powerful, and they realized they couldn’t get anything more from him and had even lost a teammate, they must have gotten desperate—or bold. Now, they were going after his parents. Did they really think no one in this world could stop them?

After finishing their meal, the group left the restaurant.

Yan Jue led them to the inn where they had stayed during their last visit.

It was the best lodging in the town—but calling it a “hotel” would be too generous.

After watching them leave, the proprietress finally stepped out from the back room.

Seeing her husband counting money, she walked over, face clouded. “Did you just tell them something about that village?”

“I said a little. I really couldn’t refuse, and we can’t afford to offend them either. Look, just a few words and we’ve got 50,000 yuan in hand. Where else could we make that? We work hard for a month and don’t even make 5,000,” the owner said gloomily.

The proprietress looked uneasy. “Aren’t you bringing trouble to them? The strange happenings in town these past few days have gotten worse—most likely because of that place. We can’t keep things under control much longer…”

Her eyes were vacant, and her expression showed a kind of unspeakable dread.

The owner didn’t take it seriously. “Don’t worry. Young Master Yan’s sister is a young Taoist priestess. He said she’s very capable.”

But the proprietress didn’t buy it. “How powerful can a little girl be? Every Taoist priest who came before claimed to be amazing. And what happened? None of them ever came back. In the end, just bones left behind.”

“A bunch of ignorant fools,” she muttered under her breath, her voice low and rambling.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Twenty minutes later, Yan Jue brought them to the inn.

It was nearly midnight. Li Xiao directly booked all available rooms in the place.

“After nightfall tonight, everyone stays in their rooms. No matter what sounds you hear, don’t come out. Best if two people share a room for safety.” On the ground floor of the inn, Yan Qiao gave strict instructions.

She also handed out protective charms to everyone.

Finally, she looked at Yan Jue and Mu Yunzhe. “These will go on your tabs. We’ll settle the bill after it’s all over.”

Yan Jue couldn’t help but smile wryly. His precious little sister was truly adorable. A little money-grubber.

“Don’t worry, Qiao. Big brother won’t run from the bill.”

“This young master definitely won’t!” Mu Yunzhe added solemnly.

“I know you won’t. Just letting you know,” she said flatly.

“Sort out the rooms yourselves.”

As soon as she finished, both Yan Hao and Li Xiao spoke at the same time:

“Ah Qiao, I’ll share a room with you.”

After speaking, the two looked at each other in surprise.

Yan Hao immediately became wary—this Li Xiao fellow had designs on his sister?

Absolutely not!

Even if he was powerful, a financial overlord, and known in the capital as the Living King of Hell—when it came to his sister, Yan Hao would not back down!

He had to protect his sister!

Even though he kept repeating that to himself, when he met Li Xiao’s sharp, cold gaze and felt the immense pressure radiating off him, he instinctively swallowed nervously and shrank back a little.

Mu Yunzhe, on the side, took the chance to enjoy the drama.

This future brother-in-law really lacked tact.

Luckily, Yan Qiao made a prompt decision: “I’ll share with him.”

She looked at Li Xiao.

Yan Hao was devastated. His sister was siding with an outsider…

“Young Master Yan, share a room with me.” Mu Yunzhe clapped him on the shoulder with a grin.

Yan Hao pursed his lips. Logically, he couldn’t refuse Young Master Mu.

But emotionally, he still wasn’t willing. Mostly because he didn’t feel at ease about his sister.

Then Yan Qiao suddenly said, “You’ll stay with him. His situation is special. There’s too much Yin energy here. I need to keep an eye on him. After all, he’s the most important client.”

She didn’t usually like explaining herself.

But just now, seeing the hurt in his eyes, she did something she rarely ever did—offered an explanation.

When Yan Hao heard that, his eyes lit up. He immediately felt reassured.

“Alright. I’ll do what Ah Qiao says.” A sense of comfort settled over him.

So, Ah Qiao could tell who was close and who wasn’t.

Now it was Li Xiao’s turn to feel a little bitter.

So, in Ah Qiao’s heart, he was just a client.

But Li Xiao was never one to admit defeat. Even if he was just a client for now, he was going to be the most special one.

Afterward, everyone took their key cards and went upstairs.

There weren’t many guests staying at the inn. Only the second floor had five rooms in use. Some of the bodyguards stayed on that floor with Li Xiao. The rest, who couldn’t fit, went up to the third floor.

Even with Yan Qiao’s protective charms in hand, most people still felt uneasy.

Especially after her warning.

Li Xiao and Yan Qiao stayed in a second-floor room. Yan Hao and Mu Yunzhe were next door.

Yan Jue and Shen Zhiyin were not far away.

Since arriving, Shen Zhiyin hadn’t woken up once. She seemed to have fallen into a deep coma.

Yan Jue was quite worried about this.

Yan Qiao explained that it was because she had returned to the place where she had lost her soul. The environment had an effect on her.

This was a normal reaction. She had already placed a soul-calming talisman on her and given her a safety charm.

That put Yan Jue somewhat at ease.

All the rooms in the inn were the same standard—not luxurious at all.

The moment they opened the door, a musty smell hit them. Li Xiao instinctively frowned.

He had never stayed in such a place before.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even step into a place like this—let alone stay here.

But seeing Yan Qiao remain calm and composed, entering the room and placing down her old canvas bag without a second thought—

“You sleep on the bed to the left. Get some rest quickly. No matter what you hear outside, don’t respond to it,” Yan Qiao instructed calmly.

Then, she took out some hand-drawn talismans from her bag and stuck one on each of the four corners of the bed Li Xiao was going to sleep in.

Standing to the side, Li Xiao didn’t understand any of it.

So he humbly asked, “Ah Qiao, are there dirty things here too? Why are you putting so many talismans on my bed?”