This little store known as Du Clan's Kuai [1] was slightly secluded as it was located right next to Fine Willow Alley. Despite that, their business was good. The sky was already dark with a piercing-cold wind blowing in the air, yet it was absolutely warm and lively inside the store. There were pots of special mutton soup cooking on top of the burnt coals placed on top of each table. Surrounding the pots on the tables were several dishes of sliced fish fillets that had their pin bones removed beforehand. These fillets were fresh and tender too. After they were cooked inside the boiling mutton soup, they were then taken out and dipped into the sauce made from ten different types of condiments. One bite of the fillet could make one feel twice as light. The fillets were extremely tasty.

It was certainly enjoyable to eat these fillets while drinking the store's special plum wine in this kind of weather.

A family of seven ran this store. Everyone in the family was put to work with each of them being quite busy on every floor. With the severe situation inside Pingxi City and the storm blowing over the mountains, it was as if they had nothing to do with this family running the store in the alley.

When Yan Liqiang and the others arrived, there weren't many people inside the store yet. Because of that, he straightaway requested for the table on the second floor next to the window. After the food he had ordered was served, Yan Liqiang continued to eat while focused his gaze at the alley below in a collected manner.

If the Shatu people were going to 'deliver the goods' tonight, then they absolutely had to pa.s.s through the alley below.

With the combination of the charcoal's temperature, the aroma of the soup, meat, and condiments as well as the smell of plum wine, the store was filled with an exclusive atmosphere that could make anyone feel relaxed even during this kind of chilly night.

...

"Once I have money in the future, I will make a tasty corner in my house and build a tall loft that will be occupied by the chefs whom I will invite from all over the world. I will just go up to a specific floor in the loft for whatever I crave for each day. Once my belly is full, I will leave without even paying anything…." The three of them had been eating their meal for over an hour. As they ate, they talked. s.h.i.+ Dafeng was already flushed in a red glow after his belly was full. Yan Liqiang continued to talk about his ideals in life while eating his food.

"Haha, on the contrary, I don't need that many chefs. When I am able to marry someone and establish myself in the future to become a thriving master one day, I just need one chef actually…." Shen Teng's face flushed red after he drank a bit of plum wine, as if he had put on a blusher. This caused the lady who served them fillets to steal a few glances at him. After all, he was still young at heart. Even though Shen Teng usually looked a bit experienced and prudent, sometimes even reserved and solemn, Yan Liqiang realized that Shen Teng was actually a fun person to be with after he was well-acquainted with him. He had a great temperament too, but because of his strict upbringing, he hardly had any chances to be more open.

"How is one chef enough?" s.h.i.+ Dafeng shook his head.

"Gently holding a satin dress with light footsteps, she cleansed her hands to make a good soup, blus.h.i.+ng shyly as she waited for her soup to be tasted; surrounding a hearth while talking comfortably under the night sky, enjoying wine and songs and listen to the wind knocking on windows…." Shen Teng whose eyes seemed somewhat misty began to unexpectedly sway his head while he recited a poem.

"Oh my goodness. It's sour, too sour. My teeth are going to rot from this sour sensation. And you can still blush shyly while awaiting to taste the soup. Old Shen, are you going through adolescence….." s.h.i.+ Dafeng said while making funny faces at Shen Teng.

"YOU'RE the one going through an adolescence!" Shen Teng stared at s.h.i.+ Dafeng, somewhat agitated. He continued, "What do you know? It's already enough even if you are able to get a beauty in your life!"

"Liqiang, what will you do when you become a thriving master in the future? Are you the same as me or the same as Shen Teng…." At s.h.i.+ Dafeng's inquiry, both of them quickly turned their attention toward Yan Liqiang's face.

"I don't need chefs from around the world and I don't need some beauties to personally cook for me either!" Yan Liqiang shook his head as he solemnly looked at s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng. He then continued, "Don't you two think that these dishes are quite delicious regardless of who cooked it and how it was made?"

"You are not joking, right?" s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng looked at Yan Liqiang in surprise.

"I am saying the truth. Even if you randomly buy a few steamed buns at the foot of the mountain below Wuyang Village, I will still think that they are delicious!"

"I really admire you. I didn't think Liqiang would be the type to be not unpicky toward anything he eats...." s.h.i.+ Dafeng said as he shook his head.

Yan Liqiang could only laugh in response. He didn't explain further about his behavior toward food. Moreover, he was a man who had lived two lives. Whatever he ate in his past life—anything that could be served on the table — was injected with Clenbuterol, antibiotics, transgene, gutter oil, flouride along with a great variety of poisonous and non-poisonous substances. These were also added to the necessities and various food items, including foods that were quite confusing to the civilians as well. Even the dining table of a five-star restaurant had become the extension to the modern chemical industry. Truth be told, for someone of that era to come into this world, Yan Liqiang felt that everything he ate here was delicious. The food here was natural, pure, and had splendid flavor that he had never experienced before. Among other things, even if it was a steamed bun, Yan Liqiang could still taste the true fragrance of the wheat in his mouth.

...

Just when the three of them were happily eating their food, Yan Liqiang suddenly felt something and tilted his head unconsciously to look out the window. A horse carriage happened to come in from the other side of Fine Willow Alley and it entered the alley.

The horse carriage seemed a bit worn out. The carriage was long, which meant that this was a wagon used to deliver goods. A coachman wearing a dog skin hat and a thick quilted jacket was driving the horse carriage through the small alley without hurry.

The coachman's dog skin hat was pressed down low. The collar on the coachman's quilted jacket was pulled upward, making it seem like he was being wrapped tightly around his clothes. It was almost as if his eyes and less than half of his skin were the only body parts that were exposed.

The horse carriage was still the same, even the coachman was the same as well. Even with a wooden plank covering the horse carriage, Yan Liqiang could still sense the 'goods' inside the roll of fleece….

That horse carriage pa.s.sed right by the storefront of Du Family's Raw Fish.

"Liqiang, what did you see?" s.h.i.+ Dafeng asked as he sat beside him.

Yan Liqiang looked at the bow and whistling arrows used for the sake of reporting to the police that Shen Teng had placed on the side of the table. After a quick consideration, a creased frown appeared on his forehead. He then muttered to himself softly, "Strange….."

"What's strange?"

Yan Liqiang continued to remain silent. He was considering something only for a few moments before he quickly stood up and shot a look at s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng.

The three of them had been spending more time together during this period of time, and thus they gained some understanding toward each other. When they saw Yan Liqiang stand up and give them a look as if he was saying that it was inconvenient to speak further in this place, s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng looked at each other and stood up as well. s.h.i.+ Dafeng tossed a small piece of silver to the table while Shen Teng carried his bow and whistling arrows. They then left the store together with Yan Liqiang. When they arrived at the alley outside, they walked a few steps around. After checking for people on either side, Shen Teng finally asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Did you notice anything just now, Liqiang?"

"Did you two see a horse carriage pa.s.sing through this alley just now…." Yan Liqiang whispered.

"I think there was one…." s.h.i.+ Dafeng creased a frown on his forehead. The three of them were sitting next to the window together. Even though he didn't pay too much attention to what was below, he still saw the carriage that had pa.s.sed by just now.

"I noticed that there was something wrong with that coachman driving his carriage."

"What's wrong?" s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng asked, their spirits lifted.

"I have extremely good memory as I will never ever forget those whom I've met just once. Just now, I inadvertently saw the coachman's face and eyes when I looked down. I have seen that coachman before when I entered through the city gates of Pingxi City that day. He was on a rhinodrake steed when he entered the city. Moreover, he's a Shatu Martial Warrior — the pompous kind — which is why he left a very deep impression on me. Why did he suddenly turn into a coachman driving a horse carriage just now? And he was wearing our Chinese attire too, so I felt like that was strange…"

s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng exchanged glances. They both had surprised looks on their faces because what Yan Liqiang said was indeed quite unexpected.

"Well, Liqiang, it's dark outside. Perhaps you are mistaken by what you saw?" Shen Teng hesitated for a while.

"I'm not mistaken. When that Shatu person rushed the horse carriage and pa.s.sed through that door just now, I clearly saw him the moment the lantern on the door s.h.i.+ned on his face. This person was wearing a dog skin hat and covered half of his face, but his eyes were that of the Shatu people. His eyes were brown…." Yan Liqiang did not mince his words as he continued, "It's already late at night. For a Shatu person to wear a disguise and act sneakily while rus.h.i.+ng a horse carriage, I think there's something wrong with that Shatu person…."

"King Cobra isn't hiding inside the horse carriage, is he?" s.h.i.+ Dafeng said nonchalantly.

Yan Liqiang seemed to ponder over something when he said, "Say, if King Cobra really was hiding in the city, why couldn't anyone able to find him during this period of time…. If…. If the Shatu people colluded with him, then he must have escaped after he committed murder and arson at the Shatu people's gathering area. After that, he quietly went back again. Who would have expected that?"

s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng were stupefied. Even though Yan Liqiang's deduction was a bit whimsical, it was certainly a possibility. The number of Shatu people in the city were abundant. If the Shatu people really did collude with King Cobra, then perhaps what Liqiang said was true.

"Let's go. We will follow and watch them quietly. Let's see what the h.e.l.l that Shatu guy is up to…." Shen Teng said in a low voice.

Yan Liqiang and s.h.i.+ Dafeng nodded in agreement.

At that moment, excluding Yan Liqiang, the other two were quite thrilled and excited as they quietly followed the horse carriage.

Like 'last time', the route that the carriage took did not change at all. After a few little tricks, the horse carriage continued its way toward the direction of the boutique.

Yan Liqiang, s.h.i.+ Dafeng, and Shen Teng were the best among the others of their age. Putting aside Yan Liqiang and Shen Teng, even s.h.i.+ Dafeng who seemed boorish was sharp at times. These three could not be compared with ordinary people. They continued to follow that horse carriage carefully until it reached the backyard of a boutique in the small alley.

If one were to say that s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng were unsure whether the horse carriage had a problem before or not, at this particular moment, both of them were certain that something was wrong with the carriage.

Like last time, when the horse carriage stopped, the three of them leveraged their forces and climbed up to the rooftop in a nearby courtyard. They stayed behind the ridge of the rooftop and held their breaths, quietly surmising the situation surrounding that horse carriage.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The Shatu coachman used the door latch to make two long knocks and two short knocks….

After a while, a lantern lit up behind the boutique's rear courtyard. A person that looked like the storekeeper held a lantern in his hand, and he was followed by two of his employees that walked out from the door. The four of them began to look at each other with scrutiny….

"You see these people? They are being secretive and sneaky. These thrashes are definitely not good people and they are up to no good…." s.h.i.+ Dafeng muttered beside the other two in a low voice.

"Shhh…." Shen Teng shushed him. His eyes lit up as he stared closely at the horse carriage.

Yan Liqiang licked his lips while he focused on the 'trade' at the alley, silently aware of his own movements at the same time. Ten minutes ago, when the three of them silently followed the carriage in the alley, Yan Liqiang was yet again able to sense someone watching their every move in the dark. After walking for another few minutes, Yan Liqiang realized that the three of them including s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng had been marked by two Wanderers who managed to arrive in the city….

The Wanderers didn't notice that there was anything wrong with the carriage, but they instead had observed the trio's tracks. Moreover, they were suspicious about it too, which was why these two Wanderers had followed them quietly as well.

As they found out more by following them, it was evident that the Wanderers also discovered the horse carriage.

This had become more interesting. The Wanderers had followed them without the need to call them along. This great show tonight would be more magnificent than last time soon enough. Yan Liqiang was smiling inside his heart….

"Everyone, look. There's something wrong with those leathers being carried from the carriage. The weight isn't right and those two employees are being too cautious. There's something wrong with those leathers...." Yan Liqiang warned s.h.i.+ Dafeng and Shen Teng beside him in a low voice. Both nodded too, after they looked at the rolls of goods.