si-mexico Chapter 296: Tang Yao's Death
Chapter 296: Tang Yao's Death
Chapter 296: Tang Yao's Death
The next day, Ji Mei woke up feeling very dizzy. She shook her head, trying to clear her head, but it didn't work. A pair of warm hands gently massaged her temples. When she looked up, she met Lu Yu's gentle, watery eyes. Her heart pounded, and her face flushed slightly.
Seeing Ji Meiqing like this, Lu Yu couldn't help but find it a little funny. He rubbed her for a while and asked, "Are you feeling better?" Ji Meiqing lowered her head and softly hummed in agreement. Seeing Ji Meiqing's reaction, Lu Yu was in a great mood and hugged her in his arms. His face, which was originally only slightly red, was now redder than a monkey's bottom.
The two packed their things and went downstairs, but Lu Yu couldn't find Tang Yao. Feeling a little strange, he didn't say anything, and walked straight out with Ji Meiqing in his arms. Just outside the restaurant, they saw a person lying on the ground not far away. It looked like Tang Yao, but Lu Yu wasn't sure. He walked over and confirmed it was indeed him. He was dead, died so peacefully, yet for some reason, there seemed to be a smile on his lips, not an act.
Turning around, he saw a person standing at the door—the same person who had eaten alone at the restaurant that day. This person must be the restaurant owner. Lu Yu's first reaction was that this person was dangerous. He quickly ran over and shielded Ji Meiqing behind him.
If he wasn't mistaken, Tang Yao's death was definitely related to the restaurant owner. But he really couldn't understand it. The body under the bed had been there for several years, which meant Tang Yao had been with his boss for years, and they should have had a good relationship. But it was impossible for his boss to kill Tang Yao for him and Ji Meiqing.
Seeing that he was just standing at the door without making a move, Lu Yu pulled Ji Meiqing and turned to leave. The shopkeeper simply used his light-footed skill to fly over their heads, blocking their way.
"You two are in such a hurry to leave, don't you plan to stay a few more days?" the innkeeper said, approaching Lu Yu and Ji Meiqing. Ji Meiqing was still somewhat dazed because she had accidentally inhaled a sleeping potion the night before.
Suddenly, the shopkeeper gathered his inner energy in his hand and hurled it at Lu Yu and Ji Meiqing. Lu Yu, disregarding everything else, shoved Ji Meiqing aside. Ji Meiqing fell to the ground, and perhaps due to the pain, she became much more alert. She looked at Lu Yu and the old man staring at each other, somewhat puzzled.
"I wonder if I have offended you in any way, senior?" Lu Yu bowed to the boss and breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the boss withdraw his hand that had been gathering true energy.
Just when they thought the boss would let them leave safely, he suddenly attacked Lu Yu again, roaring, "I'll make you pay with your lives for Tang Yao!!" The boss, almost insane, gathered his strength and then threw a real balloon directly at Lu Yu.
Lu Yu was also at a loss, increasingly unsure of what to do as the situation unfolded. His internal strength was certainly inferior to the old man before him. The other was a seasoned and highly skilled elder, while he himself was at best a novice. Fighting him wouldn't be a sure thing, at least not for long. But with Ji Meiqing present, he couldn't be too reckless; at the very least, he had to protect her.
Constantly dodging attacks, Lu Yu wasn't confident he could fight the shopkeeper, so he could only hide. Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he had no choice but to try it. Lu Yu strode to Tang Yao's side, grabbed his hand, and said, "You said you wanted me to die with him, what evidence do you have that I killed Tang Yao?" The shopkeeper, being a member of the martial arts world, understood the logic and knew that people in the martial arts world always preferred things to be clear and didn't like being kept in the dark.
The old man recounted what had happened. It turned out that yesterday, Lu Yu had let Tang Yao go. Tang Yao went downstairs and told the shopkeeper that he couldn't kill Lu Yu. When the shopkeeper asked why, Tang Yao said that Lu Yu had spared his life, which was a favor, and that to plot against him again would violate the benevolence and morality of the martial arts world.
The boss ignored him and told Tang Yao directly, "You are no longer a member of the martial arts world. The Tang Yao of the martial arts world is dead. I order you to kill Lu Yu before dawn."
Tang Yao neither obeyed nor disobeyed; after all, his boss had saved his life and taken him in—a debt of gratitude he could never repay. But he couldn't kill Lu Yu. At dawn, he committed suicide by poisoning himself. He lay at the doorway, without a single struggle.
After the boss finished speaking, he walked towards Tang Yao, muttering to himself. He squatted down, picked up Tang Yao, and walked a short distance away. After walking for a while, he stopped and dug a pit in the ground with his bare hands. When the pit was big enough, he put Tang Yao's body in it and then covered it with soil.
Taking advantage of his inattention, Lu Yu quickly walked over to Ji Meiqing and asked, "Are you alright? Have you packed your things?" He also looked her over as he spoke.
"I'm fine, I'm not injured," Ji Meiqing replied, and Lu Yu finally felt his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, calm down.
After burying Tang Yao's body, the shop owner turned around and went back into the shop. He took a plank and walked toward the newly built grave mound. Lu Yu rushed forward, snatched the plank from his hand, and retreated a few meters away, ignoring the shop owner's furious expression.
"Young man, I'm warning you, you'd better not meddle in other people's business," the boss said, as he began to gather true energy in his palm.
"Senior, if you erect a tombstone and inscribe words for Tang Yao, your grave will be dug up in the future," Lu Yu said calmly, showing no fear of the person before him. Tang Yao had saved his life, so naturally he wouldn't forget her kindness.
"Tang Yao's grave is here. If someone with ulterior motives finds it, they will surely dig it up to see what's going on. If they happen to encounter an enemy, they will inevitably be whipped on the corpse." Lu Yu didn't want Tang Yao to be schemed against by villains and die without peace.
This shopkeeper, a man of the world, could tell he wasn't stupid. He understood the meaning behind Lu Yu's words. He tossed the plank aside, appearing utterly lonely and dejected.
His left eye was damaged, yet a single tear appeared in his right eye, much to Lu Yu's surprise. He also wondered what Tang Yao had done over the years to make his boss weep for him.
"May I ask your honorable name, senior?" Lu Yu asked boldly.
"Yin Lie," the old man said calmly.
Hearing the old man's answer, Lu Yu guessed that this person must be the head of the Yin family. Lu Yu knew a little about the Yin family. Many years ago, there was a bloody battle in the martial arts world, all for the position of martial arts overlord, and the head of the Yin family had also participated in the struggle for supremacy.