My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 946 - 548: Human Flesh Repayment (Double-Length) (2)

He Taixiong's remaining companions all nodded in agreement; it was obvious there was deception, so how could they just follow him to their deaths? Knowing some of Chen Yi's background, He Taixiong hesitated a bit.

Faced with this situation, Yin Weiyin sighed inwardly.

These people hadn't enough experience dealing with Chen Yi. Even the Taichua Goddess, after multiple encounters, only occasionally got the upper hand, and it took years to finally trap him.

Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue were already making a move, and the attendant clapped his hands, with another attendant joining to lead them along with a sword.

Dong Peng and the others were no fools to walk into a trap; none of them moved. When He Taixiong wanted to follow, he was immediately pulled back by the group.

"Brother He, there's definitely deception."

"Since he's so capable, let him go to his death instead."

"Let's not get involved."

With just a few whispers, He Taixiong decided not to follow, and the group remained where they were.

The attendant smiled at them, patiently waiting for their discussion, his smile growing even more amiable.

After a while, seeing no one spoke up again, the attendant asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, have you finished your discussion?"

Taking advantage of the moment, Dong Peng said: "We're not going."

Before he finished speaking,

all the pedestrians on the street suddenly turned around simultaneously, stopping their actions, with hundreds of empty eyes staring straight at them.

The attendant eerily chuckled,

"Heh heh heh, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

......

Chen Yi had just carried the coffin and led Yin Tingxue upstairs not long ago, and from the railing on the balcony, he saw He Taixiong's group being led into the restaurant by the attendant.

Before Chen Yi could say anything, Yin Weiyin thought to himself that it was indeed as expected.

Having known him for a long time, the female crown understood long ago that most of the time, going against Chen Yi directly might not benefit, but going the opposite way would definitely lead to unfavorable results.

It's just a pity that most who opposed Chen Yi this way died, and only a few, full of wit and strategies, survived. She, Yin Weiyin, was one of them.

As for the others, Xiao Yin always quietly followed his decisions, and Donggong Ruoshu just lay on the coffin lid and went nowhere, never completely opposing him, knowing not the dire consequences of going against him.

The two groups met again on the balcony, Dong Peng and the others with slightly pale faces, unable to hide their awkward embarrassment, while Chen Yi expressionlessly cupped his fist in greeting.

He glanced down at the Green Grain Flying Sword.

Earlier, the Green Grain Flying Sword had an odd reaction. Though it's known that swords can have a spirit, this one seemed overly spirited, showing a full range of emotions, even occasionally tilting its tip…

Chen Yi couldn't help but wonder if this flying sword was truly just an ordinary spirited sword?

After taking a seat, Chen Yi first surveyed the balcony. When he went upstairs earlier, he saw the restaurant was luxuriously decorated, and now on the balcony, it was even more so, indicating the owner here was not ordinary and surely knew something.

If not, extracting souls would suffice.

Soon, dish after dish was served on the table—sweet and sour fish, braised pork, three-delicious vegetables, salted duck… Each dish was full of color, aroma, and flavor, making one's appetite whet, but with the previous experience, no one touched their chopsticks.

"Why isn't anyone eating? Waiting for me to join the table?"

With a clear voice like a breeze, they turned to see a gentle and refined man in Confucian attire gracefully approaching.

None of them picked up their chopsticks, and Dong Peng and the others looked at Lü Leshan with wary and hostile gazes, while on the other side, Yin Tingxue dared not look around, and Chen Yi, remaining calm, simply cupped his fist towards Lü Leshan.

"Is it not to your taste? Although Yunyun Building's dishes may not compare to elsewhere, they are a specialty here. Hmm, why are you all just staring at me?"

Lü Leshan displayed graceful and refined manners, leisurely pouring wine for everyone.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back and asked, "Who exactly are you, and what kind of place is this marketplace?!"

Lü Leren feigned a surprised expression and said, "What kind of place? Since you all walked in on your own, what else could it be?"

Chen Yi's eyes narrowed slightly. He had asked a similar question before and received a similar answer. Now he understood that these people spoke ambiguously, avoiding mentioning the name of this place...

Why couldn't the name be mentioned?

Was there something odd about the name, or would mentioning it expose the marketplace to the eyes of Dragon and Tiger Mountain?

Lü Leren poured the wine, but did not take a seat. He held the neck of the wine pot between two fingers and shook it gently. Pouring himself a cup, he asked, "Does anyone know what the most precious thing in the Demon Refining Abyss is?"

Before He Taixiong could speak, Dong Peng pressed the hilt of his sword and sneered, "It can't be the rotten vegetables on your table."

"It's people," Lü Leren said leisurely. "Demons crave humans like they crave blood, yet there are no living people here all year round."

His words made everyone's hair stand on end, and the group of Jianghu men were furious, ready to rise at any moment.

Lü Leren squinted his eyes, seemingly realizing this group was beyond communication, then turned his gaze to Chen Yi, who had been silent from beginning to end.

He directly laughed and said, "These people can be killed to settle things. What does this young master think?"

As his blunt words landed, the group was not the least bit discreet, causing the men to stand still in great anger.

Immediately, someone slammed the table and stood up, "Who are you, and what do you mean by this? I, Laozi, hate beating around the bush!"

Lü Leren ignored them, as if they were nothing more than fish or meat on a chopping block. When the knife stabs down, pigs, cows, sheep, and fish all scream, it's all the same—anger, cries, wails—but ultimately meaningless.

He just stared at Chen Yi and said, "I see you're more capable than they are. We don't need to hide anything. You have a Flying Sword, you're from Dragon and Tiger Mountain, hmm? No matter how things go, they cannot handle us. Even without working together, I alone am enough."

He spoke eloquently, with no pleasantries, as if the two had known each other a long time.

Seeing no response, as if there were doubts, Lü Leren moved in closer.

Before Chen Yi made a move, the Flying Sword buzzed, hovering between the two of them. Lü Leren straightened up and clapped his hands, laughing, "What a fine sword! I wonder how much demon blood it has tasted? Does it want to try some human blood?"

At this moment, Chen Yi moved the Flying Sword aside and asked back, "What's the shopkeeper's name?"

"Surname Lü, given name Leren, with no courtesy name," Lü Leren smiled kindly. "As long as you nod, we're unmade good brothers. In the future, you'll be responsible for luring people into the Demon Refining Abyss, and I'll handle the business, making this restaurant flourish."

From the moment he recognized Chen Yi's Daoist identity, Lü Leren had an idea grow in his mind. These martial artists were not worth much, just kill and feast on them, but this Daoist was different, he seemed... a bit dangerous. Since this was the case, cooperating wouldn't hurt.

Moreover, on him, there was a hint of the White Lotus Sect.

Lü Leren continued, "Don't think there's no benefit for you. You Daoists most need items like Demon Cores and Demon Bones for alchemy and treasure refining. The Demon Refining Abyss has no shortage of these; in fact, it's overflowing. My restaurant supplies the Great Demons in the Abyss, trading for endless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."

"All those Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures... where do they come from?"

"How else? Children beget children, grandchildren beget grandchildren, endlessly..."

As his words fell, Yin Tingxue shuddered beside him.

Lü Leren noticed and asked with a smile, "Little girl, what are you afraid of?"

"...So...so cruel."

"Cruel?" Lü Leren smiled peacefully, "You mortals can eat your children; why can't we demons?"

At that moment, the Jianghu people couldn't hold back anymore. They stood up, seizing their weapons, glancing at the shadows flickering behind the screen. Taking another look, the entire restaurant was surrounded, their faces turning pale.

"Guests, don't be anxious. Why not try this Drunken Shrimp first?"

Lü Leren tapped the glass cup with chopsticks, and the translucent shrimps twitched in the yellow wine.

He Taixiong also slammed the table and stood up, "I, Laozi, hate beating around the bush!"

His thick-backed knife split the shrimp cup, spilling liquid onto the blue brick floor, sizzling and smoking.

"Oh dear, do you all know that in the Demon Refining Abyss, wasting food…"

Lü Leren looked regretfully at the shrimps on the ground, lightly waving his Bone Fan, as black fumes rose around, chilling the atmosphere to the core,

"Demands payment in human flesh."

Finishing his words, he looked again at Chen Yi, silently asking: What do you think?

Chen Yi glanced at him, then asked, "Where is this place?"

"Heh, where could it be? You agree, I'll tell you where this is."

"Is this market actually a giant monster?"

As the words reached his ears, Lü Leren's face changed drastically.

He turned abruptly, suddenly erupting, swinging his fan intending to smash Chen Yi to pieces!