Chapter 271 The storm is coming
In Dayang Mountain, the morning light broke and the dawn began to appear on the horizon, but a thin mist filled the mountain.

Deep in the valley, a seemingly ordinary courtyard stands quietly. It is actually one of the many hidden snake dens in Dayang Mountain.

Before the night was over, a burst of subtle and hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the surroundings. Zhao Ji and Xiao Mei led the elite Qianniu Guards, silently approaching the courtyard and quickly and orderly deploying them outside the courtyard wall.

Zhao Ji raised his arm and made a gesture of preparing to attack, then waved his hand violently, signaling to start the action.

Shen Tao understood what he meant and quickly directed the Qianniu Guards to climb over the low wall cleanly and neatly and enter the yard.

Inside the house, two young killers were still asleep, unaware of the coming storm.

Until the door was kicked open by Shen Tao, the light outside and the imminent crisis came at the same time. The two men sat up in shock and instinctively drew out their steel knives in an attempt to resist.

Shen Tao shouted and swung his sword. The Qianniu Guards rushed forward and attacked with their swords. One of them was killed instantly.

Seeing that Shen Tao had a lot of people with him, the other man kicked the window open, jumped out, and prepared to run away.

However, the man was pulled in mid-air, and then he felt that his body lost control, he felt dizzy and fell to the ground.

It was Zhao Ji who took action and caught the killer in mid-air.

A Qianniu Guard had already rushed over and grabbed the killer's arms. Another Qianniu Guard held a rope, put it around his shoulders and tied his arms tightly.

Zhao Ji patted his clothes leisurely and walked towards the killer.

Qianniuwei picked him up, and Xiaomei walked up to the killer and asked, "Which hall are you from?"

The killer raised his head tremblingly, trying to cover up: "What...what's the point? Girl, we are peaceful and kind people, we are hunters in the mountains."

Xiaomei sneered with disdain: "Hunter? Don't try to play tricks on me here. This is the ninth snake den of the Snake Spirit. You are the Snake Spirit's spies!"

The killer's face changed drastically when he heard this, and he asked in a lost voice: "How...how did you know?"

Xiaomei looked stern and said in a deep voice: "It's okay to tell you, I am the head of the Ninth Hall, Xiaomei!"

The killer was shocked and incredulous: "It's... it's you? Haven't you already..."

Xiaomei's patience had run out. She gently placed the blade against the killer's neck and threatened him coldly, "Stop talking nonsense. I'll ask you again, which hall are you from?"

The killer quickly shrank his head back and stammered, "Don't...don't do it. I'm from the headquarters."

Xiaomei nodded slightly, turned her gaze to Zhao Ji, and gestured: "Like the previous few, they are all subordinates of Xiao Qingfang. It seems that the snake holes around have been replaced by Xiao Qingfang's people."

"Take him away!" Zhao had no interest in asking more questions and waved his hand.

Shen Tao and others quickly stepped forward and escorted the killer away. The Qianniu Guards then withdrew, leaving Zhao Ji and Xiaomei alone.

"How many snake holes are there nearby?" Zhao Ji lowered his voice, his tone anxious.

Xiaomei smiled and said, "It's still early. There should be more than a dozen of them. They are everywhere within a ten-mile radius! At this rate of clearing, plus the rush of travel, it will take another half a day!"

Zhao Ji looked at the sky and couldn't help but sigh, his brows full of annoyance: "Where is Yuan Tiangang now?"

Xiaomei noticed that Zhao Ji was not in a good condition and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Zhao Ji took a deep breath, adjusted his mood and said, "It's okay!"

Xiaomei comforted him again: "If we don't remove the snake holes along the way, our whereabouts will be exposed, and Xiao Qingfang will react. Don't be impatient!"

Zhao Ji nodded heavily and closed his eyes: "I know, Yuan Tiangang, this old turtle, is hiding really well!"

Zhao Ji exhaled and opened his eyes. An evil wind blew across the mountain, dispersing the fog and causing the trees in the distance to sway.

"got windy……"
-
Almost at the same time when the dawn broke, the sky was just beginning to turn pale.

Li Yuanfang and Ruyan were afraid of delaying the treatment of the poison in Kui Wenzhong, so they said goodbye to the old man early in the morning and headed for the so-called small town, Tuoladi.

This is a small town built along the mountain, located in the deepest part of Dayang Mountain. There are only seventy or eighty households in the town, and a short street runs through the town.

It is strange to say, although it is small, it has everything. There are many shops on the street in this small town with only seventy or eighty households, including a pharmacy.

This place seems to be a natural gathering place for the surrounding mountain villages. The streets are bustling with people, and the scene is full of vitality.

Li Yuanfang and Ruyan led horses, with heavy bags containing Kui Wenzhong on their backs, and shuttled through the bustling crowd.

Ruyan looked around and whispered, "Is this the town that the old man was talking about?"

Li Yuanfang nodded: "It should be."

As he spoke, he looked around, and suddenly his eyes fixed on a medicine store not far away. Li Yuanfang's eyes lit up, and he said to Ruyan, "Ruyan, see, there is a medicine store over there!"

Ruyan nodded in response, but she could not hide a trace of worry between her brows. She whispered: "Yuanfang, I don't know why, but I always have a bad feeling in my heart."

Li Yuanfang was stunned when he heard this and asked, "Oh, what premonition?"

Ruyan shook her head: "I can't really say, I just have a vague feeling that something is going to happen."

Li Yuanfang frowned upon hearing this and carefully observed the people and buildings around him, but he could not see anything unusual.

He remembered Zhao Ji's parting words: "...Think more about the affairs of Youzhou and Pingzhou, and think more about the style of the Snake Spirit!"

Li Yuanfang thought about Youzhou: "When I was in Youzhou, I remember going through a ghost town called Yaojiapu with Chengyuan, but there was no one there..."

Li Yuanfang glanced at the people around him again, carefully observing their expressions, clothes, and behaviors, but he really couldn't see anything wrong.

He turned to Ruyan: "These are ordinary people! Even if the snake spirit killers were to attack, they would not choose to attack in the daytime, let alone in such a busy town!"

Upon hearing this, Ruyan forced a smile and said nothing more.

Li Yuanfang smiled and consoled him, "You haven't had enough rest recently. I think you should find an inn to stay in first, and then I'll go to the pharmacy to get some medicine."

Ruyan nodded: "Maybe."

Li Yuanfang pointed to the wine sign in front and said, "That's the inn."

It’s a small country inn without even a name, just the word “inn”, but it’s still quite lively. The first floor is a restaurant and the second floor is accommodation.

Li Yuanfang and Ruyan led the horses all the way to the store door.

The waiter in the store was quick-witted and came to greet them with a smile on his face: "My two guests, do you want to eat or stay in the hotel?"

Li Yuanfang observed the store calmly and replied, "Stay in the store!"

When the waiter heard that you wanted to stay at the hotel, he smiled even more: "Judging from your dress and accent, you are from another place, right?"

Li Yuanfang smiled and said, "Yes, I am a passerby who wants to stay the night."

The waiter boasted: "Although this is a small inn, we also have first-class guest rooms."

Li Yuanfang nodded to show his satisfaction: "Okay, then I want two upper rooms."

"Okay! Can I help you with your luggage?" The waiter said as he went forward diligently to carry the luggage.

Li Yuanfang quickly stopped the waiter and said anxiously: "No, no, we can do it ourselves!"

Seeing this, the waiter smiled awkwardly, trotted into the store, and shouted, "Two rooms upstairs!"

Li Yuanfang walked to the horse, picked up the big bag, put it on his shoulder, and walked quickly into the store with Ruyan.

It was lunch time and the store was bustling with people.

The waiter pointed to the staircase on the left side of the inn and said, "This way, please."

The waiter guided the two to the left staircase and gently reminded them, "Please follow me."

Entering the second floor, the waiter pushed open the door and respectfully invited the two to check it out: "This is the upper room prepared for you. Do you like it?"

Li Yuanfang looked around the room, quite satisfied, and nodded in thanks: "Thank you for your help."

The waiter said with a happy face, "You two take a rest first. I'll go get some water for washing your face."

After saying this, he turned and trotted away.

Li Yuanfang gently placed the heavy bag on his shoulders on the couch, and Ruyan carefully closed the door.

After untying the bundle and revealing the unconscious Kui Wenzhong, Li Yuanfang said in surprise, "Ruyan, your Duer monster really works! Look, the black on his face seems to have faded a little!"

Ruyan rushed forward to check and took his pulse. "It's true! His pulse is normal. He shouldn't be in any trouble in the short term, but he needs medical attention as soon as possible. Yuanfang, I'll write a prescription. You go to the pharmacy and get the medicine according to the prescription."

Li Yuanfang smiled and urged, "Write quickly, I'll be there soon!"

Ruyan quickly spread out the paper and ground the ink, and the prescription was ready in an instant. Li Yuanfang took the prescription and walked out the door quickly.

(End of this chapter)