Demonic Calamity Across the Heavens: Starting with Little Li's Flying Dagger

Chapter 43 Cleverness is Tiring, The Little Tavern [Bonus Chapter for Winter Solstice]

Long Xiaoyun's death may be related to the Lianhua Baojian!

This intuition came unexpectedly.

But as a martial arts master, Wei Wu chose to trust his intuition.

However, he didn't ask Lin Shiyin a question. Instead, he put one hand behind his back, played with the jade in the other, and chuckled as he said:

"Too clever by half, he outsmarted himself and lost his life!"

His heart was broken in life, and his spirit is empty in death.

A wealthy and peaceful family will eventually perish; a family will fall apart and its members will scatter in all directions.

All in vain, half a lifetime of anxious thoughts; like a fleeting dream in the dead of night.

It crashed down like a great building collapsing, and dimmed down like a lamp about to go out.

Ah! A moment of joy turns to sorrow. Alas, the world is ever uncertain! (Cao Xueqin, "The Burden of Cleverness")

A quote titled "Smartness is Tiring" summed up the matter.

Li Xunhuan leaned dejectedly against the coffin, the Little Li Flying Dagger in his hand had long since fallen to the ground, his black hair was now like tangled weeds, with glaring white hair scattered among it.

Lin Shiyin remained silent, her gaze falling on the three men she had the closest relationship with in her past life: her cousin Li Xunhuan, who gave him away to someone else; her husband Long Xiaoyun, who loved her but was treacherous; and her son Long Xiaoyun, who was cute but had a vicious heart.

Two dead and one injured.

Perhaps, this is my fate?

Outside, the wind and snow were biting cold, chilling Lin Shiyin to the bone. She tightened her clothes and whispered:

"housekeeper."

The steward of Xingyun Manor—Lin Xian'er's biological father—hurriedly stepped forward, his heart pounding.

"The Long family is really having a tough time. First, the head of the family lost his son in middle age, and then his wife lost her husband at his funeral. This is probably bad luck!"

If it were any other family's butler, they would be overjoyed if such a big thing happened to their master. But when it comes to taking advantage of someone's family, it's not just about kinship!

But too many things happened to the Long family, and they were too tragic.

Butler Lin was not very knowledgeable, but he liked to gamble, so he believed in luck even more.

He felt that the feng shui of Li Garden was too good, and Long Xiaoyun could not control it. Even if he seized it by trickery and force, it would only get worse and worse in his hands. Now, his wife, whom he had painstakingly obtained, was still there, but he and his son were gone. He was about to see the things return to the Li family. What was the point of all this?

Therefore, Steward Lin had no intention of taking advantage of the family's misfortune. On the contrary, he was even more attentive, preparing to quickly finish the funeral arrangements for the master and then find another place to settle down.

Lin Xian'er?

That daughter was too ambitious; he knew long ago that he couldn't control her, and he was too lazy to try and take advantage of her.

If your social circle is too different from others, you'll easily be overshadowed by their brilliance!

The front hall was bustling with activity, and the onlookers quietly dispersed. The gossip had been a bit bitter, but also quite satisfying.

The entanglement between Long Xiaoyun and Li Xunhuan back then wasn't unknown to anyone, but rather that no one mentioned it over the years due to Li Xunhuan's reputation and Long Xiaoyun's abilities.

Now that one is heartbroken and the other is dead, their past has been dug up.

Many people praise Li Xunhuan for his benevolence and righteousness, but secretly curse him as an "idiot." Yet, deep down, don't they all wish for a brother like Li Xunhuan?

The more popular topic is Wei Wu's strength.

There is a small tavern at the back gate of Xingyun Manor. The tavern owner is an old hunchback. Although he has been working there for more than 20 years, the place is small and remote, so there are never many customers.

He was lucky today; a dozen tables of guests flocked in, keeping him extremely busy.

Swah——

The curtain was lifted again, and the wind blew in the remaining snow. Many guests who were close to the door threw down their chopsticks and blurted out "Damn it!"

But upon seeing who it was, he immediately shrank back and exclaimed, "Manager, we have a distinguished guest!"

The newcomers were an old man with white hair and a blue shirt, and a pretty young woman with a long braid.

People in the underworld are the most reckless. They risk their lives and don't hold back in their words and actions. When they see a pretty young girl, they might make a few teasing remarks, or even touch her.

But seeing such a beautiful girl today, not to mention that her hands weren't clean, she was extremely respectful to everyone, calling him "Grandpa Sun" and "Miss Sun" repeatedly, showing him great deference.

Sun Baifa looked around and immediately spotted a young man happily eating a pot of wine and two dishes at a table in the corner. There were still a few empty seats at the table, so he led Sun Xiaohong there.

The young man looked up.

He was a handsome young man. Judging from his clothes, you could tell he wasn't doing well, but looking into his eyes, you could tell he was a resilient person.

It's like an unfinished sword; though it has killed people and is stained with blood, it has never been sharpened.

In the past, when Sun Baifa saw such a promising talent, he would definitely put in some effort to give him some pointers.

But upon seeing the boy's face today, the old man paused for a moment, then abandoned his thoughts and gave Sun Xiaohong a wink.

Sun Xiaohong, being a quick-witted girl, called out to the hunchbacked old man, "Shopkeeper, I'd like a pot of warm wine, a plate of fennel beans, and a plate of dried bean curd."

There were countless people in the tavern who wanted to curry favor with Sun Baifa, and upon hearing what Sun Xiaohong wanted, someone immediately laughed:

"Miss Sun is a thrifty and hardworking woman. However, we respect our elders and cannot enjoy the fine wine and food while watching Grandpa Sun eat dried tofu."

"Shopkeeper, bring out whatever good wine and food you have! Today's expenses will be on me, 'Thunderbolt Hand' Lei Yunzhen!"

Sun Baifa didn't refuse and nodded to the man.

Sun Xiaohong smiled and said thank you.

The atmosphere in the tavern instantly became lively again.

After a few drinks, someone, emboldened by the alcohol, immediately asked:

"Grandpa Sun, has your 'Heavenly Secret Staff' really lost to the Smiling Impermanence?"

The tavern fell silent as soon as he said that.

Even the old hunchback who sold wine was stunned, staring fixedly at Sun Baifa.

Sun Baifa gave a faint "hmm".

Sun Xiaohong clapped her hands and laughed, "It's not just that we lost, our sticks were even broken!"

Sun Baifa glared angrily at his granddaughter, then smacked his lips twice, finding his mouth tasteless. He took a sip of wine before saying, "Losing is losing, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that Wei Wu is a kind-hearted fellow who spared this old man's life."

"This, this..." Lei Yunzhen stammered, "Even if 'The Smiling Impermanence' wins, it might not be able to harm you, sir?"

"We're all in this game. As people get older, we have to accept it. No matter how capable you are, how much of your skills can you retain at my age?"

Having wandered the world for decades, immersed in fame and fortune, it's better for the young to be suddenly awakened than to one day find themselves powerless and realize they're no longer young, only to lose their lives in the process.

"Old man, it's time to retire from the life of crime and enjoy your golden years!"

Sun Baifa's lament made the group of people in the tavern sigh and the drinking games intensify.

Just then, the tavern curtains moved again.

Two tall men dressed in apricot-yellow clothes pulled open the curtains on the left and right. The wind and snow rushed in, but the two men stood stiffly outside like wooden statues, looking like two door gods.

The crowd shouted and cursed.

Finally, four burly men walked in from outside. They were all dressed in apricot-yellow long robes with black belts around their waists, from which hung several copper coins.

The four men stood in pairs at the entrance, arms crossed, staring at the people inside the tavern.

Everyone fell silent.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The heavy sound seemed to strike everyone's hearts, causing them to crane their necks to see who it was.

With a scarred face and a single iron crutch, he was none other than Zhuge Gang, the eighth weapon on the Weapon Ranking, known as "Diamond Iron Cudgel".

But the young man beside him was not Shangguan Fei!