Chapter 273 - 157 Posthouse Standoff_2

A few people knew Lin Miaomiao’s temper. Upon hearing her, they immediately fell silent, their gazes involuntarily drifting toward Gu Sheng.

"To the relay station!"

At Lin Miaomiao’s command, the Holy Pill Sect members sprang into action. One of them roughly hoisted Liu Erhu by the collar and dragged him along. However, they dared not treat Gu Sheng the same way. Lin Miaomiao personally approached Gu Sheng’s side.

"Brother Gu, we need to head to the relay station to gather some information. Could I trouble you to come along?"

Gu Sheng didn’t move but instead gestured towards the person carrying the bulky packs. He spoke up, "Among those Stone-breaking Crossbows, one was bought with my own money. Could I have it back? And that wooden box is also my weapon."

The Stone-breaking Crossbows were incredibly valuable, with twelve of them costing over two hundred thousand taels. Lin Miaomiao and her people had seized them all, along with the wooden box that had contained Gu Sheng’s Thirsty Blood Battle Axe.

The person carrying the spoils quickly took out a Stone-breaking Crossbow, placed it in the wooden box, and set it before Gu Sheng. He also helpfully added a fully stocked quiver of arrows in front of Gu Sheng.

Lin Miaomiao’s attitude had already indicated Gu Sheng’s special status. These people weren’t foolish; naturally, they sought to curry favor with him.

After returning the items, the man seized the opportunity to smile and say, "Brother Gu Sheng, I’m Mo Buwen from War God Peak’s outer sect. I hope you’ll look out for me in the future!"

Noticing the twenty-some arrows Mo Buwen had thoughtfully included, Gu Sheng smiled and replied, "Of course, of course! We’re brothers in the sect now—looking out for one another is only right!"

The Wind Thunder Bird, despite its intelligence, was still different from humans. It couldn’t fully grasp the shift in dynamics among the group. It only knew that the person who injured it hadn’t been adequately punished, so it continued to chatter incessantly while sticking close to Lin Miaomiao, its gaze filled with grievance. It was clear the little creature was throwing a tantrum.

As Lin Miaomiao’s pet, the Wind Thunder Bird had been with her for many years and had developed a deep bond. Seeing its broken leg broke Lin Miaomiao’s heart, but given Gu Sheng’s peculiar background, there was little she could do. All she could do was attempt to soothe the bird’s emotions.

This scene left Gu Sheng feeling rather awkward.

Everyone in the group except Gu Sheng and Liu Erhu had cultivation at the level of the Bronze Bone Realm. With Lin Miaomiao’s urgency to reach their destination, their travel pace was exceedingly fast. Liu Erhu, unable to keep up, was carried along by two Holy Pill Sect disciples, each grabbing a shoulder as if he were a chick. Fortunately, Gu Sheng avoided such indignity by using his Wind Thunder Leg technique to mask his struggles.

By the time they reached the relay station, Liu Erhu’s legs were bloody and mangled, his skin and flesh utterly ruined. Yet, despite his condition, he didn’t dare utter a word of complaint. Instead, he wore a forced smile and thanked the two Holy Pill Sect disciples dragging him, saying, "Thank you for your hard work!"

There was no other choice—he was powerless and without influence. Being alive at all was thanks to Lin Miaomiao and her group being relatively merciful. If it were the Thousand Poison Sect or Mad Saber Sect disciples in their place, he would likely have been left a corpse by the roadside long ago.

During the journey, Liu Erhu conversed extensively with Gu Sheng. Feeling pity for him, Gu Sheng applied his own healing medicine powder to Liu Erhu’s wounds.

Upon arrival at the relay station, Lin Miaomiao’s expression turned grave as a murderous aura emanated from her.

"Surround this place. Don’t let a single fly escape without my permission!"

The Holy Pill Sect disciples immediately shouted "Yes!" in unison before drawing their weapons and encircling the relay station.

The commotion outside quickly drew the attention of those within the relay station.

Lin Miaomiao and her group made no effort to conceal their presence. The proprietress behind the counter, Lin Qing, instantly sensed the hostility. The diners, mid-meal, froze with chopsticks in hand and turned toward the commotion outside.

Lin Qing, known for her fiery temper, threw down her brush and cursed loudly, "Ha! Someone dares to act up here? I’d like to see which damned fool has the guts to make trouble on my turf!"

Her voice carried far, reaching Lin Miaomiao outside loud and clear.

As Lin Qing stepped outside, Lin Miaomiao’s expression stiffened. "Lin Qing, you’ve got some nerve! How dare you insult members of the Holy Pill Sect? What punishment do you think you deserve?"

Upon seeing Lin Miaomiao, Lin Qing rolled her eyes.

"So it’s Miaomiao. Aren’t we family? By rights, you should be calling me cousin. But here you are, throwing such accusations at me? I can’t bear it! Enough already. Whatever it is—eating or staying the night—I’ll cover it. Happy?"

Though the Holy Pill Sect carried an intimidating reputation, it didn’t faze Lin Qing. Her husband held a prominent position in the Governor Mansion, and the relay station was officially under its control. Lin Miaomiao leveraging the Holy Pill Sect’s prestige here was far from convincing, as both women implicitly represented their respective factions: the Holy Pill Sect and the Red Cloud Prefecture’s Governor Mansion. Lin Qing wasn’t about to back down.

Lin Miaomiao’s gaze burned with fury. The air between the two felt more charged with animosity than familial connection.

Lin Miaomiao snorted coldly, drawing her longsword with a crisp ring. She pointed it directly at Lin Qing. "Lin Qing! Tell me honestly—what’s the background of the people you helped recruit last night?"

Lin Qing’s gaze shifted to Gu Sheng and Liu Erhu. Her brow furrowed slightly, a look of surprise flashing across her face. Internally, she speculated, "What on earth is the Mu family trading company up to? Could they have stolen something from the Holy Pill Sect?"

This matter had the potential to escalate into a conflict between sects, something Lin Qing had intended to avoid. She’d simply been looking to make a bit of side income—not invite massive trouble. She scowled. "You realize what you’re saying, right? Lots of people head into Thunder Wood Mountain to search for Iron Thunder Wood, Thunder Fruits, and to hunt Thunder Beasts. If someone was short on manpower and I helped recruit for them, isn’t that normal? It’s what I do! I handle inquiries like that multiple times a day. How am I supposed to know who exactly you’re asking about?"

Lin Miaomiao practically bristled with rage, her hair almost standing on end. She glared daggers at Lin Qing, her body radiating a biting killing intent.

"Lin Qing! Let me warn you: don’t play games with me! The Holy Pill Sect recently had a batch of Triple-patterned Iron Thunder Wood and four Thunder Fruits stolen from our cultivation site on Thunder Wood Mountain. These were precious materials Elder Huang of Spirit Pill Peak prepared for his son’s breakthrough! You’d better come clean, or next time, it won’t be me asking questions—it’ll be Elder Huang himself!"

Lin Qing frowned deeply. She instantly grasped the severity of the situation.

The Triple-patterned Iron Thunder Wood and Thunder Fruits were incredibly valuable, and Elder Huang Chengyun of Spirit Pill Peak was infamous in the Red Cloud Prefecture for his pettiness.

This significant loss wouldn’t go unanswered.

Cold sweat began to bead on Lin Qing’s forehead, betraying her inner anxiety.

"The Mu family trading company has some nerve, stealing from Huang Chengyun no less. To think they only paid me five hundred taels for such a risky job. What a rip-off. I’ll have to find a way to demand proper compensation later!"

After internally deliberating, Lin Qing came up with a strategy.

"Miaomiao, I swear I don’t know anything! The group I recruited included just a Bronze Bone Realm cultivator, a stranger. Who would’ve thought they’d have the audacity to target the Holy Pill Sect’s property? Even if Elder Huang himself were here, the answer would still be the same: I really don’t know! Are you expecting me to just make something up?"

Lin Qing had taken money to provide a service. But the Mu family trading company held considerable influence, and exposing the incident might land her in trouble from both sides. Lin Qing resolved to play innocent and disentangle herself from the matter.

Without solid evidence, even Huang Chengyun couldn’t do much against her. Besides, holding onto the secret gave Lin Qing leverage to extract additional benefits from Mu Qinghe’s group later.

Seeing that even invoking Huang Chengyun’s name wasn’t enough to pressure Lin Qing into cooperating, Lin Miaomiao found herself at a dead end.

Not only did the relay station have the Governor Mansion behind it, but its defenses also made a direct confrontation unwise.

Lin Miaomiao shot Lin Qing a venomous glare. "Lin Qing, some money is cursed to burn in your hands! If you ever slip up, Elder Huang will undoubtedly cut you down! Out of familial consideration, I suggest you come clean now while you still can—turn a serious matter into a minor one."