Chapter 330: “Confession”

Gu Ning’an and the black-clad swordsman locked eyes for a moment. After exchanging polite smiles, they each looked away.

Not far away, Huang Erniang walked over to the counter, picked up a teapot, and grabbed two teacups before heading to a table beside the black-clad swordsman.

“Who’s annoyed with you… I’m already frustrated enough, so don’t provoke me.” As she spoke, Huang Erniang poured two cups of tea and casually picked up one to drink.

Seeing this, the black-clad swordsman set his longsword on the table and naturally picked up a teacup, taking a sip before asking with concern, “I’ve already heard about it—your inn’s staff were sentenced to the Hunting Arena for allegedly murdering two demon cultivators by order of Magistrate Wei.”

“As soon as I got the news, I rushed back from outside the city to see if I could help you.”

Upon hearing this, Huang Erniang held her teacup and shook her head. “Forget it, this is a mess you shouldn’t get involved in. I have my own way to deal with it.”

“You have a way?” The black-clad swordsman looked skeptical. “That’s the Hunting Arena we’re talking about—it’s practically a death sentence!”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to take their place in the arena?”

Huang Erniang nodded. “That’s right. What else can I do?”

“What else?”

The black-clad swordsman sighed helplessly. “It’s one thing to help people when you can, but this is clearly beyond your ability to change. Why are you still throwing yourself into this?”

Huang Erniang waved him off. “If you’re here to discourage me, I suggest you leave early.”

“Oh?”

The black-clad swordsman suddenly changed his tone and smiled. “I went out of my way to call in a favor and get information about their current situation. If you don’t want to hear it, then I’ll just leave.”

With that, he picked up his sword and made a move to leave.

However, Innkeeper Hua remained completely still, not even bothering to lift her eyelids.

Seeing this, the black-clad swordsman could only chuckle awkwardly and sit back down. “You… you really have me figured out, huh?”

Huang Erniang replied expressionlessly, “Who has you figured out? Say what you want, or don’t say anything at all.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll talk!”

After settling back into his seat, the black-clad swordsman began, “I’ve already sent people to investigate. Normally, when prisoners arrive at the Hunting Arena, they at least get to sleep through the night before being thrown into the fight.”

“But today’s incident caused too much commotion—word has spread all over the city.”

“On top of that, Mi Youfu lost two of his men in your inn. Whether or not your staff killed them doesn’t matter—he’s putting all the blame on you.”

“He can’t deal with you directly for now, but he can take it out on your staff.”

“So, he spent two hundred taels of silver to ensure that the staff of the Taste of Freshness Inn would be thrown into the arena immediately—”

“What?!”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

Huang Erniang shot to her feet, her presence flaring up instantly—like an enraged lioness!

Seeing that she was about to rush out, the black-clad swordsman quickly got up to block her path. “Lady Hua, calm down! Let me finish, let me finish… Their match won’t start until midnight—there’s still over an hour left!”

“Duan Chen, hurry up and speak!” Innkeeper Hua demanded coldly.

Hearing the icy tone in her voice, the black-clad swordsman quickly continued, “I’ve come up with two possible solutions.”

“One is to throw money at it—keep raising the price so other matches get pushed ahead of your staff’s turn.”

“The other is the simplest approach—I’ll enter the arena with you, and we’ll fight our way through to save them.”

Hearing this, Innkeeper Hua’s eyes flickered slightly, but then she shook her head. “To rescue them in the arena, we’d have to win at least five rounds based on the match rotation. There’s also the possibility of facing opponents far stronger than us.”

“I appreciate your kindness, but risking your life with me is out of the question…”

“Lady Hua!”

The ever-smiling black-clad swordsman suddenly became serious. He stood up and said solemnly, “You and I have known each other since before we even gained wisdom. You should understand my feelings for you.”

“If anything happens to you this time, I, Duan Chen, will stop at nothing to avenge you!”

“So rather than throwing our lives away one by one, why not join forces? Perhaps in the midst of crisis, we might just find a way to survive.”

Faced with this sudden “confession,” Innkeeper Hua did not show much joy. Instead, she looked troubled.

She hesitated for a moment before responding, “Duan Chen, you know that I have a husband…”

“But he’s already dead, isn’t he?” the black-clad swordsman immediately retorted.

Innkeeper Hua shook her head. “Even if he’s gone, I still have a husband… I, Huang Erniang, will only ever have one husband in my lifetime.”

“Duan Chen, if you’re looking for someone, there are plenty of good women out there. Why insist on clinging to a widow like me?”

Hearing this, the black-clad swordsman’s gaze dimmed. He let out a bitter laugh, picked up his longsword, and walked toward the inn’s entrance. In a steady voice, he declared, “At 45 minutes past the hour of the Boar, meet me at the entrance of the Hunting Arena!”

“Hey!” Innkeeper Hua was about to stop him, but before she could say another word, the swordsman’s figure flickered and vanished.

Already overwhelmed by the troubles with her inn assistants, Innkeeper Hua now found her mind in even greater turmoil after this blunt “confession.”

At that moment, in her daze, she caught sight of the white-clad man sitting in the corner, quietly sipping his tea.

It was only then that she remembered there was still an outsider present, making her feel incredibly awkward. Forcing a laugh, she said, “Mr. Gu, I must have made a fool of myself in front of you…”

“It’s nothing,” Gu Ning’an replied, waving his hand as he stood up and walked toward her.

Once he was close, he took out a few taels of silver and handed them over. “Innkeeper Hua, this is for today’s tea and meal, as well as payment for the next few days’ lodging in advance.”

Seeing this, Innkeeper Hua smiled and pushed the silver back toward him. “Mr. Gu, you can forget about the money. There’s no one left to serve guests in the inn anyway. Just stay here as long as you need, and I won’t charge you for the room.”

“If you want tea, wine, or food, feel free to take whatever’s left in the kitchen. Help yourself.”

“After all, this inn will probably change hands soon. Might as well let you make good use of what’s left rather than leaving it for whoever comes next.”

“Then I won’t be polite with you, Innkeeper Hua,” Gu Ning’an said, pocketing the silver. He paused for a moment before adding, “But I do have one thing to remind you about.”

Innkeeper Hua nodded. “Mr. Gu, please speak freely.”

Gu Ning’an said calmly, “The one watching the inn during the day was none other than the black-clad swordsman who just left.”

Innkeeper Hua looked stunned. “Sir, Duan Chen is my childhood friend—we’ve known each other since we were kids…”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “I heard. I merely wanted to remind you, Innkeeper Hua. Nothing more…”