Chapter 1149: The Western Regions, Longmen Inn

Longmen Inn was quite famous in the Central Plains, as it happened to be located at the border between the interior and the exterior regions, on the trade route connecting foreign lands with the Central Plains. It was a must-stop place for many merchants and martial artists from both regions, and it was also a well-known location for issuing missions.
Here, past players could receive missions from the bold and fiery innkeeper, Jin Xiayu…
Players from the criminal underworld could get missions to collect raw materials—hunting down martial artists and selling them to the innkeeper to make human meat buns.
Players from reputable upright factions could receive missions from Cao Huai’an, who stayed at the inn, such as resisting the Jinyiwei or even attacking nearby border spy agencies.
But starting from yesterday, a new Longmen Inn appeared next to the original one. An inn ruin buried in the desert sands suddenly emerged overnight, with clear inscriptions on its sign outside—appearing without any warning less than a mile away from the original Longmen Inn. As a result, the number of merchants and travelers from both regions who rushed to Longmen Inn multiplied dramatically, all eager to see this strange ruin that had appeared out of the sand.
It was also starting from yesterday…
The most common talk among the merchants was about the legend behind this new Longmen Inn—a legendary desert palace!
Yin Hu and his three companions passed by the new Longmen Inn on a day filled with raging sandstorms.
Tiao Zi went inside the ruins of Longmen Inn for a while before quickly returning to the group, his face showing a mix of hesitation and surprise.
Yin Hu noticed this and grew even more puzzled:
“What news did you get?”
“Nothing special.”
Tiao Zi replied with a frown, “Everyone here is talking about the desert palace. It seems like it really exists… And inside, besides engineers, there are also several well-known experts from our Central Plains. They seem to be searching for something, working in groups without saying a word… Brother Yin Hu, I think the sudden appearance of the Longmen Inn ruins must be no coincidence. Otherwise, how could it happen just as the sandstorm subsided, attracting so many curious merchants?”
“Merchants?” Yin Hu was stunned.
Tiao Zi nodded and quickly explained, “Most of the people gathered around Longmen Inn are merchants…”
“What about NPCs?”
Yin Hu’s expression changed, and his tone turned slightly serious.

“NPCs? I haven’t checked that, but it seems there are quite a few of them…” The detective replied after glancing at the ruins of Longmen Inn in the distance.
As soon as he finished speaking, Daozi chimed in, “Brother Silver Fox, the legend of Longmen Inn is probably true—there might really be a treasure worth a kingdom hidden inside!”
“That’s right! This time, the sect leader sent us here to deal with the Imperial Guards. Now that this has happened, what should we do?” Leizi became interested.
Silver Fox glanced at the three of them; he knew exactly what they were thinking.
Having been in the game for so long, they had encountered many tasks, but most of the time they couldn’t participate due to timing or location issues, or because their strength wasn’t enough. Now, after four days of hard training, their martial skills had improved significantly, and their strength had grown substantially. With this task arising earlier than expected at Longmen Inn, they might have a chance to obtain the treasure inside. They didn’t want to miss it.
“The ruins won’t run away. Besides, the sect leader asked us to gather at Longmen Inn, which isn’t far from here. Let’s first complete what the sect leader assigned us, and keep an eye on the Desert Palace for any opportunities.” After saying this, Silver Fox paused and unintentionally uttered a strange remark, “But I find it odd—just as the sect leader called us here, the ruins of Longmen Inn appeared… Could it be too coincidental?”
“…”
Daozi and the others exchanged glances but didn’t respond.
In their view, although Happy was powerful, the Desert Palace probably had nothing to do with him!
“Then let’s hurry…”
“Longmen Inn is right ahead!”
“Let’s go!”
The four of them removed the veils from their hats, tightened their grips on their horses, and the horses immediately sped forward toward the colorful banners fluttering high on the poles in the distance: Longmen Inn!
…
“Yu!!”
Silver Fox and his three companions mixed among the passing crowd and arrived outside Longmen Inn. They quickly noticed the unusual atmosphere there. With a sharp pull, Yu stopped the horse.
The bold and charming owner of Longmen Inn, Jin Xiayu, dressed in a cloth skirt yet still exuding her alluring beauty, stood not far from the entrance, eagerly seeing off a dashing swordsman, her face filled with reluctance as she handed the reins of her mount to him: “Huaian.”
“…Thank you, madam.”
Zhou Huaian remained calm, with a hint of defiance in his expression. Glancing at the people behind him, he said, “I’ll be back soon. Watch over our things.”

Standing behind Zhou Huai’an was a handsome, fair-skinned swordsman who was clearly dissatisfied with Jin Xiayu’s obsequious attitude. With his face turned to the side, his expression of disdain and impatience was evident. Upon hearing Zhou Huai’an’s instructions, the handsome swordsman finally turned around: “Don’t worry.” Zhou Huai’an gave him a deep look before mounting his horse and riding away with a shout of “Go!” The handsome swordsman stared intently at Zhou Huai’an’s retreating figure for a long time before turning his gaze to Jin Xiayu, letting out a cold snort before walking back into the inn. Jin Xiayu, however, did not enter immediately. Instead, she turned her attention to a group of folks from the martial world approaching the inn and eagerly swayed her waist to greet them: “Dear guests, do you want to stay at the inn or just stop by for a while? That kid… where is he? Lazy as ever! Hurry up and come out to serve the guests! Hah! I’m not talking about you. Come on in, please. Lead your horses to the stables—we have top-quality feed.” Jin Xiayu warmly welcomed the group into Longmen Inn… The three groups consisted of Yin Hu and his party, a group of men in black robes with swords, and a group of merchants! Yin Hu and the others acted fairly naturally, staying at the back of the group. But Yin Hu noticed that among the larger group of men in black robes, each one had a sharp gaze and guarded an old man and a young girl with vigilance, deliberately keeping those who approached at a distance. The other group was pushed to the side by these people. Seeing this, Yin Hu, Da Zi, and the other two exchanged an amused look, said nothing, and chose a secluded corner to sit in after entering the inn. There were indeed quite a few guests in the inn. The large first-floor hall had over forty tables, most of which were occupied—people drinking, eating, some engaging in bold drinking contests, others quiet and composed, or loudly discussing business in the Central Plains and the Western Regions. In short, it was a diverse mix of people. Entering the inn, the men in black robes with swords remained highly vigilant. Seeing the scattered empty tables, they went straight to the innkeeper and asked to combine the tables. “Combining tables is quite troublesome.” Entering her own territory, Jin Xiayu shed her gentle, womanly demeanor outside the inn and showed a bold and shrewd attitude. She tilted her head and waved her hand in a flirtatious manner, while her other hand fiddled with the ends of her hair that seemed unused for days: “This is the service fee.”

A bar of silver weighing a hundred taels made Jin Xiayu overjoyed. She quietly stored the silver away, winked at them with her peach-blossom eyes, swayed her waist and hips, and left in a flirtatious manner, saying, “Look at you being so polite… We’re short-staffed here. If you want to help, do it yourselves. We can’t let a young lady do such heavy work.”

Satisfied with the money, Jin Xiayu went off to attend to other guests.

However, the man in black with a knife seemed utterly unbothered by the cost and showed no sign of dissatisfaction. Without hesitation, he sent two people to clear a space in the center of the inn and push the tables together. Under the watchful eyes of many in the inn, the group sat down warily…

But four people remained standing, each taking a position at one of the four corners of the group, staring intently at the guests in those directions.

“Jinyiwei,” the man with the knife glanced around briefly before writing three characters on the table surface with water.

“How did you figure that out?” “Do you mean the plot has started?”

Tiaozi and Leizi both showed surprise, somewhat skeptical.

Although they had heard about the complicated relationships between Longmen Inn and the imperial forces, the situation here was clearly far more intricate than in movies or TV shows. Many people from all walks of life had already taken their seats in Longmen Inn, and several pairs of eyes held hostile intentions. Coupled with rumors about the Desert Palace, they couldn’t be sure if this mission had started by chance at this time!

“Among the three of you, it turns out Daozi is the most perceptive,” Yinhu’s comment indirectly affirmed Daozi’s earlier words.

Daozi grinned proudly and then answered Tiaozi and Leizi’s questions: “Although they’re not wearing the Jinyiwei uniforms, their knives are all from the government. As for the other two who gave themselves away, it’s the old man and the young man.”

“Oh?”

“I saw them as soon as we entered. Their demeanor resembles that of the imperial enforcers, and the old man and the young man walk in a very formal manner, with great ease—definitely high-ranking officials who are used to luxury and can’t change their habits quickly.”

Tiaozi and Leizi were completely convinced now; they indeed hadn’t been as careful as Daozi.

But after explaining, Daozi frowned and scanned the surroundings: “I remember that no one has triggered the plot of Longmen Inn until now. Jin Xiayu and Zhou Huai’an have only been assigning ordinary tasks. The sudden appearance of the plot must mean it was triggered recently.”

“That’s right.”

The Silver Fox nodded slowly with a serious expression. “The plot has just progressed, but it’s different from that in movies or novels. I’m afraid the person who triggered the mission is also at the Dragon Gate Inn.”
At these words, the three of them took a deep breath and subtly scanned the surroundings.
Eventually, the Silver Fox’s gaze settled on an old man and a young man who had already taken seats at a table…
The young man was about eighteen, with an elegant demeanor, seemingly from a noble family. An ordinary-looking old man stood half a step behind him, possessing great cultivation, a steady aura, and sharp eyes.
Daozi and the others also noticed this man and gasped in shock.