There was no need to compare wounds—the scars alone told the truth. With just one glance, Jiang Biehe could tell that the short blade spinning on the youth's finger was indeed the murder weapon that had slain the Three Tigers of Tianmen.
What puzzled Jiang Biehe most was how this boy managed to kill three seasoned martial artists, one of whom was a top-tier second-rate master.
"An inch long, an inch strong."
The Tianmen Five Tigers' blade techniques were fierce, and the Chaotian Tiger's golden ring broadsword was over three feet five inches long. By mere reach alone, the Chaotian Tiger could easily suppress the boy standing before him.
More importantly, judging by the boy's light, casual footsteps on the second floor, he was obviously just an ordinary person.
Could this youth truly be a master, one skilled enough to disguise himself as a mere mortal?
Jiang Biehe had heard of such people, and even encountered a few. He could do the same if needed—but most times, it was unnecessary.
After all, he wasn't planning to become an assassin. Why bother disguising oneself as ordinary, especially by purposely making footsteps heavier and balanced? Wasn't that just making things difficult?
These thoughts didn't linger long. Jiang Biehe soon cupped his hands, glanced toward the innkeeper's wife, and then turned to the youth with an apologetic expression.
"No need to trouble yourself so much. I'm just curious—why didn't you reveal yourself earlier, but chose to appear now?"
At this, the boy's youthful face twisted into impatience, his voice tinged with grievance.
"Before I left home, my family told me again and again—not to become famous, not to become famous, not to become famous."
"If you become famous with a good reputation, others will envy you and try to harm you. If you get a bad reputation, others may not envy you—but they will try to kill you. So the best way to stay alive is simply not to be known."
As he spoke, the boy on the second floor spread his hands in frustration and continued complaining.
"I had no choice. Even when cooking, I ran into scoundrels abusing women and children. Eventually, killing a few bad men only made me more well-known."
"But I couldn't disobey my family, so I asked the innkeeper's wife to cover for me. But halfway through, here comes Jiang Daxia."
At this, his eyes shone with admiration as he praised Jiang Biehe.
"Hearing your words upstairs, Jiang Daxia, it was like a sudden awakening—everything became clear in an instant."
"Right? Doing good deeds isn't just for fame—it's to intimidate the wicked. If all the good people in this world fearlessly stand up for justice, the villains will be scared, and once afraid, they won't dare do evil."
Growing excited, the boy stood and gave Jiang Biehe a thumbs-up.
"Doing good means you have to be known!"
"That's how you deter the petty criminals."
As the hoarse voice of the boy in his voice-changing phase echoed through the inn, not just the innkeeper's wife and those familiar with him, even Jiang Biehe was almost stunned.
This kid—could his act be any more fake?
The pacing of the speech, the tone and expression—it was youthful, indeed, but overly so.
Here was a tall man nearly six feet tall; though his face looked young, he was hardly a boy of twelve or thirteen.
But Jiang Biehe didn't mock him. Instead, he rubbed his forehead and corrected in a deep, mellow voice, "Not 'petty criminals'—it's 'vile scoundrels.'"
The boy, taken aback by Jiang Biehe's unexpected sharpness, showed a pained expression as if seeing through things but unwilling to admit it.
"Oh? Aren't all petty people narrow-minded, so they're called petty criminals?"
Hearing "narrow-minded," Jiang Biehe straightened up, steadied his mind, and sighed deeply. Then, with a gentle tone, he explained to the youth:
"Young hero, I believe you misunderstood. After the Tianmen Five Tigers entered Jiangnan, they committed endless evils. I pursued them for over half a month but managed to kill only one."
"Given my skill, the remaining four wouldn't have escaped retribution. But they went against expectations—rather than hiding in the mountains, they fled into the town, giving them the chance to strike."
"What happened just now was because I saw the four Tigers dead and was overjoyed, so I wasn't careful with my words. I fear that may have caused you to misunderstand."
"But I have never once sought to claim credit for others' deeds. Please don't doubt me."
Jiang Biehe's mind twisted and turned, but the boy didn't respond. Instead, he scratched his ear, puzzled.
"What suspicion did I raise?"
Seeing the boy's confusion, Jiang Biehe composed himself again and decided not to linger on the topic. He changed the subject.
"Perhaps I overthought it. By the way, young hero, you mentioned cooking earlier—what did you mean?"
At this, the boy's face flushed with embarrassment, a little guilty.
"Well, when you're away from home and out of money, you have to find a way to survive."
"My cooking isn't bad, so I worked as a cook in the inn for half a year."
But such guilt wouldn't last long for a youth. He soon switched moods and boasted proudly to the innkeeper's wife.
"In these six months, under my cooking skills, the Sihai Inn's reputation has really grown, hasn't it, innkeeper?"
The innkeeper, realizing the boy's suspicion of the "great hero" was even greater than her own, smiled warmly and played along.
"Of course. I never thought I'd be wrong about him—a good chef lost today, what a shame."
Though she spoke regretfully, her manner was carefree. The boy nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. I left home to roam the martial world, not to be a chef. It's just a temporary measure. But today…"
He hesitated awkwardly, then turned to Jiang Biehe and sheepishly asked,
"By the way, as good as deterring the petty criminals sounds—do we get paid for killing the Tianmen Five Tigers?"
Jiang Biehe laughed heartily at this. His booming laugh made everyone present feel his carefree spirit.
"Of course there is," Jiang Biehe replied. "The Tianmen Five Tigers have wreaked havoc all over Jiangnan. People curse them wherever they go. Master Jin Si has already put up a bounty. As long as you bring the token proof, you'll naturally be welcomed guests at the Wanfu Wanshou Garden."
Hearing the name Wanfu Wanshou Garden stirred something in Lichao Feng's mind. Though his expression remained unchanged, a flicker of curiosity crossed his face at the familiar place.
"What do you mean by 'token proof'?" he asked.
Jiang Biehe glanced around briefly, then nodded.
"Obviously, it means the bodies or heads of those five vicious fiends."
At that, Lichao Feng stood up immediately and turned to the innkeeper's wife, his voice urgent.
"Madam, how far is Wanfu Wanshou Garden from Annan?"
The innkeeper frowned thoughtfully and then shook her head quietly.
She had heard of Master Jin Si of Wanfu Wanshou Garden, but she didn't know its exact location—only that it was somewhere around Hangzhou. If she were to go, she'd have to inquire locally.
The martial world was vast, and even the most well-informed innkeeper couldn't know everything.
Jiang Biehe smiled and cut in smoothly.
"From Annan, with a fast horse spurred on, it takes two days and nights. I've been tracking those five scoundrels for half a month. Many people in the martial world have seen this. We could travel together this time—it would be a way to settle things with the jianghu."
Two days and nights of hard riding—that was nearly four hundred li.
In this era, four hundred li was practically the ends of the earth for ordinary townsfolk who rose with the sun and rested at dusk.
Just as the innkeeper was about to protest, Lichao Feng had already risen and directly proposed to Jiang Biehe.
"Then the sooner the better. Those bodies will start to rot if we wait too long. By then, forget about the bounty—the two of us might get kicked out by Master Jin Si himself."
Jiang Biehe did not object. He had rested well in preparation for fighting the Four Tigers and now looked vibrant and eager.
But the boy upstairs, so anxious for them to leave, stirred something in Jiang Biehe's mind. His murderous intent toward the youth only grew stronger.
Where had this boy seen through his bluff?
Jiang Biehe fell silent, while the innkeeper stepped forward with a teasing smile.
"You young man, no matter how eager you are to make your name, you have to eat first before you leave."