The waiter stood motionless.

“Get out!” Yang Houcheng slammed the table.

The waiter’s legs trembled, forcing a smile as he said, “I’ll go out right away. Please take your time, honored guests. Just call for me if you need anything.”

After speaking, the waiter hurriedly walked toward the door. At the doorway, his steps paused for a moment as he looked back, then quickly lifted the bamboo curtain and departed.

Shao Mingyuan withdrew his gaze from the swaying bamboo curtain and extended his chopsticks to press down on Yang Houcheng’s chopsticks. “Zhongshan, don’t rush to eat just yet.”

Yang Houcheng’s chopsticks were holding a piece of appetizing sauced beef. The sauced beef was cut into large slices with translucent beef tendons on top that looked mouth-watering.

Yang Houcheng secretly swallowed his saliva and looked at Shao Mingyuan with confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“That waiter was somewhat strange.”

“Strange how?” Yang Houcheng asked.

Shao Mingyuan nodded toward Chen Guang. Chen Guang understood and walked to the door to close it properly.

Only then did Shao Mingyuan say, “He was clearly afraid of us from the bottom of his heart, but when I asked him to leave just now, he stood there motionless. It was only after you lost your temper that he left. This shows he wanted to stay and witness certain things.”

“Such as—”

Shao Mingyuan glanced at Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao’s expression remained unchanged as she took out a silver needle and inserted it into the vegetable soup. The silver needle immediately changed color.

Everyone’s faces changed as well.

“Such as seeing whether we ate our meal properly.” Holding the blackened silver needle, Qiao Zhao continued.

Yang Houcheng shot to his feet. “They poisoned our food? This is outrageous! I’m going to twist that bastard’s head off and kick it like a ball!”

Shao Mingyuan pressed down on his arm, his expression unchanged. “Stay calm.”

Yang Houcheng sat down, fuming. “Things have come to this, and you can still keep your composure!”

Shao Mingyuan smiled. “A small tavern waiter wouldn’t have such audacity, and there’s no reason for him to make a move against us.”

Yang Houcheng was startled. “You mean—”

His face suddenly changed, and he said angrily, “It’s those government officials again?”

Shao Mingyuan toyed with his teacup and glanced outside, saying calmly, “If I’m not mistaken, we’ll soon be surrounded by government officials.”

“So do we flee or fight?” Yang Houcheng looked around the group.

Chi Can pointed at the sauced beef and said to Qiao Zhao, “Li San, quickly check if this plate of sauced beef is poisoned. If it’s not poisoned, I want to eat the sauced beef.”

Yang Houcheng rolled his eyes. “Shixi, at a time like this, you still have the mood to eat sauced beef?”

Chi Can raised his eyelids and countered, “Why shouldn’t I eat? Will your anxiety and anger solve the problem? Won’t we still have to rely on Tingquan to resolve it?”

“You—” Yang Houcheng wanted to retort, but after thinking it over, he stroked his chin and nodded. “That makes a lot of sense. Miss Li, is the sauced beef poisoned or not?”

“It’s not poisoned. Go ahead and eat.” Qiao Zhao put away the silver needle and looked toward Shao Mingyuan.

These unreliable companions would be fortunate not to drag them down when the time came. They might as well obediently eat their sauced beef.

Shao Mingyuan was normally someone who could keep his composure, but seeing Qiao Zhao look at him, his mood lifted slightly.

Indeed, when together with these two companions, he still stood out quite easily.

“My plan is neither to fight nor flee. When the government officials arrive, we’ll directly reveal our identities and say we’re returning to the capital to report. I imagine those people would prefer to avoid trouble rather than create it. Would they choose to fight us head-on?”

“That’s it?” Yang Houcheng asked with a mouthful of sauced beef, quite unwillingly.

“This plan is good. It can mislead Xing Wuyang’s side, making him think we’ve already begun our return journey, which will facilitate my secret infiltration into Fudong territory with General Shao.”

Shao Mingyuan quietly reminded, “Tingquan.”

Qiao Zhao froze.

It was just a form of address. Was this the time to worry about such things?

Miss Qiao quickly glanced at Physician Li, then simply lowered her head, picked up a piece of sauced beef, and silently ate it.

“Since that’s the case, we should hurry and fill our stomachs first.” Yang Houcheng swallowed a piece of sauced beef and asked, “Which other dishes can we eat?”

“Idiot, just follow the physician’s lead.” Chi Can smiled as he picked up a piece of salt-fried chicken.

Only then did everyone notice Physician Li, who was happily eating with a piece of salt-fried chicken in one bite and peanuts in another.

When Physician Li noticed everyone looking over, he didn’t even lift his eyelids and picked up another piece of steamed fish to put in his mouth.

Chi Can’s face changed slightly. “Physician, we just tested that the fish soup was poisoned—”

Physician Li calmly swallowed the fish meat in his mouth and said with a smile, “I know it’s poisoned. The salt-fried chicken you’re holding is also poisoned.”

With a plop, the piece of salt-fried chicken on Chi Can’s chopsticks fell onto the table.

Yang Houcheng wiped away cold sweat. “Physician, please don’t have any dark thoughts. Eat the sauced beef instead—this sauced beef tastes quite good.”

Chi Can asked directly, “You knowingly ate poison?”

Physician Li curled his lips. “What’s this little bit of poison? I’ve tasted more poisons than all the salt you’ve eaten!”

Everyone could only smile bitterly.

Before long, only chaos remained on the table. Yang Houcheng rubbed his stomach contentedly and asked, “Why is there still no movement?”

“How could government troops reach the town so quickly?” Chi Can said coolly.

Shao Mingyuan listened carefully, then suddenly said, “They’re here.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter pushed through the door with a face full of smiles. “Have the honored guests finished eating?”

“We have.” Chi Can elegantly wiped his mouth and tossed the handkerchief onto the table.

“Since you’ve finished eating, please settle the bill.”

“Settle the bill?” Chi Can asked with a mocking smile.

“Ah, settle the bill.” The waiter looked simple and honest.

Yang Houcheng shot to his feet, grabbed the waiter by the collar, lifted him, and pressed him onto the table, angrily saying, “Settle what bill? This salt-fried chicken was so terrible it was inedible. We haven’t even settled accounts with your tavern yet!”

“That can’t be right. This salt-fried chicken is our tavern’s signature dish.” The waiter instinctively retorted.

“Then taste it yourself!” Yang Houcheng sneered as he grabbed the salt-fried chicken and tried to stuff it into the waiter’s mouth.

The waiter’s face changed dramatically as tears and snot streamed down. “No, please! Honored guests, spare my life! Honored guests, spare my life—”

The waiter’s pig-like squealing carried outside, and the shopkeeper rushed in, saying with false bravado, “I’m warning you! The constables have already surrounded you. If you don’t believe me, look outside—the constables are all out there! Don’t act recklessly!”

“A’Zhu!” Qiao Zhao coldly extended her hand.

A’Zhu, being perceptive, immediately understood her master’s meaning and directly opened the bundle to hand over the bow and arrows.

Qiao Zhao took the bow and arrows, skillfully nocked and drew the bowstring, aiming directly at the shopkeeper. “You say we’re acting recklessly?”

The shopkeeper immediately remembered that the previous town magistrate had been shot dead by this seemingly delicate young lady, and his legs went weak with fear.

Good heavens, she would kill at the slightest disagreement! Where did this female demon come from?

“What have we done recklessly? Did we kill someone or set fires? Did we deserve you poisoning us and notifying the authorities?” Qiao Zhao adjusted the direction of her bow and arrow with an expressionless face.