?


    Late at night, Xu Shan returned to the inn. As he entered the inn, the Inn Owner was taken aback. He had never seen the young man leave.


    He scratched the back of his head, wondering if he was distracted by someone or just didn''t notice when Xu Shan had left.


    "Dear Guest, did you go out for a walk at thiste hour?" he asked Xu Shan.


    "I went out to get some fresh air. I must say, this city is very beautiful. Even though it''s my first time here, everything I''ve seen so far pales inparison." Xu Shan stopped before the Inn Owner, not revealing anything suspicious at all.


    "That is true." The Inn Owner innocently smiled. "This is a beautiful ce for sure."


    Xu Shan nodded in agreement before telling the Inn Owner that he was tired after a long walk and went straight to his room.


    As soon as he left, the smile on the Inn Owner''s face disappeared. He still didn''t understand how he didn''t notice when the young man left, since he had always been here.


    In the end, he could only drop the thought as it was clear that the man before him wasn''t suspicious in the least.


    ****


    It was two in the night. It was the time where most of the people in the city slept peacefully, under the embrace of the darkness of night.


    However, even at thiste hour, a group of people was secretly meeting the Inn Owner inside the Main Hall.


    "Is everything prepared?" The Inn Owners asked the people who covered their faces with a mask.


    "It is. Even though we wanted to take some time to observe him, it''s better to get it done fast," one of the masked people replied, his voice soundingpletely identical to the Inn Owner.


    The Inn Owner nodded. Even if they had brought the n forward a little, that didn''t change much. They could still take care of it easily.


    The man they were targeting didn''t have any friends or rtives in the city, and his strength wasn''t extraordinary either. Moreover, if he was targeted when he was sleeping, then it made things even easier.


    Still, even after all that, the Inn Owner still felt a sense of unease deep in his heart. Even he didn''t understand what that feeling was. It was as if there was a deep feeling in his heart which was telling him to not go forward with the n.


    His feelings were all over the ce. It wasn''t the first time he did this, but it was the first time he felt like this.


    In the end, he couldn''tpletely ignore his feelings. "Should we... dy the n? Ah, I think we should take more time to observe him."


    "Huh? After we went all this way, you want us to cancel? Have you lost your mind?" Another person scoffed in response. "What''s there to even think about? It''s an easy target which is rare toe by."


    The Inn Owners brother also nodded. "Dying it anymore would be a waste of time. As per the n, we only need one more. After today, we should have enough."


    The other masked people also agreed. In the end, the Inn Owner also agreed, suppressing his unease.


    With a heavy heart, he knew that the n had to continue. They had invested too much time and resources to back out now.


    The Inn Owner also ced a mask over his face. His calm and gentle eyes slowly turned into cold blooded as if they were the eyes of a professional assassin.


    He ced his palm over a small formation that was hidden behind the desk. As soon as his handnded on the formation, it started shining.


    A simr formation was activated in all the rooms of the inn. Slowly, a strange odorless gas began to seep out from the formation, gradually filling the rooms.


    The inn''s unsuspecting guests were unaware of the danger thaty before them. The gas slowly filled all the rooms, putting all the guests who were in sleep into an even deeper sleep.


    Thanks to the sleeping gas, the Guests couldn''t wake up before the morning and they weren''t even going to remember what just happened.


    "Everything is ready," the Inn Owner said. "Now all that''s left is to take him."


    The group of masked men, including the Inn Owner, gathered quietly, their breaths masked by the stillness of the night.


    They made their way up the stairs. Even though all the guests were in deep sleep, they didn''t get careless. Their footsteps werepletely silent, as if they had had years of training. Each of them carried an aura of darkness and ruthlessness, ready to carry out the task at hand.


    The Inn Owner stopped before the room that was assigned to Xu Shan. He brought out the second key of the room, and slowly opened the door.


    Inside the room wasplete silence, filled with the mysterious gas. However, the gas didn''t affect the masked men.


    As they entered the room, their eyes darted around, searching for Xu Shan''s figure. They found him lying on the bed, seemingly sleeping peacefully.


    His calm expression and a slow heartbeat made them certain that he was truly asleep under the effect of the gas.


    The Inn Owner stepped forward, still feeling a lingering unease in his heart. He had done simr tasks before, but this time, something felt off. If anything, that strange feeling was even stronger now that he was here, as if telling him to run as far as he could.


    He dismissed the thoughts, attributing it to thete hour and his own anxiousness. He motioned for the others to stay vignt and approached Xu Shan.


    Just as the Inn Owner reached out to grab Xu Shan, hepletely froze. His hand didn''t move even an inch forward.


    "What are you doing? Stop wasting time!" The Inn Owner''s brother frowned, watching his brother stop.