Xue Ling sliced the beef, one slice at a time.
Although her cooking skills were poor and He Ping had complained to her to use less salt next time, that was simply because Xue Ling’s own palate was a bit heavy.
Moreover, to take a step back, even if Xue Ling’s cooking skills were truly poor, the young girl’s knife skills were genuinely impressive.
Just like now, although what she held was merely a piece of boiled spiced beef, the slices she produced were still as thin as paper and as clear as a mirror, neatly arranged on the plate into a bright red peony flower.
However, Xue Ling looked at the two "fake" characters written in water, and then at Fang Bie, who was expressionlessly crushing garlic, feeling a surge of emotions and unable to say a word.
Although she knew she shouldn't speak carelessly at a time like this.
But as Bee Wing, while she generally did not engage in frontline battle missions, it meant she had to be well-versed in every detail of the mission, intelligence on the target, and the nuances of the retreat route.
If Fang Bie was that sharp sword, then Xue Ling was the person who maintained it.
In extreme situations, it was not impossible that she might even offer herself to him.
According to intelligence, the Mount Hua Sect deserter Ning Huaiyuan was coming to Xiao Hun Inn at noon today. The person currently in the lobby matched the time, appearance, and even the sword at his waist. If not now, when would the assassination take place?
Besides, Xiao Hun Inn was their own territory; they had the advantage of time, location, and personnel.
Yet, Fang Bie insisted that this was a fake?
Where was it fake? Why couldn't she see it?
Xue Ling thought to herself.
Then, Fang Bie’s voice sounded unhurriedly in her ear: "Are the beef slices ready?"
Xue Ling looked up and saw that Fang Bie had finished crushing the garlic and was reaching out for the beef.
Xue Ling could only place the two plates of sliced beef on a tray and hand it to Fang Bie. Fang Bie also drizzled bright red chili oil over the garlic he had crushed and placed it on the corner of the tray. When he reached out to take it, he found that Xue Ling had not let go.
Fang Bie looked up at the young girl. Her hair was wrapped in a headscarf to prevent it from falling into the food, and her hands were slender but greasy from pressing down on the beef. She looked nothing like an assassin, truly just like a cook.
"Are you sure?" Xue Ling asked softly.
A smile curled at the corner of Fang Bie’s mouth: "Of course I am sure."
Xue Ling let go, allowing Fang Bie to take the plate of beef away. His footsteps were light, and his voice drifted from the lobby toward the kitchen: "Two plates of cooked beef, please enjoy, Guest."
……
……
That guest, suspected to be Ning Huaiyuan, ate a plate of beef, two bowls of yellow wine, and two baked wheaten cakes, then packed up another eight cakes and a plate of beef before paying and leaving. It was only four quarters past noon.
After the guest left, Fang Bie continued as usual, greeting guests to have a meal or stay at the inn, constantly delivering meals from Xue Ling’s kitchen, serving tea and water, and staying busy until closing time at the hour of the dog. When Fang Bie extinguished the lantern under the sign and lowered the door panels, it was finally time for Xiao Hun Inn to have dinner.
Dinner at Xiao Hun Inn was always simple: two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, one soup, and unlimited steamed buns or baked wheaten cakes as the staple, sometimes with steamed white rice, though that was only occasionally.
Fortunately, Xue Ling, Fang Bie, and He Ping were all roughly considered northerners and were accustomed to wheat-based foods.
Furthermore, because the monthly allowance at Xiao Hun Inn was extremely limited, the benefit was that since it was an inn, meals and lodging were provided, allowing this limited allowance to become pure pocket money rather than a necessary living expense.
When Xue Ling brought the dishes to the table, He Ping was already sitting at the head of the square table in the lobby, and Fang Bie was sitting on the other side. Xue Ling sat down and first served He Ping a bowl of egg drop soup—although Xue Ling had never done such menial work at home, the young girl kept her identity in mind and did not reveal any flaws.
"Why did you give up on the assassination of Ning Huaiyuan today?" Before Xue Ling could speak, He Ping had already asked.
Xue Ling was a bit surprised, but there were only the three of them here. Although the Bee Attractor did not participate in specific operations, He Ping, as the Bee Attractor, was not only the necessary path for them to contact their superiors but also their only direct leader and the Innkeeper of Xiao Hun Inn. She saw everything that happened here, so she could not ignore it.
"Because that was a fake," Fang Bie said calmly.
"How can you tell?" He Ping asked.
"I remember when Sister Ping taught me, she said that for an assassin, the most important thing is not completing the target, nor is it retreating smoothly after completing the target," Fang Bie said nonchalantly while using his chopsticks to eat the stir-fried garlic sprouts with eggs that Xue Ling had made:
"It is to correctly identify the target."
"Just like if an assassin chooses to either assassinate the client's target or assassinate the client, in either case, the mission will not fail."
The youth spoke slowly at the table. Xue Ling watched him keep picking at the dishes on the table and hurriedly moved to grab food with him, while also pricking up her ears to listen to what he was saying.
Xue Ling was very curious about the sudden abandonment of the mission today, but after all, the other party was Bee Sting, who had the final power to refuse a mission.
But at the same time, after refusing, he also had to convince the Bee Attractor so that he would not be punished.
"There was a bit too little salt this time," Fang Bie suddenly said, looking at Xue Ling.
The young girl’s face turned red instantly, but He Ping timely intervened: "I told her to use less salt when cooking from now on; this girl has a heavy palate."
"Continue with what you were saying."
Fang Bie shook his head, picked up two pieces of vinegar-glazed cabbage from the side, and continued: "In short, if you kill the wrong target, not only will there be no reward, but the real target will escape alive. Ruining your reputation and wasting your effort is the greatest failure."
"Then how did you know that Ning Huaiyuan was a fake?" Xue Ling couldn't help but ask, though she felt a little guilty inside.
After all, if such a real-looking Ning Huaiyuan was a fake, then what did that make her?
"Because Ning Huaiyuan is a deserter from the Mount Hua Sect," Fang Bie said quietly. "Although I know the most famous deserter from the Mount Hua Sect is Linghu Chong..."
"Who is Linghu Chong?" Xue Ling couldn't help but ask.
The most famous Mount Hua Sect deserter? Why hadn't she heard of him?
"I saw it in a very strange book of Jianghu legends, the name seems to be The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," Fang Bie explained seriously. "Anyway, let's talk about this Ning Huaiyuan. According to intelligence, he killed a fellow disciple and then defected down the mountain. The Mount Hua Sect set up a dragnet within Shaanxi, but he eventually escaped. However, after escaping, he did not head toward the Western Regions, which is where the Demonic Sect is entrenched. Only by reaching there would a deserter like him, who is not tolerated by the righteous sects, have a chance at survival."
"Of course, it is possible that the Mount Hua Sect's defenses on the way to the Western Regions were too tight for him to break through."
"But in any case."
Fang Bie looked at Xue Ling: "If you were Ning Huaiyuan, having betrayed your sect, killed your brother, and being suspected of stealing a copy of the Purple Cloud Divine Skill, would you still dress like a Jianghu martial artist and swagger into the territory of Luocheng?"
Xue Ling was stumped by the question in that instant.
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