Seeing Ye Fan's cold gaze, Shen Bao immediately understood. He popped the antidote pill into his mouth, pretending nothing was amiss.
As everyone finished their meal and retired to their rooms, Ye Fan and Shen Bao deliberately lagged behind, observing the proprietress's movements. The instant they started to ascend the stairs, they noticed a strange curve on the proprietress's lips.
"Did you find anything unusual?" Shen Bao asked in a low voice after they returned to their room.
Ye Fan frowned, his expression grim. "Why are there no men in this inn? Only one woman?"
"That can't be right?" Shen Bao looked at Ye Fan in surprise. While he hadn't paid close attention, he assumed that such a sizable inn couldn't possibly be managed by just one woman.
Ye Fan shook his head, his expression growing more serious. "From the moment we entered until we finished our meal, I haven't seen a single man. However, when I went to the restroom downstairs just now, there were signs of male use." Ye Fan seemed to be talking to himself, but his demeanor was increasingly solemn.
"What does that prove?" Shen Bao asked, spreading his hands and looking at Ye Fan.
"It proves that this is a den of thieves. The proprietress is just here to lull the guests into a false sense of security, while the hidden men are the ones who do the actual work." Ye Fan sneered, narrowing his eyes. "I'd like to see what tricks they're planning."
...
As night fell, the entire inn was quiet. Ye Fan and Shen Bao lay on their beds, feigning sleep.
Soon, a knock echoed from the adjacent room. The room next to Ye Fan and Shen Bao's belonged to Zheng Zhiyuan and Elder Lei, but despite repeated knocking, there was no response.
Ye Fan's lips curled into a smile. This was a test to see if the occupants of the room were sound asleep.
As expected, a moment later, there was the sound of a door opening. Ye Fan glanced at Shen Bao, who was filled with shock.
"Who exactly are these people?"
Ye Fan shook his head. They still didn't know the ultimate objective of these individuals, whether it was wealth or something else.
Ten minutes later, the commotion in the next room subsided, followed by the sound of footsteps. Then, the door to Ye Fan and Shen Bao's room was knocked.
The two men exchanged glances, then closed their eyes again, pretending to be asleep.
Indeed, after a dozen breaths, the door was opened from the outside, and two men slowly walked in, carrying trays and dressed as service staff. One of the men was younger, appearing to be no more than twenty, while the other was a middle-aged man with a scar across his face, looking quite ferocious.
"Brother, who are these people? We've searched several rooms, and besides a small amount of cash, all we found were professional artifact appraisal instruments. Are they tomb raiders?" the young man asked, frowning.
The middle-aged man, however, snorted. "They must be here for the Heavenly Kingdom's treasures. Over the years, there have been frequent rumors of Heavenly Kingdom treasures in Taiping Town, attracting many covetous individuals. But it's good for us; it provides an opportunity for us to get rich."
The middle-aged man flashed an excited smile and quickly moved towards Ye Fan and Shen Bao's luggage. "These damn beggars. They look presentable on the surface, but they're all broke. What rotten luck."
The middle-aged man grumbled, raising his hand to open Ye Fan's luggage. But in an instant, his hand was grabbed. The middle-aged man froze, and as he turned, a fist slammed into him. Before he could even cry out, the middle-aged man's eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.
When they regained consciousness, both the middle-aged man and the young man were tied to chairs, with Ye Fan and Shen Bao looking at them indifferently.
"W-what do you want?" the middle-aged man asked sternly, his eyes filled with coldness. He had operated for so many years, always preying on others, only to be outsmarted today.
Shen Bao's face darkened as he abruptly stood up and slapped the middle-aged man hard across the face. "Speak! Who are you people? And why did you break into our room in the middle of the night?" Shen Bao's face was filled with rage; he wished he could flay the middle-aged man alive.
Slightly stunned by Shen Bao's slap, the man still gritted his teeth tightly. "We are room service. You've tied us up for no reason; this is a crime," the young man reacted quickly, shouting at Ye Fan and Shen Bao.
"Room service?" Shen Bao turned, his eyes filled with intense killing intent. "Room service in the middle of the night?" He threw a flurry of punches at the young man, causing blood to stream from his mouth. Yet, even so, the young man endured the pain without a whimper.
Seeing this, Ye Fan chuckled. He hadn't expected these two to be such tough characters. "I won't say the same thing twice. If you're smart, you'll confess honestly. Otherwise, I don't mind killing you. This is a lawless area anyway, and no one will investigate even if I kill you." As he spoke, a short knife appeared in Ye Fan's hand, its edge gleaming sharply in the light.
Upon seeing the short knife, a flicker of fear crossed the young man's eyes, but the middle-aged man sneered, "Lu has long since accepted death. If you dare, kill me." He then closed his eyes, showing no fear whatsoever.
This only intensified Shen Bao's rage. He raised his hand, intending to stab the man's shoulder with the knife, but Ye Fan stopped him.
"What are you doing?" Shen Bao asked, confused.
Ye Fan smiled slightly. "These two are rather interesting. I want to have a chat with them." He then lowered Shen Bao's hand. "Untie them."
"Untie them?" Ye Fan's expression was serious. "Untie them."
Seeing Ye Fan's cold expression, Shen Bao was puzzled but helpless. He could only untie the ropes binding the two men. Not only was Shen Bao bewildered, but the two men were also confused. The middle-aged man looked at Ye Fan questioningly.
"Aren't you afraid we'll escape?"
Ye Fan leaned back on the sofa, smiling slightly, even gesturing towards the door. "If you two wish to leave, you are welcome to do so at any time. However, since you are here for wealth, I doubt you would flee so easily, would you?" He added, "Besides, we have a lot of money on us. If you miss this opportunity, there won't be another."
Ye Fan's words caused the two men, who had been contemplating escape, to abandon the idea and sit in silence.
"What exactly do you want to know?" The middle-aged man asked Ye Fan sternly.
Seeing that the two had no intention of leaving, Ye Fan smiled. "First, your identities. Second, what is this Heavenly Kingdom's treasure you mentioned?" Upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes. They were engaged in illicit activities, and if their identities were revealed, it would be much easier for them to be caught in the future.