Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Outsider on Guard

Jiu Ya responded with a fake smile, "It's a good thing that the shopkeeper's business is booming. I hope the shopkeeper's business will continue to be as prosperous as it is today."

It wasn't that Jiu Ya was petty or deliberately cursing the innkeeper; it was just that she was treated like a thief while shopping, and now they couldn't even find a place to stay. Good heavens, were they being treated like wanted criminals? From the moment they stepped through the city gates, it felt as if countless eyes were watching them from the shadows; vigilance, fear, and rejection... all sorts of emotions followed them like shadows. Street vendors hurriedly packed up their stalls at the sight of strangers approaching, pedestrians quickly ducked and gave way, and even children were quickly pulled indoors by adults, with doors and windows tightly shut. This eerie atmosphere made her extremely uncomfortable. She had kindly planned to find a place to stay and then see what was wrong with the city, but this was the treatment she received—who wouldn't be angry? While she wasn't one to hold grudges, she wasn't one to be easily bullied either.

The innkeeper's lips twitched. If it were like this every day, what would become of him? If it were like this every day, how would he survive? However, the innkeeper forced a calm demeanor, plastering a professional smile on his face, trying to ease the tension. "Thank you for your kind words, Miss. I hope our inn will prosper every day. I'm truly sorry about today; perhaps Miss would like to visit another inn!" He cleverly omitted the words "like today," assuming Jiu Ya was simply wishing them good business, while secretly hoping these plague-like guests would leave quickly.

The situation was even worse at the next few inns. Some shouted through the door, "Fully booked, no rooms available!" while others simply kept their doors shut, with signs saying, "Closed for three days due to the owner's happy occasion." Even worse, one innkeeper, peeking through the crack in the door, turned pale with fright and waved his hands frantically, "Get out of here! We don't accept outsiders!" as if they were some kind of monster. Li Yue's hand repeatedly reached for his sword hilt, but Jiu Ya stopped him with a calm gaze.

Finally, before it got completely dark, they found a relatively small inn in a quiet alley – “Laifu Inn”. The signboard was a bit old and the storefront was not very eye-catching, but at least the door was open, and a dim light shone from inside.

Upon seeing Jiu Ya and her group, the innkeeper greeted them warmly, his enthusiasm tinged with a barely perceptible eagerness and ingratiation. "Gentlemen, are you here to stay?" He was around forty years old, with a kind face, but his eyes were bloodshot and weary. His cotton robe was faded from washing, but it was very clean.

The inn wasn't large; there were only four or five tables in the lobby. There were quite a few people moving around, mostly merchants and travelers hurrying along, talking in hushed tones, creating a tense atmosphere. But at least, there was no longer any worry about being politely referred to the next inn.

"Check-in." Li Yue said succinctly, "We need four rooms, two superior rooms, and the other two can be anything." He was tall and had a cold and imposing aura; his mere presence exuded a sense of oppression.

The innkeeper looked troubled, rubbing his hands together. "Sir," he said, "this is truly unfortunate. We've had quite a few guests today, and we only have one superior room and one ordinary room left." As an innkeeper, he was experienced in welcoming and seeing off guests, and he could tell that the four men's clothes were of high quality, and they exuded an extraordinary air, suggesting they were wealthy. Unfortunately, the inn was almost full, and there simply weren't any more rooms available. He was also feeling a mix of anticipation and apprehension, both hoping to close the deal and feeling a vague sense of unease.

Li Yue stroked the sword in his hand and said coldly, "Only two rooms?"

The innkeeper was startled, intimidated by his imposing presence, and hurriedly explained, "The superior rooms are quite large, clean and tidy, and it's perfectly fine for the three young ladies to stay together!" Looking at the four of them—three women and one man—he naturally assumed they were siblings or master and servant, and subconsciously made this arrangement.

Bai Yu: ...What does this mortal mean? Is she trying to harm her? Can she sleep in the same room as the Venerable One? This mortal might as well suggest that the Venerable One and that Miss Rong share a room, while she shares a room with Li Yue! At least she could barely manage with Li Yue. Of course, this thought only crossed her mind.

"Ahem." Bai Yu quickly gave Li Yue a look, signaling him to think of a solution immediately. Li Yue understood instantly. Although he felt that the Venerable One might not care about such trivial matters, Bai Yu's concerns were not unfounded. He asked in a deep voice, "Manager, is the woodshed still empty?"

After asking at several inns, they were either full or closed for the day. It was getting late, and there was no hope of finding another inn. They couldn't sleep on the streets either—this was the only inn they could choose. However, he couldn't let his two masters stay in a simple ordinary room, nor could he let Bai Yu, a girl, stay in the woodshed. Li Yue decided to stay in the woodshed himself. After all, he wasn't really going to sleep; he could just meditate and regulate his breathing.

The innkeeper, puzzled, paused for a moment before replying, "Yes, yes, there's a woodshed in the backyard where we store miscellaneous items. We can tidy it up and make a place for someone to make a bed on the floor..." He thought to himself, "These guests are really strange. They have both superior and ordinary rooms, so why are they asking about the woodshed?"

“Give us that woodshed as well,” Li Yue said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

After inquiring about the price, Li Yue readily paid and completed the formalities. The shopkeeper took the money, his smile becoming more genuine, and quickly called his wife to come out and lead the guest to his room.

They were the last guests, and after settling them in, the innkeeper prepared to close. This inn was a lodging business, and since it was full, and given the recent unrest, there was no need to open its doors any longer. He carefully bolted the door shut, then moved a thick wooden stick to prop it up, before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Led by the innkeeper's wife, Jiu Ya and Rong Jiang headed up to the upper rooms on the second floor. The wooden stairs creaked softly underfoot, a sound particularly clear in the quiet night. Most of the rooms on either side of the corridor were closed, with only occasional suppressed coughs or whispers escaping from within.

Entering the room, Jiu Ya looked around. This so-called superior room, apart from being slightly more spacious, was completely incomparable to the inn they had stayed in before. In the corner stood a carved wooden bed, its canopy made of ordinary, dull cotton cloth. The screen concealing the bed had been there for a long time; the landscape patterns on it were faded and blurred, and some edges were even cracked. The table and chairs were also made of ordinary pine, crudely crafted, with several obvious scratches on the tabletop. The floor was rammed earth, simply paved with a layer of blue bricks, some areas uneven. If it were Jiu Ya before her transmigration, she probably would have thought this room was quite nice, antique and giving a sense of time travel. But having become accustomed to good things, her taste had become discerning; she could tell good from bad at a glance.

Fortunately, the room did have some advantages. For example, besides a slightly oversized bed, there was a soft couch with an old cotton mattress by the window. Although the fabric was rough, at least it was sleptable. Another advantage was a plate of cheap incense burning in the corner of the room. The scent wasn't elegant, but it at least masked the musty smell. It wasn't exactly refreshing, but it did add a touch of life to the relatively simple room.

Meanwhile, Li Yue and Bai Yu, having settled in, went downstairs together to find the innkeeper to arrange dinner. Li Yue's ordinary room was on a corner of the stairs, extremely narrow, with almost no room to move except for a plank bed and a small table. As for the woodshed, he glanced at it; it was piled high with firewood and miscellaneous items, covered in dust and cobwebs. He simply cleared out a small space, enough for him to meditate.

When they found the shopkeeper behind the counter doing the accounting, they were told that they did not provide dinner for free and that they would have to pay extra if they wanted it.

Bai Yu didn't care about the money. The Demon Realm had no shortage of such things. But the next moment, the shopkeeper rubbed his hands and said rather embarrassedly, "Esteemed guests, our shop is small, not a big restaurant. We can only offer some home-style dishes, such as vegetables, tofu, and potato noodles. If you don't mind, I can have my husband make them for you."

This inn is not large and cannot compare with the one in Linzi City. The food it provides is rather ordinary, which the innkeeper is well aware of. However, when the whole city is in a state of panic, the guests are not so picky and are just glad to have a hot meal.

"Can you provide a kitchen and ingredients? This is our first time here, and my young lady is quite picky about food; she might not be used to it." Upon hearing this, Bai Yu immediately assumed the food must be crude and unpalatable. How could she possibly let her master eat such things? She'd rather cook it herself! As a capable female official, equally at home in the hall and the kitchen, Bai Yu was more than qualified to cook. "Don't worry, manager. We won't use the ingredients and kitchen for free; we'll pay the full amount."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face immediately lit up with delight. "Of course, of course!" This was an unexpected delight! They wouldn't have to lift a finger and could even get some money for free. Why not? He quickly came out from behind the counter. "Miss, please come with me. The kitchen is in the backyard."

The shopkeeper led Bai Yu to the kitchen in the backyard. The kitchen was quite large and fairly clean. Two large iron pots were steaming on the mud stove. Inside, two women wearing faded aprons were busy at the stove. One was older with gray hair, and the other was younger, around thirty years old, with a haggard face.

"Mother, Tiger's mother, this Miss Bai needs to use the stove. Could you lend a hand while you're cooking?" the shopkeeper said to the woman inside.

It was obvious that the older woman was the shopkeeper's mother, and the younger woman was probably his wife.

"Okay." The older woman looked up, saw Bai Yu, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she still agreed.

"Yes, Dad." The young woman didn't stop working; she was still stirring the vegetables in the pan when she answered loudly. She looked preoccupied, her brows furrowed with deep sorrow.

"Alright, I'll go to the front and settle the accounts first, then I'll come back to chop wood later." After giving his instructions, the shopkeeper hurriedly left the kitchen, as if he still had a lot of things to do.

The inn was originally run by the owner himself, and his whole family lived there. No help was hired; everything was done by family members. The owner himself handled both customer reception and accounting, while the women of the family were responsible for room cleaning and meals. Now that the inn was full, they were even busier than usual.

The old woman was startled to see a well-dressed stranger, but upon seeing a young and pretty girl, and hearing from her son that the girl wanted to use the kitchen, she relaxed slightly and pointed to a pile of clean ingredients by the stove. "Young lady, what would you like to make? These vegetables are all washed clean; you can use them directly." The ingredients were nothing more than cabbage, radishes, potatoes, a block of tofu, a small bundle of vermicelli, and a few eggs—truly unremarkable.

"Thank you, Auntie." Bai Yu smiled and asked, trying to appear friendly, "Is this all the food we have?" She looked at the ingredients and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. This was too simple. His Highness was a person of great status and nobility. When would he have eaten such ordinary dishes? Even a stir-fry should contain spiritual vegetables and celestial birds.

Tiger's mother had just finished ladling the stir-fried chives and eggs onto a plate when she interjected, "Girl, we're not in the restaurant business. The ingredients we use are for our own family, to keep things fresh and cheap. Besides, the situation in the city these days—sigh..." She sighed, then lifted a bamboo lid to reveal another plate of stir-fried cabbage. "Mother, the food for room number three is ready. I'll have Tiger's father deliver it to them."

Tiger's mother yelled outside, and the shopkeeper came running over, picked up the two plates of bland food, and left in a hurry.

Bai Yu was pondering what dishes she could make that would be palatable under these conditions when she saw the two freshly cooked dishes. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head: scrambled eggs with chives and stir-fried cabbage—truly the most ordinary of home-style dishes, and seemingly lacking in oil. She was extremely glad she hadn't ordered food from the inn; otherwise, how could she bear it! She had come out with the Venerable One, and she was going to let him eat this? That would be utterly dereliction of duty!