Inn

The fourth day of the fifth lunar month, Minor Snow.

The door of the pharmacy was pushed open, bringing in a few cold snowflakes and a completely unfamiliar face.

Sanqi remembered clearly that the girl had delicate features and asked about the medicinal herbs in a gentle tone. What surprised her even more was that Suiyuan specially came out from the backyard to personally prepare the medicine for this person.

After all, once Suiyuan hired a helper, he would hide in the backyard and slack off, rarely showing his face except for consultations.

At the time, Sanqi didn't pay any attention, thinking he was just another passerby who came to Qingfeng Town to enjoy the snow.

However, every day or two thereafter, the girl would appear at the pharmacy. Gradually, she became familiar with the shop assistants. Sanqi also learned her name.

Lin Yunwang, what a beautiful name.

She remained unconcerned, still adhering to Suiyuan's initial instructions, and kept to herself as a woman of few words.

In her past life, the concept of "making friends" had never truly existed. From the time she could remember, she lived in that village, which was like a hellish abyss. In that extremely distorted environment, it was difficult to even think about making friends. She finally managed to escape with the help of Suiyuan and the others, but now she had to hold onto the past.

As Sanqi sat on the doorstep, watching the children playing in the street, she felt a pang of envy. But true friendship required genuine connection, which meant she had to tell the truth. Yet, the secret buried deep in her heart was like a lurking venomous snake; she feared that if she let her guard down, it would slip from her lips and bring unbearable disaster.

So for a long time, she hardly spoke.

Sui Yuan initially thought she was frightened, but later realized that it was his unintentional words that had caused her to react this way.

So I had the idea of ​​finding her a suitable "friend".

After settling down in Qingfeng Town, he began to keep an eye on the kind-hearted, lively, and clever young men and women in the town, trying to guide Sanqi to get to know them. Unfortunately, all his attempts were in vain.

Sanqi remembered how she answered Suiyuan's question back then. She simply raised her eyes and calmly repeated his words: "You said that keeping secrets is to prevent more people from suffering the consequences and pain."

For a moment, Sui Yuan was speechless, overwhelmed with deep regret and self-reproach.

Why did we make such a young child carry such a heavy burden? It was clearly the adults' fault.

There's always a chance for things to turn around.

Half a month after Lin Yunwang arrived in Qingfeng Town, Suiyuan walked up to Sanqi, who was sitting on the doorstep, and said with certainty, "Sanqi, Lin Yunwang is different from the others in Qingfeng Town. Go and befriend her. You no longer need to worry day and night about what you might inadvertently say."

"She can handle 'secrets'."

The clueless Sanqi once again chose to follow Suiyuan's arrangement.

From then on, she had her first friend.

Finally, someone could listen to her complain about the lingering bitter smell in the pharmacy, share her surprise at Suiyuan's "two-faced" personality, and even secretly complain about a shop assistant's occasional laziness and shirking.

"It feels good to have friends."

She was so certain at the time, but that snowy night, when she saw Lin Yun lying weakly in the snow, she became uncertain again. This was the first time in her life that she questioned Sui Yuan's decision.

Under the eaves of the pharmacy, Sanqi stretched out her hand, and a snowflake drifted gently into her palm, instantly turning into a cool drop of water. She slowly closed her fingers, as if trying to grasp that fleeting, crystalline moment.

Shortly after Lin Yun and his group left Qingfeng Town, heavy gray clouds gathered in the sky, and it started snowing again. The townspeople were already used to this unpredictable weather, except for Sanqi, perhaps because this was not the land where she could take root.

"It's really good," she murmured to herself, gazing at the gray sky.

Not far away, the annoying tail was still following her.

It abruptly plunged into her memories, shattering the beautiful moments, just as a wish quietly grew in her heart at that time: that Lin Yun would always be her friend.

When this thought slipped out and was shared with Suiyuan, all she received was a bucket of cold water poured over her head: "She'll leave eventually."

"How long are you going to follow me?"

Unlike his sinister demeanor when facing Sui Yuan, Fu Yu was much more normal at this moment. He shook his head and said, "Lin Yun has already left, so the previous task can be considered completed. Now I am carrying out another task that my master has given me."

Then, he casually waved his hand in front of his face. A flash of light appeared, and Sui Yuan's familiar face suddenly appeared before Sanqi's eyes.

Sanqi was startled, but quickly calmed down. "Is Brother Sui not coming back?"

"I don't know." Fu Yu, with the face of Suiyuan, still spoke in his own voice, which sounded very incongruous.

Sanqi stared at the face that belonged to Suiyuan, and listened to Fu Yu's completely different, cold and hard voice coming out of "Suiyuan's" mouth. Her stomach churned, and she barely suppressed the urge to vomit. She rubbed her cheeks hard, forcibly suppressing all the strangeness in her heart.

“A resemblance of 80% is enough. After all, it’s his face, so let’s show some respect…” She gave up trying to persuade him. “He usually prefers to stay in the backyard and rarely comes to the front.”

"Okay." Fu Yu listened to Sanqi's words with surprising ease, and with a wave of his hand, the new "Suiyuan" was produced.

Sanqi stopped looking at him and rushed into the pharmacy.

In truth, she didn't understand Fu Yu's actions. According to him, Brother Sui left because he was injured and his identity was exposed, so what was he trying to do by transforming into Brother Sui's appearance? Was he waiting for someone to arrest him? Or did he have some other scheme? However, Sanqi's position was special, so she couldn't offer her opinion.

"Let him be," she thought to herself.

Lin Yun and his group rested in Mengzhou, which is adjacent to Jeju, and this is the territory of the Zhou family.

Zhou Hengyan was burdened by the weight of Sui Yuan's identity.

This matter concerned a family secret, and it was neither convenient to tell Lin Yunwang and Sang Mingzhao, nor could it be explained in detail to the family head through ordinary telepathy. He could only make an excuse that he suddenly felt unwell and suggested that they stay in Mengzhou for a while so that they could find an opportunity to send the message in a more secure way.

Lin Yunwang thought it was the effect of the mysterious fog that had appeared earlier that day, and was very worried. In a hurry, he wanted to take him to the clinic for a diagnosis.

But Zhou Hengyan gently refused, saying, "I know my own body best. Perhaps I didn't sleep well last night. I'll be fine after a short rest."

Sang Zhao, who was standing nearby, already knew from Lin Yun about the perilous encounter in the fog of Luming Village. No matter how Zhou Hengyan refused, he insisted that the two of them go and see for themselves.

The two-on-one situation ended with Zhou Hengyan's compromise.

Zhou Hengyan was naturally more familiar with the Mengzhou region. He roused himself and led the way, guiding the two through several quiet alleys until they finally stopped in front of an old-fashioned medical clinic.

The doctors practicing medicine in the hall were surprisingly young.

“Miss Mu, it’s been a long time.” Zhou Hengyan nodded to the woman sitting behind the table, then stepped aside to introduce her, “This is my fellow disciple, Sang Zhao, and this is my fellow disciple, Lin Yunwang. The two of them are currently serving under Venerable Yichen.”

The three greeted each other and exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business.

People come to the clinic to seek medical treatment, not to eat.

After Zhou Hengyan finished describing the strange mist, a strange excitement flickered in Miss Mu's eyes. If it weren't for Zhou Hengyan's status as the young master of the Zhou family, Lin Yunwang had no doubt that this female doctor would immediately press the two of them onto the examination bed for a "careful examination".

The result, however, greatly disappointed her: "Neither of you showed any signs of poisoning."

Lin Yunwang couldn't help but think to himself: What exactly are you disappointed about?

Undeterred, Miss Mu pressed for details, asking if there was anything wrong. Seeing that the two simply shook their heads blankly, showing no signs of the "difficult ailment" she had been hoping for, the light in Miss Mu's eyes dimmed.

She lowered her head in disappointment, but the disappointment lasted only a moment before she regained her spirits and said, "If you capture the person who spread the poison through the fog, be sure to call me. Rain or shine, I will come in person."

Lin Yunwang was also infected by this enthusiasm and agreed.

Zhou Hengyan got up to leave, but accidentally kicked the table and stumbled. If Yun Wang hadn't caught him quickly, he probably would have fallen face-first onto the table.

"Did you suddenly feel unwell? Could it be due to the fog?"

Zhou Hengyan said helplessly, "I just accidentally kicked it."

The three of them stepped out of the clinic and strolled along the bluestone path toward the "Wangu Inn" that Zhou Hengyan had mentioned.

"I wonder what that inn looks like?" Lin Yun asked curiously.

Zhou Hengyan's lips curled up slightly, his tone light as if relieved of a heavy burden: "You'll know when you get there."

He conveyed his message through the fall just now. He also saw the look that Miss Mu gave them when she saw them off, and knew that news of Zhou Yuansui's matter would reach the Zhou family today.

Perhaps because he had something on his mind, he unconsciously brought up the Zhou family to Lin Yun, "It's a pity that the main branch of the Zhou family isn't located in Mengzhou, otherwise I could take you... uh, take you and Senior Brother Sang to have a good look around. I think you would definitely like the scenery there."

I'll have to go check it out if I get the chance.

Lin Yunwang had never heard such certain words from this Senior Brother Zhou before, and he couldn't help but be curious about the family he was referring to.

Sang Zhao, who was listening quietly from the side, couldn't help but rub his forehead, thinking to himself: My junior sister is so easy to fool, I must keep a close eye on her.

As they spoke, they arrived at the Misty Rain Inn.

Even the well-traveled Sang Zhao couldn't help but gasp and exclaim, "It is truly magnificent!"

He had only heard about the Eternal Inn from others because of the limited area he was on a mission. But seeing it today, it was indeed as magnificent and awe-inspiring as they had described.

Before my eyes, a towering building rises from the ground, with layers upon layers of pavilions and terraces, reaching a height of twelve stories. Its flying eaves almost disappear into the flowing clouds. The carved beams and painted rafters are exquisitely crafted, and every detail reveals the ingenuity of the artisans.

"I originally thought there was no other spectacle in the world that could rival the Thousand Pagodas of the Jingyin Sect," Lin Yunwang exclaimed in admiration.

Finally, after Zhou Hengyan's half-helpless and half-amused "pushing," the two reluctantly stepped into the inn.

Inside the inn, however, lies a completely different world.

The staircase seemed to stretch endlessly, and the walls were adorned with priceless calligraphy by renowned artists. However, the most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the enormous brazier in the center of the hall.

It is burning with an ever-burning flame.

Lin Yun took a few steps closer out of curiosity, then stopped in confusion. "Strange, why can't I feel the heat from this brazier?"

"Wangu Inn was built thirteen years ago to celebrate the defeat of the Demon Lord."

This is precisely why there are so many natural treasures and calligraphy and paintings by famous people here.

"This scene was created by combining the power of the best techniques available at the time."

Zhou Hengyan's voice slowed, his gaze lowered, revealing a deep sorrow. His parents had perished in the fierce battle that ended the Demon Lord's reign.

Lin Yun nodded knowingly, then leaned forward again. This time, she carefully extended her finger, and when she was still a foot away from the brazier, she touched an invisible yet resilient barrier.

This is the closest we can get to viewing the fire.

Perhaps the three had lingered for too long, for a clever waiter stepped forward with a smile: “Gentlemen, if you wish to see the full view of this ‘Eternal Flame,’ climb up to the top of the building for an even more spectacular view.”

No matter how the stairs extend or twist, they always surround the brazier below. In other words, as long as you are in the lobby of Wangu Inn, the burning brazier below is always the center of your vision.

The barrier, with subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy, extends from the bottom floor all the way to the top floor.

Lin Yun watched with particular focus. She noticed that many sparks could drift all the way to the very edge of the top layer as the heat rose.

"There seems to be someone's name on Mars."