As the group was discussing where to begin their search, they suddenly heard someone coming upstairs, and a short while later, there was a knock on the door.
Youyou gestured for everyone to stop talking before speaking, "Please come in!"
The door was suddenly pushed open, and there stood the shopkeeper who had just greeted her, followed by four or five men dressed as waiters. He walked in with a broad smile and said, "You must be tired from your journey, young lady. We don't have much to offer, but we have prepared some food. We don't know if it suits your taste."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and four or five waiters behind him carried in all sorts of dishes, filling the table with food. In an instant, the whole room was filled with the aroma of food.
"These are all the most famous dishes in Fengcheng. You may not have tasted them yet since you're new here, Miss." The shopkeeper laughed even more heartily, and casually put down a jar of fine wine, looking at her expectantly. "Don't worry, Miss, these were all made by the most famous chefs in the city. They are absolutely authentic. Why don't you try them?"
Youyou glanced at the table, which was piled high with dishes, and was speechless. This business was being far too enthusiastic. Although she understood the importance this world placed on noble ladies, she was indeed a little embarrassed. "Thank you, shopkeeper. How about this... how much are these? I'll pay you."
"No, no, no, no, thank you!" The shopkeeper looked startled and shook his head repeatedly. "Your Excellency misunderstands. These are all for your hospitality. How could we possibly charge you? We're not a shady business."
"But, you're running a business, isn't this a bit much?" You You still felt uncomfortable about being taken advantage of. She had already said she wouldn't charge for the room, but now she was even offering to cover the meals. Wouldn't she go bankrupt? She knew better than anyone how hard it was to make money, after all, the sect had to support hundreds of people!
"You flatter me, young lady!" The innkeeper chuckled and said sincerely, "Your stay at our inn is the best business I've ever had in recent years."
"Huh?" Youyou didn't understand what that meant.
The shopkeeper quickly turned around, opened the window, pointed down, and smiled so broadly that his eyes almost met. "My lady, please look down!"
She glanced down to the side and instantly saw—a surging crowd.
Below, at the entrance of the inn, a dense crowd of people had formed, with long queues. Many people gathered at the entrance, glancing up every now and then, as if hoping for something.
"Ever since the lady entered the shop, it has been packed with customers." The shopkeeper smiled even more happily. "Our Fengcheng is a remote place, so there aren't many ladies here. They rarely go out, and it's been many years since a lady has passed by. So everyone wants to come and admire the lady's beauty. Even if the lady hadn't been here, I estimate that our shop wouldn't have to worry about business for the next few months."
"..." So she's become a living advertisement for this restaurant. No wonder he's so enthusiastic, waiving the room fee and giving away food!
“You’ll understand once you go out for a walk, young lady. Besides, you’re so young, and you only brought two servants with you. You probably don’t have many husbands at home yet, do you?” The shopkeeper glanced at Yuan Qi and Feng Rong, his matchmaker’s spirit burning brightly. “I have a nephew in the west of the city who is sixteen years old. He is exceptionally handsome, diligent, and virtuous, and he is still unmarried…”
"..." Youyou froze. No, didn't you change the subject a bit too quickly?
Before she could reply, Feng Rong's face darkened instantly. She stood up and said, "You can leave now!" With that, she pulled and pushed the shopkeeper out of the house.
The shopkeeper had no choice but to leave, but still couldn't give up, so he added at the door, "If you have time, young lady, you can come out of the shop for a walk! The scenery outside is quite beautiful."
"..."
You You was speechless. Having not walked around Fan City for so long, she had to admit she was quite startled. But she soon discovered that the world's adoration for the noble was not just that.
Considering their search for spirit beasts, they didn't stay in the room for long. After discussing their strategy, they went outside. Because of the isolation array they had set up, they didn't realize how lively the outside world was until they stepped outside.
In less than half an hour since they entered the inn, the once quiet place was now overflowing with people. The entire lobby was packed with people, making it difficult to move around.
The once bustling classroom fell silent the moment she opened the door. Everyone in the hall looked up at her, their eyes filled with excitement and surprise, as if they had discovered a new continent.
Despite the intense crowd, everyone automatically and spontaneously made way for her as she passed by, creating a passage. You You suddenly felt like a superstar traveling.
She tried to keep her eyes straight as she walked towards the door. Just as she was about to leave, a waiter standing next to her, carrying a bowl, was jostled and lost his balance. The bowl on his tray spun around and slipped off, about to fall to the ground.
You You, being a cultivator, reacted quickly, catching the bowl before it hit the ground. He then helped the other person steady himself and placed the bowl back down. "Are you alright?"
"No...no...thank you...thank you, madam." The waiter's face flushed red, and he became even more unsteady than before, causing the bowls on the tray to rattle even louder.
"Uh..." Youyou was speechless. Bro, could it be Parkinson's?
"Youyou, let's go!" Feng Rong turned around, pulled Youyou and continued walking out of the shop, glaring at the waiter before leaving.
The people inside the shop glanced at the waiter, who was still in a daze, and then at the noble lady who had already walked out the door. Suddenly, they seemed to understand something.
The next moment, Youyou inexplicably felt that many obstacles had appeared in the road in front of her. Every now and then, a jade pendant, a hairpin, a flute, a sachet, and even an entire guqin would suddenly appear and fall in front of her. There would always be one or two young men next to the lost items, looking at her with expectation and excitement, waiting for her to help pick them up.
Youyou: "..." I feel like I've been collectively scammed.
At first, she would help pick them up, but after several or even dozens of times, she had learned to ignore them. On the other hand, Feng Rong, who had been holding onto him, grew increasingly dark-faced, her footsteps pounding loudly, deliberately keeping the same pace as hers, stepping over anything that was in her path.
Along the way, all I heard were cracking and breaking sounds. I didn't know if the broken pieces were objects on the ground or people's fragile hearts.
Perhaps seeing that she really stopped helping to pick up the trash, fewer people started throwing things on the street, and just when Youyou thought it was over, a person suddenly rushed out from the street corner, heading straight for her at an extremely fast speed.
Just as they were about to bump into her, a man who had been following them suddenly beamed with delight. His desire to impress the young lady surged, and he immediately stepped forward, reaching out to help her. "Miss, are you alright...?"
Youyou swiftly dodged to the side, disappearing into the roadside with lightning speed. The person who had been about to hit her couldn't stop in time and collided head-on with the man who was trying to help her up, both falling to the ground with a thud.
"Is this person... alright?" Youyou glanced back and thankfully, he wasn't injured, but it seemed like his front tooth was missing.
A young master, ready to play the hero and save the damsel in distress, ended up having his front tooth knocked out. "..."
Something's wrong with this development!
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