Chapter 57 – Small Inn
At night, heavy rain is pouring in buckets and a cold late winter wind is raging in a village.
At nights like this, the village is quiet, dark, and desolate, and gives of a feeling of “death”.
But there is one exception.
In this bad weather, the small inn on the edge of the village is still brightly lit and noisy.
Thanks to this sudden storm, the business in this small inn is booming for the first time in ages. The owner couple and several young men invited from the village are extremely busy.
But then… the the door opened, and countless raindrops drifted inside.
Despite all the noise, the innkeeper still noticed the creaking when the door opened.
He showed a professional smile. At the same time, he didn’t forget to observe the three new guests.
This is a rather peculiar bunch; comprised of two girls and one boy.
Among them, the youngest is a rather handsome boy. He should be only 10 years old.
The two girls look to be the same age, about 14 or 15 years old. They are very pretty in their own right.
The three exude a certain extraordinary temperament. They aren’t servants, and should not be rich people or noble figures, as such people always bring a group of people with them whenever they go out.
They should be martial practitioners.
“Esteemed guests, are you looking for accommodation or food?” The smile on the innkeeper’s face deepened, and he greeted them, adopting a nearly flattering attitude.
In his view, with the exception of some famous disciples of large sects, most martial practitioners are not good to provoke. They are moody and willful, and just a disagreement can set them off. He doesn’t know which sect the three in front of him come from, but it is never wrong to be cautious.
“Can you please close it? Sorry to troubling you.” A soft and ethereal voice flowed like a brook.
The girl at the front used her gaze to point at the umbrella in her hand.
Probably because the pipa in her arms is obstructing her movement, she can’t put the umbrella away by herself.
“Yes, of course!” The innkeeper took the blue oil-paper umbrella from the other party and closed it.
Taking advantage of this interval, the girl pulled a handful of wet hair behind her ear.
As if pure silver bathed in moonlight, her long pale blue hair radiates an incredible gloss, making her delicate appearance even more touching.
“Thank you.” The girl took the umbrella back from the innkeeper, nodded, and thanked.
“You’re welcome.”
“Excuse me, are there any rooms available?” The girl looked around, and then asked lightly.
The moment the pair of dark blue eyes reflected his face, the innkeeper became absent-minded.
He has never seen such clear eyes, which look like they have the power to see through the world.
Whether it is her hair or eye color, they are rare.
Reportedly, certain special characteristics can cause some special changes in the body of a martial practitioner – is she one such martial practitioner?
“Although I know that I am a sight to behold, but I still hope that you can answer my question first… We are a bit tired, and want to rest as soon as possible.”
In her words, there was no trace of annoyance, as if she isn’t bothered by the innkeeper’s lack of manner.
Perhaps she is already used to such a reaction. The innkeeper mused once he came back to his senses.
“I’m really sorry, miss, but you are so mesmerizing that it took me aback!” He said exaggeratedly and even gestured with his hands, yet there was not much apology in his speech.
In such cases, praise is easier to forgive a person’s misconduct than apology.
“Thank you for your praise.” The girl smiled faintly and accepted the praise of the innkeeper.
The innkeeper scratched his head embarrassedly, and then asked probingly, “Miss, are you three together?”
He glanced at the boy and girl with similar features behind the girl.
“Yes. Are there any rooms available?”
“There are only two rooms left, both of which are single rooms.” The innkeeper showed an awkward expression, “If you don’t mind…”
“This…” The girl showed an awkward smile, and then asked the girl in purple behind her, “Mingming, do you want to share a room with me? It might be a little cramped.”
The innkeeper followed her gaze.
The face of the girl in a light purple dress is a little pale and full of fatigue.
She’s probably not used to long and difficult journeys. The innkeeper didn’t find a martial practitioner unaccustomed to travel strange. Once inside the mansion, into the deep forever [1] – this sentence also applies to the Martial World sects. Not all martial practitioners can leave their sect and move around freely.
The innkeeper often feels that this is really messed up.
The reason why martial practitioners practice martial arts, in addition to the desire to become stronger and have a longer life, isn’t it because they want to break away from constraints, and get freedom through personal strength?
If this is the case, then why would you let yourself be bound to a sect?
Of course, this is the innkeeper’s opinion.
Why do martial arts exist and why do people want to practice martial arts? This question isn’t something that an ordinary person should think about.
“This…” As she looked around, the girl in purple gradually wrinkled her eyebrows.
There is a faint displeasure in her eyes. She is apparently dissatisfied with the inn’s environment.
Finally, she gave up and sighed, “Older Sister Shui, you decide.”
She chose to compromise.
“It’s hard on you.” The girl with the surname Shui comforted, and then looked at the innkeeper, saying, “We need two rooms. We will stay one night.”
“What about food?”
“We’ll eat here. It should be free there, right?” The girl pointed at an empty table in a corner.
“Yes yes. Please, go ahead.” The innkeeper nodded repeatedly, and then made an inviting gesture.
Led by the innkeeper, the three people went to the corner.
There is an empty square table with four chairs.
This table and chairs have a crude workmanship, looking like inferior products made from slightly processed wood. The wood is obviously a bit old, exuding a hint of rot.
The girl surnamed Shui sat down first and leaned her pipa against the wall.
The second to sit down is the little boy. Looking like he has discovered something new, his eyes glowed, and he rocked in the dilapidated chair, which squeaked.
Of the three, two have taken a seat, and only the girl in purple stood next to the table for a long time, frowning.
“Er … dear customer, are you dissatisfied?” The innkeeper asked awkwardly.
The girl in purple hesitated. In the end, she didn’t say anything. She just sighed and sat down reluctantly.
In contrast…
“Mister innkeeper, do you have any good side dishes? Can you bring us some?”
Even though the girl is very polite, but she doesn’t feel high and mighty! Feeling comfortable within, the innkeeper replied, “Okay! Is there anything else you need?”
“Bring some cool alcohol. You have alcohol, don’t you?”
“How about green bamboo leaf liquor?”
“That will do. How much is it in total?”
The innkeeper reported the number, and the girl fished out a pouch and paid without saying a word.
He nodded, and then found out that the number is wrong. She overpaid.
“Here is hot water.”
Since this is the case, the innkeeper suddenly had a realization – women wish to appear beautiful!
Having said that, even if the cost of hot water is deducted, there is still a surplus.
In other words, the rest is his tip.
As soon as he thought of it, the innkeeper became all smiles.
But in the next moment, his smile disappeared.
“… Official investigation!”
[1] – ‘Once inside the mansion, into the deep forever’, this is an excerpt from the poem To The Maid Who Has Been Sold written by Cui Jiao, and it means that it’s hard for ordinary people to exit a heavily guarded mansion
