Chapter 32 - Trivial Matters in Xuzhou (Part 1)
"Hmm?" Chi Nanwei stretched her limbs and poked her head out of the carriage. "It stopped snowing?"
The skies were already bright, and Ye Beizhi had been driving the carriage for quite a while now, sitting on the carriage shaft.
Today was the second day since the two left the escort agency to deliver Master Wu's letter.
Before they set out yesterday, Chi Nanwei had wanted to make the entire trip on horseback. However, considering that the journey through the snow-covered roads would be quite long, they decided to yield to Master Wu's greater concern for her health and abandon the idea of riding horses.
"Dummy, where are we now?" Chi Nanwei lifted the curtain of the carriage, stepped out, and plopped down next to Ye Beizhi.
"We’re almost to Xuzhou," Ye Beizhi replied with his hands on the reins.
The road was muddy and uneven after most of the snow melted, making the carriage ride rather bumpy.
"Why don’t you go inside?" Ye Beizhi adjusted the reins to avoid a puddle. "It’s windy outside."
Chi Nanwei smiled at Ye Beizhi, steadied herself on the carriage door, and went inside. Shortly after, she emerged holding a wooden box and laughed with a smile, "Hehe… I bet you're hungry."
Ye Beizhi looked up and realized that the wooden box Chi Nanwei was holding was the sandalwood box he had bought for her in Meizhou.
Chi Nanwei sat back down next to him and opened the sandalwood box. Taking out a piece of pastry, she offered it to Ye Beizhi, saying, "Here… osmanthus cake, would you like some?"
Ye Beizhi stared at the osmanthus cake by his mouth in surprise then instinctively opened his mouth and took a bite.
Chi Nanwei was very pleased to see Ye Beizhi eat the osmanthus cake, her eyes twinkling like two crescent moons as she smiled.
"I made it myself…" Chi Nanwei looked away, suddenly developing an interest in the snow-tipped trees along the road. Bashfully, she asked, "Not bad hmm?"
"Hmm..." Ye Beizhi nodded earnestly.
"How much longer until we get to Xuzhou?" Chi Nanwei scrunched up her nose cutely. "Since we left yesterday, it’s almost been two days since I’ve had a bath…"
"We should be there soon…"
"How soon is 'soon'?"
"Not sure…"
"Then how do you know it’s soon?"
"…"
***
"Xuzhou doesn’t seem as lively as our Jiading Prefecture…"
The two kept up the casual banter as they finally arrived in Xuzhou. At this moment, Chi Nanwei was soaking in the scenery outside the carriage.
"Xuzhou was never a big city," Ye Beizhi reasoned while he looked around for a place to stay.
Having stayed at the escort agency for quite some time, he was somewhat familiar with the matters that required attention while on an escort mission. For example, there were "Three Golden Rules" for choosing a place to stay.
First, newly opened inns must be avoided. Since armed escorts usually follow fixed routes, they are familiar with the established inns along the way. Any unfamiliarity from staying at newly opened inns poses an unnecessary safety risk.
Second, inns that have changed ownership must be avoided. There is always a reason for why an old inn would suddenly change ownership. Without a thorough understanding of the situation, armed escorts generally avoid such inns to prevent falling into traps set by thieves who might be lying in wait.
Third, brothels must be avoided. Brothels are settings for prostitution, often with several alluring women standing in front, flaunting their assets to attract customers. These places attract unsavory characters and are likely to have thieves disguised as customers.
Ye Beizhi was able to determine a suitable inn near the western part of the city.
The inn was called The Prosperous Peace. It was not luxurious but it wasn't shabby either. It seemed to have been around for some time. Moreover, it was not far from the western city gate, which was where Ye Beizhi would be leaving with Chi Nanwei the next day.
Ye Beizhi stopped the carriage in front of the inn. Chi Nanwei immediately jumped down. A young worker came up to take the reins from Ye Beizhi’s hand. Politely, he inquired, "Welcome guests, are you here for a quick meal or to stay the night?"
Ye Beizhi got down from the carriage and scanned the surroundings. Evidently satisfied, he said, "One night."
"Okay, please come in. the young worker said, draping a white cloth over his shoulder and making a gesture of invitation. "We have high quality feed and will take good care of your steed."
Ye Beizhi walked into the lobby, where Chi Nanwei was already waiting at the counter.
"Two upstairs suites," Ye Beizhi said, withdrawing a silver ingot from his pocket and placing it on the counter.
The landlady behind the counter couldn’t help but smile when she saw the silver ingot. She waved her hand and it disappeared within her voluminous sleeves. "No problem, two suites upstairs it is."
"And prepare some hot water for me. I want to take a hot bath," Chi Nanwei added.
"No problem, no problem. Please wait in your room for now Miss," the landlady said with a smile.
"Prepare something to eat," Ye Beizhi said as he led Chi Nanwei upstairs. Turning his head back to the landlady he added, "Have it brought to my room."
Ye Beizhi’s sharp eyes caught sight of three men sitting at a table in a secluded area of the lobby. Their rough demeanor and conspicuous weapons on the table clearly marked them as people from the jianghu. At this moment, the three men were gesturing at the silhouette of Chi Nanwei, when they noticed Ye Beizhi looking over, they stared back aggressively, taunting him.
Ye Beizhi narrowed his eyes.
Ye Beizhi’s room was next to Chi Nanwei, but he escorted her to her room first. He carefully checked the room before he set down her luggage and said, "After you freshen up, come to my room for dinner."
After leaving Chi Nanwei’s room, Ye Beizhi stood by the railing on the second floor and looked down at the lobby. There were a dozen tables set up for dining downstairs. It was dinner time, so most of the tables were filling up. Ye Beizhi keenly watched the three men from the jianghu.
Seeing Ye Beizhi staring at them from upstairs, the three of them started plotting amongst themselves. One of them suddenly stood up and boisterously hollered, "Innkeeper, we want a room." He gave Ye Beizhi a sinister smile. "Make sure we're next to that pretty lady from earlier."
"About that…" The worldly wise landlady could tell what the three men were thinking at a glance. With a troubled expression, she turned to Ye Beizhi for him to step in, only to see him turn and enter his room.
"Alright… guests, please come upstairs," the landlady sighed.
"Heh… what a scaredy cat," one of the three men spat disdainfully as they went upstairs.
The three men entered the room and sat around a table, drinking heavily.
"That kid earlier, I only smiled at him, and he was so scared he hid in his room. It’s too funny."
"Ain't that right. How can a scaredy cat like him take care of a pretty woman like that?"
The three men were chatting vulgarly when someone pushed open the door.
Ye Beizhi walked in and closed the door firmly behind him.
"You all like to talk, I see… Mind if I join?"
"You, you son of a…" The man by the door never expected that the person they were making fun of would barge in so brazenly. He was at a loss for words.
Drawing support from his friends, the man by the door puffed himself up and spat, "You just saved us a trip to—"
THUNK!
Mid-sentence, Ye Beizhi grabbed his head and crushed it against the wall like a rotten tomato. He slid down to the floor with a wet squelch.
Ye Beizhi wiped his bloody hands on the corpse, walked to the table, and sat down in the spot vacated by that man. He watched the remaining two who were scared stiff.
"Cat got your tongue?... Don't stop talking now…"
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