Chapter 7: The Innkeeper
“What’s wrong with him?!” The armed yamen officers quickly surrounded their fallen comrade.
One of them reached out to check his breath, then gasped in horror, “D-Dead... he's dead!”
The room instantly fell into a heavy silence.
Hearing this, Zhao Wuzhu’s brow furrowed tightly. How could a living man just drop dead like that?
Thud! Another officer collapsed, just as silently and suddenly. A chill surged up Zhao Wuzhu’s spine, racing from his tailbone to the crown of his head.
Just then, the room’s lamplight flickered erratically. In the blink of an eye, two of the officers who had entered were now dead, and it happened right under their very noses.
“Head Constable Zhao, do you think... this house is haunted? Is there something unclean here that we can’t see?” one officer asked, his voice trembling.
It was said that only monks or Daoist priests could see such unclean things.
“This place is dangerous, we’ll retreat for now!” Zhao Wuzhu ordered.
Thud! The officer who had just spoken also collapsed to the ground.
Zhao Wuzhu roared in fury, “I am the head constable of Wei City! What demon dares to murder officers of the law!?”
Qi and blood surged through his entire body, and his muscles and bones resonated in unison. The highly-skilled head constable of Wei City prepared to withdraw with the remaining men.
But the moment Zhao Wuzhu stepped across the threshold, a sudden, blood-curdling scream tore through the night. Just then, the house was steeped in a bone-chilling yin qi. It was as if an invisible, giant hand had reached out and dragged the highly skilled Zhao Wuzhu straight back into the room.
And with that, the lights inside the room went out, plunging it into darkness. Not a single sound could be heard. The entire courtyard and the house once again returned to a state of utter calm and stillness.
However, none of the yamen officers and local militia who had been guarding the back of the house with blades in hand heard anything at all. It was as if the tremendous commotion from moments ago had completely escaped their notice.
It felt as though the inside and outside of the house had become two entirely separate worlds: one of yin, one of yang, completely cut off from each other.
Time ticked by slowly. Then, all of a sudden, the pitch-black room lit up once again. A silhouette appeared in the window once more. Only this time, the figure moved; he rose to his feet and pushed open the door.
It was Zhao Wuzhu!
***
The next day…
Li Yanchu's daily life followed a strict routine. Aside from practicing the Six Yang Saber Art, he spent his time sitting in meditation and practising his breathing.
With the aid of the century-old divine medicine, he quickly broke through to the fifth stage of Six Yang Force. And at last, he had learned his first spell just the day before: Qi Sight! It was a technique recorded in The Yellow Court Classic.
Every person possessed a unique qi, and the qi of each individual was different. The qi of scholars, for instance, radiated brilliantly from the top of their heads. This was because they recited the sacred classics of the saints. As for those who held scholarly titles or official ranks, their literary qi was so bright and dazzling that it could be seen from several li away, dazzling and resplendent.
Of course, the Qi Sight could also simply discern a person's fortune or misfortune. For instance, a person enveloped in black qi indicated poor luck, and if tinged with red, it suggestd impending calamity involving bloodshed.
Li Yanchu had limited spirit qi within his body, restricting the frequency with which he could use the Qi Sight. Nevertheless, having just mastered this spell, Li Yanchu naturally couldn’t resist testing it.
When he activated the Qi Sight, the world before his eyes immediately transformed. The Qingyun Temple, where he resided, was enveloped in pure, azure radiance. It was clearly a place dedicated to cultivation.
A thought crossed his mind, prompting him to shift his gaze toward the Taiping Inn across the street. The qi there was a confusing mixture.
However, among them, one exceptionally radiant qi surged toward the heavens. It was magnificent and extraordinary, astonishing Li Yanchu.
“Whose qi could produce such an extraordinary phenomenon?”
But before he could clearly examine the qi, the spirit qi within his body was entirely depleted.
Li Yanchu sighed softly. The speed of training this technique was simply too slow. At this rate, when would he be able to practice those miraculous spells detailed within? He decided to visit the apothecary again, to check if there were any medicinal herbs suitable for refining the Revitalizing Pill.
At this rate, he could forget about mastering advanced techniques like astral projection, retrieving objects from afar, or commanding the Five Lightning Spell. Because of this, he had begun to suspect that the methods contained in The Yellow Court Classic imparted by his master weren’t actually considered top-tier cultivation methods within Daoism.
After all, given the current decline of Qingyun Temple, it surely couldn't be a significant branch. Nevertheless, Li Yanchu felt fortunate enough just to have learned authentic Daoist cultivation techniques. How could he possibly be picky about the method itself?
Refining the Revitalizing Pill had now become an urgent matter. Over the past few days, Wei City had been under martial law, conducting citywide searches for the wanted criminal, Liang Qi.
As a constable, Fang Qinglan had been exceptionally busy during this period. Yet, she still found time to seek out Li Yanchu.
"What?! You want me to stay at the inn?" Li Yanchu suspected Fang Qinglan might be looking to boost business for the inn.
"Yes. I'll be away for the next few days, and I don't feel comfortable leaving my sister alone," Fang Qinglan explained.
From her perspective, Li Yanchu at least knew some martial arts, and he had reached an entry-level mastery of the Six Yang Saber Art, which already made him far stronger than ordinary people.
"Does your sister know about this?" Li Yanchu asked.
Fang Qinglan’s sister was the attractive innkeeper of Taiping Inn, a mature beauty whose every frown and smile brimmed with charm. She and Li Yanchu weren't exactly on the best of terms.
"I've already spoken to her about it before coming here, and she agreed," Fang Qinglan said.
"But it's a bit awkward, isn't it? I'm a man after all, and to be alone with your sister... Um..." Li Yanchu hesitated, feeling somewhat troubled.
"What, you aren't willing to help me out?" Fang Qinglan asked.
"Since you've asked, naturally, I have no choice but to accept. I'll move over tonight," Li Yanchu quickly made up his mind.
Fang Qinglan had a rather cold personality, yet her relationship with Li Yanchu was quite good. Her sister, the innkeeper, was kind-hearted and generous[1], and Li Yanchu didn't wish to see any harm come to her either.
Initially, he had considered negotiating a fee for this task, but having recently earned a hundred taels from exorcising a ghost, he currently wasn’t in the mood to haggle about money.
A charming smile formed at the corner of Fang Qinglan’s lips; at last, the ice queen finally showed a hint of warmth. Her features were exceptionally delicate, so even when she wasn't smiling, she was already drop dead gorgeous. Her captivating appearance at this moment was something others rarely had the good fortune to witness.
And just like that, Li Yanchu temporarily moved into Taiping Inn. The beautiful innkeeper lived in a house with a small courtyard, usually alone. Li Yanchu was the first man ever to stay there.
"I'm not actually afraid, you know. It's just that Qinglan kept pestering me about this, insisting that you move here. Don't overthink it," the innkeeper said, lifting her delicate chin slightly.
“Yes, yes, yes, I know,” Li Yanchu replied dismissively.
“Hmph!” The innkeeper turned her head away, unwilling to bother with this infuriating fellow.
Despite her age, there was an innate playfulness to her demeanor, something naturally charming rather than contradictory. In fact, it only enhanced her appeal.
Of course, from Li Yanchu's perspective, it was mainly because the innkeeper was attractive, with a nice figure to match. If it had been an ordinary-looking woman instead, he might have found it rather troublesome.
Sitting alone in his room, Li Yanchu’s thoughts drifted toward the innkeeper’s lush, mature figure. Unexpectedly, a flicker of heat stirred within his heart. After all, only a single wall separated them, and they lived together in the same courtyard.
One looked youthful and refined with delicate features, resembling a wealthy young master or perhaps a scholarly Daoist. The other, voluptuous and captivating, had porcelain fair skin and alluring eyes. She was a charming, mature beauty.
Li Yanchu couldn’t help but feel somewhat restless.
1. The Chinese term here is actually 心胸宽广, which translates literally to ‘having a broad heart and chest’. The author could be using this term as a double meaning to refer to the innkeeper’s, ahem, voluptuous bosom. ☜
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