No Fighting Allowed in the Inn

The courtyard gate was knocked just as Lu Jianwei was about to retire for the night.

She didn’t bother consulting her system, sensing the visitors’ auras herself—one at the fourth level, two at the third.

No need for her to personally intervene.

Xue Guanhe eagerly hurried to open the door. By the dim glow of the lantern, he made out the attire of the three visitors: similar in style, all clad in fitted martial robes, though one wore blue while the other two were in gray. Each carried a curved saber at their waist, the scabbards weathered and imposing, with a bronze plaque dangling beneath, inscribed with characters.

His heart skipped a beat.

Though he had never ventured into the martial world, he knew a thing or two about its affairs. The Mystic Mirror Envoys were frequent subjects in martial arts tales, often painted in an unflattering light by storytellers.

The visitors were from the Mystic Mirror Bureau.

In its early days, the bureau had been understaffed, its hierarchy loose.

But after more than a decade of development, it now boasted one Chief Envoy, two Deputy Chief Envoys, and beneath them, ranks of envoys in violet, red, blue, and gray robes.

By the martial world’s standards, those at the third level and below were Gray Envoys, fourth-level practitioners were Blue Envoys, fifth-level were Red Envoys, and sixth-level were Violet Envoys. Beyond that were the Deputy Chief and Chief Envoys.

The guests outside were precisely one Blue Envoy and two Gray Envoys.

While the Mystic Mirror Bureau wasn’t well-liked in the martial world, its reputation among common folk was decent.

Xue Guanhe put on a welcoming smile. “Esteemed guests, please come in.”

The Blue Envoy stepped forward first, his sharp gaze sweeping over the inn.

Inside, there were three other fourth-level martial artists and one second-level.

The young man who had opened the door was merely first-level.

—Lu Jianwei’s cultivation technique was unique, and Yan Feicang’s level was too high for him to perceive.

Xue Guanhe secured the gate again and led the trio into the main hall.

“Will you be staying the night?”

One of the Gray Envoys, short and wiry with a piercing voice, spoke up. “One superior room, two standard rooms.”

Xue Guanhe maintained his professional smile. “Superior rooms are five taels of silver per night, standard rooms five hundred coins.”

He braced himself for the inevitable accusation of running a scam.

By now, he was used to it.

Sure enough, the taller Gray Envoy scowled. “These prices are outrageous! Is this some kind of robbery?”

Xue Guanhe patiently explained, “Our inn is situated in the wilderness for the convenience of travelers who can’t make it to the city in time. The land here is barren, and all our supplies have to be hauled from twenty miles away. Operating costs are steep, and profits are slim. We appreciate your understanding.”

He conveniently forgot the time he himself had been so shocked by the prices that he’d fled back to the city in a panic.

“You—”

“Enough.” The Blue Envoy cut off his subordinate, fixing Xue Guanhe with a stern look. “One standard room will suffice.”

Xue Guanhe inwardly sighed in relief.

“That’ll be five hundred coins for the room, plus another five hundred as a deposit.”

The Blue Envoy gave the shorter Gray Envoy a meaningful glance.

Grudgingly, the man fished out a tael of broken silver.

Xue Guanhe handed over the key.

“Second floor, first room on the east side. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

Once the three were settled, Xue Guanhe brought up a pot of tea. “If you need anything, just call for me downstairs.”

“We won’t be needing you tonight. Leave us,” the burly Gray Envoy grunted.

Xue Guanhe bowed and withdrew.

Behind closed doors, the Blue Envoy sat at the table while his subordinates stood before him.

“Sir, this is definitely a scam. We should be careful,” the shorter Gray Envoy whispered.

The Blue Envoy poured a cup of tea and nodded. “This inn is indeed unusual. Aside from me, there are three other fourth-level martial artists here. We have our mission—let’s not stir up trouble. Check for poison.”

The tea was clear and untainted. A silver needle dipped into it showed no discoloration.

The shorter Gray Envoy sniffed carefully.

“Sir, no poison or sedatives detected.”

“Hmm.” The Blue Envoy still didn’t drink. Suddenly, he asked, “Do you remember the rumors we heard at the teahouse in town this afternoon?”

“Yes,” the taller Gray Envoy replied. “Many were talking about the young master of White Crane Manor and his old servant taking shelter at an inn outside Moonview City. They supposedly carry the manor’s treasure map. Find the map, and you’ll find the treasure.”

“Not just gold and jewels,” the shorter one added, “but rare medicinal herbs, said to revive the dead and cure even the most potent poisons.”

The Blue Envoy mused, “We’re still twenty miles from Moonview City. How many inns are there outside its walls?”

The two Gray Envoys shook their heads. They’d never been here before.

“We’ll ask the attendant when we leave tomorrow. For now, rest.”

The three slept in their clothes.

In the central room on the third floor, Lu Jianwei and her system heard everything clearly.

Her system, Xiao Ke, gasped. “Uncle Zhang said it was a mechanism diagram! How did it turn into a treasure map?”

Lu Jianwei’s eyes darkened.

“Someone’s spreading rumors to muddy the waters.”

“Who?”

“Likely Lü and Cao.”

Xiao Ke asked, “You knew they’d do this?”

“I had my suspicions.”

“Then why let them go?”

Lu Jianwei smiled. “This works out just fine.”

With this development, the conspiracy had been dragged into the open.

Countless people would come seeking the treasure—even if it might be a fiction, there was no harm in trying, if only for the spectacle.

But for those trying to hide the truth, this was far from ideal.

The inn was about to get very lively.

“Xiao Ke, ready to make some money?”

Xiao Ke perked up. “Absolutely!”

The next morning, the Mystic Mirror Bureau trio prepared to leave, with Xue Guanhe seeing them off.

One Gray Envoy casually asked, “Is this place close to Moonview City?”

Xue Guanhe nodded. “Yes, about twenty miles.”

“Last night, we only saw your inn along the way. Are there no other places to rest?”

“South of the city, this is the only one.”

“So there are others to the north and east?”

Xue Guanhe waved a hand. “Not really. This area’s remote and barren—who’d open an inn out here?”

The shorter Gray Envoy pointed at the counter. “You did.”

Xue Guanhe chuckled but didn’t reply.

The three asked no further questions and left.

Once outside, the taller Gray Envoy muttered, “Sir, if this is the only inn around, those two might be hiding here.”

The Blue Envoy said, “There are experts in there. We must proceed carefully. First, send word to Moonview City.”

“Yes!”

The shorter Gray Envoy added, “Originally, we were supposed to go to Liangzhou to find Zhu Zhi and use his connection to track down Yue Shu and the old servant. Who’d have thought they’d be hiding in an inn? Saves us the trip.”

“Zhu Zhi was recently reassigned to Liangzhou. Few know of the court’s transfer orders—it’s no surprise they couldn’t find out.” The Blue Envoy instructed, “We’ll deliver the message in Moonview City first, then return to the inn to await further orders.”

At the Eight Directions Inn, Uncle Zhang, already aware of the Mystic Mirror Bureau’s visit, sought out Lu Jianwei after breakfast.

“Manager, the bureau must have uncovered Lady Zhu’s identity. They’re here to trace us through her cousin.”

Lu Jianwei frowned.

“Was Lady Zhu’s relationship with her cousin that hard to uncover?”

“Master Lu, you may not be aware,” Uncle Zhang explained, “Lady Zhu was born into a military family, where all the men serve the imperial court. The court and the martial world have always been like oil and water. The incident with the Flower-Stealing Bandit fifteen years ago only deepened the rift between them. The Zhu family dislikes martial artists, so naturally, they were unwilling to marry their daughter to the White Crane Manor.”

“But Lady Zhu and Master Yue were deeply in love, so she cut ties with her family, and the Zhu clan publicly declared that she had died young from illness?”

Uncle Zhang was stunned. “How did you know that?!”

Lu Jianwei thought to herself—wasn’t this just the classic cliché of star-crossed lovers? Easy enough to guess.

Well, perhaps not quite a blood feud, but close enough.

“The inn will soon be flooded with guests.”

Uncle Zhang’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

Lu Jianwei relayed what she had heard the previous night, leaving Uncle Zhang in a daze.

Treasure? Miracle medicine?

What nonsense was this?!

“Someone deliberately spread these rumors to stir up a frenzy and take advantage of the chaos,” Lu Jianwei said. “But for you and A-Yue, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

After a brief moment of thought, Uncle Zhang understood, his expression growing even more respectful.

“A-Shu and I will rely on Master Lu from now on.”

He no longer referred to him as “Young Master Yue”—the Young Master of White Crane Manor no longer existed in this world.

“Of course.” Lu Jianwei paused, then asked curiously, “You really don’t have any secret blueprints or treasure maps on you?”

Uncle Zhang shook his head. “Truly, we don’t. Though it’s possible I’m just blind to it. If you don’t mind, Master Lu, would you take a look at our belongings?”

“Very well.” Lu Jianwei appreciated his straightforwardness.

Having read so many novels and watched so many dramas, she might recognize the usual tropes of hidden treasure maps.

Soon after, Uncle Zhang and Yue Shu returned, carrying the few items they had taken when fleeing the manor.

A few threadbare old clothes, a fire starter, and a worn-out book titled *Annotations on Construction*.

“You brought a book while running for your life?” Lu Jianwei flipped through it—it was indeed a treatise on craftsmanship.

Yue Shu’s eyes dimmed with sorrow.

“When the attackers came, I was hiding in my room reading this. I just stuffed it into my robes as I fled.”

“Hiding?”

“My father forbade me from studying these things. I was afraid he’d find out.”

“Then where did this book come from?”

“I found it tucked away in a corner of the family library.”

“If your father didn’t want you learning this, why was it even in the library?”

“I don’t know. By the time I found it, it was already very old.”

Lu Jianwei examined the cover—it was ordinary, with no hidden compartment like in those dramas. Neither smoke nor water revealed any hidden markings, and the entire book showed no trace of a concealed map.

Perhaps the text itself held a coded message, but without understanding it, the effort would be wasted.

“Keep this book hidden. Don’t show it to anyone.”

Yue Shu nodded obediently. “I’ll listen to Sister Lu.”

By late morning, Niu Qiang arrived at the inn, sweating profusely.

He was a farmer Uncle Zhang had hired to tend the gardens. Though there were other skilled villagers in Lin Yue, none were willing to work near a place frequented by martial artists.

“Uncle Zhang, I asked the elders. The land around the inn isn’t suitable for crops. Vegetables might barely grow, and as for flowers—I consulted an old gardener in town—those won’t thrive either.”

Uncle Zhang was pleased with his diligence and asked kindly, “Is there no other way?”

“There is, but the effort wouldn’t be worth it. You’d be better off finding fertile land elsewhere to grow grain.” Niu Qiang chuckled sheepishly.

“What’s the method?”

“Fertilizing the soil. But this plot is too big, and with no grass or trees nearby, even rotting leaves can’t be used as compost. It’s just not worth the labor.”

Uncle Zhang nodded in understanding and reported back to Lu Jianwei.

“Quite the undertaking, no wonder the villagers gave up.” Instead of being deterred, Lu Jianwei’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. “If we can’t find fertilizer nearby, we’ll buy it. Where there’s coin, there’s a way.”

“Even if we hire laborers, most farmers wouldn’t have the stamina for it. Just tilling the soil alone would exhaust them.”

Lu Jianwei smirked.

“The inn is about to welcome a new wave of guests. I’m sure they’ll be strong and full of energy.”

Uncle Zhang: “…”

Well, he certainly hadn’t thought of *that*.