No Fighting Allowed in the Inn

Moonview City leans towards the northwest of the Qi Dynasty, near the border, and is a relatively impoverished county.

The population here is sparse, and even traveling merchants rarely pass through.

A hundred meters outside the inn, an old man and a young boy trudged along, weary and covered in dust.

They had been walking for a long time, with few signs of human activity around, and it seemed they would have to spend the night in the wilderness.

However, as they crossed a small hill, an inn suddenly came into view.

“An inn!” The boy stumbled forward a few steps, his face lighting up with unmistakable joy. “I see it! The Eight Directions Inn! It really is an inn!”

The old man, who still had some strength left, had slowed his pace to accommodate the boy.

He smiled and said, “Good, we’ll have a place to stay tonight.”

But deep in his eyes, there was a flicker of doubt.

Strange, there had never been an inn here before. And who would build an inn in such a remote, desolate place?

This wasn’t some simple roadside shack but a neat and imposing three-story building.

He reminded the boy, “Remember what we agreed on. Don’t reveal our identities.”

The boy, around eleven or twelve years old, with delicate features, obediently replied, “I know, Uncle Zhang.”

Inside the inn, Lu Jianwei sat behind the counter when she suddenly remembered something.

She hadn’t set the room rates yet!

She called out to the system, “Where’s the price list?”

The system replied, “Host has not yet set the prices.”

Lu Jianwei referred to the survival manual for pricing references and thought for a moment. “A bunk bed for one hundred coins per night; a standard room on the second floor, let’s call it the ‘secondary room,’ for five hundred coins; and a suite on the third floor, the ‘premium room,’ for five taels of silver per night.”

The system fell silent.

When it came to greed, it was no match for its host.

“Host, your prices are far above the market rate. This is unacceptable.”

Lu Jianwei shook her head and argued, “Scarcity drives value. There’s nowhere to stay within twenty miles. Is it wrong for me to charge a bit more? Do you know how much time and effort it takes to procure supplies all the way from Moonview City? People say, ‘A poor home but a rich journey.’ I’m sure the guests will understand. Besides, running an inn in the middle of nowhere comes with risks, doesn’t it?”

Her twisted logic was too much for the system to counter, so it simply warned, “Overpricing will drive customers away.”

“If they can’t pay, they can wash dishes to cover the cost.”

The system was momentarily speechless, then added, “It might also provoke ill-tempered martial artists.”

Lu Jianwei nodded in realization. “You make a good point.”

The system felt a glimmer of hope.

“How about you first assess the guests’ levels? Once they come in, I’ll test their temperaments, and then we can adjust the prices accordingly.”

The system was at a loss for words.

So, she was planning to pick on the weak and avoid the strong.

It reported, “One is at the fourth level of cultivation but is injured. The other is at the second level and is on the verge of exhaustion.”

Lu Jianwei was taken aback. Fourth level?

She needed to think carefully about this.

Outside, there was a knock at the gate. The boy’s youthful voice, slightly hoarse and androgynous, called out, “Is anyone there?”

Night had already fallen, and the faint light from the lanterns hanging outside the main building seeped through the cracks of the gate.

Someone was clearly inside, but whether they would open the door was another matter.

Lu Jianwei instructed the system, “Open the gate.”

The system refused. “Opening the gate is the job of the staff.”

It was already taking a cut of the profits; why should it also have to open the gate?

“I’m not being lazy,” Lu Jianwei explained earnestly. “There’s a fundamental difference between you opening the gate and me opening it.”

“What difference?” The mechanical voice sounded skeptical.

Lu Jianwei spoke gravely, “Right now, I’m the only one in the inn at the first level. There’s a fourth-level guest out there, much stronger than me. What if he has malicious intentions?”

“So?”

“If I go to open the gate, I’ll reveal my strength. But you’re different. You’re a miraculous system. If you open the gate, but no one is behind it, the guests will hesitate. They’ll wonder if there’s a powerful expert in the inn who can open the gate using internal energy, and that will make them think twice.”

According to the survival manual, fourth-level cultivators could project their internal energy, but only those far beyond the fourth level could manipulate it to open gates.

The system was silent.

Though it hated to admit it, her reasoning made sense.

Since it was already bound to Lu Jianwei, it had no choice but to stand by her side.

“Fine,” the mechanical voice grumbled.

Outside, the two waited for a moment. Hearing no response or footsteps, they began to feel disheartened.

The boy opened his mouth to call out again when suddenly, the gate swung open from the inside.

The old man was startled.

No one was behind the gate!

Suppressing his shock, he looked at the cobblestone path ahead, took the boy’s hand, and slowly walked toward the main hall.

Behind them, the gate closed gently, as if moved by an invisible hand.

Cold sweat broke out on his back.

The door to the hall was wide open, with lanterns hanging under the eaves. Inside, countless candles lit the corridor as bright as day.

A vertical sign on the right caught his eye.

—Fighting is strictly prohibited within the inn.

It was a simple sign, but it carried an intimidating sternness.

The display of skill from the inn’s expert earlier suggested at least a sixth-level cultivation. Who below the sixth level would dare cause trouble here?

The two entered the hall, and from the corner of their eyes, they saw that the room was empty except for a young, beautiful woman sitting behind the counter.

Her hair was tied back with a ribbon, and she wore ordinary clothes. Her delicate eyebrows and peach-like complexion glowed under the candlelight, making her look like a celestial being.

Both the old man and the boy were stunned.

Lu Jianwei was also taken aback.

The system had identified the two as male, but their appearances suggested otherwise.

The old man was dressed in women’s clothing, with a woman’s hairstyle and a high collar covering his neck. The boy, around eleven or twelve, had no obvious male features and was dressed as a girl. With his delicate features, the disguise didn’t seem out of place.

No wonder only the boy had spoken outside.

Lu Jianwei quickly pieced things together but chose not to expose them.

She smiled, her voice soft and soothing, like the misty rain of the Jiangnan region. “Are you two looking for a place to stay?”

The boy relaxed slightly and asked, his lips dry and cracked, “Sister, how much does it cost to stay for one night?”

They didn’t have much money left.

Lu Jianwei noticed his discomfort but continued to smile. “A bunk bed costs one hundred coins per person per night. A secondary room is five hundred coins, and a premium room is five taels of silver.”

The boy’s eyes widened.

He had stayed at inns before!

To think that after finally finding an inn, it turned out to be a rip-off.

This sister looked so elegant, yet she was obsessed with money. Truly, appearances could be deceiving.

“Aren’t you afraid of angering a fourth-level martial artist?” the system asked.

Lu Jianwei replied, “They’re in disguise, which means they’re hiding from someone. They won’t dare make a scene.”

The system was silent.

As expected, the fourth-level martial artist didn’t get angry. Instead, he pointed to the sign outside and asked in a hoarse, old-woman-like voice, “What does that sign mean?”

Lu Jianwei smiled. “Exactly what it says.”

“What happens if someone breaks the rule?”

“They’ll face consequences.”

The old man gathered his courage and asked, “Is there a powerful expert overseeing this inn?”

Lu Jianwei neither nodded nor shook her head. She simply smiled and asked, “Will you be staying the night?”

The old man didn’t dare press further, fearing he might offend the expert and bring trouble upon himself.

He made up his mind and said, “To be honest, our hometown was struck by disaster. I’m taking my granddaughter to Moonview City to seek refuge with relatives. We’ve almost run out of money, with only three hundred coins left. Could you be kind enough to let us stay for one night? Once we find our relatives tomorrow, we’ll repay the debt.”

“I’m Lu Jianwei, the innkeeper,” Lu Jianwei said, puzzled. “Three hundred coins is enough for a bunk bed. Since you’re the first guests, I’ll waive the deposit.”

“Innkeeper Lu, my granddaughter is grown now. It wouldn’t be proper for her to share a room with strangers,” the old man explained awkwardly.

Lu Jianwei smiled. “No problem. The bunk room is empty right now. It’ll just be the two of you.”

The old man was relieved. “That’s perfect. We’ll take the bunk room. Thank you, Innkeeper Lu.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the boy’s stomach growled loudly, turning his cheeks red with embarrassment as he lowered his head.

Lu Jianwei gently reminded them, “The inn also serves food, but it’s an additional charge.”

“What kind of food is available, and how much does it cost?” the old man asked, concerned for the boy.

Lu Jianwei didn’t bat an eye. “The inn is newly opened, so for now, we only serve vegetable and egg noodle soup. A bowl costs twenty coins.”

The two were speechless.

Was this really not a scam?

The boy looked up at Lu Jianwei with pleading eyes. “Sister Innkeeper, could you lower the price a bit?”

Lu Jianwei’s heart wasn’t completely black. She pretended to think for a moment before saying, “I can add an extra egg for you.”

The boy’s hopeful expression dimmed.

They only had three hundred coins. Staying the night would cost two hundred, and if they bought two bowls of noodles, they’d be left with just sixty coins.

The old man sighed softly and said, "Then we’ll trouble you, Manager Lu, for two bowls of noodles."

Since they were almost at Moonview City, saving forty coins didn’t matter much.

Lu Jianwei nodded and asked, "Do you have travel permits?"

She needed to register the guests' information.

The old man’s face clouded with worry. "We were in a hurry to flee and didn’t bring them. My surname is Zhang, and my husband’s surname is Zhu. This is my granddaughter, Zhu Yue, her name meaning 'moon.'"

Lu Jianwei noted down "Madam Zhang" and "Zhu Yue" in her ledger.

Martial artists could scale walls and vanish without a trace—how could mere city guards stop them?

Many people ignored official rules, so there was no need for her to dig deeper.

"That’ll be two hundred and forty coins," she said, putting down her brush.

The old man took out three qian of broken silver from his bundle.

In the Qi Dynasty, one qian of silver was equivalent to one hundred copper coins, and one tael of silver was equal to one guan, or one thousand coins.

Copper coins were cumbersome to carry, so broken silver was often used instead.

Transactions with broken silver required weighing, but the old man didn’t see a scale on the counter.

Lu Jianwei took the silver, pretending to weigh it in her hand while actually letting the system scan it. Then she pulled out six strings of coins from the drawer, each containing ten coins.

"The dormitory rooms aren’t locked, so you don’t need a key. There are three rooms on the left when you go out—you can take any one. The noodles will be ready soon."

Zhu Yue suddenly asked, "Is there hot water for a bath?"

Lu Jianwei paused for a moment before answering with a straight face, "There aren’t any other staff here, and I’m not strong enough. If you want to bathe, I can heat a pot of water for you later. As for cold water, there’s a well in the back—you’ll have to draw it yourself."

The two of them: "…"

They had never seen an inn like this!

But when under someone else’s roof, one had to lower their head. Besides, Manager Lu looked delicate and frail—she really didn’t seem like someone who could carry water.

Zhu Yue, proud of her resilience, replied, "I can draw the water myself."

Lu Jianwei’s smile widened. "Good. Then I’ll add an egg to each of your meals."

"Thank you, Manager Lu," the old man said before leading the young girl to the dormitory.

Lu Jianwei turned to the kitchen, deftly kneading dough while still keeping track of her accounts.

"Tonight’s room fee is two hundred coins. I get forty percent, which is eighty coins. The two bowls of noodles are my personal contribution, made by my own hands, so all forty coins go to me. Did I calculate that right?"

The system didn’t want to argue, but seeing her penny-pinching attitude, it couldn’t help but retort, "The bowls, utensils, stove, and firewood are all shared property of the inn. You owe a usage fee."

Lu Jianwei: "…Do we really have to be so meticulous?"

"Hmph."

"Alright, alright. The more I earn, the faster I can exchange for skills, right? Once I’m stronger, I can better protect the inn’s operations. Besides, when I buy things from the system store, the money still goes to you, doesn’t it?"

Her tone softened, and her reasoning was sound.

The system, magnanimous as ever, said, "Fine, I’ll let it slide this time."

Lu Jianwei smiled, her eyes narrowing as she silently checked her personal information.

Personal Assets: 720 coins (Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?)

She glanced at the system store. The cheapest skill, "Ripple Palm," cost a thousand coins!

She held back, but in the end, she couldn’t resist.

"System, can you not display the content in parentheses?"

The system replied, "No, host."