No Fighting Allowed in the Inn

Uncle Zhang and Zhu Yue finished washing up and returned to the brightly lit hall, where two bowls of steaming hot noodle soup were laid out on the table.

“Dinner is served. You don’t need to pay today,” Lu Jianwei’s gentle voice came from behind the counter.

Zhu Yue, still dressed in her youthful attire, replied with a bright voice, “Thank you, Sister Manager!”

“Thank you, Manager,” Uncle Zhang, dressed in coarse gray linen, bowed solemnly.

Lu Jianwei chuckled lightly. “The inn’s business has been slow lately. Usually, there’s not much to do except cleaning and fetching water. Can either of you cook?”

Both shook their heads.

“From now on, you’ll assist me with preparing the three daily meals,” Lu Jianwei said, not one to tolerate idleness. “And Uncle Zhang, you’ll be in charge of procurement.”

Zhu Yue wolfed down most of her noodles, feeling the warmth spread through her stomach, bringing her back to life. She looked up and responded eagerly,

“Don’t worry, Sister Manager! I’ll work hard!”

Uncle Zhang quickly adapted to his new role as an employee and asked, “Manager, are you planning to go into the city for supplies? Could you write a list of what we need?”

“Just the usual ingredients.”

After a moment of thought, Uncle Zhang suggested, “If it’s just food, there are a few villages outside Moonview City where the locals grow fruits, vegetables, and grains. The prices there would be cheaper than in the city, and the produce would be fresher.”

The farmers occasionally brought their goods into the city to sell, but entering the city required a fee and took time. If the inn could collaborate with the villagers, it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Lu Jianwei’s map only showed a radius of ten miles, so she hadn’t known about the villages outside the city. Hearing this, she was pleasantly surprised.

“Let’s do as you suggest.”

After finishing their meal, the two went to the kitchen to wash the dishes and clean the pots.

Zhu Yue suddenly popped her head out and asked, “Sister Manager, are you going to take a bath tonight? Should I heat some water for you?”

She was eager to prove her usefulness.

“No need. Come here,” Lu Jianwei beckoned her.

Zhu Yue trotted over, leaning on the counter with wide eyes, hoping for a task.

Lu Jianwei asked, “Can you write?”

“I can!”

Lu Jianwei’s gaze fell on Zhu Yue’s fingers. The calluses on her right hand, near the thumb and fingertips, suggested long hours of wielding swords or knives, but there were a few calluses she couldn’t identify.

“How many years of schooling have you had?”

Zhu Yue, thinking this was merely a test of her knowledge, answered without hesitation, “I didn’t attend a private school. I learned everything at home.”

Lu Jianwei smiled even more. It seemed she came from a well-off family.

“Have you trained in martial arts?”

“Yes,” Zhu Yue admitted without hesitation, as there was nothing to hide. “But I’m not very talented. After all these years, I’m only at the second level.”

Lu Jianwei was taken aback. “All these years?”

“Yes, I started learning martial arts when I was five,” Zhu Yue said somewhat self-consciously. “I’m just too slow to improve.”

Lu Jianwei reached out and patted her hair. “Everyone has their strengths. Martial arts isn’t the only measure of intelligence or ability.”

“Really?” Zhu Yue’s eyes sparkled. “Do you really think so, Sister?”

Lu Jianwei nodded sincerely. “Of course.”

“There are things I enjoy doing, but…”

“Yue,” Uncle Zhang emerged from the kitchen. “It’s getting late. Don’t disturb the Manager’s peace.”

The light in Zhu Yue’s eyes dimmed. “Oh,” she said, and turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” Lu Jianwei smiled. “I told you to stay in the employee quarters. Did you think you’d be sleeping in the common room?”

Zhu Yue scratched her head sheepishly. “I forgot.”

The sound of rain grew heavier. In the vast curtain of rain, the inn in the wilderness stood like a lone island outside Moonview City, its candlelight resembling a lighthouse, offering comfort in the pitch-black night.

Just as Lu Jianwei was about to head upstairs, the system alerted her: “Someone is approaching.”

The map showed thirty-two green dots to the southeast.

So many people?!

She called out to Uncle Zhang, who was heading back to his room. “We have guests.”

The night was dark, the city gates long closed, and the storm outside raged on. There was no way this group would pass by the inn without stopping.

Uncle Zhang was startled.

As a fourth-level martial artist, he hadn’t heard a thing!

The storm outside had masked their footsteps, so it was understandable that he hadn’t noticed, but how had Lu Jianwei heard them?

Could her internal energy truly surpass his?

“How many are there?” he asked cautiously.

Lu Jianwei remained calm. “Around thirty.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Uncle Zhang detected the footsteps. They were about thirty zhang away from the inn. Based on their pace, Lu Jianwei must have heard them when they were over sixty zhang away.

The Eight Directions Inn truly housed hidden talents.

His expression grew serious. “Manager, thirty people could be a trading caravan. If they need food, do we have enough supplies in the kitchen?”

Lu Jianwei had stored most of the supplies in her personal inventory, leaving only a small amount in the kitchen. Uncle Zhang had seen this firsthand, hence his concern.

“Don’t worry. There’s more in the storeroom.”

She consulted the system: “Can you move the supplies to the warehouse for me?”

The inn had a warehouse, located underground.

The system agreed.

Uncle Zhang didn’t press further.

He didn’t have time to, as the distant guests had already knocked on the courtyard gate.

“I’ll open the door,” Zhu Yue volunteered.

“No need. It’s raining outside. You’ll get soaked,” Lu Jianwei stopped her and asked the system, “Little Guest, are there any experts among them?”

The system replied, “One fourth-level martial artist, twenty-three below the fourth level, and the rest are ordinary people.”

Lu Jianwei’s tension eased.

“Open the gate.”

The system, ever dutiful, acted like an invisible hand, parting the rain and opening the tightly shut courtyard gate.

Uncle Zhang, standing inside the inn, witnessed this firsthand and had no more doubts.

He said with deep respect, “Such a trivial matter, yet it required the intervention of a senior like you.”

Lu Jianwei smiled without responding.

Outside, the caravan was in a sorry state. Seeing the gate open, they didn’t even check if anyone was behind it and rushed straight into the inn. The wheels of their cargo carts left deep ruts in the courtyard.

The cargo boxes were wrapped in oilcloth, keeping them dry, but the members of the caravan, wearing straw raincoats, were soaked from the waist down, their waterlogged shoes squelching with every step.

It was an unpleasant, sticky mess.

The group abandoned their carts and horses and hurried into the hall. All of them were tall, burly men, and the once-spacious inn was now packed to the brim.

“I didn’t expect an inn to be open outside Moonview City,” one man stepped forward, addressing Uncle Zhang as if he were the manager. “Manager, we’d like to rent a few rooms.”

Uncle Zhang glanced at Lu Jianwei behind the counter, and after receiving her nod, he replied, “A bed in the common room costs one hundred copper coins per night, a secondary room costs five hundred, and a superior room costs five taels of silver.”

The caravan erupted in chatter. This was highway robbery!

The leader, a man in his thirties with a thin frame, a small mustache, and sharp eyes, frowned slightly.

“Manager, isn’t that a bit steep? I’m Manager Zhao from the Golden Blade Trading Company. We’re all travelers here. Could you cut us some slack?”

Despite his imposing demeanor, he didn’t exude the aura of a martial artist.

“Ah, Manager Zhao from the Golden Blade Trading Company. My apologies,” Uncle Zhang clasped his hands respectfully. “I’d love to accommodate you, but the rates are set by the owner. I can’t change them. Please understand.”

Manager Zhao: “…”

Was the Golden Blade Trading Company’s reputation no longer respected?

“It’s getting late. If you’re staying, stay. If not, please leave the inn,” Lu Jianwei said lazily.

The Golden Blade Trading Company sounded like a wealthy enterprise, yet they were being so stingy.

“This is outrageous!” A voice thundered, sharp as a lightning strike, making everyone’s ears ring.

A tall, burly man drew his sword. “I’ll cut down this greedy manager today!”

He was the only fourth-level martial artist in the group.

Uncle Zhang hadn’t expected his earlier words to come true so quickly.

He stepped forward, unleashing the aura of a fourth-level martial artist, instantly overpowering the man with the drawn sword.

The hall fell silent.

The sword-wielding man froze in place.

Though both were fourth-level martial artists, there were differences in strength. Uncle Zhang, having trained for most of his life, had reached the peak of the fourth level, two minor realms above this reckless fourth-level novice.

His aura alone was enough to dominate.

Lu Jianwei quickly reminded the system, “Little Guest, take action!”

Fighting was prohibited within the inn. Violators would face fines or, in severe cases, pay with their lives.

Fines could be deducted remotely and added to the inn’s account, but they had to be reasonable.

The system said, “He has twelve taels of broken silver and fifty-three copper coins on him.”

“He just threatened to kill someone. Attempted murder. Confiscating all of it is fine, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Good.”

As the two sides stood in a tense standoff, a light chuckle suddenly broke the silence. Behind the counter stood a woman of extraordinary beauty, clearly not a martial artist, yet her expression remained calm and unaffected.

"What are you laughing at?!" the burly man roared, his eyes blazing with anger.

Lu Jianwei extended her right hand. It was slender and pale, like fine mutton-fat jade, soft and boneless, utterly devoid of any intimidating aura.

"Fighting is prohibited within the inn. This is the rule of this establishment. Anyone who steps into the Eight Directions Inn must abide by this rule. Those who break it must be punished."

Twelve taels of silver amounted to 12,000 coins, plus fifty-three copper coins and the eighty coins recorded in the inn's ledger, totaling 12,133 coins. The cost of purchasing a basic attack item was 100 copper coins, leaving 12,033 coins. A thousand coins were spent to upgrade to level two, and ten thousand coins to reach level three.

Lu Jianwei made a gentle sweeping motion with her hand.

"You intended to kill one of my inn's staff. Though no blood was shed, taking a few coins from you is hardly excessive."

The burly man suddenly clenched his money pouch, only to find it had vanished into thin air.

Before she had even reached out, the pouch had clearly still been there!

What kind of bizarre martial skill was this?!

"Little Guest, exchange for an attack item and upgrade to level three!"

"Attack item generated. Attack item upgraded."

"Activate the item."

"Understood."

In the next instant, every member of the merchant caravan below level four was swept out of the inn's courtyard by an invisible yet overwhelming gust of wind!

Except for the burly man holding the blade.

Standing outside the courtyard gate, drenched in the rain, Manager Zhao was utterly stunned.

The cold rain slapped against his face as he stared in wide-eyed disbelief, muttering, "A... a master?!"

Though not a martial artist himself, he had traveled extensively for trade and had a deep understanding of martial practitioners.

There were thirty-one people in total!

To simultaneously send thirty-one people flying out of the building with nothing but externalized inner force—how terrifyingly powerful must one be?!

No wonder the inn charged such high prices. No wonder the innkeeper was so fearless. It was all because such a master was stationed within the inn.

Manager Zhao wiped his face fiercely. He could no longer afford to save face tonight. Antagonizing such a master was far from wise.

He called out loudly, "Earlier, I accidentally offended you, Senior. I, Zhao, sincerely apologize. We've been traveling for a long time, and the gloomy weather has left us feeling irritable. Our temper got the better of us, and we offended the innkeeper. I am deeply ashamed. Since I was at fault, I am willing to offer a thousand taels of silver as compensation. I humbly beg for your forgiveness, Senior, and the innkeeper's as well."

The level-four martial artist in the hall was overcome with shame, his dark face visibly flushed.

"I acted rashly. Please forgive me, Innkeeper."

Uncle Zhang was far from calm.

Lu Jianwei's earlier display of "telekinetic retrieval" had already shocked him, and now the master's intervention to disperse the crowd left him utterly dumbfounded.

"Telekinetic retrieval" wasn't something no one could do. The technique required using invisible inner force to "retrieve" an object from a distance, similar to opening a door from afar.

He simply hadn't expected that someone as young as Innkeeper Lu had already reached such a terrifying level of mastery.

What kind of place was the Eight Directions Inn?!

"Uncle Zhang, in business, harmony is key. Since Manager Zhao has sincerely apologized, let them in. However, the room rates will be ten times the usual amount. As for this martial artist, I'm sorry, but our inn will not accommodate him."

Uncle Zhang replied respectfully, "Understood, Innkeeper."

The martial artist looked up in surprise. So she was the true innkeeper!

Without hesitation, he turned and dashed into the rain, leaving the inn behind.

Manager Zhao led his group inside, and this time, no one dared to complain. Even though the room rates were ten times higher, they accepted it without protest.

Lu Jianwei instructed Zhu Yue to handle the registrations while she sat down to collect the payment.

Manager Zhao booked three dormitory rooms and took a secondary room for himself. Including the thousand taels of compensation, he paid a total of 1,035 taels. Since carrying that much silver was inconvenient, he used silver notes instead.

Fortunately, as traveling merchants, they often engaged in large transactions and carried silver notes with them.

Lu Jianwei generously waived their deposit.

Once everything was settled, she leisurely made her way up to the third floor.

As soon as the door closed behind her, her composed demeanor vanished.

"Open personal information!"