No Fighting Allowed in the Inn

"Jianwei, someone's coming."

Xiao Ke's voice broke the silence, prompting Lu Jianwei to withdraw from her deep meditation and open her eyes.

The deeper she immersed herself in her cultivation, the faster her internal energy grew.

On the map, two green dots were rapidly approaching from the direction of Moonview City, likely on horseback.

In these times, those who could afford to ride horses were certainly not short on money, and those who could afford two horses were even wealthier.

"Finally, another big customer," she said, stretching lazily.

Xiao Ke poured cold water on her optimism: "Maybe they're just passing by the inn."

Lu Jianwei smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "I have a feeling."

A moment later, the two green dots stopped outside the inn's courtyard.

Lu Jianwei heard the knock on the door. Without needing to consult the system, she could sense that the visitors were not martial artists.

Zhu Yue, who had been practicing her sword skills in the courtyard, was the first to rush to the door.

Standing at the entrance were two teenagers, around sixteen or seventeen years old, each holding the reins of a horse.

Zhu Yue, still dressed as a young girl, was quite convincing.

"Are you here to stay at the inn?" she asked.

Xue Guanhe was momentarily stunned, not expecting a young girl to answer the door. But when he noticed the sword in her hand, he forgot all about her age, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. "Are you a martial artist?"

Zhu Yue's guard went up, her expression turning serious. "If you're not here to stay, I'll close the door."

"Wait, wait!" Xue Guanhe quickly stepped into the courtyard. "I am here to stay!"

"Alright," Zhu Yue replied, sheathing her sword. She moved to take the horses to the stable, but the animals refused to budge, no matter how hard she tugged.

"A'gui, go tie up the horses," Xue Guanhe instructed.

The servant quickly took the reins and led the horses to the stable.

Zhu Yue breathed a sigh of relief and softened her tone. "Please follow me."

The main building had six doors, all wide open. To the right of the entrance stood a wooden sign that read: "No fighting allowed in the inn."

Xue Guanhe found this intriguing and asked, "What happens if someone starts a fight?"

"I'm not sure. The shopkeeper will handle it," Zhu Yue replied as she stepped into the main hall, where Lu Jianwei was already seated behind the counter. With a bright smile, she announced, "Shopkeeper, we have guests."

Earlier, after purchasing some lumber, they had used it to make a rocking chair, as well as a price list and menu, which were now neatly displayed on the counter.

Xue Guanhe barely glanced at the wooden signs, his attention instead drawn to Lu Jianwei.

The shopkeeper of this remote inn was a young and beautiful woman!

Xue Guanhe, being well-mannered, quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks tinged with a faint blush. "I am Xue Guanhe from Moonview City. I apologize for the intrusion."

"Guests are always welcome. Are you here to stay?" Lu Jianwei asked, her eyes discreetly assessing him.

He was dressed in fine silk, his collar embroidered with gold thread, a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and leather boots on his feet. Every piece of his attire screamed wealth.

This was a young master from a well-to-do family.

After his initial shyness, Xue Guanhe regained his usual boldness and turned his attention back to Zhu Yue's sword.

"Shopkeeper, is she your sister?"

"Why do you ask?" Lu Jianwei avoided giving a direct answer.

Xue Guanhe's eyes sparkled with hope. "Is she a martial artist?"

Lu Jianwei raised an eyebrow, understanding his intentions.

In this world, only a select few had the opportunity to learn martial arts, and most people, like Xue Guanhe, never got the chance.

It was natural for ordinary folks to yearn for the world of martial heroes.

Zhu Yue's expression turned wary. "What does it matter if I am or not? Are you here to stay or not?"

Xue Guanhe chuckled nervously, stammering, "I, uh..."

He hesitated, unable to voice his thoughts.

Lu Jianwei remained patient, but Zhu Yue, eager to return to her training, had no time to waste. "Are you staying or not?"

"I am!" he blurted out.

He could figure things out after settling in.

Zhu Yue pointed to the price list. "What kind of room do you want? How many?"

Xue Guanhe finally noticed the price list and his eyes widened in shock. "This is way too expensive!"

Although he was a wealthy young master, he wasn't completely out of touch with reality.

He had some exposure to his family's businesses and knew the usual rates for inns.

This... this must be a scam!

They were martial artists, and he was just an ordinary person. There was no way he could fight them off. He might even end up as filling for human meat buns!

That's how it always went in those martial arts novels!

Xue Guanhe took a step back.

A'gui, his servant, was equally frightened. The two of them shared the same train of thought.

"Young Master, the master told us not to wander for too long. If we don't return soon, he'll send people to look for us. The guards are all skilled martial artists, and we always get caught."

Xue Guanhe snapped out of his daze, subtly praising his servant's quick thinking. "You're right. We should head back before Father decides to punish us."

Zhu Yue: "..."

Lu Jianwei watched their little performance with an amused smile, saying nothing.

"My apologies for disturbing you. We'll be on our way," Xue Guanhe said, forcing himself to remain calm. He turned to his servant. "A'gui, bring the horses. We're going home."

"Right away!" A'gui took a tentative step forward.

No one stopped him.

He took another step, and still, no one called out to him.

Feeling more confident, the two of them hurried out of the main hall, rushed to the stable, grabbed their horses, and galloped away.

Xiao Ke remarked, "The little lamb has run away. Your intuition was off this time."

Lu Jianwei replied confidently, "He'll be back."

Xue Guanhe raced back to Moonview City and went straight to his father's study.

"Father!"

Master Xue looked up from his book, surprised. "You're back so soon?"

"Thankfully, A'gui and I escaped in time, or we would have been turned into human meat buns by that scam inn!" Xue Guanhe said, still shaken.

Master Xue jumped to his feet, demanding an explanation.

Xue Guanhe recounted the story in vivid detail, painting himself as a brave and clever young man who narrowly escaped danger.

Master Xue stroked his beard, deep in thought. "If it really were a scam inn, and they had martial artists guarding it, how could you and A'gui have escaped so easily?"

"The prices were outrageous! It has to be a scam!"

Master Xue countered, "Our family's restaurant has a signature dish that costs ten taels of silver. Does that make us a scam too?"

"That's different! That dish uses expensive ingredients, and the cost is justified. Charging ten taels is actually quite reasonable!" Xue Guanhe argued.

Master Xue lowered his voice. "Think about it. Hiring martial artists as staff and shopkeepers—isn't this inn unique in our area? Training a martial artist costs far more than making that signature dish. Now imagine being served by martial artists. How would that feel?"

Xue Guanhe blinked, then blinked again.

It would feel absolutely amazing!

Having those revered and powerful martial artists serving him, a mere commoner, even if it cost a bit more—so what?!

Xue Guanhe suddenly felt like a complete fool.

"Should I go back and check it out?"

Master Xue stopped him. "Wait a moment. I'll send someone to the county office to inquire."

If it were a scam inn run by martial artists, they likely wouldn't have registered with the authorities.

A short while later, the servant returned with news: "Master, the county registry does list an Eight Directions Inn. The owner is a woman named Lu."

Both father and son breathed a sigh of relief.

It probably wasn't a scam after all.

Xue Guanhe, however, felt a pang of regret. "I said I was staying, then changed my mind. What if Shopkeeper Lu thinks I was just messing with her?"

Martial artists were not to be trifled with.

Master Xue furrowed his brows and said, "You really did not handle this matter properly. Here's what we'll do: prepare some lavish gifts immediately, and I'll have a few guards escort you to the inn to apologize."

Xue Guanhe replied with a bitter smile, "But it's already late. By the time I return, the city gates will be closed."

"Then go tomorrow morning," Master Xue said after some thought, still reluctant to let his son take the risk. "On second thought, don’t go tomorrow. I’ll go myself."

If there was any danger, he would face it first.

"No, I must take responsibility for my own actions!" Xue Guanhe insisted firmly. "I’ll go myself, Father. The family business can’t do without you."

Master Xue sighed, "Very well. I’ll have someone gather more information about the inn. Shopkeeper Zhou knows someone from Linyue Village, right? That person has dealt with the inn before. Let’s invite him over and ask."

Niu Qiang was about to leave the city and return to his village when he was intercepted at the city gates by Shopkeeper Zhou, who dragged him hastily to the Xue residence.

As a small-time villager, Niu Qiang was overwhelmed with nervousness upon meeting Master Xue and could barely speak coherently.

"Don’t be nervous," Master Xue said with a warm and friendly smile. "I just want to ask about the Eight Directions Inn. I heard you help the villagers transport goods to the inn, is that right?"

Seeing his kind demeanor, Niu Qiang relaxed a little and replied, "The inn buys food supplies from the villagers, and I’m responsible for delivering them. I earn a little money from the errand."

"I see. What’s the inn’s purchase price?"

Niu Qiang answered, "The same as in the city, and it saves the villagers the city entry fees."

"Not bad," Master Xue nodded with a smile.

He was now fairly certain that the Eight Directions Inn was not some murderous den of thieves.

He rewarded Niu Qiang with some copper coins and called for the steward, instructing him to select some valuable gifts from the storeroom. They would prepare them tonight and deliver them to the inn the next day to apologize.

The night was cool as water.

Zhu Yue sat cross-legged on the bed, her face filled with worry as she asked Uncle Zhang, "Are the room rates at the inn set too high? Today, two guests were scared off, thinking we’re some kind of shady establishment."

Uncle Zhang remained unperturbed. "The innkeeper has her reasons. Perhaps tomorrow, we’ll receive some lavish gifts."

Having lived a long life, he understood the common folk’s awe and fear of martial artists. They dared not offend them, fearing they might be silently killed by a martial artist’s blade.

Young Master Xue was the son of the wealthiest family in the city. If Master Xue wasn’t a fool, he certainly wouldn’t pass up this opportunity to interact with martial artists.

Apologizing with gifts was just the first step. If they could establish a good relationship with the martial artists through this incident, it would be a great boon for the Xue family.

"Lavish gifts?" Zhu Yue was puzzled. "Who would send gifts?"

Uncle Zhang chuckled, "I can’t say for sure."

Either Young Master Xue himself or Master Xue would come on his behalf.

At dawn the next day, a carriage wobbled out of the southern city gate and headed into the wilderness.

After finishing her breakfast, Lu Jianwei instructed Zhu Yue to bring the newly made rocking chair to the front courtyard. A tea table was placed to the right of the chair, and she leaned back in the chair, leisurely sipping tea.

To her left, Uncle Zhang practiced his palm techniques, while to her right, Zhu Yue studied her sword techniques.

After observing for a while, Lu Jianwei suddenly remarked, "A’yue, your sword movements are too scattered."

Zhu Yue understood immediately and turned around with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Please, Sister Innkeeper, enlighten me!"

Lu Jianwei rested her chin on her hand, her smiling eyes filled with the gentle light of the morning. Her voice was soft, carrying the delicate lilt of the southern regions.

"For the first move, lower the tip of your sword by three more degrees when striking. For the second move, extend your upper arm perpendicular to your shoulder. For the third move, when thrusting at your opponent, your left leg should..."

Outside the courtyard gate, the Xue father and son had already stepped down from their carriage. They gazed up at the plaque of the Eight Directions Inn, their faces filled with excitement.

They really were martial artists!