Warm winds drifted through the open window, stirring the curtains and carrying a faint scent of jasmine. Long Xiao froze, his hand still gripping the wooden door frame. The Innkeeper stood precisely on the threshold, her hand hovering in mid-air where she had been about to knock. Her deep rouge and snowy white robes practically radiated an intimidating aura, and those dagger-like eyes pinned him in place, eroding whatever confidence he had managed to muster.
"Looking for me, I suppose?" she drawled softly.
He straightened, trying to mask his hesitation. His voice was steadier than he felt, but beneath it lurked the flicker of uncertainty.
"Apparently, yes," he replied, carefully adjusting his posture.
He gestured smoothly, trying to appear nonchalant. "Please, come in. Have a seat."
Long Xiao glanced over his shoulder and saw Lei had already slipped out the window, probably taking his lesson to heart: no fiery beasts allowed in the presence of beauties until they're one with their Dao.
"Ah," she purred, her eyes sweeping from his defensive stance down to his shoulders. "It seems my esteemed guest is finally ready to rejoin the living. Or were you perhaps rushing out to catch a breeze?"
Long Xiao immediately remembered his collapsed aura. Right now, he was supposed to be a defenseless, "underwhelming" mortal scholar. He couldn't just blast her away with celestial pressure—at least, not unless he wanted her to die on the spot. Instead, he summoned his most noble, righteous indignation—the ultimate mortal weapon.
He puffed out his chest, adopting a look of injured nobility.
"Innkeeper! I was just coming to find you," Long Xiao declared, voice dripping with scholarly authority. "I have a grave grievance against your establishment."
The Innkeeper's brow arched elegantly. "A grievance? Against my Mistveil Pavilion? Do enlighten me, Fellow Cultivator."
The innkeeper's brow arched elegantly. "A grievance? Against Mistveil Pavilion? Do enlighten me, Fellow Cultivator."
Long Xiao pointed dramatically at the empty porcelain cup on the table. "Your tea! I drank a single cup of your complimentary brew upon arrival and immediately collapsed into a coma for three days! Three days of my life—vanished! Now my throat is parched, and my vital qi is severely disrupted. My companion said I looked like a living corpse."
He turned back to her, crossing his arms triumphantly. "As an ordinary respectable scholar and cultivator, I could have perished from such atrocious service. Therefore, your demand for triple payment is utterly void. In fact, I believe the laws of hospitality demand that you compensate me handsomely."
The Innkeeper didn't flinch. She didn't flinch or panic. Instead, her slow, melodic laugh sent a strange chill down Long Xiao's spine. His divine eye twitched subtly, catching a brief, aggressive pulse of dark energy swirling beneath her composed exterior.
"A compensation, you say?" she mused, stepping forward into the room. Her movement was smooth, deliberate, forcing Long Xiao to instinctively step back.
Her grin widened, revealing a glimpse of her sharp, amused teeth.
"Interesting," she thought inwardly, a sly smile forming.
"Esteemed guest, you claim your tea was spiked, making you unconscious for three days?" Her voice was low, soft, yet oddly calming.
Her expression grew more serious, yet her tone remained playful.
"And yet, here you are. Loud, arrogant, and perfectly intact." She paused for a moment before continuing.
"Since you have no coin, and Xiao Hua cannot be caught by ordinary men, you will work off your debt here. Perhaps you'll even pay me without needing her help." She gave a slow, deliberate wink.
"Work it off? You mean those rags are…?" Long Xiao trailed off, his eyes widening in disbelief at the audacity.
"Rags…? Those are your work clothes," she laughed heartily, her voice echoing with amusement.
Her eyes gleamed as she studied him.
Long Xiao wanted to argue, to protest, but the words caught in his throat. The wind outside was calm, but the air inside was as still as a frozen pond.
He unfolded his arms, jaw tightening.
"Ah, what name does this esteemed guest go by?" Xu Lianhua asked warmly, her eyes studying him with an intensity that made Long Xiao's skin prickle.
Long Xiao hesitated, then swallowed. "Long… Xiao Long."
"Well, Senior Xiao Long..." she called, the name rolling off her tongue as if testing the sound.
"You know nothing about Xiao Hua, and you still owe me spiritual stones. Naturally, I can't simply let you wander around freely. You'll be under my radar until your dues are settled. Are we clear?" Her tone was firm but playful, leaning in closer.
Her voice lowered conspiratorially.
Long Xiao's confidence wavered as he caught the innkeeper's expression. Her smile was sharp, her eyes glinting with hidden amusement.
"And oh, if you could point out the maid who served you that day, this matter will be resolved, and her fate will be sealed." The innkeeper pulled back.
"Of course... for her 'unworthy service,' that is." She then pulled back, a broad smile on her face.
"Nevertheless, the three-times-price offer still stands. I am Xu Lianhua, but here at the inn, I'm simply called the innkeeper." Her smirk was like a blade hidden behind velvet.
"Put on the robes I gave you. Descend to the ground floor in ten minutes… or I'll have to report a suspicious, unregistered 'scholar' to the city guard."
Without another word, she turned and walked out, her steps light and confident.