—Why did it have to be Xie Xu?
After meeting Xie Xu, this question kept circling through Mei Man’s mind.
His spiritual power was pitifully weak, and neither his spiritual root nor his meridians was complete.
Yet Qiu Yingling was willing to offer him countless benefits, the sect master wanted to take him as a disciple, and now he had even singled him out to retrieve the sword.
There were clearly so many disciples in the Immortal Estate. Why him of all people?
Mei Man felt rather dejected.
Could someone really be so blessed by fate that they could lower their head outside and find gold, then take two more steps and have someone stuff silver into their arms?
Compared to that, she was the sort who would grunt and toil for half a year, finally save up a little broken silver to exchange for something, only to be told that it was merely iron wrapped in silver and she would just have to accept her fate. Then, after turning around, she would discover that the moneychanger had cheated her, leaving her empty-handed—the very definition of bad luck.
Mei Man couldn’t make sense of it. Nor could she go against her true feelings and befriend Xie Xu, so she simply pretended not to know him.
In any case, Qiu Yanxue was with them. Acting like strangers in public was perfectly normal.
As for their destination, before they set out, Qiu Yanxue had said, “My brother sent a message through an immortal servant. He said someone would be waiting for us at the ‘Little Precipice Mountain Inn’ at the foot of the mountain to take us to the secret realm’s entrance.”
Mei Man asked, “Who?”
Qiu Yanxue replied, “A friend of his, a musician cultivator from the Myriad Tones Pavilion.”
With that clue, the three of them headed straight for the inn.
As they entered the teleportation array, Qiu Yanxue suddenly stopped and swept her cool gaze over Xie Xu.
Mei Man, who had been leading the way, vanished into the array. The two child attendants sniffed.
Bell Child said, “The smell of wood shavings.”
Talisman Child added, “And a faint, delicate fragrance.”
Bell Child continued, “The scent of an old house.”
Talisman Child followed closely behind. “Rainwater, and a hint of bamboo forest.”
Xie Xu kept his gaze straight ahead, not sparing the two children even a glance.
Qiu Yanxue, however, suddenly asked, “Are you Xiaoman’s friend?”
Xie Xu glanced sideways at her.
Remembering Mei Man’s instructions from before, he denied it without a second thought. “We’re not close.”
Qiu Yanxue’s brows immediately drew together.
Bell Child clicked his tongue.
Talisman Child gave a tiny eye-roll.
Xie Xu didn’t understand what was going on. His brows furrowed slightly, and he stepped into the array after them.
After a bout of dizzying disorientation, the three arrived at the Little Precipice Mountain Inn.
The mountain lay toward the south. It was only early April, yet the sun was already blazing overhead, and the heat had begun to set in.
The streets were crowded with cultivators. Their clothes and manner of dress differed from those in Tianyan, and most of them carried musical instruments such as flutes or xiao pipes.
Why were there so many people?
Mei Man looked around and instinctively tried to avoid the crowds.
Qiu Yanxue was not fond of noisy places either. From the moment she stepped out of the teleportation array, her brows had not relaxed once.
For some reason, the inn was also packed with guests, and nearly all the rooms had already been booked.
Only one room remained vacant. They waited at the inn for nearly half an hour before another room finally became available.
Mei Man had initially planned to share a room with Qiu Yanxue, but the moment she brought it up, Qiu Yanxue refused. “No.”
Mei Man paused. “Why?”
Even if Qiu Yanxue disliked her, given the circumstances, what was the harm in making do and squeezing into one room?
Qiu Yanxue’s expression remained cold. “I’m not used to sharing a room with other people.”
The reason was barely acceptable, but to Mei Man’s ears, it carried an unmistakable hint of rejection.
Mei Man pressed her lips tightly together. The area around them was incredibly noisy, and people waiting behind them were urging the innkeeper impatiently, making her increasingly irritable.
Qiu Yanxue said, “Let’s wait a little longer.”
The attendant gave them a strained smile. “That may be difficult. These two days are the busiest of the season. Wait another day, and you may find the entire street sleeping out in the open.”
Mei Man was just about to ask why when the person behind her slapped her on the shoulder.
“Daoist, are you booking a room or not? If not, move aside and make room for us. There are two of us, and we each need a room.”
The crowd was growing, and the noise was becoming louder by the moment. Mei Man’s annoyance reached its limit.
“Book them. There are no rooms left, so go look elsewhere.”
Then she turned to the attendant. “Give us both rooms.”
The attendant said, “All right. How will you be staying? I’ll need the room tokens so you can open the door restrictions.”
He had clearly overheard their argument.
Qiu Yanxue’s expression shifted subtly, and she was about to speak when Mei Man grabbed Xie Xu by the arm and said expressionlessly, “I’ll share a room with him.”
Xie Xu’s expression barely changed, but Qiu Yanxue’s face stiffened.
Bell Child said, “No!”
Talisman Child said, “Absolutely not!”
Mei Man ignored them and asked, “How many spirit stones?”
Xie Xu had already taken out his storage pouch and was preparing to pay.
“Oh, oh, two rooms, is it?” The attendant was so busy he was nearly overwhelmed. He only cared about arranging lodging and had no interest in their quarrel. “As it happens, we have one large bunkroom, enough for five or six people, and one quiet superior room. The total is two mid-grade spirit stones and five low-grade spirit stones.”
Qiu Yanxue said, “No. You’re staying with me.”
Bell Child immediately sprang up from the floor and snatched away half the spirit stones Xie Xu had placed on the counter.
Mei Man thought to herself that Qiu Yanxue really was used to throwing her weight around like some pampered young mistress. One moment she disliked Mei Man, and the next she wanted to share a room with her. What exactly was she thinking?
Mei Man had no intention of paying her any attention, nor did she want to argue at a time like this. She merely glanced at Xie Xu.
He took out another portion of spirit stones from his storage pouch.
Talisman Child sprang up as well and snatched away half of those.
Mei Man: “…”
Just then, another guest came over to ask about a room. The attendant was becoming impatient too, and with a false smile, he said, “Several Daoists, perhaps you should settle this among yourselves first. My little establishment can’t withstand much more of a commotion.”
As he spoke, he went to attend to the cultivator who had just arrived.
The anger smoldering in Mei Man’s chest finally reached its breaking point. She pushed the remaining spirit stones forward and said, “Give us the other room.”
The attendant hesitated. “The person just now took the superior room, so only the large bunkroom is left. The conditions are rather ordinary. Though it has soundproofing and privacy screens, so you won’t be able to see the people beside you. What do you think…”
“We’ll take the bunkroom,” Mei Man said through clenched teeth.
Xie Xu said, “Mei—Fellow Daoist Mei, it may be inappropriate for us to share a room.”
Qiu Yanxue was no longer as indifferent as usual, as though nothing mattered to her. She said, “Xiaoman, this is hardly proper.”
“We’re taking the bunkroom.” Mei Man looked at no one. “There happen to be two child attendants as well. They can sleep together in one section.”
Qiu Yanxue said, “The children are supposed to guard the door. How can you let them sleep on a bed?”
Mei Man asked the attendant, “Does your inn employ children as workers?”
“Well…” The attendant smiled awkwardly. “That would be treating the children rather harshly.”
Mei Man glanced at Qiu Yanxue. Seeing her face turn deathly pale, she withdrew her gaze and said, “The bunkroom. Take the spirit stones.”
“All right, then.” This inn often hosted cultivators traveling out to complete missions, and it was common for five or six of them to share a room. The attendant therefore remained composed as he found three keys and handed them to Mei Man.
Mei Man thanked him and turned to head upstairs without sparing a thought for either of the other two and their expressions.
The attendant had called it an ordinary room, but that was being modest. It was spacious and well lit, with a large bed inlaid with spirit stones and simply divided into several sections.
The attendant who had accompanied her explained that a black jade stone hung between each section. It was used to block both sound and sight; all one had to do was tug on it to activate the barrier.
