Inn News

"My kidneys are fine."

His steps were unsteady and his face pale. Add two dark circles under his eyes, and he would be the very picture of kidney deficiency.

If his kidneys could talk, they would probably already be waving flags and shouting battle cries.

Xu Bai sat in his chair, quietly waiting for the weakness to fade.

True Qi was slowly repairing the depletion in his kidneys. After half an hour, color gradually returned to his face.

"Phew... To think that I, a dignified Ninth Rank Martial Artist, actually got to experience kidney deficiency."

Letting out a long breath, Xu Bai returned to normal and rose to stretch his body.

"Actually, there's nothing wrong with my kidneys. The problem lies with the Kidney Hammering Technique."

He felt brimming with vigor, able to wolf down five bowls of rice—completely unlike his earlier weakness.

Xu Bai pondered it. It seemed the Kidney Hammering Technique could be used on more than just himself.

The Kidney Hammering Technique itself was a special method: strike the kidney area to stimulate the amount of True Qi.

If he used it on someone else...

One punch, and the name of kidney deficiency would follow them like a shadow.

What a beautiful picture.

"Speaking of eating, I really am hungry." After imagining it for a while, Xu Bai rubbed his stomach.

Ever since returning from Fierce Tiger Stronghold, he had only eaten a few pieces of wild game along the road.

Now that he had suddenly relaxed, his stomach immediately began to rumble.

He was a martial artist, not an immortal. He could not go without food and water.

He swept his gaze around, temporarily abandoning any thought of cooking for himself.

To cook, he would have to buy ingredients, come back and prepare them, then clean up afterward.

Not happening!

Cook?

Even a dog would shake its head at the thought.

Xu Bai rummaged through the wardrobe in his room and found a set of casual clothes. After changing out of his escort uniform, he gripped the Ghost-Head Saber at his waist and headed out onto the street.

Outside, the streets bustled with people. It was just the liveliest time of day.

Since he had both money and time, Xu Bai decided he might as well find a place and feast to his heart's content.

A man had to treat himself well.

He could shortchange anyone, but never his stomach.

"I wonder where the pleasure quarters are..."

As he walked, his thoughts began to wander.

Xu Bai had once thought about it: if he really transmigrated, where would he most want to go?

The answer was the pleasure quarters.

He was a proper man. He had always been certain of that.

He was just curious.

They said that compared to modern times, the courtesans of ancient days were as far apart as heaven and earth.

Never mind the four arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting—at the very least, they would not call someone "bro" every other sentence. Too crude.

They called people "young master." Just hearing it was exciting.

If he could see it for himself...

Without realizing it, Xu Bai's thoughts had taken a crooked turn.

Just then, a fragrant aroma drifted over and snapped him back to his senses.

Following the scent, he spotted a two-story building on a corner of the street. The aroma came from there.

After all that running around, it was already afternoon.

And now that he had caught the scent of food, he could not be bothered to look elsewhere.

"This will do."

Only when he approached did he realize it was an inn. A signboard hung high overhead, bearing the four words: Welcoming Inn.

There were quite a few people inside the inn. The diners either talked loudly of grand matters or conversed in low voices.

Xu Bai found a seat by the window. The moment he sat down, the waiter, a rag draped over his shoulder, hurried over.

"What would you like to eat, sir?" the waiter asked with a smile, casually pouring Xu Bai a cup of tea.

"What dishes are best here?" Xu Bai took a sip and smacked his lips.

The tea was ordinary, but it quenched his thirst.

In these times, anything free was usually mediocre. Being drinkable was already good enough.

"Sir, our inn has many specialties, but our most famous dishes are Roast Chicken and Braised Beef. They rank among the very best even in Sheng County. Our Yellow Wine is also top-notch," the waiter began introducing them.

"One Roast Chicken, half a jin of Braised Beef, and a pot of Yellow Wine," Xu Bai said after considering it.

"Right away, sir. Please wait a moment." The waiter nodded and bowed repeatedly, then hurried off to notify the kitchen.

With nothing to do while waiting for the food, Xu Bai began surveying his surroundings.

Ever since his golden finger had appeared, he had developed this habit.

Whenever he arrived somewhere new, he first observed the area to see whether there was anything that could trigger his golden finger.

Yet after looking around for quite a while, he still found nothing.

The food, however, arrived.

The Roast Chicken was chopped into pieces, the Braised Beef sliced, and along with a ceramic wine pot and cup, everything was placed on Xu Bai's table.

"Enjoy your meal," the waiter said before turning and leaving.

Xu Bai picked up a slice of Braised Beef and put it into his mouth. His eyes brightened slightly.

The waiter had not lied. It truly ranked among the best—at least, Xu Bai found it delicious.

His stomach was empty, and delicious food lay before him. Xu Bai could not spare attention for anything else. He poured himself a cup of Yellow Wine and began eating with the dishes.

At first, he ate quickly. Once he had somewhat filled his stomach, Xu Bai slowed down and began savoring the food.

In Sheng County, Welcoming Inn counted as a large inn, and quite a few people came here to eat.

People came and went. Just as Xu Bai was eating with relish, his gaze casually swept over the inn entrance, and he set down his wine cup.

Several people entered through the inn doors. They wore different styles of clothing, and weapons hung from their bodies.

After entering the inn, they immediately began shouting noisily.

"Waiter! Waiter!"

"Coming..."

Hearing them, the waiter hurried over and led them to their seats.

By sheer coincidence, they took the table right beside Xu Bai.

One middle-aged man noticed the Ghost-Head Saber hanging at Xu Bai's waist and frowned.

But he only gave it a brief look before immediately turning away and taking his seat.

"Waiter, bring us one plate of every signature dish you have," the middle-aged man ordered as soon as he sat down.

At that, the waiter's eyes lit up. Generous customers were rare, but generous and foolish customers were not uncommon.

He said nothing else, merely answered, "You got it," and hurried to the kitchen.

Once the waiter had left, the middle-aged man turned and began chatting idly with his companions.

Xu Bai paid them no mind and continued eating and drinking on his own.

Judging by their attire, they were most likely people of the jianghu.

Sheng County might be small, but there was no shortage of jianghu wanderers.

No matter how small a place was, there would always be jianghu folk lingering there.

Didn't they say that wherever there were people, there was jianghu?

Thus, the people around them were already accustomed to it and did not look their way.

At that moment, voices came from the neighboring table.

"Hey, have you heard? Things haven't been peaceful lately."

"How so?"

"I heard that last night, over at Blind Mountain, Golden Saber Swordsman Zhao Chen died. No one knows who killed him, but he turned into something strange that night."

"Golden Saber Swordsman Zhao Chen? I've heard of him. An Eighth Rank Martial Artist..."

"I reckon it has something to do with the Extreme Life Sect..."

Xu Bai had been eating, treating their conversation as storytelling to accompany his wine. Halfway through, his gaze shifted toward them.

The Extreme Life Sect? Those bastards again?

What happened at Fierce Tiger Stronghold before had been the Extreme Life Sect's doing.

They had even made a Red-Clothed Corpse. Thinking about it now still made him sick.

He felt they should at least have made one that looked better—at least one that was pleasant to look at.

That red dress, and that sticky Corpse Oil... it was too disgusting.

"Let's listen."

After a brief thought, Xu Bai shifted slightly closer and continued listening.

At that moment, the waiter brought over their food and placed each dish on the table.

Xu Bai glanced at it and nearly failed to hold back a laugh.