Clearly, the innkeeper had not been killed by Song Xue—or at least, he did not look like he had been.
Ren Yi walked up, meeting the innkeeper's smiling gaze, and brought up the matter on the second floor.
"They went to your room, then." The innkeeper's fingers clicked idly against the abacus beads. A few seconds later, he shook his head with a trace of pity. "I'm terribly sorry, guest, but today's rooms are fully booked. There's no way to switch."
Hearing this, Ren Yi said, "Yet I paid silver, so this room should rightfully be mine. If a room change is out of the question, then please deal with those uninvited things in my room."
The innkeeper stepped out from behind the counter, bowed deeply, and plastered a smile across his face. "Ah... guest, you overestimate me. How could I ever dare to deal with them—if I went up there, wouldn't they just tear me to pieces!"
"Then refund my money." Ren Yi held out his hand, palm upward. "Return the room fee I paid, and on top of that, pay three times the compensation."
"This..." The innkeeper's smile slowly faded. He stroked his beard and drawled, "As businessmen, we naturally value reason."
"However... esteemed guest, I take it you are from out of town. You aren't familiar with the area, and if you get a refund and leave the inn, with the night outside so dark, there's no telling what might happen."
His smile could no longer completely mask that gloating threat. He rubbed his hands together and spoke in a tone that clearly leaned on power to bully others:
"How about we settle this on good terms? You bear with it for just one night, and when you come back to stay tomorrow, I'll give you a