An Old Hand in the Martial World

Chapter 8: An Old Hand at the Martial World

Cheng Yun returned to his room, feeling mentally drained. He sat there for a while before washing up, then ate breakfast and changed his clothes before heading downstairs.

The couple also left around this time, standing by the cashier and talking to Cheng Yan. The girl had a questioning look, while the boy's gaze kept drifting towards Cheng Yan, though with a hint of shyness that was almost imperceptible.

Cheng Yun walked over, nodded at them, and asked with a smile, "Going out to have fun?"

"Yeah, we were just asking how to get to Du Fu Thatched Cottage by subway," the girl turned to him with a sweet smile. Just as boys liked looking at pretty girls, she also liked looking at handsome guys. "But we've already figured it out."

"Good that you figured it out," Cheng Yun nodded.

"Hmm, you look like you didn't rest well last night!" The girl immediately noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

Hearing this, Cheng Yun showed an embarrassed expression, while Cheng Yan couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

Unexpectedly, the girl caught these subtle reactions. She then looked from Cheng Yun to Cheng Yan, seemingly making some connections.

Her face flushed slightly as she said, "Then we'll be heading out. See you tonight!"

"Okay, see you tonight."

As she pulled the boy out the door, the girl suddenly put on a strange expression and turned to her boyfriend, saying, "That handsome guy is really good-looking, but his girlfriend is too beautiful. Haha, she's practically drained him dry!"

"Yeah!" The boy's face showed envy. Such a beautiful young lady!

The hotel.

Cheng Yun watched the couple's retreating figures, filled with envy and jealousy. Why do they get to sleep until almost eleven with a warm girlfriend beside them, while I have to endure the night alone, tormented by some supernatural power?

Then, they were the only two left in the lobby.

Recalling what happened that morning, Cheng Yun felt incredibly awkward.

Cheng Yan also lowered her head, not saying a word.

Cheng Yun realized he couldn't let this awkwardness fester any longer, or it would become unmanageable!

So, he casually asked, "What time did you finish your shift last night?"

"A little past one. When no one else came, I closed up and went to sleep," Cheng Yan said, still looking down. She opened the backend system and flipped to yesterday's check-in records, which showed the names of the couple who had just left.

The girl's name was Zhang Yanlu, and the boy's was Ge Qing.

And room 202 had no check-in record!

"A little past one is reasonable. Nowadays, people who look for accommodation late usually book online in advance, or at least call to confirm. So, you don't really need to stay open too late," Cheng Yun nodded. He paused, then asked, "What time did you wake up this morning?"

"Seven," Cheng Yan replied without looking up.

"Did any guests come last night?"

"Yes, two," Cheng Yan replied indifferently. Then, she looked up at him and said, "You didn't sleep all night, did you? Even outsiders could tell. Shouldn't you be more mindful? Get some rest early?"

"Uh... it's not what you think," Cheng Yun quickly explained.

"Then what is it?" Cheng Yan said. "Look, you can't even walk down the stairs steadily!"

"..." Cheng Yun was speechless. "How can you have such impure thoughts at such a young age! I've been having trouble sleeping lately, suffering from insomnia and nightmares. Coincidentally, that guest seemed to know a bit about traditional Chinese medicine and metaphysics, so I went to ask him for advice."

Cheng Yan slowly raised her head to look at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then, she lowered her head again without speaking.

After a long while, just as Cheng Yun was starting to feel uneasy, she let out an almost imperceptible sigh and said softly, "Traditional Chinese medicine has its merits, but don't be too superstitious about it. Don't trust quacks without medical licenses, and definitely don't believe in metaphysics or anything like that. If you can't sleep, take melatonin. If that doesn't work, take sleeping pills. If you're not resting well, just get more sleep."

"Okay, I understand," Cheng Yun nodded obediently.

Cheng Yan took out her phone to order takeout, saying without looking at him, "I'll take a nap this afternoon, and then I'll be on duty again. You go get some sleep, sleep as long as you want. You can take over the shift tomorrow morning."

"Thank you for your hard work," Cheng Yun also took out his phone. "I'll hire a receptionist as soon as possible."

He posted a few more online job ads for hotel receptionists and then went out to print some recruitment flyers to post at the hotel entrance, the school entrance, newsstands, and other places. When he returned, Cheng Yan had already received her takeout.

The two guests from last night checked out one after another. After Cheng Yun finished his meal, he cleaned the rooms and then returned to the counter to switch shifts with Cheng Yan.

Not long after, the Old Mage came down again.

This time, he was still wearing Professor Chen's pants, but he had on Cheng Yun's white shirt. As he walked up to Cheng Yun, he said, "I'm going out for a stroll. Is that okay?"

"Yes, it's okay," Cheng Yun nodded, then looked him over carefully. "But will you get lost?"

"That's unlikely," the Old Mage smiled. "Not to mention my supernatural abilities, our world also progressed from your current level of civilization. By then, I was already very old, and I'm very familiar with the living environment of this era."

Cheng Yun was stunned. This made him realize that the level of civilization in the Old Mage's world clearly surpassed Earth's, and that the Old Mage was of considerable seniority.

"So, you'll have no problem living in our world?" As he spoke, he took out a few hundred yuan from his pocket. "You're an old hand at this, so it's fine to buy yourself a new outfit while you're out, right? If you keep wearing my father's clothes, that girl might get suspicious."

"Uh... alright," the Old Mage accepted helplessly.

He hadn't bought clothes for himself in countless years, and when he said he was going out for a stroll, it wasn't like an ordinary person going shopping.

In his youth, the Old Mage had traveled the kingdom, and later his footsteps spread across the globe. He had been to the Forest of Ten Thousand Mountains, considered a forbidden land by demons, and the City of the Gods, revered as the domain of the gods! However, about eight or nine hundred years ago, after receiving widespread acclaim, he abruptly disappeared from public view.

He activated a scroll with time-traveling abilities and, in pursuit of greater wisdom, resolutely embarked on a journey through time and space—traveling between various universes to witness their vastly different civilizations.

In his eyes, wisdom wasn't just about spells and magic technology; it also encompassed different cultures, the unique ways of thinking of people who grew up in different universes, the social environments and structures of different eras, and even the differences between species were treasures beyond measure! It wasn't just him; many people in their world yearned for this 'knowledge that could inspire them at any moment.'

Because, even if this knowledge was of no help to their magical attainments, no mage would ever believe that magic was the entirety of their life. Life was so complex, so long yet so short; how to lead a rich and fulfilling soul was the lifelong pursuit of many mages.

Dear esteemed readers, although Jinse is moved to tears, I still want to say: please don't waste money on red envelopes for this book... Recommendation ticket red envelopes, regular red envelopes, Jinse doesn't need any of them. I feel sorry for your money!