The four traveled light and made good time. After a little over an hour on the road, they came across a humble roadside inn.
The inn made its living serving travelers and merchants passing through. But times were hard, and it might go all day without seeing more than a handful of customers.
Whether they had arrived at just the right moment or for some other reason, several carriages were parked outside, and more than a dozen diners in all sorts of clothes sat inside. Shen Tang kept an eye on Qi Shan, whose face had turned inexplicably pale, and suggested, "I'm a little thirsty. Shall we stop and rest our feet?"
Chu Yao naturally agreed.
Though Shen Tang could turn literary qi into wine, she couldn't hold her liquor at all—not even a drop. Their waterskins were empty, too, so after traveling for so long, it made sense to stop and replenish their provisions.
"Boss, have you got four seats inside?"
Shen Tang jumped down from Motorcycle's back and hollered toward the inn. The owner poked his head out. The impatience on his face vanished in fright—after all, to avoid revealing their tracks, the four of them and Motorcycle had all been disguised again. She still looked every bit the fearsome sort, the kind of person who'd make passersby want to hand over their wallets without being asked. If there'd been a murder nearby, nine out of ten constables would have arrested her.
Yeah, she didn't look like a good person.
The other three had each taken the form of a steward, an accountant, and a bodyguard.
The owner followed the principle that one less bit of trouble was one less bit of trouble, and put on a fawning smile. "Of course, of course! This way, hero."
Shen Tang