Unscrupulous Merchant

"What are you laughing at, Uncle?" Madam Hu glanced at him curiously.

"Nothing," Song Qingshu didn't dare tell her, and changed the subject, asking, "Sister-in-law, you fought with Murong Jingyue before. He mentioned you seemed to be from the Ancient Tomb Sect?"

"Mm, I suppose so," Madam Hu nodded lightly. "When I was young, I met my master by chance. She stayed at my house for over half a year and taught me a lot."

"Does Sister-in-law know her name, if she is Lin Chaoying?" Song Qingshu asked eagerly.

Madam Hu shook her head, secretly wondering why her uncle knew so much about the Ancient Tomb Sect. "Lin Chaoying is my sect's grand-aunt. I don't really know my master's name."

Song Qingshu's expression immediately became interesting. He thought about how Xiaolongnü and Li Mochou would react if they knew they had such a senior sister.

The two of them, dusty from their journey, were about to reach Gusu City. Seeing that it was getting late, they decided to rest for the night in a small town outside the city and head to Yanziwu in the morning.

"Boss, two rooms." Hearing Song Qingshu's call, the innkeeper looked them over and put on a smiling face. "I'm truly sorry, but we only have one room left. Would you two be willing to make do?"

Madam Hu frowned and shook her head. "No, thank you. We'll go to another inn."

"Madam, we are the only inn in this town. The gates of Gusu City are already closed, and the next inn is in the neighboring town, a hundred miles away," the innkeeper said with a smile.

"We'll go look," Song Qingshu felt that the innkeeper's words were not entirely truthful and became suspicious.

"Never mind, this place will do," Madam Hu said absentmindedly.

"Waiter, take this lady up first." The innkeeper stopped Song Qingshu and whispered, "Young Master, please wait. I have something to tell you."

Seeing Madam Hu disappear down the corridor, the innkeeper spread his hands and chuckled, "Young Master, the room is ten taels of silver. Thank you."

Song Qingshu's eyes widened. "Are you robbing me? It clearly says one tael of silver per room."

The innkeeper didn't get angry and chuckled. "Young Master, do you really think such a large inn like ours only has one guest room? We're just creating an opportunity for you since you're traveling alone with a lady. Whether you can seize it depends on your own abilities."

"This is allowed?" Song Qingshu was stunned.

"Heh heh," the innkeeper gave a sly smile. "Otherwise, why do you think that among so many inns in the jianghu, when a man and a woman check in, there's always only one room left? This is our unwritten rule, Young Master. Money can be earned again, but a beautiful woman is hard to come by."

Song Qingshu was filled with admiration and willingly handed over ten taels of silver. "Whoever first came up with this marketing strategy is a true genius!"

"What did the innkeeper say to you just now?" Madam Hu asked suspiciously when Song Qingshu returned to the room.

"Nothing, just settling the room fee," Song Qingshu replied casually. "Sister-in-law, you sleep on the bed later, and I'll sleep on the floor here."

"Your meridians are damaged, and the ground is too cold. How can you sleep on the floor?" Madam Hu frowned, feeling conflicted. There was only one bed...

"It's fine. I'm a man after all, I can endure this," Song Qingshu didn't want to sleep on the floor, but knew it was impossible. He had no choice but to brace himself, lay out a mat, and sleep on the ground.

Madam Hu stared at him for a moment, then silently turned around and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

In the middle of the night, Madam Hu was suddenly awakened by some rustling sounds. She opened her eyes and saw Song Qingshu curled up on the floor, trembling all over, veins bulging on his arms, and clutching the quilt tightly.

Madam Hu knew that people with stab wounds would feel aches and pains in their wounds during stormy weather, let alone someone like Song Qingshu whose meridians were completely severed. Seeing him in so much pain, she bit her lip tightly, unwilling to make a sound, and thought to herself: My uncle is indeed a true gentleman.

Due to the cold seeping in from the ground, Song Qingshu was indeed in pain, but there was a stubbornness in his heart that made him...

What would happen if Madam Hu knew? It was better to bear it silently like a man.

"Uncle, come sleep on the bed," Madam Hu's gentle voice came from behind him.

Song Qingshu stared at her blankly. "How can this be! Sister-in-law, please don't mind me. I can endure it."

"How will you travel tomorrow looking like this?" Madam Hu pressed his back and sent a stream of true qi into him. "Stop being so hesitant. I'm not afraid, and you are? As long as our hearts are clear, isn't that enough?"

Although Song Qingshu had pride, he wasn't a fool. With her saying that, how could he refuse?

Shivering all the way, he felt his way to the bed and crawled into the covers. The moment he did, a fragrance wafted over him, and it was so warm that he almost forgot the pain in his body.

Seeing him burrow directly into the quilt she had just slept in, Madam Hu's pretty face flushed. After a moment of hesitation, her voice was as faint as a mosquito's. "Uncle, you're sleeping in my quilt."

Song Qingshu awkwardly realized his quilt was still on the floor. He quickly understood that Madam Hu letting him sleep on the bed was already the greatest favor, and she certainly wouldn't agree to sleep under the same quilt as him.

With an awkward smile, Song Qingshu went down to retrieve his quilt. By the time he brought it back, Madam Hu had already wrapped herself in her quilt and fallen asleep, her back to him. Song Qingshu slowly lay down beside her. Several times he brushed against her body, causing her to tremble slightly.

Unlike Zhou Zhiruo's betrayal, Madam Hu was as pure and clear as glass, and treated him exceptionally well. Song Qingshu didn't dare to take advantage of her with any vulgar means.

Inhaling the faint fragrance from the beautiful woman's hair beside him, Song Qingshu's mind slowly relaxed, and the pain gradually subsided. Before long, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The next day, when Song Qingshu woke up, he reached out to the side, but the beauty was long gone. Startled, he sat up and saw Madam Hu looking at him with a half-smile.

"Good morning, Sister-in-law," Song Qingshu gave an awkward smile.

Madam Hu nodded gently. Noticing his movement just now, she was secretly annoyed. He had touched her several times last night. If she hadn't used her true qi to sense that it was just unconscious behavior during sleep, she would have surely lost her temper long ago.

Seeing the hint of anger in Madam Hu's eyes, Song Qingshu felt guilty and lowered his head, reminiscing about the romantic dream he had last night, in which Madam Hu shyly lay beneath him...

After breakfast, the two of them set off in search of Yanziwu. Song Qingshu knew that Canhe Manor was probably dozens of miles west of Gusu City, and he led Madam Hu directly there. Unfortunately, after asking dozens of people, no one had heard of this place. Madam Hu began to doubt if they were heading in the wrong direction, but Song Qingshu confidently stated they were not.