Peach Garden Inn

Zifu County's county seat was ten times larger than Cold Mountain City. Pavilions and towers rose and fell in unbroken ranks. Though Ye Tong had lived on Earth for a hundred years and seen countless skyscrapers, the city before him still left him shaken. Its broad streets teemed with traffic, while towers and shops lined both sides like fish scales combed into order.

"Young Master." Medicine Slave hunched over his Dragon Head Cane. Once the memories had faded from his eyes, he called out softly.

Ye Tong turned his head and asked, "What is it?"

Medicine Slave said, "The county seat covers a vast area. Besides the most prosperous central district, it is divided into four jurisdictions: east, south, west, and north. This old servant does not know where the upcoming auction will be held, so where do you think we should stay?"

Ye Tong asked, "When you came to the county seat before, where did you usually stay?"

Hearing Ye Tong's question, Medicine Slave answered without hesitation, "Peach Garden Inn!"

Ye Tong said, "Then we'll stay at Peach Garden Inn for now. If nothing unexpected happens, we won't remain in the county seat for long."

Peach Garden Inn was located in the northeastern part of South City. Unlike the bustling district Ye Tong had imagined, it resembled an enormous peach orchard. Peach trees could be seen everywhere, their delicate blossoms blooming in fierce competition. Artificial rockeries stood one after another, carved with exquisite brilliance, while pavilions seemed scattered all about.

Yet upon closer inspection, one would find that the pavilions rose and fell in staggered harmony, arranged with perfect order. A clear river ran through the entire Peach Garden Inn, and five magnificent bridges served as vital thoroughfares.

"This place is not bad."

Ye Tong was skilled at observing terrain. Not long after stepping into Peach Garden Inn, he discovered that this place could be called a treasure land. In particular, the convergence point of a branch spiritual vein lay precisely within this peach garden.

Medicine Slave nodded in agreement. "There are one hundred and nine pavilions here. Aside from the main building, which is not rented out, all the other pavilions are available for rent. However, the daily rates are exorbitant. Ordinary people cannot afford them."

Ye Tong asked, "How much?"

Medicine Slave replied, "The Ren-character Pavilion costs two hundred taels of blue silver per day; the Di-character Pavilion costs five hundred taels of blue silver per day; the Tian-character Pavilion costs one thousand taels of blue silver per day. This old servant has not entered the county seat for more than ten years, so I do not know whether the prices have changed."

So expensive?

Ye Tong revealed a surprised expression. One hundred taels of blue silver was enough for a family of five in Cold Mountain City to live on for a year, while one thousand taels could support them for ten years. Yet here, one thousand taels of blue silver only paid for a single day in the Tian-character Pavilion. The price was simply outrageously high!

Medicine Slave gave a bitter smile.

When he had come here in the past, he had followed his old master, Huo Lanqiu. What kind of man had his old master been? He did not distinguish money in his eyes at all, and he had never lacked silver. As for whether something was expensive, naturally it did not matter.

But this young master... Medicine Slave was observant and clear-minded, so he naturally understood what wealth meant to his young master. It could buy lives!

Before long, the two arrived before an antique pavilion. Without paying attention to the four burly men standing on either side of the entrance, they entered the building.

"Welcome, honored guests. This servant is the inn attendant, Duo Lan. May I ask whether you two honored guests wish to rent accommodations, or have you come to dine at the inn?" From among the dozen or so beautiful girls in identical attire within the hall, a tall girl stepped forward. Her smile was warm, making one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

"We're renting," Medicine Slave said.

Duo Lan dipped slightly and said with a light smile, "Then please follow this servant to the counter to register, pay the rental fee, and receive the pavilion key."

Medicine Slave said, "This old servant will go with you. Young Master, how long shall we stay here?"

Ye Tong thought for a moment and said, "Rent it for half a month first."

"Alright." Medicine Slave nodded slightly. By his calculations, they would remain here for at most half a month.

Ye Tong stood in the hall, his gaze sweeping across several guests entering and leaving before finally settling on the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls. The paintings on either side were decent, but they could not enter Ye Tong's discerning eye. The landscape painting directly ahead, however, was a fairly good work. Within it were green mountains, clear waters, and a Peach Blossom Forest. Mischievous children chased little beasts, an old man sat fishing by the riverbank, and several lifelike birds either perched upon branches or spread their wings in flight. Vitality could be found everywhere in this painting.

"The signature is Lan Tianyu?"

Ye Tong felt a faint regret in his heart. It was a good painting, but unfortunately, it lacked a certain grandeur. The green mountains were high, vast and majestic; the green waters flowed in endless succession; the peach blossoms bloomed in beauty, yet bore no trace of a breeze brushing past them. The children, the old man, the birds... there was the air of rustic life, yet no thatched cottage to set it off. In the end, it still lacked something.

Not far from Ye Tong, the nearest attendant—a rather playful-looking girl—had been watching him and Medicine Slave ever since they entered. She found the pairing of an old man and a youth quite interesting. At first, she had assumed they were grandfather and grandson, but she had not expected the old man to call himself a servant while the youth was the young master.

"Honored guest, do you understand paintings?" Lan Xiaozhu quietly approached Ye Tong and asked with a smiling expression.

Ye Tong glanced at her and said indifferently, "A little."

The corners of Lan Xiaozhu's lips curled up. With a trace of pride on her face, she pointed to the landscape painting on the wall and asked, "Then what do you think of this painting? Is it the finest work you have ever seen?"

"Uh..." Ye Tong revealed a strange expression.

Who had given this girl such confidence? She actually dared ask such a shameless question?

The finest work?

What an international joke!

During the hundred years Ye Tong had lived in seclusion on Earth, he had had people collect great quantities of calligraphy and paintings. Every work capable of entering his discerning eye had been the creation of a true master. This landscape painting, though decent, could only barely pass. It was still far from the finest.

Ye Tong could not even be bothered to deal with the girl anymore. He turned and headed outside.

"Hey, you haven't answered my question yet!"

Lan Xiaozhu was stunned for a moment. When she came to her senses, she hurriedly chased after him. However, just as she reached the doorway, she abruptly stopped. She saw a familiar figure approaching.

"Big Sister Xiaoshui, why are you here? Don't you need to attend to Miss?" Lan Xiaozhu asked.

Lan Xiaoshui said, "A friend has come from afar. Miss is accompanying her friend on a stroll through the garden and instructed me to call you back to prepare fruit pastries and the evening meal."

"I..."

Lan Xiaozhu hesitated, then shifted her gaze away and fiercely glared at Ye Tong's retreating back. Only then did she say, "Alright, then let's hurry back!"

Following Lan Xiaozhu's gaze, Lan Xiaoshui looked over curiously. "Do you know that youth who just went out?"

"I don't know him at all!" Lan Xiaozhu curled her lips. "He is arrogant, rude, and wildly conceited."

"Did someone upset you? You brought it on yourself." Lan Xiaoshui laughed helplessly. "Don't forget your current identity. You were the one who thought staying in the building was boring and insisted on running out to play. As an attendant, do you still care about people giving you a cold look?"

Lan Xiaozhu said, "No. I saw him looking at Miss's painting and wanted to hear him praise Miss a little, so I went over to ask for his opinion. He admitted that he understood calligraphy and painting somewhat, yet he refused to answer my question. Could Miss's personal painting truly not be worth a few words of praise from him?"

"Oh?" Lan Xiaoshui revealed a surprised expression. She once again examined Ye Tong, now farther away, before pulling Lan Xiaozhu out of the pavilion and heading in another direction.

At the riverside by the bridge.

Two slender young women walked together.

One of them was a stunning girl whose heroic bearing pressed upon those around her. Her gaze swept across the sparkling river as she sighed, "Come to think of it, it has already been three years since we last met, hasn't it? And your temperament has become even gentler and more tranquil."

The palace-dressed young woman wore a veil and her hair was gathered in a bun. Every movement she made exuded gentle elegance, while her soft, sweet voice brought tenderness and delight. "Sister is carefree. Though you are a princess, you can cast aside those shackles and wander alone among famous mountains and great rivers, strolling through marketplaces and humble lanes. You temper yourself in the mortal world, and this younger sister truly envies you."

Mu Qianlan said, "If you envy it, why not go out and see the world yourself? Your talent and aptitude are in no way inferior to mine. If you can let go of that obsession, your future accomplishments will be beyond measure. Perhaps the future safety of our Sky Net Empire will depend on your protection."

Lan Tianyu shook her head and said, "There is no need for me. With Sister here, the Sky Net Empire will naturally enjoy peace and stability for the next hundred years. Eh? Why has Sister drifted off again?"

Mu Qianlan truly had drifted off. That hateful, handsome face surfaced in her mind again, followed by the scene in the Golden Phoenix Mountain Range, where she had been trapped for an entire day before barely managing to break open the formation and escape in a sorry state.

Mu Qianlan gritted her teeth and said, "I was thinking of a brat."

A hint of surprise appeared in Lan Tianyu's bright eyes. She asked curiously, "Could it be that Sister Qianlan has someone she loves? Since he can stir your heart into unrest, Tianyu would like to know which family's outstanding young talent he is."

"Someone I love?"

Mu Qianlan did not know whether to laugh or cry. "You are joking, Sister Tianyu. That brat is only sixteen or seventeen, while I am several years older than him. How could that be... In any case, that fellow is very strange. He is someone I cannot see through."

Lan Tianyu said in surprise, "A young lad whom even you cannot see through? I would like to meet him."

Mu Qianlan laughed speechlessly. "With your temperament, if you meet him, you will surely be eaten clean, flesh and bones alike, without even scraps remaining. You know the spirit foxes of the savage wilderness, right? They possess endless cunning and are incomparably deceitful. That fellow gives me the feeling that he is even more sinister than a spirit fox."

"Pfft..." Lan Tianyu covered her mouth and laughed. "Sister Qianlan must have suffered at his hands, or you would not speak this way. Tianyu is even more curious about him now."

Mu Qianlan turned her head away awkwardly and said, "Let's not talk about him. I came to find you this time because I need your help with something."

"What is it?" Lan Tianyu asked.

Mu Qianlan said, "My Imperial Uncle rendered extraordinary merit and won the Sky Net Empire a quota to establish a Teleportation Array. Father Emperor has asked me to represent him in holding a banquet at the County Prince's Manor to reward him. I would like to ask you to paint a picture as a congratulatory gift for my Imperial Uncle."

Lan Tianyu pondered for a moment, then nodded. "No problem. Come collect it in three days."

"Thank you." Joy appeared in Mu Qianlan's eyes. One had to know that within the empire, a single painting by Lan Tianyu was harder to obtain than climbing to heaven.

"You are too polite, Sister."