Peaceful Inn

Young master.

The way she addressed him was so strange, so strange that he always felt there was something indescribable in her tone when she said those three words, more like...

confirm.

It was as if she was confirming something and then got the answer she wanted.

Yun Jingheng shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind, and turned to walk in the direction of the inn the old woman had pointed out.

The inn was small, a three-story wooden building, with two red lanterns hanging at the entrance, bearing the words "Peaceful Inn".

The owner behind the counter was a chubby middle-aged man. When he saw Yun Jingheng enter, he had a professional smile on his face, but when he saw Yun Jingheng's face clearly in the light, his smile froze for a moment.

Then, like the guards at the city gate, he stood up straight.

"You... you're checking into the hotel?"

The boss's voice was strained, as if someone was choking him.

Yun Jingheng noticed his unusual behavior but didn't ask any further questions.

"How much for a room per night?"

"Alright, alright, the Heaven Grade Room One is free, please, please."

The shopkeeper took a bunch of keys off the wall, the keys jingling in his hand. His hands were trembling, and he tried several times before finally inserting the key into the lock. He then took a wooden plaque from the cabinet behind the counter and handed it over with both hands.

"It's free?"

"No need, no need, you're too kind, sir."

"It's the last room on the third floor, at the end of the corridor. Do you need hot water? I'll have someone boil some and bring it up."

Okay, thank you.

Yun Jingheng took the wooden plaque, hesitated for a moment, and then went up the wooden stairs to the third floor.

The stairs creaked beneath his feet as he walked to the end of the corridor and unlocked the door with the key on the wooden sign.

The room wasn't big, but it was very clean.

A wooden bed, a table, a chair, and on the table an oil lamp and a pot of cold tea.

He lit the oil lamp, and the flame illuminated the whole room. He closed the door, bolted it, and then sat down on the bed.

The bed frame was hard, and the bedding had a faint soap smell.

He took off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to practice his internal energy.

Soul Power flowed through the meridians, slowly circulating layer by layer.

His mother's Dance of the Archangel restored 50% of his Soul Power; he needs to slowly recover the remaining 50% on his own.

Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

My Soul Power has recovered to 60%.

He got out of bed, walked to the window, and opened it.

The air here made him feel comfortable, and the moonlight... was it accelerating the recovery of his Soul Power?

--

The next day.

Just as dawn was breaking, Yun Jingheng was awakened by the noise outside his window.

It's a rhythmic, clanging sound, like a blacksmith hammering iron, but crisper and more concentrated, like a thousand people simultaneously striking a thousand iron pipes of different thicknesses.

He sat up, rubbed his eyes, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.

The sky was not yet fully bright; the eastern horizon was tinged with a pale white, and the starlight had not yet completely faded, intertwining with the morning light to create a gradient of colors, cool yet warm, across the sky.

There were already people on the street.

An old man pushing a cart passed by the inn. The cart was piled high with silvery-green vegetables, and the wheels made a rumbling sound as they rolled over the stone pavement.

Two women dressed in coarse cloth stood at the alley entrance talking, their voices very low.

A tall, thin man rode a creature he had never seen before, an animal that resembled both a cow and a horse, galloping from the end of the street. The hooves clattered on the stone slabs, the sound growing louder as it approached and then receded again.

After washing up and getting dressed, Yun Jingheng went downstairs.

The innkeeper was already behind the counter; seeing him come downstairs, his body tensed up again.

"You're awake? Breakfast is ready. Would you like to eat in the lobby or have it brought to your room?"

"No need, I have an appointment."

Yun Jingheng waved his hand and walked out of the inn.

The air on the street was fresh, carrying the dampness of dew and the scent of earth, exactly the same as the smell he had caught last night.

He followed the route he remembered, walked along the main street he had walked the night before, and turned into the narrow alley on the left at the fork in the road.

The alley was very narrow, with the walls on both sides almost touching, and the sky above was compressed into a thin, gray-blue crack.

Moss grew in the cracks between the bricks on the wall; the moss was dark green and felt damp to the touch.

At the end of the alley was a wooden door, the door panel was blackened, and most of the paint had peeled off, revealing the grayish-white wood grain underneath.

There was no door knocker, only a fist-sized, polished brass buckle.

Yun Jingheng raised his hand and tapped the copper clasp three times.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried far in the quiet alley.

Footsteps came from behind the door, growing louder as they approached, then the door latch was pulled open with a muffled creak, and the door opened.

The old lady stood behind the door.

She was still wearing that grayish-white coarse cloth dress, but she had changed into a clean one, and her hair had been combed again, tied into a round bun at the back of her head, and secured with a wooden hairpin.

She had a smile on her face, a genuine, heartfelt smile just like the one she had last night.

"You're here? Please come in quickly, the porridge is just cooked."

Yun Jingheng followed her into the courtyard.

The courtyard was small, paved with bluestone, and several large vats were piled in the corner. Inside the vats were some flowers and plants that he couldn't name, with silvery-white leaves, just like the crops in the fields last night.

Directly opposite the gate in the courtyard is a main room. Inside the main room is an eight-immortal table with a pot of porridge, two sets of bowls and chopsticks, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a dish of fried eggs on it.

"Sit, sit."

The old lady gestured for him to sit down at the table, then sat down opposite him and ladled him a bowl of porridge.

The porridge was white and thick, with the rice grains cooked until they burst open. A thin layer of rice oil floated on the surface, steaming hot.

Yun Jingheng picked up the bowl and took a sip.

The rice has a strong aroma with a subtle, almost imperceptible sweetness—not the sweetness of sugar, but the natural sweetness released from the rice itself after long cooking.

He took a sip, then another.

The old woman smiled when she saw his expression.

"Drink slowly, don't burn yourself."

Yun Jingheng put down his bowl and looked at the old woman. "Grandma, are you taking me to the Inner Circle today?"

The old lady nodded. "Yes, I'll take you inside."

Is the Inner Circle far?

"It's some distance."

How far is it?

"About 20 kilometers."

Yun Jingheng:...

Yun Jingheng paused for a moment, his hand holding the bowl of porridge still.

"How many?"

"Twenty kilometers."

The old lady repeated herself, her tone as calm as if she were remarking on the nice weather, "It would take about four or five hours to walk there."

Yun Jingheng looked up at the old lady's full head of snow-white hair.

Asking an old lady to walk 20 kilometers with me?

He put down his bowl of porridge, considered his words carefully, and said, "Grandma, why don't you tell me how to get to the Inner Circle? I can do it myself—"

You can't find it.

The old woman interrupted him, her tone certain, "The entrance to the Inner Circle isn't in the open. Without a guide, you could wander around the Outer Circle for three days and three nights and still not find your way."

Yun Jingheng opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Seeing his discomfiture, the old woman's lips curved slightly, and a mischievous glint flashed in her bright eyes, which didn't look old at all.

"What, you think the old lady walks too slowly?"

"No, that's not it--"

"Then don't say anything, just finish your porridge."

Yun Jingheng lowered his head, silently finished the porridge in his bowl, and devoured the fried egg and pickled vegetables before putting the bowl and chopsticks away.

Are you full?

I'm full.

Let's go.

The old lady stood up, cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, but instead of walking out of the yard, she turned and walked towards the back of the main room.