Time flew. Spring passed, and autumn came.
For the entire summer, Pan Long followed Bi Lingkong. By day, they observed passersby; by night, they drew sketches. In between, they ate several meals and ran out without paying.
The life made him deeply uncomfortable, but little by little, he grew used to it.
He even began to think it was rather interesting.
To make the staff chase them in earnest, they always ordered dishes that were either especially expensive or especially troublesome to prepare. If they could find no such food locally, they went to a place with a particularly mean owner or particularly vicious staff.
Later, Pan Long discovered that finding a place with vicious staff was actually easier than making trouble for other people.
Times were already turning bad. Quite a few establishments ran scams, gambling dens, loan-sharking operations, or even black inns on the side. They found a tavern that specialized in Immortal Traps. When a guest went to bed after eating and drinking his fill, a pretty woman would pick the lock, slip inside, and crawl under his covers. Naturally, the guest would wake up... though it hardly mattered whether he did. Next, several burly men would break in, accuse him of molesting a respectable woman, and make him choose between settling it officially or privately.
If he chose a private settlement, he had to write an IOU and have his family bring money to ransom him. The sum was never small. It might not ruin his family outright, but it would certainly cut them to the bone.
If the guest chose to involve the authorities, they locked him in the cellar for a few days while they questioned him about his background. Anyone with powerful backing was another matter. A foolish scholar with no one behind