"Little Ninth, Little Ninth, where are we going?"
"To find Little Sprout and Little Fatty."
"Oh."
Dongfang Minghui had thought that once she left the No Return Mountain Range and found people and a village, she could finally enjoy a proper night's rest. Real rest. She might have seemed relaxed lately, but she had not even dared close her eyes at night.
If she failed to react in time and got eaten by some magic beast like the Nine-Headed Infant, she really would have died a fool's death.
Before she even stepped into the village, she saw someone hawking his wares from a stall at its entrance.
"Miss, one look at your travel-worn appearance tells me you need a clean room and a soft bed, preferably with a wooden tub for a bath. Trust this fatty-I can absolutely provide you with the finest service."
Dongfang Minghui smiled without replying. The fatty was round all over, and judging by how practiced he was at blocking her path, most people returning from No Return Mountain had probably encountered his sales pitch. Still, he was quite right: she did need a room of her own.
"How much do you earn a day, soliciting customers here?"
"Are you interested in this line of work too, miss? It's simple. Become my disciple, and I'll teach you step by step how to-"
Dongfang Minghui raised a hand to stop him. "Just name your price."
The fatty had a delicate-looking face, which he had somehow twisted into a sleazy expression. He narrowed his little eyes as though plotting something. "Heaven rooms one through ten cost three spirit stones and one low-grade spirit plant. Earth rooms one through ten cost two spirit stones plus one low-grade..."
She understood now. The rooms here were ranked Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and