Near noon, Wu Sunheng walked alone through the streets until he reached a relatively quiet one. He glanced around, then finally stopped in front of an inn.
"Peaceful Lodging Inn."
Wu Sunheng murmured the name on the sign, then lowered his gaze to look inside. The innkeeper was working an abacus, several tables of customers were eating in the dining hall, and two servers, one older and one younger, were bustling about.
Wu Sunheng steadied himself and entered the inn. The younger server, clearly still a child, ran over with a smile.
"Will you be dining or staying with us, sir?"
The innkeeper also looked up and sized up the newcomer. His short-sleeved magical garment suggested he was a mage, but it was very different from the long, full-length robes most mages preferred.
Wu Sunheng glanced at Ke Xiaofa, surveyed the dining hall, and looked upstairs before turning toward the counter.
"Innkeeper, I'm here to see Young Master Zheng Yiming."
Wu Sunheng chose to get straight to the point, leaving both the innkeeper and Ke Xiaofa slightly taken aback.
"Do you know Young Master Zheng, sir?"
From that question, Wu Sunheng knew Zheng Yiming must be here. He smiled.
"We haven't met, but I know he is a man of exceptional learning. I heard he might be here, so I came to pay him a visit. Would that be convenient?"
"Oh, Young Master Zheng is copying books out back. Xiao Fa, go ask whether he can receive a visitor. Please wait here a moment, sir."
Zheng Yiming was modest and courteous, with no grudges against anyone, so the innkeeper thought little of it. Ke Xiaofa answered, "All right," and ran out back. Wu Sunheng frowned slightly, but after a moment's hesitation, he refrained from following uninvited.
Fortunately, the child soon