Lin Zhe descended the mountain much faster than he had climbed it.
In just over thirty minutes, he returned from the Three Pure Ones Palace to the entrance of the Fortunate Inn.
He strode into the courtyard and headed straight for the inn's ground-floor lobby.
"Morning, Zhe!"
As soon as Lin Zhe entered, the part-time girl at the reception desk greeted him with a sweet smile.
Her name was Lin Xiaomeng. She was twenty-two and had just graduated from college.
Lin Xiaomeng was a villager from Lin Family Village, beside the Mount Sanqing scenic area.
She was also the niece of the elder brother-in-law of one of Lin Zhe's distant uncles.
Their relationship was about as distant as it could get.
"Morning, Xiaomeng. Have all the guests checked out?"
As he spoke, Lin Zhe reached the reception desk and stopped.
He was quite satisfied with his inn's part-time employee.
She was in her early twenties, with fair, luminous skin that needed no cosmetics.
She had a small, high nose, rosy, thin lips, and sparkling eyes that seemed to speak with every blink.
Together with her fresh, understated air, they gave her the feel of a girl next door.
Of course, none of that was the deciding factor. What mattered was that Lin Xiaomeng only asked for 1,500 yuan a month.
Even the cleaning ladies in office buildings would turn their noses up at that wage.
"They all checked out twenty minutes ago, and I've already cleaned all the rooms they vacated."
Lin Xiaomeng smiled whenever she spoke, revealing a tiny, pointed canine on the right that added to her impish charm.
"Nice work, Xiaomeng. You're getting quicker and quicker."
Lin Zhe praised her first, then changed the subject.
"Here's what we'll do, Xiaomeng. I'll reward you with half a day of paid leave. You don't have to stay and watch the inn this morning.
Go do whatever you like. Just be back before two this afternoon."
"Huh?" Lin Xiaomeng blinked her big eyes at him, feeling rather confused.
I'm the Fortunate Inn's receptionist, room attendant, customer service representative, duty manager, and cafeteria girl.
Isn't checking guests out and cleaning their rooms part of my job?
Why am I getting rewarded for it?
"What? You're not happy about half a day of paid leave?"
Lin Zhe couldn't help laughing at her adorably blank expression. She really lived up to her name-cute and clueless.
"No, I'm happy! It's just... just a bit unexpected. This happiness came out of nowhere!"
"Thanks, Zhe! I'll head out, then. Call me if you need anything!"
Lin Xiaomeng stuck out her tongue, immediately took a sky-blue backpack from the cabinet behind the reception desk, and put it on, ready to leave and enjoy her rare half-day off.
Lin Zhe smiled and waved. "Go on, go on. Have fun."
"Okay, Zhe! Long live Zhe! I'm off, then~"
Lin Xiaomeng giggled, turned, and walked out with a spring in her step, humming something about, "How could I bring my husband good fortune?"
I don't know whether Xiaomeng will bring her husband good fortune, but she certainly brings me luck. She's been working here less than a week, and things are already turning around!
After watching Lin Xiaomeng leave, Lin Zhe raised his hand and glanced at the brilliantly gilded character for "Sign" in his palm.
Somehow, he felt as though the gears of his destiny had begun to turn.
"Now it's time to witness a miracle!"
Coming back to his senses, Lin Zhe walked to the inn's entrance and shut the door with a creak.
Only after closing it did he take out the Cleansing Talisman he had materialized on the mountain, its surface covered in mysterious markings, ready for his first attempt.
The Cleansing Talisman was simple to use. All it took was a thought, with no complicated incantations or rituals.
Still, this was his first time, and Lin Zhe couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
Activate the Cleansing Talisman!
The thought flashed through Lin Zhe's mind, and he gently released the Cleansing Talisman held between his fingers.
Whoosh!
The Cleansing Talisman suddenly seemed to come alive, shooting into the air.
Then, with a muffled poof, the Cleansing Talisman burst into a dazzling ball of golden light.
Lin Zhe instinctively shielded his eyes and stumbled back several steps, only stopping when his back hit the reception desk.
When Lin Zhe lowered his hand, another line of text appeared before him:
[Cleansing Talisman activated!]
"It worked? That fast? It hasn't even been three seconds!"
Lin Zhe froze for a moment, then looked at the reception desk.
The somewhat worn wooden desk now gleamed like a car that had been coated and waxed, shiny enough to reflect a person's image.
The slightly damp ceiling had also become spotless, as clean as new.
Every visible corner of the lobby looked completely refreshed!
After inspecting the lobby, Lin Zhe hurried into the first guest room on its right to check the changes inside.
Sure enough, the guest room had undergone the same dramatic transformation as the lobby.
The damp ceiling looked brand-new, and the humidity in the room had dropped to just the right level.
With disbelief written all over his face, Lin Zhe walked to the bed and examined the bedding, which had likewise become as clean as new.
The bedding even carried a faint scent, something like a floral fragrance.
The room's furnishings weren't exactly upscale, but even five-star hotels probably couldn't match this level of cleanliness.
After checking the first room, Lin Zhe went on to the second, then the third...
With nothing else to do, Lin Zhe inspected every room in the inn, not even leaving out the communal hot-water room or the shared bathrooms.
With just one Cleansing Talisman, every room, every fixture, every bed, and every piece of bedding in the inn-everything visible to the naked eye-had become as clean as new.
It looked even newer than when the inn first opened!
"This is... way too incredible! But I like it!"
After inspecting the entire inn, Lin Zhe clenched his fists in excitement.
He could already picture the inn's bright near future, with glowing reviews pouring in!
With the place looking like this, even the god of cleanliness from Ancient Greece couldn't find a single fault!
Let's see anyone dare complain that my inn is filthy and run-down now!
"The Cleansing Talisman works so well that using one every day would be a real waste."
"If we keep up with a little routine cleaning, I think one a week should be enough."
"By that calculation, thirty Cleansing Talismans will last 210 days. That's more than half a year!"
"Over two hundred days, even with the worst luck, I should randomly get the Three Pure Ones Palace again, right? Hopefully, it'll give me even more Cleansing Talismans next time!"
"Pah, pah, pah! Me and my big mouth. Of course it'd be even better to get a reward better than the Cleansing Talismans!"
"This check-in panel really is great. I got such a good reward on my very first check-in."
"I wonder where I'll check in next week, and what reward I'll get?"
Having witnessed the miracle brought about by the Cleansing Talisman, Lin Zhe was already looking forward to next week's check-in reward!
The sounds of footsteps and conversation suddenly came from the courtyard outside the inn. It seemed some guests had arrived.
Lin Zhe calmed the excitement the Cleansing Talisman had stirred in him, then headed downstairs with a spring in his step to greet his guests, humming, "How could I bring my husband good fortune?"
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