Chapter 147: No Comprehension |
Seeing that Chu Xun was unwilling to say more, Song Zhengye still could not continue asking, even though he wanted to ask a few more questions.
After glancing again at the long sword on the ground, he carried the child, mounted his horse, and left surrounded by his guards.
Wei Youyou looked at Chu Xun and asked curiously, “Old Master, how did you know it wasn’t her child?”
“If she were truly a weak woman, how could she have run so far through Mobei? Besides, those people chased her on horseback. Could she run faster than horses?” Chu Xun said.
Wei Youyou suddenly understood and clapped her hands in praise.
“Old Master is amazing, yo!”
Chu Xun shook his head with a laugh. Something that could be seen through at a glance was probably impressive only to Wei Youyou.
Song Zhengye, holding the child, looked toward the second-rank martial guard following beside him and asked, “Did you see that person’s background?”
The rough-faced guard instinctively looked back toward the inn gradually disappearing into the wind and sand, then said cautiously, “I couldn’t see it.”
“Not even a little!”
Song Zhengye fell silent. If even a second-rank martial artist could not see the slightest clue, that person was probably at least a Xiantian Grandmaster.
No wonder he dared open an inn in Mobei.
But what meaning did an inn like that have?
Or rather, a Xiantian Grandmaster who could casually earn ten million taels of gold and silver as long as he was willing to join a faction had absolutely no need to rely on business to support himself.
As long as he opened his mouth, countless people would be willing to offer gold, silver, and treasure, even if only to become familiar to him.
After thinking for a while, Song Zhengye looked at the infant in his arms.
A moment later, he let out a long breath.
No matter what, fortunately the child was fine. Otherwise, after returning, it would truly be hard to explain to his granddaughter-in-law.
After all, his family’s granddaughter-in-law came from the Zhang family of Pinecone Village.
The Song family was still an official household in Jing Kingdom, but by comparison, although the Zhang family had resigned from office and lived in seclusion for many years, they still had extremely high prestige among the people.
Every year, many people voluntarily came to pay visits. Of course, some came because of the legend that Pinecone Village had once housed an immortal.
Even now, the flowers and plants left behind when that immortal departed still remained.
They were carefully cared for, and every year they would bloom.
As a result, Pinecone Village spent each year amid a sea of flowers. Many women, scholars, and poets especially liked visiting for leisure.
The villagers of Pinecone Village had no objection to this. On the contrary, they could earn a large sum of silver from these people.
Just by selling food and drink, including taking visitors to tour the residence where the immortal had once lived, they could receive plenty of rewards.
Several days passed after this matter.
One early morning, Chu Xun opened the inn’s front door and saw Song Zhengye and an old man standing outside.
The old man was looking at that long sword, his eyes full of shock.
His ancestor had once followed the female emperor Xiao Shuying and had seen the power of that sword.
Although this sword in front of Dragon Gate Inn was not that powerful, it felt somewhat similar to what his ancestor had described.
Even without touching it, he could still feel that extremely sharp sword qi.
“What a powerful weapon!”
Song Zhengye coughed. Only then did the old man turn back.
He focused on Chu Xun. He knew the purpose of his coming here.
Yet when he looked over, he could not see anything.
The young man before him looked perfectly ordinary.
Aside from fair skin and handsome features, there was nothing special about him.
But Song Zhengye had said that this might be a Xiantian Grandmaster.
Was there such a young Xiantian Grandmaster under heaven?
No matter how he looked, it did not seem so.
But the long sword beside him made it difficult for him to voice his doubts.
Looking carefully again, he suddenly felt somewhat surprised.
Why did this young man give off such a distant feeling?
He was clearly right before his eyes, yet it was as if he stood at the edge of the sky, atop the clouds.
The old man immediately put away all other thoughts and followed Song Zhengye in cupping his hands and bowing.
“Staying the night?” Chu Xun glanced outside. There were no other guards.
He instantly understood what these two had come for.
Song Zhengye had originally wanted to say they had come specifically to visit, but after thinking about it, he did not deny Chu Xun’s question and nodded.
“Staying the night.”
Wei Youyou came over holding a notebook and brush, hopping as she asked, “Heaven Room One, Heaven Room Two, Heaven Room Three…”
She counted all the way to Heaven Room Nine, then began Earth Room One through Nine.
“Which room do you want?”
Song Zhengye said, “Then Heaven Room One.”
Wei Youyou immediately wrote it down in the notebook, then looked toward the old man.
“And you?”
The old man said, “Earth Room One, then.”
“All right, yo!”
Wei Youyou happily wrote that down too, then stretched out her hand.
“Heaven Room One is ten taels of silver. Earth Room One is twenty taels of silver.”
The old man froze. “Why is Earth Room One more expensive than Heaven Room One?”
Wei Youyou asked in confusion, “Why can’t Earth Room One be more expensive than Heaven Room One?”
The old man was left speechless by the question.
Indeed, why could it not?
Song Zhengye found it somewhat amusing, but it was not appropriate to laugh directly, so he took out three gold leaves and handed them over.
Wei Youyou frowned. “Thirty taels of silver. Why are you giving me this?”
Gold was gold. Silver was silver. Why was he making things difficult for her?
This time, it was Song Zhengye’s turn to be stumped.
Chu Xun reached out and accepted the gold leaves, then smiled.
“She doesn’t understand gold and silver very well. Please don’t take offense. Please come in.”
Only then did Song Zhengye and the old man enter the inn.
Chu Xun said, “The rule of this inn is that each person may stay here only one day in their lifetime. During that time, I will be responsible for protecting your safety. No one may attack inside the inn, no matter the reason.”
“We will be responsible for meals. We do not accept orders, and you are not allowed to say the food tastes bad, because Youyou makes it, and she likes being praised.”
Song Zhengye did not speak and silently remembered these rules.
After hesitating, the old man could not help asking, “No matter what sort of person comes, you can protect the guest’s safety?”
Chu Xun nodded. “Yes.”
In Mobei, including all of Jing Kingdom and the surrounding regions, no one was his opponent.
As for the great nations farther away and those powerful orthodox gods, presumably they would not run so far just to hunt someone down.
And anyone targeted by them would not live long enough to arrive here.
The old man looked at Chu Xun and asked, “Are you a Xiantian Grandmaster?”
Chu Xun shook his head. “No.”
The old man frowned slightly. He wanted to say that if Chu Xun was not a Xiantian Grandmaster, how could he make such a boast?
But he truly could not sense any powerful aura from Chu Xun.
No matter how he looked, aside from that strange feeling of distance, as if he were both near and far, he seemed like an ordinary person.
He subconsciously looked toward the long sword at the entrance.
“Could it be that you rely on the power of a divine weapon?”
At that moment, Song Zhengye saw the painting and calligraphy hanging on the wall.
Neat fields stretched across the scene, with a man in green robes bending over to farm. Beside him stood a green pine.
In the middle distance was a winding stream flowing around several thatched cottages.
Far in the distance was a faint wash of ink mountains, their peaks hidden in thin mist, as if green clouds curled around them.
It used peachwood as the scroll rod and mulberry-bark paper as backing.
It was one chi and five cun tall and one chi wide.
Below was an inscription:
Green cliffs encircle the fields, and he farms with discipline. His heart turns toward the green clouds, yet he does not forget the hills and valleys. Presented to Gentleman Chu Jieben, handwritten by Mister Huaitang.
He also loved calligraphy and painting, and with one glance, he could tell this was an excellent work.
The characters were strong and powerful, and the painting also possessed a sharp aura.
Only, he had never really heard of Mister Huaitang.
“May I ask which famous master this Mister Huaitang is?” Song Zhengye asked.
Chu Xun said, “Since you haven’t heard of him, even if I tell you, you won’t know.”
Song Zhengye nodded. That was indeed true. Then he praised, “Although he lacks great fame, this is still a very fine piece of calligraphy and painting. Unfortunately, it can only hang here and cannot be admired by the world.”
Chu Xun said calmly, “The admiration of the world may not be as good as my admiration alone.”
Song Zhengye turned to look at him.
If someone else said this, perhaps he would think the person exaggerated too much.
How many people were there in the world? How could you alone compare?
But when Chu Xun said it, for some reason, although he clearly looked so young, it felt only natural.
“If there is a chance in the future, may I copy this painting and take it back?” Song Zhengye asked.
Chu Xun said, “As long as you can finish within one day. But judging from the current situation, you may not necessarily have that chance.”
The inn’s rule was that each person could stay here only one day in their lifetime.
What Chu Xun wanted was people coming and going from across the world, not one person staying permanently.
So Song Zhengye came today. In the future, he would not be allowed to enter the inn again.
Unless he had someone send brush and ink today, then copied the painting and calligraphy before leaving.
However, copying calligraphy and painting often required careful contemplation of its charm. Otherwise, it would only be imitation without spirit.
Forget charm—even form and intent might not be captured clearly.
Hearing this, Song Zhengye sighed. “Then that is a pity.”
Had he known earlier, he should have stood at the entrance and admired it carefully for days and nights before coming in.
Afterward, the two followed Wei Youyou to their rooms.
The inn did not look large, yet it had been divided into small rooms.
The rooms were extremely small. Each contained only a bed.
There was bedding, but not even a chair.
If such a room in any other place dared charge ten taels of silver, the innkeeper’s legs would be beaten broken.
As for the Earth Room One where the old man stayed, it was even simpler. It did not even have bedding.
Yet it was twice as expensive as Heaven Room One.
The old man stood beside the bed, looking at the bare bedboard, somewhat speechless.
Twenty taels…
In a small county town, that could buy a small residence. Here, it could not even buy a quilt.
The actions of experts were indeed extraordinary.
At that moment, Song Zhengye called out.
The old man answered and walked over. Once inside the room, Song Zhengye sat on the bed and asked, “How is yours? It should be better than mine, right?”
The old man smiled bitterly. “Far, far worse.”
Song Zhengye froze, then laughed. “It seems my luck is still decent.”
As he spoke, his expression turned serious, and he asked, “Did you see through his background?”
The old man shook his head. “I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t see even a little.”
Shock appeared in Song Zhengye’s eyes. “Even you couldn’t see it?”
This old man, named Xu Yanqiu, was a proper Xiantian Grandmaster, a supreme expert beyond first-rank martial warriors.
Under the entire sky, there were not many who could be stronger than him.
Even if Xiantian Grandmasters had varying levels, it should be impossible to see nothing at all.
Unless the other party truly was not a Xiantian Grandmaster.
Song Zhengye’s expression immediately became much more solemn.
He got up to close the door, then returned and asked in a low voice, “What do you think?”
After thinking for a moment, Xu Yanqiu said, “If I had met him alone, I would have thought he was an ordinary person with nothing unusual about him. But you saw him earlier, and there is also that sword at the door, so he is not ordinary.”
“Since even I cannot see his background, and since he is not an ordinary person, then he can only be much stronger than me.”
“Are there others above Xiantian Grandmasters?” Song Zhengye asked.
“I have never heard of any.” Xu Yanqiu shook his head.
The ultimate realm of martial warriors was Xiantian Grandmaster. There was nothing beyond it.
To be precise, within martial arts, there was nothing beyond it.
If there was, then it would be another level entirely.
When this thought appeared, Xu Yanqiu’s expression changed.
He and Song Zhengye looked at each other. After a long while, Song Zhengye finally asked, “Do you think it’s possible?”
Xu Yanqiu hesitated, not knowing how to answer.
He was uncertain and did not dare speak decisively.
He only felt his heartbeat quicken, and his mouth and throat grow dry.
“I hope it is.”
Song Zhengye also felt his throat dry and itchy, somewhat unable to speak.
But his thoughts were the same as Xu Yanqiu’s. He hoped it was.
And if it truly was, then everything here would be completely different.
Xu Yanqiu immediately cupped his hands and said, “I want to return to my room and look again.”
If this person truly was someone above the martial path, then that seemingly poor room might have some other deep meaning.
Otherwise, why would the more expensive room be simpler than the cheaper one?
Song Zhengye did not stop him. He also wanted to examine this room carefully and see what exactly was special about it.
Heaven Room One—other inns had rooms with such names too. But in this inn, heaven should not be an ordinary heaven, right?
After returning to his room, Xu Yanqiu closed the door and stared at the bare bedboard, looking at it carefully again and again.
Not only the bed, but even the walls and beneath the bed—he crouched down and inspected everything closely.
But after looking again and again, he still could not see anything.
He could not help frowning and felt somewhat dejected.
Could it be that his comprehension was insufficient?
At that moment, downstairs, Wei Youyou was showing off to Chu Xun.
“Old Master, see? I told you the prices weren’t expensive!”
That was right. The room prices and ordering had all been set by Wei Youyou.
Back when she had worked for others in Fenggu City, she had only ever received copper coins and had never held actual silver.
Living together with Chu Xun, although she had seen silver, she had never needed to take it out herself.
As a result, even now, Wei Youyou still did not have a clear concept of worldly gold and silver.
She had only heard innkeepers mention room numbers before and followed along.
As for pricing, what difference was there between ten taels and twenty taels?
The eldest senior brother of Jie Sect, Huangshi Gong, was the richest man in Yue Kingdom, yo!
His family had so much gold, silver, and treasure that their houses could not hold it all.
How could Wei Youyou know that the prices she casually set would cause Song Zhengye and Xu Yanqiu such difficulty?
They kept looking and looking, even suspecting that their comprehension was too poor. Why could they not see anything special?
The more they failed to see, the more they doubted themselves.
Chu Xun smiled and rubbed her head.
“You did very well.”
Wei Youyou smiled happily as she flipped through the recorded room numbers, guest names, and silver received.
Since the inn opened, this was the first income they had received, so she cared about it very much.
At that moment, bells rang outside.
Faintly, another piercing sound of wind followed.
Chu Xun looked outside, and Wei Youyou also looked outside.
A guest had arrived.
A true guest.
(End of Chapter)