In the time that followed, Jiang Yichen had no more "adventures." He wandered through half of Gusu before dragging his exhausted body to find an inn to stay at.
The "encounters" of this day had truly dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Yichen. The confusion of first entering Jianghu and the helplessness when facing events were like sailing a ship in the dark of night without a lighthouse to guide the way. He did not know that these trivial matters today were not even worth mentioning compared to what he would encounter and hear in the future.
Although troubles weighed on him, drowsiness soon swept over his eyes. Jiang Yichen fell asleep early, and the night passed without a word.
The next morning, Jiang Yichen maintained the good habit he had while living on the island; he woke up early to plan and prepare for today's journey.
Walking downstairs, because it was still early, there were no tea guests on the first floor of the inn. He only saw two waiters cleaning the Shop to prepare for today's opening.
However, Jiang Yichen felt that a pair of eyes had been watching him ever since he stepped onto the stairs to the first floor, just like when he first came to stay at the inn yesterday. It was just that the night was deep and he was too exhausted, so he did not care about it much.
Looking in the direction of the gaze, the light reflected from those pupils like black gems seemed to be telling Jiang Yichen that it was she who was staring at him. It was her yesterday as well; she was the Innkeeper of this Yunbo Inn.
Her black hair was coiled behind her head like a noble consort in the imperial palace, with a safflower hairpin tucked at her right temple. Her two big eyes rippled with charm from time to time. Her delicate nose, cherry lips, and flawless oval face, paired with a light red dress that exposed her shoulders, formed a heart-stirring picture of a beauty. She was Shen Xinling, who was over forty years old but still possessed lingering charm.
Everyone has a love for beauty. Jiang Yichen was still young and full of vigor, so he could not help but be intoxicated by such beauty. However, he immediately realized his loss of composure; his face turned red in the blink of an eye, and he hurriedly and shyly shifted his gaze away.
Seeing Jiang Yichen's awkward state, Shen Xinling could not help but laugh out loud.
Jiang Yichen's heartstrings were plucked by this crisp laughter, and he looked at Shen Xinling again, only to immediately lower his head, his mind rippling with confusion and helplessness.
Shen Xinling really wanted to laugh out loud, but she held herself back and stopped teasing the young man in front of her. "Did the Young Hero sleep well last night? Is my inn comfortable to stay in?"
After Shen Xinling spoke for a while, Jiang Yichen finally reacted and stammered, "Good... very, very good."
Jiang Yichen's voice was as thin as a whisper. Fortunately, Shen Xinling had already walked up to him, otherwise she really would not have heard it. Being just one step away made Jiang Yichen panic.
Shen Xinling carefully observed Jiang Yichen while recalling that he had also seen her when he came to stay last night. Why was he not as pathetic as he was now? Or was it that the night and his fatigue made him ignore it?
The green youth before her was half a head taller than her, plain-looking, with light eyebrows and sword-like eyes. His nose and mouth appeared slightly small; he could not be considered handsome, only delicate. His hair, which had silver-white highlights within the black, was neatly tied behind his head. His gaze kept dodging, and he did not dare to look directly at her.
Such a scene instead made Shen Xinling feel a sense of pity. She lightly patted the youth's chest and said softly, "Eat some breakfast in the shop before you leave."
Jiang Yichen was stunned for a long time again, then stiffly shifted his gaze toward the Innkeeper. The Opponent was actually still observing him, and their eyes met. The charm from just a moment ago was gone, replaced by a hint of teasing. In this instant, Jiang Yichen felt that he had seen this gaze somewhere before. He fell into deep thought for a moment.
"Has the young master seen enough?" Shen Xinling tapped Jiang Yichen's chest again to wake him up. At first, she thought he was really lustful, but she did not expect him to be lost in thought. It made her feel a bit shy and annoyed. She immediately turned around and walked back to the Counter, saying to Jiang Yichen with her back turned, "There is porridge, steamed buns, and meat buns over there. Eat whatever you like; Older Sister is treating."
"Good... good. Thank, thank you, Innkeeper." Jiang Yichen did not know what was wrong with the Innkeeper, but her walking away truly made him feel relieved, though his speech was still a bit stuttering.
Just as he was about to walk toward the table side the Innkeeper mentioned, a woman in Purple clothing ran in from outside the inn in a hurry, as if she had some urgent matter. Her Target was the inn's Innkeeper, Shen Xinling.
The long purple gauze skirt set off the woman's graceful figure. Her long hair covered most of her cheek, and she wore a purple gauze mask, presumably not wanting outsiders to see her face.
Jiang Yichen did not want to observe her too much, so he stopped to let her pass. Afterwards, the Purple-clothed Woman ran past him, and a faint orchid fragrance lingered in Jiang Yichen's nose.
What Jiang Yichen did not notice was that when the Purple-clothed Woman ran past him, she stole a glance at him through her hanging hair.
With nothing of his own to do, for a moment Jiang Yichen hoped that this Purple-clothed Woman was looking for him, but he immediately mocked himself and drove this inexplicable thought out of his mind. He even forgot about eating breakfast and walked out the door with a light heart to start a new day, continuing his exploration of this novel world.
Watching Jiang Yichen's figure disappear onto the street, Shen Xinling spoke to the Purple-clothed Woman who was already standing in front of her: "What is it that has our Little Lan'er so flustered?"
Compared to Shen Xinling's leisurely posture, the woman in purple, known as Xiao Lan, appeared much more serious. "Sister Ling, no joking around. Wang Dali just returned from Taoyuan Town. When passing by Majia Posthouse, he discovered that Yu Tao and Hong Yue had hired many more employees to move a large number of wine jars. They must be planning to make a move."
"Oh, after so many years, are they finally going to take action? Have they already finished negotiating with the people from Taoyuan Town and are starting to supply Chrysanthemum Garden?" Shen Xinling replied, deep in thought.
"It should be correct. Sister Ling, do you think this is the old man's idea, intentionally leaving them a path and then luring them into a trap to catch them all in one net?" Xiao Lan analyzed.
"The old man has no mind to deal with these things now. I do not know what Old Brother Qi is planning. Is the Opponent really without problems?" Shen Xinling negated Xiao Lan's view and then continued: "We still need to keep a close watch. It would be best if someone could go and investigate to probe what their intentions are. I think the clues should be in those wines or in the wine cellar."
Xiao Lan paced while thinking: "Who should go investigate? Big Brother Qianli hasn't returned yet. Dali has the ability, but he is too big, and he is already a familiar face to them; his Target is too obvious."
This time, Shen Xinling quickly followed up: "Look, the young man you were just peeking at, he just walked out."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan stumbled, her volume increasing several times over. With undisguised disgust, she ignored the first half of Shen Xinling's sentence and said: "Jiang Yichen?! Sister Ling, be serious, okay? This is not a game. With his amateurish kung fu and that silly head of his, going there is not only courting death but will also beat the grass and startle the snake. Don't let him go and cause trouble! It would be better to let me go."
"Yo ho, Little Lan'er is actually so excited for a young boy; you don't have a shred of a lady's demeanor left." Shen Xinling teased Xiao Lan, but then she straightened her expression and continued, "This matter can be big or small. Handing it to Little Chen'er will not affect the overall situation. Little Chen'er just left West Mountain Island and is still very innocent; he is ignorant of everything. Liu Qi also came to take care of him yesterday; we must arrange some experience for him so he doesn't just waste his time after leaving the island."
"Besides, can the Top Courtesan of our Yichun Courtesan House leave Gusu? I will contact Murong to have him follow along just in case. You, when you have time, can teach him more. Nowadays, such a pure-hearted little guy is truly rare." Shen Xinling only kept a straight face for a moment before teasing Xiao Lan again.
Xiao Lan muttered criticism in her heart; since Sister Ling had already made arrangements, she could not say anything else.
If Jiang Yichen were present to hear the dialogue between the two, his jaw would surely drop. How could everyone know his background so clearly? How would he know that the Innkeeper of Yunbo Inn and the Top Courtesan of Yichun Courtesan House were also the old man's people?
Perhaps out of a desire to protect the pure feelings that were hard to find after frequenting Jianghu for many years, Liu Qi had gone out of his way after saying goodbye to Jiang Yichen yesterday to specifically find Shen Xinling and insist that she take care of Jiang Yichen, and the Innkeeper had gladly accepted.
After leaving the inn, Jiang Yichen finally remembered that he had not yet eaten breakfast.
However, he did not dare to turn back to Yunbo Inn to face the Innkeeper again.
After roughly chewing the steamed bun and flatbread he bought on the street, Jiang Yichen paced to the West Street of Gusu, when suddenly he heard the sound of blades clashing in his ears.
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