Chapter 164: Only One Room Left

Liu Ling'er thought to herself, "You were the one who asked for this, I certainly didn't force you. Carrying a great beauty like me on your back, who knows how secretly happy you must be!"

After walking for a while, Baili Xian turned to Liu Ling'er and said, "Do you see the bundle on my back? Open it up."

Liu Ling'er let out an "oh," assuming Baili Xian was looking for something. Untying the bundle, the first things that met her eyes were undergarments and shorts, accompanied by some gold and silver valuables. Without rummaging through them, she asked directly, "Wise Prince, what do you want me to open the bundle for? Surely you aren't asking me to look at these undergarments? I'll have you know, this young lady doesn't have any bizarre fetish for collecting clothes!"

If he hadn't been carrying Liu Ling'er on his back, Baili Xian would have loved to crack open her head to see what kind of stuff was packed inside it, since her thoughts always drifted to such nonsensical things.

Vexed and embarrassed, he snapped at her, "Didn't you say you were hungry just a moment ago? Don't tell me you aren't hungry anymore! I put some things inside the bundle; they'll do to fill your stomach at least."

"What? There's food? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Liu Ling'er rummaged through Baili Xian's clothes, and sure enough, she found some pastries at the very bottom of the bundle. Upon seeing those pastries, her eyes instantly turned green.

To say nothing of these soft and appetizing pastries, even if they were overnight cold steamed buns, Liu Ling'er could have devoured them right now. Who would have thought Baili Xian could be so meticulous and consider things so thoroughly!

Picking up a pastry, Liu Ling'er didn't rush to eat it herself. Instead, she brought it right up to Baili Xian's lips. "Ah! Open wide! Let you have a bite first."

"What? Are you afraid I've poisoned the pastries?" The corners of Baili Xian's mouth lifted in a teasing tone, though he still tilted his head and bit straight into the pastry.

Liu Ling'er retracted her finger as fast as a flash of lightning. Good grief, did he have to open his mouth that wide? If she had been a fraction of a second slower pulling her hand back, he would have swallowed her finger whole.

Chewing on a pastry, Liu Ling'er muttered, "I'm not afraid of you poisoning the pastries—even if it were arsenic, I could swallow it right now without batting an eye. I'm just afraid you won't be able to hold out, and out here in the middle of nowhere, where on earth would I find someone to save you?"

By evening, with Baili Xian carrying her the whole way, they finally reached a small town. Calling it a town was an exaggeration; it was more like a tiny settlement where you could see from one end of the houses to the other in a single glance.

Yet, upon catching sight of this town, Liu Ling'er's spirits were instantly revived. She was now dying to find a place to spend the night, take a hot bath, eat a steaming hot meal, and finally have a wonderful sleep. She had even planned out what dreams she would have tonight.

Seeing a well by the roadside, Liu Ling'er broke free from Baili Xian's grasp and bolted toward the wellside. Before she had taken a single step, her wrist was grabbed by Baili Xian.

In a displeased tone, Baili Xian said, "Your foot injury hasn't healed yet. Running around haphazardly like this is a great way to trigger a relapse, and when you're crying out in pain later, don't say I didn't warn you!"

He wouldn't have brought it up if he hadn't cared, but the moment he spoke, Liu Ling'er felt a pang of guilt. Her foot had actually been seven or eight parts healed by midday. Back then, while leaning against Baili Xian's back, she had even started dozing off, which was why she hadn't gotten off his back right away.

Seeing the water well just now, she had simply wanted to draw some well water to wash her face, completely forgetting this detail, which almost gave her away.

She offered Baili Xian an awkward, sheepish smile. "I know, I'll be careful." Thus, despite her feet being perfectly fine, Liu Ling'er forced herself to limp toward the wellside step by step. Fortunately, the well wasn't far, and two or three steps brought her there.

Drawing a bucket of water, Liu Ling'er thoroughly enjoyed washing her face. The ice-cold well water splashed across her skin, jolting every nerve in her body and instantly banishing her entire afternoon's worth of drowsiness without a trace.

Half a quarter of an hour later, leaning on Baili Xian's arm, Liu Ling'er finally arrived at the town's only inn. It didn't even look like an inn; it was remarkably pocket-sized, with a total of only four rooms—two occupied by the proprietors and one rented out, leaving just a single room to take in guests.

Looking at Baili Xian and Liu Ling'er, the innkeeper looked troubled. "Why don't the two young gentlemen make do and squeeze into one room? After all, you aren't planning to stay here long-term."

The innkeeper couldn't tell, but she was actually a woman. How could she possibly make do and share a room with Baili Xian? That would ruin everything! Squeezing into the same room was bound to lead to trouble.

Reluctantly, Liu Ling'er asked, "Keeper, are there any other inns in this town? Or can you clear out another room for us? Money is no object."

The innkeeper laughed out loud right then and there. "Ha ha, little brother, do you really think a place as tiny as ours would have two inns?"

Liu Ling'er thought about it and realized he had a point. On the surface, they were envoys, yet they were being targeted by countless assassins. They were practically wanted criminals across the entire Eastern Chu nation. Being able to find a place to sleep for the night was infinitely better than sleeping out in the open wilderness.

Having the innkeeper prepare a bucket of hot water, Liu Ling'er turned to Baili Xian and warned, "Even though we're staying in the same room, don't you dare turn into a wolf in the middle of the night and pull any beastly stunts. If you dare make a move on me, I swear I'll castrate you tomorrow!"

Baili Xian's face darkened. "What kind of wild thoughts are running through your head? All day long it's nothing but utter nonsense. Is your brain filled with nothing but dirty thoughts?"

Just as they turned toward their guest room, the innkeeper walked over to a heavily-fleshed woman with a ferocious expression and said with a beaming smile, "My dear, we've caught two more fat sheep today. Looks like we'll be making a pretty penny again."

The muscular woman immediately smiled so hard that the flesh on her face quivered. "Shh, keep your voice down! If you scare the fat sheep away, won't we take a loss? Go make preparations and try to handle this cleanly."

Liu Ling'er and Baili Xian paused in their tracks, then exchanged glances, both reading the exact same meaning in each other's eyes: After all that fuss, this was a black inn!

The innkeeper had assumed he was speaking quietly, little realizing that to Liu Ling'er and Baili Xian, his words sounded as clear as if he were whispering right into their ears.

However, Liu Ling'er chose not to expose them on the spot. Putting on a completely nonchalant facade, she followed Baili Xian into the room, immediately shutting the window and barring the heavy wooden door shut. "Wise Prince, what do you suggest we do?"

Baili Xian's face remained utterly expressionless, his tone tranquil. "They are merely two insignificant clowns. As long as they dare to make a move, we'll just wipe them out." As he spoke, Baili Xian made a pinching gesture with his hand, treating the inn's black-hearted proprietors like two mere ants that he could crush however he pleased!

"Oh really? Don't say I didn't warn you—there are all sorts of wonders in this vast world, so make sure you don't capsize in a drainage ditch!" Liu Ling'er said with a cheerful grin.

Baili Xian gave a light chuckle, clearly not taking the threat seriously at all. With his martial arts skills, those stray cats and mangy dogs were simply not worth mentioning. If he truly got serious, he could resolve them in a matter of seconds.

To put it in colloquial terms, using a cannon to shoot a mosquito was pure overkill. As long as they didn't stir up too much trouble, it wouldn't hurt to turn a blind eye and let them go.

Before long, the innkeeper delivered the hot water. This small inn didn't have large wooden tubs, so they had to make do with a wooden basin at best. Knowing she couldn't demand too much luxury here, Liu Ling'er told Baili Xian to step outside so she could take her hot bath first.

Baili Xian protested at the time, asking why she got to wash first instead of him. Liu Ling'er rolled her eyes fiercely at him. "You're a man, how can you have the nerve to cut in line ahead of a woman? Not only do you not get to wash first, but you also have to stand guard at the door for me."

Thus, a dark-faced Baili Xian was summarily booted out by Liu Ling'er. The innkeeper felt somewhat baffled: weren't they both grown men? Whatever one had, the other had too. Yet they were kicking people out just to take a bath? And most absurdly of all, a servant was actually booting his master out of the room—he had never known a servant could be so utterly formidable! The world truly was full of strange wonders; damn it, he had certainly learned something new today!

Shaking his head, he didn't dwell on it further and turned away to prepare his meticulously crafted "meals." Had he been a bit more observant, he surely would have noticed that something was definitely amiss.

***

After Baili Xian finished his bath, the innkeeper walked over and inquired, "Would the two of you like to eat something? I have steaming hot food here, along with fragrant home-brewed country wine, and I guarantee our prices are very reasonable."

Liu Ling'er nodded. Without exposing him, she casually replied, "Mm, just bring out a little of whatever you have! Our young master is eager to eat and go to sleep!"

The innkeeper chimed in, "Very well. Shall I have it served in the main hall outside later, or send it directly to your room?"

Impatiently, Baili Xian said, "Just bring it straight to my room." He was worried that if Liu Ling'er kept chatting with the innkeeper, she might end up exposing their ruse.

The innkeeper very quickly brought the dishes inside, and that ferocious-looking proprietress even kindly delivered two small side dishes. If Liu Ling'er hadn't overheard their plot to harm them earlier, she might actually have felt warmed by the gesture.

Looking at the table full of food, it truly was abundant: a large basin of farm chicken, an entire roast duck chopped into neat slices, accompanied by a plate of green vegetables, a dish of green beans, and meat wonton soup. It looked, smelled, and appealed to all senses. Setting aside the culinary skill involved, Liu Ling'er, who hadn't eaten a proper meal all day, felt her mouth watering profusely.

Putting everything else aside, the innkeeper's cooking skills were undeniable. To possess such talent and yet run a murderous black inn—Liu Ling'er genuinely felt it was a waste. If he relocated to the imperial capital, to say nothing of getting rich, just relying on this culinary skill would be more than enough to support four or five people.

Dellicious as the food was, the fact that it had a lot of extra ingredients mixed in was an entirely different story. Baili Xian glanced at it and sat down without moving a muscle.

Liu Ling'er pulled a silver hairpin from her hair and tested the dishes one by one. And sure enough, the farm chicken had no problems, nor did the plate of green vegetables. However, the roast duck and green beans instantly turned black upon contact.

Good heavens! Out of five dishes, two were poisoned, and the rest were suspicious; there was a high likelihood something was wrong with them too.

She tested the bowl of rice, and the rice itself proved untainted. Laying her hairpin aside, Liu Ling'er looked at Baili Xian. "Some of these things are still edible. Wise Prince, are you going to eat or not?"

With stubborn pride, Baili Xian shook his head. Knowing full well the food was problematic, he had to be even more on his guard. Eating this now would be no different from seeking death!

Liu Ling'er curled her lip. "Such a coward. If you won't eat, I will." While eating her meal, Liu Ling'er discreetly discarded some of the roast duck and meat soup outside the window, where they were promptly devoured by birds in the sky.

She was playing it safe: if the innkeeper came in later and found that she had only eaten the non-poisonous food while leaving the poisoned dishes completely untouched, wouldn't it be blindingly obvious that they had seen through his scheme all along?

Half an hour later, Liu Ling'er heard a knock at the door. Signaling to Baili Xian, the two of them slumped over the table to feign unconsciousness.

After knocking for a moment outside, the innkeeper called out in a hushed voice, "Hey, guest officers, I forgot to bring the wine earlier. I've brought it now. Shall I come in?"