Simultaneously traversing: traversing countless heavens

Chapter 102 The little thing is really beautiful

Zhou Yi lowered his sleeve, letting that small hand tightly grip his cuff.

This was the first time that Nangong Pu She had been separated from his servants and guards, and found himself alone in this completely unfamiliar marketplace. He couldn't help but feel uneasy, his fingertips clenched so tightly they turned slightly white, and his small body was almost pressed against his legs as he followed him across the wooden threshold of the inn, which had been worn smooth and shiny by the years.

The air was filled with the greasy smell of food, the sour smell of cheap wine, and the sweat of travelers. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it brought a fresh, noisy, and bustling sense of everyday life to the senses.

Just before noon, several tables of guests were scattered around the lobby.

There were traveling merchants, weary from their journeys, quietly calculating accounts with their abacuses, and also江湖客 (jianghu kè kè, wandering swordsmen) with sharp eyes and swords at their waists.

The pair of Zhou Yi and Nangong Pushe, one large and one small, with contrasting temperaments, attracted both overt and covert scrutiny as soon as they entered the room.

Those gazes swept over Zhou Yi's calm, slightly damp robes, and then landed on the little girl beside him, whose clothes were disheveled but whose features were exquisitely beautiful, carrying curiosity, speculation and a hint of scrutiny.

Zhou Yi seemed oblivious to the stares around him, his gaze sweeping across the hall until he noticed an empty seat by the window.

Having received the golden melon seed, the waiter's eagerness practically overflowed from his bones. He almost ran ahead, bowing and scraping as he led the two up the creaking wooden stairs to the end of the second-floor corridor. With a creak, he pushed open a door, stepped aside, and beamed, "Look, sirs, this is our best room! Quiet, bright, and guaranteed to make you comfortable! Please rest yourselves. Hot water, food, and clean clothes for the young lady are all prepared. I'll be there right away!"

"The food is on the table by the window downstairs," Zhou Yi said, his voice flat.

"Okay! Don't worry!"

The room was fairly tidy, with a sturdy wooden bed, a square table and two chairs. There was a window facing the street, and the afternoon light shone in, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.

The furnishings are simple, but there's enough room to stand.

Zhou Yi glanced around, then walked straight to the window and pushed open half of the hinged window.

He didn't sit down, but just stood there quietly, the sunlight shining on the slightly deserted street below, and further away, the hazy mountain shadows still shrouded in mist, silent as the mountain rocks.

Nangong Pushe stood somewhat helplessly in the center of the room, his small hands unconsciously clutching the hem of his dirty clothes, his eyes filled with unease as he quietly surveyed the small, unfamiliar space that temporarily belonged to them.

Her expensive white dress was covered in mud and grass, and her hair was disheveled and stuck to her cheeks and neck, making her look quite pathetic.

The shop assistant was quick and efficient, and soon led his men to deliver the items one by one.

Two men carried in a huge, steaming hot bath tub and placed it behind a screen.

Then they brought out two sets of brand-new girls' clothes. Although they were made of ordinary cotton, they were starched and washed clean and soft, and neatly folded.

Finally, the waiter personally and gently placed a pot of wine on the windowsill beside Zhou Yi, his face beaming with an extremely careful smile: "Sir, the wine you ordered is our own homemade strong liquor, pungent and potent! Please enjoy. If you need anything else, just give me a shout!"

The door was gently closed, shutting out the noise from the outside.

The room fell silent instantly, with only the steam rising from the hot water behind the screen, spreading silently.

"Go wash up and change your clothes. Then go downstairs to eat." Zhou Yi's voice rang out calmly, revealing no emotion.

He picked up the wine jug from the windowsill, closed the window, said nothing more, turned and left the room, leaving behind a soft click.

I came downstairs alone, and the window seat I had previously designated had been prepared, with a few simple snacks on the table to go with the drinks:

A dish of salt-fried peanuts, and a plate of thinly sliced ​​braised beef.

Zhou Yi sat down by the window and placed the pot of "shao dao zi" (a type of strong liquor) beside him.

He didn't pick up his chopsticks immediately; instead, he uncorked the pot and took a sip from the spout.

The strong liquor burned his throat, but his composure remained. He gazed at the occasional passersby and vehicles outside the window, lost in thought.

The midday sun shone through the window, casting a faint, lonely shadow on him.

About half an hour later, the people in the hall changed again. After washing up, Nangong Pushe came downstairs again.

She changed into a plain white cotton dress prepared by the waiter. The style was simple and without any decoration, but it made her skin look even more radiant and her features even more exquisite.

Her long, wet hair was loosely tied back with a matching cloth ribbon, a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks, still carrying the damp scent of her bath.

At only twelve years old, she already showed signs of becoming a stunning beauty in the future. Even in such simple attire, her amazing talent and beauty could not be concealed.

In this era, a girl of this age is indeed at the point where she can talk about marriage.

As soon as Nangong Pushe stepped downstairs, the originally noisy lobby seemed to be silenced by an invisible force, and the clamor of voices instantly subsided.

The conversations of the guests at several tables turned into whispers, their gazes, some direct and some covert, falling on the slender white figure at the stairwell, filled with amazement, curiosity, and even a subtle, complex mix of emotions.

She was completely unaware of her own hunger; her stomach was practically sticking to her back, and her attention was entirely focused on the food on the table.

He quickly sat down next to Zhou Yi by the window, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat in small but rapid bites.

The food was obviously a bit rough on her, far inferior to the cooking skills of her family's chef, but hunger overcame her pickiness. She frowned slightly and forced herself to put the food into her mouth.

Zhou Yi remained seated opposite, silently sipping his strong liquor, his gaze mostly fixed on the window, seemingly indifferent to the changes around him.

However, the melodramatic plots commonly found in storybooks are sometimes a reflection of real life.

There are always those blind and tactless people who want to jump out and disturb the peace for a moment.

In a corner of the lobby, a burly thug who had been playing drinking games and had a fierce face had his drunken eyes glued to Nangong Pu She's face ever since she appeared, unable to look away.

His eyes darted around a few times, flashing with lewdness and scheming. Then he quietly got up, pretended to be nonchalant, and slipped out of the inn. Once outside, he ran wildly in a certain direction in the city.

This scene was witnessed by the old accountant behind the counter, who was fiddling with his abacus.

This old scholar-looking accountant has been working at the Longmen Inn for decades; what hasn't he seen?

His brows furrowed immediately, and he inwardly cried out that something was wrong.

He quickly beckoned over the waiter who had just finished his work, leaned close to his ear, and whispered a few words in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, the waiter's expression changed instantly, but his years of experience welcoming and seeing off customers honed his composure, and he quickly put on his usual smiling face again.

While serving dishes to the next table, he casually moved to Zhou Yi's table, pretending to wipe the already clean tabletop while speaking in a very low voice and very fast speed: "Sir, I'm really sorry—it's not that the shop wants to kick you out, but you two—you'd better leave as soon as possible."

Nangong Pushe, who was engrossed in his meal, heard the sound and looked up in confusion, his clear eyes filled with doubt—had he not been paid enough?

Zhou Yi finally turned his gaze away from the window and looked calmly at the waiter, his face showing no sign of panic, not even a twitch of his eyebrows.

Seeing his composed demeanor, the waiter felt somewhat relieved and realized that this gentleman was probably not an ordinary traveler who was powerless; he likely had some kind of support.

But... he'd seen guys like this eight or ten times over the years. Each time they looked completely nonchalant, but afterwards they were filled with unbearable regret.

There's an old saying that goes, "Two fists can't beat four hands."

There's an old saying that goes, "Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake."

These two are complete strangers; they are definitely not wealthy locals with connections.

And who did that thug who ran away go to report to?

It's the domineering young master of the Chen family who runs rampant in this city!

The Chen family is the most prominent and powerful family in the area. They are even related to the noble and aristocratic Nangong family. They are rich and powerful, and even the government has to give them some leeway.

Especially that young master Chen, who bullies men and women, commits all kinds of evil deeds, and is extremely lecherous. He can't resist a pretty woman and has forcibly abducted women more than once or twice.

Merchants and travelers who had been passing by, and even those who considered themselves chivalrous wanderers, had all suffered at his hands as long as they had female companions with some beauty.

The waiter hesitated, wanting to whisper a few more words of advice, after all, he really couldn't bear to part with that golden melon seed.

Before he could speak, a deliberately raised, warning cough came from behind him—"Ahem!"

It was another thug who had sat at the same table as the hoodlum who had just slipped away. Immediately, the man, in a gruff voice, shouted impatiently, "Waiter! Are you deaf?! Stop dawdling! Bring your grandpa another jug ​​of strong liquor! Hurry up!"

That shout, like an invisible whip, cut off the waiter's unfinished words.

He froze, a look of helpless panic flashing across his face, and dared not linger for even a moment longer.

She only managed to secretly give Zhou Yi a desperate wink, pointing towards the inn's door, before turning around hastily as if her tail had been set on fire. She practically ran to the counter to get her wine, afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would get herself into trouble.

Seeing this, the remaining thugs at the table exchanged knowing, lewd glances. Zi Guang's gaze became even more unrestrained as he stared at Nangong Pu She, his mouth agape, revealing yellowed teeth, and his face adorned with an undisguised, malicious smile that seemed to be waiting for a good show.

The lewdness and scheming in that smile were undisguised, making Nangong Pushe's heart tighten and his spine go cold. The food he had just eaten felt stuck in his chest.

She was young and had just experienced a dramatic change; faced with such blatant malice, fear instantly gripped her.

She put down her chopsticks, secretly tugged at Zhou Yi's sleeve under the table, and said in a low, urgent voice with a barely perceptible tremor, "He—they don't seem like good people—we, we have to run!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi lowered his eyes, glanced indifferently at the little thing beside him whose face was pale with nervousness, and uttered only three words: "Eat yours."

As he finished speaking, he seemed to casually raise his eyes and glance indifferently at the thugs at the table who were laughing arrogantly.

That glance was so quick it was almost an illusion.

There was no anger, no murderous intent, and not even any obvious emotion.

But the moment their eyes met, those thugs who were laughing heartily suddenly felt a chill rise from their tailbone and rush straight to the top of their heads!

As if being indifferently glanced at by some extremely dangerous beast lurking in the shadows, all the arrogant laughter instantly froze on his face, the hairs on the back of his body stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine and spread throughout his body.

The arrogance they had displayed deflated like a balloon punctured by a needle. They instinctively shrank back and avoided eye contact. Their previous smugness turned into awkwardness and a barely perceptible sense of guilt as they tried to appear calm.

Nangong Pushe saw the thugs at the table suddenly change their expressions. She blinked her big, fearful eyes, looked at the thugs who had suddenly quieted down, and then secretly glanced at Zhou Yi, who was still calmly drinking beside her.

Although she didn't understand exactly what had happened, she wasn't stupid. Seeing Zhou Yi, who wasn't afraid at all, Nangong Pu She's unease lessened considerably.

She pursed her lips, picked up her chopsticks again, and obediently continued to eat in small bites, but her ears remained alert, and her eyes were constantly watching the movements around her.

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There's nothing today; I'll be writing slowly at the beginning.

To build a storyline.