I'm here in the martial arts world just to find love.

Qingxi Town appears peaceful and serene from the outside.

But after the two crossed the stone arch bridge and entered the town, they discovered that the town was unusually noisy and bustling.

The wide streets paved with bluestone slabs were bustling with people. Shops lined both sides of the street, with restaurants, teahouses, inns and eateries all available. Not far between these shops was a small alley, and in the alley, one could occasionally see signs for brothels and similar establishments.

Jiang Chao and his companion's attire was not conspicuous in this small town, because most people here dressed like江湖人 (jianghu people, people of the martial arts world).

There were few merchants dressed in fine clothes or scholars in Confucian robes. Apart from the small vendors and peddlers on both sides of the street, the most common people to be seen were people from the martial arts world.

These江湖人士 (jianghu figures) include both men and women, traveling in groups of three or five, or in pairs, and there are also quite a few lone travelers.

They were of varying ages, ranging from elderly people with aged faces and gray hair who were still vigorous, to young heroes and heroines in their prime, full of vigor and spirit.

Of course, without exception, most of these wandering swordsmen carried all sorts of weapons, such as spears, swords, knives, axes, whips, clubs, halberds, hammers, forks, spears, or axes.

It was a dazzling array of goods, a veritable bewildering variety.

Jiang Chao's gaze swept across the area, and he saw:

Some people had a friendly expression, while others had sharp eyes.

Some people have cold eyes, while others have burning eyes.

Some people have deep, penetrating eyes, while others have cunning ones.

Some people have a firm gaze, while others have a wandering look in their eyes.

In short, everyone is unique, and no two are alike.

Jiang Chao sighed inwardly, "This is the true martial arts world."

It's a mixed bag, full of all sorts of people, each with their own thoughts, schemes, and purposes.

Chu Ning, standing beside him, was unaware of what the young man was thinking. At this moment, she frowned slightly. This place, teeming with martial arts practitioners and overcrowded with people, gave her an uneasy feeling.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have this feeling.

After all, she had long yearned for and eagerly anticipated this world of martial arts, but...

Chu Ning couldn't explain why, but she felt a sense of unease.

He subconsciously moved a little closer to "Jiang Lang" beside him.

That vague feeling of unease eased a little.

Jiang Chao naturally noticed the subtle actions of the person next to him and chuckled to himself.

What, is Lady Chu scared already?

Aren't you like me, running away from home, wanting to roam the martial world alone? Why do you show fear when you see these different kinds of martial arts people?

  

The boy remained expressionless, not revealing her thoughts, and turned to look at her, suggesting:

"Let's find an inn to stay in first. There are many people from the martial arts world here, and if we stay any longer, there might not be any rooms available for us to spend the night."

"Um."

Chu Ning responded in a muffled voice.

Jiang Chao led the horse ahead, with Chu Ning following closely behind. The two squeezed through the crowded people and arrived at the entrance of an inn.

A signboard hangs in front of the inn, bearing the four large characters "Sihai Inn". The handwriting is messy, but it exudes a bold spirit, clearly written by a chivalrous person with limited education but a generous and unrestrained nature.

The phrase "four seas" was quite to Jiang Chao's liking.

The boy made up his mind almost without thinking: they would stay here tonight.

Since there was no shortage of guests, there was no waiter at the door to greet them. Jiang Chao told Chu Ning to stay where she was, lead the horse and wait, while he strode into the inn.

Inside the inn, the place was bustling with noise. The lobby was full of people, and several young waiters dressed in blue cloth robes were busy running back and forth. Their faces showed numbness, clearly a habit they had grown accustomed to.

Jiang Chao didn't bother the waiters; instead, he walked straight through the lobby corridor to the counter.

Behind the counter was a middle-aged woman. She was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a face full of fat, but her eyes revealed the shrewdness and cunning unique to women from the stock market.

Upon seeing Jiang Chao approach, the woman behind the counter raised her eyelids, glanced at him, and asked indifferently:

"Sir, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Jiang Chao took out a handful of loose silver from his pocket, placed it on the counter, and smiled:

"Thank you, innkeeper. I need to stay at the inn. Please arrange two superior rooms."

The woman struggled to turn around in the narrow space behind the counter, counted the twenty-odd wooden plaques hanging on the wall behind her, and after a moment, took down one of the empty plaques and casually threw it on the counter.

"There are no more superior rooms left; this is the last one."

After saying that, she glanced at the two pieces of silver, each weighing about ten taels, on the counter and added, "Also, this isn't enough; we're still short eighty taels."

Jiang Chao raised an eyebrow, then looked at the words "ordinary guest rooms" written on the wooden sign, and clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Ninety taels for a standard room?"

The woman looked him up and down, seemingly noticing his shabby clothes and that he didn't appear to be wealthy, and then said in a slightly impatient tone:

"If you can't afford it, then don't stay. Why all this nonsense?"

Jiang Chao wasn't angry; instead, he spoke gently as before:

"How about we make a deal? Fifty taels. I don't have enough silver on me..."

"Snap—"

The woman picked up the wooden plaque from the counter and slammed it down. Her expression changed drastically, like turning the pages of a book. The impatience on her face vanished instantly, replaced by delight. She spoke rapidly:

"make a deal!"

Jiang Chao: "..."

This sudden turn of events nearly caused him to strain his back.

He sighed helplessly and exclaimed, "The shopkeeper really knows how to do business."

The woman smiled and squinted, "Times are tough these days, and this is just a small business. I hope you won't mind, young hero. The guest rooms have already been prepared. Just take this sign and check in."

Shaking his head, Jiang Chao took out two silver ingots from his pocket and handed them over. He then took the wooden plaque, turned around, and left.

Upon arriving outside the inn, Jiang Chao explained to Chu Ning that there was only one room left, after which Chu Ning remained silent.

After a moment, he finally spoke in a muffled voice:

"In that case, Brother Jiang, you can stay here for now. I'll go look around somewhere else."

Jiang Chao also felt something was amiss and nodded, "I'll search again with Brother Chu."

pity.

In the end, the two searched almost the entire town, but by nightfall, they still couldn't find any available rooms. It was the eve of the martial arts tournament, and people from all directions were flocking to the town. As a necessary stop on the way to Yunzhou City, Qingxi Town was packed with inns, and rooms were hard to find.

They were really lucky to find an empty room at the Sihai Inn; if it had been a little later, that last empty room would probably have been taken.

This is also one of the reasons why the innkeeper raised prices on the spot.

Another reason is that the Sihai Inn has a bad reputation; two groups of people died there just a couple of days ago.

In other words, they bully outsiders who have just arrived in Qingxi Town and haven't figured out the situation yet. If they stay in the restaurants and teahouses in the town for a while, no one will come to stay here.

Putting everything else aside, there's just one word to describe it: bad luck.

After all, everyone is here to participate in the martial arts tournament, to compete for fame and fortune, and to make a name for themselves in the world. Who would want to stay here and invite bad luck for no reason?

The crowded scene that Jiang Chao had seen earlier was just an illusion. Most of the guests in the inn were just shills hired by the owner.

The rest were the cronies, scoundrels, and hooligans that Liu Sihai, the owner of the Sihai Inn, had met in the town and the nearby villages.

They summoned them to make a show of things.

Otherwise, if other inns were packed with people while their Sihai Inn was deserted, wouldn't it be embarrassing for Liu Sihai, who had been a wanderer in the martial arts world for many years, to lose face?

However, Jiang Chao simply laughed it off after learning the inside story, showing no concern whatsoever for these matters.

These days, when you're out in the world of gangsters, you're bound to die.

In addition, he was quite interested in places that others considered ominous and unlucky.

"Tonight, the two of us will share a room and sleep fully clothed. We'll also take this opportunity to see what's so strange about this Sihai Inn."

Despite his reluctance, Chu Ning had no choice but to agree.

There are so many people out there in the martial arts world, she can't just sleep on the streets, can she?