I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

The interior of Suyu Pavilion is very elegant. It is surrounded by square pavilions, and there seems to be a stage in the center, but it looks a bit empty without any opera troupe.

Suyu Pavilion is the best inn in Boyun Prefecture, and naturally, it has the highest number of guests. If the queue is slow, you might have to find another inn to stay at.

"Hurry up and check into your accommodation; it's a bit stuffy outside."

It's actually not hot. Suyu Pavilion has advanced ventilation and cooling systems, making the interior very comfortable. It's just that Xi says so, and Bai Zhou will only think so too.

"Yes, sir, I'll be right there."

Urged on by Xi, Bai Zhou immediately ran to the counter to buy a room.

Ignoring the various gazes that kept drifting in from all around, Xi played with the fine pen in her hand, waiting for daylight to return.

"Sir, I've bought it."

Bai Zhou ran over quickly, holding a wooden sign engraved with the number 18. His face was already slightly sweaty, indicating that he had worked hard queuing up to take the photo.

"Someone just checked out, and I managed to snag a table. Sir, we're really lucky today."

As Bai Zhou spoke, he led Xi towards the room.

The room number 18 that I got during the day was very good. It was a room facing the street with plenty of sunlight, making it an excellent location for sketching or enjoying the city's prosperity.

He placed the bamboo box under the table and got up to look out the window during the day.

"Wow! Sir, look! You can see this whole street so clearly from here!"

Exclamations rang in her ears. Xi, who was checking if the room was tidy, sighed softly and then said something seemingly unintentionally.

"It's past noon."

"Oh! That's right!"

He hurriedly closed the windows during the day.

"Sir, let's go eat."

"..."

Is this lunch or dinner?

How far is it?

Xi would rather stay in her room and paint than go out for a stroll under the blazing sun.

"Sir, I just took a look, there's a restaurant right across from us. It's a pity we eat there. We can also buy the wine you want directly from there."

Daytime has already figured out how to "get rid" Evening, which makes people feel lazy.

"Let's go."

really.

Bai Zhou clenched her little fist excitedly, then ran to the door to open it for Xi.

■

"Young Master Bai?"

As he was going downstairs, a surprised shout from behind made Bai Zhou turn around.

"Oh? Brother Du? You're here too, what a coincidence."

The person who called out to him was Du Heng, whom he had met some time ago.

Standing next to him was Meng Li, who was yawning.

"Ah, what a coincidence that we meet again from afar! Brother Bai, it's been so long, how have you been?"

Meng Li seemed very happy, perhaps because she had met someone she knew.

"Brother Bai, where are you and your master going? It's past noon now. Although the sun isn't as scorching as it is at noon, it's still very hot and humid."

Du Heng didn't dare to talk to Xi much, so she only mentioned Xi briefly, but she was still more concerned about Bai Zhou.

"Haha, well."

Bai Zhou smiled and then replied:

"My two gentlemen are unaware of the situation. There were quite a few people entering the city today, and my husband and I arrived a little late. We can only catch up on our lunch now."

"I see."

Meng Li showed an expression of empathy, and was about to say something when Du Heng tugged at her arm.

What time is it?

"Huh? There's a clock downstairs, why are you asking me?"

Meng Li complained, but still glanced down.

It is already three-quarters past noon.

Upon hearing the time, Du Heng's face showed a hint of anxiety.

"I told you to get up early, but you insisted on sleeping in."

"Sigh, can you blame me? I told you to wake me up, but who would have thought you'd end up sleeping with me too."

Meng Li looked helpless.

"Do you two gentlemen have important business to attend to?"

Seeing the two of them like this, Bai Zhou felt it best to leave as soon as possible so as not to keep them from getting any more attention. Besides, after chatting for a few minutes, the gentleman was already getting impatient.

To understand why Bai Zhou knows what Xi Xin is thinking when he's expressionless, you have to ask about his "Level 10 Xi Tail Language".

"Alas, it's a long story."

Du Heng sighed.

"To make a long story short, Brother Bai, when you entered the city, did you hear about the murder of the local prefect?"

Bai raised an eyebrow.

Why is it this again?

"I know a little about it. Is Brother Du's urgent matter related to this matter?"

"That is indeed the case."

Du Heng then said:

“Brother Bai, you may not know this, but we are both disciples of this Prefect Lu. Just as you address me as ‘Your Excellency,’ we should also respectfully address Prefect Lu as ‘Master.’”

"We were just passing through and wanted to take the opportunity to visit our teacher and see how he was doing, but we never expected that he had been murdered by evil people."

"We wanted to find out the details of what happened, but we were tired from the journey, so we decided to rest for a while before discussing it with our old friend, but then..."

Du Heng smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, I see."

Having learned the reason for the incident, Bai Zhou was no longer willing to be the rude person who wasted their time.

"Since you two have important matters to attend to, we shall take our leave for now. Time waits for no one, so it would be best if you resolved this matter as soon as possible."

"Then we'll take our leave here, Brother Bai."

Du and Meng bid farewell to Bai Zhou and hurriedly went downstairs.

"Oh dear, those two are really unlucky, sir."

Watching them leave, Bai Zhou muttered a complaint about their bad luck.

"Humph."

After waiting for a while, Xi ignored Bai Zhou's words, walked past him downstairs, and tapped him on the head as she went.

"Sir, wait for me!"

Ignoring the blow to his head, Bai Zhou hurriedly followed.

Drinking on the 19th can lead to trouble; never overindulge in alcohol.

"Sir, what do you think of the stewed fish here?"

During the day, Bai Zhou rubbed his stomach as he walked ahead, while Xi followed slowly behind.

"not bad."

It's just that without a bit of wine, the food doesn't taste quite the same.

Oh, right!

Xi looked at Bai Zhou's hand, which was empty, as if something was missing.

The kid didn't buy any alcohol.

"Well, sir, how about we stop by and take a look at the paper and ink here before heading back?"

Now that I'm out, I feel it wouldn't be right not to take this opportunity to finish everything I need to do during the day.

However, when it comes to things that need to be done...

Bai Zhou glanced at his empty hands.

"Sir, I forgot to buy wine. Please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

Having said that, before Xi could respond, Bai Zhou ran back to the shop.

Xi looked up at the sun.

After dinner, the weather had turned from hot to cool, and a refreshing breeze was blowing through the streets. In such weather, Xi didn't mind taking a stroll a little longer.

Of course, this is on the premise that there aren't as many people on the street as there are ants on a rainy day.

Xi stood still, and not long after, she heard Bai Zhou's unique, energetic call.

“Sir, I’m back… Waaah.”

Bai Zhou, having bought the wine, hurried out, his eyes fixed on Xi's location and oblivious to what lay ahead. Then he felt as if he had bumped into a solid stone wall.

He was knocked backward and fell backward, throwing the wine in his hand away.

"Little one, it's not safe to talk without watching where you're going."