The whispers from the surroundings reached the ears of the boy in red, making his already wavering expression even more awkward.
"I can pay double, even triple! I just need a quiet heaven-grade superior room to rest! If that's not enough, then quadruple!" Although embarrassed, the boy’s face still carried a hint of arrogance, as if he didn't think this was a difficult problem to solve.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up at the sight of those dozen or so shining high-grade spirit stones, but he rubbed his hands together and shook his head in refusal.
Duan Xianxing's eyes had been bright since he first heard "double the price." He frantically tugged at Li Nanzhu's sleeve and lowered his voice, saying, "Little Junior Sister, look, this heaven-grade room costs two hundred mid-grade spirit stones a night. If we can triple or quadruple that..."
"Don't forget your room fee was paid by Second Senior Brother," Li Nanzhu rolled her eyes.
"Little Junior Sister, we'll split the money!" Duan Xianxing continued to urge Li Nanzhu, but she still shook her head.
"Sixty-forty," Duan Xianxing gritted his teeth and made a concession.
"Thirty-seventy. I get seventy, you get thirty." Li Nanzhu spread her hands, not feeling at all bad about the price gouging. "Don't forget you'll have to book another earth-grade room, otherwise where will you sleep?"
"Who cares about an earth-grade room!" Duan Xianxing said urgently. "For that much money, I'd even sleep in the wood shed!"
"Deal!"
Just as Duan Xianxing was about to jump down and offer the room, the shopkeeper's next words made him freeze in his tracks.
"Young master, it's not that I won't give you a heaven-grade room, there simply aren't any left! Why don't you look at the earth-grade ones? To be honest, the remaining heaven-grade rooms have all been booked by people from the Sword Heart Sect. I wouldn't dare offend them!"
The Sword Heart Sect? Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing exchanged a look, both startled. They clearly hadn't seen anyone from the Sword Heart Sect in the market earlier. How could they run into them at a random inn?
Knowing that his little junior sister never got along with the Sword Heart Sect, Duan Xianxing was no longer in a hurry to go down. He planned to wait and see. Li Nanzhu, meanwhile, frowned slightly. Why did this scene feel so familiar?
Seeing the owner refuse repeatedly, the boy truly grew angry and slammed his hand on the counter. "What about the Sword Heart Sect! Those penniless sword cultivators from the Sword Heart Sect, when they buy our Shui..." Realizing he had almost said something he shouldn't have, he stopped abruptly and immediately changed his tune.
"They even have to buy pills and talismans on credit! If I offer them double the price, they'd have to hand over their rooms obediently! I'm going to find them right now!"
With that, he prepared to go upstairs in a huff to "reason" with the Sword Heart Sect people. The owner was terrified by the sight; it looked like they might come to blows, and his inn couldn't handle that kind of chaos.
Li Nanzhu finally remembered why this scene felt so familiar. Wasn't this the plot where Cang Dongqing took in her second simp? The other party was supposedly the son of the Water Moon Sect's leader? How did she run into this too?
"Wait, wait, wait!" Before the shopkeeper could intervene, Duan Xianxing had already blocked the boy's path upstairs, his eyes gleaming as he grabbed the boy's hands.
"God of Wealth... no, fellow Daoist! You can have my room! Just pay me triple the price!!"
The boy tried to pull his hands away from Duan Xianxing, but because Duan Xianxing was so excited, he couldn't break free. After a few tugs, the boy's meager anger dissipated, replaced by a look of helplessness.
"Fellow Daoist, can you let go of me first?"
Duan Xianxing also realized his behavior was inappropriate and released the boy's hands with a sheepish laugh, but his gaze remained so fervent it was unsettling. Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny, the boy quickly said, "Then, it's a deal. The spirit stones are yours, and the room is mine!"
Just as Duan Xianxing was about to take the bag of spirit stones, a gentle woman's voice interrupted their conversation.
"Wait a moment, fellow Daoist!"
A woman dressed in moon-white gauze robes walked gracefully toward them, followed by several male cultivators. Judging by their attire, they were also disciples of the Sword Heart Sect. It seemed they had just returned to the inn.
"As expected, Cang Dongqing won't miss any plot point," Li Nanzhu thought to herself. However, this time her fifth senior brother had already provided the boy with a solution. She wondered what Cang Dongqing would do now.
"Fellow Daoist..."
"First, I don't know why you're calling me, I don't know you," the boy interrupted unceremoniously. "Second, my name is Liu Qi."
Cang Dongqing looked displeased at being interrupted, but she quickly put on her trademark smile.
"Fellow Daoist Liu Qi, I heard what happened just now. We sword cultivators have our own integrity. Even if you offer triple or quadruple the spirit stones, we disciples of the Sword Heart Sect will not yield our rooms to you. We will never bow our heads easily for spirit stones."
Just as I thought, Li Nanzhu noted internally. Like the original plot, Cang Dongqing was using a righteous pretense to attract attention. Unfortunately for her, she had miscalculated.
Instead of looking at her with newfound respect because of her high-minded words, Liu Qi only looked at her as if she were mentally ill.
"Oh, I see." With that, he had no intention of paying her any more attention.
Cang Dongqing's smile froze again. Why was the situation completely different from what she had imagined?
According to her expectations, the boy should have looked at her with new eyes after those words, thinking she was different from other sword cultivators who bowed for spirit stones. After some conversation, she would have had another disciple give up a room for him, making him feel that she wasn't befriending him because of his status, but was sincerely forming a good affinity. That way, he would be grateful to her. Why did it turn out like this?
Knowing the boy's identity, Cang Dongqing forced a smile. "If Fellow Daoist Liu Qi doesn't mind, we can indeed spare a heaven-grade room for you to rest in. You can keep the spirit stones; consider it a gesture of goodwill to form a good affinity."
At those words, the junior disciples behind her changed expression, but they didn't dare say anything due to Cang Dongqing's status. Before Liu Qi could respond, a light scoff drifted down from upstairs.
Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a girl in green leaning against the second-floor railing, nonchalantly playing with a spirit fruit.
Cang Dongqing's face changed instantly. "Li Nanzhu? Why are you here?"
The others didn't react much, except for a tall male cultivator behind Cang Dongqing, whose brow furrowed deeply upon hearing the name.
"Why can't I be here?" The girl leaped down lightly, her robes fluttering as she landed steadily. She took a bite of the spirit fruit and asked with a smile, "What, is this inn owned by the Sword Heart Sect? Do I need to report to you to come here?"
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