Ink Blade

Leaving the Palace (part 2)

Mo Ren noticed Chu Yan's gaze and followed it, thought for a while, and said in a low voice, "Master, the garbs of these horses are mixed and varied, they don't look like they belong to guards of merchants or rich people, government officials and their horses won’t also stay in such a remote inn either. It’s not near or far from Changqing, perhaps many people in Jianghu are gathered here.”

Chu Yan pondered. "The Shuijing Tower case involves a wide range of issues, and it's reasonable for some people to come and fish in troubled waters when smelling a fishy scent. The inn is full of people, we can take the opportunity to find out any information…..not bad!" 

He threw a meaningful glance at Mo Ren, then stepped into the door of the inn first, immediately the bustle and hustle inside filled his ears.

At this moment, the sky had gradually darkened, and in the lobby of the inn, there were a dozen or so tall and strong men sitting around, all of them armed with swords, yelling loudly at the waiter to serve wine and meat with fierce faces.

As soon as Chu Yan and Mo Ren, the master and servant, came in, the yelling and shouting of the dangerous looking men in the lobby fell silent, as if the roaring people were being strangled by an irresistible force.

The handsome young man in navy blue robe and the pale and indifferent young attendant in black almost attracted most of the eyes.

The shopkeeper, who was busy in front and behind the counter, couldn't care less about it. In the past two days, a group of Jianghu travelers flocked to Changqing City, which made the inn a lot of money. As soon as the shopkeeper saw another customer coming, he hurriedly ordered a waiter who looked like a thin monkey to greet them.

The waiter hurried over, with a flushed face, and greeted with a cheerful smile. "This two gentlemen, please hurry inside, will the two gentlemen hit the tip, or stay at the inn?" (TL: "Diajian" or  hit (strike) the tip-refers to temporarily eating something during non-dinner hours to fill one's stomach temporarily.)

Before the two guests could reply, the waiter smiled obsequiously again, and said, "Oh, look at me, the sun has gone down to the western mountain and is getting late, the two gentlemen must be staying overnight? Ai, don't look at the small shop’s unattractive appearance, the rooms are very comfortable, and the wine in this small shop is also the best and......"

Chu Yan was not in the mood to listen to the waiter’s self-promotion, and frowned impatiently. Mo Ren understood, and with a flash of silver light in his hand, a silver ingot landed on the counter with a "clang". "Two upper rooms.”

一Hiss, a martial artist!

The gazes of the men in the lobby became even more strange, scanning the delicate and handsome black-clothed attendant’s body, perhaps guessing if the pale and thin young man was really a genuine martial artist.

The waiter’s spine went numb, and he didn't dare to make jokes with a playful face anymore, he hurriedly nodded and bowed in response, "Ah yes, yes yes yes......"

It’s widely known that these Jinghu martial artists spend their money extravagantly, but one thing that's not good was that angering this kind of person would be a fatal disaster, thus one must not be careless. The shopkeeper hurriedly took two copper keys to the upper room and handed them over, seeing that the young man in the navy blue robe seemed to dislike noise, he asked tentatively, "This... two gentlemen, do you want the wine and food to be delivered in the room upstairs?"

"No need," Chu Yan pulled Mo Ren's wrist, rubbed it unconsciously, and led the person to the seats in the lobby, "The hall is so lively, we also want to join in."

As soon as these words came out, the men's gazes towards them became even sharper.

To join in the fun, I'm afraid it's far from the excitement inside the hall, and the hustle and bustle of the murder case at the Shuijing Tower in Changqing City.

Several people had already started whispering in the ears of their accomplices, guessing the identities of these two people, and some people were even holding the hilts of their swords, thinking about whether they could give it a try.

It was the thin waiter again who led the two to sit down at the table and presented the menu board wrapped in red satin.

Unexpectedly, the handsome young master who looked like the master actually threw the menu board to the silent attendant without even looking at it.

Since entering the inn, the attendant, who had shown great respect to the young master, also didn't shirk, simply glanced at the dishes, ordered several dishes with ease, and then handed the menu board  back to the waiter.

"Wait." The young master raised his eyebrows, slipped out a sapphire folding fan from his sleeve, and clasped the menu board, "Ah Ren, how come the ones you ordered are my usual preferred taste, don't you have anything you like to eat yourself?"

The attendant was slightly stunned, immediately shook his head, and responded obediently, "This subordinate is grateful for the Master’s concern, but this subordinate dare not."

The young master furrowed his brows again, and then reluctantly let go of the menu board. The waiter breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran to greet others.

After a while, both the wine and dishes were all served in the same way.

Mo Ren said in a low voice, "This subordinate will serve the dishes for the Master." Then he got up habitually and stood beside Chu Yan. However, Chu Yan grabbed him, pushed him back to his seat, and said displeased, "What's the fuss, sit down.”

"......” Mo Ren was blocked by his master, therefore he had to sit back silently. Unexpectedly, before he could sit still, Chu Yan took the chopsticks and picked up the dishes with a smile, and stretched them out in front of him. "Really don’t have anything you like? Then this Palace…..Oh, this Young Master will personally let you have a try. "