Chapter 10: Qingshi Town

The town was small, called Qingshi.

Gu Li led Su Wan’er into the town as the last traces of dark red afterglow lingered on the horizon.

There weren’t many people on the streets.

Vendors were packing up their stalls for the day, and a few children chased each other at the alleyways, their laughter crisp and clear.

Su Wan’er followed behind Gu Li, her head slightly lowered.

After all these years, this was her first time entering the mortal world.

Her moon-white dress was still stained with large patches of dried, dark red blood.

Though it had long since crusted, it still looked shocking.

A few passersby cast curious glances her way, but when they saw the longsword at her waist and the faint, intangible aura about her, they quickly averted their eyes.

Gu Li swept his gaze across both sides of the street and soon locked onto a shop with a sign that read “Yuelai Inn.”

Yuelai Inn.

He’d seen that name countless times in his past life.

He didn’t expect to run into it even after reincarnating.

He stepped inside.

The inn’s main hall wasn’t large, but it was decently tidy.

Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man in his forties, with a well-trimmed beard.

His small eyes were squinted as he fiddled with an abacus.

Hearing someone enter, he looked up, immediately plastering a professional smile on his face.

“Two guests, care to dine or—”

Mid-sentence, he spotted Su Wan’er.

More precisely, he spotted her face.

The middle-aged man’s mouth fell slightly open.

The abacus beads slipped through his fingers, clattering onto the counter.

He’d run this inn for over a decade in this small town.

Of the guests he’d welcomed, a thousand or eight hundred, he thought he’d seen plenty of beauties.

But this one…

For a moment, he couldn’t find words to describe her.

The bloodstains didn’t detract from her beauty at all; in fact, they made her skin look even fairer, like a few red plum blossoms fallen on snow—an indescribable, fragile beauty.

The middle-aged man swallowed.

Then he glanced at Gu Li, who was walking ahead.

Handsome, otherworldly, with an extraordinary bearing.

Then he looked back at the girl behind him.

Though she was a mess, her eyes were fixed on the man’s back, filled with reverence and dependence.

The middle-aged man understood immediately.

‘These two are clearly Dao Partners traveling the world!’

Sure, the girl was covered in blood.

But her demeanor and features didn’t suggest she was evil—more like she’d just been through a fierce battle.

And the gentleman in front, calm and composed, clearly had skill.

With that thought, the middle-aged man’s smile grew even warmer.

His eyes darted between Gu Li and Su Wan’er a couple of times before settling on Gu Li, and he gave him a nod.

“Two superior rooms.”

“One.”

Both voices rang out almost simultaneously.

The middle-aged man’s smile faltered for a moment before returning to normal.

He lowered his head, pretending to flip through the registration book on the counter, furrowing his brows and muttering to himself.

“Oh dear… Room Tianzi One is taken, Tianzi Two is occupied, Tianzi Three…”

He flipped for a while, then looked up with an apologetic expression.

“Esteemed guest, I’m terribly sorry. We have many guests today, so only one superior room is left.”

After saying that, he gave Gu Li a wink, the meaning unmistakable.

‘Brother, I’ve done what I can.’

Gu Li stared at him expressionlessly.

He’d seen this trick plenty of times in TV dramas in his past life.

“Then let’s change inns.”

Gu Li turned to leave.

“No, no, no!”

The middle-aged man quickly stopped him.

“Esteemed guest, at this hour, where would you find a vacancy? Besides, what’s wrong with one room? You two… ahem, can’t you just squeeze together?”

As he spoke, he glanced at Su Wan’er, his eyes full of “I know, I know.”

Su Wan’er’s face flushed bright red.

“I can meditate on the floor, Senior.”

Gu Li looked at her.

‘This girl, blushing like an apple.’

He sighed inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged as he said flatly to the shopkeeper:

“One room it is. Bring an extra set of bedding.”

The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

“Right away, right away! Please wait a moment, esteemed guest. I’ll have someone prepare it!”

He turned and shouted to the back:

“Waiter! Room Tianzi Two, clean it well! And bring up an extra set of bedding!”

Then he turned back and lowered his voice to Gu Li:

“Esteemed guest, about the blood on that girl… shall I have someone boil some hot water?”

Gu Li nodded slightly.

“Much obliged.”

The middle-aged man waved his hand, smiling meaningfully.

“No trouble at all, it’s only right.”

As he walked back behind the counter, he muttered under his breath:

“That girl looks like a celestial maiden. She’s a perfect match for this gentleman. But that blood… tsk, tsk. I wonder what happened to her. Still, with this gentleman protecting her, nothing should go wrong.”

His voice was loud enough for Su Wan’er to hear.

Her face turned even redder.

Room Tianzi Two was at the far end of the second floor, the best room in the inn.

The bed was made with clean, gray-blue bedding.

A small table stood by the headboard, with an oil lamp on it.

As the door opened, a faint sandalwood scent wafted out.

The room wasn’t large, but it was tastefully arranged.

A carved wooden table sat by the window, with two wooden chairs beside it.

Gu Li scanned the room, his eyes landing on the bed, then the floor.

The floor was wooden planks—not perfectly level, but it would do with extra bedding.

He walked over to the table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea.

Su Wan’er stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.

Her gaze swept around the room, finally resting on the bed before quickly looking away.

“Senior,” she bit her lip, “you should sleep on the bed. I’ll meditate on the floor.”

Gu Li took a sip of tea.

It was a bit bitter, but acceptable.

“No need,” he said.

“I’ll sleep on the floor. You take the bed.”

Su Wan’er shook her head frantically.

“No, no! Senior, with your status, how could you sleep on the floor? I wouldn’t dare!”

Gu Li set down his teacup and looked at her.

‘Good grief. This girl’s imagination is running wild.’

Soon, the waiter brought the bedding and a bucket of hot water.

Gu Li spread the bedding on the floor and tested it.

It was a bit hard, but much better than the wild wastelands he’d slept on in the early days of his reincarnation.

Su Wan’er stood by, watching him arrange the bedding.

A complex emotion stirred in her heart.

‘Senior is so powerful, why does he insist on sleeping on the floor?’

She sneaked a glance at Gu Li.

He was calmly straightening the bedding, moving as unhurriedly as any ordinary person.

A flicker of doubt rose in Su Wan’er’s mind, but she quickly suppressed it.

‘Maybe Senior just wants to experience mortal life?’

She recalled his words from earlier that day:

“A cultivator’s greatest taboo is forgetting where they came from.”

Yes.

Senior had roamed the world for over two hundred years, never riding a flying sword, never indulging in the comforts of his cultivation, always maintaining the simplest way of life.

This mindset, this persistence—this was what made a true enlightened being.

And here she was, speculating about why he chose to sleep on the floor…

‘You can’t fathom Senior’s profound intentions. It’s your lack of cultivation, not his problem.’

Su Wan’er silently scolded herself.

‘Su Wan’er, how could you speculate about Senior like this? Every move Senior makes has deep meaning!’

With that thought, the last trace of doubt in her heart vanished.

Gu Li finished laying out the bedding and stood up, glancing at Su Wan’er, who was still rooted to the spot.

Her dress was covered in dried bloodstains, some places caked hard.

It must have been uncomfortable.

And she probably hadn’t bathed in a long time.

“Go wash up,” Gu Li said.

Su Wan’er was startled.

She looked down at her dress and gently shook her head.

“Senior, I am already a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I no longer suffer the defilements of the mortal world. These are just bloodstains—it’s fine. No need to bathe.”

Gu Li blinked.

‘Is that even possible?’

He silently filed that piece of information away, but maintained his calm facade.

“I know,” he said evenly.

“But there are still traces of evil Qi on you, which spiritual energy alone can’t fully remove. The Spirit Cleansing Pill I gave you was effective, but not thorough enough.”

He spoke with authority.

In truth, he had no idea whether hot water could wash away evil Qi.

But the explanation sounded convincing.

Su Wan’er’s eyes flickered with realization.

‘So that’s it!’

‘I knew Senior wouldn’t ask me to bathe for no reason.’

‘It’s to cleanse the residual evil Qi.’

But… did ordinary hot water really have such an effect?

“I was foolish, Senior.”

Su Wan’er bowed respectfully.

“Thank you for your guidance.”

Gu Li waved his hand, walked to the window, and turned his back to her.

“Wash up.”