Chapter 18 of 100

Chapter 18: A Room's Drama

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"Uncle, what are you smiling about?" Mrs. Hu looked at him curiously.

"Nothing," Song Qingshu didn't have the courage to tell her, and changed the subject, "Sister-in-law, when you fought with Murong Jingyue before, he mentioned that you seemed to be from the Ancient Tomb Sect?"

"Yes, I guess so," Mrs. Hu nodded lightly, "When I was a child, I met my master by chance. She stayed at my house for more than half a year and taught me a lot."

"Does Sister-in-law know her name? Is it Lin Chaoying?" Song Qingshu asked hurriedly.

Mrs. Hu shook her head, wondering why her young uncle knew so much about the Ancient Tomb Sect, "Lin Chaoying is my ancestral master. I'm not quite sure what my master's name is."

Song Qingshu's expression became complex, thinking about how Longnü and Li Mochou would react if they knew they had such an elder sister.

The two traveled tirelessly, and as they approached Suzhou City, they saw that it was already evening. They decided to rest for the night in a small town outside the city and head to Yanziwu in the morning.

"Boss, two rooms." Hearing Song Qingshu's call, the innkeeper looked them over and smiled, "I'm really sorry, but we only have one room left now. Would you two mind sharing?"

Mrs. Hu frowned and shook her head, "No, we'll go to another inn."

"Madam, this is the only inn in town. The city gates of Suzhou are already closed, and the next inn is a hundred miles away in the neighboring town," the innkeeper said with a smile.

"We'll look around," Song Qingshu felt that the innkeeper's words were not entirely honest and became suspicious.

"Let's just stay here," Mrs. Hu said absentmindedly.

"Waiter, please take this madam upstairs first," the innkeeper held back Song Qingshu and whispered, "Sir, please stay, I have something to tell you."

Seeing Mrs. Hu disappear down the corridor, the innkeeper spread his hands and chuckled, "Sir, the room costs ten taels of silver, thank you."

Song Qingshu's eyes widened, "Are you robbing me? It clearly says one tael of silver per room."

The innkeeper didn't get angry, just chuckled, "Sir, do you really think a large inn like ours has only one guest room? We just saw that you two are a man and a woman traveling together and are trying to create an opportunity for you. Whether you can seize it is up to you."

"Is that how it works?" Song Qingshu was shocked.

"Hehe," the innkeeper smiled strangely, "Or do you think why, in the martial world, when a man and a woman seek lodging, there's always only one room left? This is our rule. Sir, you can always earn more silver, but a good woman is hard to come by."

Song Qingshu was deeply impressed and willingly handed over ten taels of silver, "The first person to come up with this marketing strategy is a genius!"

"What did the innkeeper say to you just now?" Mrs. Hu asked curiously when Song Qingshu returned to the room.

"Nothing, just settled the room fee," Song Qingshu replied casually, "Sister-in-law, you can sleep in the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Your meridians are damaged, the cold from the floor is too strong, how can you sleep on the floor?" Mrs. Hu frowned, feeling troubled, as there was only one bed...

"It's fine, I'm a man, I can endure it," Song Qingshu didn't want to sleep on the bed, but knew it was impossible, so he toughened up and laid down on the floor.

Mrs. Hu stared at him for a while, then turned around and lay down on the bed, still fully dressed.

In the middle of the night, Mrs. Hu was suddenly woken up by some rustling sounds. Opening her eyes, she saw Song Qingshu lying on the floor, curled up, trembling, and clutching the blanket tightly.

Mrs. Hu knew that people with knife wounds would feel pain in the wind and rain, let alone someone like Song Qingshu whose meridians were completely severed. Seeing him in such pain, she bit her lip hard, not wanting to make a sound, and thought to herself, "Uncle is indeed a gentleman."

Due to the cold from the floor, Song Qingshu was indeed in pain, but he had a stubborn streak that made him...

What would it matter if Mrs. Hu knew? It's better to bear it like a man.

"Uncle, come sleep on the bed," a soft voice came from behind.

Song Qingshu looked at her in surprise, "How can I do that! Sister-in-law, don't worry about me, I can endure it."

"How can you travel tomorrow in this state?" Mrs. Hu pressed his back and sent a stream of true energy, "Don't be so formal. I'm a woman and I'm not afraid, why should you be? As long as we have a clear conscience, it's fine."

Although Song Qingshu had a proud spirit, he wasn't a fool. With the words said to this extent, he couldn't refuse anymore.

Song Qingshu got into the bed, feeling a wave of fragrance and warmth, momentarily forgetting the pain in his body.

Seeing him directly get into the bed she had just slept in, Mrs. Hu's face turned red, hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Uncle, you're sleeping in my blanket."

Song Qingshu awkwardly realized his blanket was still on the floor. He quickly reacted, knowing that Mrs. Hu letting him sleep on the bed was already the greatest favor, and she wouldn't agree to share the same blanket.

He smiled awkwardly and ran down to get his blanket. By the time he returned, Mrs. Hu had already wrapped herself in the blanket and was lying down, facing away from him. Song Qingshu slowly lay down next to her, accidentally touching her body several times, causing Mrs. Hu to shudder slightly each time.

Unlike Zhou Zhiruo's betrayal, Mrs. Hu was as clear as crystal and treated him very well. Song Qingshu didn't dare to overstep, using any vulgar methods against her.

Smelling the faint fragrance from the hair of the beauty next to him, Song Qingshu gradually relaxed, and the pain...

Gradually subsided, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, when Song Qingshu woke up, he touched the side and found the beauty was already gone. He sat up in surprise and saw Mrs. Hu looking at him with a smile.

"Good morning, Sister-in-law," Song Qingshu smiled awkwardly.

Mrs. Hu nodded lightly, noticing his previous action, feeling secretly annoyed: last night, his hand touched her many times. If she hadn't used true energy to detect that it was just unconscious behavior during sleep, she would have turned her back on him long ago.

Seeing Mrs. Hu's slightly angry look, Song Qingshu felt a bit guilty and lowered his head, recalling the dream he had last night...

After breakfast, the two set off for Yanziwu. Song Qingshu knew that Heshi Manor was about fifty miles west of Suzhou City. He took Mrs. Hu directly there, but unfortunately, after asking dozens of people, no one had heard of the place. Mrs. Hu was unsure if they had taken the wrong direction, but Song Qingshu was confident that they were on the right path.

Chapter 19: The Green-Clothed Maiden

"Uncle seems to know all the secrets of the martial world..." Mrs. Hu looked at him curiously.

Song Qingshu smiled slightly, "I have a nickname called 'Hundred-Knowledge of the Martial World'... just a joke, Sister-in-law, don't take it seriously."

"Oh, if this gentleman is the Hundred-Knowledge of the Martial World, do you know who I am?" The voice was extremely sweet and clear, making one feel very comfortable. Song Qingshu and Mrs. Hu were startled and turned to see the speaker, a green-clothed girl about sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate hands and a gentle face, full of grace.

Song Qingshu saw that although her beauty didn't match Mrs. Hu's, her extreme gentleness made her very charming. Seeing her in green, he had a sudden idea, "If I tell you your name and background, what then?"

The green-clothed girl smiled and shook her head, "I don't believe you."

"If I'm right, I don't ask for anything else, just to take us to Yanziwu," seeing the green-clothed girl's hesitation, Song Qingshu became even more confident, "I've heard that Suzhou has two fairy-like girls, one named Zhu, as beautiful as clouds, and the other named Bi, as gentle as water, both are truly rare."

A Bi was flattered and said shyly, "You'll know you praised too early when you meet Miss Wang."

Seeing Song Qingshu smile without speaking, A Bi looked up and asked, "What brings you to Yanziwu, sir?"

"I and Sister-in-law have no ill intentions, we just have an important matter to discuss with Mr. Murong. We hope Miss Bi can help us," hearing Song Qingshu's introduction, Mrs. Hu nodded slightly.

A Bi, seeing their noble appearance, subconsciously didn't consider them bad people and smiled sweetly, "Mr. Murong is at home today, please follow me."

Mrs. Hu smiled inwardly, thinking that her young uncle was not only handsome but also had a smooth tongue that could charm girls. This girl was really naive.

A Bi untied the rope and invited them onto the boat. Mrs. Hu's smile froze, as she, who grew up in a snowy region, had no water skills and felt a strange fear of the lake.

"Sister-in-law, be careful," Song Qingshu saw her swaying and quickly helped her onto the boat. On the way, Mrs. Hu's forehead was covered in sweat, feeling nauseous, and didn't even realize that Song Qingshu was holding her all the time.

A Bi, however, looked at them curiously, wondering why Song Qingshu, who called her "sister-in-law," was now holding her like a couple. But as a cautious maid, she kept her doubts to herself.

After docking, Mrs. Hu realized she was tightly against Song Qingshu and quickly freed herself, leaping directly to the shore. Song Qingshu smiled bitterly and got off the boat with A Bi.