Chapter 298: Chapter 296: Your Unfortunate Fate
Stone pavilions and flowing streams, lotus ponds and rockeries, and an elegant, classical courtyard. Inside, it boasted a High Level Cultivation Arena, along with the finest food and wine. This was the Yunlai Inn!
One of the three great inns in the Outer District of Yunshui City!
The prices were astonishing; no ordinary Cultivator could afford to stay here.
Who among its patrons wasn’t from a wealthy background, a person of status and standing?
All who stepped foot in the Yunlai Inn were dressed in resplendent, expensive clothes, each one appearing to be a figure of extraordinary bearing.
Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng, however, looked for all the world like a pair of beggars, one big and one small.
Their clothes were old and tattered, they were covered in dust, their hair was a mess, and their shoes were caked with mud.
It couldn’t be helped. Jiang Jichen had just come from a great battle and had even buried a pile of the dead. Even as a powerful Cultivator, he could only keep his body itself clean.
As for his clothes, without a chance to wash and change, they would naturally become dirty, torn, and covered in grime.
The little one, Zuo Feng, was in an even worse state. He had fallen several times, rolled around in the dirt, and with his grimy face, he was indistinguishable from a common street urchin.
It was for this very reason that Jiang Jichen had decided to enter this particular inn for a proper wash.
So, without much thought, he had led Zuo Feng toward the Yunlai Inn, not expecting to be blocked at the door and treated like a beggar.
In that moment, he finally understood.
No matter where you went in this world, there were always people who judged a book by its cover, who looked down on others based on appearances. It was no different here.
Just then, the two resplendently dressed attendants eyed Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng with disgust. One of them snarled, "Where did you wild beggars come from? Is this a place you can enter? You mutt, scram! One more step and I’ll break your legs!"
Hearing this, Jiang Jichen’s expression turned cold.
Just then, another group happened to be walking into the Yunlai Inn.
A young master with two attendants, and a noble young lady with a handmaiden.
The Young Master held a Jade Fan, his gaze arrogant. His brocade robes shimmered with a treasured light, and a precious jade hung from his waist. A single glance revealed that these were all impressive Defensive Spiritual Artifacts. Clearly, only someone from an extraordinary background could afford such a remarkable ensemble.
The noble young lady wore her hair in a high coiffure, adorned with shimmering pearls. Her face was like a peach blossom, and her eyes held a seductive charm. Combined with her meticulous makeup, she was indeed quite beautiful, exuding an alluring and captivating aura.
However, she frowned, her face twisting into an expression of utter disgust. She pointed a delicate finger at Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng and said, "What an eyesore. These two wild beggars are polluting my sight. The stench coming from them makes me want to vomit! How can your Yunlai Inn just let anyone through the door?"
The two attendants who were blocking Jiang Jichen had originally planned to just drive them away with insults. But upon hearing the noble young lady’s words, their expressions changed drastically.
"Miss Guan, rest assured! I’ll throw these two wild beggars out immediately. You won’t have to see them again!"
One of the attendants adopted a completely different demeanor. Gone was the imperious, condescending attitude he had shown Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng. Instead, he was now bowing and scraping obsequiously.
The Young Master then spoke up languidly from the side, "They’re just two wild beggars. Since they’ve displeased Miss Guan, your Yunlai Inn should know what to do, shouldn’t you?"
Sweat beaded on the foreheads of the two attendants, and their faces turned deathly pale.
The displeasure of Miss Guan was one thing, but for this Young Master to speak up as well... that made the matter serious.
After all, that Young Master was a major figure from the Central District.
In Yunshui City, while the Central District was the more exclusive area, the Outer District was the truly prosperous and bustling part, with the highest foot traffic.
Therefore, the young masters from the Noble Families and Sects of the Central District would often visit the high-end establishments in the Outer District.
And this Young Master Chang before them ranked among the top ten Young Masters even in the Central District; one could only imagine his background and status.
Thus, in his eyes, the lives of two wild beggars were no different from a pair of ants.
If they displeased him, he could simply have them crushed.
Besides, Young Master Chang was accompanying the young lady of the Guan Family—the very woman he was trying to woo—on an outing today. How could he possibly allow her to be upset?
Therefore, anything that displeased Guan Xiaojing was a very serious matter indeed.
The two attendants might not have known all of this, but how could the Yunlai Inn’s Junior Steward—who was now approaching specifically to welcome Young Master Chang—be unaware?
He sent them a covert voice transmission, ordering them to dispose of the two wild beggars at once.
The Yunlai Inn’s Junior Steward bowed and scraped, his face a mask of fawning sycophancy. "Young Master Chang, please rest assured," he said. "This humble one will handle this matter properly and guarantee your satisfaction. At the same time, I have already prepared fine food and wine in the VIP suite. We are just waiting for you two honored guests to grace us with your presence. The Treasure Appraisal Convention is about to begin!"
"Hmph. Very well. I’m curious to see what treasures will be on display at today’s Treasure Appraisal Convention."
Young Master Chang said nonchalantly, waving his Jade Fan.
To him, Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng were merely two ants to be crushed and instantly forgotten.
He had only come here today to accompany Guan Xiaojing and see what interesting items the Yunlai Inn’s Treasure Appraisal Convention might have to offer.
At the mention of the convention, Guan Xiaojing quickly forgot her earlier displeasure and smiled seductively. "If you see anything good, you have to buy it for me, all right?"
Young Master Chang chuckled arrogantly. "Rest assured. There aren’t many people here who would dare compete with me for an item. Not unless they’re blind and have a death wish!"
"That’s true," Guan Xiaojing cooed.
With that, the two of them entered the Yunlai Inn. Young Master Chang’s two attendants and Guan Xiaojing’s handmaiden shot a final, cold look of disgust at Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng before turning to the Junior Steward. "Get rid of this trash quickly," one of them said. "To think they sullied our lady’s eyes. They deserve to die!"
Having said their piece, they too departed.
Other guests were still entering the Yunlai Inn, but they all seemed accustomed to such scenes.
Besides, these people clearly recognized Young Master Chang and wouldn’t dare meddle in his affairs. Who wasn’t afraid of bringing trouble upon themselves?
Jiang Jichen held Zuo Feng’s hand and stood there, silent. He simply watched the performance of these people with cold detachment.
The two Yunlai Inn attendants wiped the cold sweat from their brows. Then, their gazes fell sinisterly upon Jiang Jichen and Zuo Feng. "You’re out of luck," one of them sneered. "You provoked people you shouldn’t have and nearly got us in trouble. You really deserve to die!"
This time, Jiang Jichen actually smiled.
’We just stood here and did nothing, yet we provoked those people and now we have to die?’
’What kind of logic is that?’
’No matter how domineering, how unreasonable, how high and mighty they were, how could they go this far?’
’The only explanation was that his luck was truly terrible, and he shouldn’t have appeared before that Young Master Chang and Miss Guan.’
If Jiang Jichen were truly just a wild beggar, then death would be his only fate.
But... he wasn’t.
He watched with an indifferent gaze as the two Yunlai Inn attendants reached for him and Zuo Feng. Finally, he spoke. "Your hands are too filthy. They should be cut off."
The moment he finished speaking, the two Yunlai Inn attendants watched as their own hands, filled with the Power of Ultimate Killing, fell to the floor in unison.
