Chapter 11

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning and Shenhe arrived at the Wangshu Inn. Below was the tavern - the inn, built against the mountainside, was truly exemplary of the saying "stand high, see far."

On the side, a water wheel powered by flowing streams operated an elevator that could transport both goods and guests up and down.

Though traditional in style, it somehow gave off a surprisingly modern feeling.

The unusual pair of Shenhe and Jiang Ning - one tall and one small - couldn't help but attract numerous glances.

The male had white hair and red eyes, an endearing youth, while the female was gracefully shaped, stunningly beautiful, and emanated an otherworldly aura.

The Liyue locals only dared to look for a moment before hastily averting their gaze.

Those who frequented Wangshu Inn knew well of this white-haired immortal.

She wasn't exactly known for being... approachable.

The porters and merchants who transported goods had witnessed firsthand when a drunk foreigner, lacking basic sense, tried to get acquainted with this immortal lady.

He ended up getting his head slammed into the ground three times before losing consciousness.

When the Millelith arrived, they only cleaned up the mess without causing any trouble for her.

Even the innkeeper and owner directly refused to serve that foreigner's merchant group afterward. Who would dare offend a disciple of the immortals?

Those who gazed at the pair in amazement were either foreigners or Liyue locals who didn't recognize them.

"Senior Sister, which old friend of Master's is here?" Jiang Ning asked curiously once they were alone on the water elevator, ignoring the surrounding stares.

"At Wangshu Inn, it's usually Xiao - one of the Five Yaksha under Rex Lapis, and one of the Three-Eyed Five Manifest Adepti."

"Ah, Uncle Xiao... And aren't Yaksha supposed to be imposing figures with blue faces and fangs, specialized in killing evil spirits?" Jiang Ning recalled the Yaksha legends from his homeland.

"Mm, Lord Xiao generally... doesn't like being called uncle... And as for his appearance... you'll see for yourself.

Though indeed, Lord Xiao specializes in eliminating malevolent entities.

"Shenhe's expression remained neutral, but her tone was somewhat off."

Having lived with Shenhe for two years, Jiang Ning was familiar enough to know that this hesitant manner meant he had guessed wrong. This made him even more curious.

After the water elevator reached the top, they entered what looked like a traditional inn's main hall, with a counter where a blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman stood. The surroundings were decorated with clearly valuable ornaments like porcelain vases and hanging scrolls.

"Welcome to Wangshu Inn... Ah, Miss Shenhe, would you like the usual superior room today?" The woman greeted them with a warm smile.

"Yes..." Just as Shenhe was about to nod, Jiang Ning interrupted: "Madam, make it two rooms!"

Shenhe looked at Jiang Ning puzzled - surely one room would suffice... In Shenhe's mind, if they could train in the same cave, what difference did one room make?

But Jiang Ning thought differently, wanting to maintain propriety...

"I'm the owner, not the madam," the woman said to Jiang Ning with a smile.

"Huh?" Jiang Ning was startled, then looked outside. "I thought I saw someone calling the person at the entrance 'Manager' earlier?"

Given there was a manager, and others showed such respect to this woman, plus her age... shouldn't she be the madam?

"Junior Brother, just call her Owner. Wangshu Inn is special - there's both a manager and an owner, and the owner is the lady before us," Shenhe explained.

The woman added, "Yes, Miss Shenhe is correct. I'm Filgodeyt from Mondstadt. I co-own this inn with others, so I'm one of two owners."

Filgodeyt continued, "But you're Miss Shenhe's junior disciple? Welcome to Wangshu Inn."

"Hello, Owner... I'm Jiang Ning." Jiang Ning adapted smoothly, changing his form of address.

"Young Master Jiang Ning, two rooms then? Perfect, we have two vacant rooms. And Miss Shenhe, we'll have almond tofu sent to you later."

"Mm, good." Shenhe took two keys from Filgodeyt and led Jiang Ning upstairs.

Filgodeyt watched the pair of disciples disappear up the stairs, narrowing her eyes. Miss Shenhe's junior disciple... so he's an adeptus disciple? She hadn't seen him before - worth keeping an eye on. Though this unfamiliar face was quite handsome indeed. Just thinking about Jiang Ning's features made Filgodeyt's heart beat a little faster.

"Senior Sister, why order almond tofu?" Jiang Ning asked, puzzled.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, Lord Xiao... particularly enjoys this food, so I prepare some whenever I visit..." Shenhe explained.

"But Junior Brother, why request two rooms? Wouldn't one be sufficient?"

Jiang Ning coughed lightly: "Well, men and women should maintain proper distance. It's better if we stay separately for now."

Mainly, given his Senior Sister's appearance and figure, Jiang Ning had no confidence in his self-control.

Yet, Master had entrusted him with taking care of Senior Sister.

If he made a move right after leaving the mountain... It felt somewhat disrespectful to Master.

Still, Senior Sister was essentially his already - it was just a matter of time.

Jiang Ning rather enjoyed the process of teaching his Senior Sister about the mortal world, gradually leading this cold immortal to descend into the realm of mortals.

At that time, doing what he wanted would be most wonderful. Besides, for some reason, Jiang Ning had a premonition that if he didn't control his urges now, he'd be the only one to suffer.

No particular reason - just intuition.

After resting briefly and waiting for the almond tofu that Filgodeyt had ordered to be delivered, Jiang Ning followed Shenhe without delay to Wangshu Inn's highest floor.

The top platform was completely empty, eerily quiet.

Shenhe, holding the delicate white almond tofu, called out: "Lord Xiao, are you here?" But there was no response.

Jiang Ning was puzzled: "Could he not be here? Senior Sister, are you..." Before he could finish, a youth's voice drifted through the air, as coldly distant as Shenhe's. "Cloud Retainer sent you here again? And this person... is your junior disciple?"

Shenhe nodded: "Mm..." Then Shenhe looked at Xiao, and Xiao looked at Shenhe, and the scene fell into silence.

Jiang Ning found the atmosphere rather awkward.

Clearly, these were two people who weren't skilled at conversation... However, Lord Xiao's appearance was quite unexpected.