A room rented, a pouch of silvers

Gan Tian Chi brought Xue'er, as they returned to the stall where they just ate noodles.

[Why did we return?]

Her question was soon answered as he greeted owner Chao once more. This time, Xue'er took a good look at this man. He was in his forties, yet he seemed to have a firmly built body. This was definitely the body of a martial artist.

Xue'er slightly greeted him, before getting They entered the building that housed the stall, it was as dim, as candles costed money, there were many households that could not afford it, the floors had been washed until its natural colors had faded away. It was a small place that led up the creaky stairs into the dimly lit narrow hallway with many doors.

She had no idea that this small stall was also an inn.

Xue'er could see a total of about six rooms, but the room that Gan Tian Chi entered was the first room, it was room number one. She could tell that the other five rooms did not have anyone occupying them.

Inside the room, there was only one unlit candle in place. The room was not as spacious as the one in the cottage, but there was a decent bed, a table, and chairs that fit snugly within the room. The furnishings were all simple, the tables and chairs were made of plain wood, while the bed sheets and quilt were made from a rough cotton.

There was a window in the far corner of the room, Xue'er gently pushed it open, allowing a chilling breeze to enter the room. Looking outside, the view wasn't much, the room only overlooked the alleyway, she could see a small portion of its winding pathways leading to an abyss.

There was that smell of blood that assaulted her senses, carried by the untameable winds.

It made her wonder what was happening in this alleyway, to have such a strong and fresh sent, at almost every hour of the day. She had to admit that this scent was a lot fresher than the one she was used to, that would sometimes be a lot more pungent to her senses.

She left the window open, to make her feel more comfortable.

"I booked this room until the end of the new year's festival. Be good and stay here." Gan Tian Chi said as he prepared to leave.

"Wait, just me?" Xue'er looked at him in disbelief.

[He isn't planning to leave again, is he?]

He kept leaving, he was irresponsible beyond irresponsible. First, he left her in the underground maze for a year and now this.

"Of course, just you. You should spend this time to find some children your age to play with." Gan Tian Chi was like a doting uncle wanting to see the little girl make new friends.

"Who needs to play?" Xue'er asked calmly.

"You can meet a little girl your age and play with dolls or do each other's hair, doesn't that seem fun?" He asked.

"No." Xue'er answered with one word. She had never imagined herself doing such a thing.

[is that even a normal thing to do amongst children?]

"Fine, just watch some children, and try to act like one." He sighed, this little girl was more mature than most of the people he knew.

"I am a child."

"Find an example and you'll see how far you're lagging behind."

Xue'er had no words, she then thought of what he said earlier: "Do you want me to stay here, or make friends because I can't make any if I stay here." She said seriously.

"Stay here if you want and leave whenever you wish, just know this room will be available until the end of the new year's festival." Gan Tian Chi was at wit's end talking to this girl.

Seeing Gan Tian Chi standing in one place, Xue'er asked him: "Aren't you going to leave?"

[You didn't want me to.]

"Goodbye!" He said as he disappeared, leaving the little girl in the room all by herself.

Once he was gone, Xue'er let out a sigh, maybe he is trying to allow her to take this opportunity to learn from observations.

Looking at the bed, Gan Tian Chi had left her a small cloth bundle on the bed. The bundle was made from a thick, water-resistant canvas, it was extremely durable, preferably for travels. The small bundle was wrapped with care.

She could tell that Gan Tian Chi had left it for her.

Opening it up slowly, Xue'er could see there were a few more changes of clothing and a small pouch of silvers.

Weighing it in her palm, she could tell it was at least thirty taels in the bag. Thinking about it, this could be considered the first time in her life she had contact with actual currency.

Thinking about the past decade, when she did not have contact with any type of currency whatsoever, but she did come into contact with medicines that was worth more than its weight in gold.

It was ironic, Xue'er couldn't help but smile.

She threw the pouch of silvers in her hand into her bag, that was like a black hole, willing to swallow up anything given to it.

She would not need any money to survive.

Putting the bundle to the side, she jumped onto the bed, allowing the darkness to swallow her whole. She sat in a meditative lotus position, allowing her mind to go into a deep calmness.

She would spend this night to herself.

Sleep was not a necessity for her before she entered the underground cave, she could already survive for months without it, and now, she needed it even less. There was always a dilemma on how she would spend those sleepless nights.

She would mostly spend that time reading books and gaining more knowledge, there was nothing better than reading a found book that no one had laid their eyes upon for ages, it was a good feeling.

Taking a deep breath, she could smell the scent of iron and copper in the air, she could feel her taste buds react to the taste of the foul iron in her lips. Although she knew it was happening far away, she felt that it was just right in front of her.

[I wonder what Gan Tian Chi is doing?]