Chapter 067: Four Dishes and One Soup

Lin Zhan scratched his head, feeling a bit annoyed—this was his own oversight. Today was his first time using spirit stones as currency.

A top-grade spirit stone equaled a hundred mid-grade ones, and a mid-grade stone equaled a hundred low-grade stones. Converted, one top-grade spirit stone was worth ten thousand low-grade stones. Here, “one piece” referred to the official weight and size.

The spirit stone Lin Zhan held in his hand was two or three times larger than normal, equivalent to thirty or forty thousand low-grade spirit stones. Naturally, a small inn like this couldn’t make change for such an amount.

“So, how much does it cost to stay here for one night?” Lin Zhan quickly searched the Nine Star Space, flipping through the loot in the storage rings he had seized. He remembered there were some low and mid-grade spirit stones inside.

The innkeeper, seeing such a wealthy labor disciple, beamed with smiles. He held up five fingers and said, “Not much, only five low-grade spirit stones for a superior ice room.”

“Oh... alright... alright.” Lin Zhan nearly blurted out how cheap it was, but quickly corrected himself.

“Friend, if you don’t mind, I could cover your fee for now?” A white-robed man walked over from the dining area, round-headed with prominent ears and thick lips. His eyes sparkled with sharpness, and his smile seemed sincere.

Of course, Lin Zhan could see that the sincerity was only skin-deep; this man was up to no good.

Lin Zhan waved his hand. “Thank you, but there’s no need. I have small change.”

He produced a mid-grade spirit stone, tossing it to the innkeeper. “Please prepare a superior ice room for me, and bring a few of your specialty dishes. If you have good wine, fetch a jug as well.”

The white-robed youth returned to his seat in frustration, but a flash of cruelty flickered in his eyes before it disappeared.

The innkeeper was all smiles as he received the spirit stone, immediately giving instructions. He personally led Lin Zhan to a window-side table. “Young friend, please wait a moment. Your food and drink will soon arrive. Also—”

He paused, and quietly whispered in Lin Zhan’s ear, “Be careful of that white-robed gentleman.”

Lin Zhan made no comment, settling himself. Soon, a waiter brought four dishes and a soup, all specialties of the snowy peak region.

There was Seven-Spice Chicken stir-fried with chili, a steamed Clear Sky Fish a foot long, a heaping platter of spirit bamboo shoots stir-fried with flying rabbit meat, and a colorful Dragon Beard vegetable dish. The soup was a steaming bowl of sour and spicy snow tofu. The combination set Lin Zhan’s appetite ablaze.

He hadn’t had a proper meal in ages, and nearly shed tears of joy. Pouring himself a full bowl of Forget-the-West Wine, he drank in one gulp and began to devour the feast.

“Drinking alone is less joyful than sharing with friends. Why not join tables, and we can all drink together?” Lin Zhan looked up to see the white-robed youth holding his bowl aloft, acting overly familiar and visibly arrogant.

His table was surrounded by seven or eight people, all dressed as attendants.

“Heh...” Lin Zhan picked up a Dragon Beard vegetable, chewing as he spoke, “Thanks again for earlier, but I don’t think we know each other well. I prefer a quiet meal alone. How about this—your table’s on me?”

“Bang!” The sound of someone slamming the table erupted. An attendant jumped up, furious. “Kid, don’t be ungrateful!”

Others chimed in, “Exactly! Our Lord Wei is showing you respect by inviting you. You’re just a labor disciple, don’t overstep!”

“What, you’re paying for us? Are you saying our Lord Wei has no money?”

“Do you know who Lord Wei is? He’s not someone you can afford to offend…”

The innkeeper came out from behind the counter, his face drawn with worry. Yet he hesitated, not daring to intervene.

Guests at nearby tables sensed trouble; the bold stepped aside, the timid had already left.

Lin Zhan feigned confusion and replied, “Lord Wei? Sorry, I haven’t heard of him!”

He didn’t want trouble, but wasn’t afraid of it either. If these pests insisted on provoking him, Lin Zhan would show no mercy.

“You!” The so-called Lord Wei, the white-robed youth, felt utterly humiliated. The smile he had carefully maintained vanished. “Hmph! Since you refuse to appreciate kindness, I’ll have you arrested as a traitor colluding with the demon tribe and thrown in jail by my father!”

At once, his table of attendants surged forward, surrounding Lin Zhan’s table like wolves.

“Damn it, is this my unlucky day? Rarely do I get to enjoy a proper four dishes and a soup, and now they’re accusing me of colluding with demons!” He cursed inwardly, but outwardly he ignored these villains. If they tried anything, Lin Zhan would make them pay dearly.

“Please, Lord Wei, heroes of the Wei mansion, and young friend, could you consider the difficulties of my humble inn and not act rashly?” The innkeeper ran over, trembling, forcing a smile.

He couldn’t afford to offend them, but failing to intervene would be negligence as a host.

Lord Wei was the most powerful young master of the Wei mansion in this region, infamous for his misdeeds. Recently, he specialized in swindling passing disciples from various sects, incurring much resentment.

He especially preyed on young female cultivators on their first journeys, leering at them shamelessly. Just a few days ago, he reportedly assaulted a female disciple from Shadow Peak who had been separated from her sisters. The girl subsequently disappeared, likely murdered and her body destroyed.

This incident was unknown to the outside world; Lord Wei himself bragged about it at the Fuyang Inn while drinking, and the innkeeper happened to overhear.

Now that they targeted Lin Zhan, the innkeeper understood their intentions all too well: they had their eyes on Lin Zhan’s top-grade spirit stone, hoping to swindle it. If that failed, they’d resort to force—pure banditry.

Such villains were beyond the innkeeper’s ability to handle. That he dared to intervene at all was remarkable.

Lin Zhan appreciated the innkeeper’s gesture and replied, “Old brother, don’t worry. Lord Wei is still quite civilized; he won’t act recklessly.”

Lin Zhan was no longer a green novice. On the shores of the Lake of Flames, he’d wiped out teams of yellow-rank experts and ninth-grade human-rank cultivators. What was his secret? Sheer fighting prowess, and boundless battle spirit!

Facing opponents many times stronger and several ranks higher, he could still dispatch them with ease—one punch, one swing of the hammer, dozens slain. Would he let these petty thieves run rampant?

No matter who backed them, if they crossed him, he’d slaughter them without hesitation!

Seeing Lin Zhan unmoved and unflinching, Lord Wei’s henchmen grew furious, turning the innkeeper into their first target.

“Old fool, how dare you meddle in Lord Wei’s affairs? Die!”

A burly man spun around, charging at the innkeeper with lightning speed, swinging to slap his face…