Seventh Brother entered the inn, while Ninth Brother, Fifteenth Brother, and the little one waited outside. They leaned against the wall at the base of the inn’s exterior, watching the crowds passing by on the street.
Xiao Hei hated waiting idly in busy places the most. He turned his head and said, “I am going to check on Seventh Uncle.”
With that, he tried to run towards the main entrance of the inn, but Mu Aotie promptly held him back.
Yu Qing immediately pointed at him and scolded, “Where do you think you are going? Do you even know what it means to be judged by appearances? Look at you, dressed like a beggar. Do you really believe they will not throw you out the moment you step inside?”
“Who would dare?” Xiao Hei raised the stick in his hand. “I will beat them up!”
“Are you out of your mind?” Yu Qing slapped the back of his head with a loud smack, then pointed at him and warned, “Listen carefully. This is not Youjiao Wharf. If you cause trouble here, people will not give you any face. Even your father could not save you. They would beat you to death right here, and then the monsters around here would eat you straight up.”
Xiao Hei planted his stick on the ground, looking as if he were not afraid at all.
Yu Qing, however, had no choice but to discipline him. He had thought that Wu Hei would show up once they arrived here and keep an eye on the boy, so he could hand him over and be free of the burden. Now it seemed he could not afford to be careless. If this clueless little brat who knew nothing about rules caused a disaster, he would fall into a pit himself.
While the two elders gave the little one a thorough scolding, Nan Zhu strutted out of the main entrance of the inn with his head held high, followed by the inn’s attendants bowing and scraping to see him off.
When Nan Zhu walked back over, he did not greet Yu Qing and the others. He walked past them as if he did not know them at all, leaving the three of them speechless.
Only after reaching a spot where the inn’s entrance was out of sight did Nan Zhu turn back and wave at the three of them, signalling them to follow.
The three of them quickly walked over, and Yu Qing naturally asked, “What is the meaning of this? Why pretend you do not know us? Are you afraid we will embarrass you?”
Nan Zhu did not bother to hide it. “Since you asked me to go in, I need to save face, alright? Look at the three of you. One has a sleazy little moustache, one looks like a starving dog, and the last is a barefoot beggar. If people see me hanging out with you lot, would I look like a rich man?”
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie were left speechless, feeling as if they had been slapped in the face. They truly experienced the bitterness of being poor. Not daring to enter places for the rich was bad enough, but to be looked down upon by their own people just because they were poor was simply too much.
“Tch!” Yu Qing showed a look of disdain, turned around, and walked away. “Then we will not get in your way. When you find a place to stay, you can pay for it yourself.”
Mu Aotie immediately grabbed Xiao Hei and left as well.
“Ah, look at you two. Why can you not take a joke?” Nan Zhu quickly caught up and changed his tune. “I listened to you, Fifteenth, and played the part of a rich man inside. Did you not see how respectful they were to me? This is a special place. I could not let them see I was bluffing, or they might fly into a rage and beat us up.”
Yu Qing knew he could not shake him off, so he said impatiently, “Cut the nonsense. Just tell me directly. What is the going rate for an inn of this calibre?”
Nan Zhu sighed, “I already told you to leave. What else could the rate be? It is definitely beyond our means. The cheapest room costs eight thousand taels of silver a day, but the environment and accommodation inside are absolutely excellent. The security is also absolutely guaranteed. They made it clear that one of the backers is a prominent figure from Thousand Flow Mountain.
I also did some asking around and figured it out. This place is truly different from Youjiao Wharf. Unlike the people from Youjiao Cliff, who never claim territory in Youjiao Wharf, the prominent figures here at Thousand Flow Mountain have basically set up profitable businesses in the Sea Market.
Let me put it this way. Have you noticed that the houses in the Sea Market are basically quite cramped? As for the ones that are not cramped and look distinctly different, the real owners behind them are mostly prominent figures from Thousand Flow Mountain. The property prices in the Sea Market are the most expensive in the world. To acquire such property in this mixed and chaotic place, having money alone is not enough.”
Yu Qing nodded silently after listening, realising that Nan Zhu was still more suited to gathering intelligence than Mu Aotie.
Since they could not afford it, they could only continue looking for cheaper inns. It was just that the streets of the Sea Market were truly chaotic enough.
Just then, they heard a crisp hawking voice and bumped into a half demon carrying a bag and selling hand drawn maps of the Sea Market.
She was a young female demon, obviously a fox demon, with a pair of fox ears that had not fully transformed away. Her face was quite pretty, her skin fair, and she exuded a youthful and energetic vibe.
The hand drawn maps cost five hundred taels each. It was a bit expensive, but considering they would still need it later, Yu Qing gritted his teeth and bought one.
Naturally, he also took the opportunity to ask for directions and whether there were any cheaper inns nearby.
Hearing that they were looking for a cheap inn, the young demon’s bright eyes sparkled. She glanced at Xiao Hei’s bare feet and immediately said enthusiastically, “Yes, there are. Come, I will show you the way.”
Well, they had actually run into a kind soul! The three martial brothers exchanged glances, instantly feeling that the five hundred taels were well spent.
People are just like that. Whether rich or poor, as long as the service is good, they will feel it is worth the money.
Having a guide was naturally a good thing, so the group immediately followed her. Xiao Hei kept staring curiously at the young demon’s ears.
Very soon, the young demon led them to an inn nearby, which looked far inferior in class to the previous one.
The group went inside the inn to ask about the room rates, but the young demon shrank back outside and did not go in. It seemed she did not want the attendants inside to see her, nor did she leave. She just waited outside.
Before long, the three adults and one child came out, clearly not planning to stay here.
The truth was, the room rates here were still a bit hard for them to accept. The most ordinary room cost three thousand taels each. According to the inn’s rules, the four of them would need two rooms, meaning they would have to spend six thousand taels a day just on accommodation. In ten days, that would be sixty thousand taels.
At this price, they truly could not afford it. They did not know how long they would have to stay here, so they had to spend their money frugally.
Of course, this inn also offered dormitory style accommodation, with ten bunks in a single room. Calculated per head, it was one thousand taels a day per person. It was cheaper than a private room, but lacked any privacy. Even so, it was still too expensive for them.
Besides, the money was not spent in vain. The inn made it clear that they had connections in Thousand Flow Mountain. As long as you were a guest of their inn, if you ran into minor trouble in the Sea Market, the inn would step in to help sort it out. If you ran into major trouble and needed it, the inn could also help contact people who could handle it. As for the cost, you would just have to figure that out yourself.
Seeing that the young demon was still waiting for them outside, Yu Qing and the others were somewhat surprised.
The young demon took the initiative to come over and asked with apparent curiosity, “What is wrong? Is the inn not to your liking?”
Yu Qing chuckled and said, “The room rates are a bit too expensive. Our purses are rather light.”
After all, this young demon was just a street vendor and clearly not rich. Since they were of the same social class, there was no need to hide it, unlike Nan Zhu earlier who had to pretend to be wealthy.
The young demon said oh, showing her understanding, and then repeatedly apologised, “I am sorry, I am sorry. It is my fault, my fault. I will take you to find a cheaper one.”
With such an attitude, there was nothing to complain about. The three martial brothers immediately felt that this young demon was quite a good person. She had sold them a map and was providing service to this extent, so what more could be said.
Yu Qing said somewhat awkwardly, “Will this not be too much trouble for you?”
The young demon replied cheerfully, “It is fine. I am wandering the streets anyway, so it will not delay my business. By the way, how long are you planning to stay?”
Yu Qing answered tactfully, “That is not certain.”
The young demon said oh, then patted her chest and said, “Rest assured, I will definitely help you find a place with a satisfactory price.”
The three martial brothers naturally thanked her and then followed her.
Of course, the three martial brothers had fallen into deep pits before. While grateful, they also harboured secret vigilance in their hearts.
There was no helping it. They did not know if it was their illusion, but they always felt the other party was a bit too enthusiastic. Had they truly run into a kind soul, or was this the level of service in the Sea Market?
In short, they would not misunderstand her good intentions, but they would also keep a guard against others, listening to her words and watching her actions.
Since they had become so friendly, the two sides briefly introduced themselves. The young demon was indeed a fox demon, a half demon whose transformation was incomplete due to poor family conditions. Her name was Hu Youli.
Her mother had given her the name. In Hu Youli’s own words, her mother had hoped that when she grew up, she would transform into a beautiful enchantress so she could marry a rich man and live a life superior to other demons and humans. Who would have thought that things would not go as planned? She ended up as a half demon, failing to become a beautiful enchantress and even losing status.
Of course, she felt her parents were quite decent. Although they did not give her a wealthy family background, they had left her a place to stay in the most expensive property market in the world.
The reason she said they had left it to her was that both her parents had passed away. They had participated in a fierce battle and were beaten to death.
The three martial brothers did not know how to comfort her. They had not expected her to tell them this upon their first meeting.
After wandering around for a while, Hu Youli found another inn for them. As before, she hid outside and did not go in.
Before long, the three adults and one child came out again.
The price was a thousand taels cheaper than the previous one, but for their budget, it was still too expensive.
“What, still no good?”
Hu Youli, who had been waiting for them to come out, asked.
Yu Qing gave a bitter smile and decided to be straightforward. “The normal expenses in this Sea Market are ridiculously high. Are there any of the absolute cheapest inns? We would like to go and take a look.”
“I see…” Hu Youli cupped her face with both hands and pondered. Finally, she looked up and said, “The cheapest would be those dormitories divided into upper and lower bunks in a single room, costing two or three hundred taels per bunk. They do not even have basic living facilities, and all sorts of messy people stay there. Conflicts are prone to happen, and they are not suitable for long stays. I do not recommend you stay there. How about I give you a suggestion instead?”
Nan Zhu nodded. “Let us hear it.”
Hu Youli looked at the four of them. “I could actually spare a room in my home for you to stay. You know, as a woman, I would not normally let strange men stay in my house. However, I see you have a child with you, so you probably are not bad people. I will give you a private room for three hundred taels per person, which is one thousand two hundred taels a day. Think about it.”