Chapter 1 No More Rooms

"No rooms left, really, none..." Jin Xiangyu was getting a headache as yet another group of guests arrived at Dragon Gate Inn. And these were the kind of people who didn't understand reason, another group of barbarians. Having grown accustomed to the prosperity of Yun Province, Jin Xiangyu already found Bei Liao rustic and backward, but these people claimed to be from the northeast of Bei Liao. Their attire certainly resembled that of a semi-civilized tribe. The most obvious characteristic was that they had no concept of reason.

There were more than twenty people in this group, led by two men who were responsible for negotiating. Even these two could only speak rudimentary Central Plains language, stumbling and stuttering, making one wonder how they had made it all the way here. The waiters had spent a long time explaining that there were no rooms left, but according to their logic, guests from the farthest places were the most esteemed. By this standard, whoever was currently staying at the inn would have to make room for them. Moreover, they weren't asking for many rooms, just enough to squeeze everyone in, and they were only staying for one night.

Good heavens, at Dragon Gate Inn, hardly anyone stayed for more than three days. Those who did were mostly secret agents or people picking up merchant caravans from afar. Dragon Gate Inn had managed to stay afloat precisely because it maintained a very high room turnover rate.

"If there are no rooms, there are no rooms. The woodshed and storeroom at the back are empty now. Ask them if they'd be willing to stay there. We always have bedding and things like that," Jin Xiangyu said, pointing to a waiter. "Go ask them."

The waiter rushed over and haggled for a long time, finally managing to explain this not-so-complicated idea. Unexpectedly, these unreasonable people, upon hearing that there was a place to stay, didn't care where it was and immediately agreed, following the waiter to get settled. Although the people were settled, the entire inn was crammed full, leaving no room to maneuver, making the standoff between the previous two groups even more tense.

Jin Xiangyu gritted her teeth, her mind racing with various thoughts. What worried her now was that there was no one to consult with. What was going on? Dragon Gate Inn hadn't been so lively in a long time, not since the two sides began their confrontation. Although neither side had taken any measures against the north-south passageways, they had both strengthened inspections of the merchants in those passageways, and any suspicious merchants were directly investigated. Some secret agents who had long been on the intelligence departments' lists, but who had been patiently left unmolested, were being arrested whenever they were encountered. For almost a month, the occupancy rate of Dragon Gate Inn hadn't exceeded forty percent. This sudden surge in occupancy was something the somewhat lax waiters and cooks in the kitchen were not used to.

Suddenly, the front door was pushed open again. Jin Xiangyu, sitting in a small room on the second floor, looking down on the entire hall and front desk, felt another headache coming on, but when that face peeked through the doorway, Jin Xiangyu immediately turned her worry into joy. It was Zhou Rui, one of the liaison officers who was responsible for contacting her and confirming what she needed on her side, and a close confidant of Ye Tao. When Dragon Gate Inn was first established, Zhou Rui was the one who ran around because there wasn't a considerable flow of people yet, and they were afraid of attracting the attention of the Bei Liao side. His uncanny ability to sneak around and disappear left even a master like Jin Xiangyu in awe. But Zhou Rui was, after all, a favorite of Ye Tao, and he couldn't be held up here all the time. It was said that he had gone to Chun Nan on official business a while ago. Just Zhou Rui's appearance here was enough to prove that something very important was about to happen.

Zhou Rui pretended to be exhausted, collapsed on the table, and weakly waved to a waiter, asking for a pound of beef, a large pot of light wheat wine, and some side dishes. The waiter, who had been working here since the inn was founded, went over, and the two pretended to explain the trouble of not having guest meals, asking Zhou Rui to squeeze into the waiter's room. When Zhou Rui arrived at the room, Jin Xiangyu was already waiting there.

"Mr. Zhou, why are you here? Has something major happened?"

"It's not a major event. I'm not here as a messenger this time, but as an assassin," Zhou Rui said with a smile. "It's just that I'm going to have to trouble you again, Big Sister."

Jin Xiangyu asked suspiciously, "Assassin? Who are you going to assassinate?"

"Coming here, it's naturally your guest. Is there a group of about thirty people, led by an old man with white hair and beard, and a robust and sturdy figure?" Zhou Rui asked.

"Yes... said his surname is Xie," Jin Xiangyu said.

"That's the old man," Zhou Rui said. "This guy is no ordinary person. This guy's name is Yang Ming. My job is to make sure this guy doesn't reach Yun Province."

After thinking for a while, Jin Xiangyu finally connected this name with some terrifying details. This Yang Ming was completely worthy of the evaluation of being feared by all. He was one of the top landlords in Bei Liao. Because there were many shady dealings in Bei Liao's land surveying, no one knew exactly how much land he had, but it was an undisputed fact that their family had nearly one hundred thousand tenant households. In Yang Ming's generation, he was extremely strict with the tenants, and in order to accumulate wealth for the family, he had reached the point of disregarding long-term development. It goes without saying that they would work to death in the fields. During the annual rent collection, if they couldn't pay, it was already considered an act of grace if they weren't beaten to death. Although the Bei Liao government didn't like this guy, the Yang family was, in any case, the second-largest supplier of military rations for Bei Liao. Before anyone wanted to touch them, they had to think twice. But under the current circumstances, many Bei Liao civil officials, who didn't agree with the Yang family's violent temperament, joined forces to put pressure on them, finally forcing the Yang family to sell their inventory of military rations, enough for the entire Bei Liao army for two years, to the Bei Liao court at an absolute loss. Although there was much praise on the surface, the Yang family, with their personality, would definitely not be convinced in their hearts. Other families made such great contributions, and at least the court would free up a position above the rank of vice-minister to reward them, but the Yang family didn't get anything. This was partly because the Yang family had briefly raised the price of rice, during Bei Liao's fierce battle with Dong Ping at Zhenbei Pass. That grudge couldn't be resolved.

"The Yang family had thoughts about us, which we said we would acknowledge if they entered Yun Province. Actually, it wouldn't be a problem to acknowledge it now and deal with it slowly later, but you also know that the masters we serve can't tolerate any sand in their eyes. So, I had to run here," Zhou Rui said calmly.

Jin Xiangyu absolutely didn't dare to underestimate Zhou Rui. Zhou Rui had been relatively calm in recent years, staying by Ye Tao's side or busy managing the Special Operations Camp, and hadn't had too many achievements. But in the previous few years, he had single-handedly killed the Snake Eyes of the Dao Ming Sect to the point where they didn't dare to show their faces. He killed so many that Sun Xiaofan begged his master to order the Eagle Hall to assist, which prevented him from becoming a loner. Sun Xiaofan himself had been targeted by Zhou Rui several times. Although he eventually escaped, he lost a hand and an eye, and was no longer the handsome young man he once was. Although Zhou Rui was covered in wounds from a series of battles, he was still alive and kicking, which showed the difference in skill between them.

"Do you need my help?" Jin Xiangyu thought for a moment and asked.

"Big Sister, don't worry, I'm not really planning to do it myself. The day they escaped, our spies who were planted in Bei Liao began spreading rumors that they had betrayed the country. The West Route Army will have to chase them down and kill them for a while. Just make sure none of them can escape. Besides, I'm not alone. After completing this mission, I'll also be responsible for escorting you back to Gondor for further orders. I brought Team A of the Special Operations Camp with me," Zhou Rui said reassuringly.

When Jin Xiangyu heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief, but she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. She had put so much effort into running Dragon Gate Inn for so many years, and she had really fallen in love with this kind of life, and even fallen in love with the hidden identity of Jin Xiangyu. She didn't know what kind of errands she would be assigned in the future.

"What about the other two groups? They don't seem like ordinary people either," Jin Xiangyu asked.

"One group is from the Duanmu family. The other group should indeed be barbarians, but I can't figure out their path. But looking at them, they don't seem to be here to cause trouble, but rather to rush to Yun Province to do something. Looking at what they're carrying, it's all valuable goods. I'm afraid they're seeking something from the adults, right?" Zhou Rui said.

"Alas, I hope so, and I also hope we can get through these days peacefully. A storm is brewing. I'm just afraid that bandits will come to make trouble at this time."

Jin Xiangyu's use of the word "make trouble" was too light. Due to the standoff between the two sides, bandits were like fish in water in the buffer zone. They weren't arrogant either, and they usually helped maintain order in the buffer zone. But if there was any valuable merchandise, they would definitely take action.

Jin Xiangyu and Zhou Rui chatted about the recent situation in Yun Province and the Northern Frontier, and before they knew it, it was evening. Just as Jin Xiangyu was about to say goodbye and go to rest, there was a crack on the roof, which made Jin Xiangyu's heart tremble.

"Finally here. This guy has been hiding in the firewood pile for more than two hours. He's really patient enough," Zhou Rui said, not afraid at all. However, before he could take action, the barbarian in the inn screamed and pounced, wielding his knife in a flurry of chaotic blade light. But his desperate moves startled the person on the roof, who didn't know what to do for a moment. At this time, Jin Xiangyu and Zhou Rui had already leaped out and pounced together.

Zhou Rui was always very ruthless. He always believed that even if he killed the other party, he could still get a lot of information through clues, and trained warriors were always difficult to pry open their mouths with torture. Zhou Rui and Jin Xiangyu attacked together. Not to mention that the person who came was much worse than either of them, even if Liu Yong came, he probably wouldn't get much good out of it. They only heard the person scream, and after taking a palm strike, he crashed to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, took out a flare from his chest, and with a rub and a scratch, a bright fireball shot into the sky. Zhou Rui sighed and reluctantly took out his own flare, lit it, and fired three purple fireballs into the sky in a row.

Perhaps it was a little late. The sound of galloping horses was already ringing around, less than five hundred steps away. Zhou Rui shrugged and looked at Jin Xiangyu, saying, "Big Sister, let's go meet the people below. This time... we have to share a boat with these boring guys for a while."