The innkeeper's face grew increasingly grim as he saw more and more people gathering outside through the crack in the door.
He hadn't wanted to meddle, but these people clearly weren't ordinary. If he didn't warn them and something happened later, he might offend them. But if he let them dine in his establishment, perhaps he'd become collateral damage in a coming disaster.
After a moment of deliberation, the innkeeper bowed to them with a subservient and pleading tone. "Honored guests, please take your belongings and leave through our backyard! If our little bully Qi arrives soon, I fear you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"
Upon hearing the innkeeper's words, everyone was bewildered. Leng Nuo directly asked, "What little bully Qi? Who is he?"
"He's the youngest son of our Fuyuan County Magistrate. His mother is the niece of our town mayor. For some reason, he's been living in our Yong'an Town recently. He's not a reasonable person! He's always harassing cats and dogs, causing trouble. He likes to wander around when he has nothing else to do, and he's especially gluttonous! If any household has particularly delicious food, they must send a portion to him. Otherwise, if he finds out, the least he'll do is make that family's lives a living hell!" The innkeeper spoke with a worried expression, his eyes practically overflowing with the plea for them to leave quickly.
"Does the innkeeper mean that either we give a portion of the food we brought today to this Young Master Qi, or we won't be able to eat it ourselves?"
The innkeeper scratched his head, surprised that these people still had the leisure to ask questions. "Not being able to eat it is the least of it. I fear you might not even be able to leave Yong'an Town!"
Leng Nuo became intrigued. The innkeeper was so afraid; perhaps the other party was a martial arts expert? "Oh? Is that Little Bully Qi so formidable? Is his martial arts skill very high?"
The innkeeper glanced outside, his face looking as if he was about to cry. "Oh dear! Honored guests, please stop asking and leave quickly! If you delay any longer, I fear you truly won't be able to leave."
Leng Nuo placed a hand on his shoulder, pressing him to sit down. "It's alright, we're not afraid of him. Just answer my questions."
The innkeeper shot up as if his backside were on fire. "You may not be afraid, but we are! We run a small business, and our family's livelihood depends on it. If Little Bully Qi targets us, we won't have good days ahead!"
"Leng Nuo, forget it! Don't trouble the innkeeper anymore. Let's take our things and leave through his back door!" Huo Qiyuan saw that the innkeeper's fear was genuine. He wasn't afraid of this "little bully," but he didn't want to cause real trouble for the innkeeper.
As the saying goes, a county magistrate is not as good as a current supervisor. Unless they could uproot the entire influence of that Little Bully Qi in the town, the inn would certainly face repercussions and discrimination after they left.
Su Muqing thought the same. Their initial purpose for coming wasn't truly to eat. She took out a two-liang silver ingot and handed it to the waiter as payment for their tea and a place to rest.
The waiter was the innkeeper's eldest son, appearing to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. Seeing the silver ingot Su Muqing handed over, he shyly glanced at her and then, blushing, retreated.
He thought this young master was truly handsome, with a fair complexion and red lips. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. And that man with white hair, he looked so distinguished. It was no wonder his father had risked a warning to them to leave.
Seeing Su Muqing's action of handing over the silver, the innkeeper hurried to stop her. "Oh dear! Honored guest, you haven't eaten anything, just had a bit of tea. We dare not accept so much money from you. Furthermore, we've been poor hosts today, and now we're asking you to leave, so we absolutely cannot accept your money! Please hurry and go!"
"Innkeeper, you needn't be so concerned. Instead of refusing me here, it would be better to accept the money and leave immediately. That way, you and the inn won't have any trouble." Su Muqing said as she slipped the silver into his hand, then took the lead towards the backyard.
The group passed through the main hall to the courtyard. As they passed the kitchen, a younger woman and an old woman in her sixties were washing bedsheets by the well. A child with double buns, whose gender was indistinguishable, was running around nearby.
Su Muqing found the child quite cute, so she stopped and extended her hand towards it. In her palm was a lollipop. The child wasn't shy at all and ran over with bouncy steps.
"Little friend, here's this for you. Try pulling it." Seeing the colorful wrapper in Su Muqing's hand, the little girl's eyes sparkled.
The innkeeper, seeing Su Muqing playing with his youngest daughter, forgot to urge them to leave and couldn't help but stop.
The little girl stepped forward and grabbed the lollipop. She discovered there was more than one and began to pull. It extended about three to four meters. Su Muqing felt it was enough and broke off the lollipop's connection.
"These candies are a gift from your sister. I hope you grow up quickly and are happy every day! Alright, let's go!" Huo Qiyuan stepped forward, took Su Muqing's hand, and the group continued towards the back door.
"I apologize again to all of you. I'm truly sorry. If you have the chance to visit my humble shop again, I will certainly host you well." The innkeeper apologized with a smile and bowed to them again. Then, he pulled open the back door, preparing to usher them out.
However, the moment the door opened, Su Muqing pulled Huo Qiyuan to a halt. The innkeeper was bewildered. He turned to look and discovered that the doorway was now filled with people.
Just then, the waiter who had been in the main hall also hurried over. "Father, Father, many people have come to the front. Little Bully Qi is here too; he's sitting at the front!"
The innkeeper's face turned ashen upon hearing this. It was over! It was truly over! He hadn't expected Little Bully Qi to be so fast. It seemed these people at the back door were specifically called to block them!
"Wh-what should we do?" The innkeeper stomped his feet in anxiety. Now that he had helped outsiders, if Little Bully Qi targeted them, their family would have no peace for days to come!
Before the innkeeper could figure out what to say, a greasy man wearing a low-cut burlap shirt emerged from the back door, pointing at the innkeeper's nose and roaring fiercely.
"Wang Changwen, you have immense nerve! Don't you understand the rules of our Yong'an Town? Or do you not put our Young Master Qi in your eyes? You dare to let go of the fat sheep that were already in your grasp, and you did it privately. What? Are you tired of your peaceful days and want us brothers to visit your inn more often?"