Wu Jian coldly watched the men in his hands struggle to breathe. Their faces had already turned bright purple from lack of oxygen.

“Well? Do you two have anything to say for yourself?”

“I… ack… I’m… so… rry…”

“So… so… rr… y…”

It was hard to decipher their words, though that was Wu Jian’s fault. Talking when being strangled was tough. However, Wu Jian heard it well enough, and he threw both men to the ground, at the feet of the food stall owner and his family.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. Well? What are you waiting for?!”

Neither man said anything, and Wu Jian soon found out why when the remaining three attacked him. A woman’s scream echoed around them as two came at him from either side and one came at him from behind. He had already known what they were doing. He sensed them moving within his spatial perception and knew they would attack the moment they had the opportunity.

The first man struck him with a flail--or he tried.

[Spatial Lock]

Wu Jian locked him in place. The man couldn’t even struggle. He just stood there, frozen in midswing.

Spinning around, Wu Jian dodged a thrust aimed at his head, leapt into the air, and struck the man’s sword-wielding hand with his heel. A squawk of pain was followed by the sound of a weapon clattering to the ground. Wu Jian didn’t stop there. He thrust out his hand and manipulated space once more, catching hold of the third assailant and dragging him through space. The man crashed into the sword-wielder he had just disarmed and they both tumbled to the ground.

All that happened in less than five seconds.

Wu Jian turned back to the men he had been strangling and found Mei Ling standing over them. They were both unconscious and frothing at the mouth. He sadly hadn’t see what she had done, but from the pale faces of the food stall owner and his family, it must have been quite the sight.

It looked like all of the men were down for the count, and so, with a sigh, Wu Jian turned the food stall back upright. He checked it for structural damage, of which there was fortunately none. He then turned back to the family he had protected.

“Are you okay?”

“We are fine,” the father said. Despite his words, he still seemed wary. Now that Wu Jian was paying attention, he seemed even warier of them than he did those thugs. “I appreciate your help.” Wu Jian’s cloak had been thrown back, so his robes were on display, and the father’s eyes hardened. “You’re members of the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

“Huh? Oh, yes, we are…”

“I see. Well, thank you all the same.”

There was something odd about the way this man spoke. Although he was extending his gratitude, his voice was harsh and somewhat grating, like he was struggling to contain his emotions.

“... S’all your fault…”

It was just a whisper, but Wu Jian picked it up, and he glanced at the young child who was glaring at him and Mei Ling.

“Excuse me?” Wu Jian asked, confused.

“I said it’s all your fault!” the boy shouted.

“Meng!” the father scolded, but the boy continued unabated.

“All my friends are dead because of you! My aunty is dead because of you! Give them back! Give them back to me!!”

The father and mother paled as the boy glared and shouted at Wu Jian, who was too confused to do anything but stare. It was a good thing his mask covered his face. Mei Ling looked a little pale, but she didn’t seem bothered either.

“I… am so sorry for my son’s crass words. Please, forgive him.”

“It’s fine,” Wu Jian waved him off. He didn’t understand enough right now to be bothered.

“We should go,” Mei Ling said.

“… Right.”

They couldn’t just leave the thugs there, as there was no telling what they would do when they woke up, so Wu Jian and Mei Ling handed them off to some guards dressed in uniforms of the Heavenly Sword Sect. The guards were quite stoic. Emotionless almost. Wu Jian didn’t say anything about it as they left, but once they went back to searching for an inn, he could not help but voice his thoughts.

“The people here… do not like our sect, do they?”

Mei Ling remained stoic as she answered. “You cannot blame them. The Heavenly Sword Sect came here because our Lady Oracle said there was going to be trouble brewing. However, it seemed that we were the ones who caused the trouble. I don’t know the specifics, but I do know that we sent Elder Yan Huo here to deal with the problem, and instead of resolving it, he made the situation worse.”

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“Elder Yan Huo? Who is that?”

“He was once a prominent elder, but he’s dead now. He was killed during the incident where a horde of magical beasts appeared out of nowhere and ravaged the Yuan Peninsula.”

“I see…”

“Because of that incident, the remaining citizens who continue to live here blame us for what happened. They cannot do anything overt because of our power. However, they cannot help but hate us because of what happened. I understand their feelings to an extent. Anyway, let us find an inn to stay at.”

Wu Jian had to wonder why they needed to find an inn, but he soon realized there was no place for the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples to stay at. They did not have an embassy here. It was likely because of what happened.

They eventually found a place as the sun was setting. Yuan Lotus Inn stood as a humble beacon of respite in the midst of Du City’s ongoing reconstruction. Located on the fringes of the capital, it was nestled among fragments of a once bustling street, warm lanterns lining the building like beacons guiding weary travelers to rest.

It was a simple two-story structure, its exterior walls freshly repainted in shades of white and blue, reminiscent of a lotus pond under the moonlight. A pair of crumbling stone lions guarded the entrance.

Wu Jian and Mei Ling walked in. The inn exuded an air of rustic charm, though it was somewhat marred. The main hall boasted a large wooden counter, where the innkeeper stood ready to assist guests. Mei Ling kept her cloak covering her outfit as she walked over to the counter. Wu Jian followed, eying the hand-carved wooden screens that separated various seating areas. The screens provided privacy for guests to relax. Tapestries lined the walls, showcasing serene landscapes with azure waters and vibrant vegetation, though several of them were torn.

“Excuse me. I would like to rent a room, preferably, one with two separate bedrooms and a connecting living room,” Mei Ling said.

The young innkeeper smiled, but it was strained. “Miss, we are but a humble inn of modest means. We have nothing like that.”

Mei Ling pursed her lips. “Then what do you have?”

“We have five single bed rooms, and two double bed rooms.”

Mei Ling glanced at Wu Jian. He starred back. She seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of rooming with him, but he was not about to put up with this.

“We’ll take two single bed rooms,” he said.

“But--”

“I do not want to share a room with you.” Mei Ling bristled a little, but he shook his head before she could talk. “Do not get me wrong. I am merely following my principals. I already have someone special and do not feel like putting myself in a situation where my integrity can be compromised.”

“I see,” Mei Ling muttered softly and settled down.

“A single room is ten silver coins per night. Two rooms per night is twenty silver coins.”

It had been so long since Wu Jian had to use the money commoners did. He’d been running around with the cultivator crowd, who always used spirit stones as their coinage, but spirit stones were worth far more than the copper, silver, and gold coins of the common people. It was a miracle he even had the money to pay for his room.

Mei Ling paid for her own room.

“We’ll settle in and meet back up at the tavern attached to the inn,” Mei Ling said. Wu Jian answered with a simple nod.

Guest rooms at this inn were modest but clean. Wooden sliding doors open to reveal simple paneled flooring. A low-sitting wooden table sat in the center, with simple pillows aligning it for people to sit on. There was no bed. Instead, what the room offered was a futon. The Yuan Peninsula was a humid nation, so a futon, with its lighter fabric, would be more comfortable than a warm bed.

After checking out his room, Wu Jian headed into the tavern, which was a small extension of the inn, standing as a humble refuge amid the ongoing reconstruction. The entrance was unadorned, a simple wooden sign featuring a lotus emblem hung above the door. He entered and found the atmosphere inside to be straightforward and functional. The tavern lacked elaborate decorations but made up for it with an air of authenticity. Dim lanterns hung from exposed wooden beams overhead, casting a soft, warm light over the worn wooden tables and chairs.

Mei Ling was already present, sitting at one of the tables. It seemed this tavern had no private alcoves. Wu Jian walked over to her, glancing only briefly at the long wooden counter that served as a bar. The man behind it eyed him as he polished a glass. Once Wu Jian sat down, Mei Ling got straight to business.

“How much do you know about the Azure Sovereign Serpent?”

“Only what I have read so far. It is a powerful magical beast at the peak of the Seeker Realm, making it much stronger than either of us. According to the basic text I read the previous night, it has the power to unleash devastating elemental attacks, control water, and shroud itself in an aura that makes it nearly impervious. To top it off, its skin is harder to cut than meteor ore and its long body is over dozens shichen long.”

A waiter came over to take their orders. They did not have much in the way of meals. Wu Jian and Mei Ling ordered a simple jiao yan you yu and hulatang--salt and pepper fried squid and hot pepper soup. Once the waiter left to have their meals prepared, Mei Ling turned back to him.

“The Azure Sovereign Serpent is an ancient and fearsome magical beast that was said to have died out long ago. The reason it appeared now is because it was summoned from the past. It was part of the horde that destroyed this nation. However, it managed to escape the Heavenly Sword Sect’s purge and has been roaming an underground network within the Yuan Mountain Range.”

Wu Meiying had already given him a rundown of what happened, so he understood the basics. Thinking about it now, it was obvious to him why the people of this nation would not like the Heavenly Sword Sect. In either event, the Azure Sovereign Serpent was normally something that an elder would be sent to take care of.

“And the reason they gave this mission to disciples instead of an elder is because sending a high-ranking cultivator to deal with the Azure Sovereign Serpent could be met with resistance and suspicion.” Wu Jian leaned forward on the table.

Mei Ling smiled bitterly and nodded. “Correct.”

The Heavenly Sword Sect was already under fierce scrutiny from every nation thanks to the debacle they were involved in with the magical beast hordes. They were only able to maintain their position right now due to their overwhelming strength. However, that did not mean they could afford to do whatever they wanted. A powerful lion could be toppled by a horde of ants.

By assigning this mission to disciples instead of elders, it showed that the sect was willing to take proactive steps to mend the relations and prove its commitment to rectifying its mistakes, while at the same time avoiding suspicion and creating more distrust.

Their food soon arrived. Wu Jian and Mei Ling spoke a little more as they ate their simple meals. They planned on setting off tomorrow. Wu Jian knew it was bad form given how destitute the people of this nation were, but he could not help but feel excited about the idea of taking on such a powerful magical beast.