Chapter 47: Dream
“Yasi! Xiaoyu!”
“In here!” Zhou Xiaoyu responded instinctively.
“Wait! Who are you?!” Yasi quickly pulled Xiaoyu behind her, leveling a vigilant glare at the filthy man standing before them.
A few days ago, word had reached them that the wretched, ailing Luo Qi had dispatched thugs to harass them again. If a passerby hadn’t intervened, they would have been in serious trouble. Now, this stranger had suddenly appeared; for all she knew, he was Luo Qi’s latest hire. One shop might have refused the job, but there were always those willing to do dirty work for the right price. After all, terrorizing two women was easy money.
The more Yasi thought about it, the more anxious she became. She tugged Xiaoyu back, scanning the lobby for a crowd to duck into so they could make their escape.
“What are you talking about? Yasi, are you going senile?!” The dirty man looked at her in confusion. He wiped a smudge from his face, revealing a patch of fair skin. “It’s me!”
Yasi froze. That voice was incredibly familiar.
It was Zhou Xiaoyu who first confirmed the identity of the newcomer. “Xiaoxi?”
Yasi finally snapped out of it and gasped. “Xiaoxi! How did you end up looking like this?”
The two women relaxed and stepped forward, but before they could get close, a pungent, foul odor hit them. Startled, they immediately recoiled several steps, covering their noses.
Lu Yunxi’s eye twitched. She was too exhausted to argue. She simply tossed a generous sum of money to the waiter and requested three buckets of hot water. She marched into her room and began a frantic scrubbing session.
In an act of mercy for everyone’s noses, Yasi kindly offered her own expensive flower petals, which she had purchased specifically for her baths.
An hour later, Lu Yunxi emerged, looking and smelling refreshed. The room was still thick with steam and humidity, so the three of them decided to sit in the first-floor lobby and ordered a plate of roasted peanuts.
“I didn’t get that dirty even when I was pretending to be a bandit’s hostage in a cave!” Yasi complained.
Lu Yunxi slumped into her seat with a heavy thud. “Alas, I was training in the mountains for a while. I looked a bit rough when I came out… Anyway, I just got kicked out of the academy. You two should at least offer me some comfort, right?”
She winked suggestively at Yasi. “If nothing else, I want to try the inn’s signature banquet!”
Xiaoyu’s heart softened at Yunxi’s pitiful tone. She quickly tried to console her. “I can’t afford the inn’s banquet, but my cooking is actually quite good. Xiaoxi, if you want to eat, I can—”
Yasi rolled her eyes and patted Xiaoyu’s hand. “Xiaoyu, you are far too naive! Do you really think Xiaoxi would have left the academy if she didn’t want to? She likely wanted to leave for a long time and just seized the opportunity. I bet she even made off with some benefits.”
Lu Yunxi: “…”
Yasi really did know her too well. She had hit the nail right on the head. What a shame, Yunxi thought. I was hoping to guilt them into a feast at Tongfu Inn!
The locals in Jinzhou raved about this place. The banquet menu at Tongfu Inn changed with the seasons, but it was legendary for its quality. Unfortunately, it required a two-week advance reservation and cost a staggering one gold coin. With the exchange rate being 1,000 copper to a silver and 1,000 silver to a gold, that single meal cost a whopping 1,000 silver coins.
Lu Yunxi did some quick mental math. Yup… even if I pooled every copper I’ve ever earned, I wouldn’t have enough for this meal.
Just as Yunxi was mourning the feast, Yasi suddenly spoke up. “However… I happen to be in a very good mood today. I’ll treat the two of you to the Tongfu banquet!”
Both Lu Yunxi and Zhou Xiaoyu stared at her in shock.
“That… maybe we should forget it? It’s far too expensive,” Xiaoyu stammered. Having just heard the explanation of the costs, she felt incredibly uneasy.
Lu Yunxi was also surprised. Her request had been a joke. She had been worried about how they would react to the news of her dismissal and didn’t want them doing something reckless out of anger. She certainly didn’t want to end up visiting them in prison!
Who knew Yasi would actually agree?
“Yasi, are you secretly a millionaire?!” Yunxi sat bolt upright. “One thousand silver! That isn’t just a coin or two!”
Yasi smoothed her hair and gave a charming, mysterious smile. “Do you think I’m like you? A skilled spellcaster can earn a fortune with just a single commission.”
“Sugar mama, take me away!” Lu Yunxi teased, lunging forward to playfully hug Yasi’s legs, making all three of them burst into laughter.
Watching them smile, Yunxi felt a pang of sympathy. Yasi must harbor some regrets. She hadn’t known how to use magic when she was younger; it was only after her parents passed that she found the ancestral secret books while clearing out their home and began her path as a caster.
Yasi, however, looked perfectly content. She struck a noble, distant pose and raised a hand gracefully. “My dear, you may rise!”
The group continued their playful banter. “The banquet won’t be ready for a while… The Gu family came by to apologize earlier and left us some gifts. We can look through them together.”
“Actually, they sent me something as well,” Lu Yunxi and Xiaoyu said in unison.
Surprised, they began to compare their gifts.
“Is this White Jade Cream? It’s a legendary healing salve!” Yasi looked at the jar Xiaoyu had produced. “This is perfect for the scars on your face, Xiaoyu. If you use this consistently, they should fade significantly! And these herbs… they are specifically for the eyes. These are top-tier ingredients.”
Yasi had received a Green-grade spellbook, an item that must have been incredibly difficult for the Gu family to procure.
Lu Yunxi, meanwhile, had received a bottle of rare elixir. Upon consuming it, her skill proficiency skyrocketed, upgrading every single one of her skills by one level. It was a miracle drug! She was overjoyed; she no longer had to spend weeks grinding for proficiency.
Unfortunately, the elixir was a one-of-a-kind treasure the Gu family had found by chance. It was irreplaceable, and Lu Yunxi had already downed the whole bottle.
In addition to the items, the three of them had each been gifted a three-story house in Jinzhou. The properties were located near the city center but tucked away from the noise. Each house was already fully furnished in a unique, beautiful style.
“The Gu family really went all out,” Lu Yunxi sighed. “Even though they were the source of the trouble, they really can’t be blamed for Luo Qi’s character.”
The three friends were so absorbed in their discussion that they didn’t notice a ragged man outside the window, staring at the items on their table with burning envy—specifically the bottle in front of Lu Yunxi.
That bottle… wasn’t that the legendary pill he had dreamed of? Damn the Gu family! He had begged them for it for so long, yet they had denied him, only to gift it to a complete stranger!
“AHHH—!” a shrill scream erupted.
The three women turned just in time to see a beggar, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, charging toward their table.
Fortunately, the inn’s security was top-notch. A burly guard intercepted the beggar with one hand. The man was beaten and tossed back into the street before he could even get within three meters of them.
“You little rat, you’ve got some nerve trying to rob us! If you show your face here again, I’ll break your legs!”
From that day forward, Jinzhou City lost a scholar named Luo Qi, and gained a lame beggar.
