Chapter 15

After a night of peaceful sleep, Shen Yao Xing woke up feeling refreshed. She sat up on the bed, stretching her arms to loosen her muscles. She was only wearing a thin undergarment, as her mud-stained outer clothes had been thrown on the floor.

Shen Yao Xing picked up her clothes. Some parts were stuck together, too messy to wear. She quietly opened the door a crack and peeked out, intending to call for a waiter.

Strangely, the hallway was empty in the early morning. It was so quiet that she could faintly hear slight movements from the lobby downstairs. Shen Yao Xing cleared her throat and called out twice. To her surprise, the inn’s manager came running up.

The manager’s sallow face looked malnourished, with a somewhat dazed look in her eyes. She bowed slightly and asked, “What can I do for you, honored guest?”

The young girl licked her slightly dry lips and asked a bit embarrassedly, “Do you have any clean clothes I could change into?”

The manager was taken aback, as if not expecting this question. She shook her head listlessly.

Shen Yao Xing frowned and asked again, “Then where in town can I buy clothes?”

“Well…” The woman’s sallow face showed some hesitation. After a moment’s pause, she still pointed out a direction: “Turn right out the door and go straight. There’s a clothing shop, but I’m not sure if it’s open today.”

Knowing the location, Shen Yao Xing felt relieved. She thanked the manager and closed the door. She reluctantly put on her dirty clothes, tucked away her remaining silver, and went out. Before she could go downstairs, she was called by a man who had just left his room.

“Miss Shen, where are you rushing off to?”

Shen Yao Xing turned at the voice. Because of the man’s kindness yesterday, both willing to give her a ride and lend her money, Shen Yao Xing’s opinion of him had somewhat improved. After all, he had helped her, so she couldn’t give him the cold shoulder.

She didn’t hide it, pointing outside: “I’m going to buy some clothes.”

Jiang Ming Yue gently closed his door, his wide sleeves swaying as he slowly approached the young girl: “Why not have breakfast first before going?”

“No need.” Shen Yao Xing shook her head. She was afraid that after eating breakfast, she wouldn’t have enough money left to buy clothes. She exchanged a few polite words with the man before hurrying out of the inn.

Jiang Ming Yue’s gaze remained fixed on the girl’s back until her lively figure left the inn. Only then did he leisurely go downstairs.

Once out on the main street, Shen Yao Xing felt something was strange. Yesterday she thought there weren’t many people because they had entered town late, but early morning should be the busiest time for the market. However, there were only a few hurried figures on the street. Combined with the gloomy weather, the whole town seemed as desolate as a ghost town.

Though puzzled, she didn’t pay much attention to it. Following the direction the manager had pointed out, she found that all the shops along the way were closed. She finally found the shop with “Ready-made Clothes” carved on the signboard, but the door was shut.

This wouldn’t do. She couldn’t wear these clothes for another day.

Shen Yao Xing walked up and knocked hard on the door: “Is anyone there? I’m here to buy clothes!”

She knocked for quite a while before hearing a faint sound from inside.

“Who is it?” The door didn’t open, and an old voice sounded somewhat wary.

“I’m here to buy clothes.”

“We’re not doing business today. Please leave.”

“No, wait!” Shen Yao Xing quickly called out, shaking her sleeve as she continued to address the closed door: “Please, shopkeeper, just sell me something. I can’t wear these clothes anymore today. If you don’t sell to me, I might have to go naked.”

Shen Yao Xing tried to sound as pitiful as possible, fearing the shopkeeper wouldn’t sell. The footsteps inside paused, seeming to hesitate for a moment, but eventually came over and slowly opened a crack in the door.

A pair of slightly cloudy eyes peered through the gap, looking the young girl up and down, and even glancing behind her. After confirming there was nothing unusual, she opened half the door.

A gray-haired woman with streaks of white appeared, slightly hunched, her face weathered. She glanced at the mud-stained clothes of the young girl and stepped aside slightly: “Come in, miss.”

Shen Yao Xing nodded to her and walked in, following her introduction to start choosing. However, she didn’t have much money to begin with, and if she couldn’t find Hei Sha and Bai Sha later, she would need to save what she had left.

After some thought, she picked the cheapest coarse cotton robe. After paying, she eagerly changed out of her muddy clothes. The shopkeeper held up the discarded muddy garment, examining it and sighing: “Miss, the fabric of your clothes is of the highest quality!”

It was the kind that couldn’t be bought in ordinary places. She had only seen such fabric in the capital before.

Shen Yao Xing glanced at the clothes. They were what she had worn from home, so naturally the fabric was good. But to her, it was all the same. As long as it was clean, it was fine to wear.

She shook her sleeves and found that the sleeves of this garment were a bit too long, and the waist was also much wider. Even with a belt, it was loose and baggy.

The shopkeeper walked around her, looking her up and down. The young girl’s figure was already petite, and wearing such an ill-fitting garment made her look like a child wearing adult clothes. The loose, baggy fit somehow made the young girl look exceptionally cute.

“She looks like a little young master…” the shopkeeper muttered softly.

“What?” Shen Yao Xing turned around. She had heard that!

The shopkeeper quickly said it was nothing, then frowned slightly: “Miss, you came in such a hurry. If you weren’t in a rush, I could take your measurements and make you a custom piece. It wouldn’t be so loose and baggy.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Shen Yao Xing waved her hand to indicate she didn’t mind. She moved her hand to tie the wide sleeves in a knot close to her arms, and deftly used a dagger to shorten the overlong hem. When she was done, she raised her arm to examine it. Except for being a bit loose in the chest area, the rest was acceptable.

After buying it, she was about to dig out silver to pay when the shopkeeper’s words interrupted her: “Miss, do you still want these clothes?” She raised the mud-stained clothes that had been changed out of.

Shen Yao Xing shook her head.

“Then give them to me. I won’t charge you for the one you’re wearing!”

Was there such a good deal!? It would save her money, so Shen Yao Xing immediately agreed: “Shopkeeper, you’re truly kind. Thank you!”

Shen Yao Xing left the shop under the smiling gaze of the shopkeeper. A cool breeze blew through the empty street, and a chill crept in through the somewhat loose collar. She raised her hand to smooth down the front of her robe, feeling that there was an eerie sense to this desolate street.

Back at the inn, apart from the manager, there were still no extra people in sight. It was unnaturally quiet. Shen Yao Xing felt the silver in her pocket and sat down at a table, calling the manager over to order a hearty meal.

After ordering, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity: “Manager, why aren’t there people eating in your inn? And why are all those shops outside closed? Have they all gotten rich?”

The manager’s body stiffened slightly. She looked at the desolate street outside and finally sighed: “If we had gotten rich, we would have moved away long ago. Why would we stay here waiting to die?”

“Why do you say that?” Shen Yao Xing’s face was full of curiosity.

As if she had been holding it in for too long, the manager’s eyes reddened slightly. She stumbled to sit in the seat next to her, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and fixed her gaze on a blue and white porcelain cup. She slowly said: “This town used to be as busy as any other. But suddenly, a group of bandits occupied a hilltop outside the town. They come to plunder every ten days or so. If anyone resists, they kill and set fires! It’s made everyone terrified. Those who could move away naturally have…”

So that’s how it was. No wonder there were so few people on the streets. “In that case, why don’t you all just move away?” Shen Yao Xing asked.

The manager shook her head gently: “How could it be so easy? My ancestors have run this inn for generations. Now this inn is all I have left. Not to mention I can’t bear to part with it, even if I moved out, where would I go? In these times, life outside might not be any better.”

Shen Yao Xing scratched her face, unable to understand. In her view, given the situation, they should definitely move out. They could deal with what came after later. Whether life was good or bad outside, staying alive was what mattered.

“Miss, I advise you to leave quickly. The bandits should be coming into town in the next couple of days. If they set their eyes on you with your delicate skin, it could be troublesome.”

“……” Had those people become so desperate that they would resort to such things?

After speaking with her, the manager went to the kitchen to prepare her meal. Shen Yao Xing rested her chin on her hand, bored. Even if she wanted to leave now, she couldn’t. If Hei Sha and Bai Sha couldn’t find her, they would likely head this way, as this was the only town for dozens of miles around.

Jiang Ming Yue stood in the corridor on the second floor, his eyes coldly gazing down at the young girl sitting in the hall. The large coarse cotton robe looked somewhat out of place on her, revealing half of her slender, fair arms. Occasionally, the girl would pull up the fabric slipping off her shoulders. The baby fat not yet completely gone from her cheeks puffed in and out as she ate.

“Heh.” A light chuckle escaped his perfect thin lips.

As quiet as it was, it still reached Shen Yao Xing’s sensitive ears. She looked up towards the second floor while still chewing, and upon seeing who it was, politely said: “Young Master Ming Yue, have you eaten?”

Shen Yao Xing didn’t know how she appeared in the man’s eyes at that moment. The oversized, ill-fitting clothes were like a pile of straw, and the young girl was like an immature little beast, raising its head from the straw pile, staring at him with bright eyes, making muffled noises at him.

It was somewhat similar to the fox he had raised before, except that fox never dared to show its sharp claws to him.

Shen Yao Xing felt that the pervert upstairs was very abnormal, especially the way he was looking at her now. It didn’t seem like the way one would look at a person, and it was making her a bit angry.

Seeing that the man wasn’t responding for a long time, Shen Yao Xing pouted and lowered her head to continue eating. She kept talking: “Young Master Ming Yue, you don’t need to take me with you when you leave town today. I plan to wait here for my two friends. As for the tael of silver you lent me, just tell me where you’re staying in the capital, and I’ll have someone send it to you later.”

When she looked up again, the man was already standing in front of her. Shen Yao Xing was startled, almost choking on the food she hadn’t yet swallowed.

It seemed this person’s lightness skills were no worse than hers, moving like a ghost.

The man gracefully sat down across from her, the stark contrast between his ink-black long hair and snow-white robes striking. He poured himself a cup of tea without hesitation. The white steam floating above the cup dispersed as he blew on it. The man took a sip of the hot tea and said softly: “Ming Yue is in no hurry. These past two days of travel have been somewhat tiring. It wouldn’t be too late to rest in this town for two days before setting out again.”

The young girl’s chewing motion froze, then she seemed to respond nonchalantly with an “Oh.”

While Shen Yao Xing appeared calm on the surface, her inner thoughts were in turmoil.

Damn! She had to spend two more days with this pervert!

……

Author’s note: I need to mention this again.

The male lead’s character has been set from the beginning. He’s a pervert.

In the later stages, well, he becomes even more of a pervert.

Of course, this includes some of what you might expect to see in the synopsis (you know what I mean).