Chapter 42: The Drunken Dream Pavilion’s Charms

“Excuse me, proprietor, do you have any single rooms upstairs?”

“All the single rooms upstairs have already been booked by others,” the owner replied.

“Do you think these silver coins are enough to bump them?” Tong Qiu asked, seeing the owner at the counter refuse her. With a flick of her wrist, she produced a small pouch of silver coins from her storage ring and tossed it onto the counter.

The attendant beside him opened the pouch. After a quick count, he scoffed, “There’s only a little over a thousand silver notes. Miss, your clothes don’t look cheap, so why are you so unaware of the market? Our Drunken Dream Pavilion has been a renowned establishment for centuries. You expect to displace the rooms reserved by those esteemed gentlemen with such a paltry sum? That’s a bit too—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the owner, whose eyes had darted to the storage rings on both Tong Qiu’s and Bai Jiujiu’s hands, instantly stood up. He kicked the attendant, then turned to Tong Qiu with a fawning smile.

“Esteemed immortal, I have our finest Welcoming Spring Chamber available on the fourth floor. I shall personally escort you there.”

What a swift change! He had been so impatient just moments before.

The attendant had barely managed to stand when the owner kicked him again, sending him sprawling.

‘Wow, he’s fatter than a mountain pig, yet so nimble!’ Bai Jiujiu marveled, peeking out.

Tong Qiu, not wishing to draw more attention from the other patrons, shook her head. She politely declined the owner’s offer.

“No need. We can go up by ourselves.”

The attendant, clutching the counter, slowly pulled himself up. The owner’s kicks had been merciless, leaving his calf nearly fractured. He glared resentfully at the proprietor, but quickly masked his expression. His face contorted in pain as he clutched his leg and muttered.

“You idiot! You fool! Didn’t you see? Both those women are wearing storage rings! Storage rings! They’re cultivators, immortals!” Seeing that the dining hall was still relatively sparse, the owner bent his short, stout leg, picked up the bag of silver from the table, and threw it at the attendant’s face.

“You blind dog! Didn’t you see how that silver was produced? If you anger an immortal, you dog, it’s just your death. But don’t you dare ruin my business!”

Still fuming, the owner struck the attendant’s head several more times with the silver pouch, then delivered a forceful kick to his stomach. He pointed towards the kitchen and roared, “Get out! Send Xia Xi up here, and tell her to attend to those two immortals upstairs with utmost care.”

Bai Jiujiu followed Tong Qiu up the stairs, step by step, gazing in astonishment at the lavishly decorated Drunken Dream Pavilion.

She had never imagined such a magnificent city existed in this world. Had it not been for the two maidservants stationed at each floor and the occasional noble young masters descending, she might have truly believed she had returned to her original world.

“I thought you’d be gasping in surprise,” Tong Qiu remarked with a chuckle, walking beside Bai Jiujiu. Bai Jiujiu turned her head away, letting out a cold huff.

‘I won’t acknowledge the bad person who bullied the little snake!’

“Ahaha,” Tong Qiu let out a dry laugh. ‘She really is like a child.’

‘Could such an unauthoritative being truly teach a good disciple? After all, Tong Qiu herself always tried to appear strict in front of the children at the orphanage.’

‘Or perhaps Bai Jiujiu presented one face in public and another in private?’ Tong Qiu recalled the golden-eyed Bai Jiujiu she had witnessed that night in Chongxi Town.

This only strengthened her suspicion. Perhaps Bai Jiujiu was, in fact, an extremely strict and respected master, only revealing her true might as a Great Demon of the Demonic Mansion Realm to her disciples. She probably disciplined them harshly with a whip, much like how she had been treated with the Demon-Binding Rope.

The human and the demon pushed open the door and stepped into the Welcoming Spring Chamber.

“Why did you suddenly decide to bring me here?”

“I just wanted to get some Three-Flower Wine. While we were in the central courtyard, I heard a saying: ‘Of all the world’s fine wines, three measures reign supreme, and Zhuocheng’s Three-Flower Wine is one of them.’ It’s been making my mouth water!”

Tong Qiu laughed, lifting her wine gourd and shaking it at Bai Jiujiu, proving it was completely empty. Just as the new attendant, Xia Xi, arrived upstairs, a wine pot landed in her hand before she could speak, accompanied by Tong Qiu’s request.

“Attendant, please fill this wine gourd with the finest Three-Flower Wine. As for the payment… ah, I’ll give it to you later.”

Tong Qiu had been about to charge the wine to the Demon Suppression Bureau as usual, when she suddenly remembered she was no longer a constable, but a constable bewitched and controlled by a demon—a wanted criminal with a bounty on her head.

‘Ah, no more freebies. What a shame…’

Tong Qiu fumbled for her silver coins. She still had several thousand; her original funds had been spent. The money she had now was from a gold ingot Bai Jiujiu had given her earlier when inquiring about information. This sum was more than enough for a pot of Three-Flower Wine.

“I don’t understand people who spend so much money on alcohol,” Bai Jiujiu commented. In both her past and present lives, she had never touched a drop of alcohol. She disliked socializing and, naturally, disliked drinking.

When she was a little younger, she had tried some beer with her roommates, but to her palate, it wasn’t as refreshing as soda.

“You demons wouldn’t understand. Drinking isn’t about the alcohol itself; it’s about the feeling, that atmosphere of emptying your mind.”

“How pretentious…” Bai Jiujiu turned her face away. From her storage ring, she produced the soy milk she had bought earlier, lifted her veil, and took small sips.

‘So bland…’ She flicked her tongue, the fine, forked tip resting on her chin. ‘I should have asked them to add more sugar.’

“People come here to drink tea, enjoy wine, and admire the scenery. Yet here you are, drinking soy milk.” Tong Qiu took the filled wine gourd from Xia Xi. Once the attendant had left with the payment, she lifted her veil and leaned back in her chair, drinking deeply.

“Drinking so early in the morning. I just don’t get it.” Bai Jiujiu picked up three small steamed buns, popping them into her mouth one after another like candy. Ultimately, she still didn’t understand why Tong Qiu had brought her here. Was it to see the scenery?

Outside the window, a vast, tranquil lake stretched before them. The rising sun shone directly on the water, and the light, refracted, created a rainbow-like shimmer across the surface. In her previous life, this would have been a famous spot for internet celebrities.

However, it failed to capture Bai Jiujiu’s attention now. If it were a man-made wonder, she might have been amazed. But such naturally formed scenery simply held no interest for her. She had seen more than enough of it, after all. She was a Great Demon who had lived for eight thousand years, and Cloudfall Mountain, where she resided, was a place where heaven and earth spiritual energy converged, easily called an immortal realm. She had witnessed such sights on the mountain no fewer than three times.

Was Tong Qiu simply here for the wine then? Bai Jiujiu stuffed all the remaining steamed buns into her mouth, her cheeks bulging.

“Only with this morning’s beautiful scenery, paired with the Drunken Dream Pavilion’s Three-Flower Wine, can one feel invigorated all day long,” Tong Qiu explained. “Countless outsiders travel far and wide, rising early and toiling late, just to catch a glimpse of this Seven-Colored Lake. Even the current King Chu has praised it profusely, lingering here, reluctant to leave.”

“How boring. Cloudfall Mountain has far more beautiful places than this.” An unconscious sense of rivalry subtly arose within Bai Jiujiu.

“Hahahahaha!” Tong Qiu burst into laughter, taking another gulp of wine. “So you brought me here simply to drink?”

“Of course not!” Tong Qiu threw her head back, laughing, then took another drink. She pointed at the perfectly ripple-free surface of the Seven-Colored Lake and began to speak…

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