Chapter 13: A Rare Quiet Night
Not long after Sanbao and Xiaon had taken their seats, three burly men strode into the Restre Inn. The moment they entered, they began scanning the lobby with unabashed scrutiny, their gazes finally settling on Sanbao.
The three wore yellow robes and carried themselves with a rough, imposing air. Among them, a man with a thick mustache stood out—his eyes sharp and predatory, a mocking smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, sending an instinctive unease through the room.
"Hey, little dy. Drinking tea here all alone so te? Must be hard on you," the mustached man said as he swaggered toward Sanbao, his tone heavy with mockery.
Sanbao paid him no attention, quietly savoring her tea.
Xiaon, however, shot him a gre, clearly displeased.
The mustached man pretended not to notice her hostility. Instead, he leaned even closer, reaching out as if to touch the cat nestled in Sanbao’s arms.
Sanbao frowned, a wave of irritation surging in her heart. She stood up at once, her voice cool and sharp:
"You’d better take your hand back."
But the man grinned shamelessly, showing no intention of backing off.
"What’s the matter? Don’t want me touching your little cat? Carrying a pet around—what noble house might you be from, young miss?"
Sanbao shot him a frosty gnce. "You’re not worthy of knowing."
With that, she turned and strode toward the inn’s interior, heading for her room. Xiaon hurried after her.
Behind them, a burst of raucous ughter rang out.
"Such a shy little thing," the mustached man jeered loudly.
Xiaon leaned close and whispered angrily: "Miss, should I go teach them a lesson?"
"No need," Sanbao said indifferently. "Those three are cultivators. From their aura, they’re clearly from the same sect. Especially that mustached one—his strength is at least at the fourth stage."
"Fourth-stage cultivator?!" Xiaon stuck out her tongue in shock. "That’s enough to be a protector elder in a small sect!"
Sanbao said no more. Together, they returned to their room.
The moment Sanbao opened the door, she couldn’t help feeling a little impressed.
The room was elegantly furnished: a carved wooden bed draped in fine silk bedding, a bronze mp casting a gentle glow, and a small tea table by the window adorned with exquisite porcein teaware. Painted scrolls of mountains and rivers decorated the walls, infusing the space with a serene ambiance.
More surprisingly, the room had a private toilet and bathing area. The bronze toilet gleamed from careful polishing, and a luxurious bath carved from solid white jade steamed invitingly, already filled with warm water and scattered flower petals.
"The best inn in the big city really lives up to its name," Sanbao marveled aloud. "This feels almost like home."
Their luggage had been brought in and neatly arranged. Yuyu had truly gone the extra mile to prepare everything.
With Xiaon’s help, Sanbao quickly changed into fresh clothes and began to bathe. The warm, petal-scented water washed away the fatigue and bloodstains of the previous night.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Sanbao found a moment of true peace.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the journey, or perhaps the lingering fear from the earlier battle, but both mistress and maid soon drifted into deep sleep.
In her dreams, Sanbao found herself once again in the woods from st night, facing the same bandits.
But this time, she fought alone.
She radiated a brilliant water-blue light, her aura merging seamlessly with the surrounding heaven and earth. Raising her hand, she summoned massive spheres of swirling water—each one brimming with devastating power.
The water spheres shot through the earth barriers like lightning, striking down bandit after bandit.
One by one, they fell. In mere moments, more than half had been wiped out.
The bandit leader colpsed at Sanbao’s feet, trembling as he raised his hands in surrender.
"Mercy, young miss!" he cried, his voice full of terror. "This is the Soil Spirit Orb from our stronghold—please, accept it and spare us!"
Sanbao gnced at him coldly, then reached out and casually took the orb. "Get lost," she said with contempt.
The bandits fled in all directions as if given amnesty, each scrambling to escape as if their very lives depended on it.
Sanbao watched them disappear, her face expressionless until they were gone from sight.
"Miss, you’re amazing! You’re amazing!" Yuyu and Xiaon cpped enthusiastically by the carriage, their eyes shining with admiration.
Even Sanhuabao, who should have been resting inside the carriage, bounded over joyfully. The little calico cat rubbed against Sanbao’s legs, standing on its hind legs to pat at her pyfully, as if celebrating her victory.
"Little bandits dare to mess with me? Now you know who’s the real boss around here!" Sanbao ughed heartily, clutching the Soil Spirit Orb in her hand, feeling as if she had returned to the happiest moments of her past life.
