Stranger Danger

Chapter 134: I Have Money

Steward Qian began explaining to Ye Qing, “There are three types of lodgings in Cloud Mountain, esteemed guests. The economical lodging offers a bunk room that you will share with up to ten people at the same time. Of course, the bunk room is perfectly clean, and the beddings are all new.”

“The standard lodging offers a standard room that you will share with three people at a time. Although you’ll all be living in the same room, it has three separate fully-furnished bedrooms. You may not interact with your roommates at all if that is your wish.”

“The premium lodging offers a private room that belongs to you and you alone. Not only that, it comes in eight different styles, namely plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, bamboo; spring, summer, fall and winter. It is your choice which style you want your room to be. We want to ensure that you are perfectly comfortable during your time with us.”

“Not only that, esteemed guests who stay in our premium lodgings are offered the option to hire a private housekeeper. Your food and beverages will be completely free as well.”

Ye Qing asked, “Sounds great. Which room would you recommend I stay in, Steward Qian?”

Steward Qian smiled. “You, your servant, and your pets are going to take up a lot of space, but it would be very inconvenient for you to stay in a bunk room. Your pets especially are going to cause alarm among your bunkmates. Therefore, I would suggest that you choose the standard lodging or the premium lodging.”

Ye Qing nodded. “How much do they cost?”

Steward Qian answered, “The standard lodging costs five silvers. If you wish to reserve the whole room, then you will have to pay ten silvers instead. The premium lodging costs fifteen silvers.”

“Fifteen silvers? That is crazy expensive!” Ye Qing gasped. He already knew that Cloud Mountain’s lodgings were going to be expensive, but he was still surprised when he heard Steward Qian’s answer. Fifteen silvers were enough for an ordinary household to live comfortably for over half a year.

“If the premium lodging is too much for you, then—” Steward Qian thought Ye Qing couldn’t afford the premium lodging because of his reaction. He was just about to offer him the standard lodging when Ye Qing interrupted him and said,

“I choose the premium lodging!”

“As you—huh? Excuse me?” Steward Qian thought he was mishearing things.

Ye Qing tilted his head at his reaction. “What? It is an option, isn’t it? Or are you afraid that I can’t afford it?

Steward Qian smiled awkwardly. That was exactly what he thought, but he didn’t dare to say it out loud as a matter of course.

Ye Qing chuckled. “Don’t worry. It’s true that I think that your prices are expensive, but that doesn’t mean I can’t afford it. I have a couple hundred silvers in my purse, so you can be rest assured that I’m not trying to swindle you or whatever.”

He was telling the truth. He had taken over the Iron Shirt Gang and robbed the Zheng Clan, the Shen Clan and the Li Clan. Not including the Pacification Bureau, the only major power in Anyang that he hadn’t robbed was Qiao Six, so he was filthy rich to say the least. Fifteen silvers were nothing to him.

“Wonderful! I shall make the preparations immediately. By the way, did you know that you're an incredibly lucky man? There is exactly one premium room left.”

Delighted, Steward Qian was just about to lead Ye Qing to his room when suddenly, a cunning-looking middle-aged man with a hook mustache blocked his path. He said, “Excuse me, Qian Yong, but I’ve already reserved the last premium room for my guest. You should find another room.”

The guest the middle-aged man spoke off was a suspicious-looking man wearing a black robe and a hood that covered up most of his face. His appearance was gloomy enough, but nothing was more gloomy than the literal coffin he carried behind his back. The coffin looked like it was forged from metal, but it was dark and unreflective. It was as if it was consuming all the light that shone its way. It looked dark and gloomy, enigmatic and sinister.

“It’s already reserved? Why am I not aware of this, Jiang Shan?” Qian Yong asked with a puzzled expression.

Jiang Shan sneered. “And what does your ignorance have anything to do with me?”

Qian Yong’s expression turned a little ugly, but he swallowed his displeasure and said, “I would know if a room has already been reserved. Let us bring this up with the chief steward.”

The corners of Jiang Shan’s lips immediately curled down as he rebuked Qian Yong, “I gave you face, Qian Yong! You’re the one who decided to throw it away. Do you think you can bear the consequences of obstructing my guest’s registration?”

“You… you shut your mouth!” Qian Yong replied rather weakly despite his beet red complexion. Jiang Shan was a distant nephew of the chief steward, which was why everyone on Cloud Mountain tolerated him and gave him special treatment to a certain extent. Unfortunately, this made Jiang Shan bossy and domineering to the point where he no longer hesitated to steal their business from right under their nose. It was their own fault, but it was far too late to correct that mistake.

Jiang Shan hmphed loudly as he glared at Qian Yong, “This is your last warning, Qian Yong. Let this go, or I swear you will regret this!”

Qian Yong shuddered as the blood drained away from his face. He was angry and indignant, but he knew that the temporary ecstasy he would feel for standing up to Jiang Shan wasn’t worth the consequences. So, he turned back to Ye Qing and said, “My apologies, esteemed guest, but—”

“You have nothing to apologize for, steward! Just leave this to me!”

Ye Qing patted Qian Yong on the shoulder before stepping forward and smirking evilly at Jiang Shan. “Steward Jiang, is it? I don’t know what gave you this impression, but you seem to think that I am somehow less esteemed than your dear guest. You claim Steward Qian can’t bear the consequences of obstructing your guest’s registration, but has it crossed your mind that the same also applies to me?”

He wasn’t a meddlesome person by nature. If Jiang Shan had spoken nicely, he would’ve given up the premium room without fanfare and stayed in a standard room instead. He wasn’t a pampered young master who couldn’t stand anything but the highest quality anyway. Heck, he had slept in an abandoned temple that was haunted by literal man-eating women not long ago. What was that meme again? If it fits, he sleeps!

But Jiang Shan’s attitude was just unbearable. It was one thing if he lorded over his colleagues only, but his attitude also extended to their customers. Did his daddy never teach him that there were people out there he couldn’t afford to offend?

“Hah! You’re just a poor scholar! Like the likes of you can do anything against me!” Jian Shan snorted in disdain. “Now get lost, or I’ll—”

“I’ll pay twenty silvers for the premium room.”

It was at this moment Jiang Shan’s mysterious customer stepped into the argument. His voice was cold, dark and emotionless as if everything in the world was beneath his notice.

Jiang Shan was surprised by the interruption, but he quickly looked over to Ye Qing and raised his head arrogantly. “You heard that, scholar? Twenty silvers. Do you think you can afford that?”

“Thirty silvers,” and a smile was Ye Qing’s response. You think you’re made of money? What a coincidence! So am I!

Jiang Shan’s smile immediately stiffened.

The mysterious man didn’t seem displeased or angered by Ye Qing’s retaliation, however. He responded in his icy voice, “Forty.”

“Fifty.”

“Sixty.”

“Seventy.” One thing Ye Qing learned in his previous life was that bluffing was a powerful weapon. So what if you didn’t actually have the money in your pockets? If you could convince your opponent into believing that you were a million bucks, then you were, essentially, a million bucks. Even better, he wasn’t even bluffing this time!

“Eighty,” the mysterious man was still upping the price, but this time he was two breaths slower. It was clear he needed to think if he could really afford it.

“Ninety!” Ye Qing answered without hesitation. Good! This is my win!

This time, the mysterious man hesitated for a long time before he finally said, “One hundred!”

“Most impressive, brother!” Ye Qing abruptly complimented the guy and gave him a thumbs-up. “The room is yours!”

Qian Yong: “...”

Jiang Shan: “...”

The mysterious man: “...”

A long time later, the mysterious man finally squeezed out an incredulous question, “W… Why did you stop?”

Ye Qing tilted his head in confusion. “You must have a heck of a reason to be willing to pay a hundred silvers to get this room, which is why I decided to be the better man this time. What’s wrong?”

The mysterious man’s mouth twitched under his hood. I wouldn’t mind it if you chose not to be the better man though!

“Also, it’ll take two days at most to go from here to Luo Shui. Worst case scenario, I could just find a random floor and meditate until the ride is over. I’d rather spend a hundred silvers on a high-class restaurant in Luo Shui than a room that I’ll be leaving in two days. What, do you think I’m stupid?”

“...” The mysterious man’s arms shook under his sleeves. He’s definitely calling me stupid in a roundabout fashion. You sonuvabitch. I don’t even know you, and you screw me over like this? I might be well-off, but I’m not that well-off that I could afford to fuel a forge with silver! Is it too late to change my mind?

“You paid a hundred silvers for this room, so you first, brother!” Ye Qing goaded and stepped aside to let Jiang Shan and the mysterious man through.

p>

Seeing that the argument was over, Jiang Shan also let out a cough and beckoned, “This way please, esteemed guest!” He then led the way toward the upper floors where the premium rooms were located.

The mysterious man wasn’t done with Ye Qing though. When he was walking past Ye Qing, he “accidentally” bumped his shoulder against Ye Qing’s. It looked as harmless as a breeze, and the contact had lasted only for an instant. However, when the duo were three or four steps apart from each other, the entire ship abruptly sank a meter into the water as if a mountain had suddenly sat on it. It was so forceful that it kicked up a massive wave that was at least dozens of meters tall. The passengers, the crew and everyone else aboard the ship were all crying out in surprise.

It was at this moment cloud-shaped runes appeared around the ship. Like a calming breeze, it neutralized the unknown force and returned everything back to normal.

“Huh? Did I just sense a clash aboard the ship?”

Inside a luxurious room, a thin but healthy-looking middle-aged man with a long beard suddenly opened his eyes. “What powerful auras. They’re both Astral Refiners. Thank goodness they’re only sounding each other out, or my Cloud Mountain would’ve suffered serious damage!”

In a differently-styled but equally luxurious room, a woman was playing her yaoqin when she sensed the clash as well. Her fingers paused, and a hundred flowers suddenly bloomed inside the room.

“Oh? I wasn’t expecting to see him here!” The woman said smilingly before resuming her play once more. The resonant plucks of her strings slowly washed away the beautiful flowers until everything had returned back to normal. It was almost as if the flowers were a desert mirage or a reflection of the moon.

The two of them weren’t the only ones who noticed the clash. Every warrior aboard the ship had noticed the sudden outburst of power, and their reactions were fairly mixed. There were people who were surprised, wary, afraid, disdainful and more.

Ironically, the two people who had caused the commotion in the first place simply gave each other a nod and continued on their way. It was almost as if nothing had happened.

The mysterious man sent Jiang Shan away after he was led to his room. After the steward was gone, he abruptly let out a violent cough that caused a small amount of blood to trickle down his lips.

“An Astral Refiner… and not just any Astral Refiner either!”

He had wanted to teach the young man a lesson, but it turned out to be a big mistake. Like an ant trying to topple a mountain, the only one hurt in the collision was himself. His energy had rebounded and damaged his own internal organs. Man, I am so unlucky today.

The mysterious man’s face turned increasingly pale as he coughed a couple times more. Knowing that he couldn’t dilly-dally any longer, he immediately assumed a meditative stance and channeled his energy. Wisps of dark energy started flying out of the coffin and into his body. Some time later, his aura finally returned to normal.

A few breaths later, the mysterious man finally opened his eyes and allowed himself to think once more. That Astral Refiner is incredibly young too. I should recognize him, but I don’t. Is he a genius from a major clan or something?

You can practically hear Xu Banren's internal scream when Ye Qing suddenly left the negotiation table.