The room at the Feng Palace Inn was barely large enough to hold two narrow beds and a crooked wooden table. The walls leaned slightly inward as if the entire building were tired of standing. The single paper lantern hanging from the ceiling burned dimly, its weak light casting long, uneven shadows across the cracked plaster.
Yuanshi lay on her back staring at the ceiling.
Or rather, she stared at the large brown stain spreading across it like a strange map of its own.
The inn smelled like sour wine, damp wood, and something far worse that Yuanshi had wisely decided not to investigate.
Beside her, Ergu was already snoring softly, one arm thrown across his face.
Across the room, Yuexi sat cross-legged on her bed, frowning as she rubbed her nose.
"This place smells like something died," Yuexi muttered.
Yuanshi snorted. "Maybe it did." she turned her head lazily and said "Be grateful. The last inn threw us out before we even reached the stairs."
Yuexi scowled.
"That was because someone tried to bargain with them."
"That someone was negotiating," Yuanshi corrected calmly.
"You offered them half a copper coin."
"They didn't say the price first."
"They said get out."
Yuanshi sighed.
To be fair, the man had been very rude about it.
The night before that had been even worse.
They had been turned away from three inns in a row.
The first innkeeper had taken one look at their dusty clothes and tangled hair and pointed straight at the door.
"Beggars sleep outside."
The second one had been slightly kinder.
"You'll scare my guests."
The third had folded his arms and said, "Come back after you bathe."
Yuanshi had looked down at herself.
"Where exactly would we bathe?"
The door had slammed in her face before she finished speaking.
Which was how they had ended up here.
The Feng Palace Inn.
A place so cheap and rundown that even beggars were acceptable customers.
Yuanshi shifted on the thin mattress. The straw inside rustled loudly beneath her.
Somewhere downstairs a group of drunk gamblers burst into loud laughter.
A chair scraped.
Someone cursed.
A jug shattered.
The Feng Palace Inn was lively.
Unfortunately, that liveliness extended to the room next door and it disturbed their sleep.
A loud thump struck the wall.
Then a man's voice boomed through the thin wood.
"I'm telling you, Dragon Valley is cursed!"
Another voice scoffed.
"Everything is cursed to you."
"Because everything is cursed!"
Yuanshi pulled the blanket over her head.
Maybe if she tried hard enough she could sleep through it.
Next to her, Yuexi groaned.
"Why are they shouting?"
"Because they're drunk," Yuanshi mumbled.
Another thump shook the wall.
"You think I'm joking?" the first man said loudly. "Three mercenary teams went there last year. Only one came back, and the two people in group that survived are currently crippled. This is seeking death."
"That's because they were idiots." The first man argued "We have the same cultivation level as them. The leader was even stronger than any of us."
The other man in the room interrupted "The path of cultivation is full of dangers, many people died yearly and that doesn't stop even more cultivators from seeking ways to become stronger. It was unfortunate what happened to them, let's count it as their misfortune."
Yuanshi shifted again, frowning.
Mercenaries?
Her blanket slid down slightly.
She listened despite herself.
"misfortune or not," the first man insisted, "there are spirit beasts everywhere in that valley."
"Spirit beasts are exactly why the fruit grows there, because the place has very dense spirit energy."
Yuanshi's eyes opened.
Fruit?
She quietly lowered the blanket.
"Keep your voice down," a third man grumbled. "What if someone hears?"
"Who's going to hear? Besides, what does it matter if they hear" the second man laughed. "This place is full of drunks and beggars."
Yuanshi slowly turned her head toward the wall.
She slipped silently off the bed.
The floorboards creaked under her feet, but the men next door were too busy arguing to notice.
Yuexi watched her with narrowed eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Yuanshi pressed a finger to her lips.
Then she leaned toward the wall.
The plaster was cracked and uneven. A small gap near the floor revealed dark wood beneath.
Perfect.
She crouched and pressed her ear against the wall.
The voices became clearer.
"I still say this job isn't worth it," the first man said.
"It's twenty thousand taels," the second replied immediately. "If we get the money, we can get some treasures to advance our cultivation."
Yuanshi's eyebrows shot up.
Twenty thousand?
"That big shot must be desperate," the first man muttered.
"He wants the Longevity Fruit. Needs it to save his son or something"
Yuanshi froze.
Longevity Fruit.
"This mission will certainly not be any easy one. Many big shots are after the fruit. Longevity Fruits are legendary treasures . According to legend, they can extend life, purify meridians and help one advance an entire stage in one go." one of the men said in awe
The other man cleared his throat and said "Even a single one could be worth a fortune. To be honest, we're being underpaid compared to it's value"
Her eyes slowly widened.
The men continued talking.
"The valley isn't hard to reach," the second man said. "Follow the northern ridge past Blackstone Gorge. After that there's a river bend. Dragon Valley sits right behind it."
"Easy for you to say."
"We've got the map."
"Maps get people killed."
Yuanshi leaned closer to the wall.
Map.
Dragon Valley.
Northern ridge.
River bend.
Her mind began turning.
Beside her, Yuexi crawled to the edge of the bed and whispered sharply.
"Yuanshi."
Yuanshi didn't respond.
"Yuanshi."
Still nothing.
"YUAN—"
Yuanshi spun around and covered Yuexi's mouth.
"Shhh!"
Yuexi glared at her.
Yuanshi slowly removed her hand.
"You're listening to them?" Yuexi whispered.
Yuanshi nodded seriously.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Yuanshi pointed at the wall.
"Longevity Fruit."
Yuexi blinked.
Then she frowned.
"What does that have to do with us?"
Yuanshi looked at her for a long moment.
Then a slow smile spread across her face.
It was the kind of smile that made Yuexi deeply uncomfortable.
Yuexi crossed her arms.
"You have that look again."
"What look?"
"The one that tells me you're about to do something very ridiculous like swindling that poor old lady."
Yuanshi waved a dismissive hand.
"We helped her acknowledge good karma."
"You lied to her." she whispered
"I didn't lie, we really did need her help"
"You still told a lie!"
Yuanshi turned back toward the wall.
Next door, the mercenaries were still arguing.
"…I'm just saying we should be careful," one said.
"Relax," another replied. "Once we bring the fruit back, we'll be rich."
Yuanshi's smile grew wider.
Rich.
That sounded nice.
Behind her, Yuexi leaned forward suspiciously.
"Yuanshi."
"Yes?"
"What are you thinking?"
Yuanshi slowly stood.
The lantern light caught the excitement in her eyes.
"I'm thinking," she said thoughtfully, "that Dragon Valley sounds like a very popular place."
Yuexi blinked.
"…so?"
Yuanshi clasped her hands behind her back and began pacing the small room.
"So," she said calmly, "if many cultivators want the Longevity Fruit…"
Yuexi's eyes narrowed.
"…and only a few people know where it is…"
Yuanshi stopped pacing.
Then she looked directly at Yuexi.
"…what do you think would happen if someone happened to possess a map to Dragon Valley?"
The room fell silent.
Yuexi stared at her.
Ergu snored loudly.
Then Yuexi's eyes slowly widened.
"No."
Yuanshi smiled sweetly.
"Oh yes."
Yuexi stood up.
"You cannot be serious."
Yuanshi tilted her head.
"Why not?"
"Because it's a terrible idea! We're attempting to mess around with cultivators. We're completely powerless nobodies. The can kill us with one finger"
Yuanshi held up a finger.
"Correction."
She grinned.
"It's a profitable idea. Who said we're messing with them? If anything we're going to be helping them"
From the bed behind them, Ergu suddenly sat up.
"Are we robbing someone?"
Yuanshi turned toward him.
"Not exactly."
Ergu scratched his head.
"Then what are we doing?"
Yuanshi walked to the crooked table and placed both hands on its surface.
Her eyes gleamed.
"We," she declared proudly, "are going into the map business."
Yuexi buried her face in her hands.
"Oh no."