Chapter 251

Chapter 251: Don’t Be Ungrateful

When they reached the inn door, a waiter came right up.

The waiter’s eyes swept over the group and lingered a few times on Yu Zhi Yi’s face. Smiling, he turned to the man who looked like the leader, the Marquis Wu’an heir apparent, and asked: “Lord, will you be dining or lodging?”

The heir apparent pulled a mocking smile that soon faded, then pointed to Yu Zhi Yi and said: “She is our master.”

The waiter froze, then hurried to apologize to Yu Zhi Yi: “Pardon me, miss. Will you be dining or staying the night?”

Yu Zhi Yi’s cool gaze slid over the waiter’s face as she said: “Lodging. Please have the inn hands take care of our horses. We will leave in the morning.”

“Right away,” the waiter called toward the back: “Twenty-four guests. A few of you, come lead the horses.”

Soon, two more waiters came out and, in groups, drove the horses to the rear yard.

There were not many guests in the inn. It was dinnertime, but only one table on the first floor was taken, a young couple who looked like newlyweds. The second-floor rooms were all dark, which showed no one else was staying there.

Once Yu Zhi Yi stepped inside, the feeling of wrongness grew stronger. The air was ghost-cold, and resentment rolled like waves.

She looked around the inn and quickly had a clear idea.

Just then, the couple at the next table finished eating and went upstairs. Yu Zhi Yi saw the pile of bones on their table, and her eyes sank.

The shopkeeper came out to greet them in person with great warmth as she said: “Honored guests, please sit, please sit.”

She handed over a menu: “What would you like to order?”

She smiled and recommended: “Our most famous dish is the braised pork knuckle. Besides that, these few sell very well. I am not bragging. The taste is the best.”

The kitchen sat to the right of the hall, separated only by a hanging curtain. Firelight flickered from that direction, and the clatter of hot stir-frying rang out now and then.

Yu Zhi Yi lifted an eyebrow: “With no other guests, who are those dishes for?”

The shopkeeper chuckled, her round face looking honest and simple as she said: “We are people too. We have to eat, do we not?”

Yu Zhi Yi nodded. Her eyes skimmed the menu, then she ordered briskly: “Six tables. Serve the same dishes at each table.”

The shopkeeper stared: “J-just these?”

Captain Song’s eyes went dark as he cut in: “Our meals do not require Miss to pay. Bring some meat dishes.”

This was why he disliked traveling with women and looked down on a female superior. They were a large group of strong men. They had been on the road all day and were tired and hungry. They were counting on this meal to get their strength back. They did not need a feast, but there should at least be some meat. Yet Official Yu had ordered only vegetables: celery with peanuts, stir-fried shredded radish, stir-fried potato slivers. The names alone made him lose his appetite. It was not as if they could not afford meat. Why be so stingy?

Yu Zhi Yi gave him a cool glance: “Captain Song, do not forget that on this trip you must follow my lead. If you make me unhappy, I do not know if I can keep my mouth under control when we return.”

Eat meat? It would be human meat, and he would not fear dragging on himself a heavy stain. If he wanted to court death over anything else, she would not play the saint to stop him. But that human meat belonged to the victims. She could not let them suffer further after death.

The Marquis Wu’an heir apparent’s face was so dark it could drip water, but he had no way to disobey Yu Zhi Yi’s order. Besides being the emperor’s personally appointed captain of the Guard Corps who had to ensure her safety and follow her command, her third-rank post outside the capital pressed him down hard.

He clenched his fist, his voice frosty as he said: “Forgive us, miss. We will follow your lead.”

Seeing the veins stand out on the man’s temple as if he might hit someone, Jiang Liu Yun quickly moved to shield Yu Zhi Yi and said coldly: “My sister is kind. She cannot bear to eat animals and does not want to create killing karma. Letting you eat vegetables is to build merit for you.”

Then he warned them: “Do not be ungrateful. This is for your own good.”

Yu Zhi Yi thought: [That is a very good explanation.]

When she refused meat, several waiters and even the shopkeeper had given her doubtful looks. She had been thinking of a reason to smooth it over. She had not expected the silly brat to hit on such a handy excuse. Yes, she was from a Mystic Sect. It was normal to value compassion.

She gave Jiang Liu Yun an approving look, then turned to the Marquis Wu’an heir apparent and said coolly: “Liu Yun is right. Taking fewer lives will only help you, not harm you. I am doing this for your sake. If you insist on ignoring me, then bear the consequences.”

Finished with them, she told the shopkeeper: “Serve it like this. Bring extra rice so everyone can eat their fill. That way no one can say I treated them badly.”

The Marquis Wu’an heir apparent thought: [Do we lack rice?]

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Endure. When he returned, he would tell his mother everything seen on this road so she could know this charlatan’s true face.

The shopkeeper was a woman of about thirty, plump and simple-looking. Smiling, she answered at once. But when she turned away, contempt flashed in her eyes. She had thought they were a flock of fat sheep, but they turned out to be a bunch of big, poor oafs. Could not even afford meat. What nonsense. And they still called the girl “miss.”

Still, there was money to be made. Back at the counter, her gaze slid over Yu Zhi Yi in a covert sweep. This woman was very pretty. Her bearing was fine too. If she were sold, she would fetch a lot of silver. The trouble was the bodyguards around her.

Yu San Niang was always careful. After two weighed glances at Yu Zhi Yi, she pulled her eyes back and looked elsewhere as she plotted. Ordinary people could not see the poison hidden beneath her honest smile.

Yu Zhi Yi sat facing Yu San Niang’s direction. Her gaze skimmed the woman’s face twice, then slid away. So the woman had set her sights on her. Interesting.

Jiang Liu Yun sat next to Yu Zhi Yi. Leaning close, he whispered: “Sister, there is something wrong with this inn, right?”

These days, he had been guarding Yu Zhi Yi in secret. He knew her skill well. He also knew she never spoke without cause and was not stingy. Her strange behavior today had to mean something was wrong.

At their table sat Yu Zhi Yi, Li Rou, and the Jiang father and son. Normally it would be six to a table, but the Marquis Wu’an heir apparent did not want to sit with people he disliked. He was afraid he would not be able to stop himself from punching the female charlatan.

Yu Zhi Yi did not care about others’ thoughts. Seeing how much Jiang Liu Yun trusted her, she could not help asking with a hint of curiosity: “Are you not afraid I might really be overbearing and unreasonable?”

Jiang Liu Yun snorted: “I know Sister is not like that. Also, that guard captain is so annoying. It is only normal that Sister does not like him.”

Then his round eyes fixed on her as he asked: “So what is really going on?”