Nanming cannot sleep due to the sound of the road outside of his inn, even in dead of night, the village remained packed with hollering merchant and haggling buyers, but the biggest sound comes from the brothel right next of the inn where laughter and occasional moaning can be heard, though faint, Nanming still felt disturbed.
But Jing-U remained deep in sleep, perhaps its because he is tired, something Nanming rarely felt due to his insane regeneration. That or Jing-U is used to such ruckus and can sleep just fine.
If a relatively large village like Kuxin is this loud, what will the city sound like? Nanming decided to leave the room and stroll around the village, the entire reason he was here is because Mantai told him that he would learn something.
But that something seems faint, should he help the Chu family or venture out by himself? As Nanming went down to the reception room, he stumbled upon the girl that welcomed them earlier.
"Hello dear guest"
She said while bowing, Nanming did the same. But as he was about to step out of the building, he paused, before he went back in. The girl looked at him with curious eye, before she asked.
"Is something the matter?"
"…I know everything"
Nanming ambiguous reply leave the girl hanging, she tilts her head before she begins fiddling her fingers, the faint sound of her heart thumping can be heard before she restlessly twitch.
"Perhaps you require some assistance, would you like me to prepare a bath? With extra fee of course"
The girl tried to shift the conversation elsewhere, her professionalism shines through even when her entire body is screaming in anxious suspicion.
"Golden Boar, and your debt… I would like to hear more about them"
And that words from Nanming left her speechless, she wrestled in her mind to find the meaning of his words, whether he is send by the Golden Boar or not or if he is just mumbling nonsense that just so happen to match her family current predicament.
"…I failed to see the meaning, dear guest. But if you wished to-"
"Its pointless to try and fool me, I can hear everything downstairs during that time"
Nanming said as he tapped his ear, only now did her fully regard the girl, as his eyes scanned her face, deathly pale and eyes blown wide serve as the only sign that his words finds its mark.
Nanming then walked slowly to one of the benches in front of the reception desk, each one of his movements is closely monitored by the girl before Nanming comfortably welcomed himself into the wooden bench.
"My room was infiltrated by someone, threatening me that if I do not vacate this Inn, I will be killed"
Nanming said, drawing a withdrawal of attention from the girl who just a second ago, was giving him all the attention she could give.
"This situation threatens me and my companion, I could not just stay still knowing that something is going on within the walls of this inn"
"…Why don't you just search for another inn then?"
The girl tone shift from professional calm and straight to intense scrutiny, Nanming had hoped that she would relent, but it seems that's a misjudgment in his part.
"That cannot do, my friend here wanted to eat a noodle from the Seven Divine Cauldron. I know he own this inn, don't lie"
Assuming the hostile tone of Jianghu belligerent, or what Nanming assumes to be one of them, he delivered a statement that might as well be a threat to the girl who can only bite her lips at his words.
"And I could possibly help"
"…Hahhh"
The girl draws in a heavy sigh, she then put her cap off from her head and to the desk with heavy resignation, before she regards Nanming with a half-lidded eyes on the verge of tears.
"I-It all come in a flash, months ago, our inn is as busy as the building next door"
The girl said, voice heavy with unsaid stress and question of where it all gone wrong.
"Suddenly, that… pig, the Golden Boar ask for a noodle, I already have a bad feeling about him since he had one of the Killing Stars tailing him around!"
Her tone steadies herself, yet hatred tinged its very voice. But this Killing Stars is what intrigued Nanming.
"Killing Stars?"
"You're from the Jianghu right? Surely you know one of those legends. But let's get back on track, please?"
Nanming nods, holding his curiosity with a reign for the time being.
"But grandad serves him nonetheless, and once he finished eating, he told my grandad to go to his mansion and work there, saying that he pay twice the revenue of this inn at a festival month!"
The girl continues her story, her tears had dried up and in its place, a quiet yet blazing intensity took over.
"He even tell grandad that he'll took me in as his assistant and pay me handsomely. But grandad felt ties to this place"
"Ties?"
Nanming ask, and the girl quickly answers with a few nods.
"Yes, its… built by my father, before the blight gets him. It was supposed to be our home, but after the war, our original tea house was ravaged by the Eastern Army and those fucking fiend"
Nanming felt a strange sensation in his chest when the words fiend were mentioned, knowing that his own family and friend were being seen as nothing but hurtful and destructive pest. But he kept those thoughts to himself.
"And we ended up here, lets continue. My grandad refused, but it seems that the Golden Boar won't relent"
This is where her voice becomes intensely Wrathful, even the candle starts to flicker as if her rage is answered by supernatural forces itself, and Nanming felt like it was calling for him too.
"You know what he did? He buys this entire land! And raise its rent price! How is that possible? We own this building and the land; we built it with our bare hand and paid for it with our own silver! He also spreads rumors, saying this and that about our establishment and the worse of all… He, he"
The girl started choking on her own voice, the previously dried up tears burst forth like a flood after the dam had crumbled.
"Take your time"
Nanming said, waiting patiently for her to control her own voice and self.
"He stole our Recipe book; grandad is forgetful so he can no longer cook like he used to without those book… And because our coffer got dried up, grandad pulls a loan from a treasurer, only for him to work under Golden Boar too. And now he forced grandad to stop cooking entirely!"
The girl began to weep, shaking her head as she stumbled upon her own crying voice and words.
"I'm just… I'm confused! What am I supposed to do? I can't cook, all I can do is manage inn and promote our services, but how can I fight off a tyrant of commerce?! Every time I hire a bard to promote our inn, they got beaten up by a thug, and now whatever left of our customer was being threatened to be killed if they sleep here!"
Nanming finally connect the dot, looking at it from her perspective, the Golden Boar action is certainly nothing but impulsive, egoistical and a sort of power play, punishing those who displeased him.
But seeing it from the logical perspective, well it doesn't make a whole lot of sense either, but at least it can serve as the bigger picture of this whole problem.
"I understand now, the Golden Boar wanted to hire your grandad"
"Well yeah, my grandad refusal angers him and now he wanted to make sure that we can't even live normally again! He's a fiend! A fiend! A greedy, fat fiend!"
"I didn't see it that way"
Nanming said before he rise from the bench and walk straight to her, slowly as to make sure he won't spook her.
"The Golden Boar is desperate"
"…What?"
Her remarks is understandable, even Nanming himself couldn't quite piece out the evidence, this is just the most logical thing besides the Golden Boar is throwing a tantrum, but Nanming has yet to know about his personality so he couldn't make sure just yet which is the truth.
"If I go by your story, this Golden Boar is someone so successful and influential that he can essentially undermine the imperial law, such as buying a land that is rightfully yours and charging you for it"
"Yes! That's exactly it! He always abused his power whenever he goes!"
Nanming nod, now it makes sense. There is no way a merchant could achieve such influence due to one fact about Hazhui society, in of the book he reads, merchant is among the lowest of the caste, just above slave and criminal.
They are hated everywhere and are considered impure due to the nature of merchantry itself. Which means Golden Boar is someone smart, logical and resourceful enough to be this influential as a merchant.
"Going by that it doesn't make sense that he would go to such a lengthy and expensive way to punish your grandad"
"What do you mean? Isn't this just bullying? He goes out of his way to torment us!"
The girl cries are once again, understandable, in her perspective, the Golden Boar is simply tormenting them, the reason doesn't matter for her, she will just believe what she chooses to believe.
"I'm sure Golden Boar is smart, and merchant is known to be petty. Why would he choose to buy your land and paid for its tax himself when he can just hire some thug to destroy it instead?"
"That...!"
Now that she doubts her own beliefs, Nanming can properly explain to her his reasoning.
"Which means he doesn't want to harm either you or your grandad"
That word seems to hit the girl physically, for she falters for a second before gripping the edge of the desk to stabilize herself.
"If he goes here to try and hire your grandad and you, this means that his goal is the both of you from the very beginning"
Nanming walks to the bench to sit there once more.
"Which means all this scheming and 'bullying' is a way for the both of you to feel desperate enough to finally accept being hired by him"
"…But, why?"
The girl face is that of utter confusion, having his entire believe and pain being rewritten by a new view in her perspective and understanding, and how it all makes sense now if she did look at it that way.
"Merchant values skill and… value in on itself, which means the Golden Boar wanted the both of you so much he is willing to go down this road"
"But, if he wants our grandad to cook there… wouldn't it be easier if he just takes his Recipe book?"
"If he wanted just the Recipe book he would've stop when he gets his hand on them long ago wouldn't he?"
The girl bargaining of reason was shut down by Nanming who presents to her an argument any sound minded person would've already realized long time ago, but since she was blinded by Hatred and Wrath, its hard for her to see the obvious in beneath the thorn and smoke of her own heart.
"But…my grandad won't accept this. He will not leave this place!"
"…I just tell you the truth, your action is for yourself to decide"
Nanming said, some part of Mantai was in those words, for Nanming himself finds that piece of advice appropriate for this context.
"Won't you help us? Please kind Hero, I'll pay you with everything I have!"
"…I have to discuss that with my companion first"
Nanming said before he went up the stairs and disappeared from her view, he could hear the girl solemn breath of realization being one of the noises in the cacophony of lively village night.
.
.
.
The morning comes after, the street quiets down now that merchants are preparing for their next stock, and as the first light breaches the window, Jing-U wakes up.
"Hoammm!"
He yawn as he stretched his back, angling its form to look like a bow being pulled, after a while he cleans the crust forming up over his eyes and regards Nanming over his clouded and glazed eyes.
"Good morning Nanming"
Nanming nods towards his greeting, it took some time before Jing-U regained his self and started talking normally.
"So, any plan for today?"
"I do actually"
Jing-U gives Nanming all of his attention now that he speaks like that, but first he shift his sitting position so that he can comfortably face Nanming.
"I remember you wanted to eat the Seven Cauldron Sage spicy noodle"
"Yeah, and it's a damn shame he seems to be retired"
Nanming shakes his head at Jing-U words.
"Not willingly, I know a way we can make him cook again"
Hearing that, Jing-U eyes brighten up considerably, he is even practically vibrating from the excitement.
"No way! When you say it like that, it means that the old man from yesterday is that legendary cook, right?!"
"You didn't know? That besides the point, the problem is, it could be dangerous for you"
Nanming words are tinged with worry despite the lack of emotion his face had, but Jing-U excitement didn't die out, instead it intensifies.
"C'mon, it's the Seven Cauldron Sage we're talking about! I would gladly swim in a lake of fire if it means eating his noodle!"
"…So that's a yes?"
"YES!!"
Nanming can only nod at his vehemence, but it really didn't sit well with him, this confrontation with the Golden Boar and his mysterious Killing Star might be a risk that will become too much for Nanming, let alone Jing-U.
"When I said that there's a chance we might fight the Golden Boar, will you still say yes?"
"Y-YES!!"
"Not convincing"
Jing-U fiddles with his own finger and cast his gaze to the side when he hears the Golden Boar being mentioned.
"Can you explain it to me first?"
Jing-U requested, so Nanming did.
He explained everything in great detail, down to the expression and micro activity the girl did and how her voice sounds like through the entire length of his explanation, Jing-U drift in and out of the profound state of understanding, and 'can you repeat that?'
After a good fifteen minutes of explaining to him, Jing-U finally got the true intent of Nanming's planning.
"So we go to Golden Boar and convince him to return the recipe book and also give the Chu family their land back, correct?"
"Yes, but the recipe book is the priority, I believe the Chu family can pay the rent and debt they had to Golden Boar"
Jing-U caresses his chin, and with a neutrally intense look before he locks his eyes to Nanming.
"But he has a Killing Stars alongside him, that's a very big problem"
"Killing Stars?"
Jing-U face is now that of a confusion, before he curiously asks Nanming.
"You didn't know? Then how about the North Stars or the Dawn Stars?"
"I heard about the Dawn Stars but never the meaning behind it"
Jing-U suspiciously look towards Nanming, and he didn't bother trying to hide this suspicion, in his eyes, Nanming is truest Jianghu dweller of all, unkempt look, pragmatic and devoid of expression, hell, Nanming looks like he didn't have any to begin with.
But he chooses to explain it to Nanming, seeing no ill intent behind Nanming's action or demeanor towards him.
"So, the North Stars first, they are famous master of the Orthodox Faction, the likes of f-I mean, Yu Shiyi Hua Fei, Gu Tientiang and the like. While the Dawn Stars is the rising star of the Orthodox Faction, like the Gu siblings, Gu Liang and Gu Tian"
Nanming nods along with Jing-U explanation, ignoring his speech error, Jing-U is good at explaining stuff.
"The Killing Stars is the opposite of North Stars, think mass murderer and you get the picture of who they are"
"Like the Demon King?"
"Yes! Exactly like the Demon King, the Black Storm Wu Hailang"
Father is infamous, Nanming thought, that even the Orthodox Faction labels him among the worst of the worst, it's really such a disparity for Nanming who knows who Father truly is as a person.
But enough of that, he should really regulate this habit of thinking something that isn't in the context.
"I'm not saying I won't back down from your plan, it's just that when things go South, we should just ditch. Nothing is worth crossing our blade with one of the Killing Stars"
"I understand, so its decided?"
Nanming said, to which Jing-U responds by smiling as he brandished his own cleaver.
"While I may not be strong enough to hold a Killing Stars. Normal bodyguard or escort? I can"
Hearing his resolve, Nanming nods. He then rise up from his bed and planned to go downstairs to convey his intent to the girl.
"You can tidy up after yourself, I'll wait downstairs"
Nanming words were responded with a big thumbs up from Jing-U.
As Nanming descends the flight of stairs to get to the reception room, he heard a scuffle. A raspy and rough voice shouting and the girl arguing. It's loud enough for Nanming to hear.
"Your payment is late by three days you cur, pay up!"
"Nonsense, the agreed payment schedule is a week from now!"
"This bitch talking shit! Why don't you dance on someone's cock rather than being high and mighty huh!?"
Sensing a cruel response would approach, Nanming decides to intervene.