132 Rumors (2/2)
”I would like two rooms,” Xue Wei said as he reached the counter and placed enough silver on the table to pay for the rooms.
The matron behind the counter nodded her head and picked up two keys that she threw to the two young men. Each key had a number on them. One was number seven, the other number eight.
”The rooms are upstairs. Make yourselves at home,” she said, grinning. She was a rather stout woman with a big smile on her face. She looked very friendly and straightforward.
Xue Wei and Hei Gou nodded to her and headed to their rooms where they found two servants busy filling two big tubs with warm water.
They quickly scrubbed the dirt off their bodies, causing them to feel rejuvenated, before they jumped into the water. Both sighed with relief, and their bodies were almost screaming in joy when they felt the warm water soften their skin.
Hei Gou was the last to finish his bath. After switching into a new set of fur clothes from the Chaos Vulture Tribe, the two walked downstairs to listen in on the conversations of the Vermilion Forest Kingdom's latest affairs, and what they could expect from their new environment.
As they entered the restaurant section of the inn once more, the patrons shifted their attention to them. They both felt like two sore thumbs sticking out as they moved to an empty table.
Xue Wei placed some silver on the table and ordered some simple dishes and wine.
Although they were not wealthy, they could afford a few meals and a place to stay for a few days, but their plans were different. They wished to enter the Vermilion Forest as soon as possible the following day, but charging into a forest without knowing the least bit about it was unwise.
Noticing that all eyes were on them, Xue Wei could not help but cough and stand up and cup his fists. ”Excuse me, everyone. We are just two brothers coming from the Flowing Blood Prairie. There is no news from the prairie, as the Prairie Monarchs have not made any moves in a long time. Although skirmishes appear between the various tribes, nothing major has happened that we can tell you about, and thus I hope you will all return to your discussions and pay us no heed.”
The men and women within the restaurant were all slightly disappointed when they heard this, but they were also relieved at the same time. The Flowing Blood Prairie was not a threat because the Prairie Monarchs were on different sides, but if they choose to band together, then a kingdom like the Heping Kingdom and the Vermilion Forest Kingdom would have no chance of withstanding them and would end up being swallowed up whole by the Flowing Blood Prairie's tribes.
Xue Wei's politeness also managed to make the experts present feel favorable towards them, and soon the establishment returned to its previously bustling and noisy state
Xue Wei and Hei Gou received their food and drinks and slowly started eating while listening in on anything that was being said across the restaurant.
”I heard that his Highness the Crown Prince has sent an ambassador to the Kingdom of Heping because a new Primordial Beast has emerged in their territory. I don't know much about it, but it should be a serious contender on the list of the most deadly beasts in our region of the continent!”
Hearing this, Xue Wei's eyebrow rose slightly, and he almost chuckled. Rumors had the ability to grow the further they went.
”I heard that a Primordial Beast that resides within the Vermilion Forest is on a rampage and causing great trouble at the western and southern border of the forest. At least us here in the northern border are safe.”
”The yearly recruitment camp began a few months ago... I wonder how my son is doing in the army.”
”I heard that Du Fang met with disaster in the Vermilion Forest last week. His widowed wife is now forced to enter the forest to find herbs for a way to put food on the table and save her children from starvation.”
”The butcher is buying Fierce Beast cores from Ordinary Warrior ranked Fierce Beasts to give them to his son so that he can cultivate faster than the other children, but no matter how much he tries he is but a frog in a well. Even if he consumes these cores, doesn't he use the same cultivation technique as the others? He is going to be cannon fodder like everyone else from our village.”
They were all talking about random things within the restaurant. Although Xue Wei and Hei Gou listened intently, they did not get much information other than that some Primordial Beast had run amok in other areas of the Vermilion Forest.
Looking at one another, Xue Wei and Hei Gou nodded their heads, ate the last of their food, and went upstairs to their rooms.
As Xue Wei entered the room, he laid down on the bed for a short while, pondering on everything that had happened to him in the last couple of months. He was still considered a youngster, but he felt that he had already gone through more than most would in an entire lifetime. However, things were far from over.
Sighing, he shook his head and rested his eyes for a short while before stretching and enjoying the soft feeling of the bed.
Time ticked by slowly and he had soon rested for a full hour. After the hour was up, he sat up on the bed and began cultivating. An hour of rest was already as much as he could afford, and just enough to calm his mind.