The town was not large; it was named Bluestone Town.

When Lai Li’an led Su Wan’er into the town, the last trace of dark red sunset still lingered on the horizon.

There were few pedestrians on the street. Vendors were packing up their wares to close for the day, and occasionally, a few children could be seen chasing and playing at the entrance of an alley, their clear laughter ringing out.

Su Wan’er followed behind Lai Li’an with her head slightly lowered. This was her first time entering the mortal realm in many years.

Large patches of dark red bloodstains remained on her moon-white dress; although they had already dried, they still looked startling.

Along the way, a few pedestrians cast curious glances, but upon seeing the long sword at her waist and the faint aura about her, they hurriedly averted their eyes.

Lai Li’an’s gaze swept across both sides of the street and quickly locked onto a storefront with a signboard that read “Yuelai Inn”.

Yuelai Inn, he had seen this name so many times in his previous life, but he never expected to actually encounter it after transmigrating.

He stepped inside. The inn’s lobby was not large, but it was kept fairly clean.

Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man around 40 years old. He had a carefully trimmed mustache and small, squinting eyes, and was currently flicking the beads of an abacus.

Hearing someone enter, he looked up, and a professional smile immediately spread across his face.

“Are you two stopping for a meal or a room—”

Halfway through his sentence, he saw Su Wan’er.

More accurately, he saw Su Wan’er’s face.

The middle-aged man’s mouth parted slightly, and the abacus beads slipped from his fingers, clattering against the counter.

Having run an inn in this small town for over a decade, he had welcomed and seen off if not ten thousand, then at least eight thousand guests, and fancied himself to have seen his fair share of beauties.

But the one before his eyes…

He couldn’t find the words to describe her.

The bloodstains all over her did not detract from her looks in the slightest; instead, they contrasted with her face, making it appear even more flawlessly white, like red plum blossoms fallen on snow, exuding an indescribable, fragile beauty.

The middle-aged man gulped and glanced at Lai Li’an, who was walking in front.

Grey robes, handsome features, an extraordinary bearing, and a confident stride.

Then he looked at the girl behind him. Despite her wretched state, her eyes remained fixed on the back of the man ahead, her gaze brimming with reverence and dependence.

The middle-aged man instantly understood.

These were clearly a pair of Dao companions traveling the jianghu!

Though the girl was covered in blood, her temperament and features showed she was by no means a wicked person; rather, it seemed she had just survived a fierce battle.

And looking back at the grey-robed guest in front—calm, collected, and unfazed—he was clearly a man of great skill.

The middle-aged man’s smile deepened. His gaze darted back and forth between Lai Li’an and Su Wan’er a couple of times before finally landing on Lai Li’an, and he gave him a wink.

“Are you two esteemed guests looking for a room?”

Lai Li’an nodded. “Two top-tier rooms.”

The middle-aged man’s smile froze for a fraction of a second before quickly returning to normal.

He lowered his head and made a show of flipping through the guest register on the counter, furrowing his brows and muttering to himself.

“Let me see… Heavenly Room One is taken… Heavenly Room Two is also occupied… Heavenly Room Three…”

After flipping for a long time, he looked up with an apologetic expression.

“Oh my, esteemed guests, I am truly sorry. Our humble inn has many guests today, and there is only one top-tier room left.”

After saying that, he winked at Lai Li’an again. The meaning was obvious:

Lai Li’an looked at him expressionlessly.

He had seen this kind of trope plenty of times in TV dramas during his past life.

“Then we’ll find another inn.” Lai Li’an turned to leave.

The middle-aged man hurriedly rushed out from behind the counter and blocked their way. “Guest, guest, don’t be so hasty! It’s already dark, and mine is the only inn in town. Where else are you going to look? Besides, what’s wrong with one room? The two of you… cough cough, can just squeeze in together, right?”

He then looked at Su Wan’er, his gaze carrying a look that said, “I know, I know.”

A blush suddenly spread across Su Wan’er’s face.

Although she didn’t quite grasp the meaning behind the innkeeper’s winks and suggestive hints, she definitely understood what “squeeze together” meant.

“I… I don’t have to stay here!” Su Wan’er said hurriedly, her voice a little tight. “Senior, you can just rest here by yourself. This junior will just find a place outside to meditate.”

Lai Li’an shot her a glance.

This girl’s face was as red as an apple.

He sighed internally, but his expression remained impassive as he said to the innkeeper indifferently, “One room is fine. Just bring us an extra set of bedding.”

The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly. “Right away! Please wait a moment, Guest, I’ll have someone prepare it right now!”

He turned and hollered toward the back hall, “Waiter! Clean up Heavenly Room Three! And bring an extra set of bedding up!”

After saying that, he turned back around and lowered his voice to speak to Lai Li’an, “Guest, the blood on that girl… do you want me to have someone boil some hot water?”

Lai Li’an gave a slight nod. “Thank you.”

The middle-aged man waved his hand, smiling meaningfully. “No trouble, no trouble at all. It’s only proper.”

As he spoke, he walked behind the counter, muttering to himself, “This girl is as beautiful as a fairy, a perfect match for the guest. It’s just that the blood on her… tsk, tsk, who knows what they ran into. But with this guest protecting her, nothing should go wrong.”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but just loud enough for Su Wan’er to hear.

Su Wan’er’s face turned even redder.

Heavenly Room Three was the innermost room on the second floor, the best room in the entire inn.

The moment the door was pushed open, a faint scent of sandalwood wafted out. The room wasn’t large, but it was elegantly furnished. A carved wooden bed sat against the wall, covered with clean, green-gray bedding. At the head of the bed was a small table holding an oil lamp.

Lai Li’an swept his gaze across the room, his eyes falling on the bed before looking down at the floor.

The floor was made of wooden boards. Although it wasn’t very even, it would be passable once the bedding was laid out.

He walked to the table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea.

Su Wan’er stood at the doorway. After a moment of hesitation, she walked in.

Her gaze swept around the room, finally landing on the bed before quickly darting away.

“Senior,” she bit her lip, “you should sleep on the bed. This junior will just meditate on the floor.”

Lai Li’an picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was a bit bitter, but acceptable.

“No need,” he said. “This Venerable will sleep on the floor; you sleep on the bed.”

Su Wan’er hurriedly shook her head. “No, no! Given Senior’s status, how could you sleep on the floor? This junior absolutely wouldn’t dare!”

Lai Li’an put down his teacup and glanced at her.

“Alright.”

Shortly after, the waiter quickly delivered extra bedding and a bucket of hot water.

Lai Li’an spread the bedding on the floor and tested it out. Although it was a bit hard, it was far better than the desolate wilderness he had slept in during the early days of his transmigration.

Su Wan’er stood to the side, watching him lay out the bedding, a wave of complex emotions welling up in her heart.

Senior was clearly so powerful, so why did he still need to sleep?

She secretly peeked at Lai Li’an.

Senior was organizing the bedding at an unhurried pace, looking no different from an ordinary mortal.

A trace of doubt arose in Su Wan’er’s heart, but she quickly suppressed it herself.

Perhaps Senior was simply experiencing the life of a mortal?

She recalled what Senior had said earlier in the day: “For those on the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo is forgetting where they came from.”

That was right. Senior had wandered the world for over 300 years, never flying through the sky and never relying on his Cultivation Base for enjoyment, always maintaining the simplest lifestyle.

This state of mind and persistence were the true marks of an enlightened master.

And yet, she was actually secretly speculating about why Senior needed to sleep…

Su Wan’er fiercely scolded herself internally:

At this thought, the trace of doubt in her heart completely dissipated.

Having finished making the bed, Lai Li’an straightened up and glanced at Su Wan’er, who was still standing rooted to the spot.

Her dress was covered in dried bloodstains, with some areas having crusted into hard clumps. It was uncomfortable just looking at it, and she probably hadn’t bathed in a long time.

“Go take a bath,” Lai Li’an said.

Su Wan’er was taken aback. She looked down at her dress and shook her head: “Senior, this junior is already a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and has long been untainted by mortal dust. The marks on my body are merely bloodstains and are of no hindrance. There is no need to bathe.”

Lai Li’an blinked.

What?

It worked like that?

He silently made a mental note of this, but his expression remained impassive.

“This Venerable knows,” his tone was flat, “but your body still carries the residual aura of the Evil Curse, which Spiritual Power cannot completely purge. Although the Spirit Cleansing Pill this Venerable gave you neutralized most of the evil energy, some still remains on the surface of your skin. You need to soak in hot water to completely eradicate it.”

He spoke with utmost seriousness.

In truth, he had no idea if evil energy could be washed off with hot water, but this excuse sounded perfectly reasonable.

Upon hearing this, a flash of realization crossed Su Wan’er’s eyes.

So that was it.

She knew Senior wouldn’t ask her to bathe without reason; it turned out it was to clear the residual evil energy. But would mortal water really be of any use?

“This junior was foolish.” Su Wan’er bowed respectfully. “Thank you for the guidance, Senior.”

Lai Li’an waved his hand, walked over to the window, and turned his back to her.

“Go on.”