Chapter 126 - Chiyu Tavern

A few days had passed since Lee Tao had left the Tianyun Kingdom.

Throughout his journey, he had come across many magical beasts.

Of course, the magical beasts were completely helpless against Lee Tao, who easily defeated and killed them all.

"How much further are we from the Sierra Desert, Xiao Chu?" Lee Tao asked.

"You still have a long way to go, Lee Tao. It would probably take you around a month or so if you continue with your current pace." Xiao Chu replied.

Lee Tao nodded his head.

"Seems like I can only continue to walk…" 

Sometime later, Lee Tao arrived at a small village filled with different kinds of people.

People with different clothes such as bare-chested men, armor-clad men, and women were dressed in a multi-layer dress.

However, Lee Tao's appearance instantly attracted attention due to his unique clothes and upbringing.

"Look at this newborn brat out here in the wilderness."

"Did you lose your way, little kid?"

As Lee Tao continued to walk ahead, some idiotic men decided to tease and provoke him.

Lee Tao paid them no mind since it was just going to be a waste of time.

Instead, he approached a pedestrian that didn't seem to care about his attire.

"Hello, may I ask what this village is called?" Lee Tao asked nicely.

"You're in Pan Village right now, and I suggest you leave as quickly as possible if you don't have business here. The people here aren't the kind ones." The pedestrian said as he warned him out of goodwill.

"Heh, you can rest assured that I didn't get this far through sheer luck. I'm going to stay here for the night since I'm a bit exhausted from my journey." 

"Since you insist on staying, I won't force you. Try to go to Chiyu Tavern as they are probably the most suited one for outsiders like you."

Lee Tao cupped his fist as he thanked the pedestrian for the advice.

People who show respect for him, then Lee Tao don't mind doing the same.

However, those who wanted to harm him, then Lee Tao wouldn't mind paying them back ten-fold.

Without further ado, Lee Tao quickly made his way toward the Chiyu Tavern that the pedestrian had talked about.

Sometime later, Lee Tao stopped at a signboard labeled 'Chiyu Tavern'

From outside, Lee Tao could hear loud chattering. 

'So noisy… guess I'll enter the ancient ruin instead.' Lee Tao thought.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, a young woman suddenly approached Lee Tao with a smile on her face.

"Hello, you must be new to the village. Do you want to rent a room to stay for the night?" The young woman asked.

Lee Tao shook his head.

"No thank you, I'll just go somewhere else instead," Lee Tao said.

"Sure you do. Come in, let me introduce the place for you," The young woman ignored his words as she dragged him inside.

Meanwhile, Lee Tao was baffled by her aggressive behavior in trying to gain a customer. 

"Father, I brought a wealthy customer here." 

"Deng Lijuan, how many times have I told you- not to force customers into our Chiyu Tavern?" 

Deng Lijuan, the young woman pouted slightly when she heard his father lecturing her.

"Hmph, if I didn't attract customers, then our Chiyu Tavern would have long gone bankrupt." Deng Lijuan retorted as she flashed a gentle smile at Lee Tao.

"Customer, this grumpy old man is my father, Deng Lun. What kind of room do you want?"

Deng Lun sighed softly at his daughter's behavior.

"I'm sorry young man, my daughter is like that." Deng Lun apologized.

Lee Tao shook his head.

"It's fine, your daughter is merely doing her best to sustain the business. It's admirable." Lee Tao said.

"So are you going to rent a room?"

"Indeed, I need a place to stay anyway." 

Deng Lun smiled as he grabbed a logbook out and asked, "What's your name, young man?"

"The name is Shi Tao," Lee Tao reported.

Since he was now exploring the wilderness, it was best to keep his real name hidden.

After all, who was to say that there wouldn't be any spy or people that have heard of his name.

Troubles are not something he can't deal with, but it's annoying if he had to deal with them every day because of his name.

Meanwhile, Deng Lun finished recording Lee Tao's alias name down on the logbook.

"How long will you be staying?" Deng Lun asked.

"Probably 1 or 2 days at most."

"Alrighty then, that'll be 3 silver coins." 

Lee Tao nodded his head.

He proceeded to retrieve 3 silver coins from his pouch and placed them on the table.

"Deng Lijuan, bring this young man to his room," Deng Lun ordered.

"Of course, right this way, Shi Tao." Deng Lijuan smiled blissfully as she began guiding him to his room. 

Along the way, Deng Lijuan greeted other customers with a smile.

"Deng Lijuan, looking as sexy as ever."

"Hahaha, Deng Lijuan scammed another hot-headed youth to rent a room."

"Shut up, at least our Chiyu Tavern offers the best food around here," Deng Lijuan rebuked them with a prideful expression.

The customers were merely teasing Deng Lijuan, so there weren't any mishaps by the time she brought Lee Tao to his own room.

"Shi Tao, here's your room," Deng Lijuan said as she handed him the room key.

And she continued, "Food will arrive shortly, and you don't have to worry about paying. The 3 silver coins cover it." 

Lee Tao nodded his head.

Sometime later, Deng Lijuan went away whereas Lee Tao entered the room.

The room wasn't anything luxurious like the one he was living in the Tianyun Kingdom.

Instead, it was just a normal room with a small bed and a cabinet used for storing clothes or some other items.

Lee Tao lay on the bed as he glanced at the ceiling with a somewhat nostalgic feeling.

"How long has it been since I stayed in a tavern before?"