Chapter 276 - “This Is Not Canglan City”
Bai Rouyun was well aware that her actions of clearing a whole inn might seem aggressive and arrogant, but she had her own reasons to do so.
Although it was some time before the tournament would start, many had already arrived at Xiumeng City, and the inns were more or less full, with only a few rooms available in each.
Bai Rouyun did not care about the rest of her entourage from the Blue Water Institute, but the guards from the Eternal Shadow Palace deserved a decent place to live.
These guards had been hiding in the shadows during most of their journey, and they seemed to be very used to harsh living conditions, but Bai Rouyun would not feel comfortable if they had to suffer too many grievances.
That was why she asked Mo Chu to clear out an inn. Mo Chu had not used his strength or background to force the guests, but instead he used money to solve the problem, so Bai Rouyun had no guilty consciousness from the result.
The previous guests were likely to find another place to rest, and as most of them were not groups, they did not care about the other guests. They even benefitted from the change, so it was a win-win situation.
The one who would have to bear the biggest cost for this whole change of guests was without a doubt the hostess. Although the guests were not likely to cause trouble due to the wealth they had gained, she would have to work hard to get rid of the reputation as a woman who worshipped wealth.
This was also why Bai Rouyun was extremely grateful towards this hostess. Even if she was unable to cultivate, she was a woman who deserved respect and their entire entourage had to be grateful to her for making it possible to stay together, hence Bai Rouyun showed her stance at the very beginning.
As long as the rest of her entourage noticed her gratitude, they would not dare to make things hard for this woman or her staff while staying here.
"It is a bit of an embarrassment."
While the majority of the people understood Bai Rouyun's message, Gu Xinxing was not that bright, and instead felt it was humiliating for a cultivator to show such favor to a mortal and useless woman.
She could not help but mutter under her breath, and although her voice was lowered, she did not care who heard her words.
She was genuinely afraid of Jiang Wei, and she also felt a tingling fear for Bai Rouyun, but she did not think that either of them would target her for the few words she just said.
She had, after all, spoken like this for many years already, and due to her appearance, many either ignored her or simply decided to bear with her temper.
Unfortunately, Bai Rouyun had just made her stance very clear, and now this woman was trying to cause trouble, so her brows furrowed and she became displeased.
Although her temper had changed a lot after having a few epiphanies, she was not a saint, nor did she aim to become a good person.
Her temper used to be volatile and fiesty, but now she was more calm and collected, even so, she was not going to let this young lady cause her trouble.
"Educate this young lady."
As soon as Bai Rouyun's words fell, a guard stepped forward from the shadows and slapped Gu Xinxing hard on the face. Her entire head tilted to one side, and blood began leaking from the corner of her lip as the cheek swelled red in an instant, clearly showing the palm imprint on her skin.
Such a swift reaction caused not only the Gu siblings to be shocked, even the hostess and the others present gasped in surprise as their eyes widened in shock.
Although Gu Xinxing had been somewhat rude, she was not too excessive, and she was not one of Bai Rouyun's subordinates. It was debatable whether or not Bai Rouyun even had the required authority to punish her.
"Miss Gu, I really do not understand where your unreasonable feeling of superiority comes from.
"We are merely guests in Xiumeng City, and the hostess here is a permanent resident. Xiumeng City is a special place, and the City Lord is very protective of his citizens. You better be careful when moving about, and do not trouble anyone at all.
"Even if you are used to being arrogant and unreasonable, everything has a limit, and we, as your travel companions, will be grouped together with you.
"Your behavior of disregarding this hostess is truly chilling, and if it became known to the City Lord, it is not only you, but also the entire group, that would be in trouble.
"Not to mention, this hostess deserves our gratitude. If you do not feel grateful towards her, then you can find your own place to rest during our stay.
"This goes to the rest of you as well. If you cannot show enough respect towards the hostess and her staff, then you can find another place to rest. I am the one who has paid to rent this inn, and while I do not mind letting you stay here alongside me, I hope you can follow my rules."
Bai Rouyun had magnified the City Lord's protectiveness intentionally for the sake of making these other experts understand that this was not Canglan City. Here they would be punished if they insulted others, and even a mortal hostess had a protection they could not touch.
Also, she was not one who would repay gratitude with enmity, and this hostess deserved her gratitude, so she would naturally stand up for her.