Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

Before long, the two arrived at a pavilion.

Honglang stopped and looked up.

The three characters "Tianxianglou" are written on an ebony plaque, the characters made of gold powder mixed with cinnabar, which gleam with a reddish light in the twilight.

The entire pavilion is three stories high, and its beams and pillars are carved with lotus scrolls and auspicious beasts and clouds.

The gate was wide open, and a beaded curtain hung above the lintel, behind which one could vaguely see figures moving about.

A waiter stood at the door to greet guests. He was handsome and looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, but he had a pair of short horns on his forehead.

Upon seeing Jinniang leading her entourage, the waiter immediately put on a smile: "Jinniang is here! Is this guest staying at the inn or just stopping by for a meal?"

Jinniang smiled and said, "Little Deer, this is Young Master Hong. He wants to stay in the top-class room, so please take good care of him."

Upon hearing this, the waiter, who was called "Little Deer," hurriedly lifted the beaded curtain, his movements as nimble as a real fawn.

"Top-tier room, please come upstairs!" The waiter led Hong Lang towards the stairs, turning back to ask, "How many rooms would you like, sir?"

Hong Lang continued walking: "Two rooms, and also feed this horse a few pounds of the best pork belly, with a good balance of fat and lean."

Jinniang, who was following behind, was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and quickly waved her hand: "Young master, there's no need for you to spend money. I have my own place to stay, in the east of the city..."

"Two rooms, just in case something comes up and I need to contact you." Hong Lang said without turning his head.

"In that case, I shall respectfully comply," Jinniang replied somewhat embarrassedly.

The quick-witted waiter immediately replied, "Alright! Two top-class rooms, next to each other, so it'll be convenient to take care of you."

After settling in, Hong Lang followed Jin Niang to the street.

"Take me on a tour of Yingtian City."

"Alright," Jinniang replied. She continued, "My lord, I know a small shop with excellent food and wine, quite unique, and it's not far from here. Would you like to have something to eat first?"

"Lead the way," Hong Lang nodded.

The two walked west along the long street and turned into a narrow alley.

At the end of the alley, a wine flag was displayed with the word "Drunk" written on it.

Jinniang pushed open the door as if she knew the way well.

The shop is small, a two-story building, with only three tables on the first floor.

The stove is on the left-hand side as you enter, and a man is standing behind it.

He was around thirty years old, burly and broad-shouldered, stirring the pot with a large ladle. Hearing the door open, he didn't even look up, but gruffly shouted, "Closed! Come back tomorrow!"

Jinniang chuckled, "Erniu, it's me."

The man paused, his spoon still in his hand, and looked up.

He had a round face, and his eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Jinniang's. When he saw Jinniang, his expression instantly turned cold.

"What are you doing here?" He threw the spoon into the pot. "Go away, I have no money for you!"

Jinniang's smile froze for a moment, and just as she was about to speak, the curtain of the back hall was lifted, and a woman came out carrying an empty plate.

The woman was about the same age as the man, with fair skin, a round face, almond-shaped eyes, and a kind appearance.

But the moment he saw Jinniang, his kindness vanished.

"Oh, here you are again?" The woman's voice was soft but sharp. "You haven't paid back last month's debt yet, and you're here again this month?"

Jinniang took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Xiulan, I didn't mean anything by it. I brought a distinguished guest with me..."

"A distinguished guest?" The woman named Xiulan scoffed. "When haven't you said that?"

The man, Erniu, waved his hand impatiently: "Sister, I'm not trying to criticize you, but after all these years in Yingtian City, what have you become?"

Everyone in the neighborhood knows your big mouth! You talk a good game, but you never put in a single penny. You should just leave; you really don't know how annoying you are!

That's a very strong statement.

Jinniang's smile finally faded, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately she didn't.

Her eyes flattened at the corners, revealing a touch of desolation.

Just then, Hong Lang stepped across the threshold, his purple robe standing out conspicuously in the twilight.

Erniu's gaze fell on Hong Lang, his eyes quickly scanning over his attire.

Xiulan reacted even faster.

Her face, which had been as cold as ice, melted instantly.

With a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth and a smile in her eyes, she exuded a warm and energetic aura from the inside out.

She hurried forward, her voice rising a few decibels: "Sir, please come in! Our shop may be simple, but our food and wine are top-notch!"

Erniu followed up, "What would you like to eat, sir? Our shop has our specialty braised beef, steamed sea bass, and homemade osmanthus wine. I guarantee you'll want to come back again!"

Jinniang smiled and led Honglang up to the second floor.

After the two sat down, Hong Lang asked, "Is he your brother?"

"Mm." Jinniang nodded.

Why do they dislike you so much?

Jinniang smiled bitterly, "Actually, it's not their fault. I often can't find work, but I have to pay money every month to live in the city. Sometimes I have no choice but to come to him for help."

Their lives are also tight, and after a while, they'll naturally get annoyed with me.

Hong Lang frowned: "If you can't make it in the city, why not go back to the countryside?"

Jinniang shook her head: "Young master, you don't know this, although Yingtian City is big and it's not easy to survive, there are also many opportunities."

So many people are desperate to get here, hoping to one day meet a benefactor and turn their lives around. If I leave this place, I'm afraid I'll never be able to turn my life around.

Her tone was flat, as if she had said the same words to herself countless times, the passion long gone, leaving only obsession.

Hong Lang picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "I think you're quite attractive, why don't you find a backer?"

"To be honest, young master," she lowered her voice, "I was originally from a prominent family, but my family suffered a misfortune, which led me to this place in Jinzhou. Although I am not a chaste and virtuous woman, I am unwilling to be pleasured by another man. This attire..."

She glanced down at her neckline and smiled bitterly, "I'm forced to by life. If I don't dress like this, I can't even get a job leading people around. But I've never done anything as shameful as selling myself."

The sound of Erniu stir-frying came from downstairs, the iron wok and spatula clanging together.

A short while later, Xiulan came upstairs carrying a tray, her face beaming with a smile, a stark contrast to her earlier demeanor: "Sir, the food is here! Braised beef, steamed sea bass, a dish of peanuts, and a pot of osmanthus wine. Please enjoy!"

Hong Lang picked up his chopsticks and took a few bites. The taste was indeed not very good, no wonder there weren't many customers.

When settling the bill, Erniu bowed and said with a smile, "Sir, the total is three taels of silver."

Hong Lang pulled out five taels of silver from his pocket and threw it on the counter: "Keep the change."

They gave her an extra two taels of silver, clearly out of consideration for Jinniang.

Erniu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Oh, sir, please take care, come again next time!"

Xiulan also came over, smiling broadly as she saw the guest off.

Jinniang followed behind, head down, and went out the door without saying a word.