133 Like Minds Among Rogues

The three of them bantered as they arrived at the inn. Using the small change left from buying birthday gifts, they ordered some food and wine, beginning to eat and joke together.

At that moment, a young girl appeared outside the inn. She looked about ten years old, dressed in luxurious clothing, with bright teeth and clear eyes, jet-black hair, and smooth, fair skin—a strikingly beautiful and noble presence. She bore the air of a young lady from an official or wealthy household.

The inn’s attendants hurried forward and greeted her warmly, “Miss, what would you like to order?” She replied in a pure capital city accent, “Bring some good food; I’m hungry and want to eat.” The attendant nodded and quickly went to fetch the dishes.

From her naive speech and behavior, Qu Buping and the others guessed she was not someone accustomed to dining in inns.

Such a person could be one of two types: either a child who had sneaked away from home or one who had become separated from their family in the streets. Judging from her pure capital accent, the most likely scenario was that she had lost her family nearby.

In truth, the young girl was not only being watched by the three of them; others in the inn had their eyes on her as well. Many whispered quietly among themselves. Some said, “What a beautiful little fairy.” Others remarked, “She’s a jade maiden from the mortal realm, only missing a golden youth to accompany her.” Yet others commented, “This little girl looks just like a princess from the operatic tales.” Nearby, four men dressed in mismatched clothing were also paying close attention to her.

The leader of the four was a man in his thirties, with a fierce face, bushy eyebrows, and a bristling beard—he looked strong and formidable. Beside him was a slender man who bore some feminine qualities in voice and manner, though one could tell he was a man by his prominent Adam’s apple. His pale and weak hands suggested he did not rely on physical labor to make a living; he would be well suited to play a female role in a theatrical performance. The other two men were ordinary in appearance but also oddly dressed.

Qu Buping immediately recognized these four as local ruffians eking out a living through unsavory means. Heroes might be the same north and south, but so were scoundrels. He saw at once that these four were troublemakers—truly a shared recognition among the rogue class.

The little girl was completely unaware that these four ruffians had set their sights on her. Counting Qu Buping and his group, it was seven unsavory characters in total.

After finishing her meal, the young girl casually flicked her small hand and stood up, ready to leave. At that moment, an attendant called out, “Miss, you need to pay for your meal before you leave.”

The girl paused, a look of confusion crossing her face. In a clear voice, she asked, “What do you mean by paying for the meal? I don’t understand.”

The attendant was momentarily stunned but then explained, “Miss, you have to pay for the food you ate here. Do you understand?” The girl seemed to grasp the concept and nodded, then asked, “How much does it cost?”

Before the attendant could answer, the innkeeper stepped forward. Seeing the girl adorned with gold and silver—the pearl necklace around her delicate neck sparkled brilliantly, each pearl round and luminous, clearly the finest of its kind. An expert would know each pearl was worth at least a hundred taels of silver, with the entire necklace valued at several thousand taels. The golden phoenix hairpin in her hair, set with emerald eyes, was priceless. The embroidered patterns on her silk garments were clearly beyond what common folk could afford.

Judging by her appearance, the innkeeper gritted his teeth and said harshly, “Miss, the meal you ordered just now costs eighty taels of silver.”

Qu Buping whispered to Xiaoyu, “This innkeeper is robbing her blind. I’m sure the food she ate wasn’t worth more than a few taels.”

Xiaoyu nodded, “Looks like this innocent little girl is going to be in trouble.”

The girl thought for a moment, seemingly understanding the amount, and reached into her pocket. Then, with an apologetic expression, she said, “I… I don’t have any silver. What should I do?”

The attendant quickly added, “If you don’t have silver, a silver certificate or gold leaf will do.”

The girl asked, “What’s a silver certificate?” Then shook her head, “I still don’t understand.”

Qu Buping chuckled softly, “This little one really is blissfully ignorant.”

The innkeeper’s mood soured, and he said irritably, “If you don’t understand anything, listen carefully. You must pay for what you eat. If you have no money, you can offer something else as collateral. If you refuse, I’ll drag you before the magistrate. They’re not as kind as I am; they’ll surely beat you.”

Surprised, the girl asked, “They dare to beat me?” Then, oddly, she inquired, “Is the magistrate old?”

The innkeeper was dumbfounded. The girl muttered to herself, “If the magistrate is young, that’s fine; but if he’s an old man with a white beard, his words will be so tedious—it’ll be a nightmare.”

The innkeeper said, “Miss, don’t play dumb. If you really have no money, just give me that necklace on your neck as payment for the meal. That way, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

The girl sighed and said, “Very well, I’ll give it to you,” and began to remove the necklace.

Qu Buping was deeply displeased. Thinking to himself, “This innkeeper is far too greedy. That necklace is worth well over a thousand taels of silver.” He wanted to intervene but, seeing Xiaoyu still made no move, held back.

Suddenly, a thought struck him as odd. “That necklace must be worth thousands of taels, yet this innocent-looking girl—if she were truly robbed of all her possessions and perhaps even sold off—shouldn’t appear so composed. Her clothes are neat, and her jewelry intact. Perhaps Xiaoyu has noticed this and is watching quietly to see what unfolds.”

At that moment, the leopard-faced man slammed the table and stood with a grunt, “Stop.”

Everyone in the inn was startled, even the girl looked at him curiously.

The leopard-faced man stepped forward and said, “Innkeeper, your greed knows no bounds. The food this young lady ate is worth at most three taels. You claim eighty taels and want to take her necklace worth thousands as collateral? That’s downright exploitation. I’m deeply displeased. What do you all think?”

Though not many voiced agreement aloud, quite a few silently nodded. They, too, disliked the innkeeper’s bullying of such an innocent child.

The leopard-faced man’s three companions cheered, “Exactly. That innkeeper is too greedy. To bully a naive little girl in front of so many people—we won’t stand for it.”