Chapter 108: Eternal Night Valley
After dinner, Anji requested that all three of them sleep together in one room despite having two separate rooms. After the greeting, Anji was too worried to leave her brother alone in the other room despite having spells in place. Mingshen eventually gave in, and the three of them slept horizontally, with Mingshen’s toes peeking off the bed and Gu Ying’s feet still touching the ground. Anji snuggled into the blanket between them and fell soundly asleep until morning.
As soon as the sun rose, Anji woke up with a huge grin when she realised she was cuddling with her older brother. As usual, Gu Ying was already awoken. However, she was not in the room. Curious, Anji crawled out of bed silently and opened the windows. They creaked a little, but Mingshen remained soundly asleep. He must have stayed up late last night, even after the lights went out. Her brother had a tendency to be a night owl, a habit Anji did not find healthy. The human body needs to sleep from nine in the evening until five in the morning to remain healthy. It was the time when all five organs started their daily detox cycle. Failure to adhere to a proper sleeping schedule would result in weakened health over time. Lizi was the prime example of becoming unhealthy from not sleeping early.
In other towns, the streets would usually be bustling even before sunrise. In this unlawful town, there were only a handful of stores with bored-looking shop owners. Anji thought it was strange that other shop owners were nowhere in sight, and a few more trickled in with their carts to set up their stores a little further from the main street. Most of these stores did not sell food. Instead, they sold strange wares such as brass knuckles and ointments.
Yawning, Mingshen woke up to too much sunlight in his face. He had been up for most of the night with Gu Ying investigating the backer of this inn to see if they were people the Gentleman Club could work with. On the bright side, they were not affiliated with the remnants of the demonic cult. However, these low-life thugs were also filled with nothing but self-interest. Mingshen decided not to entangle himself with them further but gave them a handsome tip for some information. The innkeeper had prepared some of their requested supplies for the long trip to the Eternal Night Valley, where Bai Dajin was waiting. A messenger was also deployed to deliver their letters to the Celestial Dragon Sect. Although they were crooks, they respected money and did honest business in this area.
"Nobody is selling anything today because everyone is in high tension. The fighters are getting ready for the big brawl tonight, and many bigger factions are on patrol to grab their hands on the best stuff available. The shops you see setting up are representatives of larger gangs hoping to rip off newcomers."
Hearing her brother’s explanation, Anji baulked. Where were they going to get their supplies then? It’s practically a death sentence if they were to walk outside now, even with Gu Ying. All these people would see are three walking money bags.
Chuckling at his sister’s obvious concerns, Mingshen told her to wash her face and tidy up. They would leave before noon after Gu Ying confirmed receipt of the letters sent to the Celestial Dragon Sect and the supplies promised to them.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Gu Ying returned to the room. She looked as if she had been up for a while. Anji couldn’t help but wonder what their bodyguard had been doing. Before she could ask any questions, the Manchurian cultivator shoved a steaming hot bun into Anji’s hands and gave the other to Mingshen.
"Eat up," she said after greeting the children. "The innkeeper has loaded all our supplies into the carriage. As it will be a long journey, the carriage could be quite cramped with everything loaded inside. It was packed according to the young master’s itinerary. Please let me know if you wish to include more items before we leave."
The strict, no-nonsense conduct set Anji right into her working mode. Mingshen had taken care of most needs, from food to medical supplies. He knew the route to the valley better than Anji. However, she had to question the hundreds of candles he ordered.
"Why do we need three hundred wax candles?" she pointed out. Apart from that absurd number, everything else was understandable.
Huffing the hot air from his mouth after biting into the steaming bun too hastily, Mingshen took a while to swallow. His tongue was slightly burned, but it was not serious enough to warrant Anji’s medical attention.