Chapter 109: Sunbathing Spot
After a long week of travel, they finally arrived at the Eternal Night Valley. The carriage took a long detour without going through the dense bamboo forest. Thankfully, the large stock of supplies and constant change of scenery on the mountainous path kept Anji occupied. Gu Ying was an expert navigator and hunter. Thanks to the reliable bodyguard, they arrived at the Eternal Night Valley ahead of schedule.
"Sect Leader Bai is already waiting for us in this town," Mingshen smiled. "You should find him with Gu Ying. I have some errands to run and a few acquaintances to meet on behalf of Brother Zhang Mou. Let’s meet at the inn for dinner."
Nodding excitedly, Anji agreed. Gu Ying stopped the carriage near a shop with many red lanterns. The decoration style was very similar to the tourism boats in Silver Water Town. There was no mistaking this as Hong Nian Niang’s property.
After dropping Mingshen off at the Gentleman Club’s branch office, Gu Ying and Anji stopped at a pricey-looking in. The colour scheme of this inn was light green and white, reminding her of her brother’s usual outfits. This had to be his establishment. There was no way someone like Sect Leader Bai would voluntarily choose this type of inn to stay at. Knowing her meticulous second brother, everything must have been arranged for their arrival.
When Gu Ying’s carriage stopped outside the expensive inn, a manager came rushing out with a lantern with the same symbol as their carriage.
"Welcome to Golden Halo Inn! We have been expecting your arrival, esteemed guest. Please leave the unpacking and parking to our porters and stable hands. This humble servant will show you to your rooms."
Golden Halo... Anji wondered why that was the case. However, she immediately noticed something strange after stepping out of the carriage.
"Why is everyone lying on the ground in the middle of the street?" she asked. "Are they sick?"
Glancing to the pavement where many shirtless men were lying, the innkeeper laughed. It was a strange sight to outsiders who had never been to Eternal Night Valley. Many people mistake them for beggars. However, it was the common practice for those who lived here to book their sunbathing spot before the limited window of sun appeared.
"They’re booking their sunbathing spots," he explained to the confused girl. "In this town, the sun only rises for about ten minutes to an hour daily if the weather is good. Due to the curved mountain structure above us, the town barely receives any sunlight. Many people fall ill without sunlight. Hence, it is very precious to get every minute of sunlight when it is here."
Looking up, Anji frowned. Where was the sun going to rise from? It was extremely cloudy and misty, as expected of a mountain range near the Mystical Qilin Sect’s territory.
"There is nothing but clouds in the sky," she noted. "It doesn’t seem like there will be sun."