Chapter 1 The Woman of the Inn

North of Goose City stood a small roadside inn called Zhou Fan (Porridge and Rice) Inn. It was run by a woman.

No one knew her real name; they only knew she called herself San Niangzi (Third Sister). She was a widow from out of town, without children. She was probably in her thirties, still retaining her charms.

A widow running a business was indeed a rare thing, but South County was a remote, impoverished place without so many strictures. Moreover, San Niangzi had a good reputation in the martial world.

Whenever travelers were caught out after dark without a place to stay, San Niangzi was willing to rent them rooms at a low price.

The inn owned a large number of mules, donkeys, sheep, and other livestock. If travelers didn't have mounts, or their mounts were injured and couldn't be ridden, San Niangzi would always sell them donkeys and horses at a low price,

trading for their injured mounts and helping passing travelers.

As a result, word spread, and travelers from all over were always willing to stay at the inn. The Zhou Fan Inn's business became more and more prosperous.

Zhao Jihe was one of the travelers who frequented the inn.

He was originally a scholar on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations. Last night, the horse he was riding injured its foot while traveling, making it unrideable. He had no choice but to listen to the locals' directions and come to the inn for lodging.

The inn was already full of guests, and there were no vacant rooms. But San Niangzi lived up to her reputation for hospitality, and she tried to find a way to make room for the scholar Zhao in a corner bed in a room shared with seven or eight other travelers.

That evening, San Niangzi instructed the staff to prepare a banquet, and she raised a glass with the travelers, drinking and eating meat in large mouthfuls, chatting about everything under the sun. The host and guests all enjoyed themselves.

Zhao, the scholar, saw San Niangzi's heroic spirit and her easy conversation with travelers from all over. She wasn't shy like the young ladies in their chambers, and he couldn't help but feel affection for her. He was a little infatuated with her.

As night fell, the other travelers lay drunk on their beds. Only Zhao, who didn't drink, tossed and turned, his mind full of San Niangzi's appearance.

Just as he was immersed in his thoughts, he seemed to hear something moving in the next room.

His heart stirred. The next room was San Niangzi's bedroom. Thinking of her alluring figure during the day, he couldn't help but forget the rules about not looking at what was improper.

He sat up from the bed and tiptoed to the edge of the corner of the wall, peering through the cracks between the bricks.

Well... this wasn't eavesdropping. He was protecting San Niangzi, preventing bad guys from appearing and plotting wrongdoing.

However, the image of San Niangzi undressing and going to bed did not appear.

In the bedroom, San Niangzi looked solemn and took an antique wooden box from the bottom of her wardrobe.

She placed the wooden box on the table and let out a breath of turbid air. As if she wasn't sure, she tiptoed to the door, opened it, and made sure no one was around.

Then, she closed the door and locked it from the inside.

Zhao, the scholar, was a little dazed and confused. Why was San Niangzi so cautious?

Did the box contain a portrait of her husband? Or her children's umbilical cords? Or perhaps... something she used for pleasure?

As he was wondering, Zhao saw San Niangzi open the wooden box and take out a wooden figure of a farmer, a wooden calf pulling a plow, and a wooden model of farmland.

They were all very delicate and small, just like children's toys made by carpenters for wealthy families.

What was this?

In an instant, Zhao's mind filled in the blanks. Every night, when the night fell, San Niangzi, who lived alone, would take out the wooden box, look at the toys her children used to love the most, and miss her family and relatives.

Thinking like this, Zhao felt even more pity for San Niangzi.

The next second, San Niangzi picked up the teapot, took a sip of tea, and solemnly sprayed it on the wooden figure and wooden ox on the table.

As soon as the wooden figure and wooden ox touched the tea, they trembled all over. Like delicate machines, they moved on their own in the wooden farmland, diligently cultivating the land like real farmers.

!!

Zhao was shocked. He had only heard about the strange methods of otherworldy cultivators in legends, and had never witnessed such a strange thing with his own eyes.

"..."

San Niangzi's eyes shone, and she muttered to herself, taking a packet of buckwheat seeds and placing them in front of the wooden figure.

The wooden figure took the seeds and skillfully sowed them in the farmland. After a moment, buckwheat seedlings sprouted from the wooden field and grew rapidly.

The wooden figure took a sickle and harvested the wheat, shelled it, ground it into flour, and put it in a wooden bucket that San Niangzi had brought.

After taking care of everything, it fell silent along with the wooden ox, no longer moving.

San Niangzi put away the wooden figure and wooden ox and used the new flour in the room to make dough. She then baked it into flatbreads over the stove.

At this time, the sky was already bright, and the roosters crowed. The travelers, who had been drunk all night, got up one after another, covering their dizzy heads, and went downstairs.

Zhao quickly pretended to have just woken up and put on his clothes with the others.

The scene he had seen last night was too shocking, and Zhao didn't dare to tell anyone about it. He only wanted to escape from this strange inn as soon as possible.

However, just as he was carrying his baggage and preparing to rush out of the inn's gate, a shop assistant blocked his way and said to him with a smile, "Young Master Zhao, don't be in such a hurry to leave.

Our proprietress has already made flatbreads, which are given to the guests in the shop for free. After you've finished your breakfast,

we'll get you a new horse to help you get to the capital for the imperial examination and win fame and fortune."

Zhao really wanted to refuse, but two other shop assistants surrounded him, their faces smiling, but their feet blocked his escape route, and their waists were bulging, as if they were carrying weapons and凶刃.

Zhao had no choice but to put on a smile, nod, and stay in the hall with the other travelers, waiting for San Niangzi to bring breakfast.

After a while, San Niangzi, looking a little haggard, came to the hall with porridge, side dishes, flatbreads, and other breakfast items, one portion for each person.

The other travelers didn't suspect anything and ate with relish, praising San Niangzi's superb craftsmanship and the delicious taste of the flatbreads.

Zhao wanted to remind them, but there was a shop assistant standing behind him, pressing a blade against his waist. Before he could open his mouth, he would probably be stabbed through his waist and abdomen.

"Why isn't Young Master Zhao eating?"

San Niangzi rubbed the soft ends of her hair by her ears and yawned charmingly. "Does the young master not like the taste? I baked these all night..."

After seeing that weird scene last night, how could I eat it?!

Zhao cursed in his heart, but under the pressure of the blade on his back, he reluctantly forced a smile and took a small bite from the cake, chewing it with difficulty like he was eating poison.

"Alright, I've had my fill, and it's time for me to get on the road."

A traveler who had eaten his fill patted his stomach with satisfaction, picked up his baggage from the stool, and cupped his fist at San Niangzi, who was leaning against the counter. "Thank you for your hospitality, San Niangzi. Next time I come to Luzhou, I'll stay at this inn again."

San Niangzi smiled and waved her hand, saying, "Safe travels, guest. Shop assistant, go get the donkey."

"No need, no need. I can do it myself."

The traveler smiled and walked towards the inn's gate. He tripped halfway there. "Ouch, my foot, eh ah eh ah..."

Before he could finish speaking, a shallow layer of black-gray hair grew on his arm, and the cry of pain in his mouth turned into a donkey's bray, "Eh ah."

His face suddenly lengthened, his ears became pointed, and he stood on all fours.

In an instant, he turned into a donkey!

The other travelers exclaimed in alarm and stood up from their chairs in a panic, but they all fell to the ground.

The inn was filled with donkey brays, which were very noisy. However, San Niangzi and several shop assistants only wore cold smiles on their faces.

So that's how it is!

Zhao's heart was filled with despair. The reason why San Niangzi was able to accumulate such a huge fortune in such a short period of time was because of this evil art of turning people into donkeys, harming passing travelers, and encroaching on their wealth. It was a costless business with huge profits.

She could also sell the donkey travelers to all parts of the world, erase the clues, and earn another fortune.

Those donkeys, sheep, cattle, and horses in the backyard of the inn... were probably all travelers who had been harmed.

Perhaps because Zhao only took one bite, his transformation into a donkey was slower than the others.

San Niangzi didn't hesitate and instructed the shop assistants to drive Zhao, who was half-human and half-donkey, along with the other braying donkeys and horses, into the backyard.

Could it be that Zhao Jihe is going to die here today?

He hadn't yet passed the imperial examinations and obtained fame and fortune, hadn't married a wealthy daughter, hadn't displayed his grand plans, hadn't made a name for himself, and was about to become a donkey...

Two lines of clear tears slid down the slender cheeks of the azure donkey.

In the last moment before his consciousness faded, the donkey seemed to hear a man's voice coming from the front yard.

"Shop assistant, how do I get to Long County?"