The decor of the Peach Blossom Inn was also very distinctive, with several peach trees in bloom in front of the inn. White and pink blossoms hung from the branches, perfectly complementing the atmosphere.
Gu Qingcheng went inside to book a room, while Du Lanyue went to admire the flowers.
Since it was right in front of the inn, everyone didn't pay much attention as Da Xiong and Wang Dapeng were unloading the luggage. Although it was just a short trip, they hadn't forgotten to pack all their daily necessities, so they still had a few pieces of luggage.
"Six suites, right? Very good, sir, would you like the superior rooms?"
"Yes."
"All superior rooms?"
"Yes." Gu Qingcheng wouldn't mistreat his subordinates. If he enjoyed good food, drink, and lodging while his subordinates ate plain fare, who would help him when push came to shove? Even if they did, it would be out of necessity, right?
"Alright, then for two nights, it will be 7 taels of silver."
"Here you go." Gu Qingcheng handed the silver to the innkeeper.
Just then, several voices of dispute suddenly erupted from outside. She hadn't paid much attention initially, but the argument grew louder and louder. Gu Qingcheng's hearing was far superior to ordinary people's, and she recognized one of the smaller voices as Du Lanyue's.
Gu Qingcheng's heart leaped. She quickly threw the silver down and rushed outside. "Lanyue jie jie, what's wrong?"
Du Lanyue was admiring the peach blossoms when a group of people suddenly approached her. It was a group of ruffians, surrounding a gaudily dressed dandy. The young master was dressed in pink, with oily hair and a powdered face. He held a folding fan in a pretense of refinement. Upon seeing the beautiful Du Lanyue, he couldn't help but drool, smacked his lips, and said, "Little lady, what's the fun of admiring flowers all by yourself? Why not have some fun with Young Master Li?"
Du Lanyue turned around and saw two gazes, as if they wanted to strip her clothes off, staring at her from head to toe. That greasy, slick face was almost touching hers, scaring Du Lanyue into taking a big step back. "You, who are you? Don't be rude."
"Heh heh, little lady, it's your honor that our Young Master Li fancies you. Come on, let's go have some fun on the pleasure boat." The ruffians nearby egged him on. Seeing Du Lanyue standing alone outside the inn with no servants around, they assumed she was a commoner. These people were used to bullying others, and seeing their young master take a liking to this lady, they wanted to encourage him and scare her into going along. Some even stepped forward to grab her.
"Stop, don't touch me, if you dare to touch me, I'll..." Du Lanyue was both embarrassed and angry, having never encountered such a situation before.
"You'll what? Haha?"
"What can you do?"
"Ruffian!" Du Lanyue was furious. She raised her hand and slapped the Young Master Li who was about to grab her.
With a crisp "slap," the scene fell silent. The ruffians hadn't expected Du Lanyue to dare to hit their arrogant Young Master Li. Young Master Li also hadn't expected to be hit by a mere woman. Countless young ladies under his influence had met a tragic end, but this was the first time he encountered such a feisty one. After a moment of stunned silence, Young Master Li, instead of getting angry, became amused. He touched his cheek where he'd been hit and smiled sinisterly, "Yo, your hand is quite tender. It feels so fragrant!"
The surrounding ruffians, seeing their young master amused, joined in the jeering. "Kiss him, kiss him!" Du Lanyue's face turned pale with fear. If these ruffians kissed her, her chastity would be compromised. In her extreme tension, she was completely stunned and couldn't even think to call for help.
"Come, give me a kiss, and I'll forgive you!" Young Master Li leaned in, his foul mouth just inches from Du Lanyue's face. Du Lanyue was forced back against the peach tree, with nowhere left to retreat. She was about to be forcibly kissed by Young Master Li.
Gu Qingcheng ran out of the shop and saw this scene. In her haste, her first reaction was to pull out her bow and arrows from storage. She drew the bow and released the arrow in one fluid motion. With a sharp "whoosh," Young Master Li felt something sharp pierce his scalp with great force. His hat was then whisked away by the projectile and, with a "thud," firmly nailed to the peach tree behind Du Lanyue. It turned out someone had shot an arrow at his head. The arrow that pinned his hat to the peach tree was still quivering.
Young Master Li was terrified. He touched his cool scalp, and his hand felt wet. He saw it was blood. "Ah... murder!" Young Master Li had never experienced anything like this. He valued his own life more than anyone else's and now he screamed like a pig being slaughtered. His subordinate ruffians were also stunned. They never expected their Young Master Li to end up like this.
Gu Qingcheng rushed forward, shielding Du Lanyue, and shouted, "You are harassing a civilian woman in broad daylight, and you still have the nerve to talk back?" Du Lanyue came back to her senses. She never expected to be protected by Gu Qingcheng again. The title of Divine Archer was indeed well-deserved. With just one arrow, she had resolved her crisis.
"It's you! You brat, how dare you shoot me with an arrow? Someone, grab them both and tie them up, bring them back to the mansion. I'll let them know the power of my Young Master Li!" Young Master Li saw that Gu Qingcheng was slender and only had a bow and arrows in hand. In close combat, bows and arrows were not very effective. Furthermore, he saw that Gu Qingcheng was alone, while they had more than a dozen men, so he gave the order.
The ruffians surrounded them. Gu Qingcheng drew her saber and said coldly, "If you know what's good for you, get out of the way!" The ruffians, who had no sense of honor, rushed forward to grab the two of them.
"Stop!" Just as a ruffian was about to grab Gu Qingcheng's arm, he suddenly felt someone grab the back of his neck, lifting him off the ground. "Hey, hey, who is it?" He looked back and saw a burly man, more than half a head taller than him, strong and well-built, with a broad waist and thick limbs. It was clear he couldn't defeat this man, so he immediately became compliant, only begging the man to let him go and not hold him like a hawk catching a chick.
"Bastard, how dare you bully our young master?" The one holding him was Da Xiong. Da Xiong and Wang Dapeng had just finished moving the luggage into the inn and were surprised to come out and find such a chaotic scene. Wang Dapeng and the others rushed out, about a dozen people in total. Both in numbers and in momentum, they overwhelmed these ruffians. The villagers of Phoenix Village ate well every day and had meat to eat. In this chaotic world where many struggled to find enough to eat, they naturally showed their physical and mental advantages. These ruffians only followed Young Master Li around for food and drink, and sometimes they went hungry. Young Master Li was not their father, so he couldn't provide them with lavish meals. Therefore, they were inferior to the crew members from Phoenix Village in terms of physical stamina. A dozen or so men surged forward, seeing them bullying Young Master Gu, and without hesitation, they began to beat them up. They had trained for years and now was the time to act, especially in front of Young Master Gu, so they naturally put in their full effort. "Beat them, I'll take responsibility if they are beaten to death or crippled."