The group from Jinwu Palace, led by the senior disciple, or rather Mingyue, departed from Sifang Mountain.
Aside from Ji Shiyou and Tian Jian, none of them could fly on their swords for extended periods.
Thus, they had to travel on foot, which was precisely why Ji Shiyou was in a hurry.
Nu Tao took out his compass again to reorient them, choosing the shortest route to Sifang Mountain.
They were all cultivators, though their levels varied.
However, their movement techniques were all quite capable, and they began chanting incantations.
They covered a hundred li before nightfall, reaching a town.
"Senior Disciple Brother, at this pace, we should reach Sifang Mountain within five days.
We still have plenty of time, so there's no need to rush.
Since leaving the sect, we've been roughing it, sleeping in the wilderness.
Now that it's getting late, why don't we find an inn in town and rest for the night?
We can get a good night's sleep and then continue our journey tomorrow?"
Although Ji Shiyou was the leader on this trip, he disliked managing affairs.
Tian Jian usually handled the daily matters. Seeing a town ahead,
Tian Jian approached to seek Ji Shiyou's opinion.
Upon hearing about resting at an inn, Nu Tao and the others rejoiced inwardly.
They looked expectantly at Mingyue, hoping she would agree.
After all, they had been away from Jinwu Palace for half a month.
To make good time, they had often missed proper lodging and had been camping in the wilderness, long forgetting what a bed felt like.
Finally, they had a chance to rest properly and alleviate their travel fatigue.
"Alright!"
Mingyue agreed immediately. Though she kept her expression composed, her heart leaped with joy.
Staying at an inn! She had never experienced it before.
Even though she and Zhu Ji had robbed travelers across Yuehua Realm after taking human form,
they had never stayed in an inn. As they knew they were demons,
they avoided densely populated areas, fearing they might inadvertently frighten mortals.
They also feared being misunderstood by immortal sect members, who might assume they had malicious intentions.
They might be mistaken for demonic creatures preying on mortals for their souls,
or for those who devoured flesh and blood to increase their cultivation.
They could then be suppressed and killed by immortal sect members dedicated to eradicating evil.
Thus, in her several hundred years of life, she had never stayed in an inn.
Having this opportunity to experience it, she readily agreed.
Ji Shiyou, standing nearby, frowned. He actually disagreed.
He wanted to travel through the night and reach Sifang Mountain as quickly as possible.
This would give them more time to prepare and understand the situation thoroughly.
After all, the news of a rare treasure appearing at Sifang Mountain
had reached all the immortal sects in Yuehua Realm.
At the very least, the top five ranked sects would be heading there to compete for the treasure.
He couldn't guarantee that Jinwu Palace would secure the treasure.
So, while he appeared calm and collected, he felt immense pressure.
Hearing that Mingyue had agreed to Tian Jian's suggestion without consulting him,
he felt a flicker of displeasure. However, he reconsidered.
Perhaps it was a good opportunity to try and switch their bodies back while staying at the inn.
He had already assessed the situation during their travels.
Although Mingyue was in a demonic body, her cultivation was not high due to the lack of systematic training.
Her body could not unleash his full cultivation, and he could only exert half of his power in his current state.
If they arrived at Sifang Mountain like this, their chances of obtaining the treasure would be virtually zero.
Therefore, while ensuring they reached Sifang Mountain on time, the priority was to resolve the body-switching issue.
Thus, Ji Shiyou did not object to staying overnight and followed everyone into the nearby town.
The town was small, with about a thousand residents, called Taoyuan Town.
There was only one inn, named Ping'an Inn, a two-story building.
As the town was small, there weren't many guests. The first floor sold food, and the second floor had guest rooms.
"Innkeeper, we'll take fifteen of your best rooms, and prepare two tables of your signature dishes."
As the group entered the inn, Tian Jian, with his pockets full, went straight to the counter and ordered.
Jinwu Palace was not short of money, and after days of travel,
Tian Jian decided to treat everyone generously.
Including Mingyue, there were fifteen of them, so one premium room per person.
"My lord, I apologize!
Our inn is small and only has eight guest rooms. However, we have plenty of food and drink."
The innkeeper, a man in his forties, looked at Tian Jian and his group who had just burst in and said apologetically.
"Is that so! Then we'll take all the rooms.
Hurry up and prepare the food; we're starving.
Here's a deposit; we'll settle the rest when we check out."
Tian Jian generously tossed a gold ingot onto the counter, which the innkeeper quickly accepted.
"Please have a seat and enjoy some tea, sirs. I'll make arrangements right away!"
The innkeeper's old face beamed with a smile.
Such a generous customer was rare; he had to be served well.
He repeatedly invited them to sit and called for a waiter to bring tea.
Moreover, he noticed that these people were all distinguished in appearance.
The men were handsome, and the women were beautiful.
Carrying swords and blades, they were clearly not ordinary people.
After a few polite words, the innkeeper tactfully excused himself and went to the kitchen to give instructions.
"No, I won't share a room with anyone else. I want my own room."
Jun Shuxue shrieked angrily, her voice so loud it startled the innkeeper in the kitchen.
Because there were only eight rooms, Tian Jian had made the following arrangements:
Ji Shiyou, as the senior disciple, held a noble position and would have his own room.
Tian Jian knew that Ji Shiyou disliked interacting with others.
Besides, even if Ji Shiyou agreed to share a room,
none of the junior disciples would want to share with him.
Ji Shiyou's aura was too imposing; sharing a room with him would be like enduring torture, not sleeping.
The remaining fourteen people would be paired up, two per room.
Jun Shuxue and Mingyue, being the two girls, were naturally assigned to the same room.
Upon hearing Tian Jian's arrangement, Jun Shuxue immediately became enraged.
She absolutely did not want to share a room with anyone, especially not with Mingyue, whom she disliked.
"I'll share a room with him."
Ji Shiyou also did not want to share a room with Jun Shuxue. He would rather squeeze in with other junior disciples
than be in the same room as this infatuated woman.
He was a man, and sharing a room with Jun Shuxue would be inconvenient.
But with limited rooms and currently being in Mingyue's body,
going to other junior disciples' rooms was also inappropriate. So, pointing at Mingyue, he requested to share a room with her.
"Fairy Mingyue, this might not be appropriate?"
"No, absolutely not!
You shameless wretch, have you no shame?
Are you trying to seduce Senior Disciple Brother and force the issue?
Senior Disciple Brother is upright and proper; he wouldn't agree..."
As soon as Ji Shiyou finished speaking, Tian Jian said hesitantly and cautiously.
He thought, this Fairy Mingyue is too unrestrained!
For the sake of Senior Disciple Brother and Jinwu Palace's reputation, he intended to refuse tactfully.
However, he hadn't figured out how to do so yet.
Jun Shuxue exploded like a firecracker.
Pointing at Ji Shiyou's nose, she began to curse, her words becoming increasingly vulgar.
"Silence. I agree, it's settled.
Innkeeper, serve the food!"
Mingyue was reluctant for Ji Shiyou to share a room with her.
It wasn't about gender propriety or her reputation.
As a demon, she had no concept of such things.
What Mingyue cared about was that this was her first time staying at an inn.
Ji Shiyou sharing a room with her would affect her experience.
However, seeing the annoying Jun Shuxue pointing at her body and cursing, she felt uncomfortable.
So, she agreed directly. Seeing Jun Shuxue uncomfortable made her feel comfortable.