Chapter 36: A Safer Stop

By the next morning, four cultivators were standing in front of Blackstone’s warning board.

Lin Yuan was carrying vegetables toward the tavern when one of them pointed at the newest line.

Beasts Have Reached the Blackstone Area

"This happened yesterday?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

"Ironback Boar."

"Alone?"

"The one that reached the tavern was."

"Did it attack anyone?"

"No one was injured."

The cultivator looked toward the western road. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"How far until the next safe place?"

Lin Yuan paused.

He knew the route east to Green River City well enough.

West was different.

"I don’t know."

The man looked surprised.

"You own a tavern here."

"I own Blackstone. I don’t own the western road."

One of his companions laughed.

The first man ignored him.

"We’re supposed to meet another group two days west."

"Then wait for someone who knows the route."

"Here?"

Lin Yuan glanced toward the tavern.

"Unless you prefer waiting beside the road."

That settled it.

They rented two rooms.

By noon, another westbound group had stopped.

They didn’t rent rooms, but they remained until a caravan arrived from the west.

The moment the caravan entered Blackstone, questions started.

Where had they come from?

What had they seen?

Was the road clear?

Had any beasts crossed it?

The caravan leader answered while eating lunch.

Several cultivators gathered around his table.

By the time his meal was finished, some decided to continue west.

Others stayed.

Lin Yuan watched them make their decisions.

Blackstone was becoming useful for more than food and shelter.

That afternoon, Duan He entered the tavern carrying a rolled hide.

He placed it on the counter.

"Good news."

Lin Yuan looked at the hide.

"If that’s yesterday’s boar, I already sold it to you."

"It is."

"Then why is it back?"

"I’m not giving it back."

Duan He unrolled part of the hide.

The damaged sections had been cut away, leaving several large pieces of thick dark leather.

"Still useful."

"I assumed that’s why you paid me."

"That’s not the good news."

Lin Yuan waited.

Duan He looked toward the tables.

Three hunting groups were inside.

One had arrived that morning.

Another was waiting for companions before heading west.

The third had decided to return to Green River City after hearing about the recent beast movement.

"My shop is having an excellent week," Duan He said.

"That’s your good news?"

"For me."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

Duan He rolled the hide again.

"For you, maybe less so."

"Much less."

"Still, hunters are coming here before deciding what to do. Some are selling their harvest instead of carrying everything back to Green River City."

"You’re buying all of it?"

"Everything worth buying."

"And if this continues?"

Duan He’s expression changed slightly.

"I’ll run out of money before I run out of beast parts."

Lin Yuan almost laughed.

"That’s your problem."

"I know."

"What will you do?"

"Send some goods east with a caravan. Sell them in Green River City, bring more stones back, then buy again."

Simple enough.

Duan He picked up the hide.

Before leaving, he glanced toward one of the tables.

Six cultivators had spread a rough map across it.

Only two had ordered anything.

Xiao Lan approached.

The nearest hunter noticed her.

"Six teas."

Xiao Lan nodded.

Duan He looked at Lin Yuan.

"At least they understand how taverns work."

"For now."

Duan He left.

Near evening, wheels sounded from the eastern road.

Lin Yuan was outside when a familiar merchant caravan approached.

Three wagons stopped near the stable.

Their leader, Gao Rui, had stayed at Wandering Cloud Tavern twice before.

He climbed down, stretched his back, then noticed the warning board.

His expression changed as he read it.

"When did this happen?"

"Yesterday."

Gao Rui pointed at the line about beasts reaching Blackstone.

"Here?"

"An injured Ironback Boar."

"Dead?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He looked west.

Normally, Gao Rui’s caravan would continue until the light began to fade.

This time, he turned toward his guards.

"We’re staying."

One guard looked at the sky.

"We still have time."

"We also have a tavern here."

The guard didn’t argue.

Gao Rui turned back to Lin Yuan.

"Four rooms."

"Two."

"Two?"

"That’s all that’s left."

Gao Rui looked toward the tavern.

There were eight people in his caravan.

"We’ll take them."

"The rest can sleep downstairs."

He sighed.

"Again?"

"Outside is free."

Gao Rui looked toward the western road.

"Downstairs sounds excellent."

Dinner became crowded.

People simply weren’t leaving as quickly as before.

Westbound cultivators waited for companions.

Hunters returned to sell materials.

Travelers gathered information before deciding whether to continue.

All ten tables were occupied.

Both Spirit-Assisted Kitchen Stoves burned at the same time.

Lin Yuan worked at one while Xiao Lan handled the other.

Su Mei moved between the tables.

"Another bowl of rice!"

"Two wines here!"

"Owner Lin, any rooms left?"

"No."

"Tomorrow?"

"Ask tomorrow."

The man accepted that and returned to his table.

Lin Yuan finished one dish and immediately started the next.

For nearly two hours, the kitchen barely slowed.

When the rush finally eased, Xiao Lan placed the last plate on the counter and leaned against it.

"We’re going to need more space if this keeps happening."

Lin Yuan looked through the kitchen doorway.

"I know."

Several guests had already gone upstairs.

Others remained downstairs.

One group still had a map spread across a table.

Two merchants discussed the western road near the entrance.

A cultivator who had failed to get a room was arranging a blanket against the wall.

Wandering Cloud Tavern was becoming more than a place to eat and sleep. Travelers waited here for companions, exchanged news, and planned their journeys at its tables.

The building had become useful in ways Lin Yuan hadn’t originally planned for.

It was also running out of space.

He stepped outside.

Across the road, Qiao’s shop had already closed.

A lamp still burned inside Duan He’s Beast Materials.

Beyond the buildings lay open land.

Lin Yuan looked at it.

Expanding Wandering Cloud Tavern could add more rooms, but it would also put even more pressure on the same building.

A separate lodging house had been suggested before.

At the time, there hadn’t been enough reason to act.

Tonight, there might be.

The answer came the next morning.

Lin Yuan had just finished breakfast when another caravan arrived from Green River City.

Two wagons stopped outside.

Five cultivators entered the tavern.

Their leader approached the counter.

"Rooms?"

"How many?"

"Four."

"None."

The man paused.

"None?"

"Full."

He looked toward the stairs.

"Tonight?"

"Probably still full."

The cultivator frowned.

"Anywhere else in Blackstone?"

Lin Yuan looked across the road through the open doorway.

Qiao’s General Goods was already open.

A traveler stood at its counter buying supplies.

Farther down, two hunters carried a bundle into Duan He’s Beast Materials.

Three businesses now served people passing through Blackstone.

But every traveler who wanted a bed still came to Wandering Cloud Tavern.

"Not yet."

The cultivator sighed.

"We’ll eat first."

He returned to his companions.

A few minutes later, one of the upstairs guests came down.

"Owner Lin."

"What?"

"I want to keep my room three more nights."

Lin Yuan checked the room.

Someone else had already asked when it would become available.

"Three nights."

The guest placed the payment on the counter.

Lin Yuan accepted it.

That settled the matter.

Later that morning, Lin Yuan crossed the road.

He stopped on the open land east of Wandering Cloud Tavern.

There was plenty of space.

He didn’t need another tavern.

What Blackstone lacked was simpler.

A place built primarily for travelers who needed somewhere to stay.

It didn’t need expensive decoration or a spiritual-grade enhancement from the beginning.

It needed enough rooms to take pressure off Wandering Cloud Tavern.

The details could wait until he found a builder.

Lin Yuan turned and looked back at Blackstone.

Wandering Cloud Tavern stood beside the road.

Qiao’s General Goods had opened beside it.

Duan He’s Beast Materials had followed.

Now travelers were staying longer than Blackstone could comfortably hold.

He had been waiting to see whether another lodging house was truly necessary.

This morning, a caravan had asked for four rooms and found none.

That was answer enough.

Lin Yuan turned toward the tavern.

It was time to build Blackstone’s first inn.