Wei Shuxuan and her companions arrived at the Fragrant Inn. As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by a cacophony of noises. The lobby of the Fragrant Inn was extremely high, presumably around five stories. People were bustling about in the lobby. There were many diners and tea - drinkers, most of whom were tourists coming from afar, attracted by the inn's reputation.
The waiter in the inn noticed the arrival of four guests who seemed to be from wealthy families. He quickly stepped forward and asked obsequiously, "May I ask if the four honored guests are here for a meal or to stay the night?"
Wei Shuxuan, who was standing in the front, smiled politely. "Waiter, we'd like to stay the night. Do you have any rooms available?"
"Sure thing! Please follow me first, honored guests. I'll check if there are any rooms left."
The waiter led Wei Shuxuan and the others to the innkeeper. The innkeeper was an old man, around fifty or sixty years old. "Boss, these four honored guests want to stay the night. Do we have any rooms left in the inn?"
The innkeeper was calculating with an abacus. When he looked up and saw Wei Shuxuan and the others, he quickly showed a smile. "For the four of you, honored guests, I'm sorry. There are only three rooms left in our inn. I wonder if..."
"Three rooms?" Wei Shuxuan thought for a moment. Anyway, she would definitely have a room to herself. The remaining two rooms could be allocated among the other three. "Wei Wei, Xin Shang, Sima Yongheng, I'll take one room. You three can divide the remaining two rooms among yourselves. Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay, miss."
"I have no objections either, Miss Xuan."
Since the two elder brothers had no objections, Sima Yongheng surely wouldn't have any either. "I have no objections, but I don't want to stay in a room alone."
Sima Yongheng was afraid of staying in a room by himself. Maybe he had some lingering shadows from the past.
"Yongheng, you're such a big baby. Do you still need someone to sleep with you?" Wei Shuxuan curved her lips and teased Sima Yongheng.
"Hehe, actually, I'm quite afraid of the dark..." A hint of fear unconsciously flashed in Sima Yongheng's eyes, and Wei Shuxuan caught it. She thought that Yongheng must have experienced some terrifying things before, which was why he was afraid of being alone.
Wei Shuxuan thought for a while and then looked at Wei Wei. "Wei Wei, you're more familiar with Yongheng, while Xin Shang isn't. So you share a room with Yongheng. Do you have any objections?"
Wei Wei nodded. "Miss, this subordinate will follow any order given by the miss."
"Okay, the matter is settled," Wei Shuxuan said, clapping her hands in satisfaction. She looked at the waiter. "Waiter, please lead the way."
"Sure thing, honored guests. Please follow me."
The remaining three rooms happened to be on the third floor and were all connected. After they unpacked their luggage, Wei Shuxuan said she wanted to go up Autumn Spirit Mountain.
"Miss, have you decided to go up the mountain?" Wei Wei looked at Wei Shuxuan with some concern.
"Of course. Do you think I'm joking?" Wei Shuxuan was quite puzzled by Wei Wei's words. "Is there any problem?"
"Not exactly, miss. It's just that to go up Autumn Spirit Mountain, one has to climb a long ladder to reach the mountain. This subordinate is just worried about your feet..." Wei Wei euphemistically voiced his concern.
"I see. This is indeed a problem..." Wei Shuxuan felt a bit troubled. In fact, it was rare for her to come to Autumn Spirit Mountain. Moreover, this was the place where Xin Zizhao once stayed. She wanted to visit the place where Xin Zizhao once lived and see what his past memories were like.
Seeing Wei Shuxuan looking so troubled, Xin Shang stepped forward and told her, "Actually, we can rest for a while on the halfway up the mountain and then continue. Overall, Autumn Spirit Mountain isn't very high. It only takes about an hour to reach the summit."
An hour? That's two hours. Climbing for two hours should be okay. Moreover, Xin Shang said there was a resting place on the halfway up Autumn Spirit Mountain. There shouldn't be any major problems. So, they might as well go.
After Xin Shang's explanation, Wei Shuxuan's troubles vanished. "Okay, then let's follow Xin Shang's suggestion and go up Autumn Spirit Mountain!"
After they left the Fragrant Inn, Sima Yongheng wondered why Wei Shuxuan was so determined to go up Autumn Spirit Mountain. As they walked on the bustling street, he asked her, "Sister Xuan, why do you want to go up Autumn Spirit Mountain so much? Is it because praying to the gods there is particularly effective?"
"Definitely not. Your Sister Xuan here trusts science very much. Things like praying to the gods are just for people to seek psychological comfort or spiritual sustenance."
"Then... what's your reason for going to Autumn Spirit Mountain, Sister Xuan?" If it wasn't for praying to the gods, Sima Yongheng couldn't figure out why Wei Shuxuan wanted to go up the mountain.
"Tsk, do you even need to ask? Autumn Spirit Mountain is the most majestic holy land in the Dragon - Riding Kingdom. It has attracted so many people to come and pay their respects, and it's so mysterious. Of course, I have to go up there to find out. Otherwise, it'll be so boring. Look at this small town. All they sell on the streets are incense candles and paper money. There's nothing interesting at all. I surely won't stay here for long."
Actually, wasn't the last sentence her real thought? The other three couldn't help but think so.
The four of them didn't buy any incense candles or paper money and directly started climbing the ladder to Autumn Spirit Mountain.
Standing at the foot of Autumn Spirit Mountain, Wei Shuxuan thought the mountain wasn't very high. At least it was much lower than the Himalayas she knew in modern times. Moreover, there were stone steps, so they should be able to climb up quickly.
"I told you to bring all the necessary things. Have you brought them all?" Wei Shuxuan could hardly contain her excitement.
"We've all brought them!" The three replied in unison.
"Okay, let's start climbing Autumn Spirit Mountain now!"
Autumn Spirit Mountain was only about 500 meters above sea level. There were lush trees growing all around the ladder. It was said that Autumn Spirit Mountain was called the Fairy Mountain because the mountain was green all year round. The trees on the mountain wouldn't turn yellow in autumn, nor would they lose their branches in winter, just like the eternal kingdom described in the books.
The clear chirping of birds could be heard around. Wei Shuxuan obviously overestimated her recovery ability. She had only taken a few steps when she felt a bit of pain in her feet. She quickly called out to Wei Wei and the others. "Wei Wei, Xin Shang, Yongheng, wait a moment. My feet hurt a bit. I want to rest for a while and then continue."