The northern wind howled.

A merchant caravan traversed the icy official road, the yaks pulling the carts galloping over the frost...

"Damn, this damn weather, why is it getting colder and colder?"

"The snow on the mountain gets thicker layer by layer, naturally, it gets colder... But at this time every year, there are more and more people coming from the Central Plains."

"Heh, they’re all here for our Grassland’s Snow God Festival... Hey, what is that?"

The Hu man, originally sitting on a yak, suddenly shouted, causing the people in the caravan to turn their heads.

At the intersection of the snow-white ground and the blue sky with white clouds, with warm yellow reeds hurriedly as the backdrop, a horse galloped across the frosty lake surface...

Though it was a fine and strong horse, it was too strange; is there really a Central Plains horse in this world that can withstand the bitter cold of the Western Regions?

"That’s not one of our Grassland Horses, it’s a breed from the Central Plains... Hey, it really is uncanny."

"The strangest thing is the person... Hey, blast it!"

The people of the caravan blinked repeatedly, trying to see clearly the horse and the rider, but after a few blinks, both the man and horse vanished.

No matter how harsh the environment, as long as there are places where people gather, civilization thrives. Speaking of which, humans are indeed among the most adaptable creatures in this world, second only to rats and cockroaches...

And on this border of the Western Regions, there is a rather large town with post houses; the number of horses and yaks from the caravans alone could circle the entire Borderlands, and there are no fewer than fifty inns in the town. But many of these inns are converted residences, adapted by local Hu people to make money, similar to modern inns in Yunnan.

Today, an inn is running its business as usual, inside the noise continues unabated; whole roasted yak and butter tea are supplied in abundance, with the taste of meat and cumin filling the air, and of course, the favorite burning liquor of the grassland men...

Suddenly, the innkeeper’s wife was startled, looking at the person leading the horse slowly approaching from ahead.

Most of the arrivals are "fat," but it’s rare to see a "thin" one.

However, the hat was quite large, obscuring the person; only knowing the other’s figure must be very slender... After entering, the person in plain blue clothes, wearing only a thin outer garment, lifted their hand, pulled down the hat, and said: "Boss, do you have any rooms available?"

This kind and soft clear voice only belonged to those scholars of the Central Plains; such a pleasant voice is rare even in the Central Plains.

The innkeeper’s wife was a bit dazed, and the people in the inn quieted down, all looking in one direction.

"Yes, yes..."

"Three rooms."

After all, she is a boss! Pull yourself together, the innkeeper’s wife pinched her palm to regain composure, finding reason, she restrained her usual coarseness, and apologetically said: "Only one room left... I’m truly sorry..."

If it were in the past, she would suggest squeezing into the hut, but now... she couldn’t bring herself to say so.

No more?

Sui Yi slightly furrowed his brow; he didn’t expect the border of Western Regions to have so many people this season... He had asked several inns and found no rooms available.

"No worries, I’ll keep asking," Sui Yi wasn’t upset, he was about to lead the horse away...

"Wait a moment, gentleman, my family’s old house has rooms available... how about staying at our place?"

My goodness!

Many Hu men were astonished; this innkeeper’s wife truly shows favoritism.

"Hey Boss, last year when I came here, I even slept in the pigsty, and you never offered me your old house!"

"Jeez! Turns out you slept in the pigsty last year, no wonder I had nowhere to sleep then..."

In response to these shouts, the innkeeper’s wife remained bold, saying: "You looked the same ugly last year as this year, so it’s no wonder."

Damn!

The Hu men rolled their eyes, knowing this woman was indeed feisty; her reputation in this region is notable, so they kept quiet...

Originally, they considered troubling Sui Yi, this pale-looking man, but anyone smart knows not to mess with someone who can wander so casually in such snowy weather, wearing so little clothing, so they bottled up their anger and continued drinking their liquor...

Sui Yi didn’t mind them, he just slightly nodded to the innkeeper’s wife: "If there are three rooms available, that would be great."

"Alright, follow me."

The innkeeper’s wife promptly instructed the waiter to take care of the inn, then led Sui Yi to the nearby house.

Indeed, it was the old house, but it showed no signs of decay; it was rather quaint, better maintained than the inn. Upon entering, there were rare surviving flowers and plants from the Western Regions visible, along with the Winter Snow Green Vines... It’s said that this Winter Snow Green Vine thrives more robustly in colder places, becoming even greener and tender, though the seeds are extremely rare...

No one expected it to grow so well here.

The three guest rooms were tidily kept, surprisingly with a Central Plains style of decor, exuding an ancient charm. Sui Yi glanced at them, speaking little, but the boss was very enthusiastic, actively saying: "In recent years, there have been more Central Plains people coming... You Central Plains people are wealthy, this place is specially prepared to accommodate distinguished guests, with hot water and meals provided throughout the day... there are only four rooms altogether, one has been rented out, the other three are occupied by you, so consider it full, but the price..."

Sui Yi handed over a stack of silver notes to her, saying: "I will buy them for ten days, then decide whether to extend the stay based on the situation..."

So generous!

The innkeeper’s eyes lit up, happily nodded and left,

Before long, new bedding and hot tea and water were delivered... The service was attentive. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to recommend votes, monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)