Dawn broke over The Lazy Dragon Inn with a surreal quality. The building was still standing, scarred but intact. Unconscious Phoenix Sect disciples were tied up in the courtyard Lin Mei had insisted on restraining them properly and my defenders were scattered around the lobby in various states of exhaustion.
I was in the kitchen preparing breakfast despite having barely slept. Cooking helped me process what had happened, and frankly, everyone needed food after the night we'd had.
[Formation Array Status: Depleted]
[Recharge Time: 6 days, 23 hours]
[System Points: 0]
[Warning: Inn is currently vulnerable]
"I know, I know," I muttered to the system notifications. "We're sitting ducks for a week. Very helpful reminder."
Yuki padded in, still in fox form. She hopped onto the counter and watched me work. "You should be resting."
"I'll rest when everyone's fed. Besides, this is therapeutic." I was making something elaborate Cloud Rice congee with Spirit Beast Meat and Phoenix Tail Mushrooms, designed to restore spiritual energy and heal injuries. My hands moved automatically, the familiar motions calming my frayed nerves.
"Kazuki," Yuki said softly. "What you did last night... you saved all of us. Again."
"I just did what any innkeeper would do. Protected his guests."
"Most innkeepers don't fight off thirty cultivators and make weapons disappear with inn rules."
I smiled despite my exhaustion. "I'm a special case."
[You have created: Recovery Breakfast Feast (x6)]
[Quality: Superior]
[Effects: Rapid spiritual energy restoration, injury healing, mental clarity, temporary fatigue reduction]
I brought the food out to find everyone slowly stirring awake. Lin Mei was already up, standing guard at the window despite the dark circles under her eyes. She turned as I approached with the trays.
"You should be sleeping, not cooking," she said.
"Everyone keeps telling me that. And yet, here I am with food." I set down the dishes. "Eat. You all need to recover."
The aroma alone seemed to revive them. Jin sat up with a groan, then his eyes locked on the food with laser focus. "Is that... spirit food again? Kazuki, you're spoiling us."
"Consider it payment for risking your lives protecting my inn."
They ate with obvious appreciation, and I watched the food's effects take hold. Color returned to pale faces. Wounds that had reopened during the fight sealed themselves. The exhaustion in their eyes cleared somewhat.
Wei finished first, pushing his glasses up. "Remarkable. I feel like I slept eight hours instead of two. Your cooking is military-grade recovery medicine, Kazuki."
"Speaking of military," Zhao Chen said, "we need to discuss what happens next. The Phoenix Sect won't let this go. They've lost face, lost disciples, and lost a battle to a mortal innkeeper. They'll retaliate, and it won't be subtle."
"Agreed," Lin Mei said. "We need to get to Silverbrook immediately and report this to the Imperial Magistrate. What happened here is proof of their corruption and aggression."
"But that leaves Kazuki vulnerable," Yuki protested. "The formation is down for a week. If they come back"
"Then I'll deal with it," I said, projecting more confidence than I felt. "You all have your mission. I can't ask you to stay and risk your lives anymore."
"You're not asking. We're volunteering," Jin rumbled. "But Lin's right we need to report this. The more official pressure we can put on the Phoenix Sect, the better for everyone."
A commotion outside interrupted us. The sound of multiple horses approaching at speed.
[Alert: Multiple individuals approaching]
[Count: 8]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
We all tensed, weapons instinctively coming to hand. I moved to the window and felt my stomach drop.
Eight riders in the distinctive green and brown robes of the Forest Guard were approaching, led by a stern-looking woman with silver hair and an aura that made the air feel heavy.
[Identified: Captain Zhang Wei of the Forest Guard]
[Cultivation Level: Core Formation (7th Stage)]
[Status: Investigating disciple disappearance]
"That's Captain Zhang," Zhao Chen said, standing up quickly despite his lingering injuries. "My commanding officer. She's come looking for me."
"Is that good or bad?" I asked.
"Depends on her mood," he admitted.
The Forest Guard riders stopped in front of the inn, and Captain Zhang dismounted with fluid grace. Her eyes swept the scene the damaged building, the tied-up Phoenix Sect disciples, the unlikely group of defenders standing in the doorway.
"Zhao Chen," her voice carried authority like a physical force. "Report. Now."
Zhao Chen snapped to attention and gave a concise summary the ambush, his escape, finding refuge at my inn, the Phoenix Sect's attack last night. To his credit, he didn't embellish or omit anything.
Captain Zhang listened without interrupting, her expression unreadable. When he finished, she turned her attention to me.
"You're the innkeeper. Kazuki Yamamoto."
It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway. "Yes, Captain."
She walked forward, studying me with eyes that seemed to see straight through every secret I had. "A mortal. No cultivation base. And yet you've provided sanctuary to fugitives, fought off Phoenix Sect operatives multiple times, and somehow survived a direct assault by thirty disciples and three Core Formation experts."
"I had help," I said, gesturing to Lin Mei and the others. "And a very good defensive formation."
"A formation that's currently depleted, according to the energy residue I'm sensing." She circled the building slowly, examining the formation markers. "This is sophisticated work. Sanctuary-class formation with adaptive defensive protocols. Installation alone would cost several hundred gold, and the maintenance..." She looked back at me. "How does a roadside innkeeper afford this?"
[Warning: High-level cultivator is suspicious]
[Recommend carefully worded responses]
"I inherited the inn and its defenses," I said, which was technically true. "The previous owner apparently invested heavily in protection."
"The previous owner who died by falling through his own ceiling," she said dryly. "Forgive me if I find that explanation insufficient."
Lin Mei stepped forward. "Captain Zhang, with respect, Innkeeper Kazuki saved the lives of three Bronze-rank adventurers and one of your own disciples. Whatever his secrets, he's proven himself an ally."
"An ally who attracts Phoenix Sect attention like honey attracts flies," Captain Zhang countered. "Within two weeks of opening, he's become a focal point of sectarian conflict. That's either incredibly unlucky or..." She left the implication hanging.
"Or what?" I asked, keeping my voice level.
"Or you're playing a deeper game than you appear to be." She turned to her subordinates. "Search the inn. I want a complete inventory of defenses, supplies, and capabilities."
"Wait" I started to protest, but Zhao Chen caught my arm.
"Don't," he said quietly. "Refusing will only make her more suspicious. Let her search. You have nothing illegal here, right?"
"No, but"
"Then it's fine. The Captain is harsh, but fair. If she sees you're legitimate, she'll support you."
I didn't have much choice. The Forest Guard had authority in this region, and refusing would confirm her suspicions. I stepped aside as her subordinates entered the inn, conducting a thorough but professional search.
Captain Zhang walked past me to examine the tied-up Phoenix Sect disciples. "These are all alive and relatively unharmed. You showed restraint."
"I'm an innkeeper, not an executioner," I said. "They attacked my guests. I defended them. That's all."
"That's all," she repeated, as if tasting the words. "Do you understand what you've done, innkeeper? You've humiliated the Phoenix Sect. Made them lose face in front of witnesses. They can't let this stand without appearing weak."
"I understand that my guests needed protection and I provided it."
She studied me for another long moment, then something in her expression shifted. Not quite approval, but acknowledgment.
"You remind me of someone," she said quietly. "Another stubborn fool who insisted on doing the right thing regardless of consequences." A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "He didn't survive his principles either, but everyone remembered him fondly."
"That's not encouraging."
"It wasn't meant to be. It was a warning." She turned as her subordinates emerged from the inn, shaking their heads nothing suspicious found. "Very well, Innkeeper Kazuki. The Forest Guard finds no evidence of wrongdoing. In fact, given that you provided aid to one of our disciples and defended against unprovoked aggression, we owe you thanks."
[Relationship with Forest Guard: Neutral → Positive]
"I was just"
"Doing your job, yes, you've said." She cut me off. "But here's reality: the Phoenix Sect will come for you again, and next time it won't be thirty disciples. It'll be their true power Core Formation experts, possibly even their Sect Master who's at Nascent Soul stage. Your formation won't stop them, and neither will a few Bronze-rank adventurers."
"So what do you suggest?" I asked, feeling the weight of inevitability crushing down.
"You need official protection. Political backing that the Phoenix Sect can't simply eliminate." She pulled out a jade token, identical in design to the one Mei Liang had given me but with the Forest Guard emblem. "This grants you provisional status as a Forest Guard sanctioned establishment. It means we have jurisdiction over what happens here, and any attack on this inn is an attack on the Guard itself."
I stared at the token. "Why would you do this? You don't know me."
"No, but I know Zhao Chen. He's a good judge of character, and he says you're worth protecting." She pressed the token into my hand. "Besides, we need more places like this. Sanctuaries where people can rest safely. The region is becoming too dangerous, too controlled by powerful sects. Your inn represents something important neutrality, safety, basic human decency."
[Special Item Received: Forest Guard Sanctioned Establishment Token]
[Effect: Forest Guard will respond to threats against inn, reduced harassment from authorities, 20% discount on official supplies]
[Warning: Also means Forest Guard expects cooperation and may request assistance]
"This comes with obligations, doesn't it?" I asked.
"Everything does. We may occasionally need to use your inn as a meeting point or safe house. You'll be expected to provide honest information about regional activities. And yes, we'll expect you to continue being exactly what you are an honest innkeeper providing sanctuary." She turned to mount her horse. "Zhao Chen, you're coming with us. You need proper medical evaluation and to report to headquarters."
"Yes, Captain." He bowed to me. "Thank you, Innkeeper Kazuki. I'll remember what you've done."
As the Forest Guard prepared to leave, Captain Zhang looked back one final time. "The Phoenix Sect won't attack while we're in the area. You have at least a few days' grace. Use them wisely, innkeeper. Strengthen your defenses. Make allies. Prepare for war."
"I thought I was just running an inn," I said weakly.
"You are. But sometimes, running an inn in troubled times requires fighting for it." She smiled grimly. "Welcome to the reality of this world, Kazuki Yamamoto. Try not to die too quickly."
Then they were gone, leaving me standing in front of my damaged inn with a jade token in one hand and more questions than answers in my head.
Lin Mei put a hand on my shoulder. "Well, that went better than expected."
"Did it?" I asked. "Because I feel like I just got drafted into a war I didn't know existed."
"You did," she confirmed cheerfully. "But hey, at least you have official backing now. That's progress!"
I looked at my inn my sanctuary, my responsibility, my impossible dream.
"Yeah," I said tiredly. "Progress."
[End of Chapter 18]