Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Cheng Miao nodded like a chicken pecking grain, then darted forward and ruffled the foxes’ fur. Thoroughly satisfied, she watched Lin Zhu depart.
“Let’s go back and get some proper rest.” Cheng Miao, Qi Jiajia, and Qin Musong had also faced perilous experiences in the previous instance, but none had suffered severe psychological trauma. Their current exhaustion mostly came from being unable to rest.
The most urgent task was to go back and catch up on sleep.
“Huayu, how do the merchants in town know we don’t have to pay?” After taking two steps, Cheng Miao remembered the most important question and turned back.
Huayu tapped Cheng Miao on the forehead. “You’ve been marked. Naturally, they know.”
Unable to see anything different about herself, Cheng Miao nodded in partial understanding.
Qiudong, meanwhile, swished his tail as he watched the decorative floral mark flicker in and out of view between Cheng Miao’s brows.
The three declined a fox cart and walked toward their villa.
The whole of Peacock Grand Hotel was built among mountains and water. Guest rooms were scattered throughout the mountain with considerable distance between them, fully protecting the privacy of high-level players.
Climbing was good exercise, while the mountain air was clean and richly fragrant. By the end of the walk, Cheng Miao felt that much of her sanity had recovered.
When she asked, everyone else felt the same way.
The black cat strolled leisurely at the front with his tail raised. “This is a benefit of Peacock Grand Hotel’s premium room district. It automatically restores sanity.”
“What?” This was Cheng Miao’s first time hearing of such a thing, and she stared in amazement. “Then didn’t Lin Zhu go to the counseling room for nothing?”
Qiudong leaped twice and landed on the little gate in the fence surrounding their villa. “It’s different. Restoring sanity only ensures that you won’t develop psychological problems. What happened in the instance still affects you, just to a lesser degree.”
“Counseling, on the other hand, can completely untie the knots in a player’s heart and improve their outlook.”
Cheng Miao nodded, then gazed at the luxurious villa behind Qiudong with growing fervor.
The villa had three stories. The top floor was an open-air terrace with a private garden, and behind the garden stood a hot-spring pool made of pebbles.
The first floor held an enormous living room. A soft white sofa was paired with a pale gray blanket, while an artistic suspended fireplace occupied one corner, furnished with silvery charcoal and split logs.
The entire villa stood at the edge of a cliff. Its infinity pool extended outward until it seemed to merge with the sea of clouds.
The second floor had four bedrooms, each equipped with top-quality bedding. Bathtubs stood on the balconies, offering views of the lakes and mountains to the south.
This was the most luxurious Grand Hotel Cheng Miao had ever seen, but the fireplace…
“We probably won’t need that, will we?” Peacock Grand Hotel’s climate was warm and humid. Even a soak in the hot spring sounded a little too warm.
Qiudong didn’t answer her muttering. He jumped onto a uniquely shaped gilded lotus ornament beside the entrance and sharply struck it with his tail.
The six lotus petals closed. Snowflakes began drifting from the sky, and before long, everything around the villa was blanketed in white.
The three inexperienced country bumpkins froze where they stood. Qiudong remained focused on licking his paw until Cheng Miao exclaimed beside him, “Holy shit! That’s amazing!”
The tips of Qiudong’s ears twitched. He helplessly lowered his paw. “The climate controls are on the wall, the same as at my Hotel. Adjust them yourselves.”
Cheng Miao nodded. She suddenly didn’t want to sleep anymore. She wanted to touch the clouds beside the infinity pool and then soak in a warm hot spring.
Qiudong looked at the obvious dark circles beneath her eyes, and his expression sank. “Everyone goes to sleep first.”
Qin Musong patted Cheng Miao’s head as well, amused by her rare childishness. “Rest first. None of this is going anywhere. We’ll be here for eight days.”
Qiudong changed the weather to spring, then went to sun himself in the yard. Cheng Miao reluctantly headed upstairs and entered her room.
After a hot shower, she marveled at how useful the hair dryer’s one-button drying function was. Before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep.
The group had arrived at Peacock Grand Hotel around three or four in the afternoon. Cheng Miao slept until the next day and only awoke because hunger drove her to search for food.
When she left the room, bright sunlight filled the villa, and Lin Zhu’s and Qin Musong’s voices drifted up from downstairs. She was about to descend when Qi Jiajia emerged from her room, rubbing her eyes.
The two women went downstairs together. The two men had been awake for a while. Seeing Cheng Miao and Qi Jiajia come down, they rang the bell and asked a server to deliver food.
The server was a round little brown bear. It nimbly carried four meals in and spoke in an adorably guileless voice. “Enjoy your meal.”
Cheng Miao stopped the little brown bear and asked curiously, “Are all of you natives of Survival Inn?”
The little brown bear looked rather simple. It thought for a moment, then nodded. “You could say that. I heard the guests weren’t afraid of us, so I didn’t transform into a human to serve you.”
So that was the reason. Cheng Miao tilted her head and studied the brown bear. “I’ve seen lions working as servers, but isn’t a lion the receptionist at Golden Lion Grand Hotel?”
The little brown bear doubled over with laughter. “Of course there are lots of lions. When we look at players, aren’t all of you humans? If one lion can be a receptionist, naturally another can be a server.”
Cheng Miao understood. Even among lions, fate treated everyone differently.
Qin Musong had eaten steak throughout the instance. At last, he could enjoy a meal of rice.
Cheng Miao and Qi Jiajia ordered sandwiches, while Lin Zhu happily ate omurice.
The black cat in the yard was strolling along the edge of the pool. At a glance, he seemed to be walking through the clouds.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Cheng Miao changed the weather to snow. After resting for a while, the four soaked in the hot spring inside the snow-covered yard.
Qiudong disliked water and didn’t enter the pool. After lying beside it for a while, a thick layer of snow accumulated on him.
“Come in and try it. It’s really comfortable. I’ll dry your fur afterward.”
After Cheng Miao invited him repeatedly, Qiudong reluctantly entered the pool. While he rested with his eyes closed, Cheng Miao shaped a little snow hat and set it on his head.
“Hahahahahaha!” Everyone’s laughter made Qiudong give Cheng Miao a cold look.
Cheng Miao immediately behaved. She melted the snow hat into the water and spent a long while coaxing him with a cat treat.
After the soak, Lin Zhu still had enough energy to swim two laps in the pool after raising its water temperature. Cheng Miao held Qiudong and dried his fur with a hair dryer.
Qi Jiajia jumped onto Qin Musong’s back and recited the recipe for marshmallow hot chocolate, while Qin Musong dutifully melted chocolate in a small pot.
Outside came the splashing of Lin Zhu swimming. Inside were the crackle of logs in the fireplace and the bubbling of hot chocolate in the pot, accompanied by the quiet sound of falling snow. The moment imprinted itself on every heart.
“Sister Miaomiao, before you two woke up, we looked into it. We can spend the next few days visiting all four directions, then use the final two days to explore the old town. What do you think?” Lin Zhu approached with a booklet titled Peacock Grand Hotel Check-In Guide and Travel Routes.
Cheng Miao smiled. “Sounds good to me. Don’t pack the last two days too full. We should get plenty of rest.”
Lin Zhu nodded and seriously began planning the trip.
Cheng Miao felt Qiudong’s fur. It was mostly dry, so she put down the hair dryer.
She had thought Qiudong was asleep, but the lordly cat flicked his tail. “For the next few nights, I’ll sleep in your room.”