Bloody Emperor - Chapter 29 Sunflower Village

“WOW!”

Xun Lan couldn’t help exclaiming when she saw the view from the other side of the mountain.

The group followed the trail right after the fight against the bear, and it was not long before they reached the end of the inner part of the mountain.

Nero’s vision could not see until the end of the landscape because they were too high. There were forests, rivers, fields of various types such as plantations and fields of natural flowers. He could also see other smaller mountains, trees of all types and sizes.

It also had villages and castles. Nero could see small communities near plantation fields that looked like Abun. Roads were connecting small villages to others and castles that varied in size and color. As the group was at the top of the mountain, it was easy to see everything from afar even though they were places that were far from each other.

“Kujin. The name of this country is Kujin, and it is in the territory of the Xu Dynasty.”

Xiong Zhelan saw Nero and Xun Lan looking in wonder at the view of the horizon that was really beautiful, and he told them the name of his homeland. Kujin was a vast country and essential to the Xu Dynasty, which was the region is to the far east if the planet was seen on a map.

“The Black Sword Sect is to the west, so we still have a long way ahead.”

Xiong Zhelan pointed to the west where it was possible to see villages and forests, but the Black Sword Sect was after the hills that were not yet visible in that direction.

“Shall we stop at Sunflower Village?”

As the group went down the mountain road, Zhu Tai asked his master about stopping at the village that they rested the first time they did this route. He still remembers the village that they were very welcoming, and although simple, it had great food.

“Yes. We go stop there to rest and wash Nero’s wound.”

The group followed the road that got better each time they went down. The background has also completely changed, beginning to appear several trees and different flowers. The land became more and more grassy and green, then the road started becoming formed by well-organized cobblestones showing that they were already in the territory of a village.

Soon the group began to see people working in the fields and walking the streets. Nero found the people here very similar to Abun’s, who resembled Eastern people on Earth. The vampire country on Earth was also in the east, so Nero also had soft oriental features because his mother was western.

Everyone looked at the group with curious eyes. Everyone in Nero’s group drew a lot of attention because Nero was very handsome; Xun Lan was also a beautiful young woman; Xiong Zhelan wore clothes similar to the people of the Black Sword Sect and even had an emblem of an elder of the sect, but few knew the emblem; Zhu Tai was just himself, ordinary.

“Are we some kind of attraction to them?”

Zhu Tai couldn’t help but complain about how he found the looks that people gave their group very unpleasant. But of course, he was more upset by the fact that the women’s eyes were all on Nero, and he was being excluded.

“The common people are not to blame for being curious. It is not always that visitors come to this area except by the Duke’s tax collectors.”

Xiong Zhelan gave some talks to Nero and Xun Lan about the political organization of the Xu Dynasty. The territory was too large to be managed by the royal family only, so there were four great powers in the main cardinal points.

The Black Sword Sect managed the South region as the most significant power, but even so, it was still difficult to deal with so many villages and towns. Then like the other big powers, they divided the regions into Duchies, each controlled by a family of high strength and prestige.

The place they were now was the small sunflower village that was under the control of a Duchy, and the family responsible for that region managed and protected the entire region. It was common to collect taxes and other things like requisitioning people for war or as servants. Some Duchies did not do these methods, but everything depended on the place and its rulers.

The hierarchy of power started with the Xu Royal Family and next on to the big four authorities until it ended with the Duchies. So Xiong Zhelan, even though he was an elder of the external court in the Black Sword Sect, was a higher authority here than the Duke.

Xiong Zhelan was a humble person and lived by his sword, so he would not use his authority without reason. Still, people could recognize his clothes and treat him with great respect, but he was always friendly and helpful, which only increased the Black Sword Sect’s good reputation.

The group walked slowly through the small village that was very busy. They went to the main street and were soon able to see the inn where Xiong Zhelan had already stayed.

Sunflower Inn

The name on the board was not very creative, but it showed that it was the main tavern in the city, saving time for travelers who wanted the best place. The inn was like a big mansion looking like it had more than ten rooms in addition to a big hall. It was made of good quality wood and stones with very charming glass windows.

When they entered the tavern, they were attacked by a wonderful smell of homemade food. People came in and out of the inn, which was very busy with several groups of people drinking and talking. It is an enjoyable and friendly climate.

“Welcome esteemed guests!”

As soon as the group entered the door, a waitress who danced between tables with a tray full of glasses passed by Nero’s group and called them towards a table in a very friendly and dedicated way showing that she was excellent for the attendant service.

People noticed the group quickly, but no one stared at them openly, and some people gave them friendly looks and sometimes slight nods showing that they respected the group formed by what looked like an Elder from the Black Sword Sect.

The atmosphere was very pleasant, and everyone was excited to order some food. The group followed the waitress, who was excitedly taking them to the best available table. She couldn’t help but give Nero a few looks as she found him the most beautiful man she had ever seen, leaving Xun Lan with a severe and attentive look as if to protect her treasure.

“You can sit down. I’ll bring anything you want, just ask. Today we have a roast lamb that looks amazing.”

“We are going to spend the night here, so I wanted to ask you to take Nero to a room and give him towels and bandages so he can take a shower.”

The waitress was talking about the dishes, but Xiong Zhelan asked her to give the handsome young man a room. She couldn’t be happier, and if he asked her to help him in the bath, it would be even better.

“I’ll help him with the wound!”

“Okay, Lan. I can handle that alone, so sit there and eat in peace. I’ll be right back.”

Xun Lan would not miss an opportunity to approach Nero, even more seeing the excited look on the waitress’s face, but Nero called her by her first name in such a loving way that she couldn’t help but nod and sit in her chair.

The group ordered a lot of meat and drinks for another waitress who came after the first one to leave with Nero towards the rooms. The tavern owner had already recognized Xiong Zhelan and ordered the attendants to treat the group in the best possible way.

__________________________________________

“It was not a bad sight.”

Nero was slowly getting used to that kind of feeling. Maybe he was a racist for a long time, and now he started to see that people were just people before any kind of physical characteristics.

Judging someone for the mistakes that others have made was not right. And those curves are not so different from the ones that he loved so much…

Nero was having very strange and confusing thoughts as he looked at the cheerful backside of the waitress who was excitedly shaking, trying to get his attention.

Sarah would be happy that Nero started showing less anger at humans and started treating them depending on how each person treated him. But she was not at all happy with that silly smile he was doing while looking at that sweet butt.

“That is the room. It is the best we have, so I hope that Sir. is comfortable.”

The waitress took Nero to the last door on the second floor of the tavern. When he entered the room, he could see that it was a very large suite with a double bed in the middle and several furniture like tables and sofas. The bathroom had no door, and it was possible to see a large bathtub where he would take his shower.

“You can call me Nero. If possible, I would like to take a shower now, so thanks for everything.”

Nero really wanted to take a shower and relax because the mountain journey was almost without any rest, so he tried not to be rude to the girl who was being so kind.

“I don’t want to disturb you, but I couldn’t help but hear that you’re hurt, so how about I help you with the bandages in the bath?”

She had never seen such a handsome man, and even though he seemed to be dirty as a traveler who came from afar, she couldn’t help but find his scent very good. To waste such a chance would be a sin.

“I don’t think it would be appropriate for a girl as young and beautiful as you to give me this service.”

“It would be an honor! By the way, my name is Qiao Mei. Let me take care of you today.”

Nero was not as disgusted by the girl as he would be from humans two years ago, but he still didn’t want her to serve him in the bath for no reason. He tried to be gentle, but she still insisted, and the desire to continue refusing was fading over time.

“Sarah?”

“It cannot be helped. But you will forget it when you leave this place!”

Nero would not accept this kind of thing without Sarah’s permission, but when she was not entirely against it even though she showed that she was not very happy, he had to go ahead.
for visiting.

“It’s alright. You can help me, Qiao Mei.”

“Thank you, Nero. Then you can go into the bathroom because I’m going to get the bandages.”

Qiao Mei couldn’t be happier, and she demonstrated it well by running to prepare bandages while Nero headed for the bathroom without knowing what to make of this strange situation.

“And now? Should I take this to the end or just help him with the bath?”

Qiao Mei was a nice and working girl. She comes from a simple family in a simple village. Even though she has a little bit of cultivation, she is still in the first layer of Qi Refinement and has no hope of living great adventures away from this land, so she wants to take this chance to do something crazy at least once in life so as not to regret in the future of having a boring life.

Even thinking of it as a crazy youth thing, Qiao Mei could not help feeling doubtful whether she should flirt with Nero and go to the end doing any action or just teasing him for fun. She already thought he was beautiful, but when he denied his first request to help in the bath, she was also sure that he was a nice guy who didn’t want to take advantage of her.

“Hmm, I’ll let him decide what happens next.”

Qiao Mei grabbed the bandages and extra towels then headed towards the bathroom, jumping like a cheerful doe.