298: An interesting woman...

The Tall Woman seemed to be thoroughly enraged by the innkeeper's naked discrimination and rogue attitude.

The aura around her body suddenly burst forth, and a sharp pressure instantly permeated the area.

It was clearly a Third-Grade cultivation!

However, when the Rhinoceros Demon innkeeper felt this pressure, far from showing any fear, a glimmer of earth-yellow light flashed across its single horn.

An equally formidable aura rose up; it had surprisingly also reached the Third-Grade Realm!

It sneered, its copper-bell-sized eyes filled with mockery: "What? Want to make a move? So what if you are Third-Grade?"

"This is Qianyi City, my territory! My rules are the rules! They are the rules tacitly approved by His Majesty the Dragon Emperor and the Green Rhinoceros Demon King!"

"You, a member of the Human Race, dare to run wild here? Believe it or not, with one word from me, the City Guard can immediately take you down and throw you into the mines to do hard labor! Or offer you to the Demon King for amusement!"

"A Third-Grade Human Race slave is quite a rare commodity!"

Its words were extremely arrogant, yet they pointed out a cruel reality:

On this land, unless your strength can crush all existence, your racial background is sometimes more important than your individual strength.

Qianyi City is located at the border between the Sacred Dragon Domain and the territory of the Green Rhinoceros Demon King.

While the might of the Dragon Emperor certainly shrouds the area, in actual practice, the local Yao Race forces are deeply entrenched, and the discrimination and oppression against the Human Race are an open secret.

Even if this woman has Third-Grade cultivation, if she were to truly make a move here, she would likely face not just this innkeeper, but the backlash of the entire local Yao Race faction, and might even invite more troublesome "charges."

Most importantly, this innkeeper is a Rhinoceros Demon, of the same clan as the Green Rhinoceros Demon King, and has Third-Grade cultivation, yet is here managing an inn... There must be some connection!

The Tall Woman's chest heaved violently; she was clearly furious, but a trace of wariness and helplessness flashed deep in her eyes.

She gritted her teeth, staring fixedly at the fearless innkeeper, and ultimately forced down her anger.

She took twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones from her Storage Pouch and slapped them onto the counter with a "slap" sound, her voice icy:

"The room key! I have noted today's events! With solid evidence, I will definitely report this to Holy Dragon City and request His Majesty the Dragon Emperor to adjudicate!"

The innkeeper collected the Spirit Stones with complete indifference and casually tossed out a Bone Token engraved with a room number, saying sarcastically:

"Go ahead, go ahead. His Majesty the Dragon Emperor is busy with myriad affairs; I'm afraid he has no time to deal with such a trivial matter of yours."

"The room is the third one to the left on the second floor. Stay put and don't cause trouble!"

The woman snorted coldly, grabbed the Bone Token, and turned to storm towards the stairs. Her tall silhouette remained straight, yet it exuded a sense of suppressed resentment.

Li Shengyuan watched all of this, his gaze thoughtfully following the woman's back as she went upstairs until she disappeared around the corner, at which point he withdrew his gaze.

He did not act immediately, but instead brought Pei Shuyun to the counter.

"Innkeeper, open a room for us."

Li Shengyuan's tone was flat, and both he and Pei Shuyun only revealed an aura fluctuation of about the Fourth Grade.

The Rhinoceros Demon innkeeper sized them up, and seeing another pair from the Human Race, the look of annoyance in its eyes grew, and it said lazily:

"Human Race, double price, twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones per night. Pay first, stay after. Any damaged items must be compensated at ten times the price."

Its attitude was even more wretched than it had been toward the Tall Woman just now.

Upon hearing this, Pei Shuyun's willow eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a flash of anger crossed her eyes, but she was stopped by Li Shengyuan gently squeezing her palm.

Li Shengyuan's expression remained unchanged as he complied by taking out twenty Spirit Stones and placing them on the counter.

The innkeeper collected the Spirit Stones, likewise tossed out a Bone Token, and muttered: "The room at the very end to the right on the second floor."

"Let me give you a reminder: in Qianyi City, even a Dragon must coil up. If you are of the Human Race, tuck your tails in obediently and don't learn from that ignorant woman just now."

"The Human Race? Heh, just a bunch of poor wretches and spineless cowards."

These highly insulting words made Pei Shuyun almost unable to hold back.

Li Shengyuan, however, only gave a faint "Hmm," picked up the Bone Token, and pulled Pei Shuyun as he turned to go upstairs.

Upon reaching the room, Li Shengyuan waved his hand to set up a simple Restriction to block sound and isolation from detection.

Pei Shuyun then spoke indignantly: "These Yao Race are truly bullying others too much! Flaunting discrimination and oppression, yet they dare to be this arrogant! Is this what the Dragon Emperor's so-called 'coexistence' is?"

Li Shengyuan walked to the window, looking at the diverse Yao Race and other races on the street outside. He shook his head, his tone calm but carrying a trace of coldness:

"Shuyun, if in the Great Qian, there were Yao Race strutting about like this, I'm afraid their fate would be no better than the Human Race here."

"The Human Race and the Yao Race have long-standing grievances; mutual discrimination and hostility are the norm."

"For this Dragon Emperor to be able to establish superficial order to a certain extent and allow multiple races to live together is already not easy. As for the deep-seated prejudice, it is by no means something that can be changed overnight."

He turned around, looked at Pei Shuyun, and his gaze became profound: "Actually, that woman just now... is somewhat interesting."

Upon hearing this, Pei Shuyun also temporarily suppressed her dissatisfaction with the Yao Race and gave a coquettish snort:

"Interesting? She is tall, has long legs, a slim waist, and a big butt; one is worth two regular ones, so conquering her is indeed interesting!"

Pei Shuyun was somewhat sarcastic, yet also a bit sour and envious...

Li Shengyuan helplessly rolled his eyes and said irritably: "What does this have to do with me? She isn't for me!"

Pei Shuyun also returned to a serious demeanor and frowned: "Are you talking about her cultivation? A Third-Grade Human Race is indeed rare in the hinterlands of the Demon Country, but it is not impossible; perhaps some adventurers or people with special purposes..."

"It's not entirely about the cultivation." Li Shengyuan interrupted her, his brows slightly furrowed as if recalling details.

"Her aura... at a glance, it is Human Race True Essence, but inside, it seems to subtly contain a trace of extremely hidden, yet extremely pure and ancient... Dragon Qi?"

"Furthermore, when she was angry, the way her emotional fluctuation stirred the surrounding Spiritual Qi was also slightly different from a pure Human Race Cultivator. More importantly..."

He paused, a glint of sharp light flashing in his eyes: "Her attitude toward 'reporting to His Majesty the Dragon Emperor' was too matter-of-fact, even carrying a kind of... certainty!"

"As if she could truly see the Dragon Emperor easily, or was certain that the Dragon Emperor would accept her 'complaint.' Would a Human Race adventurer being harassed in a border city of the Demon Country have such confidence and awareness?"

After listening to Li Shengyuan's analysis, Pei Shuyun's expression also gradually became serious: "You mean... her identity might be special? Or even... possibly related to the Dragon Emperor Palace?"

"I'm not sure, but it's worth noting." Li Shengyuan walked to the table and sat down. "We have just arrived and have limited understanding of the situation in Holy Dragon City and the Dragon Emperor. This woman might become an unexpected Breakthrough."

"Let's settle down first, then go around the city later to gather information. As for her... let's observe for now."

Pei Shuyun nodded, sat down as well, and began to organize her belongings, but her thoughts were clearly still lingering on the mysterious Tall Woman.