"Do the lords accept audiences from nobodies like me?" Lee asked the innkeeper, trying sound as desperate as possible.
"Hahaha! Make a guess!" The man laughed in return, "Don't even try to go there without a proper gift."
"But then … what's the procedure? What do I do if I have something?" Lee asked, but the innkeeper's eyes lit up.
"What do you have?" He asked.
"Nothing yet. But I have to think of something." Lee said.
"Good boy! Have one more cup!" The innkeeper said, "This one's on the house. If you get a good present, run it by me first. I'll take a look to see if it's good enough. We don't want you to embarrass yourself in front of the lords, right?"
"Right!" Lee agreed and emptied the cup in one go.
Then he went back to his room, trying to stagger on the way, and cultivated through the night. It was a simple cleansing technique, but he didn't want any alcohol remaining in his body, so made sure all was expelled before the sunrise.
***
