“Yes, almost everyone who takes this mountain path stays here overnight to rest,” Luo Jin introduced. “All travellers between north and south do so.”
“Is that so?” Lu Zheng blinked, thinking to himself, could this inn be like the Ai Weng he encountered that day in Yizhou’s Dongxiang County?
However, Ai Weng had built his estate in a remote place too; what was the situation with this inn?
“Don’t let the inn’s somewhat dilapidated appearance fool you; the proprietor has arranged the inside quite nicely,” the man surnamed Zhang introduced. “The food and lodging are pretty good too.”
“Is that right…” Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan exchanged a glance, then nodded. “Alright then, let’s go in.”
As they drew closer to the inn, the yin energy emanating from it grew heavier and heavier.
Moreover, only faint light seeped through the cracks in the door and the window paper; the inn did not seem to have any guests inside.
Lu Zheng furrowed his brow slightly. Seeing Luo Jin knock on the inn’s front door, the door was then opened from within.
“Oh my, there are actually guests!”
The waiter poked his head out from the door, his eyes lighting up as he enthusiastically invited, “Esteemed guests, please come inside!”
Luo Jin nodded and casually slipped two copper coins to the waiter. “Arrange twelve spots in the large dormitory for us, and do you have any small private rooms left?”
“Yes!” The waiter took the copper coins and bowed obsequiously.
“Then give us one small private room as well.” Luo Jin said this with some reluctance, as if it pained him.
His original plan had been to have Lu Zheng and the other make do together for the night, but after vaguely realising today that Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan might be martial artists, he naturally could not let their two strings of cash go to waste.
Fortunately, a small private room cost only one hundred cash, which he could afford.
“Right away!” The waiter agreed promptly. “Would the guests like some food? Shall I prepare some for you?”
“Yes!” Luo Jin nodded.
Then the man surnamed Zhang handed over the pheasants and rabbit. “This will cover some of the meal cost.”
“Right away!” The waiter took the wild game, had the group park their wheelbarrows in the small courtyard, and led everyone into the main hall, where the proprietor came forward to greet them.
“Proprietor, no one today?” Luo Jin looked around and discovered that the inn was surprisingly empty of any guests.
“What a coincidence; there were many people yesterday, but today there’s not a single one,” the proprietor laughed. “The guests can have a good night’s sleep.”
“That’s quite the coincidence; I’ve been travelling this route for two years, and this is the first time I’ve seen your place without a single guest.”
Luo Jin thought about it: around noon today, they had encountered a full four waves of people, and adding those heading south, yesterday must have been quite crowded here, right?
“Looks like my luck is good!”
“Indeed!” The proprietor laughed heartily, leading everyone to sit in the main hall and picking up a copper pot to pour tea for them. “Have some tea first; I’ll go check on the kitchen.”
Watching the proprietor head into the kitchen, Lu Zheng’s gaze lingered on the teacup before him, and he could not help but raise an eyebrow.
Luo Jin picked up his teacup and drained it in one go, then let out a long breath. “Refreshing!”
The others all drank their tea, but Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan remained completely still.
However, Luo Jin and the others did not mind, because along the way, Lu Zheng and his companion had brought their own food and drink; they simply assumed Lu Zheng found the inn’s tea too inferior and was unwilling to drink it.
“Proprietor Luo, you travel this path often; how many years has this shop been open?” Lu Zheng asked Luo Jin.
“Yes.” Luo Jin nodded.
“No change of proprietor?” Lu Zheng asked.
“No?” Luo Jin blinked, unsure why Lu Zheng would ask this, then his heart skipped a beat as he cautiously inquired, “Does this inn have some problem?”
“No, just asking.” Lu Zheng shook his head.
The shop had been open for several years, and those four waves of people yesterday had passed through safely, which showed the place did not harm people. Since that was the case, Lu Zheng would not meddle.
“Esteemed guests, the food is here!”
The kitchen curtain was lifted, and the waiter hurried in carrying two wooden trays, then served up several large basins of dishes and a big basin of steamed buns.
“Braised venison, steamed pheasant, wild greens, and as many yellow millet steamed buns as you like; please enjoy, guests!”
The carters and guards grabbed steamed buns and started eating heartily, while Lu Zheng untied the coarse cloth bundle from his back, opened it, and took out several wooden boxes from inside.
Gently opening them, inside were various pastries and cut fresh fruits.
In addition, everyone saw Lu Zheng take out a pot of yellowish-orange beverage, though it had no scent, so no one knew what it tasted like.
Seeing the others eating with relish, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan simply quietly ate their pastries and fruits, showing no inclination whatsoever to investigate whether that venison, pheasant, wild greens, or steamed buns were real or fake.
If they turned out to be real, fine, but if fake, would that not spoil the appetite?
Moreover, once they circulated their inner energy to their eyes, they would inevitably expose their cultivator identities in this ghostly inn. Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan did not want unnecessary trouble, so they would just leave it at that.
…
A moment later, the caravan members devoured their evening meal like a whirlwind, even adding an extra serving of greens and steamed buns, before following the waiter upstairs to the second floor dormitory.
As for Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan, under the guidance of the inn proprietor and another waiter, they continued upstairs to the third floor.
“The second floor is all dormitories; the third floor has various large and small private rooms. Apart from one that this old man uses himself, the rest are for visiting proprietors and guards.”
The proprietor said with a smile, “It’s just that Old Stingy Luo is too stingy and never stays on the third floor. I never expected him to book a small private room for the two of you; that’s rare.”
Lu Zheng smiled faintly. “On this trip, I paid him two strings of cash, and he doesn’t even have to cover our food along the way. Wouldn’t he prepare a better place for us to stay?”
The proprietor’s eyes flashed, and he could not help but chuckle. “I see; is the young master rushing to Lingnan for some urgent matter?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “Attending a friend’s wedding.”
The proprietor nodded repeatedly. “No wonder; you must not miss the wedding date. Following Old Stingy Luo was indeed the right choice; this path is the quickest way through the mountains.”
“I’ve heard; if all goes smoothly, we can exit by evening the day after tomorrow.”
“That might be a bit tough, but by noon on the third day, it’s definitely no problem.”
As they chatted, they arrived at a room on the third floor toward the inner side.
The proprietor pushed open the door. “The room next door is this old man’s. If the two of you need anything at night, just call out loudly.”
“Thank you, Proprietor; I think we won’t have any needs tonight.”
“Heh heh, please come in, the table, chairs, and bed are all clean. The two young master and miss, please rest first; this old man will take his leave.”
“Alright, thank you!”
After seeing the proprietor out the door, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan looked at each other and exchanged another glance.
“Who would have thought we’d end up staying in another haunted house,” Liu Qingyan could not help but laugh.
Lu Zheng shrugged. “This trip out is far more interesting than the last one I took alone.”
