Chapter 270
Chapter 270
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 270
>Chapter Title: Inn
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Woof woof~”
Mantou kept wagging its tail nonstop. Although it had smelled those two scents as well, as a dog, it didn’t understand what Li Huowang was talking about.
At that moment, the monk nearby spoke up.
“Daoist, what does the smell of blood and rust on her mean? Is she a bad guy or a good guy??”
Li Huowang shook his head and looked up at the sky. Just then, a drop of rainwater fell from above and landed right in his eye.
“Let’s go. It’s about to rain. Let’s find an inn to stay at first.”
The rain started off as just light droplets, but it gradually intensified. Just as Li Huowang and the others stepped into an inn, a torrential downpour came crashing down.
Shaking the rainwater off his body, Li Huowang shouted into the empty room.
“Waiter! We need a room!”
After shouting for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a waiter with a white towel draped over his shoulder lifted the curtain and walked out.
The moment he saw so many outsiders, the waiter’s face changed instantly. Fear appeared on his features as his body instinctively recoiled backward.
At this point, Gouwa jumped out from the side and grabbed his arm, blocking his way.
“What are you running for?! Can’t you see we’ve got business? Hurry up and tell the cook to make some food—my wife and Senior Li are starving!”
“Alright, alright. Please wait just a moment, esteemed guests.”
The waiter’s voice sounded utterly lacking in confidence.
As he turned toward the kitchen, Li Huowang—seated in the place of honor—had already furrowed his brow. The man’s behavior was downright odd.
“Xiaoman, go follow him and keep an eye out. Make sure they don’t drug our food.”
Chun Xiaoman nodded and headed to the backyard, gripping her sword with her one arm. Bai Lingmiao hesitated for a moment before following suit.
“Young Daoist, how about we wait for the rain to stop and get out of here quick?”
Lv Zhuangyuan clearly had no idea Li Huowang had come here precisely because of the strangeness, but years of traveling had attuned him to danger.
“Don’t panic. Right now, they’re the ones afraid of us, not the other way around. This county seat’s plenty big, and everyone’s worn out. We’ll rest our feet here before moving on.”
Hearing this from Li Huowang, Lv Zhuangyuan fell silent. The young Daoist was skilled and fearless; best not to jinx things. Even if the county seat truly held some weirdness, the young Daoist could deal with it.
Before long, steaming platters of fragrant dishes covered the table. A portion from each was tossed under the table. The long-suffering Mantou dove in without hesitation.
Only after watching Mantou finish and nothing happening for a good while did the others pick up their chopsticks.
Chewing on the crispy lotus root in his mouth, Li Huowang ate his meal in silence. He could feel two lines of sight boring into his back from the kitchen curtain.
It was that waiter from before, along with the cook, staring at them with eyes full of terror.
Li Huowang recalled the woman they’d passed on the road earlier as well. Her gaze upon them had carried the same fear.
Li Huowang didn’t think his current appearance was frightening at all. Clearly, everything that was supposed to grow back had done so.
What’s more, after all this time of gradual mending, every part had settled into its proper place.
“What exactly are they afraid of? In a county seat this size, why be so guarded against outsiders? Did something happen here before?”
The hearty dinner concluded just like that, amid Li Huowang’s musings.
That night, the heavens offered no reprieve from the rain. It poured relentlessly, as if the sky itself had torn open, relentlessly battering the world outside.
“Wah wah wah~”
The roar of rain and wind terrified Lv Juren’s son into nonstop crying. Lv Juren held him carefully, cooing constantly, to no avail.
“Sigh, some father you are. Hand him over.”
Luo Jinhua snatched the boy with a look of disdain, parted her clothes, and began to nurse him.
“What are you doing? Xiucai’s right here!”
Lv Juren positioned himself to block his wife from his younger brother.
“What’s there to be scared of? Look at him—think he wants to peek?”
Lv Juren turned toward his brother. Lv Xiucai had removed his shoes and sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes shut tight as he muttered intently to himself. He paid no mind at all to his brother and sister-in-law gossiping about him.
Truth be told, Lv Juren wasn’t thrilled about Xiucai learning mystic arts from the young Daoist. He knew his little brother—no matter how you sliced it, he wasn’t the type.
And to think, he’d ended up like this just from gripping the young Daoist’s sword once. Heaven only knew what further training might do.
But this family wasn’t his to run. His words carried no weight. The one calling the shots was still Lv Zhuangyuan.
“Right, where’d Dad go?”
Hearing her man ask that, Luo Jinhua shot him a glare.
“Where your dad went? How should I know?”
She then leaned down and murmured softly to the infant in her arms.
“Tongsheng, you mustn’t grow up muddleheaded like your father. You’re going to be a big official someday!”
Speak of the devil. With a creak, the door swung open, and stone-faced Lv Zhuangyuan stepped inside.
“Dad, where’ve you been?”
Lv Juren hurried over.
“Outta the way. Since when does what your old man does need policing by his own son? Go to the back and fetch that cook for me.”
Lv Juren hesitated but clearly had no say in the matter. He turned and headed out.
Spotting his tiny grandson suckling at his daughter-in-law’s breast, Lv Zhuangyuan’s face lit up with joy—then darkened in anger.
“Disgraceful! Cover it up with cloth, quick!”
Summoning the cook didn’t take long. Soon enough, the greasy-faced man with a hairy black mole on his chin stood before Lv Zhuangyuan, complexion as pallid as the waiter’s.
“Esteemed guest, you wanted me? What’ll it be for a midnight snack?”
He rubbed his hands together awkwardly as he spoke.
“Heh heh heh~”
Lv Zhuangyuan chuckled before saying a word, then fished some silver fragments from his sleeve and passed them over.
“Little chef, as you can see, my daughter-in-law just gave birth, but she’s got no milk coming in. Be a pal and whip up some stewed pig trotters with crucian carp to help her along.”
At those words, the actual nursing mother Luo Jinhua pursed her lips. As if she needed help lactating—the boy couldn’t even finish her daily supply, and she had extra for Xiu’er too.
She didn’t protest, though. Free pig trotters and carp? Only a fool would turn that down.
“Oh~ Right, got it. I’ll get on it—the kitchen’s got half a trotter left, I think.”
The cook turned to go but Lv Zhuangyuan stopped him.
“Hey hey hey~ Easy there, little chef. Heh heh, I ain’t done yet.”
With that, Lv Zhuangyuan produced a thumb-sized silver ingot from his bosom and slipped it furtively into the man’s pocket.
“Listen, I wanna ask you somethin’. Somethin’ happen around these parts in the past?”
The cook—who’d started off so restrained—went white as a sheet at the question. As though the silver were a viper, his fingers spasmed, and he flung it away in terror.
“Don’t ask me! I don’t know nothin’! I don’t know a thing!”
With that, he bolted from the room like a man fleeing for his life.
Lv Zhuangyuan let out a soft sigh, bent to retrieve the ingot, and held it up in both hands. With a hint of regret, he addressed the empty space to his left.
“Young Daoist, this cook won’t take it.”
(End of chapter)