CHAPTER 397: CHAPTER 397: MOVED INTO THE HAUNTED HOUSE AGAIN

"Yes, anyone traveling this mountain path will almost always stay here for a night’s rest," Luo Jin explained. "Those going north and south all do the same."

"Is that so?" Lu Zheng blinked, thinking perhaps this inn is like Ivern’s place I encountered in Dongxiang County, Yizhou.

But Ivern also built his manor in an out-of-the-way place. What’s the story with this inn?

"Though this inn looks a bit shabby, the shopkeeper has arranged the inside quite nicely," the man surnamed Zhang said. "And the food and lodging are quite good."

"I see..." Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan exchanged glances and then nodded, "Alright, let’s go in then."

As they got closer to the inn, the Yin Qi emanating from it grew increasingly intense.

Moreover, only a faint glow seeped out from the inn’s door cracks and paper windows, as if there were no guests inside.

Lu Zheng frowned slightly as he watched Luo Jin knock on the inn’s door, which was then opened from the inside.

"Wow, there are actually guests!"

The waiter poked his head out from inside, eyes lighting up as he warmly invited, "Esteemed guests, please come in!"

Luo Jin nodded, casually handing the waiter two copper coins, "Arrange for us twelve shared sleeping spaces. Is there a small room available as well?"

"Yes!" The waiter took the copper coins, nodding and bowing.

"Then we’ll take a small room too," Luo Jin said with a bit of reluctance.

His initial thought was to have Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan make do for the night, but upon realizing today that they might be martial artists, he dared not let his two thousand coins go to waste.

Fortunately, a small room costs only one hundred cents, which he could afford.

"Alrighty!" the waiter responded, "Would you like to eat? I can prepare something for you."

"Sure!" Luo Jin nodded.

Then the man surnamed Zhang handed over the brocade chicken and wild rabbit, "To offset some of the meal cost."

"Alrighty!" The waiter took the game, had them park the wheelbarrow in the courtyard, and then led them into the living room, where the innkeeper greeted them.

"Innkeeper, no one here today?" Luo Jin scanned the room and found that there wasn’t a single guest in sight.

"Coincidentally, we were full yesterday, but today there’s no one," the innkeeper said with a smile, "You guests will enjoy a good sleep."

"What a coincidence! I’ve been traveling here for two years, and this is the first time I’ve seen no other guests here."

Luo Jin recalled encountering four groups around noon today, so with those heading south, this place must have been packed yesterday.

"Looks like I have good luck!"

"Indeed!" the innkeeper laughed, leading everyone into the living room and pouring them tea from a copper pot. "Have some tea first while I check the kitchen."

As they watched the innkeeper head into the kitchen, Lu Zheng’s gaze lingered on the teacup before him, and he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Luo Jin picked up his cup, drank it in one gulp, and let out a long sigh, "Refreshing!"

Everyone else drank the tea, except Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan, who remained still.

But Luo Jin and the others didn’t mind, assuming that Lu Zheng considered the inn’s tea inferior and didn’t want to drink it, as he and Liu Qingyan had been self-sufficient in food and drink during their travel.

"Shopkeeper Luo, you travel this road often. How many years has this inn been open?" Lu Zheng asked Luo Jin.

"Yes." Luo Jin nodded.

"Hasn’t changed innkeepers?" Lu Zheng asked.

"No?" Luo Jin blinked, puzzled why Lu Zheng was asking and then his heart skipped a beat as he cautiously asked, "Is there something wrong with this inn?"

"No, just asking," Lu Zheng shook his head and said.

This inn has been open for years, and the four groups yesterday passed safely, indicating this inn doesn’t harm people. So Lu Zheng wouldn’t meddle unnecessarily.

"Dinner’s ready, guests!"

The kitchen curtain was lifted as the waiter came briskly with two wooden trays, serving several large bowls of dishes and a big bowl of mantou.

"Braised deer meat, steamed brocade chicken, wild greens, and plenty of yellow rice mantou, please enjoy!"

The drivers and guards grabbed the mantou and began eating eagerly, while Lu Zheng untied the coarse cloth bundle on his back, opened it, and took out several wooden boxes.

Gently opening them, they contained various snacks and freshly cut fruits.

Besides that, everyone also saw Lu Zheng take out a pot of yellow-orange drink, which, though odorless, they didn’t know the taste of.

Watching everyone else enjoy their food, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan quietly ate their snacks and fruits, showing no interest in finding out whether the deer meat, chicken, wild greens, and mantou were real or fake.

If they turned out to be real, then good. If fake, they’d lose their appetite. Moreover, using inner vision would inevitably expose their identities as cultivators in this Ghost Inn, which Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan preferred to avoid, so they left it at that.

...

A moment later, the caravan finished their meal and requested more wild greens and mantou, only then heading to the shared sleeping space on the second floor under the waiter’s guidance.

Meanwhile, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan continued upstairs under the guidance of the innkeeper and another waiter, reaching the third floor.

"The second floor is all shared sleeping spaces. The third floor has several rooms of various sizes, apart from one room where I stay myself, for traveling shopkeepers and guards,"

The innkeeper said with a smile. "Only Luo the Miser is too stingy to stay on the third floor. I didn’t expect him to book a small room for you two; it’s truly rare."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "I paid him two thousand coins for this trip, and he’s not responsible for our food along the way. Shouldn’t he at least prepare a decent place for us to stay?"

The innkeeper’s eyes flashed, and then he chuckled, "I see, you’re heading to Lingnan Dao for something urgent?"

Lu Zheng nodded, "Attending a friend’s wedding."

The innkeeper nodded repeatedly, "No wonder. That’s truly something not to miss. You certainly took the right path with Luo the Miser; this is the shortest mountain route."

"I’ve heard. If things go smoothly, we should be out by the night after tomorrow."

"That’s a bit tricky, but you’ll definitely be out by noon on the third day."

As they chatted, they arrived at a room on the inner side of the third floor.

The innkeeper opened the door, "The room next door is mine. If you need anything during the night, just call out."

"Thank you, innkeeper, though I think we won’t need anything tonight."

"Heh, heh, please come in. The tables, chairs, and beds are clean. You two can relax first, and I shall take my leave."

"Thank you!"

Seeing the innkeeper out, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan looked at each other and exchanged a glance.

"I really didn’t expect we’d end up staying in a haunted house again," Liu Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh.

Lu Zheng shrugged, "This trip is much more interesting than when I traveled alone last time."