Chapter 284: A Cold Inn
Rattle——
Wooden wheels clattered against the ground, the carriage trembling slightly.
Day and night alternated, and Lin Tianlu’s group had been traveling by carriage for two or three days, leaving Changling’s territory and approaching the border of Xima Prefecture.
The cold wind howled outside the window, and the atmosphere inside the carriage was similarly quiet.
“…”
Mao Ruoyu was patiently folding and organizing the clothes. After pondering for a while, she looked up and softly asked: “Miss Yang, are you going to Fengtai County with us?”
This mysterious woman from Mount Min had an otherworldly and aloof personality, speaking very little. Although they were traveling together, they hadn’t exchanged many words.
But after two days of interaction, although they weren’t particularly close, they had at least gotten to know each other a little and were aware of the help she had provided secretly during this time.
At the very least, she was also a good person worth befriending.
Yang Chanzhen sat upright, nodding coldly: “Madam, don’t worry, I won’t disturb your journey. After escorting you to the vicinity of Wuchang Province, I will bid you farewell and return to Mount Min.”
“Mount Min is in Maohuan Province, and Wuchang Province…”
“They share a border. Mount Min is located in the deep mountains, about a few dozen miles from the border. The journey isn’t too far.”
“I see.”
Mao Ruoyu nodded in understanding.
In that case, it was indeed more convenient to travel together.
However—
“Why do you want my husband to go to Mount Min, Miss Yang?”
Cheng Yishi, who was reading a book, put down the book and asked with a puzzled expression: “Could you tell me the reason?”
“Master Lin and I… have a connection. If he can come to Mount Min with me, he might gain some benefits.”
Yang Chanzhen was silent for a moment and continued: “But it’s also fine if you visit Mount Min after your trip, I will be waiting for you there.”
“I heard that the collection of books on Mount Min is unparalleled in the world. It would be a great gain to have a look.”
Lin Tianlu poked his head into the carriage and chuckled: “Ruoyu, Yishi, you can also go and have a look with me, broaden your horizons.”
Cheng Yishi paused slightly: “Books?”
She nodded noncommittally.
Thinking about it carefully, there didn’t seem to be any danger to them.
But what she truly cared about was what Miss Yang was really thinking.
Protecting her in the Cheng Mansion and repeatedly helping them secretly, all just so that Tianlu could go to Mount Min to read books… Thinking about it carefully, this purpose was quite intriguing.
But if she had malicious intentions, their interactions during this time had been quite harmonious. She even seemed more respectful and grateful towards Tianlu, not showing any signs of a conspiracy. And she was completely different from a girl in love, making her truly difficult to understand.
What was the expression on her face hidden behind the veil, and what was she thinking?
…
The sky grew darker.
Before late night, Lin Tianlu’s group finally found a remote inn.
Candles flickered dimly inside the inn, and only a hunched old man with a white beard sat at the counter, his wrinkled face looking eerie and strange in the dim light.
Seeing them enter the inn, he cracked a creepy and distorted smile, like a deceased skeleton or ghost.
“Old man, do you have two spacious and clean guest rooms?”
“Hehehe… Naturally, we do.”
The old man chuckled eerily, his gaze sweeping over Mao Ruoyu and the other women’s faces, his low laughter even more chilling.
He seemed to mark something on a book, then lit two paper lanterns and handed them over with trembling hands: “Go to the third floor, turn left, and you’ll find two suitable empty rooms. If you need to wash up, go to the backyard, there’s a well there.”
“Thank you, old man.”
Mao Ruoyu and Cheng Yishi frowned slightly, took the paper lanterns, and walked towards the stairs with the aloof Yang Chanzhen.
But after stepping onto the stairs, Mao Ruoyu couldn’t help but look back at Lin Tianlu, who was still in the lobby: “Husband, aren’t you coming upstairs…?”
“You go and rest first, I’ll stay down here for a while.”
Lin Tianlu walked over to a withered wooden table and sat down, waving his hand with a smile: “I’ll chat with this old man about the local situation.”
“…Alright.”
…
After they went upstairs, only Lin Tianlu and the old man remained in the small and old inn.
The cold wind howled outside, the drafty windows making eerie creaking sounds, as if ghosts and monsters were wailing and moaning inside the inn.
The withered old man, holding a candle, walked over with a creepy chuckle, his voice hoarse and piercing: “Young man, it’s getting dark. Be careful when traveling with your wives, beware of villains and bandits.”
“Don’t worry, my two wives are skilled in martial arts, ordinary bandits and thieves are no match for them.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and cupped his hands.
He quickly asked curiously: “But old man, aren’t you worried about being robbed by villains at night, running this inn alone in the wilderness? If something were to happen, there don’t seem to be many young people around to help.”
“Hehe, what villain would dare to cause trouble here?”
The old man grinned, revealing a creepy smile like a demon: “I learned some tricks in my younger days, those brats wouldn’t dare to come near.”
Lin Tianlu nodded thoughtfully.
Then, he looked towards the counter: “But I wonder if you have any snacks to go with some wine, old man? I’d like to chat with you.”
“Oh?”
The old man chuckled sinisterly: “You don’t seem to be afraid of me at all, young man. Your two wives were hesitant, but you’re sitting here calmly.”
Lin Tianlu poured a cup of warm tea for himself and the old man and chuckled: “You seem kind and honest, old man, how could I be disrespectful? Please sit down, you should rest more since your legs aren’t good, so you don’t aggravate any old injuries.”
Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on the old man’s face.
But he shook his head and chuckled: “You’re truly different from ordinary people, young man.
Seeing my fierce face, travelers who pass by are usually scared witless and don’t dare to stay long. Even those self-proclaimed fierce bandits and villains don’t dare to approach at night, afraid that I’ll skin them alive.”
“If they sat down and talked with you, old man, perhaps they would change their impression.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled and cupped his hands: “Although you have a fierce appearance, you’re actually quite learned and insightful. It’s fate that we met in this wilderness, old man.”
“Hey, how did you know I’m learned, young man?”
“Just look at the calluses on your fingers and your demeanor, you must have been a scholar in the past.”
Lin Tianlu continued: “Although this inn is dilapidated, it’s clean and tidy everywhere, without much dirt or grime. And you’ve even planted flowers and plants outside, showing that you’re quite meticulous, old man.”
Just as he said, this old man with a fierce and eerie appearance wasn’t some vicious monster.
He was just an elderly man living in seclusion in the mountains.
“You’re truly extraordinary, young man.”
The old man couldn’t help but praise: “I’ve been running this inn for more than ten years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a refined scholar like you.
Wait a moment, I’ll go to the kitchen and get you some snacks. I also have a pot of sake, we can sit down and chat slowly!”
Saying this, he quickly walked towards the kitchen in the dark, supporting himself against the counter.
…
Not long after, the white-bearded old man returned with a plate of snacks and a sake pot, a happy smile on his face.
He poured two cups of warm sake, sniffed it, and a kind and gentle look finally appeared on his previously fierce face: “A sip of warm sake in this winter weather is truly comforting.”
Lin Tianlu looked at the snacks, although simple, the ingredients were quite good for this wilderness.
“Thank you for the hospitality, old man.”
“You paid for it, young man, there’s nothing to thank me for.”
The old man smacked his lips, savoring the warm sake, and asked curiously: “But I wonder what you want to know?”
“Why are you running this inn alone in the wilderness, old man?”
Lin Tianlu asked, puzzled: “Not to mention whether business is good, but there’s almost no one around for miles, it must be quite troublesome to live alone.”
“You ask why—”
The old man grinned: “Because my children died young, my wife passed away many years ago, and I’m all alone, so I decided to settle down here. There are no distractions, I just seek peace and quiet.”
Lin Tianlu was slightly stunned and quickly apologized.
But the old man waved his hand with a smile: “That was more than ten years ago, I’ve already let it go.
Although there are many inconveniences, running an inn in this wilderness and occasionally helping lost travelers is quite fulfilling.”
Lin Tianlu bowed seriously: “It’s admirable that you’re so open-minded and kind-hearted, living in seclusion like this, old man.”
“There’s no need to praise this old man so highly.”
But the old man took a sip of warm sake and sighed self-deprecatingly: “The reason I moved out of town was simply because I was afraid and just wanted to survive, so I escaped to this wilderness and have been living here for more than ten years.”
“Afraid… was there some local tyrant causing trouble in the nearby town, or corrupt officials oppressing the people?”
“If that were the case, I would have risked my life to visit relatives and friends, travel over mountains and rivers to the capital to file a complaint, how could I have lived in seclusion here?”
The old man sighed and rubbed his thigh: “Young man, do you know why I walk with a limp and have this villainous face?”
Lin Tianlu frowned: “Could it be that the death of your family and the changes in your appearance were all caused by…”
“Thirteen years ago, there was a massive fire.”
The old man seemed to be recalling the distant past, and he mused: “The flames were raging, as if half the town was engulfed in fire, countless people screaming and fleeing. I was also trapped in the sea of fire, watching my neighbors, whom I used to laugh and bicker with, struggle to escape, collapse from exhaustion, and finally be swallowed by the flames.
Similarly, I watched my two unfortunate children and their families… crushed by the collapsing houses, none survived.”
“You might not believe this, young man.”
The old man lowered his cloudy eyes: “I was heartbroken and just wanted to die with them, but as I looked up to the sky and was about to cry out in anguish, I saw… two men walking in the air above the smoke and flames.”
“With a wave of their hands, they unleashed fire dragons, like descending immortals, turning half the town into a sea of fire, thousands of people burned alive. And all this tragedy, in the eyes of those two ‘immortals’, was as insignificant as ants being crushed underfoot.”
“They were using methods I couldn’t understand. Above the smoke and flames that blotted out the sky, a massive formation appeared, large enough to envelop the entire town. The patterns within it were incredibly complex, its aura so profound that I couldn’t even muster the slightest thought of resistance, my knees almost buckling.”
“Although I miraculously survived the fire, I understood that this world might not be as simple as I thought. I was left with this injured leg and this withered and distorted face… Heh! Perhaps it really does resemble the ugly expression I made at that time.”
Lin Tianlu’s expression turned even more serious upon hearing about this past tragedy.
Although Huangfeng County, nearby, was close to the border of Xima Prefecture, it wasn’t too far from Changling County.
This massive fire that almost destroyed half a town, even after more than ten years, why had he never heard even a whisper of it?
After all, when he had first arrived in Changling County, to confirm the existence of demons and ghosts, he had specifically searched for information about such incidents, but there was nothing related to Huangfeng County.
Perhaps—
“Heh! Don’t take it too seriously, young man. What I just said might have just been an illusion, caused by my old age and failing eyesight.
But I haven’t dared to return to Huangfeng County all these years, so I’ve been living here in peace.”
The old man chuckled self-deprecatingly, about to pour himself another drink, but Lin Tianlu suddenly said: “I believe what you just said, old man, even though it sounds incredible.”
“Hmm?”
The old man asked in surprise: “You really believe this old man’s words?”
“To be honest, I’ve also witnessed some strange and inexplicable incidents recently, far beyond human capabilities.”
Lin Tianlu briefly recounted a few incidents, making the old man’s expression change.
“So it’s all true…”
“So, old man, can you tell me any clues or information you remember from that day?”
“More than ten years have passed, I’ve forgotten a lot. But if you’re asking for clues…”
The old man’s face darkened: “I was practically insane after losing my wife and children. During those years, I frantically searched for the truth, reading countless ancient books, comparing formation patterns and suspicious writings, and I did come to some conclusions.”
Lin Tianlu spread his hands: “Please tell me, old man.”
“The Netherworld opens, thirty-six evil lords seek to overturn the heavens.”
“The Dragon’s Pulse stirs, thousand-year-old clans plot to seize the universe.”
“And—”
The old man hesitated for a moment and whispered hoarsely: “Seven peaks converge, borrowing the power of the nine stars of heaven and earth. The secret realm of the eight clans, opened with the blood sacrifice of a hundred thousand people.”
