Chapter 268: Inn

Chapter 268 The Inn

"Woo woo~" Mantou wagged its tail continuously. Although it smelled those two scents, as a dog, she did not understand what Li Huowang was saying.

At this moment, the monk beside him spoke up. "Taoist, there are smells of blood and rust on her. What does this represent? Is she a bad person or a good one??"

Li Huowang shook his head and looked up at the sky. Just at this moment, a drop of rain fell from the air, dripping into his eye.

"Let's go. It's going to rain. Let's find an inn to stay at first."

The rain started as just small drops, but gradually it grew heavier. Just after Li Huowang and the others had entered an inn, a torrential downpour poured down from the heavens.

Shaking the rainwater off his body, Li Huowang shouted towards the empty room: "Waiter! Room for the night!"

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.

Upon seeing so many strangers, the waiter's expression changed instantly. His face showed fear, and his body instinctively shrank back.

At this moment, Gouwa jumped out from the side, grabbed his arm, and stopped him from leaving. "Why are you running! Can't you see there's business? Hurry and tell the cook to make food. My wife and Senior Brother Li are starving!"

"Okay... okay, please wait a moment, honored guests." The waiter's tone sounded very lacking in confidence.

When he turned to walk towards the kitchen, Li Huowang, sitting in the main seat, had already furrowed his brows. The other party's behavior was very strange.

"Xiao Man, follow him and take a look. Keep watch so they don't put anything in our food." Chun Xiao Man nodded, holding her sword with her single arm, and walked towards the backyard. Bai Lingmiao thought for a moment and followed suit.

"Little Taoist Master, how about we wait until the rain stops and leave here quickly?" Lu Zhuangyuan clearly didn't know Li Huowang came specifically for this strangeness, but having traveled north and south, he sensed something was wrong.

"Don't panic. Right now, they are afraid of us, not us afraid of them. This county town is big enough, and everyone is tired. Let's rest our feet here before continuing."

Hearing Li Huowang say this, Lu Zhuangyuan ceased speaking. The Little Taoist Master possessed high skill and great courage; he shouldn't go seeking bad luck himself. Even if this county town truly had something strange, the Little Taoist Master could handle it.

Not long after, various fragrant dishes were served. A bit from each plate was taken out and thrown under the table. Mantou, who had been waiting for a long time, eagerly began to eat.

After seeing Mantou finish eating and nothing happened for a while, the others finally began to move their chopsticks.

Chewing the crisp lotus root in his mouth, Li Huowang ate silently. He could feel two gazes shooting onto his back from behind the kitchen curtain.

That waiter and that cook were there earlier, staring at them with fearful eyes.

Li Huowang also recalled the woman who passed by earlier. Her gaze upon them also carried fear.

Li Huowang did not think his current appearance was anything terrifying. Clearly, everything that should have grown had grown back.

Moreover, after such a long time of gradual repair, every thing had grown to where it belonged.

"What exactly are they afraid of? Such a large county town, why guard against outsiders so vigilantly? Did they encounter something before?" A sumptuous dinner ended thusly amidst Li Huowang's contemplation.

Night fell. The rain in the sky showed no signs of easing, like the sky had broken open, constantly washing away everything outside.

"Wah wah wah~" The sound of rain and wind scared Lu Juren's son into crying directly. Lu Juren held him carefully, cooing continuously, but saw no improvement.

"Sigh, being a father like this, give him to me." Luo Juanhua, looking disdainful, reached out to take the son, pulled open her clothes, and began to breastfeed.

"What are you doing, the Scholar is still here!" Lu Juren used his body to shield between his wife and his younger brother.

"What's there to fear? Look at him like that, would he enjoy watching me?"

Lu Juren turned his head to look at his younger brother. At this time, Lu Xiucai had taken off his shoes, legs crossed sitting on the bed, eyes closed, fully concentrating muttering something continuously, paying no attention whatsoever to his older brother and sister-in-law discussing him.

Regarding the Scholar learning supernatural arts from the Little Taoist Master, Lu Juren himself was not very willing. He knew his younger brother; no matter how you looked at him, he wasn't made of that material.

Furthermore, merely holding the Little Taoist Master's sword once turned him into this state. Who knows what he would become after practicing further.

But this family was not run by him. Whatever he said was useless. The one making decisions was Lu Zhuangyuan.

"By the way, where did our father go?" Hearing her husband ask her this, Luo Juanhua immediately rolled her eyes at him. "Where did your father go? How would I know?"

Finishing speaking, Luo Juanhua lowered her head and whispered to the infant in her arms: "Tongsheng, you cannot live cluelessly like your father in the future. You are going to be a high official!"

Speak of the devil and he appears. With a creak, the door opened, and Lu Zhuangyuan walked in with a stern face.

"Father, where did you go?" Lu Juren stepped forward to greet him.

"Get aside. Do I need you, a son, to manage what I do? Go to the backyard and bring that cook over for me."

Lu Juren, looking hesitant, clearly had no veto power. He turned and walked towards outside the room.

When Lu Zhuangyuan saw his little grandson nursing in his daughter-in-law's arms, his face first showed joy then immediately anger. "Unbecoming!! Quickly wrap him up in cloth!"

Summoning the cook took not long. Soon, the cook with a hairy black mole on his chin arrived before Lu Zhuangyuan. His complexion was as poor as the waiter's, his whole face looking greasy.

"Honored guest, you called me? What do you want for a late-night snack?" He rubbed his hands together and asked very timidly.

"Hehehe~" Lu Zhuangyuan smiled before speaking, taking out some silver fragments from his sleeve and handing them over.

"Little master, you've seen it yourself. My daughter-in-law just gave birth, but she isn't producing milk. Troubling you to make some stewed pig trotter and crucian carp soup to help my daughter-in-law lactate."

Hearing this, Luo Juanhua, who was actually breastfeeding the child, pursed her lips. Why would she need to induce lactation? Every day Tongsheng couldn't finish the milk, and she could even share some with Xiu'er.

However, she didn't object. After all, there were free pig trotters and crucian carp. Only a fool would refuse.

"Oh~ Understood. I'll go prepare it. I remember there's half a pig trotter left in the pantry." The cook turned to leave, but was stopped by Lu Zhuangyuan. "Hey hey hey~ Little master, don't walk so fast. Hehehe, I haven't finished speaking yet."

Speaking thus, Lu Zhuangyuan took out another thumb-sized silver ingot from his bosom and secretly stuffed it into the other party's chest.

"That... I want to ask you something. The people in this area, in the past... did something happen?"

The cook, who initially appeared extremely reserved, heard this and his expression changed drastically. As if the silver in his hand was a venomous snake, his fingers trembled violently, and in fear, he directly flung the silver away.

"Don't ask me! I know nothing! I know nothing!" Saying this, he fled out of the room as if escaping death.

Lu Zhuangyuan sighed lightly, bent down to pick up that silver ingot, holding it with both hands, somewhat regretfully speaking towards the empty space on the left: "Little Taoist Master, this cook won't accept it."

(End of Chapter)