OBS Chapter 4 The Strange Encounter in the City 1
Chapter 4 The Strange Encounter in the City 1
Finally, she arrived at the city and saw the plaque on the city wall. If she continued walking, she would really faint on the way.
The city was bustling, and there were many vendors hawking their wares on the streets. Xu Xiao was very curious about these things, looking around and touching them here and there.
Li Changchun didn't mind her acting like a child, which was rare for her. The ten-year-old girl didn't seem tired at all, pretending to be an adult all day long.
"Master, it's so lively here! There are so many things for sale, and I've never seen many of them before!" Xu Xiao skipped and hopped along beside Li Changchun.
This girl is pitiful; she's never even seen these ordinary things before. It's clear how bad her family's life must have been before. I felt even more sorry for Xu Xiaoxiao.
"These are just ordinary vendors. You'll see more and better things in the future." The two talked and stopped, and stopped at a place called Hefu Inn in the south of the city. Compared to the hustle and bustle when they first entered the city, it was quiet here. A gust of wind blew, and the leaves on the ground spun in the air.
Xu Xiaoxiao saw that the big red lanterns on both sides of the inn entrance were being blown about and tilted, and she got goosebumps on her hands. She quickly moved closer to Li Changchun.
"Master, are we staying here tonight? Something feels off..."
Seeing the inn with its heavy yin energy, Li Changchun casually performed a divination. "So that's it. Don't worry, Xiaoxiao, this is just a feng shui affliction formed by resentment."
Seeing customers arrive, the waiter quickly slung his handkerchief over his shoulder and awkwardly approached, asking, "Are you two looking for a room or a meal?"
The waiter's face was ashen, and his dark circles under his eyes looked as if his life force had been drained.
"How much for two superior rooms?" Li Changchun looked around the inn. Although it was very clean and tidy, the black resentment in the air was invisible to the naked eye of an ordinary person.
Seeing that the two were dressed in poverty, the waiter kindly said, "Sirs, a superior room costs 800 coins, but our middle-class rooms, which are also quite clean and comfortable, cost 600 coins."
Li Changchun felt his pockets and found he only had one tael of silver, not enough to pay for two medium-sized rooms. Before he met Xiaoxiao, he would just make do with whatever was available for the night. He didn't want Xiaoxiao, a young girl, to be sleeping on the streets with him.
Xu Xiaoxiao saw that her master was a little amused and exasperated. Her master was probably short of money but dared not say so openly, so she decided to help her master out. "We need a medium-sized room. Could you add a small bed for us?"
Seeing that Xu Xiaoxiao looked thin and pale, the waiter decided to make an exception. "Of course, we have a promotion today. All guests who check in today will receive a free bowl of plain noodles. Would you two like to have some now?"
"Then please serve us now, thank you." Xu Xiaoxiao was also hungry, so she pulled her master to sit down and wait for the food to be served.
Li Changchun stroked his beard and said apologetically, "Xiaoxiao, I'm sorry to have wronged you. I didn't know the inn prices were so high. I'll earn more money in the future to buy you new clothes, good food, and nice inns." He secretly resolved that next time someone came to him for medical treatment, he would charge them money, and he would also charge them money for herbs. He would rather suffer himself than let his little apprentice suffer.
"Master, you don't need to worry. I will work hard with you to make our lives better in the future." Xu Xiaoxiao always thought that her master was just an ordinary cultivator who was not rich and had nothing to show for it when he fell into the mortal world. Little did she know that he was an invisible big shot in the cultivation world.
It was Xu Xiaoxiao's first time eating Yangchun noodles, and she thought it was delicious and authentic, without the modern MSG seasoning. She gave the chef a thumbs up.
Li Changchun watched as his young apprentice ate with great relish, finishing a bowl of noodles with a hearty appetite. Since he had practiced abstinence from grains a thousand years ago, he had rarely had any appetite.
In a good mood, Li Changchun decided to help the innkeeper. "Waiter, come here for a moment."
Seeing the only two customers in the shop calling out, he quickly walked over, bent down, and asked, "Is the taste not to your liking, sir?"
"Your noodles taste good, so I decided to help you out. Do you often hear women crying here at night, and is business not good?"
"Yes, sir, how did you know? Are you checking out?" The waiter was a little conflicted. He had finally managed to get a guest to stay, and now this matter was going to ruin his trip. His mood instantly soured.
"No, I just happen to know a little about these things," Li Changchun said, but his tone implied that he was confident he could solve the problem.
“But our boss has hired many capable people who all said they knew the solution, but none of them could solve the problem. The shopkeeper himself is now sick and bedridden, unable to get out of bed for the past few days.” The waiter was unsure whether to believe the old man in front of him, whose clothes were covered in patches.
Li Changchun noticed his skepticism and expressed his understanding, saying, "Take this talisman with you tonight, and you'll sleep soundly. If it works, take me to see your shopkeeper tomorrow."
Although the waiter still questioned the abilities of the master and apprentice, he held onto a sliver of hope that it might actually work, since he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time. A year ago, when the haunting first started, he wanted to leave the inn, but the manager's monthly allowance was twice as high as other places, and his family needed someone to support them, so he gritted his teeth and persevered until now.
"Master, do you think it's true that this place is haunted? Will it drain people's life force like the rumors say?" Xu Xiaoxiao was both scared and curious. She made her small bed five steps away from the main bed, just in case she really saw something unclean at night and could wake up her master for courage.
Li Changchun sat cross-legged on the bed, not even raising his eyes, and said, "With her master there, she wouldn't dare come in. You've had a hard day too, so get some rest."
Seeing how calm her master was, Xu Xiaoxiao decided to trust him this time. Not long after her head hit the pillow, she was already snoring softly.
Seeing that his little apprentice was not sleeping peacefully, he shook his head, went over and covered her with a blanket, then sat back down to continue meditating. Although there was no spiritual energy in the mortal world, meditation could still strengthen the body.
Sure enough, he slept soundly through the night without any dreams or strange noises. It seemed he had encountered a master. The innkeeper waited outside the room before dawn, afraid of missing this master.
"Ha..." Xu Xiaoxiao yawned as she opened the door and was startled to see the waiter greeting her respectfully with a smile.
"Please come in, sir. I have already prepared breakfast for you. This way, please."
"Wait, we didn't order breakfast. Did you come to the wrong room?" Xu Xiaoxiao quickly called out to the waiter.
"You didn't go to the wrong place. This was something I hired a master to use. It's an apology for my rudeness yesterday."
Li Changchun came out, patted his apprentice on the head, and slowly went downstairs. "Go on, you won't be wasting your time. You'll be busy later."
"Master, this way please. This is where our manager lives." It's in the back courtyard of the inn. The left and right courtyards are where the staff of the inn live. The living conditions are relatively good. The space is just the right size, and it's neat and clean. The staff are also quite well-mannered and don't look down on people, which shows that the manager is a good person.
The shopkeeper looked pale and had dark circles under his eyes, as if he could die at any moment.
"Master, please take a look at our shopkeeper. We've seen many doctors, but they can't find the cause. They just told us to take good care of him." The waiter couldn't bear to see their kind shopkeeper fall ill like this, so he looked at Li Changchun with pleading eyes, hoping he could find a solution.