Meanwhile.
Jiang Zhiyu led Song Yueyao to the front hall of the inn.
The inn stood alone at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by a desolate wilderness. The nearest village was a hundred miles away.
Therefore, apart from their group and a passing armed escort merchant caravan, there were no other guests.
The escort team consisted of six people: the head escort and his wife, three other escorts, and a scout. The two groups had filled the inn. After the sun set behind the western mountains, they each went to rest, leaving the entire building completely silent.
The waiter was in the back kitchen boiling water for the guests to use. At this moment, the front hall was empty, with only a few oil lamps casting a dim, flickering light.
Jiang Zhiyu walked two circles around the four-paneled folding screen in the center of the lobby, craning his neck and examining it from left to right.
The screen depicted the four gentlemen of plants—plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum—surrounding an exquisite landscaping stone. It looked particularly out of place in this simple, crude inn.
"If you have something to say, say it. Why are you acting so sneaky?" Song Yueyao punched him on the shoulder in annoyance. She had originally wanted to stay in the room and watch Wu Li put up Xiaomi's hair, learning a few tricks along the way, but Jiang Zhiyu had dragged her out to look at this rock.
"Yueyao, don't you find it strange?" Jiang Zhiyu asked in a low voice.
"What's strange about it?"
"Such a dilapidated inn, yet it has such an exquisite landscaping setup right in the middle of the lobby. It looks a bit like..." Jiang Zhiyu narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, "Like an array formation."
Hearing this, Song Yueyao remembered the rumors the waiter had mentioned earlier and explained, "I heard that ghosts and spirits often roam this area after nightfall. The innkeeper specifically invited an expert to cast a spell to ward off evil."
Ghosts and wandering spirits lingered in the human realm mostly because of unresolved obsessions. Unlike demonic entities, they usually sought out those who wronged them and rarely harmed the innocent. Aside from their terrifying appearances, they were nothing to be overly afraid of.
"Using an array to ward off evil?" Jiang Zhiyu had only heard his master talk about using paper talismans for this purpose; using an array was a first for him.
"It seems you know your stuff, dear guest."
The two turned around at the sound of the voice and saw a middle-aged man standing not far away, wearing a sapphire-blue silk robe and a yellow silk sash around his waist.
He had a dark, square face and a plump figure, but his attire was extremely lavish.
"I am the innkeeper of this establishment. I was feeling unwell today and have been resting in my room. Please forgive my lack of hospitality." The man cupped his hands and bowed, his manners impeccable.
Because his clothes were overly luxurious, Song Yueyao couldn't help but take a few more glances. Her eyes fell on the mutton-fat jade thumb ring on his thumb. The jade was warm and smooth, with an understated luster, clearly worth a fortune at first glance.
Running a small inn in such a remote place... could it really be this profitable?
"I'm ashamed to say," the innkeeper followed Song Yueyao's gaze to the ring on his finger, his smile a bit awkward, "this inn is actually a property left by my ancestors. Being in such a remote location, it was almost impossible to keep it running. However, over the past two years, the night roads in the mountains have been unsafe, so passing merchants are often willing to rest and seek shelter from the cold here. Business has only recently improved a bit."
He raised his hand to gesture at the four-paneled screen and the landscaping stone in the center. "As for this arrangement, to be honest with you two, it is indeed just for peace of mind."
"A wandering Daoist priest once passed by and said that the yin energy in this place gathers and does not disperse. He said it required the 'Four Gentlemen' to guide it, complemented by mountain rocks to secure the position, in order to ensure peace in the inn. Although I was half-skeptical, I followed his words and set up this scene just to be safe."
"I see," Jiang Zhiyu nodded in realization. "If you are still worried, I have some talismans for warding off evil here. You can take them and stick them on your door."
With that, he took out a few neatly folded yellow talismans from his robes and handed them over.
The innkeeper's expression froze slightly, but he immediately took them with both hands and thanked him repeatedly. "You are very thoughtful, dear guest. Thank you so much."
He carefully put away the talismans, the smile on his face deepening. "It is getting late, and the hot water is ready. If you need anything else, just tell the waiter. By the way, the inn has some rice wine I brewed myself. I will gift some to you two to taste as a token of my appreciation."
*
When there was a gentle knock on the door, Xiaomi was kneeling on the floor, frantically setting up a floor bed for Wu Li.
The bedding was brand new; even the duvet insert and cover hadn't been stitched together yet. She had just laid down the mattress pad and was pinching the corners of the blanket to stuff the cotton insert inside, a thin layer of sweat already forming on her forehead.
Meanwhile, a certain someone was lazily resting his chin on his hand, sitting by the table and watching her work at his leisure. His expression was as relaxed as if he were enjoying some amusing spectacle.
Hearing the knock, he didn't even lift his eyelids. "Who is it?"
"Dear guest, I've brought you some rice wine," came the waiter's attentive voice from outside. "This was brewed by our innkeeper himself."
"Come in."
"Right away." The waiter complied, pushing the door open and gently placing a pot of warm rice wine on the table.
His gaze swept over the extra floor bed next to the main bed, then glanced at Xiaomi, who was crouching to the side and working hard. A trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.
Wu Li cast a faint glance at him, his tone casual. "My wife is a restless sleeper at night and often rolls off the bed. She only feels secure with something padded underneath. Using an extra set of bedding isn't a problem, is it?"
Meeting his calm gaze, the waiter inexplicably felt a chill down his spine and quickly offered an apologetic smile. "Not a problem at all! The bedding in the cabinet is prepared for our guests anyway."
After the waiter left, Xiaomi sat on her knees next to the floor bed, pinching the corner of the quilt, and narrowed her eyes at Wu Li:
"I'm a restless sleeper and often roll off the bed? Aren't you afraid I'll actually fall and crush you to death?"
Wu Li raised his eyes at her words. His gaze landed lightly on her puffed-up, angry face, and he suddenly let out a very soft chuckle.
"I actually have a good idea." He tapped his fingertips on the table, his tone making it hard to tell if he was joking or serious. "We can use Hongjiao to tie your hands and feet to the headboard. Then you naturally won't fall off."
Hongjiao immediately poked its head out from his sleeve, raising its head proudly.
A piece of cake; leave it to him.
Nowadays, Xiaomi found this snake, which always loved to roll its eyes, more and more of an eyesore. Perhaps because she had interacted with it so much, she had become somewhat desensitized, and her fear had faded a bit.
Seeing its arrogant and swaggering appearance at this moment, she simply crooked her finger at it. "You, come here."
Hongjiao froze for a few seconds. It turned to look at its master, then looked back at Xiaomi, confirming that she was indeed calling it.
But instead of moving, it lazily rolled its eyes at her through narrow slits.
Another eye roll.
Seeing that Xiaomi was on the verge of anger, Wu Li gave Hongjiao a command in a mild voice. "Listen to her."
Hongjiao had no choice but to slither over reluctantly, coiling limply at her feet, looking half-dead.
However, Xiaomi lifted a corner of the quilt and held it in front of the snake. "Bite down tight on this corner and don't let go. I'm going to stuff the other side."
If Wu Li hadn't just reminded her, she would have almost forgotten that this snake had such a use. A snake's mouth could open very wide, making it perfect for holding the corner of a blanket in place.
Xiaomi secretly praised herself for being an absolute genius!
Hongjiao looked at its master with grief and indignation. Seeing that he had no intention of stopping her, it had no choice but to accept its fate and silently comply. It coiled its serpentine body tightly around the quilt corner in Xiaomi's hand and bit down on it.
Who would have thought that it would one day be reduced to doing chores? But on second thought, this blanket was being made for its master after all, which barely helped to dissipate the frustration in its heart.
