The strange story of Huai'an Inn

"Dare to ask my little brother's name?" Luo's wife asked chatting as she walked.

"My surname is Guan, and I am the sixth child in my family, so I am called Chong Liu."

"You're not a local, are you?"

"Ma'am, you are really amazing. You can tell that I don't have a local accent. I am originally from Mount Gaotu, and I have just been in Tianliang for three or four months."

"Gaotu is not close to here, why did he go so far away to work?"

"I couldn't find a job in my hometown, so I came out. Don't look at me as young, I have already worked in many places. This time I asked a relative to introduce me to find such a good job."

"Relatives? Your relatives know your shopkeeper?"

"That's right, my little uncle practiced on the nearby Purple Deer Mountain, and he arranged the errand for me."

The lady of the Luo family paused, and looked at him in astonishment, "Your relative is an alchemist?"

"He doesn't seem to be a teacher yet, at most he can be regarded as an alternate alchemist." Chong Liu said indifferently, but his eyes glanced curiously at the red package in the lady's arms from time to time.

The lady of the Luo family noticed his eyes and smiled, "Curious?"

"A little bit..." Chong Liu showed a slightly guilty smile, "The main thing is... what kind of wedding dress does our shopkeeper want..."

The lady of the Luo family laughed softly, her voice was hoarse than ordinary women, and she had a style that young girls don't possess, "Whoever said that men can't wear wedding dresses. Besides, this is not for your shopkeepers, although I have selfish intentions." I think your shopkeeper should look good in it."

The image of the shopkeeper wearing a bright red dress, a flower crown on his head and rouge on his lips immediately appeared in Chong Liu's mind.At first I felt awkward, but when I think about it carefully, it seems to be really pretty...

Chongliu imagined that he was the groom, holding the bamboo pole to lift off the bride's red hijab, and saw the shopkeeper who was smiling shyly... couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The lady of the Luo family looked at him with a smile, "Your inn hasn't changed much over the years, it's just that the waiter in your position doesn't last long. I like you because of your delicate features, and I hope you can stay longer. "

Chong Liu was so praised by a beautiful woman, his face became a little hot, "You really praise me too much."

As he was talking, he had already passed the atrium and turned into the backyard.In addition to a row of townhouses where migrant workers live, there is also a separate small courtyard for the shopkeeper.The yard is not big, just in the northeast corner of the backyard.The walls of the courtyard are covered with vines, full of morning flowers that emit fragrance in the night.Chong Liu knocked on the dark green courtyard door and shouted, "Master! The lady of the Luo family is here!"

After a while, a reply came from afar in the small courtyard, "Madam please come in."

The courtyard door opened as soon as it was pushed, Chong Liu stood outside the door and looked in.The shopkeeper's room was lit, and a silhouette was reflected on the screen window, as if he was reading a book.Then Chong Liu said to Mrs. Luo's family, "Please come in, the shopkeeper doesn't like others entering his yard, so I will send you here?"

The lady of the Luo family bowed slightly, and bowed gracefully, "Thank you, little brother."

Chong Liu had just walked a few steps when the lady of the Luo family suddenly said, "If anything happens to you these two days, please discuss it with your shopkeeper."

This sentence came inexplicably, Chongliu felt strange, but responded with a look of gratitude on his face.He watched the Luo family's wife enter the door, and he still felt weird in his heart.

The dignified owner of Luo Jinzhai came here alone, without even a girl by his side.Now he is still living in the same room with the shopkeeper alone... Could it be that the lady of the Luo family has an affair with the shopkeeper?

On the contrary, it's a man who looks like a man...or is it a woman who looks like a man?

But that wedding dress...

Chongliu felt more and more that he couldn't figure out all the people in this inn.He has been to many places to work, and such a thing has never happened before.

After everything was tidied up that night, Chong Liu returned to his room and saw Zhu Yi yawning as he spread the quilt, his eyes barely opened.Recently, the Qingming Sect of Zilu Mountain near Tianliang City is going to hold a once-in-a-decade transmission and performance ceremony, which has attracted many tourists, and the number of guests has doubled compared to usual.The two of them have been busy all day, and they didn't even have a good meal.

The night shift tonight is a helper named Wang Xiaochun, both of them can have a good night's sleep without worrying about being woken up by guests in the middle of the night.Chong Liu went out to wash his face and rinse his mouth, and when he came back, he saw that Zhu Yi had already started snoring.He also took off his clothes and prepared to go to bed, but at this moment he heard Zhu Yi mutter something suddenly.

Chong Liu's eyes moved, knowing that Zhu Yi was going to talk in his sleep again.

He bent down quietly, groped under the bed with his hand, and found an inconspicuous wooden box, locked with a small brass lock.He groped around his neck and pulled out a string with an ingenious key attached to the end.He opened the box with a key, and there were a dozen thick papers inside, some of which had been densely written on, and some were still empty.In addition, there is an exquisite small inkstone, a Langhao brush, and a piece of ink.Chong Liu picked up the writing brush, licked it habitually with the tip of his tongue, let the remaining ink on the tip of the brush melt a little, and then began to record Zhu Yi's dream talk by the soybean oil lamp on the dining table.

Ever since he heard the names of those three people, he began to quietly record Zhu Yi's sleep talk.

After a series of vague mutterings, Zhu Yi suddenly began to read his name.

He was not familiar with the first few names, and the numbers that followed were relatively large, but suddenly, three clear words popped into his ears.

"Xu Hanke..."

Xu Hanke? !That Xianji who interviewed privately in a micro-service!

"……one."

……one?

one day? !

Could it be that the young Xiansi's life is going to be ruined tomorrow? !

In the dim light, Chong Liu's eyes widened.

............................................................

The next morning, Chongliu was serving tea to the four guests who came to the hotel yesterday. When he turned his head, he saw Xu Hanke followed Liu Sheng into the hall with a sleepy look on his face.

Chong Liu's heart skipped a beat, and he stared at Xu Hanke for a little longer.

Xu Hanke seemed to feel his gaze, so he smiled kindly at him, "Good morning, little brother, what do you have for breakfast today?"

That Liu Sheng was still very aloof and cherished words like gold, so he found a seat and sat down.

Chong Liu hurried over with the teapot, and skillfully put on a professional smile, "Today we have paulownia noodles, sugar cakes, chrysanthemum cakes, glutinous rice cakes, and yokan. The side dishes include spicy radish, spicy shepherd's purse, pickled melon, and crystal soap." .”

Xu Hanke picked up the tea that Chongliu had just poured and smelled it, and wrinkled his face in distaste, "What kind of tea is this? It's obviously overcooked. Brother, please give us a pot of Tieguanyin."

Chong Liu hurriedly ran to the back kitchen to make another pot of tea, feeling restless, and almost knocked over Master Liao.Master Liao reprimanded nonchalantly, "You flustered and absent-minded, what the hell?"

Chong Liu hurriedly apologized, and returned to the two adults with tea.

As he was pouring tea, he heard Liu Sheng ask, "Is the ceremony for passing on the new headmaster of the Qingming Sect to start today?"

Chong Liu only got the way, "It's the three quarters of the day when we start to sing the Shigong opera. At noon, Guanli Zhenren will give a lecture as the head teacher for the last time, and then there will be the ceremony of passing on the performance."

Xu Hanke conjured a fan out of nowhere, and stuck it on his chin, "I heard that the Qin family's troupe was invited for this master's play, and it's quite exciting with both literature and martial arts. Let's go and see the excitement."

At this moment, Chongliu said hesitantly, "Actually... the passing ceremony is nothing to watch. There are so many people crowded up the mountain today, maybe something will happen. I think you might as well stay in the inn Take a day off and go up to the viewing meeting tomorrow when there are fewer people.”

What he said caused the two guests sitting at a nearby table to look sideways, which made Xu and Liu even more puzzled.

"Brother, you are interesting. Others say that this is a rare event that can only be seen in decades. Judging from your age, you probably haven't seen it before. Why do you say it's boring?"

Chong Liuxin thought that if he told Xu Hanke the truth that there was a high probability that he would die tomorrow, Xu Hanke would not believe it, but he might even bring him to justice because he felt unlucky.

Although there doesn't seem to be a law against saying unkind words... but who knows, a thick book of laws can find a name to punish him in any corner, and it's better not to provoke the people in the government...

"I'm telling you the truth. The transfer ceremonies of the Jiangmo Dao sect are similar. I've seen them in other places. The first day is really nothing to see. Most of the time is spent listening to those alchemists chanting scriptures and worshiping. Those scriptures We can't understand the text, and there are so many people crowded together that we can't see anything. It would be better to wait until the day after tomorrow when real Qi Yao will climb the ladder and tour the dojo." Chong Liu opened his mouth and started talking nonsense.In fact, he is still not 100% sure whether the relationship between the name and the number that Zhu Yi said in his dream is what he thought. After all, Zhu Yi didn't say the name many times, and he didn't have enough opportunities to verify it.But in case it is true, it would be good if one less person died.

"You bastard, what are you talking about. The Qingming Sect is the leader of the Dao of subduing demons. The new Daoist Qi Yao has great supernatural powers, and his ability to subdue demons and eliminate demons is unrivaled in the world. He even entered the palace to help the emperor get rid of evil. Everyone said that he would be the future national teacher. Such a person's passing ceremony must be unmatched by other small sects." A person sitting next to him came from nowhere to participate in the ceremony The passenger glared at Chong Liu and said angrily, as if he respected the head teacher of the Qingming Sect who was about to succeed him, "My family lives in Linfeng County, Pingyao Road, and I came all the way here just to meet a real person and get auspicious. You are so lucky to live here forever An auspicious place, but you still utter wild words?"

Chong Liu was taught a good lesson, and he felt a little upset, so he showed that slightly awkward smile, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, guest officer, that you are the fanboy of Daoist Qi Yao. Isn't he the most powerful fairy grandpa in the world! The little one is just a waiter, how dare he disrespect the fairy grandpa."

Because both the former emperor and the current emperor respected alchemists who cultivated truth very much, the folks also had a tendency to worship those famous practitioners.All those alchemists who are pleasing to the eye, as long as they have a little bit of psychic power, will be sought after by countless men, women, old and children, and even if they sell pots and irons, they will also offer vain money to support them.Many laymen groups that specialize in organizing support activities emerged as the times require. Every time their revered alchemists go out to cast down demons, the layman groups often arrive one step ahead of time to arrange the itinerary of the domicile, and they will also be well-trained in the process of exorcising demons. Play a role in building momentum and boosting morale.

There are sporadic and more radical members in these laymen's groups who occasionally do surprising things. For example, if a famous person dares to speak ill of a certain alchemist, these laymen are often the first to blow up their hair. Flooding of mansions happened from time to time.If two alchemists don't like it, they don't have to do it themselves, their respective lay monks will go to war first. At first, the educated lay monks will fight with each other in the mansion newspaper and in the pamphlets circulated among neighbors. If you are not relieved, it will even develop into a full-scale combat.As far as they are concerned, gang fights happen two or three times a year in Liangcheng.

Of course, Chong Liu, who just came to Tianliang City not long ago, saw it with his own eyes once.The scene was so tragic that he was so frightened that he would quickly shut up whenever he heard words related to laymen.

Although his tone was mean, as if there was a bit of sarcasm, but there was nothing in his words that could be grasped, and the man could only stare at him without saying anything more.

Xu Hanke looked at him with a half-smile, and said after a while, "I've written down what my brother said, thank you."

Chong Liu can only do this. If he insists on going out today, he can't lock the two of them in the house, can he?

Besides... Maybe it wasn't an accident outside, but some sudden illness or accidentally rolled down and broke his head when going down the steps... There are too many ways to die.

As soon as I turned my head, I felt a bump in my heart.

The shopkeeper did not know when he came to the hall, and stood behind the counter and stared at him with unpredictable eyes.

Chong Liu quickly pretended to be nonchalant and ran over to say hello to the shopkeeper.The shopkeeper Zhu looked him up and down, as if seeing him for the first time.

Chong Liu felt hairy on the back of his neck when he looked at him, and said with a sneer, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm ashamed when you look at me like that."

The shopkeeper Zhu stretched out his hand and typed a few times on the abacus, and asked slowly, "What are you talking about with the customer?"

"It's nothing... just chatting about the passing ceremony."

The shopkeeper glanced at him again, "There are some things that you shouldn't take care of, so don't take care of them."

Could it be that the shopkeeper just heard him choking with the fans of Daoist Qi Yao at that table?

"Hey... I remember." Chong Liu replied obediently, "I just said a few words to the guests."

The shopkeeper glanced at him, and didn't know whether he believed him, "Okay, now the meal time is almost over, and it won't be too busy if everyone runs up the mountain during tea time, Zhu Yi can just keep an eye on it. You go and help me run an errand."

"Okay, you order."

Shopkeeper Zhu took out a letter from his pocket and put it on the counter, "Take this letter to Yuzhen Temple in Zilu Mountain and give it to a female crown named Taixi."

Chong Liu's eyes widened, "Yuzhenguan? Can I enter that place by myself?"

Yuzhen Temple is where all the female disciples of the Qingming Sect live and practice. On weekdays, even male pilgrims can only enter the Queen Mother Hall to worship within the prescribed two hours, and there are a few unsmiling elders throughout the process. The Bodhisattva was watching from the side, in case anyone with malicious intentions tried to mix into the temples of other women's crowns.

The time for worship is almost over now, even if he ran all the way there, he couldn't make it in time.

"Today there is a grand ceremony of transmission on the mountain, and the female crowns will also attend. Everyone is gathered in the Hall of Heavenly Kings. The Yuzhen Temple is basically empty. You go around to the south gate and wait there. She will come to you to get it at noon. Letter. After she reads the letter, she will give you something, remember, don’t touch that thing directly, it must be through fabric or any other package. Just bring that thing back to me.”

Chong Liu found the whole thing very strange, as if the shopkeeper was having an affair with a fairy girl...

Last night it was the lady of the Luo family, and now she is the Taoist aunt again... Could it be that the incomprehensible look of the shopkeeper is just pretending?

Could it be that the shopkeeper is actually very... unscrupulous?

I don't know if Chongliu's suspicion was conveyed to shopkeeper Zhu through his eyes, the owner rolled his eyes, and poked Chongliu's forehead with his finger, "I'm thinking about something messy again! Don't hurry up! "

"Yes!"

As soon as he took a step, the shopkeeper suddenly remembered something and called out, "Hey wait, you take this." He said and stuffed a bag of copper coins into Chong Liu's hand, "Go rent a horse, and you can take it by yourself on the way." Buy something to eat. It takes a lot of time to go back and forth, don't be hungry."

Chong Liu looked up at the shopkeeper movedly, "Master, you are too polite!"

There was an inconspicuous smile on the corner of the shopkeeper's mouth, and he shook hands with him, "Okay, don't pretend, hurry up, go early and return early."