Chapter 105: Unrest in Jianggai County
Inside the post station’s inn…
“Thank you for your help, Mr. Lin.”
An elderly man with a white beard bowed solemnly, his face filled with gratitude. “If it weren’t for you, my granddaughter and I would have been left penniless and sleeping on the streets.”
Beside him, a young girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old, clutched the retrieved money pouch, beaming with a bright smile. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Tianlu.
“You’re such a good person, Sir! You even knocked down that thief so easily, it was… amazing!”
Looking at the girl’s shining eyes, Lin Tianlu chuckled awkwardly. “It was just a small effort, there’s no need for such formality. But I don’t know your names, Sir and Miss—”
“You can call me Shang Yan, Sir. And this is my granddaughter, Shang Han.”
“I am Shang Han, greetings, Sir!”
Shang Han stopped her chattering and bowed politely.
Shang Yan smiled and patted his granddaughter’s head, then asked curiously, “Mr. Lin and this Madam, you don’t seem to be from Jianggai County. Are you traveling from elsewhere?”
“That’s right.” Lin Tianlu smiled and bowed. “We heard that the scenery in Jianggai County is quite beautiful, so we came to take a look. As for you, Mr. Shang…”
“I am a resident of Jianggai County. But I was just returning from another town and decided to stop at this post station for a while.” Shang Yan shook his head with a wry smile. “Who knew that in the blink of an eye, that thief would snatch my money. It was truly unexpected.”
“Is the security here not very good?”
Lin Tianlu asked in confusion. “Why would someone steal inside the post station?”
“There have been some rumors of trouble lately.”
Shang Yan’s expression turned serious. “Sir, I can see that you are a learned man, well-versed in literature… It’s best to leave this place as soon as possible and avoid getting involved in any trouble. Don’t cause your family any unnecessary worry.”
Hearing that there was danger, Mao Ruoyu quickly asked, “Is something big about to happen in Jianggai County?”
“It’s hard to say what exactly. But the authorities are all very busy, and security is definitely chaotic.”
The young girl, Shang Han, interjected, her bright eyes fixed on Mao Ruoyu with a hint of surprise and admiration. “This Madam is so beautiful. If bad people set their sights on her, something bad might happen.”
She quickly frowned and snorted. “I heard there have been many murders in the county, and even good women have been assaulted. Those bad people deserve to be punished.”
Shang Yan said in a deep voice, “As Han’er said, this place is quite dangerous right now. It’s best for you two to visit another day.”
“We’ll keep your words in mind.”
Lin Tianlu bowed respectfully. “We’ll stay at the inn tonight and decide tomorrow. If the situation is truly bad, we won’t stay long.”
“That’s good.” Shang Yan smiled, stroking his beard. “Then I won’t disturb you any longer.”
“Farewell, Sir.”
…
After seeing the grandfather and granddaughter off, Mao Ruoyu said in a low voice, “Sir, this Jianggai County…”
“Dangerous or not, we have to go in and take a look.”
Lin Tianlu turned to her with a smile. “But let’s rest here tonight and recuperate.”
Mao Ruoyu blushed slightly and nodded obediently. “As you wish, Sir.”
…
As darkness descended, the area outside the post station became increasingly deserted.
Lin Tianlu and Mao Ruoyu were sitting by the window on the second floor, eating the hot dinner that had just been served.
But…
Looking back at the few scattered guests in the inn, he noticed that they were all in a hurry, eating quickly and leaving without lingering.
“Danger is approaching, even ordinary travelers can sense it.”
Mao Ruoyu looked surprised. “Is this Path of the Netherworld really such a big deal?”
“Perhaps it’s more important than we imagined.”
Lin Tianlu took a sip of wine, his gaze distant as he looked out the window.
The grandfather and granddaughter they had met earlier…
They weren’t ordinary people.
The old man’s aura was incredibly deep, as if he had returned to his original nature. But the girl’s aura was unconcealed, which had allowed him to see through their disguise.
If not for that, he wouldn’t have realized that they were… ghosts and a ghost practitioner.
Was this just a coincidence?
No.
Spreading his senses, he could detect a faint trace of Yin energy on the deserted road, so faint that even Mao Ruoyu hadn’t noticed it. But the scale was vast.
Perhaps a large number of ghosts and ghost practitioners were converging on Jianggai County.
Thud!
But at that moment, he heard a noise coming from the stairs.
Lin Tianlu and Mao Ruoyu looked back and saw a scholar stumbling up to the second floor, clutching a wine flask, seemingly quite drunk.
“Hey, customer! You’ve already…”
“I-I’m not drunk yet, leave me alone!”
The scholar grumbled, taking out some silver from his pocket and tossing it back. “Take this as a tip and leave me alone. If I accidentally break something, consider it compensation.”
“This…”
The waiter was speechless for a moment, then reluctantly took the silver and backed away.
The scholar stumbled towards the second floor. Only then did they see his soft facial features and slender figure, giving him a somewhat feminine aura.
He staggered to an empty table and sat down, clutching his wine flask and laughing incoherently. “I-I heard what you said just now~”
Lin Tianlu raised an eyebrow. “You seem to have had quite a bit to drink, Sir.”
“I’m just drowning my sorrows.” The scholar shook his head drunkenly and said casually, “You don’t seem to be from Jianggai County, do you? There’s some trouble here right now. You should leave as soon as possible.”
“May I ask who you are, Sir?”
“Heh, I’m not from Jianggai County either.”
The scholar grinned. “I just arrived a few days earlier than you and happened to cause some trouble here. That’s how I learned that some important person is coming soon. Most of the locals are staying home and avoiding going out to avoid trouble.”
Lin Tianlu was curious and bowed. “Could you tell us who this important person is, Sir?”
“What important person… I can’t say for sure. Maybe some prince or princess? Or maybe the governor?”
The scholar burped and said incoherently, “Whoever it is, you should just stay out of their way. If you accidentally offend them, you might lose your head. And the curfew is very strict. If you’re caught breaking it, you’ll be thrown in jail.”
That exaggerated?
Lin Tianlu was surprised.
This was even stricter than the situation in Ganchang Village.
The scholar was about to say something more when he suddenly saw Mao Ruoyu sitting with Lin Tianlu.
After a moment of daze, he muttered, “Another woman. You have to be careful.”
Mao Ruoyu was a bit confused.
But she quickly frowned, feeling that this person looked familiar, as if she had met him before.
“Are you… Wang Qiu?”
“Uh?” The scholar sobered up a bit. “Are you from Changling County?”
“Yes.”
“What a coincidence.”
Wang Qiu wiped the wine from his face and curled his lip. “I didn’t expect to run into you in Jianggai County.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled softly. “Why should I be careful of women, Mr. Wang?”
“I thought everyone in Changling already knew.”
Wang Qiu grinned, but his smile was filled with self-deprecation and bitterness. “As someone who’s been through it, I have to warn you. The more beautiful and gentle a woman seems, the more treacherous she is. Be careful not to be fooled.”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes flickered, and he quickly realized what had happened.
Mao Ruoyu leaned in and whispered an explanation.
“—I see.”
So this was the poor man who had caught his lover cheating in public half a month ago?
“Sir, you already beat up that couple. Why are you still…”
“How can I forget such a thing?”
The scholar laughed bitterly, as if recalling a painful memory. “I was in love with He Tianlian for two years. During that time, I treated her with sincerity and never overstepped my boundaries. I fulfilled all her requests.
I even dreamed of marrying her and having children with her, but in the end…”
“All that gentleness was just a facade. All the sweet words she said to me were lies, and all her actions were forced.”
He clutched his hair tightly, his eyes bloodshot, and hissed, “While I was preparing for our wedding, that bitch was sleeping with another man, doing those disgraceful things! And I… was just a joke to them while they were making love. All my actions over the past two years were so ridiculous!”
“Just because I’m a weak scholar, unable to fight, just because I have a feminine face?!”
Wang Qiu slammed his fist on the table, his face contorted with anger. “Is this why I deserve to be humiliated by those bastards—”
“Sir, please calm down.” Lin Tianlu sighed. “You’re only hurting yourself with this behavior.”
“That’s why I’m warning you!”
Wang Qiu looked at him with cold eyes, panting. “None of these beautiful women are good. Be careful, there’s always a man behind them, manipulating them, playing with them, humiliating you, and treating you like dirt. And you’re still clueless, continuing to…”
“Watch your words, Sir!”
Lin Tianlu snapped.
Wang Qiu suddenly sobered up, staring blankly for a moment.
He quickly lowered his head, his expression complex. “…I said some nonsense, please don’t take it to heart.”
He didn’t say anything more, just buried his head in his arms and soon started snoring.
Lin Tianlu looked away. “Madam, don’t take his words…”
“I have a clear conscience, Sir. It doesn’t bother me.”
Mao Ruoyu shook her head. “I happened to see him punching that couple in anger. I know a little about what they did.”
Lin Tianlu took a sip of wine, sighing inwardly.
This was the most tragic man he had encountered since he transmigrated into this world.
The woman he cherished had been sleeping with another man behind his back, only after his family’s wealth, even mocking and ridiculing him in secret. Who wouldn’t be angry upon learning the truth? Especially in this era, such humiliation would probably be a scar he could never erase.
As the saying goes, bitter wine brings heartache…
It was truly tragic.
“But—”
Mao Ruoyu pondered for a moment, then said hesitantly, “It seems that someone has tampered with him.”
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