The letter was sent by Chu Chenzhou, saying that corpse poison was scattered around Qingniu Mountain. When they arrived, several nearby villages were almost deserted. There were not many medicines left, and they needed to be replenished as soon as possible.
Si Haochen held the 'Secret Letter' in his hand, with veins popping up on the back of his hand: "Hurry up and change horses at the inn."
"Yes, Master."
Although I don’t know what was written in the secret letter, changing horses meant that the situation was urgent and there was almost no rest along the way.
The two carriages drove day and night, and finally entered Qingniu Town on the afternoon of the fourth day. Jiangnan is prosperous, and although Qingniu Town is not big, its gates and walls are very solid and neat. The streets are also paved with bluestones, and there are shops on both sides of the streets.
Linli, it should be quite prosperous.
However, it was just past midnight and all the shops were closed. The streets were empty, except for the occasional pedestrian or two, all in a hurry.
Fifteen felt that this town was a little weird. He happened to pass by a drug store, and the clerk was closing the door. He stopped the carriage and asked, "Brother, is it closing so early?"
When the young man heard someone talking to him, he not only didn't answer, but also sped up his movements. As soon as the door panel was hung, he swooped into the shop and bolted the door with two bangs.
Fifteen walked closer and just stretched out his hand, wanting to grab the guy and question him. Unfortunately, he was a step too late and his hand was almost pinched by the door panel: "Huh?"
Fifteen was about to knock on the door when he heard the boy say through the door: "I want to buy medicine and come early tomorrow..."
"I don't want to buy medicine, I just want to ask for directions." Fifteen was speechless. If someone really buys life-saving medicine, by tomorrow, he will be dead, right?
"Are you from out of town? Find a place to stay quickly, the inn will be closed no matter how late!" Then he added, "Don't walk outside after dark, it's dangerous!"
"I just want to ask, how to get to the Yunlai Inn in the town?" I was finally able to ask for directions, but I was so tired.
"Go north along the street, turn west at the intersection and you will see..."
"Thank you!" Fifteen touched a piece of broken silver and wanted to give it to the boy as a reward. But the door panel was tightly closed and it was difficult to put a piece of paper in, so he had to put the silver on the threshold and said, "With this silver, I'll treat you to tea."
Fifteen jumped on the carriage and drove it northward with a wave of his whip. He clucked his tongue twice and put the money in front of him without even taking it out. This was because he was afraid that ghosts would come to catch him...
Turning the corner, you can see the signboard of Yunlai Inn at a glance. As the boy said, the inn is really closed, and the door panel is tighter than that of the drug store.
Shi Fifteen stepped forward and knocked on the door, only to hear someone inside reply: "We are full of guests today, please find another place to stay."
Fifteen took a deep breath and lowered his voice: "The pagoda suppresses the river demon."
"Huh?" The person inside was stunned for a moment, then stammered, "Please wait a moment...I...I'll go find the shopkeeper...the shopkeeper!"
Soon, an unsteady voice came from behind the door: "Please, distinguished guest, knock on the door again."
Shi Fifteen knocked on the door again according to the rhythm, and the person inside immediately said the secret code: "The king of heaven covers the tiger of the earth."
"Pagoda suppresses the river demon!" Shifififu answered the code and immediately urged, "Open the door quickly, the master is here!"
"Okay, open the door right away."
There was a jingling sound behind the door, and then the door creaked open. A man with a Chinese-style face stuck his head out and stared at Fifteen, looking up and down.
Fifteen showed his waist card, and the man immediately came out to greet him: "Sir, the carriage must enter through the back door."
"Well." Shi Fifteen put down the pedal, "Master, we are here."
Si Haochen helped his wife out of the carriage. On the first and fifteenth day of the year, they followed the waiter and drove the carriage around to the back door.
The two masters stood at the door, observing across the street.
The shopkeeper looked at the sky and smiled a little: "Master, madam, please come inside."
"What's that shop selling? Why are there so many people there?" Along the way, I could count the people I saw with five fingers, but there was a queue of people in front of the opposite shop, which seemed out of place.
Ming Ruo and Si Haochen walked into the inn, and the shopkeeper quickly closed the door. Ming Ruo was shocked when he saw the shopkeeper tightening all five door bolts.
"Haha." The shopkeeper laughed sheepishly, "Madam, I don't know, but the town has been uneasy recently. After the sun turns west, there will be evil spirits, and they will bite any living thing they see. Not only will they bite people, but they will also bite chickens and ducks.
Not even pigs or dogs will be spared..."
The shopkeeper seemed to have thought of something terrible and couldn't help but shuddered: "It is said that if the person who is bitten does not die, he will turn into an evil spirit and bite everywhere...
Madam, I saw people queuing up at a shop that specializes in selling talismans. The talismans painted by Taoist priests can ward off evil spirits..."
"Huh?" Si Haochen raised his eyebrows slightly. He didn't believe it at all with the nagging seventh uncle here. But the trouble here was caused by corpse poison. If the talisman was useful, the seventh uncle would have taken action long ago.
"It's really useful." The shopkeeper carefully took out a piece of yellow paper from the cash box under the counter, "There were always evil spirits coming to the door before, but since I invited the talisman and stuck it on the door at night, I feel much more at ease."
Ming Ruo took the 'talisman' with great interest. As the heir to a family of experienced mystical doctors, he couldn't understand a single character. The caterpillar-like ball was indistinguishable from ghosts to ghosts.
"Any ghost-painted talisman is easier to identify than this one." Mingruo returned the talisman to the shopkeeper, "How much does this talisman cost?"
"This one is fifty taels, and can be used for five days." The shopkeeper quickly explained, "There are also thirty taels, which can be used for three days. One hundred taels, can be used for half a month..."
"The price is clearly marked, but my heart is a bit dark." Mingruo put his hand into his sleeve pocket, took out a handful of herbs and put it on the table. Mixed several herbs evenly, then grabbed a bunch and tied it into a knot.
Considering the beauty, I quickly made five grass rings.
"Hang these up. They can be used like talismans." Mingruo brought the grass ring to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper took the grass ring doubtfully and asked with some uncertainty: "Is this... really okay?"
The corners of Mingruo's lips curled up slightly: "Smell it carefully and see if the smell of this grass ring is somewhat similar to that of the talisman."
After Jing Mingruo said this, the shopkeeper quickly smelled it and was surprised to find that the smell of the two was indeed similar. However, the aroma of this grass ring was more intense and refreshing.
"The talisman works by using the talisman paper soaked in grass juice. The runes are just random drawings." Ming Ruo explained kindly.
"That's it." The shopkeeper nodded and quickly asked the waiter to hang the grass ring on the door and window, "No wonder the talisman paper is yellow with green..."
Qiu Shui put away the luggage and came down from upstairs: "Master, madam, the room has been packed up. You can go up and have a rest."
"Okay." Mingruo had something to say to Si Haochen, so she took her husband's sleeve and went upstairs.
