This is so uncomfortable.
Ling Quan was gesticulating, but he stopped talking. Didn’t someone just leave? He had luggage with him, so he should have vacated an empty room. Just as she was about to ask, she saw another person hiding in the shadows beside the counter. The person took two steps forward and walked into the light before being seen. He is slightly taller than Xie Zhe. He is wearing a red long coat that seems to have a bit of fine velvet on it. Anyway, it looks warmer than Xie Zhe's. His hair is not long, it is broken down to the chin, but there is a thin long hair braided at the back. The color of the hair is slightly bright and reddish, like a kind of metal with good texture. This man looks like a young man from a rich family.
Ling Huan made a mental calculation, if it broke, he might not be able to pay the asking price.
"We can just stay in the lobby for one night," Xie Zhe said, "waiting for the snow to stop."
"...When did you come in?" The shopkeeper was startled.
Ling Huan seemed to understand what Xie Zhe meant by "getting used to it" before.
How rude!
"Uh, are you two together?"
"No - but do you really have no room here?" Ling Huan asked unwillingly.
The shopkeeper waved his hand: "No, no. You two can only guard this brazier in the lobby. Burning it in the lobby all night is quite a waste of charcoal. Although there is no charge for the room, I still invite..."
Xie Zhe nodded: "The firewood money will be taken care of."
The shopkeeper nodded with satisfaction and pointed to the stove next to him: "Okay. The tea leaves are in the box, and you can use the kettle as you like. I'll take this guest up first."
With that said, he walked out from the front desk and was ready to lead the young man. During the conversation, the man kept looking at them, possibly guessing their relationship and origins. When the shopkeeper was about to take him up, he suddenly asked:
"How much does it cost for a room with two mattresses?"
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, a little embarrassed.
"It's not about money. If you live alone in a house, you may have a mattress, but you have nowhere to put your feet."
"Then bring two blankets." The young master waved his hand, "It's too cold in the lobby. Both of them seemed to be in a hurry. If the cold came out, they wouldn't be able to walk very far before they fell ill. "
After saying that, he buckled a small silver ingot at the front desk. The shopkeeper stopped talking. After thinking for a long time, he felt that he was not at a loss. It was just that he had not encountered such a situation for so long. He frowned, stared at the money and thought for a long time, waved to the two people in a daze, and said with great determination:
"Okay, come on up!"
Ling Huan and Xie Zhe looked at each other and followed. This inn is really small, and even the stairs cannot accommodate two people walking side by side. Ling Huan walked behind Xie Zhe and smelled a faint smell of incense ash from him, which was quite pleasant. When they arrived at the guest room, they stood in the narrow corridor for a while, waiting for the shopkeeper to clean up the newly occupied room. After that, he brought two more quilts and threw them on the bed. When he walked out of the door, he clapped his hands and told them they could go in.
Then the three of them discovered that the shopkeeper was really not polite to them.
Although it's not difficult to turn around, the single room is indeed cramped. This location is not very good either. There is a triangular corner with a table and board on it and only a bench next to it. There is a floor mat next to the bed, and a heater against the wall on the other side. This layout always feels very dangerous. If you are not careful, sparks will splash out from it. Looking at the floor mat again, there are indeed two holes that were burned out at some point.
Xie Zhe carried a thin quilt down and sat on the floor on the mat.
"Girl, please sit down too." The young master gestured with his hand, pointing to the bed. Ling Huan sat down a little at a loss, his face full of confusion.
It was indeed too small. She had never lived in a place like this. She is not a picky person, but she just feels uncomfortable. How can this be a break? There was still the weird smell of sweat from the previous guest in the air. Even though the mattress was changed, the smell lingered. She looked around the room, but there wasn't even a window.
The young master sat on the higher bench and crossed his legs.
"I feel sorry for you two. You may not be able to have a good rest, but it's better than sitting on the bench in the lobby all night."
His voice was thinner than Xie Zhe's, his tone was cheerful, and he seemed to be in a good mood.
Xie Zhe looked sideways.
"Having said that. But in the lobby, at least you don't have to share a room with monsters."
As soon as the words came out, the other two people present were stunned. Ling Huan frowned, she knew what it meant, especially after finding out what he was doing in the carriage, she felt even more uneasy. It is impossible that he is talking about himself, but how could this young and kind-hearted young man...
"Did you see it?"
Does this admit it?
Ling Huan's eyes widened even more. In such a short time, she couldn't digest what the two people were talking about.
Xie Zhe nodded and sat on the ground without moving. But he just held his head high and looked directly at the young master, and the atmosphere seemed a bit stiff. But the person being stared at didn't seem to notice anything. He put one arm on the table and just leaned on it, with an indifferent attitude. Although in this posture, he looks like a great gentleman.
"How can you tell?" The "elder man" tilted his head.
"Your demonic aura was well hidden. I really didn't notice it at first. But when I saw that the silver you handed over to the shopkeeper was turned from stone, I knew what was going on."
"Isn't it?" The young master changed his arm to support him, "Can't I just be a juggler?"
"No. You have exposed your fox tail."
The young man looked slightly surprised and rolled his eyes upwards, wondering what he was thinking. Then he lowered his head and turned around, looking behind the bench as if he was looking for something.
"No. Are you deceiving me?"
What is this doing?
Ling Huan took a deep breath. Compared to being in the same room with a monster, the smell of sweat seemed nothing. seriously? If what Xie Zhe said was true, wouldn't the two of them be in danger now?
"Are you really a vixen?"
"Yeah...yeah." He admitted to Ling Huan openly, "I am a vixen. I didn't lie to you to come here to let you have a good night, but to find an opportunity to eat you to fill your stomach. If you didn't Come on, the first one to be eaten is the old money addict downstairs. Do you still have any questions? "
"That's really what you said." Xie Zhe was extremely calm, "If you really planned to do that, you would have taken action long ago."
"Indeed. But I was worried about whether you would bring a weapon. Now I can see clearly, you didn't."
"Then you won't take action?"
"Not hungry."
What on earth is this doing?
Ling Huan really couldn't understand it. It was like some kind of industry-specific slang. She could understand every word, but she just didn't know what the two people were talking about. This is a monster! Still a vixen, very cunning. But will the monster be so kind? Not necessarily, she did read a lot of stories about good monsters... but this was too much of a gamble. If Xie Zhe doesn't take action now, what are he waiting for? Does he believe this monster?
The fox master suddenly burst into laughter. He smiled so happily that he thought he had heard some anecdotes. Ling Huan was puzzled and looked at him in bewilderment. Xie Zhe shook his head helplessly.
"I know you have no intention of harming anyone." He said, "You are a red fox spirit...very powerful, but you don't have the smell of human blood at all. You have never killed anyone."
The fox suddenly lowered his legs, leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees, bent down, and asked with interest:
"Can this be seen? Aren't you afraid that you will see it wrong and lose your life in vain? Or maybe I just made a spur-of-the-moment idea to eliminate future troubles..."
"You must want to become an immortal, right? For a monster like you. If you kill someone, thousands of years of practice will be in vain."
When Xie Zhe said this, Mr. Fox raised his eyebrows. The two were in a stalemate for a while. After a long time, the fox sighed and leaned on the table again.
"I guess you're right. Today, I'll treat it like I do one good deed every day, and I hope God will see it."
Ling Huan finally managed to understand. These two people are really tired talking.
"You must be an Onmyoji." Mr. Fox asked, "What's your name?"
"Thank you."
"And you?"
The vixen turned around and asked Ling Yu who was sitting by the bed. She was startled, earning another burst of laughter.
"What are you afraid of? I won't really eat you."
"Ye, Ye Lingyu..."
After hearing this, the fox thought thoughtfully: "Oh - she's a girl from the Ye family. The way you are dressed, you don't seem to be on the same page as this poor boy. I just guessed that you have just met."
"That's true..." Ling Huan asked timidly, "Then, what's your name?"
"Me? Well, I once studied immortal arts with a fox brother. He is my junior brother, and he is a golden fox. We are not related by blood, and we have no names. We brought good wine and glasses to see the immortal to learn from him, and he gave us a name. It's called Hanzhang, and the other is warm wine. After I officially started, I learned the immortal method and transformed into a human being. The immortal gave us his surname. My name is Zhongli Hanzhang."
Xie Zhe raised his eyebrows slightly.
"It's this immortal..."
"You know him?"
"No, I have, but I heard he has..."
"Well, he died." The red fox spirit shrugged, "He was eaten by my junior brother."
After listening to this short story, Ling Huan said sadly: "Why is this..."
"Well...but it happened, that's what happened. Now my brother is gone and everyone is out to get him. They wanted to lock me up for fear that I would cause trouble. But I ran away and I had to find him first Him. Although I didn’t think about what to say, it’s better to catch him first than others. Hey, you shouldn’t have to deal with him too!”
Xie Zhe shook his head.
"I've heard about this, but I didn't expect it to be your senior brother. I'm also looking for someone, but not him."
"Oh...what about Miss Ye?"
"I, I'm going to a place to do something..."
"You didn't say the same thing." The old fox smiled, "Where are you going?"
"The Death Shadow Pavilion."
"Qing Lize."
Huh?
