Qi Jingzhi suddenly woke up, reached out to grab the sheath of the sharp knife, and jumped up from the bed.
He flew through the house like a big bird and pounced straight towards the door that had been opened a crack at some point.
At a sudden glance, a child about four feet tall and wearing maroon clothes let out a low scream and flashed away from the crack of the door.
Qi Jingzhi opened the door without hesitation, rushed to the corridor and looked around, but the child was long gone. Only a palm-sized maroon cloth bag was thrown on the ground in front of the door. What is it.
Qi Jingzhi frowned and looked around again, only to see that the night was dark, and the doors of the surrounding guest rooms were all closed. There was no candlelight, and there were only faint sounds of snoring, teeth grinding, and sleep talking, mixed with a few words. Cursing while half asleep.
Although the sound of Qi Huchan's sword just now was loud, it was extremely short and failed to alarm a few people.
He looked down at the lobby below again, and saw that the door had been bolted, and the stools were neatly flipped upside down on the table. The floor was clean, and there were faint traces of moisture. He thought it had been carefully swept by the store clerk after closing time.
There were two tables pushed together next to the door, and a man was sleeping on it wrapped in a quilt. His snoring could be heard even from the second floor.
Qi Jingzhi stared at it for a long time, but didn't see any abnormality in the man. Then he knelt down and used the tip of Qi Huchan's knife to open the straps of the cloth bag at his feet.
The cloth bag suddenly tilted, and several dark red dates rolled out from the mouth of the bag. Each of them was plump, and the faint fragrance of dates mixed with the aroma of wine wafted out.
The aroma of this wine was very familiar to Qi Jingzhi. It was the Qu'a yellow wine that he and Wei Yingdian drank together in the evening.
Qi Jingzhi's heart trembled, he immediately held his breath, sealed his mouth and nose with the breath of pine, cypress and armored wood, and felt carefully for a moment before confirming that there was nothing strange about his body.
He was slightly relieved, and then he put the sharp knife into the jujube bag and stirred it, but found nothing strange. Then he covered his palm with the haze feather coat, picked up the dates scattered on the ground one by one, put them back into the bag, and tied them together. I tied the rope and took it back to the room.
He closed the door tightly, picked up the wooden crossbolt on the ground and dropped it behind the door. Although this thing was of little use and could protect against gentlemen but not villains, it was still better than nothing.
Putting the date bag on the table, Qi Jingzhi sat back on the bed and continued to sit quietly and meditate. As for the child who broke the door late at night and gave him dates to eat, since he did not show any obvious malice, he did not seem to have the courage and courage to do evil. Ability, there is no need to dig into the fundamentals.
This Qu'a town committee is really a bit weird, and going out to pursue it late at night is not a wise move.
There was no words for the whole night until the dawn, Qi Jingzhi did not notice anything unusual, and Qi Huchan remained quiet as usual.
The innkeepers started a busy day. Someone went up to the second floor and knocked on the door to wake up the guests who were about to get up early and rush on their way. The sound of tables and chairs clinking, doors and windows opening and closing, and the sounds of walking and talking gradually filled the inn.
Suddenly a loud voice shouted in the lobby downstairs, and it was clearly heard in Qi Jingzhi's ears through the door: "Shopkeeper, I never thought that your store is actually a den! If you don't give me an explanation today, I will definitely I want to sue the government and seal your shop!"
The innkeeper immediately yelled: "Guest, please don't lie. Our inn is a well-known large inn, and we have always been engaged in business. Where does the word "inn" come from?"
"Hmph, a disheveled and almost naked woman knocked on my door last night. I saw that she was not a guest of the store. How dare you say that you, the store owner, let such a wanton and shameless night running woman in? Yin den?"
Qi Jingzhi opened his eyes and couldn't help but feel a little surprised: "There are quite a lot of tricks in this inn at night."
He stood up and picked up the date bag on the table, went out and leaned on the railing to look down, and saw a young scholar standing in front of the counter, glaring at the innkeeper.
There were already many alarmed residents watching upstairs and downstairs. Some were surprised and excited, some were scornful and disbelieving, and most of the rest had faces full of envy and fascination.
The innkeeper and several waiters standing in the hall looked at the scholar up and down, looking strangely hesitant to speak.
The young scholar felt quite uncomfortable when he was looked at, and asked with a sullen face: "How is your store?"
How rude, I came to see you, why are you staring at me? "
The shopkeeper didn't hesitate after hearing this, and said cautiously in his tone: "Didn't the guest let that woman in?"
Hearing this, the young scholar's face suddenly turned red, and his voice lowered a bit: "Student... only students have to sternly refuse, but she just got in on her own. It's really... really shameless!" "
As soon as the scholar said this, the whole hall burst into laughter.
The innkeeper couldn't help but laugh, shook his head and said: "Guest, aren't you getting an advantage and still behaving like a good boy?"
The young scholar originally blushed and remained silent, but when he heard the words, he became angry again and said angrily: "I saw that her clothes were not covering her body. Although she was running away, she was a bit pitiful, so I gave her a jade pendant as a gift. I thought Let her stay for the night and go to work after dawn. I don't want to get up early this morning, but this girl and my family's jade pendant have disappeared!"
He paused, pointed to the door of the inn and said, "After closing time, your house is closed and bolted, but that woman can come in and out freely. She must be colluding with you, the store owner, to steal the guests' property!"
At this point, the young scholar actually turned around and bowed to the crowd of guests who were watching the excitement: "The student tolerated the humiliation and told the matter in public even if he did not hesitate to ruin his reputation. This is to warn you all, don't worry about it. This store’s behavior has resulted in losing both my personal and financial resources!”
After saying this, many guests suddenly changed their expressions and began to make noises. Many of the shopkeepers threatened to destroy the inn and bring the shopkeeper and his waiters to justice if they didn't give an explanation.
Seeing the fierce public sentiment, the innkeeper finally changed his expression and hurriedly said loudly: "Guests, please be patient and listen to what the villain has to say!"
As he spoke, he bowed deeply to the young scholar and said sternly: "My guest, Rong Zhen, you said that there was a gangster running around at night last night. This kind of thing happens all the time in our town of Qu'a, not only at night, but also at night. There are also people during the day. Speaking of that woman... that woman is actually not a human being!"
The young scholar was shocked at first when he heard this, and then became furious: "What did you, the shopkeeper, say? That woman is as warm as warm jade, and there is a shadow under the lamp. How come she is no longer a human being when she comes into your mouth?"
The onlookers also buzzed, and discussions arose.
The innkeeper didn't mean to be joking at all: "There are many otters among the mountains and rivers in Qu'a Town, and otter female voices often look for those young and handsome young people. This is really common in the local area, and it is "Yunxiang" There is also a record of "an otter girl recruiting a husband" in the County Chronicle. If you don't believe me, you can just go to the street and ask a random person from your hometown, and you will know after just asking! "
Hearing what the innkeeper said, the young scholar's face suddenly became uncertain.
When the shopkeeper saw him like this, he immediately smiled and said: "If the villain's guess is correct, the fingers of the woman last night should be much shorter than ordinary people, and maybe there is some smell of water and earth on her body..."
At this moment, the young scholar couldn't bear it anymore, turned around and ran back to a room on the second floor with the doors and windows closed.
Within a moment, he came out in despair, still holding a bunch of green things tightly in his hands. When everyone took a closer look, they found that they were all aquatic weeds such as Nymphoides.
The innkeeper looked up and saw it, with a clear smile on his face: "This must be the clothes that woman is wearing."
The audience in the hall was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter again. Some of them even cheered loudly: "The scholar gave me a jade pendant, and the otter girl gave her a skirt in return. It was really a good story! Shopkeeper, today's events are worthy of writing." Into the county annals?"
"Haha, this dear fellow is so honest, but don't believe what others say! We have all seen that the otter girl gave the scholar a fragrant garment that is close to his body, and it is true! But did the scholar give him a jade pendant? But it’s hard to say! It’s hard to say that I’m afraid of being poor, so I’m so shameless that I want to use this bunch of waterweeds to extort money from other people’s inns!”
As soon as these words came out, the audience in the hall started laughing and making noise again, and the atmosphere became even more intense.
The innkeeper couldn't hide the smile on his face, but he just cupped his hands in all directions without saying anything.
When the young scholar saw this, he couldn't help but feel ashamed and angry. He suddenly threw the water plant in his hand at his feet, then covered his face with his sleeves and hid back in the room.
There’s no fun to see anymore, floor
The onlookers going upstairs and downstairs gradually dispersed, each busy with his own business and going his own way.
Qi Jingzhi turned around and closed the door, walked down the stairs with the date bag and stood in front of the counter.
The shopkeeper, who had already lowered his head to look at the account, raised his eyes and immediately asked respectfully, "What are your orders, sir?"
Qi Jingzhi was about to speak, but someone behind him spoke first, with a very urgent tone: "Shopkeeper, you just said that there are many otters in the mountains, rivers, rivers and lakes. Is there a lake near Qu'a Town?"
Qi Jingzhi was quite familiar with the speaker's voice. When he turned around, he saw that it was Wei Yingdian who smelled of alcohol and had a tired look on his face.
Seeing this old man staring with bloodshot eyes, as if he wanted to eat the innkeeper, Qi Jingzhi couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Brother Wei, what are you doing?"
Wei Yingdian casually cupped his hands towards the young man, but his eyes never left the innkeeper, and asked again: "Where is the lake near here? My ancestral home is Xunyang County, Junzhou. Although it is not Yunxiang County, it is also on the Xunjiang River. The two waterways are less than 200 miles apart, so why have I never heard of a lake nearby?"
Hearing this, the innkeeper's face showed a look of surprise. Although he didn't know why Wei Yingdian was so concerned about this matter, he still nodded and said, "My guest doesn't know. There was indeed no lake in Qu'a Town, but just five years ago A few years ago, the former county governor launched a major water conservancy project and took a fancy to the land surrounded by mountains and valleys five miles southeast of this town and adjacent to the Xun River."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and pointed out the east window of the inn, where he could just see the shadow of a mountain in the southeast.
In fact, Qi Jingzhi and Wei Yingdian had seen those mountains from a distance when the wind was blowing from the bow of the boat.
I heard the innkeeper continue to say: "After personally inspecting the terrain, the county governor ordered the use of manpower from the three nearby counties. It took more than three years to dig soil in the depression and build a dike for forty miles to divert water from the Xun River. , a large lake with a radius of dozens of miles was created to regulate mountain torrents, irrigate and provide transportation."
"Because this lake is located next to Qu'a Town, it was named Qu'ahou Lake by the county governor. This lake was built not long ago. The guest must have been away from home for many years. It is unusual for him to have never heard of it."
This innkeeper is worthy of being a leader in the industry in a place where businessmen and travelers gather. He is quite knowledgeable and well-organized in his speech. He can clearly explain the origin of Qu'ahou Lake in a few words.
At the end of the sentence, he glanced at the room where the young scholar was before, and said with a smile: "Speaking of which, since the establishment of Qu'ahou Lake, the rumors about the otter girl recruiting a husband have gradually become less and less in the town. On the contrary, that There are often beautiful women riding boats alone on the lake, luring strong men to have peace talks in the boats, and even frivolous prodigal sons from all over the country are rushing there. As a result, the gossip in the town has been reduced a lot. "
Hearing this, the eager look on Wei Yingdian's face softened slightly, and he was a little dazed for some reason. After a while, he nodded lightly and said: "The letters from relatives and friends in my hometown did mention that the county has done a lot of water conservancy projects in recent years, and the county government has We have also recruited civilians to build embankments and dams, but I never expected that there would be such a scale here in Yunxiang County."
He paused and asked hesitantly: "I dare to ask the shopkeeper if there is such a house next to the embankment of Qu'ahou Lake. There are two very tall jujube trees planted in the yard. The canopy of the trees not only covers the entire yard, but also Stretching out to the lake, the dates on the trees are as big as walnuts, and each one is dark red and plump. From a distance, it looks like the trees are covered with red clouds?"
Wei Yingdian finished speaking in one breath, looking at the shopkeeper with confusion and unconcealed expectation in his eyes.
Hearing this, the shopkeeper suddenly showed the strange look he had when looking at the scholar before, with a look of surprise and hesitation. .z.br>
Being stared at like this, Wei Yingdian obviously couldn't stand it anymore. He coughed immediately, showed the air of a returning official from the capital, and asked in a solemn voice, "Yes or no?"
The innkeeper's eyes were sharp and he adjusted his position almost immediately. His already hunched back became a little shorter: "Yes! The house that the guest mentioned is far and near because of the two jujube trees. famous."
Wei Yingdian's pupils shrank, and he almost failed, and his tone became a little higher: "Where is that house? Who lives in it?"
"Next to the embankment in the southwest corner of Qu'ahou Lake, there is only one old woman living in the courtyard, because the dates on her tree are excellent, not only fresh and sweet, but also delicious.
What's even more surprising is that she was born with the aroma of Qu'a Huangjiu, and everyone who tasted it praised her highly. Over time, everyone called her Zao Nuo. "
"Smell of wine? Jujube woman?" Wei Yingdian's expression changed, making it difficult to tell whether he was happy or sad.
When Qi Jingzhi heard this, he couldn't help but look down at the jujube bag in his hand, and felt something was wrong in his heart.
He stretched out his hand to pull Wei Yingdian aside and asked in a low voice: "Brother Wei, you don't even know Qu'ahou Lake, how do you know about the house with jujube trees?"
Wei Yingdian was hesitant at first, but suddenly his eyes widened when he saw the open date bag in Qi Jingzhi's hand.
He grabbed one with his hands and stuffed it into his mouth. He only chewed two mouthfuls and asked in shock before he even had time to swallow: "Brother Qi, where did you get these dates?"
Qi Jingzhi shook his head: "Brother Wei, please answer the question below first!"
Wei Yingdian glanced at him steadily, as if he finally remembered the extraordinary qualities of the young man in front of him.
He no longer hesitated, looked around, and took Qi Jingzhi to an uninhabited corner of the inn lobby. After thinking about his words, he said seriously: "This is a bit ridiculous. Last night, Brother Yu fell into a dream after drinking and saw an old woman. Burn incense and offer sacrifices under the two jujube trees in the courtyard, and the sacrifices are just these jujubes with the aroma of wine!"
"Um?"
Qi Jingzhi was surprised when he heard this: "Brother Wei can actually dream of places he has never set foot on and people he has never met. This is a miracle. But where does this ridiculous word come from?"
Hearing this question, Wei Yingdian twitched the corner of his mouth and immediately lowered his voice: "Brother Yu woke up from a dream and his mouth was full of wine. There was also the fragrance of dates between his lips and teeth! I asked the boy who was following him, last night There is nothing like this among the things you and I drink with wine! In this case, it is impossible to say that the old woman held a sacrifice at night, and it was Brother Yu who came to enjoy the sacrifice!"
"I have worked in the Ministry of Etiquette for many years, and I have heard and seen a lot of evil gods and rituals that exceed the regulations. I didn't expect that overnight I would somehow become a spirit being sacrificed!"
Speaking of this, the former doctor of the Ministry of Rites of Qi stretched out his hand to caress his cheek, and his tone became vague and unpredictable: "Brother Qi, do you think Brother Yu is dead? Or...has become a god?"
