Chapter 4: Stay
There were many villages at the foot of Laoshan Mountain, and most of the villagers were simple and honest. The so-called relying on mountains to eat and get water was not true. This place was rich in water and soil and could support this place.
The whole Laoshan Mountain had branches at the east and west ends, stretching for hundreds of miles to the east to the East China Sea, and to the west was the capital of Qingjiang Mansion, where the famous Laoshan Academy resided.
As for the shortest and easiest way to descend the mountain, naturally it was to go south and go along the golden summit of the main peak. It took no more than two hours to reach Wangshi Valley. Just go through this valley, basically one could see the village.
Eighteen miles south along the road was Ning'an County under the jurisdiction of Qingjiang Mansion and the destination of Wang Yan and the others.
It was easier to go down the mountain. Moreover, Wang Yan and the others were strong and fit. They set off in the morning and arrived at Shixi Village at the foot of the mountain by midnight.
In the village, there were so many means of transportation such as ox carts, carriages, and so on. They just happened to be in time. Someone happened to go into the city to deliver goods, so the three of them took a ride, which greatly saved time.
About half an hour later, they arrived at Ning'an County. Li Sheng presented the already prepared guide to the gate guard, and the three of them entered smoothly.
Ning'an County was not very large, but people were surging. Merchants, traffickers and pawns, ordinary people and other people of the three religions and nine generations gathered there, which could be described as a mixture of fish and dragons.
On the street, there was a faint fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus, and there were inn shops on both sides. The guys were vying to attract customers, which was very lively.
Near noon, after driving so far, the three of them were already hungry and thirsty, so they planned to find a place to fill their stomachs first. Then, they went to buy the items they needed.
After looking for a fairly clean wine shop, the three senior brothers leaned against the door and gathered at a table. Chang Er in the bamboo basket also popped out.
What was unexpected was that it just landed, and a beggar appeared into the corner outside the door. The unkempt, ragged man, with a fierce look, picked up the fat rabbit and ran.
Chang Er was obviously taken aback, screamed and struggled hard, but the man held on to it, and its resistance was useless.
"Thief, don't run!" Wang Yan reacted instantly. He stood up and ran after him.
Seeing this, he picked up the teacup on the table and threw it at the beggar. with a crisp "bang", the teacup exploded on the beggar's head.
The beggar was in pain. His grip loosened, and Chang Er got out. It leaped back to Wang Yan's side.
The poor rabbit had never suffered this grievance when following its old master, but now, it had finally tasted the dangers of the world.
The beggar seemed to be afraid of them coming after him, so he covered his head with his hands and ran away without looking back.
Although there had been some episodes, Chang Er left everything behind when the food came. To eat and drink, and to nourish enough energy, Wang Yan originally wanted to go to purchase the necessary items, so he could rush back to the mountain as soon as possible and complete the mission of this trip.
Unexpectedly, Li Sheng and Zhang Daoran both smiled and said they were not in a hurry.
He just said that it was the first time he went down the mountain to buy. He didn’t know the fun of it, and the time limit was still long. They only needed to go back to the temple tomorrow, and the rest of the time was naturally to have a good time in the city.
Li Sheng said that he was going to do some personal affairs and sent a letter to his family along the way, while Zhang Daoran would go buy some other items. If Wang Yan didn’t want to follow them, he could also go around the city by himself. They just had to meet up at the wine shop.
The two brothers said so, and the minority obeyed the majority. He also happened to take this opportunity to get a good experience of the world's cities.
Unconsciously, more than an hour passed. At about the afternoon, they finished purchasing the items they needed. The three’s back baskets were filled with incense, paper, wax, etc., and other than that, the hands of the few people were not idle.
Zhang Daoran bought a lot of things, snacks, shoes, socks, and clothing. He said that most of them were brought by Guanli brothers who asked him to help them. If he couldn't hold them, he distributed them to Wang Yan and Li Sheng.
Fortunately, the things in the back basket were not very heavy. The firewood they usually pick was much heavier than this, and their physical strength had long been honed.
As usual, they found an ox cart from the city and returned to Shixi Village first.
Seeing that it was still early and there was still some way to go, the three did not stay overnight in the village, but walked along the road with their baskets on their backs.
There were many guest shops in Wang Valley, because there was a road leading to the next county town, and there were frequent businessmen passing by, and they would stay here after the night was late, and they could also earn some room and food.
Before Li Sheng went down the mountain to buy, he once lived there. Therefore, the three discussed that they could stay there tonight and save a lot of time in the mountains tomorrow morning.
The frost had passed, and the sky was easy to get dark. After Wang Yan and the others stepped into the Valley of Ten Thousand Stones, they almost couldn't see their way halfway.
As soon as there were lush trees on both sides of the valley, huge rocks stood horizontally, and the sky was hidden from the sky. As long as the sky was dark, the valley would be invisible.
Fortunately, the roads were spacious and flat, so they could do their best.
When they arrived at the inn, the sky was completely dark, and the three of them were out of breath due to rushing to check in.
Not far ahead on the right side of the road, a small house was built against the mountain, and the faint candlelight of lanterns lit it. There was a large flag in front of the door, swarying in the wind and the words "Wangshi Inn" were written.
"Shopkeeper, that wild cat ran in again!"
"Hey! Didn't I tell you, throw it out! Throw it as far as you can. If it disturbs the guests, I can make you go around without eating!"
When Wang Yan and the others walked to the door, they saw a man rushing out carrying a black cat, cursing and extremely dissatisfied.
"Shopkeeper, are there any vacancies?" Stepping into the house, Li Shenglang asked.
"Oh! A few guest officials. It's a coincidence that our store is already full. If it's fine, if you stay outside the store… hehehe, I'm really sorry."
Seeing these three entering the house, the old shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward to greet them and smiled bitterly apologetically.
"How is this good? Shopkeeper, you see it's too late, and the surrounding is barren mountains and forest, so I can't let three of my brothers sleep in the mountains and forests! Besides, if we encounter a wolf, insect, tiger, or leopard, wouldn't we be killed!" Upon hearing that there were no vacancies, Wang Yan and the others were also helpless. They had already known that they shouldn’t have left in Shixi Village.
But that's the end of the matter. No matter what, they had to survive the night.
“That's right! Shopkeeper, we ran around for a day, and they were all physically and mentally exhausted. Please think of a way to let us stay for one night. We’re willing to pay more money.” Wang Yan also pleaded.
"This… Oh! It’s really embarrassing. It's just that the shop is too small, and there are really no extra rooms!" The old shopkeeper was also weak and embarrassed.
"Shopkeeper, don't we still have a room vacant? It’s not a big deal to let them stay!" The talented guy came in from outside and reminded him.
"Shut up! Who made a beast like you talkative?" The old shopkeeper suddenly became angry, staring at the man and cursing.
Since this morning, this guy had become talkative and active, as if he was the treasurer here, and he didn’t know who had given him the courage.
The guy slumped, didn't dare to say anything, lowered his head, and quickly slipped into his room.
"Shopkeeper, there are rooms, but why don't you let us live?" The three of them heard what the guy said, and Li Sheng was a little bit angry. His tone was not as polite as before.
"Oh! The guest officer, don't listen to that kid's nonsense. How dare I deceive the guest officer, it's really because... there is hardship!" he old shopkeeper was anxious when he heard it, and quickly explained.
"I really want to hear what the old store has troubles with! There is no reason in this world that the shopkeeper drives the customers out. Doesn't the old store make any money? Or is it that the store has done something shameful? So you don’t want to be known?" Zhang Daoran was quick to speak, and after having been on the road for so long, physical fatigue caused him to be a little irritable, and he didn't care about offending others, so he said what he thought.
"Hey! How can this guest officer taint his innocence out of thin air! The old man has good intentions, since some of you don't appreciate it, that's all! Then I won't tell you the truth." After he was so excited, the old shopkeeper felt extremely unhappy.
"There was a dead body in that empty room! I am also afraid that some of them will be infected with bad luck, so I’m trying to obstruct you. It is really a last resort!"
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