Aoyama

Chapter 227 The Cursed Place

The sunset in Guyuan is more magnificent than that in Luocheng.

A red sun in the distance dyed the loess, the city, and the clouds all orange-red, as if the sky was burning with fire, turning into strong liquor and cutting into the throat.

But when the sun sank behind the city, the temperature dropped sharply.

Chen Ji stood quietly by the window, looking at the street downstairs through the gap, until the last ray of light in the gap disappeared from his face, then he slowly closed the window.

Chen Liqin has been summoned by the prince for three hours and has not returned yet.

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia who was standing by another window: "How is it?"

Zhang Xia frowned, "In half a day, thousands of people came and went in front of Guyuan Post Station. Thirty-four of them pretended to come here many times, and seventeen stayed in front of the gate for more than an incense stick. There were old people, children, men, and women. In addition, there were nine people who went in and out of Guyuan Post Station."

Chen Ji looked at her in surprise: "Can Miss Zhang Er really remember it so clearly?"

Zhang Zheng laughed, "Are you scared? When she plays chess with her father, they don't even use a chessboard. They just close their eyes and say where to place the pieces. Don't mess with her. People with good memories remember both favors and grudges. I messed with her once when I was six years old, and she still remembers it. But if you help her, she will remember it for a long, long time."

Zhang Xia glared at him: "Brother, you talk too much."

Chen Ji reminded him of the important matters: "During this time in Guyuan, be sure to close the doors and windows when sleeping at night, and call for help immediately if you encounter danger."

Zhang Xia lowered his head and thought: "With so many people watching the Chen family, they must not be the same group of people. This is strange. How many forces are watching us?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't know, just be careful."

Zhang Zheng huddled in a chair and sighed, "Guyuan's weather is really weird. It's so hot during the day that I sweat and almost get sunburned. But as soon as the sun sets, it's freezing cold to the bone."

Xiaoman whispered, "Some people say that Guyuan is a cursed place. The souls of the soldiers from the two dynasties who died in Guyuan are still here. There are no flowers in spring, no rain in summer, no fruit in autumn, and no one survives in winter. It is destined to be a place of war all year round."

Chen Ji looked at her: "Did my aunt say that?"

Xiaoman hummed, "I heard my aunt and Aunt Li talk about this when I was a child."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "That's not the case. The big temperature difference between day and night in Guyuan is due to the dry climate. Without clouds, the earth can't retain the heat of the day. Of course, this is only one of the reasons."

Xiaoman said angrily, "Young Master, where did you hear this nonsense? How can light clouds hold the heat from the earth? It doesn't make sense. I still believe what Auntie said."

Chen Ji burst out laughing.

Dong-dong-dong, knock on the door.

Chen Ji was about to get up and open the door, but Xiao Man stopped him: "I'll go, I'll go!"

The door opened, and a clerk in shorts came in with a charcoal basin held by two tongs, and said politely: "My lords, it's cold in Guyuan at night, so I'll light a charcoal fire for you."

Zhang Zheng exclaimed: "You've arrived just in time!"

He stretched out his hands and warmed his palms against the charcoal brazier. Waves of heat blew over his face, making his cheeks swell.

Chen Ji pointed at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia and asked the clerk, "My two friends live in Tianzi Xuhao and Guihao rooms. Can you add a charcoal basin for them too?"

The clerk hesitated for a moment and said in embarrassment: "Please forgive me, our post station has been uninhabited for a long time. Not to mention the charcoal for heating, even the firewood for cooking is insufficient. These charcoals were transferred by General Zhou from the 'Dusi Mansion' and it was specified that they were only for your use."

Zhang Zheng rubbed his palms together, and then placed them towards the charcoal basin again, saying with disdain, "I've been to quite a few government inns, and yours is the most shabby and crude."

Zhang Xia frowned: "Brother, don't be so particular when you are out. No one is begging us to come."

Zhang Zheng laughed: "I just said it casually...I won't say any more."

The clerk said awkwardly, "Sir, we are in a remote area. Usually, no officials are willing to come here. The post station is just a decoration. Even if the military intelligence documents from the Ministry of War arrive, they are sent directly to the Dusi Mansion. Originally, there were eunuchs investigating the spies of the Jing Dynasty, but they thought it was too hard and withdrew."

Zhang Zheng said, "Then we can go out and buy some charcoal ourselves, right? Where can we buy it?"

The clerk hurriedly said, "Sir, I have to say something. You'd better not go out to buy things for yourself. It's getting dark and it's not peaceful outside... By the way, would you like to have dinner? Today we only have some simple meals in Guyuan Posthouse, corn porridge and pickled vegetables, which are what servants eat. I'm afraid they are not to your taste." Chen Ji smiled and said, "No need. We had mutton for lunch and we are still full now."

"Okay." The clerk bowed to Chen Ji and walked out the door.

Xiaoman wanted to keep him and asked him to serve a few bowls of porridge for him to try, but when he saw the expressions of the others, he had to give up.

Zhang Xia said to Zhang Zheng, "Brother, we have been traveling all day, let's go back and rest."

Zhang Zheng was lying on the chair and refused to leave: "I'm not going back. This room is like an ice cellar. I'm staying in Chen Ji's room tonight. I'm sleeping in the same bed with him."

Xiaoman was anxious: "Why are you acting like a scoundrel? Don't make my young master have a bad rest."

Zhang Zheng didn't take it as an offense: "Or I can sleep on the chair. I'll be wherever there's a charcoal basin. A-Xia, don't go back either. How about we roll up our bedding and sleep on the floor at Chen Ji's place at night, so we can take care of each other."

Xiaoman's eyes widened: "Is this in accordance with etiquette? Miss Zhang Er is not getting married? Not to mention that my son is an outsider, even if they are siblings, they can't live in the same room."

Zhang Zheng laughed cheerfully and said, "As long as we don't tell anyone, who will know? What we in the Zhang family hate most is red tape. Now that things are urgent, it's safer for us to stay together."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Alright, it will be easier for us to live together. Miss Zhang will sleep on the bed, and the rest of us will sleep on the floor."

Xiao Man reluctantly murmured, "The ground is so cold, what if I get sick from sleeping... Sir, I'll get you another quilt and spread it underneath."

Zhang Zheng said cheerfully: "Little girl, I thought you would continue to chase us away."

Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him: "Who are you looking down on? I won't interfere with anything that the Master has decided."

After saying that, she turned and walked out.

Not long after, footsteps were heard, and someone was stepping on the wooden floor of the second floor of the inn, making a creaking sound.

Zhang Xia stood up and said, "I'll go open the door for Xiaoman."

She walked forward and pushed the door open, but stood there in a daze. There was only a dark corridor outside the door, and no one was there.

Zhang Xia did not hesitate at all and quickly returned to the room: "Chen Ji, there is a problem!"

As she was backing away, Chen Ji had already picked up the whale knife and passed by her, then came to the corridor to check.

There was no one on the left, no one on the right, and no one on the beam.

The footsteps just now seemed to come out of nowhere and disappear out of nowhere.

Chen Ji grasped the whale knife and slowly untied the cloth strips that wrapped the whale knife. Before he finished, he heard Xiaoman's scream from downstairs!
He immediately picked up the whale knife and rushed out the door, untying the cloth strips of the whale knife as he ran. The door next to the stairs opened, and Chen Wenzong, wrapped in fox fur, asked with concern: "What's wrong?"

Chen Ji walked past him without looking back, throwing the strip of cloth he had just untied on the ground: "Brother, go back to the house, don't come out."

When we got downstairs, Xiaoman was standing beside the counter, still in shock.

Chen Ji asked in a serious tone: "What's going on?"

Xiaoman glanced at the whale knife in his hand, and then pointed inside the counter: "I just came to ask that clerk for a new quilt, but I found him lying on the counter, bleeding from all seven orifices."

Chen Ji wanted to go over to check, but Xiao Man grabbed his arm tightly and said, "Sir, don't go. This person is bleeding from all seven orifices. I'm afraid it's the wronged ghost of Gu Yuan who's come to take his life. It's not clean!"

He turned his head and saw the clerk who had just brought them the charcoal brazier lying on the floor, with purple blood flowing from his eyes and nostrils, like tears of unwillingness.

Chen Ji thought to himself that something was not right. He picked up the oil residue lamp on the counter with one hand, and with the other hand, he walked through the corridor holding the whale knife and pushed open the doors of the gabled rooms one by one.

The maids and servants of the Chen family were all bleeding from all seven orifices and died on their beds!

(End of this chapter)