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Chapter 630 Breaking Taboos

After asking his question, seeing that no one else responded, he vaguely realized that what he had said was a bit inappropriate, so he quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to say that some roads here are not easy to travel, and some roads are not easy to travel at night. So it's okay if you don't tell me where you're going. Before you set off, I'll tell you one by one what you need to pay attention to. You all need to be careful, right?"

"Boss, you said these are all old neighbors from your town, coming here to drink talisman water on the appointed day... what does that mean?" Zhu Yu didn't answer the boss's question, but instead asked him, "Could it be... that there's some kind of evil spirit in your town?"

The boss probably didn't expect Zhu Yu to ask such a direct question. He was startled and instinctively jumped up from the bench, trying to cover Zhu Yu's mouth.

But just as he reached out, before he could even touch Zhu Yu's mouth, Lu Qing grabbed his wrist halfway.

Lu Qing appeared very casual, with a smile on her face, but the hand gripping the boss's wrist was anything but hesitant, instantly preventing the boss from moving his wrist at all.

"Boss, did my younger brother say something offensive?" he asked with a smile, casually releasing the innkeeper's wrist and subtly pushing it aside.

Although the innkeeper lived in such a small town, he still came into contact with some passing merchants from all over the country throughout the year, so his insight and tact were much better than others.

Although these people were dressed plainly, even somewhat disheveled and sloppy, the fact that they could afford to spend a small amount of silver on food and drink clearly indicated that they did not come from poor families.

Nowadays, most people dress this way to conceal their wealth.

And the one who looked the youngest and most refined, was probably some kind of young master from a wealthy family? My subconscious gesture of covering my mouth just now clearly offended him.

The innkeeper quickly withdrew his hand, secretly marveling at his luck, fearing that he had inadvertently offended such a lucky man who might only come once in many years.

"I'm sorry, sir." He said to Lu Qing with a smile, "Young master, you didn't offend me in any way. It's just that there are a lot of people in the shop today. I was afraid that if others heard what you said earlier, they might be scared and make a mistake, which could offend you gentlemen."

"So...it really is true?" Zhu Yu looked at Lu Qing with a nervous expression, then at the shop owner. "Then...should we also drink some talisman water?"

"Boss, name your price. As long as you keep us safe, we're all set!"

"No need for that, you've already given us quite a lot." The innkeeper waved his hand, as if he felt it would be unreasonable to ask them for more money. He lowered his voice and said to the four of them, "Please eat in peace, or the food will get cold."

"They'll be back to work soon, and I'll talk to you all about it then."

Zhu Yu and the others nodded, and the innkeeper went to attend to other matters. A little while later, he brought out several more hot dishes.

The four of them hadn't had such a satisfying meal in quite some time. They could temporarily put everything else aside and enjoy a hearty meal, which was quite a pleasure. The innkeeper's cooking skills certainly couldn't compare to those of famous chefs in the capital, but it had a unique home-style charm that made Zhu Yu feel very satisfied.

The four of them drank hot water, ate their fill, and listened intently to what the others were saying.

I thought that with so many people gathered in this inn drinking "talisman water," I might overhear them talking about something.

After listening for a long time, all I heard was a bunch of confusing, mundane family gossip and trivialities, and I didn't hear a single useful word.

Those people seemed quite relaxed and at ease, not at all tense. It was as if they were just taking a break while drinking the talisman water, chatting idly for a while, and had no other intentions.

After a while, people started leaving one after another, and the once noisy and bustling inn gradually became less noisy. In the end, only two other tables were left, and they simply ordered a pot of wine and continued chatting instead of going out to work.

After greeting the two tables of regular customers, the innkeeper saw that no one else was coming and his inn was much quieter. He then ran back to Zhu Yu's table and sat on the same bench as before.

"Gentlemen, have you finished eating? I hope my wife's cooking is to your liking?" He spoke politely, his eyes sweeping over the nearly empty plates on the table, his expression revealing his pride in his wife's culinary skills.

"It's delicious. It's really not easy to find such a pleasant and comforting meal when you're traveling," Zhu Yu exclaimed.

"That's right. We're a small place, and we can't compare to real chefs. But in this area, my wife's skills are unmatched." The owner nodded happily.

"By the way, there's not much of a person around now. Can you tell us what this talisman water is all about?" Zhu Yu changed the subject and immediately brought up the previous matter again, with a curious expression. "Just now, these people didn't seem very nervous, unlike you guys who seemed to have something going on here."

The boss was so nervous just now, I'm a bit unsure what's going on.

Mentioning his strong reaction earlier, the boss glanced at Lu Qing somewhat guiltily. Seeing that Lu Qing seemed relaxed and listening to their casual conversation, he knew that the other party wasn't taking it to heart, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He glanced at the other two tables, which were not close to Lu Qing and the others, and they were already quite tipsy after a few rounds of drinks. He figured they couldn't hear what they were talking about, so he waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Gentlemen, you may not know this, but this matter did not happen recently; it happened a long time ago."

As for drinking the talisman water, the old neighbors in the town just want peace of mind; it's become a habit, so they still come to drink it regularly.

I was just afraid that if you asked about this, you would say it was caused by evil spirits, which would scare these people out of their wits again. We've had enough of those days of fear and dread!

Since you're curious about what's happening here, I can tell you. But please, don't go around asking everyone you meet. If you encounter someone timid and easily swayed, they might cause trouble, and then life will be uneasy again.