Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

A moment later, the waiter hurriedly returned, the earthenware jar in his arms nowhere to be seen.

He bowed repeatedly to Song Yueyao, his face contorted with worry, and said, "The innkeeper isn't at the inn right now. He must have gone to the back mountain to burn paper money for his relatives. He goes there once a month, and I don't know when he'll be back."

"Hmph!" Yan Xingxiao slammed his hand heavily on the table. "Hiding away at this time, is he perhaps feeling guilty? I felt something was off when I first saw him. In all my years as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), I've seen quite a few rare treasures. The mutton-fat jade thumb ring on his hand is of excellent quality, worth at least a thousand taels of gold on the market. And his clothes are clearly made of silkworm silk."

Having worked as a镖头 (bodyguard/escort) for many years, Yan Xingxiao possessed a keen eye for talent. Upon first meeting the innkeeper, he harbored suspicions: "Our team only earns a hundred taels of silver for a single镖 (escort/escort) trip. Where does this little inn in the desolate mountains get such wealth?"

"No, no, no, sir, you've misunderstood," the waiter hurriedly waved his hand to explain. "Our manager traveled all over the country in his early years and built a huge business. Have you ever heard of Sanchao County in Xunzhou? That's where our manager is from. His family already had some resources, so it's not surprising that he accumulated some wealth."

Xunzhou, a county that has been passed down through three dynasties—most people who travel frequently have heard of this county.

That was the most prosperous county in Xunzhou.

It is a famous hometown of wealthy merchants. The men who come from Sanchao County are all skilled at making money, and their businesses are spread all over the world.

But when Yan Xingxiao heard the place name, his tone was full of sarcasm: "So you're from that place."

It's not surprising that men from that place wear gold and silver.

Alongside the illustrious reputation of Sanchao County, there are also sordid rumors hidden beneath its scenic beauty.

People may not know this, but he has heard some things about it since he has been away from home for many years.

Upon hearing this, Chai Xiaomi couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.

She paused in wiping the bow, then looked up at Yan Xingxiao with a puzzled expression.

What happened to that place?

Suddenly, someone lightly pinched her cheek again, and a disgruntled voice came from beside her: "Can't you concentrate on what you're doing?"

In the short time it took her to polish the bow, she would sometimes raise her fluttering almond eyes to stare at others as they spoke, and other times she would furrow her brows and secretly observe their expressions.

In short, there are always things to do with your hands and eyes, and your mind is probably still thinking about something.

There's simply not enough time to manage all three.

He is always focused and single-minded when he does things.

This is the first time I've seen someone manage to be so "well-disciplined" in their attention.

So-so, I forgot about the places I had already wiped, so I wiped them all over again.

But instead of heeding his warning, she turned her head and asked softly, "Do you know this place?"

Wu Li gave a faint "hmm".

Chai Xiaomi's interest was immediately piqued, and she asked curiously, "Is there any special significance to that place?"

"In Sanchao County, men are respected and women are treated as worthless as weeds," he replied casually.

This doesn't seem unusual in the current state of affairs.

Chai Xiaomi curled her lip, her heart filled with disdain, and didn't ask any further questions.

Meanwhile, Yan Xingxiao declared to the waiter, "In any case, this shipment won't make a difference if we wait one more day. If the caravan doesn't set off today, I'll wait here. I want to see when your manager returns; he'll have to give me and Yue Niang an explanation!"

Having said that, the waiter had no rebuttal and could only smile apologetically and bow as he withdrew.

Suddenly, the "soul-locking array" that Wu Li had mentioned last night flashed through Chai Xiaomi's mind. Looking at his nonchalant and indifferent attitude towards the matter, could it be that he already knew something?

They know it but deliberately don't tell everyone, or perhaps they simply don't care to bring it up.

She returned to her room with this question in mind.

Wu Li went straight to pack his bags, because the events of the morning had delayed their original departure time.

The members of the caravan, having encountered such a bizarre incident, naturally wanted to stay and demand an explanation.

But they still had to keep going.

Chai Xiaomi plopped down on the edge of the bed, raised her hand to press down on the bundle Wu Li had spread out, and said, "Don't pack yet."

Based on her understanding of the two main characters, she knew they would definitely not be able to let go of this matter and would stay to observe.

Human life is at stake; they will not stand idly by.

"What's wrong?" Wu Li glanced at her, "You slept so comfortably in this room that you don't want to leave?"

Comfortable my foot!

Just as Chai Xiaomi was about to retort, there was a knock on the door.

She opened the door, and everything went black.

“Xiao Mi,” Jiang Zhiyu said, standing at the door with a dead rat in his hand, “our itinerary will probably have to be postponed. We’ll have to stay another night.”

The rat had clearly died unjustly; its eyes remained open, staring straight at her.

Let's stay here!

What are you trying to do, carrying a dead rat like that?!

Although Chai Xiaomi didn't react as violently as Song Yueyao, her complexion wasn't much better.

Just as she was about to raise her hand to cover her eyes, a tall, slender figure silently blocked her way.

"My wife is pregnant. If this disturbs the baby," Wu Li glanced coldly at the dead rat, his tone indifferent, "where are you going to compensate us for a child?"

"Ah, it was my oversight!" Jiang Zhiyu finally realized what he had done and quickly apologized. He had been so caught up in the shocking mystery that he had completely forgotten about it. "I didn't mean it, Wu Li, you won't blame me, will you?"

"Heh, so an unintentional mistake isn't a mistake?" Wu Li sneered, his eyes seemingly complicated, and a sharp, malevolent aura suddenly emanated from him. "If it is a mistake, then it must be punished."

A cruel smile played on his lips: "Aren't you right, brother?"

This was the second time Wu Li had called Jiang Zhiyu "brother" since the time he paid homage.

But the sound was somewhat eerie, and the atmosphere suddenly became strange.

Seeing that the situation was not going well, Chai Xiaomi quickly came out from behind Wu Li again and changed the subject:

"Why stay another night?"

Seeing her approach, Jiang Zhiyu hurriedly hid the dead rat behind his back and explained, "It's like this, there was another rat in Yao Yao's room that we couldn't catch, but when we went back just now, we found that it had died next to the rice wine."

"The innkeeper sent a waiter to deliver wine earlier, and we couldn't refuse his hospitality, so Yao Yao and I accepted it, but we didn't drink it. Who knew that after checking it just now, we found that the wine contained..."

He paused here.

In that brief silence, Chai Xiaomi's face gradually fell.

Wu Li disliked that she wasn't taking the bow cleaning seriously and never gave her a definite answer.

But judging from Jiang Zhiyu's tone right now, it's highly likely that he is—

"...corpses?" Chai Xiaomi uttered these two words with a sense of despair.

Then, with a look of utter despair, she saw Jiang Zhiyu stare wide-eyed in surprise: "Xiao Mi, you noticed too?!"

what.

More than just notice.

She even drank it.

Chai Xiaomi didn't even have the energy to curse anymore. After a chill ran down her spine, she managed to mentally prepare herself, but ultimately couldn't hold back.

"yue——"

Fortunately, I was busy all morning and didn't have time to eat breakfast. Now I'm dry heaving and my stomach is churning, but I can't vomit anything.