txolops Chapter 405 She Owes the Truth
Chapter 405 She Owes the Truth
Mo Chengyue did not immediately head towards Tingchao Inn.
Old Zheng was so anxious that he kept switching the iron ladle between his hands, making a clanging sound as he bumped the edge of the pot.
"Master, all the copper coins are broken, why aren't we going to the inn?"
Xiao Liu, clutching the firewood, looked even more ashen than the ashes from the stove.
"Uncle Zheng, don't rush me. There must be a reason why the Immortal Master is not moving."
The fat shopkeeper glanced at him.
"You were just about to ask the immortal master if we should run away."
Xiao Liu tucked the firewood into his arms.
"I call that planning an escape route in advance."
Manager Hu stared in the direction of the inn. The flame of the white paper lantern was blown askew by the river wind, but she didn't even change her hand.
"The account books, old scrolls, and Shuang'er's belongings are all in the inn."
Mo Chengyue tucked the array plate back into his sleeve. The red lines on his palms were darkened by the steam from the pot, but the red light still shone through his skin.
"So we can't go now."
Manager Hu turned his face away.
Why?
Mo Chengyue squatted down, picked up the talisman paper that had been dried by the fire, and pasted it on the inside of the threshold of the earth god temple.
"It made the copper coins break into pieces so we could hear it, just to get us to come over."
Old Zheng was taken aback.
"Is there an ambush at that inn?"
Mo Chengyue looked at him.
"Do you think something like a red-light boat would be so considerate as to remind us that our ledgers are being stolen?"
The chubby shopkeeper immediately chimed in.
"No, it will only thoughtfully send you a wedding invitation from the underworld."
Xiao Liu whispered.
"Uncle Fatty, your mouth is hotter than a pot right now."
The chubby shopkeeper wiped his sweat.
"I was so scared that I suddenly became talented."
Manager Hu gripped the copper coin tightly, pressing his fingertips against the character "霖" (Lin), the veins on the back of his hand standing out.
"Where do we go?"
Mo Chengyue looked towards the watchtower.
"Find Lao Zhou."
The iron ladle in Old Zheng's hand slid to the edge of the pot, making a short sound.
"My uncle?"
Xiao Liu was also stunned.
"Isn't he insane?"
Mo Chengyue stood up and tossed two soul-protecting talismans to Old Zheng.
"The madman wouldn't remind me not to stand on the shore on the first night of the Red Light, nor would he remember the Frosty Leaf Mark, much less know the three calls to the boat."
Old Zheng opened his mouth.
"But these past few years, he's been calling out to everyone he meets that the boat is coming, and he even puts his bowl on his head when he eats."
Mo Chengyue said.
"He's really going all out with his act of being crazy; he's more dedicated than me."
The fat shopkeeper looked at Jiang Wu and moved his feet closer to the fire.
"Could we let him come over by himself?"
Mo Chengyue glanced at him.
"You'll go and invite them?"
The fat shopkeeper immediately tightened his arms around the firewood.
"The road to Genglou is far, and it's not safe for the elderly to walk around at night. I suggest we respect the elderly and care for the young."
Shopkeeper Hu handed the white paper lantern to the old man next to him and took a step forward.
"I'll go."
Old Zheng quickly stopped her.
"Manager Hu, don't make things worse. My uncle might not be willing to tell you if he sees you."
Manager Hu looked at him.
"He met Shuang'er back then."
Old Zheng didn't respond, and the iron spoon made a soft cracking sound as he gripped it.
Mo Chengyue planted a battle flag at the foot of the earth god temple steps and then looked at the crowd.
"Old Zheng, Xiao Liu, Manager Hu, come with me."
The fat shopkeeper pointed to himself.
"And what about me?"
Mo Chengyue said.
"You stay and watch the pot."
The chubby shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately straightened his chest.
"This job sounds ordinary, but it actually concerns the life and death of everyone involved."
Xiao Liu couldn't help but ask.
"Uncle Fatty, are you scared?"
The fat shopkeeper stuffed the firewood into the stove opening.
"I'm just being sensible."
Mo Chengyue looked at the crowd in front of the temple.
"The pot must not be turned off, the fire must not be put out. If anyone hears someone calling your old name outside the door, curse them directly. No crying, no replying."
The old man tucked the white paper lantern under his sleeve.
"Rest assured, Immortal Master, this old man has never lost a fight in his life."
The woman next to her, holding her child, asked in a low voice.
"What if she's calling for my deceased mother?"
Mo Chengyue affixed a calming talisman to the pillar beside her.
"If your mother loved you, she wouldn't have brought a boat to pick you up in the middle of the night."
The woman bent down and hugged the child tightly.
"Understood."
Manager Hu lifted her skirt and followed Mo Chengyue.
"What if I hear Shuang'er calling me?"
Mo Chengyue did not turn around.
You owe her the truth, not your life.
Shopkeeper Hu paused for a moment, the empty bamboo handle of the white paper lantern swaying slightly in the wind, and she quickly tucked her sleeve back in.
"Let's go."
The four of them walked along the temple wall toward the watchtower.
The river mist drifted along the ground, and the puddles by the roadside reflected only a few reddish lights, not a person's image.
Xiao Liu walked behind Lao Zheng, clutching a kitchen knife in his hand, the back of the blade still covered in soot.
"Uncle Zheng, why does this road seem longer than during the day?"
Old Zheng cursed under his breath.
"Don't talk about how long the road is, say something auspicious."
Xiao Liu thought about it.
"Then I say, we're going to get rich."
Old Zheng glared at him.
"If you get rich now, who's going to burn incense for you?"
The fat shopkeeper's voice, lingering in front of the temple, drifted from afar.
"Don't drag me into this, I love money too."
Mo Chengyue did not stop walking. The red pattern in his sleeve heated up along his palm, as if a wick was slowly being lifted under his skin.
Shopkeeper Hu noticed the red glow emanating from the back of his hand and spoke in a low voice.
"Is the wedding invitation looking for a new path?"
Mo Chengyue placed his hand on the array plate.
"It doesn't like me going up to the next floor."
Old Zheng's face tightened.
"So my uncle really knows things?"
Mo Chengyue said.
"Otherwise, it should have welcomed me to the inn."
Xiao Liu swallowed hard.
"Master, if it doesn't welcome us, shouldn't we be even more careful?"
Mo Chengyue glanced at him.
"You finally said something that sounds like a living person."
Xiao Liu wasn't happy at all.
The watchtower's dark outline was visible through the mist; the wooden pillars were damp, the copper bells were silent, but a small oil lamp sat on the bluestone in front of the door.
Old Zheng stopped.
"This lamp isn't the one my uncle usually uses."
Shopkeeper Hu looked at the shadow under the oil lamp.
He's waiting for someone.
Mo Chengyue raised his hand, stopping the three of them outside the door, and then touched the oil lamp flame with his finger.
The flame did not change color.
He then pasted a talisman to ward off evil spirits onto the door panel.
An old man's hoarse voice came from inside the house.
"Stop putting them on, save your talismans, you'll need them tonight."
Old Zheng froze on the spot, almost shouting "Uncle!" but swallowed it back down.
Mo Chengyue pushed open the door and went in.
Old Zhou sat at the table, his hair disheveled but his clothes neat. On the table was a half-bowl of cold tea and next to it was an old ship plaque that had been worn smooth and shiny.
He looked up at Mo Chengyue, his cloudy eyes showing no madness, only the weariness of having stayed up too many nights.
"You arrived later than I expected."
Mo Chengyue did not sit down after entering the room, but only left the door a crack open.
"I like to take a detour before I go out, to avoid being arranged too smoothly by others."
Old Zhou grinned.
"Good habit, the red-light boat loves people going the same way."
Old Zheng finally squeezed into the house.
"Uncle, are you not crazy?"
Old Zhou glanced at him.
"If I were truly insane, would you still be alive today?"
Anger and grievance welled up on Old Zheng's face, and he gripped the iron spoon in his hand so tightly it rattled.
"You've been pretending for twenty years?"
Old Zhou pushed the cold tea forward a bit, then, as if remembering something, he pulled the teacup back to his side.
"Things near the water are not provided for guests to drink."
Mo Chengyue looked at the bowl.
"There are quite a few rules."
Old Zhou said.
"They were all taught by dead people."
As Manager Hu entered the room, the fog outside swirled around him. Mo Chengyue's talisman spontaneously combusted, and sparks fell along the crack in the door, keeping the fog out.
Shopkeeper Hu didn't look at the talisman; she only stared at Old Zhou.
"You met Shuang'er back then."
Old Zhou's hand was resting on the edge of the table. He was about to touch the boat license plate, but after hearing this, his fingers stopped at the edge of the license plate and he didn't touch it.
"I've seen it."
Manager Hu walked forward.
"Where?"