Chapter 108: Haunted Town
As they were talking, several people looked at Li Xiu at the same time.
Why are you looking at him again? Li Xiu was confused.
Tao Zi asked, "Doctor Li Xiu, are you familiar with this place?"
"I'm not familiar with it. I used to travel around the big cities near the Jiuzhuan Gate." Li Xiu thought for a moment and said, "Miss Tao, you should just call me by my name. The word 'doctor' will reveal my identity."
"But, my name is Tao Zi."
He asked, "May I ask how old you are?"
Tao Zi said calmly, "Twenty years old."
"Tao Mei!"
She really hadn't recovered from the name. Han Yueshan was shocked and asked three times: "Who are you calling? Why are you calling me that? Did you get permission?"
Li Xiu said as a matter of course: "Your senior sister is younger than me, isn't it normal for me to call her Sister Tao?"
Xi Jing was horrified at the thought of being called "Xi Mei" or "Jing Mei" and immediately said, "Don't call me sister."
"Don't call me brother!" the other two said in unison.
Tao Zi opened her mouth to refuse the name, but he had already started calling her "Tao Mei" and even said to himself, "It's easier to say than Tao Mei."
...Okay, Tao Mei is fine.
Finally, after discussion among everyone, they decided to take the risk and go to a big town to inquire about the news. If nothing else, they at least had to know which way to go to bypass the Minglan Sect and Chengyi Sect.
The carriage drove slowly and arrived at a small village before dark.
Thanks to Xi Jing's lovely personality and Li Xiu's generosity, villagers soon found themselves willing to take them in.
Ever since coming out of the Dayless Forest, steaming hot food has become a delicacy in the eyes of Xi Jing and others.
Seeing them concentrating on eating, Tao Zi was used to it. When she was about to lower her head to eat, someone suddenly bumped her arm. She looked up and saw it was Li Xiu.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Sister Tao, was your sect's life very difficult in the past?"
The corners of her mouth twitched, and she replied perfunctorily: "It's okay."
"They look like they haven't had a full meal."
Tao Zi glanced at her fellow junior students and replied, "It's true that there was a period of time when we didn't have enough to eat."
He was shocked. It was just a random guess, but he didn't expect it to be true. There are actually monks who can't get enough food now?
This is too outrageous.
The old farmer woman standing by didn't hear everything they said, she only heard one sentence: There was a time when we didn't have enough to eat.
Then she looked at those poor children who looked like they hadn't eaten in eight lifetimes, and suddenly felt pity for them. She said, "Is that enough food? If not, grandma will serve you more."
Xi Jing raised her head and smiled adorably: "Enough!"
The old woman's heart almost melted.
Zhao Xue handed over the empty bowl without hesitation and said, "Mother-in-law, I want another bowl."
She went to the kitchen with a smile and got another bowl of rice, filling it up tightly.
When they came back, the old woman sat aside and chatted with them: "It's so dangerous outside, why are you kids running around everywhere?"
Li Xiu held the rice bowl and said, "There's nothing I can do. It's a miserable life."
The old woman's interest immediately brightened: "What's wrong?"
"I lost my family, and their family disappeared, so we just came together to find our relatives."
"Poor thing."
The old woman chanted a Buddhist chant and then asked, "Where are you going next?"
This time, Tao Zi answered, "Yeshuang Town. I heard it's a big town, and they're quite well-informed."
She slapped her thigh and said anxiously, "Oh my God, kids, we can't go there!"
This time, even the few people who were working hard raised their heads.
Xi Jing blinked and asked, "Why can't we go?"
She lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "It's been haunted there lately!"
Tao Zi's eyes flashed.
The old woman continued, "It's said that a concubine from a wealthy family in Yeshuang Town was murdered and died with regret! Now she's transformed into a demon and is seeking revenge. Several people have already died."
She suddenly became interested, but she didn't show it on her face. She said gently, "Thank you for the reminder, old lady. We will be careful."
That night, Xi Jing slept with Tao Zi, and she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Tao Zi asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"
"Senior Sister, are ghosts scary?" She couldn't suppress the excitement in her voice.
She half closed her eyes and said, "You'll know when you see it."
The next morning, they set out according to the planned route, but they walked much faster. By dusk, they arrived at Ye Shuang Town.
Ye Shuang Town is one of the few towns that does not impose a curfew, but it has now lost its former bustle and bustle.
Tao Zi and others walked into the town wearing cloaks. Everyone who passed by them walked in a hurry, and some even walked around them.
Li Xiu took them into a nice-looking inn.
The inside of the inn was not as deserted as the outside. It was packed with people and there was no place to stand.
Everyone was talking in low voices. So many whispers gathered together, like the buzzing of flies, which annoyed Tao Zi so much that she frowned.
Li Xiu quickly booked a room, and the innkeeper called out, "Three top-grade rooms."
The waiter made a gesture of invitation: "Okay, sir, please come this way."
The five of them were about to go upstairs when a voice suddenly came from behind them: "Wait!"
Tao Zi became alert and turned around to see a handsome young man... a monk?
Looking at his bald head and the monk's robes, Lian Lixiu hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Excuse me, Master, is there anything I can help you with?"
The monk put his hands together and bowed: "Amitabha, I am not worthy of the title of Master. I have a favor to ask."
"Please go ahead."
"I didn't bring enough gold and silver when I traveled, and now I'm short of money." He tried to speak tactfully and in an easy-to-understand way.
But everyone in the hall still gave him strange looks, and he could faintly hear someone say, "A monk is begging here?"
Tao Zi and others turned their attention to Li Xiu, after all, he was the only rich man here.
Li Xiu didn't show any disgust, and her tone was natural, as if it was a normal matter: "Why don't we go upstairs and talk?"
"Thank you, benefactor." The monk breathed a sigh of relief and put his hands together to express his gratitude.
After arriving at the room, the monk found a seat and sat down, saying, "I don't ask for gold or silver, but I ask for a place to sleep and three meals a day."
Li Xiu: ???
He looked at Tao Zi uncertainly. Why did the monk sound like he was looking for a long-term host? One with food and lodging provided?
Tao Zi answered: "Excuse me, what's your name?"
"My common name is Hua Gou Zi, you can call me Hua Monk."
She was choked by the name for a moment before continuing, "May I ask what your Dharma name is?"
The monk's expression suddenly became somewhat ashamed. He said awkwardly, "I have already returned to secular life. It is not appropriate to say this, so as not to bring trouble to the temple."
Returned to secular life?
He added, "It was difficult to state this matter down there just now, lest others look down on me."
Tao Zi nodded and said, "We understand. But where are you going?"
The monk smiled calmly and said, "I am a lonely man with nowhere to go, so I just wander around. If you don't mind, I would like to go with you."
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