Chapter 924 You're also a little gift of merit?
At the counter of the Red Dust Inn.
After paying, Ouyang Rong silently reviewed the whole process in his mind while waiting.
Madam Yu deftly flipped through the account book, glanced at him a few more times, and casually asked:
"A month? Are you a long-term resident, sir? Do you stay in town regularly?"
Ouyang Rong revealed a hint of impatience in his tone:
"What's so interesting about this shabby town? I'm here to explore Yunmeng Marsh. Quickly get me a room and some luggage; I need to go to the ferry later..."
"But I sometimes come back to sleep during the day, so please get me a quiet room with a window that doesn't face the street."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yu didn't even lift her eyelids, seemingly used to these rough men who lived on the edge of danger. After running an inn for so many years, she had seen plenty of them.
She maintained her bright smile, handed over the key with the house number written on it, and kindly reminded him:
"It's easy to get lost in this vast swamp, especially at night. Sir, please be careful when setting sail at night. It would be best to return at sunrise and return at night..."
Ouyang Rong snatched the keys away and said:
"You woman, you don't know anything. Don't pry into men's affairs."
Madam Yu chuckled, covering her mouth with a coquettish laugh, and even gave him a flirtatious wink.
Yes, yes, yes.
Ouyang Rong ignored him, his face fierce, looking like someone not to be trifled with. He picked up his bundle and strode upstairs.
Find the room, open the door and go inside.
Ouyang Rong's face quickly regained its composure. After checking the room and confirming that everything was alright, he went to the window, opened it slightly, and squinted at the sparsely populated night market street outside.
A lantern hanging from the eaves cast a red glow that pierced through the window cracks and fell as a thin line onto his pensive face.
He reviewed the entire process of sending the letter tonight in his mind and confirmed it once again. There were no obvious loopholes or flaws in the process.
Even if they aroused suspicion afterward, the Lantang Yue women who monitor the town could investigate every step of the process, and their behavior and logic were all correct.
Next, there's only one last step: get to the ferry before midnight and board a rented boat to venture deep into the Yunmeng Marsh.
As for whether he will come back or when he will come back, to outsiders, that's up to fate.
Even if she doesn't return for the next whole month, Madam Yu, who likes to count money at the counter downstairs, won't find it strange.
There are too many gamblers like this; we don't need another unlucky guy like him tonight.
Madam Yu will wait until the one-month lease expires. If no one helps her renew the lease, she will cancel the room and temporarily store her luggage... If no one claims it in the end, she will gladly accept it.
At one point, Ouyang Rong nodded slightly and murmured something.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but someone will come and help me renew my lease."
He left a fake suitcase on the bed, said a few words, turned around and went out, preparing to go downstairs.
"Little Rongzi."
Just as I stepped onto the outdoor corridor, before I could even close the door, I heard the female immortal muttering from inside my sleeve.
"What? Keep your voice down, there are people downstairs."
Ouyang Rong countered with a question, glancing discreetly at the empty stairwell.
His room was at the very end of the corridor on the top floor, relatively secluded, with few people passing by.
Moreover, at this hour of the night, guests are either resting or having a late-night snack downstairs while waiting for the inn to close.
He ignored her brilliant ideas, his voice sounding somewhat intoxicated.
"Little Rongzi, this alcohol is pretty strong, hiccup~"
He let out a small burp.
Ouyang Rong frowned, and by the light of the lamp, glanced down into his sleeve.
Miao Si was holding the bamboo tube in both hands, her little face was flushed, and her eyes were looking around in a daze. When she noticed Ouyang Rong looking in, she smiled foolishly and reached out to grab his nose.
Ouyang Rong shrank back and dodged.
He smelled the strong odor of alcohol on his nose and frowned slightly, saying:
"You can't hold your liquor that well?"
"Bad? You're the bad one! This fairy has the best alcohol tolerance, bar none. Back in Jiankang City, in that forest, I drank a whole bunch of scholars and literati under the table. Didn't they all give me a thumbs up and call me 'Grandma Wine Fairy' with heartfelt admiration?"
Ouyang Rong nodded, confirming, "It seems he's really drunk."
In her dazed state, for some reason, she seemed to hear his words, and her little face flushed with anger:
"You're the one talking nonsense! I'm not drunk, I'm not drunk, Xiao Rongzi, you won't even call me Grandma Wine Fairy..."
Ouyang Rong pulled out the bamboo tube, shook it, and confirmed that there was no wine left; she had drunk it all.
Actually, there wasn't much wine in the container. Ouyang Rong didn't expect Miao Si to be such a lightweight drinker, and her drinking manners were quite poor, just like her bad temper.
Miao Si stood up dizzily, trying to jump onto his shoulder, but tripped and fell.
One second she was desperately trying to prove she wasn't drunk, the next she suddenly slumped down, grabbed his sleeve, and cried out:
"Why is the sky spinning? Why are you upside down? Waaaaah, Xiao Rongzi, you...you deliberately got this fairy drunk? What are you planning to do? Are you going to do something reckless like in the books? You're no good, I really misjudged you! Waaaaah..."
Ouyang Rong: ...?
Is this all the Wine Fairy Granny is?
Ouyang Rong suppressed his sarcasm, looked at the drunken man pounding the ground and cursing the unfaithful man, and said sternly:
"Don't just drink alcohol. Didn't I buy you ink sticks? Go eat some side dishes to fill your stomach. Don't just drink all the alcohol at once."
Miaosi suddenly stopped crying and cursing, her little eyes looking a little dazed:
"Ink sticks? Hmm, right, there are ink sticks too."
She turned her head and slipped into her sleeve, pulling out two ink sticks, one in each hand, and giggled foolishly:
"Hehe, finally some ink sticks to eat! You're not bad, kid. I'll forgive you for now. *slurp*"
Little Ink Spirit licked it like it was eating a candied hawthorn.
Upon hearing the word "finally," for some reason, Ouyang Rong felt a little sorry for her, sharing a slight sense of empathy.
Although it didn't reach the point of making my nose sting, I still felt a little uncomfortable.
Although the female immortal constantly complained to him about the environment and the strong, and even took pride in being lazy and gluttonous, she still followed him faithfully. She had been infiltrating the Sword Swamp for so long, but she hadn't been able to eat anything good.
Ouyang Rong believed that a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions.
Aside from occasionally causing trouble and being a bully within her own group, Miao Si is quite loyal and a very good follower... although she would never admit it, even if she "beats Ouyang Rong to death".
Ouyang Rong quieted down, reached out and rubbed Miaosi's dizzy little head with his finger, and said softly:
"Alright, you should take a nap first. You can eat the ink sticks when you wake up. Otherwise, you won't be able to taste anything after eating so much. You'll be kicking yourself when you sober up. I know what you're capable of..."
He glanced at the night sky and pointed down the staircase:
"Well, there's still some time, no rush. I'll go downstairs and order a few dishes. I'll call you when they're on the table, and we can try them together... We'll be going back to Jianze soon, so let's have a good meal together."
There was a moment of silence from within the sleeve, followed by the drunken, snoring voice of Miaosi:
"Hmph, you little rascal, although you're sometimes really clueless... well, to use what Xiao Ling Jiang used to say in private, you're clueless about romance, a blockhead, and you love to play dumb when you know you're breaking the law, but you do get it at crucial moments, and you're good at sweet-talking people. Well, that makes sense, otherwise how could you have gotten so many good girls?"
Ouyang Rong felt somewhat helpless upon hearing this and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Miao Si's muttering:
"Take today for example, you've been busy, busy, busy, constantly making arrangements, thinking about so many things all day long, giving people the feeling that everything else is trivial and you only care about important matters... I even thought you forgot to buy this fairy something to eat."
"And then, you always manage to pull something out of nowhere and surprise people. Turns out, even though you're busy, you haven't forgotten about it. On the contrary, you've done it with exceptional care and attention to detail. You're really thoughtful..."
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Some things, once pointed out, made him feel a little embarrassed.
The sleeve also quieted down.
Just then, Ouyang Rong heard a series of clear wooden fish sounds in his ear.
He closed his eyes and took a look; the little wooden fish had accumulated a considerable amount of merit.
Okay, so you're a little merit gift too, right?
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but look down. The little ink spirit in his sleeve was lying sprawled on the ground, fast asleep, its two thin arms still tightly holding the precious little ink stick, not afraid of being crushed.
She was muttering something in her sleep, and Ouyang Rong, curious, leaned closer to listen.
The little ink spirit said vaguely:
"Little Rongzi... Little Rongzi, save me... Fly, fly, fly... What's wrong with riding you for a bit? You're so stingy... You, you're not allowed to ride this fairy..."
"?"
Ouyang Rong laughed in exasperation.
Good heavens, it's really hard to earn this favor from you; men are speechless and women are in tears.
However, upon closer reflection, he realized that despite knowing the female immortal for so long, she had indeed rarely offered any feedback on his merits.
This increase in merit today is truly rare; we should burn incense in gratitude for it.
After a short while, Ouyang Rong shook his head helplessly, tightened his sleeves, and strode downstairs.
The Red Dust Inn has three floors. The upper two floors are for accommodation, the front hall on the first floor is for drinking and eating, and the back courtyard is for stables and kitchen.
When Ouyang Rong came down, there were already some travelers drinking in the lobby on the first floor, and it was quite lively.
Perhaps it's because there's a boss lady who loves to flirt.
When Ouyang Rong was working odd jobs under the alias Liu Aliang, he never received such a warm welcome from Madam Yu. Now that he's a big spender, he's enjoying her frequent flirtatious glances.
However, the thought that she was Yu Xiaoniangzi's mother made Ouyang Rong feel strange.
But then again, it must have been quite difficult for her to raise that silly girl, Yu Xiaoniangzi.
Ouyang Rong approached the counter, and Madam Yu asked with a smile:
Are you leaving, sir?
"Give me a plate of braised pork, a roast goose, and two jugs of wine..."
Ouyang Rong took out some silver and casually slapped it on the counter.
Madam Yu's eyes lit up, and she began to greet them familiarly:
"Okay."
With a smile spreading across her face, she left the counter, gracefully pushed over the new, clumsy maid, and personally went to the hall to fetch a table for Ouyang Rong to sit down.
Not long after, the kitchen delivered the food and drinks.
Two jugs of Shaoxing wine, poured into large bowls, accompanied by a plate of beef, a cooked goose, and three or four kinds of vegetables as appetizers.
The little ink spirit in the sleeve was still fast asleep, having already drunkenly returned to its true form as an ink ingot, though the snoring had lessened.
Ouyang Rong planned to wake her up later so they could enjoy the delicious food together.
They need to catch a boat back before midnight, and once they return to Yunmengze, they won't be able to get down the mountain again for a while.
If we rely on the housing procurement route, the next time we can come to Taoyuan Town will be next month.
By then, Liu Lang's men will probably have arrived and be waiting for him at this Red Dust Inn.
The table full of fine wine and food we ordered is a final treat for Miaosi and myself.
Ouyang Rong touched the empty money pouch in his pocket and nodded slightly.
He spent money lavishly tonight, showing off his manly side in front of Madam Yu, but in reality, all that money was his "hard-earned money" from the past few days.
He earned money from his short-term jobs and bell-ringing at the Red Dust Inn, as well as his monthly allowance as a cook at the Qingliang Valley Dining Hall. Of course, he didn't actually earn much from these "jobs." The majority of his earnings these days came from the noblewoman Li Wan.
Li Wan spends money without batting an eye, truly spending it like water... somewhat like Thirteen Sister.
Thirteen Sister loves to spend lavishly, but she spends a lot of money in order to make a lot of money.
Li Wan spends money only to solve the big and small troubles she encounters. It's purely about using money to pave the way, to buy a relaxed and carefree life, and to seek unimpeded progress. Her main goal is to never compromise herself.
The silver he had saved up was all spent tonight, leaving him back to square one.
Ouyang Rong remained calm, picked up the wine pot, and silently poured himself a full cup.
He declined the advances of Madam Yu, who was trying to flirt with him and offer him drinks, and instead arranged to meet her by the window to drink alone.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and glanced at the cold moon hanging high in the window.
If I remember correctly, the direction in which this lonely bright moon is located is exactly the direction of Zhuodao Island, where Lu Changgeng's tomb is located.
This island, far from the mainland town of Taoyuan, is isolated on the lake, making it a good place to admire the moon. Those ancestors of the Lu family of Fanyang certainly knew how to pick a place... These insignificant thoughts flashed through Ouyang Rong's mind for no reason.
The image of that tightly closed blood-red bronze gate also flashed before his eyes.
No one knows what lies behind this door.
Could it be that the migration of the Lu clan's imperial tutors from Fanyang three hundred years ago was due to this? Or is it a treasure trove of their clan's heritage?
Ouyang Rong raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, then poured himself another cup and tilted his head back to drink.
etc!
His hand holding the cup paused, his eyes fixed on the water in the cup, where a bright moon was reflected.
Did he overlook something?
Something's not right.
Speaking of which, isn't Blood Bronze produced in Yunmeng Sword Marsh? It's an important material for making Yunmeng Tokens and also a sect secret of Yunmeng Sword Marsh.
Regardless of what lies behind this door, just considering the material used to forge it, where did the Lu family of Fanyang get so much blood bronze? They seem to have it for free, using it to forge such a luxurious gate.
Ouyang Rong frowned, vaguely sensing that he had grasped something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
There are only two possibilities in this matter.
If it weren't for the fact that the Lu family of Fanyang, who migrated south back then, had a close relationship with Yunmeng Jianze, it would have been different.
Or perhaps, like Tao Yuanming back then, the Lu family of Fanyang also became "thieves"!
(End of this chapter)
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