Chapter 47: White Bone Hairpin 2 A Loud Bang
The three-story wooden inn was Ningyuan Village's most imposing. It contained seven rooms arranged in a U-shaped pattern, each overlooking a corridor overlooking the entire inn. Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe occupied two rooms across the courtyard, facing the staircase. The other four men were stationed on either side, sandwiching the two of them and providing close protection.
After checking in and resting briefly, everyone headed down to the lobby for dinner. The lobby was bustling with activity, filled with a variety of peddlers in various attire. Though a casual acquaintance, they seemed to have known each other for years, chatting animatedly. Upon seeing Xun Shu and his companions, they greeted them warmly. Li Xuanhe nodded slightly, then walked away without looking away. Xun Shu smiled and waved in return, though his gaze remained fixed, avoiding any undue scrutiny.
The waiter brought the food and a jug of chilled plum wine, which was refreshing and sweet. Xun Shu drank two glasses, his cheeks flushed. Feeling bolder, he leaned over and asked the vendors at the next table, "Hey uncles, is this your first time in Ningyuan Village?"
One of the skinny men in Hu clothing answered, "We travel back and forth, and often stop here. But you—" He switched his gaze between Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe, smiling ambiguously, "but you ran away from home and eloped?"
These words were rather malicious. Li Xuanhe frowned slightly and was about to scold him, but Xun Shu, who was confused, corrected him seriously and said, "We are siblings. He is my third brother. We are going to visit relatives in the capital."
The skinny man looked apologetic and raised his glass. "I'm sorry!" He drank the wine in the glass and said with a smile, "It's my fault for being short-sighted. You and I are both extraordinary people. We should be family."
It was the first time Xun Shu was praised for his "extraordinary bearing". He was very happy and smiled with his eyes curved: "Thank you."
The skinny man was startled, then burst into laughter, causing everyone around him to laugh non-stop. Xun Shu looked at them strangely, thinking that they seemed to be in a bad mood and didn't want to talk to them anymore. Coincidentally, the waiter passed by, and she turned to ask him, "Hey, did you see the funeral procession just now? Do you know who died?"
The waiter paused and replied, "The man who died was the only son of a tea merchant in Ningxi. He left the village at the beginning of this year to pursue his studies and returned to visit his family three days ago. As he was entering the village from the north, he was struck by a falling rock from the hilltop and died instantly." The waiter sighed and lamented, "Although the north passage was carved open, we've never seen a rock this large roll down in all these years, capable of killing someone. I heard his head was flattened and his face was a mess. It was a tragic scene."
Everyone in the hall sighed deeply. A white-haired peddler chimed in, "I actually found the body. The rock that had fallen was bigger than this table, round and squashed the child's upper body. I was startled when I saw it. I tried to push the rock away, but I couldn't. It was still dark, and there was no one else on the road. I couldn't find any help, so I ran into the village and informed the village chief and two village heads. They then arrived with their men, and it took seven or eight of us to move the rock, revealing a pile of fleshy, half-dead body."
The traveling merchant described the scene vividly, with fear in his eyes, as he obviously recalled the horrific appearance of the corpse.
Everyone was captivated by his description, their eyes cast towards him, listening intently, gasping and hissing from time to time. When he finished, someone asked, "Why didn't I mention you just now?"
The traveling merchant who discovered the body sighed, "Why am I saying this? It's not auspicious. When traveling for business, such things are taboo. When I get home, I'm going to bathe in pomelo leaves to rid myself of this bad luck."
Everyone tried to comfort him, but suddenly, a traveling merchant in the corner asked the waiter, "I just saw an old man next to a coffin at the window, and he looked familiar. Is that Shou Changze from Ningxi?"
The waiter was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "It was indeed Uncle Shou, and the one who died was his only son, Shou Duan. Do you know them?"
"I wouldn't say I know him, but I've seen him before." The traveling merchant poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and looked leisurely. "I'm not familiar with Shou Changze, but I do know his brother Shou Changyu. We used to have some business dealings. After Changyu passed away, the Shou family's business passed into Shou Changze's hands, and our business relationship gradually dried up. By the way, where are Changyu's wife and daughter? Are they still in the village? Changyu was kind to me back then. If his wife and daughter need anything, or if there's anything I can do to help, I'll definitely do my best to help."
The waiter looked embarrassed: "I'm afraid this won't work."
"What's wrong?"
"Shortly after Shou Changyu passed away, his wife also passed away from grief, leaving behind a pair of daughters who depended on each other for survival. After Shou Bo took over the Shou family business, he took his two nieces into his home to raise them. Later, Shou Changyu's two daughters also suffered accidents and died. Now the bodies of the four family members have been buried in the cave. If you wish to pay your respects, you can go to the sky gap in the south to burn incense."
The waiter's eyes flickered, and after he finished speaking, he hurried away without stopping. Xun Shu looked at his strange appearance and was almost certain that he was not telling the truth, or that he had not told the whole truth.
The atmosphere in the lobby became depressing because of the Shou family's affairs, and everyone lamented the misery of the Shou family's eldest wife.
Xun Shu and his companions knew neither Shou Changyu nor Shou Changze, and they listened to the story as if it were just an ordinary story, their hearts remaining calm. After dinner, they retired to their rooms early to rest, preparing to depart at dawn the next day, heading for Eyang, the southernmost point of Shannan Road, to reunite with the Dali Temple.
Perhaps due to the long journey over the past few days, Xun Shu was extremely tired and fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.
It was quiet at night, with only the incessant chirping of insects to accompany people to sleep. At some point, a loud noise suddenly sounded in the distance, with the force of the earth collapsing. The remaining sound echoed repeatedly in the valley, waking up the sleeping villagers.
Xun Shu sat up suddenly in the darkness, her hand pressed to her chest, trying to calm her pounding heart. She sat quietly for a moment, her heart easing a little. Then she got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, opened the window, and peeked out. She saw a group of people carrying lanterns, heading north toward the source of the noise.
The sky is overcast tonight, there are no stars or moon, and it is pitch black in the distance, so I can't see what is happening.
Just as I was wondering, there was a knock on the door and firelight shone into the room through the window paper.
"Ashu, were you awakened?"
Xun Shu closed the window, hurried to open the door for Li Xuanhe, and asked, "What happened?"
Seeing that she was fine, Li Xuanhe breathed a sigh of relief. "The sound seems to be coming from the gap in the sky to the north. I've sent someone to check. You stay in the room, close the windows, and get some rest."
Seeing Li Xuanhe turned and walked towards the stairs, with no intention of returning to the room, Xun Shu hurriedly asked, "Where are you going?"
Li Xuanhe smiled, revealing his big white teeth. "Are you worried about me, Ah Shu? Don't worry, I'm just going downstairs to get some information. I won't leave this inn."
"Wait." Xun Shu turned around and went to the bed, picked up the hairpin beside the pillow, and tied up her hair into a bun. "Since I was woken up, I'm afraid I can't fall asleep. Why don't I go with you?"
Xun Shu followed Li Xuanhe down the wooden stairs, passing many people, yawning and half-asleep, woken by the loud noise. When he reached the lobby, he saw the waiter, a scowl on his face, serving tea and water. He didn't care about what was going on, only the endless work before him. He had never imagined that the middle of the night could be busier than daytime.
The people sent out to gather information hadn't returned yet, so Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe found a corner to sit down and listen to everyone around them speculate about what had just happened. Some said it was an earthquake, others said the house had collapsed. For a while, there were many different opinions, all of which made sense, but none of them had any evidence.
As they were arguing, the sound of horse hooves could be heard outside. The person seeking information dismounted in front of the door and rushed into the store. He immediately spotted Li Xuanhe in the crowd and hurried forward, saying, "Third Young Master, there's been a landslide in the sky on the north side. The road is completely blocked and impassable."
The north road is closed?!
This matter concerned everyone, and the noise in the hall gradually rose, making Li Xuanhe upset. His face darkened and he said coldly, "Is shouting going to help? It's better to be quiet and think of a solution."
Xun Shu was startled and turned her head to look at Li Xuanhe, but saw that he had a serious expression and his whole body seemed to be frost-covered. His every move carried the aura of a superior, making people dare not refute him and could only obey. He was very different from the person she was familiar with.
So, is this the real him?
Xun Shu looked away and stopped looking at him.
The people in the lobby gradually quieted down.
The guests passing by here from the north to the south settled down and did not stay any longer, returning to their rooms to rest; the guests traveling from the south to the north still had sad faces, not knowing what to do.
Silence, wrapped in panic and confusion, filled the entire lobby, making people feel restless and unable to breathe.
Li Xuanhe pinched his swollen nose and closed his eyes to dispel the chill. He turned to look at Xun Shu and said softly, "It's getting late. We can't leave here tonight. We might as well get some rest and make plans tomorrow. Can I take Fourth Sister back to her room first?"
Xun Shu nodded slightly.
Under the gaze of everyone, Li Xuanhe escorted Xun Shu upstairs to her room. The door opened, and Li Xuanhe followed her in, leaving the door open and someone guarding outside.
"There are so many people downstairs, it's hard to talk. I came here to tell you that you might not be able to leave the village tomorrow. We don't know how many days we'll be staying here, so please be careful and stay safe."
Xun Shu was puzzled: "The north passage is blocked, but the south passage is still passable? Why not leave from the south?"
"If we go from the south, we'll have to take the mountain road around to the west before we can enter Shannan Road. This will add at least three days to the journey, and the road is steep and extremely dangerous. It would be better to stay here and wait until the rocks in the sky gap on the north side are cleared before leaving. It might be faster than taking a detour."
Xun Shu understood. "So that's how it is. We took a detour a few days ago. Although the Black Armored Army and the relief silver transporters are slow, they're only about two or three days behind us. If the northern road hasn't been cleared by the time they arrive, they might be able to help."
"That's right." Li Xuanhe looked at Xun Shu with a smile, but he had other worries in his heart.
The scouts from the Dali Temple had just returned and had quietly given a signal, meaning it was man-made. This meant that he must have found traces of human intervention at the scene, perhaps a mechanism or lingering gunpowder.
If the northern sky gap was artificially blocked, what was the purpose? Was it related to their arrival? Or was it pure coincidence that they happened to be there?
Xun Shu noticed his distraction and asked softly, "But what's wrong?"
Li Xuanhe shook his head. "Nothing. Ah Shu, get some rest tonight. Once we leave the village, we might have to travel day and night, and won't have time to rest."
Hearing this, Xun Shu pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then smiled lightly: "He Xuan, I was just about to tell you that after leaving the village and entering Shannan Road, we should go our separate ways. You want to go north to the capital, but I want to look east first... He Xuan, we are going our separate ways."
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