Chapter 182 – Lightning flashes and thunder rolls, the heart is uneasy

One only saw at the corner of the stairs, a female around thirty years old with an alluring figure and a shrewd expression. When she saw Chu Qing-Yan’s group, both of her eyes also shone. “So it turned out to be honored guests that have arrived, please come in, please come in!”

Chu Qing-Yan saw her face, and couldn’t help but shift her gaze. That face was like a moving wall painted with a thick layer of white powder. Every step she took, the powder on her face would fall off in layers.

“Dead ghost, quickly come over to take care of the guests!” The shrewd woman used an eager to please expression toward Chu Qing-Yan’s group. Conversely, she would holler at the fat guy.

The fat guy immediately greeted to say. “Honorable guests follow me. I’ll bring you guys to look at the rooms.”

Finished speaking, Lu Yi immediately stood out. “Proprietor, this servant will go with you to have a look.”

When the fat guy saw Lu Yi, immediately both of his eyes shone. Even the servants looked this good! He rubbed his hands and led Lu Yi up the stairs.

Chu Qing-Yan was a bit worried so she gave Fire Spirit a meaningful glance. Fire Spirit immediately dispatched a subordinate to follow them.

Listening to the creaking sound the people made going up the stairs, the corner of Chu Qing-Yan’s mouth twitched. Really afraid that if they were not careful, the entire staircase would collapse.

“These several honorable guests, what do you guys want to eat tonight?” The shrewd woman asked, smiling. As if she didn’t see everyone’s uncomfortable expressions.

“What do you guys have?” Chu Qing-Yan stood out to ask.

The shrewd woman, seeing Chu Qing-Yan dressed in boy’s clothing looking adorable and delicate, her eyes flashed with light and she immediately replied. “This shop has chicken with winter melon, fermented soybean cooked pig trotters, pumpkin pork in black bean sauce, black fish chicken casserole, cow tendon fried with potatoes, jellied pig intestine, fried pig shoulder…”

The shrewd woman recited a list of dish names in succession. Hearing this, everyone who had rushed on the road for two days started to crave it.

Chu Qing-Yan having heard this, muttered to herself then said. “No need. We brought the family cook. We only need to borrow your kitchen and it would be fine.”

“Stinky body, grandpa wants to eat——” The saliva that was flowing out from the Retired Emperor’s mouth immediately disappeared. He was just about to refute when he saw Chu Qing-Yan with both eyes narrowed smiling at him. Immediately, he was unable to speak.

“Grandpa, the doctor had already said it. These several days, you are prohibited from eating oily food, fish and meat. Did you forget?”

Hearing this, the Retired Emperor rubbed his nose. This girl was too sharp ah!

Fire Spirit and his group saw the Retired Emperor being controlled by their little consort tightly and suddenly, they couldn’t restrain their smiles.

The shrewd woman also had no reason to oppose, she only said the kitchen was a mess and needed to be tidied up. Then she entered the back kitchen and informed the cook. After a short while, she came out again and let Chu Qing-Yan order her own people to take their own ingredients and enter the back kitchen.

At this time, Qing Yi and Xi Ning had already used cloth to wipe clean the greasy tables and let the three masters have a seat.

The shrewd woman saw them using their own tea set, she didn’t get angry. She stood on the side sizing up Chu Qing-Yan’s group of people. Both her eyes were whirling around, don’t know what she was thinking.

Air Spirit saw this and couldn’t help but to say. “Shop proprietor, we don’t need people here, so you can withdraw.”

“Good, good, good! You guys slowly chat.” The shrewd woman politely agreed, then turned to walk towards the back kitchen.

When they were the only ones left on this floor, Fire Spirit looked all around vigilantly. “Master, this subordinate feels this inn is somewhat strange.”

“En, an indescribable feeling of evil.” Wood Spirit agreed and said.

“En, at night strengthen the guards!” Xiao Xu swept a glance at the shabby and old inn, and said to Fire Spirit.

“Yes.” Fire Spirit accepted the order, he gathered the guards and started to arrange the night guard schedule.

The Biluochun tea opened from soaking. Chu Qing-Yan poured tea for the two of them, sighing to say. “If it wasn’t that there isn’t another inn within one hundred li of this area, even if you beat me to death I won’t enter this inn!”

“Stinky boy, your courage indeed is small. Back in the days when I traveled extensively——” The Retired Emperor started to long-windly tell the stories of the deeds from his heroic youth, it was an endless torrent of words.

Although the Retired Emperor had continuously called her stinky boy, stinky boy after she changed her costume, but ignoring this way of being called, the stories Retired Emperor told were still exciting and interesting. Adding his way of gesticulating with his limbs like a dance made the stories even more fascinating.

Waiting until the Retired Emperor got thirsty from telling the story and paused to drink some water, Xiao Xu unhurriedly said. “At that time, you rushed along the way and created disasters along the way, who was it that helped you clean it up?”

The tea that he just drank was choked out, the Retired Emperor’s face was full of guilty conscience. But when he saw Chu Qing-Yan’s eyes full of curiosity waiting for what he was going to say, he immediately replied. “With the younger generation present, don’t always pull the rug under me! Be careful or others will say you are not easy to get along with!”

Xiao Xu drank his tea and ignored him.

Seeing Big Block of Ice won’t continue to divulge, Chu Qing-Yan immediately turned her head to ask. “Grandpa, who helped you handle it? What disasters did you cause?”

“Cough, cough, can not bear to recollect past events. Just let everything be blown away by the wind!” The Retired Emperor covered it up by drinking tea.

Chu Qing-Yan curled her lips, not believing him. No matter what, she’ll get the truth out, inevitably one day she will know.

And at this time Lu Yi who had finished inspecting the rooms walked down the stairs. She walked to the front of her master to report. “Master, the rooms upstairs are very clean, we can check in to the inn.”

Lu Yi had just finished when the fat guy immediately boasted to say. “Our family’s inn is the best inn within several hundred li ——”

Once he said this, the fat guy’s gaze met Xiao Xu’s. Taken by surprise, he trembled and immediately forgot what he was about to say. He abruptly found an excuse to slip away.

After a short period of time passed, Huang Yi carried the food and walked over. The vegetarian dishes were simple but smelled, looked and tasted good. It attracted everyone’s stomach, making them rumble with hunger.

Xiao Xu waved his large hand and everyone sat down and started to eat.

Chu Qing-Yan didn’t have a large appetite, she asked Huang Yi at her side. “Just now when you were in the kitchen, did everything go smoothly?”

Hearing this, Huang Yi’s eyes showed a revolted expression. “The kitchen can be described as a squalor. There was grease everywhere, the only thing that would pass my eye in their kitchen are the sharp knives. The cutting board was very big but this servant isn’t accustomed to using their stuff, so only used the things brought from the manor.”

Chu Qing-Yan nodded, she picked up the chopsticks and sank into deep contemplation. Once she entered the inn, she felt a strangeness leaking from all around. A fat male boss, a shrewd female boss, a cook with knife scars. No other people could be seen in this entire inn. Her eyelids jumped non-stop as if something will happen tonight.

And at this time, a loud thunder exploded out in the horizon, it was deafening. A light like the daytime flashed through the inn. After a short time, the inn once again sank into dusk after the god of lightning passed.

Everyone seemed to have lingering fears.

And when the Retired Emperor saw her staring blankly, he couldn’t help but split a bit of his concentration from the delicious food for her. “I say stinky boy, why don’t you hurry up and eat. At night, don’t cry to me that you are hungry!”

“The person that said they were hungry in the middle of the night doesn’t seem to be me oh!” Chu Qing-Yan snapped out of it and jokingly said with a smile.

The Retired Emperor heard this and mumbled. “Really don’t know a good person’s thoughtfulness!”

Chu Qing-Yan shook her head helplessly, but with the Retired Emperor’s jest, her mood became a lot better.

When she was about to eat, a chopstick landed in front of her and a fried egg appeared in her bowl.

“Don’t need to be so talkative, quickly eat!” Immediately after, Xiao Xu’s voice came from her side.

Chu Qing-Yan turned around to look at the person at her side. He calmly ate with a graceful manner, not allowing the environment around him to effect a bit of his nobility.

She nodded and immersed herself in eating, listening to the Retired Emperor complaining he would give her food and won’t give his elder food, so on and so on… She couldn’t help but laugh.

Maybe along the way would be full of unimaginable challenges, but now in this strange dire straits- looking inn, she did feel a short period of peace in her heart.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep