Chapter 321 - 165: Post Station (2)
He looked timid and shrunken, and had only one eye.
Dangling from Luo Qingyi’s grip, he was a disheveled mess, his eye wide with fear.
Seeing this, Scholar Jingtan said softly,
"Young Brother Luo, don’t be so impulsive."
Luo Qingyi now got a clear look at the man. He glanced at Jiang Ran, who gave a slight nod, and only then did he slowly set the hunched old man down.
Finally on his feet, the old man let out a long sigh of relief.
Tears nearly welled up in his eye.
"Who... who are you people?"
Luo Qingyi’s face darkened.
"Is it your place to be asking us questions?"
His fierce and menacing expression made the old man jump again. He trembled and stammered,
"I-I’m the keeper of this posthouse.
"Who... who are you?
"Are... are you officials passing through for the night?
"Or... or are you bandits here to rob the place?
"I-I’m telling you... we’re not far from Qiuci County.
"If you dare cause trouble here, the officials in Qiuci County are not to be trifled with."
As he said this, his eye darted about evasively, as if he were terrified.
Jiang Ran frowned slightly.
"Old sir, there’s no need to be afraid. We aren’t bandits, just travelers passing through."
"So... you’re officials?"
Hearing this, the old man suddenly straightened his back and said angrily,
"What is wrong with you officials? Can’t you control your subordinates? What if someone had gotten hurt?
"I’m an old man! How am I supposed to endure this kind of rough treatment?"
Jiang Ran grinned.
"We aren’t officials either."
"..."
The old man’s back instantly bent again, the change visible to the naked eye.
"Then... then what are you?"
"Travelers."
Jiang Ran said softly, "We saw the sky getting dark and happened to be passing by, so we hoped to find a place to stay for the night."
"No, no."
The old man shook his head repeatedly.
"This is an official posthouse. It only receives those with official status and handles critical messages for the Court.
"Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to linger. What if state secrets were leaked?
"You... you should leave quickly and find lodging elsewhere."
Tang Huayi glanced at the old man and whispered to Jiang Ran,
"He’s either putting on an act or he’s genuinely confused."
Jiang Ran pondered for a moment before speaking softly,
"Old sir, don’t you know this place has been abandoned for many years?
"The new Qiuci Posthouse is still twenty li away."
"Qiuci Posthouse... twenty li away?"
The old man froze, stunned by the words.
His eye was filled with confusion.
After a long moment, the confusion passed. He looked at Jiang Ran and the others as if seeing them for the first time.
He was clearly startled.
"Who... who are you people?
"What are you doing at our Qiuci Posthouse?
"Are you officials passing through for the night?
"Or are you bandits here to rob the place?
"I-I’m telling you... we’re not far from Qiuci County.
"If you dare cause trouble here, the officials in Qiuci County are not to be trifled with."
"..."
As he finished speaking, everyone present exchanged bewildered glances.
Jiang Ran wore a strange expression.
’Did his memory just reset?’
After a moment’s thought, he said softly,
"Don’t worry, old sir. We are Officials on our way to take up posts at Evergreen Mansion.
"Look, this is my token."
He casually took out a token and flashed it in front of the old man.
Before the man could get a clear look, he put it away.
The old man stared blankly for a moment, then nodded.
"I see. In that case, follow me inside."
Ruan Yuqing clicked her tongue.
"Was it that easy?"
"It wouldn’t be this easy with someone of sound mind... but isn’t this old man confused?"
Jiang Ran said, "I just thought I’d try to fool him, and I can’t believe it actually worked."
"We should still be careful. This old man is strange. You might think you’re fooling him, but he could be the one fooling you."
Tang Huayi was clearly an expert in such matters.
After all, as a demoness from the Demon Sect, she had an extraordinary understanding of the art of deception.
Jiang Ran glanced at her, thinking she had a good point that was worth remembering.
He had the horses and carriage settled, then gestured for everyone to follow the old man into the posthouse.
「By now, the sky outside had grown completely dark.」
The hunched old man produced an oil lamp from somewhere, lit it with a fire starter, and its faint glow pushed back the darkness, only making his own figure seem all the more terrifying.
He placed the oil lamp on a table in the posthouse’s main hall, which provided a meager amount of light.
Only then did the old man speak.
"This posthouse has three floors, with six rooms on each floor.
"You can divide them up and use them as you see fit.
"I imagine you’re all hungry by now. I’ll go prepare some food and drink for you."
"We wouldn’t dare trouble you, old sir."
Jiang Ran called out to stop him.
"May I ask where the kitchen is? We have our own provisions and just need to borrow the kitchen."
"Fine."
The hunched old man’s gaze swept over the group, finally landing on Ruan Yuqing.
"Then you, miss, come with me."
Ruan Yuqing:
"..."
But Luo Qingyi shot to his feet with a WHOOSH.
"Lead the way."
"Huh?"
The hunched old man was taken aback.
"You’re cooking?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Not really..."
The hunched old man turned, shaking his head as he walked away.
"Sigh, young women these days..."
He led the way, with Luo Qingyi following behind with powerful, confident strides. He didn’t look like a cook in the slightest.
In truth, he wasn’t one to begin with...
It was just that among their group, he was the only one whose cooking was edible.
Over time, he became the cook whether he liked it or not. His skills even improved, earning him constant praise from the others.
And amidst all that praise, Luo Qingyi had gradually lost himself.