Chapter 48. Pesticide of Freshness (4)

The road to the Sichuan Tangmen was truly long, taking roughly two weeks to travel.

If we had chosen a route where we camped on the ground, we could have shortened the journey by a few days, but since we chose a route that, though somewhat longer, led towards villages, it was difficult to reduce the schedule.

We didn't choose the route towards the villages for any particular reason; it was because of the three people in the carriage.

How could we let the women who were going to meet the Nine Dragons Seven Peaks travel for two weeks while sleeping on the road? If we did, they would likely end up with nicknames like "Dog Peak" and "Girl Peak" by the time they arrived.

"But I actually like it this way."

Of course, I don't mean that "Dog Peak" and "Girl Peak" are good; rather, it's nice that we can stop at villages along the way to rest.

Wouldn't it be better to rest in a village than to sleep on the road, even for a courier or a martial artist? This is one of the few good things about this long journey.

I reported to Baolinghua, looking at the village in the distance.

"Sir. We can see the village soon."

"Yes. Are we going to rest there today?"

"Yes, I think it would be best."

It was not long after sunset, so staying here was just right. It meant that the distance had been calculated well.

Baolinghua opened a book in the carriage.

"Hmm... This village is called Luoyecun. It's not a particularly special place. The main product is pigs... Ah! It says that the pork belly here is very delicious."

Baolinghua said this while reading the book. The book he was reading was the "Zhongyuan Geography" (中原地理志), which was considered more valuable than any martial arts manual in the courier world.

The "Zhongyuan Geography" contains information about all the geography, products, villages, and their characteristics in the Central Plains. It's like a modern map.

Of course, since the information is so valuable, ordinary couriers can't even touch it, and only those at the level of a courier leader are allowed to read it.

From my perspective, having experienced that sharing information accelerates social development more than controlling it, I think it would be better to just copy and distribute it.

"Then we'll have pork for dinner tonight. I'll go ahead and prepare to stay for a day."

"Alright."

When Baolinghua gave his permission, Senior Zuojunping and I left the group and headed into the village first.

The village was a simple rural one, not particularly impressive, and quite small.

"Senior, is there a place where we can all stay?"

"Maybe. It would be good if there's an inn."

"Given the size of the village, it might be difficult."

We entered the village, but it was eerily quiet. There was not a single person in sight, even though it was not yet bedtime.

"Is this an abandoned village?"

"It could be. Let's go in and see."

In this harsh martial world, villages sometimes become abandoned, so we went in to check.

Fortunately, there were lights in some of the houses, so it didn't seem to be an abandoned village. It just seemed to be a village with very few people.

"There doesn't seem to be a suitable place to stay. After all, we need a place for Sir and his group to rest."

"I agree."

After looking around a bit more, we saw a small inn. It was a tiny place, just a small inn. The lights were off, but we knocked on the door.

"Is anyone there?"

A rough-looking man came out from inside, scratching his messy hair and asked,

"Who is it?"

"We're passing through on a courier journey. Is it possible to stay for a day?"

The man looked us up and down with sleepy eyes. I did the same, noticing that his clothes were stained with what looked like soup, indicating poor hygiene.

"Um, how many people are there?"

"Twenty-eight."

"There's no place for such a large group... "

Senior Zuojunping looked troubled. Asking each household to take in some of us would be a hassle. After some thought, he said,

"Is there a room for about three people?"

"There are a few rooms for that many."

"Good. We'll take all the rooms. Can you also spread some mats in the courtyard for the rest to sleep? And if you have any benches, could you set them up too?"

"Alright."

The innkeeper answered brusquely and went back inside. We, having completed the deal, decided to return to the group.

"We managed to secure a few rooms."

When we returned and reported this, everyone seemed satisfied. The couriers decided to stay inside, while the martial artists decided to stay outside.

Sleeping on mats in the courtyard is not much different from camping, but it's still better than sleeping in the middle of the road. At least we can have a warm meal.

We hurried to the inn, and when we arrived, we could see smoke from the kitchen, indicating that the food was already being prepared.

"There it is."

Since there was only room for about ten people inside, the couriers decided to go in, while the martial artists decided to eat in the courtyard.

I parked the carriage and carts in a suitable spot and was about to go inside, looking forward to the food. At that moment, a mouse ran over my foot and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Squeak!"

I was a bit startled but quickly calmed down. Mice were common in those times. It wasn't a big deal. Of course, in modern times, I would have immediately filed a complaint with the city.

Pretending it was nothing, I ignored the mouse and tried to pass by, but I caught a glimpse of the kitchen through the window.

'What kind of food are they preparing?'

In the kitchen, a pot was boiling, and on the cutting board were well-chopped meat and flour dough. There were also jars containing unknown seasonings.

Thinking it might be dumplings, I watched closely, but then I saw a terrifying sight.

*Shashashak! Shashak! Shashashak!*

"Ugh...!"

Cockroaches were running around on the cutting board, racing like on an autobahn.

I couldn't bear to look and turned my eyes away, but the sight was even more horrifying. The floor was covered with mouse droppings.

'This place is even worse than Jiao's apartment.'

The inn had serious hygiene issues. For a moment, I thought about informing my colleagues and conducting an emergency health inspection, but only a modern person like me would make such a fuss over this.

'What can I do?'

Feeling my appetite disappear, I went into the room. I was a bit hungry, but I didn't want to eat food with such hygiene issues. Not unless I was in a desperate situation.

*Gurgle*

"Damn it."

In the end, I decided to endure by chewing on the dried meat I had brought with me. It tasted a bit pitiful, but that's how dried meat usually tastes.

***

About 30 minutes later, my colleagues, who had finished eating, returned to the rooms.

But there was a problem.

"Ugh... Ugh..."

Strangely, they all looked as if they had had a drink, appearing dazed. I was shocked and shouted,

"Did you all drink? We're absolutely forbidden from drinking during a courier journey."

"Ugh... Ugh..."

No matter what I said, they groaned like zombies, lay down, and quickly fell asleep. I couldn't understand this bizarre scene.

Drinking was strictly forbidden during a courier journey. After all, how could anyone work while drunk? The courier industry was especially strict about this.

Without the courier leader's permission, drinking during a journey would result in immediate dismissal. If an accident occurred, it could even mean physical dismissal.

Although the strong courier leader was absent, Baolinghua was there, and everyone was experienced. They wouldn't do something so unprofessional.

'What's going on?'

Even if they had drunk, they couldn't have passed out so quickly in such a short time.

Something was definitely wrong.

I decided to ask Baolinghua and quietly left the room, making sure to put my sword back on my belt just in case.

It was completely dark outside. The village, being in a quiet area, had a gloomy and silent atmosphere.

'They don't seem to have had a party.'

I felt something was suspicious and gripped my sword tightly. At that moment, I sensed someone slowly approaching.

Without thinking, I drew my sword first.

*Swish!*

Despite the sharp sound of metal, I could see someone walking towards me in the darkness. In the dim light, the sword's reflection from an unpolished blade was visible.

I gathered my inner strength and called out in a deep voice,

"Who's there?"

"Um, is that you?"

At the end of the dark corridor, Guo Dushan stood with his sword drawn. Why did he draw his sword? I asked in a slightly calmer voice,

"Is that you, Guo?"

"You didn't eat, did you?"

"What do you mean by that? No, rather..."

"Why didn't you eat?"

I sensed something different about Guo Dushan, in his demeanor and aura. I felt an inexplicable tension and became alert.

Guo Dushan was about ten steps away. I asked again,

"Guo, what do you mean? And why are you so aggressive...?"

*Click!*

Before I could finish, Guo Dushan quickly closed the distance and firmly grabbed my wrist. I couldn't do anything as his large hand held me.

"Ugh! No, wait!"

I tried to wriggle free, but his grip was incredibly strong, and my feet were already pinned.

'This is... a master!'

I felt like a child's wrist being twisted, completely overpowered. I couldn't move at all. Guo Dushan slowly said to me,

"Tell me, did you know this was a black inn and still lead us here?"

Guo Dushan's eyes glowed with a cold light, like a tiger's.

A black inn is a fake inn set up by bandits to deceive, kill, and rob guests. It's a classic scam dating back to the Song Dynasty.

'Is this a black inn?'

Only then did I understand why my colleagues were in such a strange state. If this was a black inn, they must have been drugged with something like a sleeping potion in their food.

Realizing the situation, I protested to Guo Dushan, feeling absurd,

"I didn't know. How could I know?"

"Huh? You didn't know?"

Of course, I didn't.

"Would I have led us here if I knew? Besides, I didn't even choose the route. We followed the map."

I argued, feeling wronged. Guo Dushan, slightly intimidated by my anger, replied,

"Oh... Now that you mention it, that's true. Then why didn't you eat?"

"I saw cockroaches crawling on the cutting board. I couldn't eat it."

"Damn. I ate it all, even though it was disgusting."

Guo Dushan shrugged and released me. My arm was numb.

I massaged my wrist and grumbled,

"Did you think I was a spy or something, leading us to a black inn?"

"No, it's just that you were the only one who was fine, and you were the guide. I'm so sleepy, my head isn't working well. I'm sorry."

I felt a bit hurt.

Anyway, now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, I decided to ask what was going on.

"By the way, how did you know this was a black inn?"

"I didn't know when I ate, but I suddenly felt very sleepy after finishing. Fortunately, I have a mental technique that helps me resist such effects. I barely held on, but I'm so sleepy now."

Guo Dushan grumbled. So, the aggressive state I saw earlier was due to the sleeping potion.

I couldn't even imagine how powerful he would be in a normal condition.

"Let's take care of these guys quickly. I'm so sleepy."

"Agreed."

We gripped our swords tightly.

It was time for the cleanup.