Chapter 44

In recent days, they had been traveling day and night, the constant jolting of the carriage causing the two people inside to fall into a deep sleep.

Fortunately, Zhang San and Li Si were traveling with them. They were skilled drivers and knew the way well. Moreover, the two of them would tell jokes along the way, which added a lot of joy to the monotonous journey.

Seeing that the sun was already high in the sky, it was about noon. The carriage arrived at the top of a hill, and Zhang San stopped the carriage, pulled back the curtain, and said, "Sir, Master, there's an inn right here. Why don't we get out and have some food and drink, and then continue the journey in the afternoon?"

Wang Lun, hearing this, poked his head out of the carriage and looked around. He saw that the hill was desolate, with no houses in sight. Not far ahead, there were a few thatched cottages by a stream, and a wine flag hung from a willow tree. Seeing this, Wang Lun nodded to Zhang San. Zhang San, receiving the instruction, lowered the curtain, woke up Li Si, and the two of them, with renewed energy, drove the carriage towards the inn.

In no time, the carriage came to a steady stop. Wang Lun woke up the still soundly sleeping Lu Zhishen. The two of them, stretching their stiff limbs, jumped out of the carriage.

In front of the inn, there was a large tree that stood out from the other withered trees, looking very lush and strange. The trunk was so thick that it would take four or five people to encircle it. Wang Lun looked down the tree and saw a dark red, wet and sticky patch at the roots, like human blood, seeping into the soil.

Wang Lun was alarmed by what he saw. Suddenly, a woman came out of the inn, holding a wooden basin full of something unknown. Seeing Wang Lun and the others, she was startled for a moment, then smiled and said, "Please come in, guests! I'll be right there!" She then hurriedly turned and went back inside.

"There's something strange!" Wang Lun whispered to the three others.

Hearing this, Zhang San and Li Si exchanged a startled look, while Lu Zhishen nodded without changing his expression, tightening his grip on his staff. The four of them walked into the inn without a word.

Just as they reached the entrance of the inn, Wang Lun saw a small sign by the window, which read: "Speak less in a crowd, return early if there's nothing to do. Always remember the day you left home, when your parents patted your back. Get off your horse when crossing a bridge, don't travel by boat if there's a road. Find a place to stay before it gets dark, and check the sky at the first cockcrow. Since ancient times, all the wronged have been on the road..."

Before he could finish reading, the woman who had just gone in came out again, now empty-handed and smiling. The others saw that she had a yellow head adorned with hairpins and flowers, a green silk blouse, and a bright red silk skirt. Her face was painted with rouge and powder, her chest exposed, showing a peach-red silk bodice with gold buttons. Despite the cold, she was shamelessly flaunting her body.

The woman smiled and came forward, saying, "Guests, please rest your feet. Our inn has good wine and meat. If you want snacks, we have large steamed buns!" She then glanced over Lu Zhishen and the others, her eyes lingering on the young, refined man.

With Wang Lun's prior warning, the others remained silent. Wang Lun smiled and said, "Bring the good wine and meat, we still have a long journey ahead after we eat!"

The woman responded, "Sure thing!" and warmly invited the four to sit down. Once everyone was seated, she brought over a wine jar and poured a bowl of wine for each of them, glancing at Wang Lun again before turning back inside.

Taking the opportunity, Wang Lun poured the cloudy wine under the table. The others, seeing this, did the same. Wang Lun smiled and chatted casually, and Zhang San and Li Si joined in enthusiastically. Lu Zhishen sat quietly, a mocking smile on his face. At this moment, a man's head appeared at the entrance, secretly watching them.

The fat monk at the head of the table poured himself more wine, and the woman's face lit up with joy. She turned and gave a signal to someone inside. Soon, three or four men came out of the inn, each carrying meat, and placed it on the table. Once the dishes were served, these strong young men did not leave but sat at the entrance of the inn, their eyes constantly darting towards the table.

A moment later, the woman came out and walked to the table, smiling, "Guests, does our wine taste good?" She saw that everyone's bowls were empty except for the fat monk's, and she was delighted. She then went to refill the bowls of the three others. Wang Lun smiled and raised his bowl in thanks, "Indeed, the wine is good, it has a unique taste! Madam..."

Before he could finish, his wine bowl fell to the ground and shattered, and he collapsed on the table, unconscious. Lu Zhishen, seeing this, sighed inwardly, "If my brother wants to play, I'll have to join him!" He then patted his bald head, feigning dizziness, and soon fell on the table, unconscious.

Li Si, seeing the reactions of the two "brothers," did not dare to hesitate. He mimicked them, leaning back and falling to the ground. Finally, only Zhang San was left. He did not want to be left behind and exaggeratedly leaned to the side. However, he was too committed, and his full weight pressed the bench to one side, causing it to fall heavily on Li Si's leg, making him almost cry out in pain. He could not call for help and could only silently curse Zhang San's family in his heart.

"Fallen, fallen!" The woman clapped her hands and said, "These four fools, not enough to last a few days? It's a pity for this refined scholar, who has such a good face! Selling him as dog meat, I really can't bear it!" She then saw her subordinates grinning and waiting for her to continue, and scolded, "What are you waiting for? Get to work!"

The four or five men blocking the entrance then laughed and came forward to carry the four unconscious people inside. At this moment, a man entered the inn, and everyone stopped their actions. The man wore a blue silk headband, a white shirt, knee guards, eight-lace shoes, and a waist sash. He had a cross-faced, slightly bearded face and looked to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old. Seeing the scene inside, he put down his burden and smiled, "Madam, business is good! Hey, why is there a monk?"

"These four fools, they came in without thinking at noon..." The woman smiled at the man, "At first, I was wary of the monk's heavy staff, but it turns out he's a fraud! It saved me a lot of trouble!"

The man approached and looked at the four drugged guests, sighing, "Monk, it's not that I'm breaking the rules today, but it's your fate to die. You happened to be with these three. If I let you go, I'd have to let them go too, which isn't worth it. So, accept your fate!"

The woman, hearing his long-winded speech, sneered, "Your words can fool others, but not me. What do you think you're doing here? If you're selling human flesh in the village, why are you trying to be nice here?"

The man, hearing this, forced a flattery smile and said to the woman, "Madam, you're right. One must think long-term. If we encounter a hero, letting one or two go is no big deal. First, it can spread our reputation for righteousness, and second, when we leave this business and travel the world, we can get their help!"

The woman coldly snorted, "If you want to be nice, I won't stop you! But when I want to kill, don't interfere! Just now, these four, plus the two fools who came in this morning, I'll kill them all to do business for a few days!"

As she spoke, she started rummaging through the travelers' luggage. Suddenly, she felt something hard in the bags and exclaimed, "These four fools have quite a bit of money!" She then emptied the contents of the bags onto the table, and the gold and silver clattered, dazzling everyone.

The man, eyes wide open, took a deep breath, rushed forward, picked up a piece of gold, and laughed at the woman, "With such a reward, I'll do as you say, let you handle it!" He then collected the gold and silver himself and called the cooks to carry the four "chickens" away. He couldn't resist adding, "You're so blind, don't blame me for being ruthless! The sign at my inn entrance clearly says, 'Since ancient times, all the wronged have been on the road.' You four fools came in without thinking, so don't blame me!"

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