e-booksonline Chapter 103 Black Bone Town
Chapter 103 Black Bone Town
Mist rises from the mountains, and birdsong echoes through the gaps in the mountain streams.
The stream babbled, and the occasional sound of horses' hooves followed the sound of the water downstream.
Fang Hongxuan reined in his horse and crossed the stream; the shallow water clattered against the sound of the horse's hooves.
As if sensing the tranquil flow of water, Wu Qi cried out joyfully, and even quickened its pace considerably.
"I'll bring you back to swim after this is all done. Until then, behave yourself."
Going straight down the edge, a town monument peeks out from among the grass and trees.
On the dark blue stone tablet, the two characters "乌骨" (Wugu) with the momentum of a silver river falling from the sky leaped out in front of the tablet.
Behind the town monument lies Wugu Town, where houses and tiled roofs stand side by side in a neat and orderly fashion.
Looking around, the entire town of Wugu is made of blue bricks and white walls, with brick-carved gate towers. The huge town is run through by a bluish river.
The arched bridge spans the two banks, its piers surrounded by countless withered lotus pods.
Two or three boats drift on the river, their reflections blending with the whitewashed walls and black tiles on the water, and the reddening maple trees in the distance, creating a series of ink-wash paintings.
Along the streets, vendors hawked their wares, peddlers performed tricks, and pedestrians moved about in an orderly fashion.
The yellow dog lying on the side of the street was wagging its tail and begging for mercy, while a group of two or three local dogs chased after it, stirring up the yellow dog's restless heart.
In just a moment, they disappeared into the street in a chase.
The wooden signboard swayed in the wind, and the sounds of drinking games and shouts rose and fell from the restaurant. The surrounding shops were packed with people, and the bustling street scene unfolded like a painting.
The knight-errant led his black horse inside and became part of the scene.
The children, who were playing and chasing each other, were looking at Fang Hongxuan, but before they could say anything, they were stopped by the women accompanying them.
Because Fang Hongxuan looked unfriendly, the women parading through the streets did not want to cause trouble.
Seemingly noticing that something was wrong with him, Fang Hongxuan lowered his straw hat, completely obscuring his face in shadow.
He then quickened his pace, leading Wu Qi toward the Wanglai Inn.
"Sir, would you like to have a meal or stay at the inn? This fine horse cannot be disturbed. Please entrust it to me."
"I will certainly feed it the best fodder and reward it with spring water."
"Give me a superior room at the inn. Bring me all the best wine and food you can find."
The thin man, who looked like a shop assistant and was carrying a white cloth on his shoulder, took the reins with great enthusiasm upon hearing this.
"Please come in, sir. I'll prepare everything for the stables right away..."
From a distance, the accountant and the shopkeeper in front of the counter could hear the shop assistant's shouts.
The two raised their eyebrows slightly, looked at each other, and their eyes were full of joy.
"Our distinguished guest has arrived!"
Inside the alley, another waiter was busy cleaning the tables and chairs, then waited patiently for the guests to arrive with a beaming smile.
Fang Hongxuan was led to a private room on the second floor, where the short, stout waiter who was entertaining the knight-errant even served him a pot of hot tea in advance.
"Sir, our restaurant has three signature dishes: 'Nine Dragons Braised Delicacies', 'Imperial Shark Fin Soup', and 'Mandarin Ducks Playing with Flying Dragons'."
Do we need to prepare all of these with the customer? It's not that I'm being nosy, but the materials are hard to find, so the price will inevitably be a bit higher...
The swordsman composed himself, smiled without saying a word, and tossed out the silver ingot.
"Let's start here first. If the room fee isn't enough, just let me know."
The waiter stared at the silver ingots on the table with gleaming eyes, muttering to himself...
"That's enough...that's enough...this ingot of silver is enough for you to eat and drink for three days and three nights..."
The shopkeeper, who was looking up from downstairs, went to the kitchen himself to inform the head chef that he wanted to send Fang Hongxuan a few side dishes.
Such a distinguished guest naturally deserved to be served by his own waiter. The short, stout waiter surrounded the knight-errant, attentively listening to his instructions.
"Young Master Bao, I'm new here and don't know the ways of this place. Could you explain them to me so I don't offend any taboos..."
Fang Hongxuan took a sip of Shaoxing wine, then put the braised beef coated in sauce into his mouth, but his gaze never left the waiter's face.
"Hehehe... Sir, of course we have that... You've come to the right person."
If it were someone else, they might secretly inform the Li family.
He calmly put down his wine cup and looked at the waiter with feigned confusion.
"Oh? What do you mean? Does this mean there's no law here anymore, and the Li family can now do whatever they want?"
Fang Hongxuan's voice wasn't loud, but it startled the waiter, who quickly gestured for him to be quiet.
"Shh..."
The waiter glanced around to make sure no one was watching before lowering his voice and leaning closer to Fang Hongxuan with a mysterious expression.
"Sir, you mustn't mention such things. Who doesn't know that the Li family of Wugu Town has done a great favor for Wugu Town?"
"If it weren't for their contributions of money, food, and labor, how could the once dilapidated and desolate Wugu Town have become the prosperous place it is today?"
"Oh? Is that so?"
The waiter lowered his voice further, his voice so faint that Fang Hongxuan would have been unable to hear it clearly unless he had exceptional hearing.
"Sixty years ago, the people of this place could only give birth to one boy and one girl per generation. This was no exception even when they migrated to the ends of the earth."
Even if she is lucky enough to conceive, the third child will definitely be a boy.
Fang Hongxuan held his chopsticks, looking so surprised that he even forgot to pick up the food. In reality, he knew exactly what was going on...
"Isn't that a good thing? Who doesn't want their family to prosper?"
To everyone's surprise, the waiter shook his head slightly and then leaned close to Fang Hongxuan's ear.
"That's not right. If it were ordinary people in a remote area, they would naturally be overjoyed."
But Wugu Town is different. Once a second boy is born, the entire family will die one after another within five years, without exception...
Fang Hongxuan's expression became even stranger, but he secretly became more wary.
"Why don't you go to the Demon Suppression Division and ask the Demon-Slaying Captain to handle this matter?"
"Hmph hmph hmph..."
The waiter sneered repeatedly, his face revealing disdain and resentment.
"The local demon-suppressing bureau colludes with the local gentry, and they're too busy oppressing us ordinary people to bother with slaying demons and eliminating evil for Wugu Town!!"
Fortunately, Master Li spent tens of millions of strings of cash to invite a goddess who grants children from elsewhere; otherwise, this place would not be so prosperous...
"The Goddess of Fertility? I've never heard of her before. I wonder what her background is?"
"This... I don't know either... I only know that the temple of the goddess is located in the center of Wugu Town, and the incense in the incense burner burns all year round, which attracts people from the surrounding area who want to have children to come and kneel down to worship."
"I see..."
Just as Fang Hongxuan was about to ask about the specifics of the Goddess of Fertility, the shopkeeper's reprimand came from downstairs.
"Fugui, what are you trying to do, standing upstairs without serving any food? Be careful, or I'll deduct your wages!"
The short, stout waiter, known as Fu Gui, hurried downstairs and bowed apologetically to Fang Hongxuan.
"Coming...shopkeeper...I'm here..."
kitchen
The shopkeeper and the accountant listened to Fugui's words with stern expressions.
"This person is actually inquiring about the Goddess of Fertility. Just to be on the safe side, we should inform the Li family..."