met free Chapter 380 Shopkeeper, Don't Look at Me
Chapter 380 Shopkeeper, Don't Look at Me
Mo Chengyue stopped in his tracks.
"Did they mention hearing anything before they left?"
The tall, thin man thought for a moment.
"Some said they heard singing."
Some said they heard someone call their names.
"My third uncle slept in the ferry shelter that night, with two boatmen next to him."
"The two boatmen said that someone knocked on the shed door in the middle of the night, in a soft voice, asking if they wanted to get on the boat."
Mo Chengyue's eyes flickered slightly.
"Did your third uncle agree?"
The tall, thin man's face was pale.
He said, "Whose boat is leaving so late?"
"And that's it."
The older porter whispered, "The next day, the ferry gate opened from the inside."
"The ground is all wet."
"The person has disappeared."
"There was only one pair of shoes left, neatly arranged."
After listening, Mo Chengyue let out a soft breath.
"Are the shoes arranged neatly?"
The tall, thin man nodded.
"right."
Mo Chengyue said, "That doesn't look like a water ghost."
Both of them looked at him at the same time.
"What did you see, young master?"
Mo Chengyue looked solemn.
"Water ghosts don't usually have such strict rules."
The tall, thin man: "..."
Older porter: "..."
Mo Chengyue raised his hand and patted the tall, thin man on the shoulder.
"Don't go near the ferry tonight."
"If you hear someone you know calling you, don't answer."
The tall, thin man nodded hastily.
"Rest assured, young master."
"Even if my own father were calling me from the riverbank, I would pretend I didn't hear him."
The older porter kicked him.
"Nonsense."
Mo Chengyue turned around and continued walking down.
The voices of the two people behind me gradually faded into the distance.
Do you think that young master will succeed?
"have no idea."
"But he seemed quite steady."
"Whether it's reliable or not is another matter, but I always feel that when he says water ghosts aren't particular, it's like he's actually seen one."
"Every spiritual practitioner has their flaws."
Mo Chengyue's lips twitched slightly as he listened.
"Ordinary people don't need to be so observant."
We've arrived at Hongfeng Ferry.
The river is very wide.
As dusk settled, only a dark gray line remained where the water met the sky in the distance.
Half of the wooden stakes at the ferry crossing were blackened by the water, the ropes hung wet and dripping, and several broken bamboo baskets lay overturned on the bank.
The ferry crossing, which should have been bustling with activity, was unusually deserted at the moment.
Only two small boats carrying daytime ferrymen were moored at the dock.
There was no one on the boat.
The wind blew across the gunwale, making a soft creaking sound.
Tingchao Inn is located on the east side of the ferry crossing.
The two-story wooden building had two dim yellow lanterns hanging at the entrance.
The lantern paper was wrinkled from the steam, and when the light shone down, even the threshold seemed to be soaked in a thin layer of mist.
Mo Chengyue stood in front of the door and looked around for a moment.
The signboard was fairly clean.
There are old scratches on the threshold.
Incense ash was sprinkled in the corner of the wall.
A string of copper coins hung under the eaves, strung together with a red cord, and gently bumped together in the wind.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
The sound was very soft.
But it wasn't the sound of ordinary copper coins.
Mo Chengyue narrowed his eyes.
"Soul-suppressing money".
"The shopkeeper has some skills."
As soon as he entered the inn, someone behind the counter looked up.
She was a woman in her thirties.
She wore a blue cloth skirt, her black hair was tied in a low bun, her eyebrows and eyes were gentle, and her skin appeared somewhat pale under the lamplight.
She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she possessed a gentle and delicate charm unique to women from the water towns of Jiangnan.
But those eyes were too still.
It was as still as the surface of a river at night.
"Would you like to stay at the inn, sir?"
Mo Chengyue nodded.
"Stay one night."
The woman glanced at him.
"From out of town?"
"Um."
"What are you here for?"
"Just passing by."
The woman paused slightly on the abacus beads in her hand.
"Not many people pass by Hongfeng Ferry lately."
Mo Chengyue laughed and said, "So the house prices should be cheap."
The woman looked at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled.
"Sir, you're not afraid?"
Mo Chengyue sighed, "I'm afraid."
"But I have one advantage."
The woman asked, "What are the advantages?"
Mo Chengyue said, "Being afraid makes things quieter."
Two boatmen who were drinking alone by the counter burst out laughing when they heard this.
One of the men, with a full beard, held up a wine bowl and said, "Manager Hu, give him a room further inside."
"Don't give it to those living near the river."
Another skinny boatman chimed in, "Yes, the ones by the river are noisy at night."
Manager Hu glanced at them indifferently.
"You guys still know how to make noise?"
The bearded man immediately shut up and drank.
Mo Chengyue turned to look at him.
"How are you arguing?"
The bearded man's eyes flickered.
"The sound of the wind."
The lean boatman added a sentence.
"There's also the sound of water."
Mo Chengyue then asked, "Is there any human voice?"
The two of them fell silent.
Manager Hu took a wooden plaque from under the counter and placed it on the table.
"The third room on the west side of the second floor."
"Not near the river."
"The window lock was broken; I had it fixed."
Mo Chengyue accepted the wooden plaque.
"Was it ever broken?"
Manager Hu said, "A few days ago, a customer opened the window in the middle of the night."
Mo Chengyue asked, "And then?"
Manager Hu spoke calmly.
"The person is gone."
Mo Chengyue looked down at the wooden plaque.
"Manager, the way you introduce your rooms here is quite unique."
Manager Hu said, "If I don't tell you, and something happens to you after you move in, won't you blame me?"
Mo Chengyue thought for a moment.
"That makes perfect sense."
"Is the food safe?"
Shopkeeper Hu finally gave him a second glance.
Are you scared or not?
Mo Chengyue said seriously, "Being afraid of ghosts is one thing."
Hunger is another matter.
The two boatmen laughed again.
The somber atmosphere in the inn was somewhat dispelled by this sentence.
Manager Hu also shook his head slightly.
"There's also hot soup noodles in the kitchen."
"Do you want?"
Mo Chengyue said, "Yes."
"Add more scallions."
Manager Hu turned around and gave instructions to the kitchen staff.
Mo Chengyue did not rush upstairs, but sat down in a corner of the lobby.
He chose a spot against the wall where he could see the door and the stairs.
This is an instinct gleaned from years of experience eating in the modern working class.
Being near a wall can prevent someone from standing behind you.
A gatekeeper can prevent the leader from suddenly appearing.
The situation is much the same now that it's in the cultivation world.
The only difference is that the leader has changed from a manager to an evil spirit.
The soup noodles were served quickly.
Steam rose, and chopped scallions floated on top of the soup noodles, giving it a truly delicious aroma.
Mo Chengyue first tested it with a silver needle, and then secretly probed the soup with Yin-Yang True Essence.
It's not poisonous.
There was no sign of death.
There was no strange, bewitching fragrance.
Only then did he pick up his chopsticks.
The stubble-faced boatman next to him looked on with a complicated expression.
"Young master, you're even being this meticulous when eating noodles?"
Mo Chengyue said, "Be careful when you're out and about."
The stubble-faced boatman gave a wry smile.
"Red Maple Ferry wasn't like this before."
Mo Chengyue then asked, "How was it before?"
The stubble-faced boatman took a sip of wine.
"It used to be lively."
Merchant ships traveling from the north and south all stop here.
"The inn was full of people, and people were singing folk songs at night. Stalls were set up along the river until the third watch of the night."
The skinny boatman whispered, "Now that it's dark, who would dare stay?"
Mo Chengyue asked, "Who was the first person to see the Black Ship?"
The stubble-bearded boatman said, "Old Zhou, the night watchman."
"Is he still alive?"
"To live."
The skinny boatman sneered.
"He's just crazy."
Mo Chengyue stopped eating.
"Are you crazy?"
The stubble-faced boatman lowered his voice.
He said there were many people on the boat.
"They were all people who died in the river before."
"They were wearing wet clothes, and their faces were pale from being soaked in water."
"A bride was sitting at the bow of the boat, combing her hair and singing a song."
Mo Chengyue looked up.
"The bride?"
Manager Hu suddenly spoke from behind the counter.
"Don't talk nonsense."
The stubble-faced boatman immediately shut up.
Mo Chengyue looked at Manager Hu.
"Is there a rumor about a wedding dress here too?"
Manager Hu paused in his wiping of the counter.
"All sorts of rumors circulate around the ferry crossing."
"If you are wise, sir, you can simply listen and forget about it."
Mo Chengyue smiled.
"I'm usually not a very smart person."
Manager Hu said calmly, "I can tell."
Mo Chengyue: "..."