Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 605 - 546 Inn
"What does it mean that we can’t leave?"
Ji Linglang stepped forward, frowning as she asked.
The station staff replied, "It’s been raining in Luzhou territory for two days now, and fifteen minutes ago, a landslide broke a bridge up ahead that has train tracks on it."
Chai Chai asked, "How long will it take to fix?"
"Not sure."
The station employee shook his head and said, "It’s still pouring rain, and we don’t know when the rails and bricks for the bridge repair can be transported here."
Having said that, he passed through the corridor and went to the next carriage to inform the passengers and instruct them to disembark.
"How could this be such a coincidence?"
Ji Linglang lowered her voice. "Could there be some other reason?"
"Let’s get off the train first and talk about it."
Li Ang shook his head and controlled the Ink Silk Clone, shaped like a bird in the sky, to dash forward along the tracks.
The Ink Silk bird flew past Luzhou City and, in the mountain woods thirty miles south of the city, saw a stone bridge that had halfway collapsed.
Dozens of porters, soldiers from the garrisons, and Cultivators dressed in the uniforms of Bailu Academy stood under a rain shelter on one side of the bridge, discussing the possibility of an emergency bridge repair.
Cultivators had many means for construction work, such as the Earth Transformation Talisman from the Rain Listening Realm, and the Earth Splitting Technique, Tunneling Technique, Iron Melting and Casting Technique, Earth Melt Talisman, explosive charms, and so on from the Cloud Patrol Realm.
As long as the court was willing to allocate sufficient resources, the construction efficiency wouldn’t be much less than in the Otherworld.
However, the current downpour put the mountainsides by the bridge at risk of further collapse. Additionally, the river currents were rapid, churning with silt, and logs occasionally drifted downstream. Forcing construction under these conditions would not ensure the quality of the bridge.
After some discussion, they decided to wait for the rain to stop before starting work.
The Ink Silk bird silently listened to their conversation from high above, then swooped into the forest and dived beneath the rock layer to dig through the earth. It confirmed there were no traces of Spiritual Energy fluctuations, ruling out the possibility of foul play or intentional bridge collapse.
Only then did Li Ang, back in the Luzhou station, feel slightly more at ease.
In You Xiao’s arms, the baby, who had just had its diaper changed, was startled by the sound of the train’s whistle and began to cry again.
Chai Chai hurriedly rummaged through her bag, took out a soundproof talisman, and handed it to You Xiao, telling her to place the talisman under the swaddling clothes to block out the whistle’s sound.
The three-month-old baby clearly couldn’t withstand traveling in the rain. Li Ang dismissed the idea of flying to Yizhou using Telekinesis. He had Chai Chai and the others, led by the station staff, take a horse-drawn carriage into the city to rest temporarily.
Yuelai Inn was one of the most renowned chain inns in the world.
To say it was a chain was somewhat of a stretch. Too many inns shared the name, without a central headquarters or flagship store. Sometimes, within a single State City, there could be three or four Yuelai Inns, often requiring a specific street name to find the right one.
The Yuelai Inn on Moon Street was indeed the best-run and most famous one in Luzhou City.
However, at this very moment, for Manager Liu of the inn, this reputation had become an unwelcome burden.
With the Qingming Festival approaching, there were naturally more people traveling. Combined with the continuous heavy rain disrupting traffic, the inn was packed to the brim.
"Dear guests, please turn back! Our inn truly has no rooms available!"
Manager Liu stood behind the counter, desperately waving his hands along with the accountant, but the travelers, forced to stay in the city due to the rain, paid him no heed.
Two burly men pushed through the crowd and slapped a Jade waist token on the counter with a smile. "We are stewards from Yu Long Trading Company. We’d like to trouble the Manager to make some arrangements for us."
Yu Long Trading Company was one of the top commercial houses in the Jiangnan region. Having risen unexpectedly in recent years with the potential to rank among the top ten in Yu Country, they were definitely not an entity to offend.
Manager Liu shrank his neck, the words persuading them to find another inn stuck in his throat.
"Might the Manager have heard of the Dingshan Hermit? My master is returning to his hometown in glory with his family and would appreciate it if you could make three superior rooms available."
The Dingshan Hermit... That sounds like the self-assumed title of the former governor of Yingzhou, doesn’t it? Great, another one I can’t afford to offend.
"I represent the Flying Company..."
"I am from the Zhang Family of Runzhou..."
Travelers boasting of their impressive backgrounds announced their affiliations one after another. The ordinary travelers crowded in the hall, seeing this, had no choice but to borrow umbrellas from a waiter and venture out into the heavy rain to try their luck at other inns.
During a lull, the accountant leaned in and whispered to Manager Liu, "Manager, with so many guests, we don’t have enough rooms!"
"What else can we do? We can’t afford to offend any of them. We’ll just have to play the villain this time."
Manager Liu’s expression darkened. He pulled out a stack of flying money from his pocket, rounded up a few employees, and sent them upstairs to ask if any guests were willing to give up their rooms and take the money to stay elsewhere.
It was a matter of first come, first served. The guests upstairs had already settled in with their luggage and were naturally unwilling to leave.
Manager Liu had to dig into his own pocket again, taking out another hundred strings of coins in flying money, before a few travelers reluctantly took the money and left, freeing up their rooms.
"There are so many people," Chai Chai exclaimed, stepping outside the inn.
"Well, it is raining right now."
Li Ang listened to the noisy commotion inside, his brows furrowing slightly. With his status, he could naturally reveal his identity and have the manager arrange a superior room, but he wasn’t in the habit of using his position for personal gain.
"If there are no rooms, we can stay at the Luzhou Hospital for the night," Song Shaoyuan suggested. "As long as there’s a place to rest, it’ll be fine."
"I’ll go and ask first. It would be best if there are rooms available."
Li Ang moved forward to inquire, just as he heard a surprised voice from the second-floor staircase, "Mr. Li?"
He turned to look and saw Manager Jin from Jin Wusuan’s estate standing there, flanked by two guards.
Li Ang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Manager Jin? What are you doing here?"
"Accompanying my master back to his hometown."
Manager Jin’s eyes darkened as he briefly explained.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Jin Wusuan’s health had deteriorated day by day. He had held on in Chang’an City for three months, settling the affairs of his various businesses and Liu Guang Bank, relinquishing all his positions, and officially retiring.
He wanted to see his hometown in Lingnan one last time before his life ended, so he brought his steward and guards and took a train south. Unexpectedly, he also encountered the heavy rain and was stranded in Luzhou.
Li Ang was slightly surprised. "Manager Jin didn’t bring his family?"
Manager Jin shook his head. "No. The Eldest Son said he felt apprehensive as he neared his hometown, worried about potential misfortunes there, so he decided it was best for his family to remain in Chang’an."
What kind of reason was that?
Li Ang blinked, a vague guess already forming in his mind. Jin Wusuan’s business empire was indeed vast, its interests deeply rooted and intertwined. The largest share naturally went to the Emperor and Empress in the Great Ming Palace, while others—such as the Li Yu Royal Family, the Noble Families of the Two Capitals, and high-ranking officials—all had a stake. Some mid- and lower-level officials didn’t even realize that the private bribes they received, when traced back through subtle clues, also belonged to Jin Wusuan’s enterprises. By leaving his family in Chang’an, he was likely demonstrating his loyalty to the Emperor and Empress. He was hoping that, in consideration of his many years of diligent and uncomplaining service, they would ensure his children’s continued wealth and security, and not discard him now that his usefulness was over. I’ve often visited the Imperial Palace and understand well the mercilessness of the Heavenly Family. Nonetheless, the Emperor and Empress are relatively sentimental; Jin Wusuan’s children should remain safe and unharmed.
