After he finished speaking, he noticed that everyone else was silent and vaguely felt his words might have been a bit inappropriate, so he quickly explained, "I didn’t mean anything else by it. I just wanted to say that some of the roads here aren’t easy to walk on, especially at night. So if you don’t want to tell me where you’re going, it’s fine. Before you set off, I’ll tell each of you the precautions you need to take. You should be careful, right?"

"Boss, you said all those people are the townspeople, coming here on certain days to drink talismanic water... What does that mean?" Zhu Yu didn’t answer the boss’s inquiry but instead turned around to ask him, "Could it be... there are evil spirits in your town?"

The boss probably didn’t expect Zhu Yu to ask so bluntly and was startled. He jumped up from the bench instinctively, trying to cover Zhu Yu’s mouth.

But as soon as he reached out, before he could even touch Zhu Yu’s mouth, Lu Qing casually grabbed his wrist halfway.

Lu Qing’s posture seemed very relaxed, with a smile on his face, but the grip on the boss’s wrist was firm, making the boss afraid to move his wrist around.

"Boss, did my younger brother say something offensive to you?" he asked with a smile, releasing the innkeeper’s wrist and subtly pushing him aside.

Although the innkeeper lived in this small town, he still encountered travelers and merchants from south to north throughout the year, so his judgment and tact were better than most.

These people are dressed quite plainly, even looking a bit disheveled, but being able to take out a piece of silver for food and drink shows they’re not from a poor family.

Their current attire is likely to avoid revealing wealth.

And the youngest and most refined-looking one might be some kind of young master at home? My instinctual move to cover his mouth was clearly offensive.

The innkeeper hurriedly withdrew his hand, secretly exclaiming inwardly, fearing he might offend such a rare occurrence of God of Wealth.

"Sorry, dear guests." He said with a smile to Lu Qing, "The young master didn’t say anything offensive. It’s just that the shop is really crowded today, and I’m afraid if anyone hears what the young master said, they might get scared, become superstitious, and offend you all."

"So... there really is something going on?" Zhu Yu nervously looked at Lu Qing, then at the innkeeper, "Should we... drink some talismanic water too? Boss, name your price, as long as it ensures our safety!"

"No need for that, what you gave earlier was quite enough." The innkeeper waved his hand, thinking it would be unreasonable to take advantage of them for more silver. He lowered his voice to speak to the four, "You folks should eat steadily, else the food will get cold.

Pretty soon, they’ll leave for work, and I’ll tell you all about it."

Zhu Yu and the others nodded, and the innkeeper went back to attend to other tasks, soon bringing out a few hot dishes.

They indeed hadn’t eaten so well for quite some days now, so temporarily putting aside other matters to eat solidly was quite enjoyable.

The innkeeper’s wife may not have the culinary skills of famous chefs from the Capital, but she has a unique homemade touch that makes the food warm and satisfying, leaving Zhu Yu feeling equally content.

The four of them drank warm water, filled their bellies, and listened in, trying to catch what others were talking about.

They thought maybe with all these people gathering here at the inn drinking "talismanic water," they might hear discussions about something.

But after listening for a long time, all they heard was a lot of trivial, everyday gossip, petty squabbles, not a single useful piece of information.

These people seemed very relaxed and carefree, not tense at all, as if they just came here to rest while drinking talismanic water, and entertain themselves with some idle chatter.

After a while, the people started leaving one by one, and the originally noisy and boisterous inn grew quieter, until only two other tables remained chatting, ordering some wine to continue their conversation, not leaving to work.

After greeting those two familiar tables, the innkeeper saw no one else was coming in, and the place had quieted down, so he returned to Zhu Yu’s table, sitting again on the previous bench. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Gentlemen, have you finished your meal? How did you find my wife’s cooking?" He spoke politely, his gaze sweeping over the nearly emptied plates and exhibiting a proud expression over his wife’s skills.

"Very delicious, traveling away from home, it’s rare to eat such comforting and satisfying meals." Zhu Yu exclaimed.

"That’s right, we’re just a small place here, definitely cannot compare with real chefs, but within these ten miles and eight villages, no one beats my wife’s cooking." The boss nodded happily.

"By the way, now that there’s hardly anyone here, can you tell us about the talismanic water affair?" Zhu Yu switched the topic back to the previous matter, looking curious, "Earlier, people seemed not so nervous, didn’t seem like there’s anything wrong here.

But the boss was so tense, it makes it hard to tell what’s going on."

Recalling his exaggerated reaction earlier, the boss glanced at Lu Qing somewhat sheepishly, seeing Lu Qing relaxed and listening to their chatter, realizing he wasn’t held accountable, he sighed with relief.

He looked at the other two tables, noting they were far from Lu Qing’s group and were somewhat dazed from the drink, probably couldn’t hear their conversation, so he gestured with his hand and whispered, "Little do you know, this issue isn’t recent, it’s been a long time.

The talismanic water drinking is something these old townsfolk do for peace of mind, a habit turned intrinsic, so they still come regularly.

I was just afraid if you all asked about it and mentioned haunting spirits, you might frighten them again when their courage had already been exhausted, and having everyone panic is something we’ve had enough of and are afraid of!

If you’re curious, I can tell you about it, but please don’t go around asking everyone, if you run into someone who’s easily frightened, that current might stir up again, and life would get unsettled once more."