The red rain pattered, dripping from the eaves of the Yuelai Inn and gathering into winding streams of blood on the bluestone slabs.
At a neighboring table, a sturdily built demon cultivator had knocked back a few cups of liquor, which allowed his nerves—originally tensed by the red rain—to relax slightly.
The demon cultivator gripped a roast chicken, mumbling incoherently as he gnawed on it.
"It’s damn weird. This red rain makes one’s heart race. Tell me, why did the boss send me to a human provincial capital? It’s like he’s got a screw loose."
"Isn't that the truth?" The demon cultivator opposite him lowered his voice as well.
"I heard the rain is going to last for several more days. I don't even know if we'll make it to the capital in time."
"But then again, I don't know where this shopkeeper found his chef. This skill... it’s truly divine."
Nearby, several human cultivators kept their voices even lower, but because the gap in their cultivation stages was so large, their whispers were no different from shouting secrets right in front of Chen Zhou.
"There’s no death qi in this red rain. It’s excessively clean."
"The spiritual qi we usually absorb is always more or less mixed with impurities. Now that this red rain has washed everything, it’s as if it’s scrubbed our bodies—bodies that have rolled around in the mud—completely clean."
"And why wash us clean?" The cultivator beside him asked, confused. He let out a burp, his eyes somewhat glazed. "Are they waiting to put us in the pot?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the surrounding tables fell silent for a moment.
Indeed, being washed and peeled clean was usually for the sake of making an offering—or for being cooked.
"Mind your tongue!" An old man nearby tapped the table.
"This is the territory of the provincial capital. Great serendipity is descending. What's all this talk about pots? Do not speak nonsense and offend the nobles."
In the corner, Chen Zhou unhurriedly picked up a piece of pork hock and chewed it carefully.
Wu Gou, on the other hand, had no such concerns. He was sprawled over the table, locked in a life-or-death struggle with that plate of hock.
"Tell me, if this red rain really is for washing vegetables, does that mean we count as vegetables too?"
Wu Gou looked up in the midst of his busy eating, blinking his large eyes as he asked, "My skin is fine and my meat is tender. I definitely taste better than you."
Chen Zhou glanced at him and said flatly, "You’re the vegetable. I’m the one doing the cooking."
"Eat quickly. We have work to do once you're finished."
Just then, the shopkeeper behind the counter looked up at the sky outside, and his expression changed slightly.
He pulled back his abacus and shouted loudly, "Gather round, customers! It is getting late, and this small shop is closing for the day!"
"Closing?"
The tiger demon from earlier was just getting into his cups. Hearing this, he slammed a palm onto the table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump.
"What time is it even? Do you not know the rules?"
"The sun hasn't even set yet. No one closes this early! Bring me another five pounds of meat!"
The waiter hurried over with a fawning smile.
"This lord, it's not that I won't serve you. These are the rules of the provincial capital. Once darkness falls, doors must be shut. No business is conducted, and no strangers are to stay."
The tiger demon's eyes widened, and just as he was about to lose his temper, he felt someone grab his hand tightly.
His companion frowned and said, "Stop making a scene. Let's go. Did you forget what the boss said? Do not get into conflicts with people from the provincial capital."
When the tiger demon heard the word 'boss,' he instantly sobered up mostly.
He instinctively shrank his neck and glanced outside the door, where it clearly still looked like broad daylight, before cursing.
"What bad luck! Let's go, let's go!"
The tiger demon threw down a spirit stone and didn't even wait for change. He was half-pushed and half-carried by his companion as they rushed out of the inn's main door as if fleeing for their lives.
Seeing this, the other diners in the hall also stood up one after another.
The inn, which had been full just moments ago, was empty in the blink of an eye.
Those people left in a great hurry, as if some evil ghost were chasing them, and not a single one even paused to say goodbye.
The waiter came to Chen Zhou's table. Looking at Wu Gou, who was still wrestling with a bone, and the composed Chen Zhou, he rubbed his hands in agitation.
"You two customers, it’s really time to go."
"I see that you two have friendly faces, so I'll say a few more words. If you don't have anything urgent, even if you have to manage for a night in a ruined temple outside the city, do not linger in the town."
"If you must go to the provincial capital, you have to travel during the day. During the night... staying overnight is absolutely forbidden."
Chen Zhou put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and asked with interest.
"Why? I see this town has high walls and is protected by arrays. Could it be that you're afraid of demons attacking the city?"
"Demons aren't nearly as terrifying as that thing." The waiter lowered his voice and pointed upward.
"These are the rules from above."
"Once night falls, this is no longer a place for the living."
"You two should hurry. If it gets any later, you won't be able to leave."
Chen Zhou nodded thoughtfully and reached out to hoist up Wu Gou, who hadn't eaten his fill.
"Fine. We won't make things difficult for the shopkeeper."
Chen Zhou carried the hollering Wu Gou and strode out of the inn.
The waiter watched the two departing figures and breathed a long sigh of relief. He immediately turned to clear the tables and chairs, his movements so brisk it was as if he were racing against death.
Chen Zhou led Wu Gou to a street corner. Seeing no one around, the shadows beneath his feet suddenly began to writhe.
His Ghost Domain opened silently, enveloping the two of them.
"Eh? Why are we back?" Wu Gou looked at the familiar surroundings, though his vision had turned into shades of grey and white. He knew they had entered Chen Zhou's Ghost Domain.
"Since we're already here, wouldn't it be a wasted trip if we didn't see what kind of ghosts come out at night?"
The corners of Chen Zhou's mouth curled into a playful smile. "Besides, my auspicious cloud is pointing right at that inn. The person of interest hasn't shown up yet, so where would I go?"
The two of them circled back to the Yuelai Inn.
By now, the inn's main doors were tightly shut, and even the windows were sealed.
Staying within the Ghost Domain, Chen Zhou remained calmly at the position where he had sat before.
The main hall was already empty of people, leaving only the waiter hurriedly wiping the tables.
Just then, the curtain to the back kitchen was lifted.
A young man wearing coarse hemp clothes and an apron around his waist walked out.
The man looked to be in his early twenties. His features were plain, but his eyes were exceptionally clear.
He held a bowl of freshly brewed hot soup in his hand and placed it on the counter, saying to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, this is the last bowl of serene soup. Drink it while it’s hot."
Chen Zhou sized up the approaching cook, then activated his Law-Evaluating Eye.
A faint golden light actually enveloped this young cook.
Though it was very weak, nearly non-existent, he was undeniably a person of merit.
Chen Zhou also happened to perceive his cultivation.
5th-stage peak.
He was only one step away from stepping into the 6th-stage Eerification stage.
With such cultivation, in a place like Lantao City, he would be enough to found a sect or serve as an enshrined elder for a great family. Yet here he was, nestled in an inn in this small town, acting as a cook?
"Moreover..." Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes. "The aura on his body is very unstable. His qi is restless; he clearly can't suppress his realm much longer."
Without special means, most people in this world would desperately suppress their cultivation at the 5th-stage, not daring to rashly undergo Eerification.
Was this the person the auspicious cloud was guiding him to?
The shopkeeper took the soup and sighed. He looked at the young man before him with a complex gaze.
"Zi'an... have you really decided?"
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