Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 860 Hongxing Inn
They traversed ancient roads, ventured to Northeast China, traveled westward, and went to Southeast Asia.

These are the footprints of the Chinese people's migration since ancient times, but behind every footprint lies deceit, bloodshed, and thorns.

Take the journey to Northeast China for example. Many people went there to pan for gold, dig for ginseng, become outlaws, or flee from disaster. They were all merchants, laborers, generals, and bandits. But they never came out.

If there's any difference between nowadays and the past when people ventured to Northeast China, it's probably just that the roads under Xiao Ran's feet are a bit easier to walk on.

The three of them walked along the main road and saw many abandoned villages and towns along the way.

The further you go in, the more abandoned villages and towns you see.

In fact, long before the Lost City was established, the population of the three northeastern provinces had already declined significantly.

In some places, there are hardly any households in the entire village.

And after the Lost City was established, it became even more of a paradise where evil spirits gathered.

Evil spirits roam everywhere; human life is worth less than a dog's.

The three of them originally wanted to fly directly in, but after entering the territory of Guandong, Xiao Ran felt uncomfortable all over. Once they took to the air, this feeling became even stronger.

It was as if there was a mysterious force at play; the higher they flew and the faster they went, the more pronounced the effects of the curse became.

Even though Xiao Ran could rely on the [Dragon Armor]

The temporary immunity to this curse was something neither the Golden Toad nor the Tiger Demon could withstand.

So they had no choice but to travel on foot.

Two days later, it started snowing.

It's still a long way from snow at this time of year, but right now it's not only snowing, it's snowing heavily.

Xiao Ran and the other two were already used to this; given their physical condition, this amount of snowflakes was nothing to them.

However, to keep a low profile, the three of them still wore thick woolen coats.

Following the national highway, I had no idea where I was. In the distance, I saw a village with only one lamp standing there all alone.

“Such a big town, and only one lamp? Isn’t that too obvious, Master? I think there must be a monster ahead,” Wu Man said, pointing ahead.

"Amitabha, Pigsy, don't scare your master." Golden Toad Zi put his hands together and pretended to be annoyed.

After saying that, he looked at Xiao Ran and asked, "Wukong, what should we do?"

Xiao Ran scratched his head: "Master, don't be afraid. We'll clear the way through the mountains and build bridges over the rivers. With me here, I'll make sure you get to the Western Paradise as soon as possible."

The three of them were also free.

It's just that Huang Le was incompetent and Dai Long died young; otherwise, if they had all four of them, they could probably have performed a whole Journey to the West show.
But despite their playful antics, the three of them fell silent and kept a low profile when they arrived in town.

From the video provided by Lao Xiao, it's easy to see that Guandong is now full of hidden talents, and Xiao Ran wouldn't dare to boast that he's the third best in the world.

When I got to the lights, I took a closer look and saw that it was a red brick building in the style of the 1980s, with two floors, somewhat like the architectural style of the Russian side.

The main gate was wide open, covered by a thick curtain, and a sign hung above it that read "Hongxing Hospitality".

"This is fine." Wu Man glanced at the signboard. "Even if it's the Black Mountain Granny inside, we should still find a place to rest, wash up, and ask for directions, right?"

Their group was traveling, so food was not a problem, since Wu Man was with them, so they wouldn't starve.

But after a long and arduous journey, Xiao Ran and the others were indeed exhausted.

Xiao Ran released her spiritual power to scan the area and found that the guesthouse seemed to have an auspicious aura, not the filthy and evil atmosphere she had imagined.

"This place seems to be something special. Let's go in and take a look," Xiao Ran said, and took the lead in walking inside.

Pushing open the curtain, a wave of heat, mixed with the smell of old furniture and aged tobacco, rushed in, dispelling the chill outside.

What surprised Xiao Ran even more was the bright incandescent light in the hall and the high-powered air conditioner in the corner that was whirring and blowing hot air out.

Before me was a hall of about eighty square meters, in the typical style of a state-run guesthouse from the 1980s.

Six square tables covered with beige plastic tablecloths were neatly arranged in the hall.

The walls were painted with a waist-high light green wainscoting, the upper part of which was painted with a slightly yellowish white paint. A faded ink painting of a welcoming pine tree and an old-fashioned wall clock hung on the wall.

The floor was concrete, but it was cleaned quite thoroughly, with almost no dust or stains.

The front desk was a dark brown wooden counter with an enamel teacup and a registration book on it, and an old-fashioned large thermos with red and white stripes standing next to it.

"Wow, electricity and heating, this is much better than what we had on the road." Wu Man raised her eyebrows, casually brushed the snow off her shoulder, and scanned her surroundings like a radar with a professional scrutiny. "It's the decor that's so nostalgic."

Jin Chanzi stroked his whisk and calmly commented, "A quiet place like this is quite rare."

Xiao Ran remained silent, her spiritual power spreading out like invisible ripples, enveloping the entire hall, and then cautiously extending upwards to explore the second floor and deeper areas.

There was none of the expected strong aura of corpses, malevolent energy, or malevolent spirits entangled with resentment; even the usual cold, damp, and foul air found on the outskirts of the labyrinthine city was extremely faint.

The air was filled with nothing more than the most ordinary smells of old wood, dust, cheap tea, and a faint, almost imperceptible scent that resembled some kind of cheap incense.

clean!

This cleanliness, in the Kanto region now rife with evil spirits and resembling a ghost town, seems particularly abrupt, even more novel than directly encountering evil spirits.

"Do the three of you need a hotel or a meal?"

At this moment, a young man stood up from below the stage. He was young, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with short, crew-cut hair, and looked very capable. He looked at the three men calmly, then his gaze swept downwards, landing on the tiger lying at the feet of the golden toad. He frowned slightly: "Gentlemen, this tiger…"

"Don't worry, my big cat is obedient and won't bite," Jin Chanzi said with a smile.

But the young man changed his tone: "What I mean is, the furniture here is all old, and if I scratch it, I'll have to pay for it."

Upon hearing the young man's words, Xiao Ran and Wu Man exchanged a glance.

This young man is interesting.

Are there any rules we should be aware of when staying at this hotel?

Xiao Ran walked to the counter.

"There are no rules, just don't make a lot of noise at night. Also, our prices are very high."

The young man pointed to the room prices behind him.

Xiao Ran glanced at the price list on the wall; the prices were unusually high.

Standard room (no window): 300 ghost money per night

Standard room (with window): 1000 ghost money per night

Superior Room (with emergency exit nearby): 3000 ghost money per night

At this price, it's practically robbery.

"If you think it's too expensive, you can stay overnight in the lobby. Hot water and instant noodles will be provided, but drinks and food will be charged separately."

"No need, we'll take the superior room. It should be fine for the three of us to share one room."

"No, because there's only one room left. We'll also give you three buckets of instant noodles."

After the young man finished speaking, he glanced at the tiger on the ground again: "An extra thousand ghost money is needed as a deposit to prevent this tiger from damaging the furniture."

Hearing the young man's words, Xiao Ran felt a special sense of relief.

Hearing such normal words spoken in a place like this, Xiao Ran was even a little dazed.

"Here you go! Forget about the instant noodles."

Xiao Ran took out a bag of money and handed it to the young man.

Inside were 4000 coins for the dead, which were for accommodation fees and a deposit.

The young man took the keys, counted them, and then took a key out of the cabinet and handed it to Xiao Ran.

"The last room on the left on the second floor."

Xiao Ran took the keys, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Is there hot water?"

Available 24/7.

Having received the answer she wanted, Xiao Ran smiled and led Wu Man, Jin Chanzi, and the tiger demon upstairs.

"Click!!"

After pushing open the room door, they saw that the room was not big, just the size of a normal guest room, with two beds and a sofa, just enough for the three of them to rest.

"This kid is really interesting. He's not simple. Opening an inn in this place means he's either ridiculously strong or ridiculously stupid. Which do you think it is?"

Wu Man closed the door and said.

Xiao Ran thought for a moment: "What if I told you that he's just an ordinary person?"

"Ordinary people?"

Wu Man paused for a moment, then looked at Xiao Ran.

I find Xiao Ran's explanation even more outrageous. How could an ordinary person dare to open an inn here?

But upon closer reflection, it seemed that he hadn't actually sensed any special fluctuations from the young man.

I am a B-level Inspiration Chef with the strongest senses. If the other party is a professional, I should be able to tell at a glance.

Therefore, he subconsciously believed that this young man was very strong, even comparable to himself.

Wu Man only came to her senses after Xiao Ran said that the other person was indeed an ordinary person.

"what do you mean……"

Wu Man looked at Jin Chanzi again, and after receiving confirmation from Jin Chanzi's gaze, Wu Man curled his lips and said, "Damn, this kid is awesome, daring to play dirty tricks here."

“Sigh!” Xiao Ran raised her hand. “It’s not necessarily a case of the darkest place being under the lamp. Ordinary people also have their own strengths. Otherwise, anyone with a little attention would be able to notice them.”

As she spoke, Xiao Ran suddenly paused, glanced out the window, and her eyelids twitched slightly: "I have a way to let you see if this kid is just blind to what's right under his nose, or if he really has something to offer."

As Xiao Ran spoke, she walked to the window, opened it, took out a piece of joss paper, shaped it into a paper figure, and blew on it lightly.

The paper figure quickly disappeared into the night with the wind.

(End of this chapter)