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Chapter 608 Lodging
At this point, not to mention talismans, even Zhu Yu couldn't help but feel curious, wondering why those people had followed them all the way without doing anything.

She knew these people definitely had ill intentions and were going to take action against them; they were just looking for a suitable opportunity.

This was also something that piqued her curiosity.

The remote town, the shabby inn, the dark and windy night—all these elements combined made it the perfect opportunity to carry out a heinous act.

Surprisingly, they didn't make any move...

Could it be that those people guessed they would be on guard, so they wanted to keep them on their guard until they couldn't hold on any longer and relaxed their guard before launching a surprise attack?
This question didn't bother Zhu Yu for long. They traveled for another two days in the direction of Lan Di. The surrounding area gradually changed from a vast and open plain to more undulating and high and low mountains. Large tracts of farmland became less common, and were replaced by dense forests.

Runes and Talismans remained vigilant, adjusting their travel speed to ensure they spent each night in an inn in a town, never staying in the wilderness.

Those who followed them in secret were equally patient, never blindly approaching them even a step closer.

Finally, after traveling for half a day, Fu Wen took a short break in an open area and approached Lu Qing and Zhu Yu with a water bag.

"Master, Second Master, those people... seem to have stopped." He said to them in a low voice as he poured water for them.

"Where is ahead?" Lu Qing asked.

“I remember there was a village ahead. There weren’t many residents, and the area was sparsely populated. Moreover, it wasn’t very peaceful. There used to be bandits in the surrounding mountains. The imperial court sent people to suppress them, but they didn’t have much success. After that, we haven’t heard of any bandits causing trouble again,” Fu Wen replied.

Zhu Yu looked at Lu Qing thoughtfully. Lu Qing handed her the water and then told Fu Wen, "Let's go to that manor and see what's the reason that they stopped but didn't take any action."

After resting for a while, the four of them headed towards the manor and arrived in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Zhu Yu had assumed that the place would be somewhat desolate and dilapidated after hearing Fu Wen's words, but she was surprised when she arrived at the manor.

This was hardly a sparsely populated village; it was far more bustling and prosperous than the towns they had stayed in before.

Even in a place so close to the capital, Zhu Yu had never seen any village so bustling.

It was just a village, and along the way their carriage passed, there were all sorts of shops, from butcher shops and blacksmith shops to taverns and cloth shops.

There were quite a few people coming and going on the road, but there were very few elderly people or children, and even women were almost nowhere to be seen.

When these people saw Zhu Yu and his carriage pass by, many stopped and followed the carriage with their eyes. They showed no surprise, no curiosity, and no wariness of strangers coming to the manor. They simply stared and scrutinized without any attempt to conceal their presence.

Although Zhu Yu dressed in men's clothing for convenience when she went out, she still felt a little uneasy when she looked out the car window at the people staring at them.

A village, without old men, old women, or children, yet it was a place of taverns and restaurants, where a group of strong men wandered aimlessly in broad daylight... Zhu Yu looked past the people staring at them and gazed into the distance.

In the distance are fields interspersed among houses and courtyards.

It was just past the Double Ninth Festival, and the harvest in the fields outside the capital was still incomplete. Along the way, whenever we passed through the fields, we could always see farmers busy in the fields.

There was nothing in the fields here except for some tangled weeds.

No old or young, no grain or seedlings... then this can't possibly be a village!
Zhu Yu looked at the houses and courtyards that looked no different from ordinary farmhouses, but had now been transformed into taverns and restaurants. He had a vague guess in his mind—the reason why the bandits who had been causing trouble outside had stopped making a fuss was probably not because they had all been wiped out, but because they had found a new "village" that was less likely to be discovered.

As for the small number of people who weren't very prosperous on this estate to begin with... Zhu Yu couldn't bear to speculate any further.

She desperately hoped her idea was wrong, but the gazes cast upon them along the way were too greedy, like hungry wolves eyeing a large piece of fat meat, making it difficult for her to overturn her guess.

Fu Lu deliberately made the carriage move at a slow and steady pace. Zhu Yu rolled the carriage window back a little, leaving only a crack so that he could see out, even if he couldn't see the whole picture, he could still see some parts of it.

She soon discovered that although the people in the village were all dressed as farmers, one or two of them were carrying knives at their waists.

At this point, Zhu Yu finally understood everything.

First of all, it is certain that this village has been taken over by bandits and turned into a den of thieves and a mountain stronghold disguised as a village.

Secondly, those who had been following them all the way suddenly stopped outside the manor and stopped coming with them. It's highly likely that they had the idea of ​​using someone else to kill them. They probably wanted to use the bandits to kill them.

Alternatively, they might sneak in later, attack the four of them, kill them, and then frame the bandits.

After all, if Lu Qing, the carefree prince who had been demoted to a commoner, were to be murdered in the middle of nowhere with his wife and entourage, it would clearly be a deliberate act. If the news reached the capital, it was unknown whether Emperor Jin would intervene.

However, if Lu Qing, along with his wife and entourage, left the capital for a journey and unfortunately stumbled into a bandit's den, where they were robbed and killed by bandits, becoming several unlucky souls, then there's no need to delve deeper into this matter.

"What should we do?" Having figured this out, Zhu Yu remained silent for a moment before asking Lu Qing.

Lu Qing smiled and said, "You can probably guess what I'm going to do."

Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled, reaching out to lift the curtain in front of him, and said to Fu Lu, "Let's find an inn and stay here!"
I think you've been so cooped up lately, you're practically rusting at the bone. Maybe today you'll have a chance to stretch your legs a bit.

Fu Lu's eyes lit up with joy, and he nodded hastily: "Alright, Second Master, I just saw a place with an inn flag up ahead, and I was just about to ask you and Master what you think."

Since you've spoken, we'll head over there for the night!