Uncle Nine: You were supposed to drive corpses, so you summoned the Monkey King!

As soon as it was light, the courtyard of the mortuary became lively.

Wencai squatted against the wall brushing his teeth, his mouth full of white foam.

Qiu Sheng threw the two bulging cloth bundles onto the stone table.

Lin Chen walked over and poked the bundle with his sword sheath.

It's rock hard.

"Did you bring an iron weight?"

"No, there isn't." Qiu Sheng untied the knot. "Four sets of clean clothes, two pairs of cloth shoes, three boxes of matches, and some scallion pancakes that Aunt Zhe made."

Lin Chen didn't say anything, turned around and went back to the east wing to get his things.

A crossbody cloth bag.

Inside were talismans, Qi-boosting pills, a small packet of cinnabar powder, black dog blood, and the raw amber stone used to nurture the magical artifact.

With a few extra dollars, it wasn't heavy to carry on my back.

Uncle Nine walked out of the main hall, carrying a pipe in his hand.

"Don't wander around aimlessly once you get to the provincial capital. Keep a close eye on Zhao Si and find out who the contact person is. Don't act rashly."

Uncle Nine tapped his cigarette ash against the door frame.

"If the person making the contact doesn't take anything, it means he's also a middleman. They're playing the long game."

Lin Chen nodded.

Aunt Zhe brought out a plate of freshly cooked stir-fried shredded pork with pickled vegetables from the kitchen.

"Eat on the go, so you don't waste money outside. Restaurants in the provincial capital are expensive."

Qiu Sheng quickly stuffed the shredded meat into the bundle.

Mao Shanming came out of the backyard carrying a kettle, covered in sweat.

"Senior brothers, how many days will you be gone?"

"Don't ask too many questions." Lin Chen patted his shoulder. "If you have time, practice horse stance for half an hour more."

When they went out, the carriage sent by Awei was already waiting at the intersection.

It takes most of the day to travel from Renjia Town to the provincial capital by horse-drawn carriage.

The two got into the carriage, and the driver cracked his whip, sending the carriage creaking and groaning onto the main road.

Qiu Sheng sat in the carriage, swaying back and forth.

"Junior brother, you said Zhao Si isn't leaving until tomorrow. Isn't it a bit early for us to go today?"

"It's getting late." Lin Chen placed the lightning-struck wooden sword across his lap. "The provincial capital is so big, we don't know what the situation is like around the Peace Inn."

"It's always better to scout out the location beforehand and find a suitable surveillance position than to be clueless tomorrow."

Lin Chen took out the piece of raw amber and stuck it to the sword.

He activated the "Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing" and gently nurtured the lightning-struck wooden sword.

The lightning patterns on the sword glowed with a faint red light in the darkness.

Qiu Sheng watched for a while, then moved to the side.

"What exactly is inside that iron box? Even Master can't open it."

"My senior brother wouldn't dare to force it open."

Lin Chen kept his eyes closed. "The array patterns on the box's surface are for holding things and maintaining internal balance. If you smash it, the thing inside will go out of control."

Qiu Sheng curled his lip, "The Nine Nether Sect is really weird. They have to make burying something so complicated."

"How can something simple fool the eyes of upright people?"

Lin Chen put the raw amber into his cloth bag.

The carriage traveled on the official road for more than three hours.

We stopped for a rest at a roadside tea stall around noon.

Qiu Sheng ate the scallion pancakes made by Zhe Gu with pickled vegetables, while Lin Chen drank a bowl of coarse tea.

As the sun began to set in the afternoon, the carriage entered the territory of the provincial capital.

The blue brick road was wider than the town's, and there were more pedestrians on it.

The rickshaw pullers were shirtless as they ran through the streets.

The shouts of vendors selling large bowls of tea and candied hawthorns on the street were chaotic.

The driver placed the two men under the archway in the south of the city.

"Gentlemen, this is a busy area ahead; carriages can't go any further. You'll have to walk."

Lin Chen paid the fare and slung his cloth bag over his shoulder.

Qiu Sheng followed behind, carrying two large bundles.

"Which street is the Peace Inn on again?"

"West of the city, Tongluo Lane." Lin Chen checked the direction. "Follow me."

The two crossed two main streets.

Western-style buildings and brick houses lined both sides of the street.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, we turned into a slightly quieter street.

A memorial archway stands at the street entrance, bearing the name Tongluo Lane.

The area on both sides is mostly lined with inns, teahouses, and pawnshops.

Lin Chen stopped.

Fifty paces ahead, there was a sign with black background and gold lettering.

Peace Inn.

The inn has a wide facade, with three rooms.

There were many people coming and going at the entrance, some wearing long gowns and others wearing straw hats.

Lin Chen did not approach the inn.

He stood under the eaves of a building across the street, looking around.

Diagonally across from it is a two-story hotel with a broken sign that reads "Yuelai Hotel".

"Let's go to Yuelai."

Lin Chen led the way across the street.

The lobby of the Yuelai Hotel was dimly lit and smelled of musty wood.

A plump proprietress sat behind the counter, cracking sunflower seeds.

"A hotel room?" The plump landlady didn't even lift her eyelids.

"Two superior rooms. Second floor, facing the street." Lin Chen slapped two silver dollars on the counter.

When the proprietress saw the silver dollars, she put away the melon seeds and wiped the counter with a rag.

"There's only one room left facing the street. Room 203, the window faces Tongluo Lane."

"What about the other one?"

"204 is next to 203, but the window faces the backyard."

"Okay, these two will do."

Lin Chen took the key and led Qiu Sheng upstairs.

The wooden stairs creak when you step on them.

Pushing open the door to room 203, the room was small, containing a bed and a set of table and chairs.

Lin Chen walked to the window and pushed open half of the wooden window.

Looking down, you can see the entrance to the Peace Inn, and even the people eating at the tables in the lobby on the first floor.

Qiu Sheng threw the bundle on the bed and leaned over to look down.

"This place is good. We'll see Zhao Si as soon as he walks in."

"This room is mine. You can go to room 204 next door," Lin Chen said.

Qiu Sheng was a little unhappy.

"Why did I live in the back house? I want to look out over the street."

"If you can guarantee you won't snore at night, you can stay in this room."

The mortuary knows that his snoring is so loud it could blow the roof off.

Lin Chen closed the window slightly, leaving only a crack.

"Go downstairs and take a look. Find out about the background of the Peace Inn."

"Buy two roast ducks while you're at it. Let's not eat out tonight."

Upon hearing that he was buying something delicious, Qiu Sheng agreed, took out two silver dollars from his bundle, put them in his pocket, and turned to leave.

The room fell silent.

Lin Chen pulled up a chair and sat down by the window.

From this angle, people on the street can't see him, but he can keep his eyes glued to the outside.

It was getting dark.

A few streetlights were lit along the street.

Two large red lanterns were hung at the entrance of the Peace Inn.

Lin Chen closed his eyes and began to circulate the "Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture".

With fifty points of mental attribute, I peered across the street.

He wanted to find out what was going on at the Peace Inn.

Lin Chen opened his eyes as soon as his mental energy touched the outer wall of the inn.

This inn is not just frequented by ordinary people.

Lin Chen sat on a wooden chair, tapping his thigh with his fingers.

I just scanned the area with my mental energy, and several fluctuations emanated from the inn. The commotion wasn't significant, but it wasn't from ordinary people.

A room on the left side of the second floor smelled of earth, and the person inside was breathing heavily; it was probably a tomb raider.

There was a faint, eerie aura emanating from the woodshed in the backyard. It wasn't a ghost, but rather a rogue cultivator who had raised a ghost child or carried an evil spirit.

The person on the far right of the third floor has very strong vitality. He's either a martial arts practitioner or has practiced hard qigong.

All sorts of people frequent this Peace Inn. The Nine Nether Sect chose this place as their meeting point; all walks of life mingle here, creating a chaotic atmosphere where anyone could easily blend in without drawing attention.

Lin Chen withdrew his spiritual energy. He didn't probe any deeper, afraid of alerting the people in the inn, and even more afraid of alerting the contact person.

The door was pushed open. Qiu Sheng walked in carrying two oil paper bags, and the aroma of roasted meat wafted out of the room.

"I bought the roast duck. I also bought half a jin of liquor."

Qiu Sheng put his things on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Have you found out?" Lin Chen walked over and tore off a duck leg.

"Understood." Qiu Sheng removed the bottle cap.

"The owner of this Peace Inn is surnamed Jin. He used to be a horse caravan driver. Later, he was injured and quit, opening this inn instead. Owner Jin knows people in both the legitimate and underworld circles. The provincial police never raid his shop."

Qiu Sheng took a bite of duck meat, his mouth oozing with oil.

"The people living here are all sorts of people from all walks of life. There are smuggling merchants and people carrying criminal records who are hiding from the police. As long as you can pay the rent, Boss Jin doesn't ask where you come from."

Lin Chen nodded, chewing on the duck meat. This was roughly the same result as what his mental energy had detected earlier.

"The water here is murky, perfect for catching fish."

"When will Zhao Si arrive tomorrow?" Qiu Sheng asked.

"His legs aren't what they used to be, and with all that heavy stuff on his back, he can't walk fast." Lin Chen pulled out a piece of yellow paper to wipe his hands. "The earliest he can walk is tomorrow afternoon."