UNSURPRISINGLY, the guide hadn't been entirely truthful.
People from all walks of life gathered in Qiemo. There were plenty of inns around, all in competition for customers passing through the city. The guide had noted this as well and taken advantage of his job showing merchants around—he'd bring them to this particular inn in exchange for a small commission. Guest houses like this one, the Tianfu Inn, were shady establishments. It wasn't uncommon for valuables to go missing, and just making it out in one piece was considered lucky. Merchants who stayed there would write off these small losses as the price they paid for peace of mind. They didn't want trouble, so they didn't report anything—and even if they had, it wouldn't have made a difference. Magistrate Gao wouldn't overstep in Duan Qihu's territory.
As far as merchant convoys went, Cui Buqu's party wasn't particularly large, but their food, lodging, and clothes made it clear they didn't lack for money. They were fat lambs begging for the slaughter.
Perhaps they had kept too low a profile—their guide had misjudged them completely and fallen flat on his face.
By now, he'd been dragged into a dark alley. He took in Cui Buqu's words and Qiao Xian's shadowed, expressionless face. He assumed they were going to silence him and was flooded with terror.
"Have mercy, my lord! This lowly one was too blind to see what was right in front of my face! I have a family to feed; I was threatened into doing it. My lowly self was no match for them! I beg your lordship, give me another chance! I'll take you to a respectable inn. A perfectly respectable one!"
Qiao Xian's voice was cold. "Business is business; losing our patronage will make little difference to you. But try to deceive us again…"
Light flashed from her sleeve, dazzling the guide. He realized it was the glint of a dagger and almost burst into tears.
"I'll be honest," he said miserably. "It's the start of spring and the roads are beginning to thaw. The city is teeming with traveling merchants at this time of year—most of the inns are full. If you're looking for rooms, this is the only kind that's available…"
Qiao Xian frowned slightly and glanced toward Cui Buqu.
Influential local powers ran most of the inns here. The Zuoyue Bureau had a secret base of operations in Qiemo where they could send and receive information, but it wasn't somewhere they could stay.
At this point, the guide seemed to be struck by a flash of inspiration. "There's one inn that might still have room. But…"
"Spit it out!" Qiao Xian snapped.
"But it's cursed!" wailed the guide.
Feng Xiao spoke up in a sweet falsetto. "This Tianfu Inn is so chaotic! Look at all those people coming and going, so crowded and sweaty. I just know it'll stink to the high heavens in there. This wife can't abide it! My lord, you're a trusting man, but you've never been superstitious. Let's have a look, shall we?"
Cui Buqu looked at her askance, as if to say, You're the one who wants to go. Don't drag me into it.
Feng Xiao smiled back. There was nothing terrifying about that smile. Upon a closer look, one might even call it charming. But only those who'd never seen Feng Xiao's true self would think it so. Cui Buqu, Qiao Xian, and Jinlian looked away as one, turning their heads in perfect accord.
The guide, who knew nothing about Feng Xiao, was stunned. How fortunate this man from the Ye clan was to have married such a stunning beauty despite his sickly, lethargic demeanor. Though judging from his appearance, he'd have difficulty fathering a child.
After his previous mishap, the guide didn't dare put a toe out of line. He led them meekly along several streets until they arrived at a nondescript building marked with a sign reading Yangji Inn.
Qiemo was a remote city, home to a mélange of peoples. Even their businesses brushed shoulders. The Yangji Inn perched on the edge of a residential district opposite a row of small eateries frequented by men and women in Han dress as well as merchants in foreign garb. Evening approached; the eateries were bustling and the clamor of stallkeepers and customers rose and fell. On the residential side, children scurried home from playing as their mothers called them back for dinner. Some drew water, some returned from work, some waved and chatted with their neighbors. All these scenes blended, creating that legend upon the sands: the city of Qiemo.
Fugitives often fled here, and it wasn't hard to see why. Though the city hadn't the prosperity of the Central Plains, it had all the things one needed to make a living. The sky was high, and the emperor was far away. The city offered a freedom money couldn't buy. Here, even a murderer might not pay with their life. Qiemo was just the place for those without moral boundaries.
But there was something strange going on here. Surrounded by this rowdy atmosphere, the Yangji Inn was oddly quiet, and the hall on the first floor, where one would expect guests to mingle, remained unfilled.
When the porter saw them stop at the entrance, he came out with an enthusiastic greeting and led them inside. Qiao Xian grabbed the guide's arm and pulled him along.
"This way, please, honored guests. We still have several fine rooms available. How many do you need? It's early yet, but you must be tired from your journey. May I offer you some food and wine?" the porter asked.
Nodding, Qiao Xian followed him to book rooms and order their food.
The guide was terrified out of his wits. The moment he saw his tormentor Qiao Xian leave, he turned to flee. But as he lifted his foot, he heard a whoosh: his pantleg had been pinned to the floor by a chopstick. Half an inch to the left and it would've been buried in his leg instead.
He raised his eyes and found Jinlian, a woman he had considered utterly unremarkable until this moment, looking back.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
The guide broke out in a cold sweat. Even the women of this group were formidable! Why had they insisted on leaving Tianfu Inn when they were strong enough to terrorize everyone there?
"N-nowhere!" The guide twisted his mouth in a smile so wretched crying would have looked more cheerful. "This lowly one's leg fell asleep; I just wanted to move a little!"
"Why did you say this place is cursed?" asked Cui Buqu.
Trembling with fear, the guide extinguished any thoughts of escape. He told them everything from start to finish.
***
This inn was haunted.
People did come and go, usually only staying a night or two. These guests didn't care if it was haunted as long as they had someplace to rest.
But although the hall was almost full, it wasn't nearly as busy as other inns in the city at the moment—even the Tianfu Inn they'd left behind was livelier. Elsewhere, travelers gathered in throngs and packed the halls of the guest houses. This inn was a far cry from that.
Upon looking around, Cui Buqu noticed most of the people present were merchants staying at the inn for the first time, like themselves. Many peered about in open curiosity. Seasoned veterans who conducted business on this route obviously chose accommodations elsewhere.
According to their guide, the hauntings at the inn had begun a year ago, long enough that he couldn't remember all the details. But he clearly recalled the first incident, which had involved the well behind the inn.
A guest had gotten drunk that night and was nowhere to be found the next day. His companions searched for him to no avail. The court hadn't yet sent a magistrate to Qiemo, so they had no way to report the incident. They could only assume that in his drunken stupor, he'd slipped and drowned somewhere. The incident was left unresolved.
Afterward, guests began to hear faint cries for help in the middle of the night. Some, more courageous or nosier than others, followed the sounds to the dry well behind the inn. At last the innkeeper had no choice but to remove the stones covering the well. Lo and behold, at the bottom they found the sorry corpse of the missing guest.
From that moment on, rumors of the haunted inn spread throughout the city. Some said the man's companions had robbed and killed him, then thrown his body down the well. Unable to rest in peace, he'd become a ghost forever pleading for help. But that was only the beginning.
Half a month after the discovery of the first corpse, another guest brought back a prostitute for some late-night fun. Halfway through the deed, he slumped forward and died right on top of the poor girl.
Yet another person had come just for a meal. He went to a bathhouse afterward and somehow drowned in the shallow water.
The fourth unfortunate soul had simply drunk too much before croaking in an entertainment house elsewhere in the city.
At this last, Jinlian couldn't help but speak up. "The first two are fair enough, but the last two are rather a stretch!"
"How is it a stretch?" the guide said mysteriously. "The fourth man purchased his drinks here!"
Jinlian was speechless.
"Fights break out every day in this city," the guide continued. "Plenty of people lose their lives. But this inn really is cursed. They say every night after midnight the guests hear voices crying for justice for their tragic deaths. There's another rumor: any guest, no matter how uneventful their stay, will suffer financial loss after leaving. Those who get off lightly lose half their wealth, while others lose their entire fortune. What say your lordships? Does this not sound like a curse?"
Qiao Xian had finished arranging for meals and lodging, and returned just in time to hear these final remarks. "How do you know they lost their money? Did you follow them and witness it for yourself?"
"Everyone says so," the guide said matter-of-factly. "They can't all be wrong!"
Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao exchanged a glance. This sounded more like snowballing rumors than a genuine haunting.
But there was nothing more frightening to a merchant than losses, especially when they were traveling thousands of miles from the Central Plains to the west. A round trip spanned months, and if they traveled farther than that, the journey took longer still. Forget losing one's fortune—even a small loss would be heart-wrenching. Better to spend a night in the stables or lose some money at that Tianfu Inn than be cursed with bad luck.
The guide saw their skeptical expressions and said no more. He wouldn't be the one getting cursed—he'd made up his mind not to eat a bite or drink a drop at the Yangji Inn. Even while seated, he was on high alert.
Qiao Xian threw him his fee. With the job done, he didn't linger. The guide caught the money, then nodded, bowed, and fled.
***
While they conversed, the porter brought over their meal.
The dishes were nothing compared to those from the capital; they even fell a little short of what Liugong City had to offer. But at the very least they were piping hot. Qiao Xiao picked up a steamed bun and was about to dig in when she caught sight of Feng Xiao's look of disgust as he stared at the congee.
"Do they not have clean bowls here?"
Qiao Xian couldn't resist mocking him. "You're going to put on airs even now?"
Feng Xiao ignored her. He tugged at Cui Buqu's sleeve and wheedled, "My lord, your wife wants a new bowl. Won't you purchase one for her?"
Cui Buqu raised his bowl expressionlessly and took a sip. "There aren't any. Eat or don't."
Feng Xiao's tone was aggrieved. "Is this about you wanting a concubine? I can see you're still upset over the matter. But I only protest out of concern for your lordship's health. Look at you, you're already so weak. You can't even satisfy me, yet you want another woman? What if you die an early death, what will your poor wife do then?"
His voice was perfectly pitched to carry to the guests at all the adjacent tables. As they glanced at this couple—one sick and ailing, the other glowing like fresh peach blossoms—comprehension dawned.
Everyone said women were wolves at thirty and tigers at forty. To think this woman still in her twenties was so ravenous!
Qiao Xian's teeth itched. She longed to roll up her sleeves and punch Feng Xiao in his lovely face. At a look from Cui Buqu, however, she silently let her hands fall. Punching one's sister-in-law in full view of the public was definitely unacceptable. They were only passing through this city; they shouldn't make a scene.
It was precisely for this reason that Feng Xiao grew bolder still. He pressed himself to Cui Buqu and rubbed against him, whispering loudly, "I know your lordship wants it, but your wife is having that time of the month. A few more days and I'll give you what you need, hm?"
Cui Buqu slammed his bowl down on the table. "Buy her a new bowl," he told Qiao Xian.
"A pair of chopsticks and a spoon too, please," chirped Feng Xiao. "No need to be overly picky when we're out and about. Poplar or bamboo will do just fine."
Qiao Xian couldn't bear to reply.