Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 401: Shady Establishment

The carriage ambled along the official road, whose surface was pitted and worn from years of neglect. Yet, the old horse traversed the uneven path as if it was on level ground, leaving the two passengers inside completely undisturbed by any jolts.

“Ah, we’ve reached Wilderness Province?” Lu Yang unfolded a map with a glowing dot that marked their position. This was a magical artifact essential for travel.

“It’s getting late. Let’s find somewhere nearby to rest.” Noticing that the sky was getting dark and they had arrived in Wilderness Province, Meng Jingzhou felt there was no need to rush.

“Eh, look! There’s an inn! We could stay there!” Meng Jingzhou pointed to an inn ahead.

Its signboard hung precariously, and the name was barely visible. The condition of the inn could be described as...concerning.

Lu Yang eyed the inn skeptically. It was gloomy and eerie, looking like a squall could topple it.

“Let’s make do. Better than sleeping in the carriage,” Lu Yang consoled himself.

Approaching the entrance, they saw that the doors were wide open. The interior was swallowed in darkness, and there was not a single soul in sight, as if the place had been abandoned for ages.

The two also finally deciphered the fading sign: Qingming Inn[1]

“This name doesn’t sound too auspicious. Is this place still operating, or has it shut down?” Meng Jingzhou muttered before striding inside and shouting, “Is anyone here? We’d like to stay for the night!”

No response.

Meng Jingzhou yelled again, “Is anyone here? We’d like to stay for the night!”

Thud!

It sounded like a heavy corpse had hit the floor behind the counter.

“Who’s shouting? Don’t you know the rules?!” A man in a white paper hat darted out from the counter, glaring at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

“We’d like to stay here. Give me two of your best rooms!” Meng Jingzhou always stayed at the best places.

“You two? Stay here?” The man stared at them in surprise. He then peered behind them, but saw no one else was with them.

“Off with you! Don’t cause trouble here. This is not a place for you. Go find somewhere else to stay.” The man impatiently shooed them away.

Meng Jingzhou was baffled. He had stayed in many inns, but this was his first time encountering one that refused him. “Is your inn full?”

“Half the rooms are empty.”

“Then why turn us away?”

Seeing that the two really didn’t know the rules, the man was about to explain when noises suddenly came from upstairs.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The synchronized footsteps echoed unnervingly from above.

A cultivator in Daoist robes descended from the second floor, followed by a group of people wrapped in black cloth who kept silent, appearing especially frightening in the darkness.

The sheer number of figures shrouded in black cloth made Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou doubt the inn’s capacity, especially with half the rooms supposedly vacant.

Could a dozen people be crammed into one room? But how do they sleep? Do they stand against the walls?

"Lad, I'm checking out. This is the worst Qingming Inn I've ever stayed at." The Daoist-robed cultivator tossed a string of copper coins to the man in the white paper hat. The coins bore an unfamiliar design, and faint ripples of magical energy lingered on their surfaces, seemingly carrying some special properties.

The hatted man chuckled wordlessly. As long as there’s money to earn.

Lu Yang was bemused. It’s already dark. Why are they leaving now?

When Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou saw the appearances of the shrouded figures, both froze in shock.

These black-clothed figures had vacant and lifeless eyes. Some had their mouths and nostrils stuffed with mud and grass, others were disfigured, as if their faces had been crushed by something, while some decrepit ones were emaciated to the point of having a mere layer of skin draped over their bones.

“Died from drowning, crushed to death, died of old age... These are all corpses!”

“Corpse-Driving Technique?!”

No wonder they are checking out at night, resting during the day, and driving corpses at night—this is what the books describe.

The two didn’t expect to encounter the legendary Corpse-Driving Technique so soon after entering Wilderness Province.

The white paper-hatted man pocketed the coins and shot them a sidelong glance. “This is a corpse inn that provides lodging for Corpse Drivers. The rooms are meant for the dead. If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to stay here.”

The two’s eyelids twitched at the thought of staying in rooms meant for corpses, finding it more or less unsettling.

“Was the man who performed the Corpse-Driving Technique from the Corpse-Driving Sect?” Lu Yang asked. If he is from the Corpse-Driving Sect, this would be a great opportunity to have a chat with him.

The hatted man shook his head. “You two must be outsiders. I knew it! Our Qingming Inn is a chain establishment in Wilderness Province. How could any living person know our name, much less come looking for lodging?”

“We’re from Yun Province.”

Realization dawned upon the white paper-hatted man. “Ah, from the great provinces of the Central Plains! No wonder! I’ve heard that the Dao-Seeking Sect, one of the Five Great Immortal Sects, and the whole of Yun Province are powerful and prosperous. The transportation is convenient, the economy is developed, and strong cultivators are everywhere.”

He corrected the two’s misconceptions. “Corpse-Driving Techniques are not exclusive to the Corpse-Driving Sect. Many rogue cultivators among the common folks know them too, though they’re far less formal about it than the Corpse-Driving Sect.

“In our Wilderness Province, both corpse-driving rogue cultivators and disciples of the Corpse-Driving Sects are collectively called Corpse Drivers. They don’t use spirit stones for transactions, but rather Great Copper Spell Coins.” The man shook the string of copper coins in his hand. “These right here.”

The two thanked the white paper-hatted man and decided to search for another inn.

After leaving Qingming Inn, Lu Yang noticed a fallen sign at the entrance. Out of kindness, he stood it back up.

The sign read: Due to adjustments in business strategy, this establishment has relocated 20 li east of Baiquan Town. We seek your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience.[2]

The date at the bottom was from five years ago.

“What?!”

The two looked up in shock at the Qingming Inn before them, a chill rising from the bottom of their hearts.

If the real Qingming Inn has moved, who were we just talking to?

They rushed back inside, only to find the inn empty, no trace of the man in the white paper hat in sight.

“Was he a human or a ghost?”

The two were horrified that they hadn’t detected anything unusual about the white paper-hatted man earlier. The fact that he hadn’t reacted to Meng Jingzhou’s Pure Yang Physique suggested that his cultivation had reached terrifying heights. Was he a Ghost King?

“Go!” a decisive voice commanded as a group of cultivators dressed as constables emerged from all directions and stormed into the inn.

“Damn it, he got away!” The bearded leader was in a foul mood upon finding no sign of the man in the white paper hat. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

“Big Brother, may I ask what’s going on here?” Lu Yang inquired politely.

Seeing that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had just exited the inn, the bearded constable concluded they were not suspicious figures and explained, “This Qingming Inn has been abandoned for five years, yet people keep claiming they have stayed here. They thought it was haunted and reported it to us. Through our secret investigation and cross-checking of testimonies, we finally uncovered the truth.

“A man wearing a white paper hat has been impersonating the innkeeper and tricking Corpse Drivers into paying for lodging here.

“Since corpses aren’t picky about accommodations, the poor conditions were initially understandable. Eventually, some Corpse Drivers couldn’t endure the deplorable conditions anymore and complained to the main Qingming Inn branch. They were flabbergasted, saying that the branch in this location had closed long ago. And that’s how the scam was exposed.

“After uncovering the truth, we thought we could simply wait here to catch him, but we didn’t think we’d let him escape!”

Lu Yang, “...”

You people in Wilderness Province go to such lengths just to make money?

1. The Qingming Festival is the day where people honor their ancestors and deceased family. ☜

2. “Baiquan” translates directly to “white spring.” ☜

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