"There's no need to trouble yourself, Little Shopkeeper Brother. Just point me to where the hay is, and I'll feed them myself!"
The waiter was only too glad to be relieved of the trouble and hurried to show her the place,
"The hay is over there, and the water is over here. Help yourself!"
Gu Shi Yi nodded, went over to check the hay, picked up a bundle, removed the pebbles and weeds inside, drew fresh well water, and even found a brush to groom the old horse's coat three times, finally making it look a bit sprightlier. She patted the old mare's long neck,
"We're going to rely on you for the road ahead!"
Since the old horse was indeed very thin, Gu Shi Yi was genuinely worried it wouldn't make it far before collapsing. She decided to stay in the small town for a couple more days, and on the fourth day, she heard news from the next town over,
"Hey, hey, have you heard? The Niu family in the town over, the whole Niu family of five is dead!"
"The Niu family... Which Niu family?"
"The one that sells liquor on the back street!"
"That Niu family... I've been to their place to buy liquor, they water down a catty of liquor with half a catty of water... that's the place, right?"
"That's the one!"
"Serves them right, with such a dark heart in business, it'd be blind of Heavenly Father not to let them die! Tell... tell us... how did they die?"
"Let me tell you..."
The inn's guests started discussing this annihilation of a household in the lobby, attracting a crowd of onlookers. At this time, Gu Shi Yi was also disguised in men's clothing, her hair tied up high, trouser legs and sleeves rolled up, blending in with a group of men listening to a person from the next town over, speaking with flying spit,
"The whole Niu family is dead, all dead, and it was a dreadful death!"
"Dead, but how? What kind of dreadful way?"
The man said mysteriously,
"Niu's tavern is usually open every day, but for the past two days, it had been closed. The neighbors felt something was amiss and went to knock on the door, but who knew the door wouldn't open after a long time of knocking. So, someone climbed in from the backyard... guess what?"
Everyone knew he was about to describe the gruesome scene and urged him,
"What happened, just tell us!"
The man shook his head and sighed repeatedly,
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... the death was too horrible, the whole family was chopped into pieces, heads, limbs were cut off, bodies sliced into chunks, all piled up together, the people who went in vomited on the spot..."
"Oh my..."
Faces in the crowd showed fear mixed with curiosity and a hint of schadenfreude from those who felt it was none of their business. Only Gu Shi Yi's expression suddenly changed, an unease beginning to creep over her. People then heard the man continue,
"The neighbors immediately reported to the Official Government, and the Coroner came. After assembling for two Shichen, they finally managed to piece together the Niu family's corpses, separating the individuals..."
Someone in the crowd asked,
"Did the Official Government find out who did it? Did the Niu family offend anyone, or was there a burglary? Was there any theft from their home?"
The man showed a strange expression upon hearing this, looked around, and shook his head, saying,
"After the Coroner came out, they immediately had the Government Officials seal the door and even sent over a dozen guards, saying they were waiting for the Spirit Clearing Guard to come..."
"Spirit Clearing Guard!"
Someone exclaimed, and the scene fell silent at once, with Gu Shi Yi blending in the crowd, her expression growing darker. The others looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Only the owner of the inn sighed,
"In our remote and poor area, we haven't had incidents like this in many years. I didn't expect Old Niu's Family to suffer this fate this time!"
If the Spiritual Guard was involved, it must mean Demons and Monsters were the cause!
The crowd wore odd expressions, fear evident in everyone's eyes. After a long pause, the man from the next town added,
"When I left, the Big Boss of the Spirit Clearing Guard had not arrived, but he should be here today. With the Big Boss of the Spirit Clearing Guard around, even if there are Demons and Monsters causing trouble, they won't be able to make a big fuss!"
"Right, right, right!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, holding the Spirit Clearing Guard in high regard. Gu Shi Yi's eyebrows, however, were knotted with concern. She quietly rose to her feet and slipped back to her room unnoticed,
"Shiyi, you're back!"
Li Yaner and Big Boss were talking softly at the table. Seeing her return with a grave expression, they asked,
"Shiyi, what's wrong?"
Gu Shi Yi began packing her belongings by the bed and said,
"We can't stay here any longer. Let's hurry and leave!"