novelapdf Chapter 397 Underworld Peach Blossoms
Chapter 397 Underworld Peach Blossoms
New firewood was added to the bonfire, and the heat dispelled the dampness in front of the temple.
Mo Chengyue looked at the red lines on his palm.
It's been suppressed for now.
But it's only temporary.
This thing is more troublesome than the red thread from before.
The red line can still be cut.
The blood-stained bandage is inseparable from the blood; even being struck by lightning will hurt you.
He needs to know the rules.
Even the most sinister demons have their rules.
The boat needs to be staffed.
The post must be recognized by blood.
After blood recognition, there will be a response period.
The questions are: how long is the response period, can it be changed, and can it be transferred?
There must be someone in Hongfeng Ferry who knows about these things.
Mo Chengyue looked up.
"Where is Manager Hu?"
The fat shopkeeper was taken aback.
"That Manager Hu from Tingchao Inn?"
"Um."
"With all that commotion just now, why didn't she come?"
Old Zheng frowned.
"The inn is close to the ferry crossing, she must have heard it."
Xiao Liu suddenly said, "When I went to call for help just now, I noticed that the red rope and copper coins at the entrance of the inn didn't ring."
Mo Chengyue's gaze fell on him.
"No sound?"
Xiao Liu nodded.
"The wind blew so hard that the door panels shook, but the copper coins remained still."
Old Zheng's expression changed.
"That string of talismans makes a ringing sound when it's touched."
The fat shopkeeper stood up, rubbing his back.
"I'll go get her."
"Need not."
A woman's voice came from outside the temple.
Everyone turned their heads at the same time.
Shopkeeper Hu stood on the edge of the mist outside the Earth God Temple.
She wore a gray-blue cloak, her hair was neatly tied up, and her face no longer had the gentle and polite demeanor she had shown in the inn's lobby.
She was carrying a white paper lantern in her hand.
The dim lighting created a barrier around the river mist at her feet.
Old Zheng hurriedly said, "Manager Hu, why are you so late?"
Manager Hu did not look at him.
Her gaze fell on Mo Chengyue's palm.
With just one glance, the white paper lantern in her hand swayed slightly.
The edges of the lamp paper were licked yellow by the flames.
Mo Chengyue raised his hand.
"Shopkeeper, do you know him?"
Shopkeeper Hu's lips faded slightly.
How did you get this?
Mo Chengyue said, "Someone from the river sent a gift."
"I didn't take it; it's not safe."
Xiao Liu whispered, "The way the Immortal Master accepts gifts is quite expensive."
Old Zheng covered his mouth.
Manager Hu took two steps forward.
When the light shone on the white paper and illuminated the red patterns, the patterns immediately became moist and shiny.
She stopped.
"Don't let it shine on too many people."
Mo Chengyue said, "It's too late."
"It has already surveyed half of the ferry crossing."
Manager Hu looked at the crowd in front of the temple.
The people huddled behind the firelight, no one daring to meet her gaze.
She placed the white paper lantern on the ground and reached out to untie the string of red copper coins hanging at the entrance of the Tingchao Inn.
Only then did everyone realize that the copper coin had somehow ended up on her wrist.
Old Zheng was stunned.
"Manager Hu, have you taken off the Soul-Suppressing Coin?"
Manager Hu said, "The inn can't be held tonight, so there's no point in keeping it open."
The portly shopkeeper couldn't help but say, "Then you should have come earlier."
Manager Hu glanced at him.
"I arrived early, so you'll ask me more questions."
The fat shopkeeper shut up.
Mo Chengyue chuckled.
"Shopkeeper, you're being too polite."
"I charge reasonable fees; I've even paid for asking for directions before."
Manager Hu pursed his lips.
Mo Chengyue continued, "Now I have your Red Maple Ferry's boat invitation hanging in my hand."
"Isn't it time you finally paid the bill?"
Old Zheng was completely bewildered.
"What kind of invitation?"
Shopkeeper Hu flicked the red string and copper coin with his fingertips.
The coins clashed, producing a dull thud.
She looked at Mo Chengyue's palm and uttered four words.
"Wedding invitation".
The firelight in front of the temple flickered.
Xiao Liu shrank his neck.
"Marrying a ship?"
The old man gripped his cane tightly.
"I've heard of it."
Old Zheng turned his head.
"Why didn't you say so sooner if you'd already heard about it?"
The old man's face was grim.
That was twenty years ago.
"Who dares to bring this up?"
Mo Chengyue did not look at the old man.
He stared at Manager Hu.
"speak."
Manager Hu did not speak immediately.
She straightened the red string and copper coins one by one, the coins covered in mist, water droplets falling down her fingertips.
After a moment, she said, "The wedding invitation is not a wound."
"It's an invitation."
"Once the red lantern boat sends the invitation, it's as if the person has been betrothed."
Mo Chengyue asked, "What's the point of making a decision?"
Manager Hu looked at him.
"Enter the cabin."
Xiao Liu's voice trembled.
"What happens after you enter the cabin?"
Manager Hu did not answer.
The old man spoke up for her.
"Wedding ceremony."
The crowd in front of the temple all changed color.
The fat shopkeeper looked at Mo Chengyue with a complicated expression.
"Young Master Mo, your luck with women is just too bizarre."
Mo Chengyue said, "I think so too."
Old Zheng asked anxiously, "Shopkeeper, is there any solution?"
Shopkeeper Hu held the red string and copper coin in his palm.
"have."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Mo Chengyue, however, was looking at her.
"The cost is considerable?"
Manager Hu did not deny it.
"Once the marriage invitation is accepted, the bride must wait for the next red light to come and take her away."
"If it can't receive it, it will try to find the person with the closest bloodline."
Xiao Liu immediately shrank back.
What does "sharing the same bloodline" mean?
Shopkeeper Hu said, "Relatives, partners, and those to whom you owe a life."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Mo Chengyue.
Mo Chengyue's lips twitched.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
The portly shopkeeper asked cautiously, "Young Master Mo probably doesn't have any relatives in Red Maple Ferry, right?"
Mo Chengyue said, "No."
Old Zheng asked, "Where's your partner?"
Mo Chengyue glanced at him.
"Who do you want to send?"
Old Zheng immediately waved his hand.
"I didn't mean to."
Xiao Liu whispered, "What about a debt of life?"
Mo Chengyue looked at the group of people in front of the temple.
The expressions of everyone he had saved changed simultaneously.
The fat shopkeeper's hand, which was supporting his waist, froze in mid-air.
"Can this be accounted for like this?"
Manager Hu said, "The bills for the Red Lantern Boats have always been like this."
Mo Chengyue looked down at the red lines on his palm.
it is good.
This ship not only forces overtime work, but also punishes colleagues.
The system design is quite mature.
No wonder it was able to survive at the bottom of the river for twenty years.
He looked up and asked, "The due date?"
Shopkeeper Hu said, "On a night when the moon is waning."
Old Zheng murmured, "Old Wu's remnant soul said that the fleet would come every time the moon was waning."
Mo Chengyue asked, "How many nights are left?"
Shopkeeper Hu said, "Three nights."
The sound of the pot in front of the temple stopped for a moment.
Mo Chengyue looked at everyone.
"knock."
Old Zheng immediately picked up the iron ladle.
"knock!"
The sound of the pot boiling again continued.
Manager Hu gazed at the flames, his eyes filled with a suppressed drowsiness as old memories resurfaced.
Mo Chengyue said, "Shopkeeper, you know quite a lot."
Manager Hu said in a low voice, "I'd rather not know."
Mo Chengyue said, "We cannot be willing now."
Manager Hu looked up at him.
Mo Chengyue shook his palm.
"It's on my hand."
"The debt is in your heart."
"There's no escaping this."
Shopkeeper Hu remained silent for a moment before finally taking off the red string and copper coin from his wrist.
The copper coins were spread out in her palm.
The one in the very center was polished until it shone.
A small character "霖" is engraved on the back.
Mo Chengyue's gaze immediately stopped when he saw that word.
"Lin?"
Shopkeeper Hu pressed his fingertip against the copper coin.
"Twenty years ago, Hongfeng Ferry sent out its first wedding invitation by boat."
Old Zheng's throat bobbed.
"Whose hand should it be stuck on?"
Manager Hu raised his face.
The firelight illuminated her features, and the night mist peeled away her gentle exterior, leaving only an old wound hidden for twenty years.
"My sister."
She handed the soul-suppressing money to Mo Chengyue.
"The first wedding invitation was affixed to my younger sister's hand."