Lin Ji carried pastries wrapped in oil paper, leisurely strolling through Liang City for quite some time.
"Indeed, even though it has been so long since the city was besieged by evil spirits, the people still tread cautiously. It's understandable. If they didn't have to make a living, how could they still come out to set up stalls at such times."
Lin Ji had just passed through Liang City not long ago, on his way to the capital city for official duties. At that time, Liang City was bustling with activity.
Near the capital province, it was the capital of a province, with merchants coming and going, and tourists everywhere.
But now, although there were some people on the streets, it was far less lively than before, much like the streets and alleys after the spread of the novel coronavirus in his past life.
"Never mind, it's not my place to intervene in this matter."
Having finished the pastries in his hands, Lin Ji skillfully made his way to the official post station in Liang City.
With an official position and being away from home, it was natural to stay in a public place.
Upon entering the post station, before Lin Ji could speak, the post official waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "This official, we are fully booked. I'm afraid you'll have to stay at an inn in the city."
"Fully booked?" Lin Ji was taken aback, subconsciously looking at the wall behind the post official.
There were still many room plaques hanging on the wall. The plaques were there, indicating that there were still empty rooms.
The post official also noticed Lin Ji's gaze.
He seemed a bit evasive and dared not meet Lin Ji's eyes directly, but still stubbornly said, "Indeed, we are fully booked. Please don't make it difficult for me, sir."
Seeing this scene, Lin Ji instinctively felt that there might be something fishy going on.
But he didn't mind. Since the post official was being difficult, he would just stay at the inn in the city.
It was convenient to accommodate others when possible, so why not?
"Well then, I will go stay at the inn in the city."
He turned and left the post station.
After walking a bit more in Liang City, he found that most of the taverns and inns were not open.
After inquiring with the residents of the city along the way, Lin Ji finally found an inn that was open.
"Cloud Come Inn?"
Lin Ji stood at the entrance of the inn, looking at the plaque hanging above the door.
"The characters are not written very well. The signature is by Zhan Chengfeng? No wonder."
Lin Ji didn't expect that Zhan Chengfeng also had a penchant for inscribing for others, even a small inn could get his calligraphy.
After entering the inn, this time he was able to easily secure an empty room.
After resting in the room for a while, Lin Ji went downstairs and found an empty table to sit at.
Having just eaten some pastries, not feeling full, it only stirred up the glutton in Lin Ji's stomach.
"Waiter, bring me a couple of your specialty dishes," Lin Ji called out.
"Alright, sir, please wait a moment," the waiter responded.
The first floor of the inn was sparsely occupied with a few tables of guests. It was mealtime, but the business was quite slow.
Just as Lin Ji was getting bored, a noisy sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
Soon after, Lin Ji saw Wu Fei, with a knife slung over his shoulder, accompanied by seven or eight constables, striding into the inn.
"Oh, it's Master Wu," the innkeeper hurried out from behind the counter to greet Wu Fei.
"As per the usual, prepare the best feast for me and my brothers," Wu Fei said as his gaze landed on Lin Ji.
"Oh, Chief Lin is here too, what a coincidence."
Lin Ji wanted to get up to greet him.
But before he could even stand up, Wu Fei had already turned away from him, sitting down at an empty table with his constables.
Seeing this scene, Lin Ji felt a bit embarrassed and sat back down.
"This is really... being ignored after showing courtesy," Lin Ji muttered to himself.
Not long after, the waiter brought the dishes.
"Braised pork trotters, sautéed diced chicken with garlic, your requested specialty dishes are here, sir," the waiter sang out the names of the dishes while placing them in front of Lin Ji.
But as he passed by Wu Fei's table, he was stopped by Wu Fei.
"Put down the dishes," Wu Fei said coldly to the waiter, looking at Lin Ji.
"Master Wu, your premium feast is already prepared in the kitchen. These are for that table of guests," the waiter explained nervously.
"I said put it down!"
Unable to resist Wu Fei, the waiter quickly placed the dishes down and, after giving Lin Ji a look of good luck, hurriedly ran into the kitchen.
Lin Ji just watched Wu Fei quietly, not saying anything, waiting for an explanation.
"Chief Lin, my brothers have been busy all day, and they are starving. Please bear with us," Wu Fei said with a big smile.
Lin Ji narrowed his eyes slightly.
If Wu Fei had unintentionally ignored him earlier, it could be explained as an oversight.
But at this moment, Lin Ji was sure that this guy was targeting him.
"I haven't offended him, have I?" Lin Ji couldn't figure it out.
Wu Fei's reasons sounded reasonable, and Lin Ji was alone. If he didn't agree, he would seem petty.
Just a little later, Lin Ji thought for a moment but ultimately didn't say anything. Being new here, he decided to give Wu Fei some face.
After a while, the waiter brought out the dishes again.
This time, he could walk around Wu Fei's table, but before he could take a few steps, he was stopped by Wu Fei again.
"Hold on, put down the dishes in your hands," Wu Fei said coldly.
"Chief Wu, these two dishes are the same as before."
"The same? Can't you see there are so many of us? Put them down!"
The waiter looked embarrassed, standing in place not knowing what to do.
But at that moment, Lin Ji stood up and walked to Wu Fei.
"Chief Wu, has Lin ever offended you?"
"Hmph." Wu Fei snorted coldly, not explaining.
He couldn't say that he had taken credit for Lin Ji's killing of the evil general, resulting in trouble.
One of his constables spoke up.
"Ha! A country bumpkin like you dares to offend Chief Wu?"
Ignoring the constable, Lin Ji quietly looked at Wu Fei.
"Chief Wu, if you remain silent, isn't it just causing trouble out of nowhere?"
Seeing that Wu Fei still didn't respond, Lin Ji quickly walked towards the door.
But just when everyone thought Lin Ji was about to leave, he stopped in front of the counter.
"Innkeeper, may I borrow some paper and a pen?"
"Of course, sir, please help yourself," the innkeeper dared not say anything.
Lin Ji picked up the pen, licked the ink, quickly wrote a few strokes on the blank paper, and left his name at the end.
Then Lin Ji picked up the paper, with a thought, the ink disappeared before it dried.
He returned to Wu Fei.
"Chief Wu, it's clear that you want to pick a fight with me. Although I don't know the reason, such petty provocations are ridiculous. If it disgusts me, it won't do any good for Chief Wu's reputation either."
Lin Ji slapped the paper on the dining table.
"I've signed a life-and-death agreement. Let's find a place to settle our differences. Isn't that more straightforward than these childish provocations?"
Wu Fei's face changed instantly.
"A life-and-death agreement?"
"I've already signed it. Chief Wu, please," Lin Ji said with a light smile. Enduring can only go so far. Even a mud figure has some temper, does he really think he's a soft persimmon that can be squeezed at will?