Chapter 104: Man Luo

[Main quest updated: Stay overnight at the Mist Inn.]

At the exact moment Luo Hanya heard the system notification, an ugly face—so grotesque it verged on terrifying—peeked out from behind the doorframe. Even Luo Hanya, whose composure had long hardened into near ruthlessness, was momentarily stunned.

The man held a kerosene lamp, and under its flickering yellow light, his hideously unmatched face looked even more horrifying. His two eyes were especially frightening: the right eye was abnormally large, while the left was nothing but a mass of tumor-like flesh. His enormous nose was twisted and crooked; his dry lips split at a slant, revealing a few yellowed teeth; and his chin was completely misaligned. His already unfortunate face was pockmarked with various spots and growths, and atop his uneven scalp were a few tufts of gray-white hair scattered here and there.

Luo Hanya swallowed hard. After a brief moment of shock, all he felt was sorrow. Heaven had bestowed every form of deformity upon this man, as if he were born cursed—a pitiful soul. What, then, did his own hardships amount to?

As Luo Hanya sighed mournfully, the man raised the kerosene lamp to illuminate his face, then stooped and stepped back, seemingly inviting Luo Hanya inside. A protrusion on his back caused him to hunch deeply. Luo Hanya quietly said thank you and lowered his own stature to match the man’s.

The man gave Luo Hanya a surprised glance. A faint smile appeared on his grotesque face, but it was more unsettling than tears could ever be.

The interior was dim; beyond the reach of the lamp’s glow, Luo Hanya could see nothing. The man shuffled behind him and laboriously closed the inn’s door. With a creaking sound, Luo Hanya felt his chest grow heavier, as if imprisoned in an oxygen-starved coffin, struggling even to breathe.

The man groped along the wall for a moment, then suddenly the room brightened. Luo Hanya’s pupils contracted sharply, his eyes unaccustomed to the sudden light. Looking up and around, he saw an old-fashioned electric lamp hanging from the decayed ceiling.

The lamp cast a moderate glow, illuminating the space. Luo Hanya roughly gauged the room to be about seventy or eighty square meters. Several wooden pillars, roughly the thickness of a bowl, stood upright in the center. In a shadowy corner, a wooden staircase led upstairs. On the right side was a square counter, behind which hung an aged curtain covering a door. A long wooden table sat in the center, capable of seating over ten people. Luo Hanya noticed the thick grime coating its surface, deducing it was a dining table. The dilapidated wooden walls bore scattered ornamental patterns, many now faded—once, this place must have been quite exquisite.

As Luo Hanya surveyed the room, the man who had led him inside remained silent, his large right eye fixed intently on him. Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed, snapping Luo Hanya’s brief relaxation. His gaze sharpened on the door behind the counter, awaiting the inn’s master.

The drooping curtain was abruptly pushed aside, flinging through the air in a trembling arc.

A man in his thirties stepped out. He was robust, with a stern, dignified square face exuding a reassuring presence. His sharp eyes met Luo Hanya’s. Then, a peculiar smile tugged at his lips. He stepped around the counter and said in a deep, muffled voice:

“Welcome to the Mist Inn.”

Luo Hanya studied the man a moment, realizing the key to staying at the Mist Inn lay with him. Without hesitation, he drew a black box from his backpack and fixed the man with a steady gaze. “I’ve come to deliver this. Do you know what it is?”

The man’s eyes gleamed sharply as he scrutinized the black box before smiling. “Of course I recognize it. Thank you for your effort. This belongs to the Mist Inn.”

“I’m Munro, the owner here.” His previously stern face softened kindly. He turned to the man who had brought Luo Hanya in. “Silkworm, prepare some food for this guest, and ready a fine room!”

Silkworm nodded and carried the kerosene lamp through a door deeper inside.

“Thanks. May I ask, what exactly is this black box I’ve painstakingly delivered here?”

Munro approached Luo Hanya. “You must be tired. Please, sit down and rest first.”

Luo Hanya set his heavy travel bag on the long table and fixed his eyes on Munro, awaiting his answer.

“May I ask where you hail from?” Munro placed a cup of hot tea before Luo Hanya.

“I’m from the north,” Luo Hanya replied vaguely, then took a sip. Warmth spread through his body, dispelling the chill clinging to him.

[Health permanently increased by 20%.]

Luo Hanya’s eyes brightened. He took another sip, but nothing else happened.

“Seems it’s a one-time effect,” he noted, nodding. “Good tea. Brother, may I ask what kind this is? Its flavor is unique.”

Munro smiled proudly. “You’re a tea connoisseur as well. This is Mist Tea, made from my ancestral recipe. Unique to the Mist Inn—nowhere else can you find it.”

“Luck, just luck,” Luo Hanya shifted the topic. “Our tea is finished. Brother, could you enlighten me?”

“Ha! That’s a long story. Brother, eat and drink well, rest tonight, and tomorrow I will explain everything.” Munro seemed unwilling to answer now, deftly postponing the matter.

“Well then—”

“Anything troubling you? Just stay here and rest. I’ll arrange everything for you.” Munro cut him off before he could speak further.

Luo Hanya smiled gently and waited for Munro to finish, then asked, “Have you finished, brother?”

Munro fixed him with a deep gaze, a slight upward curve on his lips. “Is there something urgent?”

“Not urgent exactly. I just want to know who should keep this black box.”

“That belongs to the Mist Inn, naturally it should be kept by me, its owner.” Munro narrowed his eyes, a dangerous gleam flickering within.

“You’re right, ha! It should be entrusted to you.” Luo Hanya suddenly felt a chill run through his limbs, a deathly aura washing over him. His attitude reversed sharply, and without hesitation, he yielded immediately...