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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
I couldn't help but be a bit surprised. I glanced at Fatty, who also looked confused and said, "Are you calling us?"
Turning around, we saw three passengers who had just traveled with us greeting us.
The three quickly caught up to us. In the middle was a man in his fifties wearing a director's hat and tortoiseshell glasses, dressed in a vest, shirt, and suspenders, exuding an intellectual aura. On his left was a middle-aged woman with curly hair and a round face, looking quite healthy with a rosy complexion. On his right stood a clean-cut young man with red lips and white teeth, who didn't come off as effeminate but rather had a sunny disposition.
The older man smiled and asked, "Are you two also going to Cauliflower Village?"
"Going to Cauliflower Village?" It seemed that these three were headed to the same destination as us. I nodded and replied, "That's right."
"Let's go together. It's safer in numbers," the older man said sincerely, making it hard to refuse. I nodded in agreement, and the five of us continued on our way.
After introducing ourselves, I learned that the older man's name was Du Neng, the middle-aged woman was Li Xiaoxiao, and the young man was Fang Feng. The three of them were a team commissioned by a museum to collect artifacts in Cauliflower Village.
I had heard from others that their line of work was somewhat unconventional; they operated under the guise of working for museums or cultural departments while actually trading artifacts themselves. For example, if they discovered ten artifacts, they would take one or two of the least valuable ones back to report to their commissioning unit while selling the rest for profit.
These individuals had an incredibly sharp eye for value; they could determine how much an artifact was worth with just one glance. In some ways, they were even more impressive than those experts on television who appraise treasures because if those experts made mistakes, it wouldn't cost them anything. However, these professionals had to spend their own money to buy artifacts; if they ended up purchasing a fake, it would be a significant loss.
Could there be artifacts in Cauliflower Village? I speculated internally; perhaps they had heard rumors about gold and came here to seek it out?
Of course, I couldn't voice such thoughts aloud and instead made small talk about various topics. Fortunately, Du Neng was quite knowledgeable, sharing intriguing stories along the way that helped pass the time.
After walking for over half an hour and turning a corner, we spotted a restaurant. If it weren't for the red paper sign that read "Restaurant," I doubt we would have guessed that this shabby wooden house was indeed an eatery.
"Let's take a break," Li Xiaoxiao said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
By this time, the sun had already set, and it was getting somewhat dark. Summer was over; nightfall came more quickly now.
"Alright, let's take a break and see if we can find a place to stay for the night." Du Neng looked up at the sky and chuckled, "I didn't expect the road from General Township to the county seat to be so difficult. The bus service is terrible; it took us five hours to cover just eighty kilometers. If I had known it would be like this, I would have borrowed an off-road vehicle from someone."
He then turned to me and said, "Boss Zhong, let's find a place to rest. Even if you rush to Cauliflower Village now, it will be dark, and I'm afraid no one will sell you any herbs."
"You're right, I'll follow your lead," I replied readily. Roaming around in a haunted house at midnight didn't seem like a good idea.
At the entrance of the wooden cabin stood a man and a woman. The man was rugged, and the woman was sturdy, but both wore honest smiles. "Bosses, come in for a meal; we have wine and meat."
The five of us entered the wooden cabin and looked around. Although the cabin was shabby, it was quite spacious. In the middle were two large round tables, and in one corner was an Eight Immortals Table.
The owner smiled as he poured us tea and then handed over several sheets of A4 paper wrapped in plastic film. At the top was written 'Wild Game Menu.' Looking further down, I noticed that while the prices weren't cheap, they weren't exorbitant either; for example, wild boar meat was 168 yuan per plate, wild rabbit meat was 98 yuan per plate, and vegetables were 8 yuan per plate.
Du Neng seemed to be well-off; he snatched the menu and boldly declared, "We'll have one of everything on the menu."
Fatty laughed and said, "There are only nine dishes on here; it would be hard not to order them all."
Everyone burst into laughter as I took out cigarettes to share. Just as we were enjoying ourselves, there came a sudden screech of brakes outside, followed by two off-road vehicles pulling up.
The doors opened, and six or seven people stepped out. Upon seeing the first two individuals, I couldn't help but admire them silently; they were truly a perfect match—the man was handsome, and the woman beautiful, both dressed in white. In an instant, a phrase popped into my mind: a match made in heaven.
What surprised me even more was that both of them exuded an extraordinary aura similar to Lingfeng's presence. It was clear that these two were not ordinary people.
Behind them were four men and one woman who looked somewhat like lackeys. The woman had a critical expression on her face and freckles that made her resemble a witch from a fairy tale. Among the two men who appeared to be bodyguards—one bald and one with a beard—before they even entered, their eyes scanned the surroundings with an explosive energy akin to that of leopards.
After this group entered, the Handsome Man glanced at us with a slight frown but said nothing. He walked over to another large round table and signaled for the owner to take their order.
Once they finished ordering, the freckled girl loudly instructed, "Boss, please rinse your bowls and chopsticks with boiling water twice before bringing them out. Oh, and make sure you wash your hands twice before cooking."
Pressing this kind of request isn't too much, but it feels strange to me. It's like a person driving a Benz telling someone on a tricycle to remember to engage the handbrake when parking. Perhaps it's showing off, perhaps it's disdainful, perhaps it's picky, perhaps it's pretentious; in any case, that feeling is somewhat uncomfortable.
Upon hearing the Freckled Woman, the boss's expression changed, and he coldly said, "We country folks only have these conditions. If you think it's unsanitary, then don't eat!"
With that, he looked coldly at the woman, his gaze filled not only with disdain but also with provocation.
"Hey, what kind of talk is that!" Suddenly, a Square-Faced Man stood up and pointed at the boss angrily, saying, "Do you even want to keep this broken shop open?"
"Whether I keep it open or not is none of your business," the boss snorted. "You idiot, say one more word and I'll throw you out!"
As soon as he said this, everyone at the table stood up except for the imposing White-Clad Man and Woman. The other five people all jumped to their feet, and the Scarred Man closest to the boss threw a punch directly at him.
Seeing this, our table also stood up. Du Neng and others quickly stepped back, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire, while Fatty and I crouched slightly just in case.
Just as the Scarred Man's fist was about to hit the boss's cheek, the boss let out a cold grunt and moved like lightning to grab the Scarred Man's arm. There was a series of cracking sounds as he crushed the Scarred Man's arm.
Everyone couldn't help but gasp in shock. The two bodyguards almost immediately positioned themselves on either side of the White-Clad Man and Woman in a standard defensive stance.
Fatty and I exchanged glances, both filled with astonishment. The boss was using Kung Fu—specifically Eagle Claw style. This style is quite vicious; we had seen others use it during underground fights before. While it may not be fatal with every move, it certainly leaves one severely injured.
Seemingly unable to believe what had just happened, the Scarred Man froze for a moment before letting out a shocking howl.
With a casual shove, the boss knocked the Scarred Man to the ground and said coldly, "With such little skill, you dare come out here to embarrass yourself?"
Seeing this scene, although there was some surprise in the eyes of the White-Clad Man and Woman, they remained calm and even showed a hint of disdain. The White-Clad Woman sneered and was about to stand up when the man in white stopped her and nodded toward the Bald Man.
The Bald Man immediately nodded slightly, took two steps back, then made a running leap forward. He soared over the round table and twisted in mid-air, his right leg sweeping toward the boss like an iron rod. Even from four or five meters away, I could feel the fierce wind rushing toward me.
Boss let out a cold laugh, sinking into his stance as his left hand shot out like lightning towards Bald Man's right leg. Just as his arm made contact with the opponent's leg, Boss twisted his hand in an unexpected manner, managing to wrap it around Bald Man's leg. In an instant, he pulled back with lightning speed, causing Bald Man to lose his balance and lurch forward.
"Ah! Heart!" The man in white exclaimed, his expression changing slightly as he couldn't help but sound a warning.
Unfortunately, the warning came just a moment too late. At that moment, Boss's right fist struck Bald Man's knee like a flash. With a crack, Bald Man let out a piercing scream, as if his knee had been shattered by Boss.
With another cold snort, Boss seized Bald Man's leg and spun him in the air before slamming him down onto the round table in front of White-Clad Youth. The table instantly splintered into pieces, and Bald Man, clutching his foot, curled up amidst the scattered wooden planks, beads of cold sweat rolling down his face as he cried out in pain.
As the table shattered, White-Clad Man and Woman swiftly vacated their seats and stood to the side.
"Not bad, you have some skills," White-Clad Young Man said with a cold smile, once again stopping the eager White-Clad Woman, and gestured to the remaining bearded bodyguard to take action.
At that moment, Boss Lady emerged from the kitchen behind them, shouting at Boss: "You useless thing! All you do is cause trouble and fight! Look what you've done now—the table is broken! Aren't you grown up enough to not make things difficult for others? What are you standing there for? Go cook!"
Boss responded with an "oh," and the earlier aura of dominance vanished without a trace as he turned towards the kitchen.
"Wait!" The bearded bodyguard shouted angrily, rushing forward. When he was still two meters away from Boss, he leaped into the air and changed his position mid-flight, aiming his knee at Boss's back.
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