"I didn't expect that not only does the business seem to be booming, but you are actually making a lot of money." Ouyang Xiaoleng said after sitting down and looking at the splendid decorations. He had done some research before coming, so he was confident enough to let the boss do things for him.
"Master Wang Hu is really good at joking. I'm just doing this to save my face. When I first took over this hotel, it was just sixteen years ago..." The hotel owner realized that he had almost brought up a topic that he shouldn't have mentioned and jumped quickly. He said in the past, “We were losing money in those few years, and it has only improved slightly in the past two years.”
"I asked someone to do a little research. The tax on your hotel is not consistent with the level of luxury here." Ouyang Xiaoleng ignored the hotel owner's explanation and continued.
The hotel owner regretted it so much that he blamed himself for being so focused on pleasing the demon king fox boy that he had forgotten about tax evasion for a long time. Now he didn't know how to explain it to him to let him go.
Just when he was worried, Ouyang Xiaoliang continued: "These are trivial matters. I can turn a blind eye, but..."
"But what?! Please give me some instructions!" The hotel owner heard that there was a turning point in Ouyang Xiaoleng's words and quickly asked him.
"I heard that your hotel was bought from a lady named Mrs. Lan, so I was wondering if there would still be guests who came here when she was the boss?"
The hotel owner kept nodding his head and responded: "There are some. I dare not say anything else here. The price is really cheap. Compared with other hotels in the royal city, the location is good, but the environment is not as good as that of regular guests." There are still a lot of them!”
"Have any of them had any dealings with Mrs. Lan?"
"Let me think about it!" the hotel owner thought for a while and continued, "I think of a customer who is in the rouge, gouache and spice business, because many customers work on this street, so He stays in my shop every year. He has a good relationship with me. When we were drinking and chatting, I heard him mention that he used to be friends with his previous boss, Mrs. Lan. At that time, the boss suddenly changed and Mrs. Lan didn't tell her. And the farewell made him a little disappointed."
"Is that guest at the hotel at the moment?"
"It's a coincidence that you're here. He comes to Yongchuan at the beginning of summer every year. He just checked in last night because he drank all night in the pub and is probably still sleeping now."
The guest named Huagu by the hotel owner is a ferret monster. The place where he lives is called Piaoxiang Valley. When spring comes, the valley is full of exotic flowers and plants, and many flower monsters are born.
He threatened to bite off the flower demon's roots, controlled them, and asked them to make all kinds of rouge, gouache, spices and sachets for himself, and then sold these things to various places in the demon world to earn huge rewards. . The flower demons were afraid of his power and could not leave the valley to go elsewhere, so they had no choice but to obey his orders.
This weasel monster is born to be extremely sensitive to various fragrances. Just let him smell it and he can analyze which flowers and plants each sachet or spice is made of. It is precisely because of his skills that he has created many unique fragrances, and because he does not have to pay flower demons for labor, he has an absolute advantage in price, so he is quite popular in many places.
The reason why he became friends with Mrs. Lan started from the second time he stayed in this sparrow hotel. He has a hobby, that is, he likes to observe all kinds of people of the opposite sex. Through observation, he can know their personalities and preferences, and sometimes he can even guess a bit of their stories.
In the first year, he noticed the proprietress of the hotel. She always liked to wear men's clothes. She was vigorous and resolute in both temperament and behavior. Ordinary fragrances were definitely not suitable for her. She needed something exclusive to her. It’s the taste that matters.
So after returning to Piaoxiang Valley, he began to experiment and blend, and finally came up with a fragrance based on orchid, with hibiscus, lily, and a little pomegranate flowers and other plants. When he came to the royal city of Yongchuan for business in the spring of the second year, he strongly recommended the fragrance he designed for her to Mrs. Lan. As expected, she favored her and asked him to prepare the same fragrance for herself every year.
As the two interacted, he felt more and more that Mrs. Lan's deep loneliness was hidden behind the chatter and laughter. She was like a puppet living with a mask. The identity of the hotel proprietress must only be for her true purpose. a cover-up.
She is very talkative, but she talks more about other people's affairs. About her own past, she always rushes through it in a few words. So although they had known each other for many years, Huagu didn't know much about her except that she came from Miancheng and came to Yongchuan to find a friend, and ended up staying here and opening a hotel.
One time, Huagu drank too much with the customers who were buying his own goods outside, and it was already late at night when he came back. He staggered into the hotel, and was about to go upstairs to his room with the support of the stair railing, when he heard a sound coming from the counter. Driven by curiosity and the influence of alcohol, he couldn't help but plan to follow him to see what happened.
As a result, he found a small door, which led to the backyard of the hotel. There was also a wooden door on one wall of the backyard that led to nowhere. He opened the door and entered. The light inside was very dark, and there were a lot of goods and sundries piled up. He guessed that this was the hotel's warehouse.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he slipped and fell into a hole in the ground. After rolling down several stairs, he finally got up and walked down a few more steps until he came to a flat passage. The Weasel Monster He is naturally used to walking in the dark, so even if he doesn't use demon fire, he won't hit the walls on both sides. Just as he was wondering where this passage would lead, a woman's voice came from in front of him, and he quickly recognized that it was Mrs. Lan who spoke. .
"Sir, as you can see, the passage has been repaired."
"Well, good job! The prince has also been talked through by us. Together with the one on the back hill outside Chenji Palace, the one in the palace, and the one on Lizi Street, it is enough for my people to enter the royal city smoothly. "
"Please also fulfill your promise and continue to treat my son."
"Don't worry, I have feelings for Lan Zhu for a long time, and I will definitely cure him."
"Thank you, sir!"
"There are still a few months to go. On New Year's Eve, I will wash this city with blood and give the Demon King Fox a big gift with white bones!"
Hua Gu was frightened half to death by what he heard. He stumbled back to the entrance of the secret passage, climbed up, and then returned to his room in the hotel along the backyard. He lay on the bed, touched the cold sweat all over his body, and gradually fell asleep in fear. When he woke up again, he couldn't tell whether what he heard last night was just a drunken nightmare or whether it really happened.
But on New Year's Eve, a huge change occurred in the royal city. The demon Qingyun led his men into the city unexpectedly, not only killing countless residents of the city, but even the Demon King Fox and his wife were not spared. The demon world has also fallen into In the endless darkness, almost dying.
This year, Huagu still came to the royal city of Yongchuan in early summer, but everywhere was in a bleak scene. Although the Sparrow Hotel still existed, it had changed its owner. Knowing that Mrs. Lan was missing and the business could not continue, he had no choice but to return to Piaoxiang Valley with the goods. It would be many years before he came here again.
He had also thought about telling someone what happened that night, but he was afraid that he would get into trouble. He was just a businessman and only wanted peace and security. He had never thought about which party he would join or who he would be responsible for. So I buried those words deep in my heart. But even after so many years, the voice of the man who spoke to Mrs. Blue and his terrible language were still the constant themes in his nightmares that often troubled him.
I was drunk the night before and thought I could sleep well, but unexpectedly I had that dream again. Just when he was trapped in his dream, worried that he would be discovered by the two people talking to him in the dream, a rapid knock on the door woke him up. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling that he should really thank the person who knocked on his door.
Outside the door, besides the hotel owner, there was a young man. Even though Hua Gu was still a little sleepy, he could tell that this young man must have an extremely noble status. And he had a hunch that the reason why this young man came to him with the hotel owner might be related to his nightmare.
The room was very messy. Although the main goods were stored in another room on the first floor of the hotel that he rented as a warehouse, the salutes he took with him, the clothes he took off, and the large and small wine jars were all there. Scattered throughout the room, on the bed, on the table, on the floor...everywhere. Moreover, there was a strong smell of alcohol in the room. This smell of alcohol was mixed with the smell of various spices on his body, making the hotel owner and Ouyang Xiaoleng couldn't help but cover their noses at the same time.
"What does this smell like?!" The hotel owner simply stepped back into the door.
"Haha, I drank too much last night." Hua Gu stretched his body and responded.
"I think it's better to come to my place to talk. How can this place be a demon king... Ah no, sir, please stay." The hotel owner turned to Ouyang Xiaoleng and saw him nodding in agreement, so he said to Huagu, "Huagu, get dressed and follow Let's come, this gentleman has something to ask you. Don't ask anything for now, just think of it as doing me a favor!"
Hua Gu casually put on a long gown, but the matching belt was missing, so he just tied one and followed them downstairs. The three of them sat down in the hotel owner's room and looked at each other. Without the need to be polite, Hua Gu asked directly: "I wonder who this gentleman is?"
The hotel owner was not sure whether he could give Ouyang Xiaoleng's name, so he looked at him and saw him nodding his head, so he said: "This is the current Lord of the Demon Realm, Demon King Fox!"
"I have long heard that the person who ascended the throne this time is a young man, but I didn't expect him to be so young!" Hua Gu looked at Ouyang Xiaoleng with wide eyes as if he were admiring a rare object.
"Hua Gu, pay attention to your identity!" the hotel owner reminded.
Ouyang Xiaoliang said disapprovingly: "It doesn't matter, it will make it easier to talk. I came here today just to ask you about Mrs. Lan, who used to be the proprietress of this hotel."
"That's it." Hua Gu responded as if he already knew everything.
"Listening to your tone, you have already guessed my purpose?" Ouyang Xiaoleng asked curiously.
"Yes. I am naturally good at observing words and expressions, and as I meet more customers, this ability becomes stronger unknowingly." Hua Gu smiled bitterly, knowing that what was supposed to come finally came.