When the old man at the tea stall saw several people suddenly appear beside the well, he showed no surprise. Instead, he asked:
"Were you sent by the authorities?"
"Are you with the Demon-Quelling Office?"
Ye Qianfan asked a question of his own, as though the two sides were exchanging passwords.
"My lords, the village chief told this humble commoner that important people from the Demon-Quelling Office might arrive in the next few days." The old man in the server's cap hurriedly dropped to his knees and bowed to them. "I came here specifically to wait for you!"
"I see."
Ye Qianfan nodded. "All right, take us to the village chief. We have questions for him!"
"Yes, yes! Please follow me, my lords!"
In this small village built beside a mausoleum stood a large Courtyard House.
Both its gates and the surrounding walls had been refurbished so thoroughly that they looked brand-new. Had the old man from the tea stall not told them it was a century-old residence, they would never have guessed.
Knock, knock, knock!
The old man knocked with the ring on the side door.
Whoever lived in this old residence, they certainly had pretensions. It was merely a Courtyard House in a village, yet it had both a main gate and a side entrance. The main gate stood nine feet high and fifteen feet wide, studded with bronze nails and fitted with classic dragon-mouth ring knockers!
Two imposing stone lions even stood beside the gate. The moss covering their bases and shadowed recesses did reveal that these gate guardians were quite old.
"Who is it?"
After a short wait, the side door, only six feet high and three feet wide, finally opened.
A man who looked like a steward stood inside. He opened the door with