Chapter 198
Chapter 198
The Proprietress dragged the Drunkard’s body away, hauling it all the way into the Kitchen.
Less than a minute later, the Cook’s rhythmic thwack, thwack of chopping meat came from the Kitchen.
“The meat’s too tough. Not as good as yesterday’s.”
“Yesterday’s was Snow White, delivered by the Dwarf. How could it be the same?”
“Today’s won’t absorb flavor easily. Let’s marinate it first…”
The conversation between the Cook and the Proprietress drifted out, one line after another.
While Jiang Li kept an ear on the movement in the Kitchen, she and Xu Haoran took off the Black Rain Boots on their feet and set them on the floor.
“We’re keeping our promise. The boots are yours,” Xu Haoran said.
The moment he finished speaking, the pair of Black Rain Boots in front of them was put on by an invisible man.
After the man slipped on the Black Rain Boots, his figure gradually became clear, no different from an ordinary person.
Jiang Li and Xu Haoran finally saw what he looked like.
He was a Western Cowboy with thick hair and a face full of beard.
The cowboy turned around, removed his hat, placed it against his chest, and bowed slightly, giving a hat-tip salute to the “still-invisible companions” behind him.
“Much obliged. I’ll take the Black Rain Boots today. I’ll be waiting for you all at %$amp&.”
The cowboy nodded politely to Jiang Li and Xu Haoran as well, then put his hat back on and courteously took his leave.
Jiang Li watched as the cowboy, full of vigor and confidence, strode toward the tavern exit in the Black Rain Boots.
When the cowboy reached the doorway, however, he bumped into a patch of air coming in from outside.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“No worries. Safe travels.”
The cowboy smiled and turned sideways, making way for the air.
Then he raised a hand to straighten his hat and left the tavern with effortless flair.
Jiang Li and Xu Haoran stared at the strange cowboy for a few seconds, then returned to their seats one after the other.
Inside the tavern, the number of rocking wooden chairs had not changed, and they began creaking and swaying again.
After Jiang Li sat down, she glanced briefly at the time.
The round wall clock inside the tavern was synchronized with the clock by the door.
The wall clock showed that it was now 12:28 a.m.
Jiang Li and Xu Haoran had entered the tavern at 12:20 a.m.
That meant if they waited another two minutes, each of them could ask the Proprietress one question.
Xu Haoran sat there irritably, wiping his neck over and over with a tissue.
There was a deep pit of torn flesh left on his neck.
Earlier, Xu Haoran had pulled the Drunkard’s mouth out of that wound.
But inside the bloody, mangled pit, half of one of the Drunkard’s broken teeth was still lodged.
Enduring the pain, Xu Haoran bared his teeth and used his fingers to dig out that half tooth, then tossed it to the floor in disgust.
After dealing with that, Xu Haoran continued wiping his hands and neck, so nauseated he had no desire to speak at all.
At the next table, the newly arrived guest rocking in his chair took the initiative to go over to the pickup area nearby and brought back several plates of free snacks.
Braised duck tongues, sliced pig’s head meat, peanuts, and spicy rabbit heads-one serving of each. He even asked the Proprietress for a glass of brandy.
Jiang Li looked at the dishes on the neighboring table for a few seconds, then calmly shifted her gaze away and glanced casually out the window.
Time ticked by, second by second, drawing ever closer to 12:30 a.m.
If they just held out a little longer, they would know the answer about Zhao Qingqing.
Jiang Li stared out the window, lost in thought.
But at that moment, the full Moon outside seemed to undergo a strange change.
The moonlight was clear and bright, carrying an intense pull that made people unable to resist looking up at it.
Jiang Li only swept her gaze across it lightly, yet her eyes could no longer look away.
The Moon, chocolate, the Red-Eyed Rabbit…
Certain things from the fairy-tale world surfaced in Jiang Li’s mind without warning.
Crack-
The sound of a glass shattering exploded through the tavern, startling Jiang Li’s gaze away from the Moon.
Jiang Li jolted awake from her thoughts.
The shattered glass had been the brandy the Proprietress was carrying to a customer.
The Proprietress had finished preparing the drink and come out with it. When she turned, she wasn’t paying attention and bumped into the newly arrived Ms. Rabbit.
The glass smashed, and some of the liquor splashed onto Ms. Rabbit as well.
Jiang Li took a careful look.
The new Ms. Rabbit was covered up from head to toe, and she wore a pair of sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose.
As she negotiated with the Proprietress, Ms. Rabbit removed her sunglasses, revealing the black eyes beneath.
Fairy Tale World Survival Rules, Rule Three:
[The killer is the red-eyed “Rabbit”.]
But this Ms. Rabbit had black eyes.
Inside the tavern, Jiang Li watched as the Proprietress hurriedly took out a handkerchief and wiped at the clothes over Ms. Rabbit’s chest.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Let me wipe that for you. How did I end up dirtying a guest’s clothes? I’m truly sorry…”
The Proprietress kept scolding herself aloud.
“How about this, ma’am?” The Proprietress looked at Ms. Rabbit’s soaked clothes and came up with an idea. “We happen to have a fire going in the Kitchen. I’ll take you over to warm up and dry off?”
With that, without waiting for Ms. Rabbit to agree, the Proprietress took her hand and led her toward the Kitchen.
Watching from a distance, Jiang Li recalled the first rule of the Forest Tavern Survival Rules:
[The tavern’s business hours are from 00:00 to 01:00. At all other times, it only purchases ingredients and does not receive guests.]
The rules stated that outside the hours between midnight and one o’clock, the tavern only purchased ingredients.
But they did not say that between midnight and one o’clock, it only received guests.
That meant that during business hours, preparing ingredients was also one of the tavern’s normal operations.
Jiang Li looked at Ms. Rabbit, wondering whether she would follow the Proprietress to the Kitchen.
Regardless of whether this newly arrived Ms. Rabbit was the killer, in Jiang Li’s view, Rabbit… could very well be dangerous.
Jiang Li thought that perhaps once Ms. Rabbit was sent into the Kitchen, she and Xu Haoran’s situation would become a little “safer.”
When that happened, it wouldn’t be too late for them to question the Proprietress.
Jiang Li withdrew her gaze, reached out for the honey lemon tea on the table, and took a small sip.
At the Kitchen entrance, Ms. Rabbit politely declined.
“No need. I-I’m not going to the Kitchen.”
The moment those words came out, Jiang Li and Xu Haoran’s backs stiffened at the same time. Shocked, they looked toward the Kitchen entrance.
Ms. Rabbit’s voice… was exactly the same as Zhao Qingqing’s.
Xu Haoran shoved his chair back and stood up in agitation, his gaze boring straight into Ms. Rabbit.
He was confirming it.
Over by the Kitchen, the Proprietress was forcefully gripping Ms. Rabbit’s arm, dragging her along as she tried to take her to the Kitchen to dry her clothes by the fire.
“Oh, don’t be so polite with me. Just go warm yourself by the fire for a bit. How could wearing wet clothes possibly be comfortable?” the Proprietress urged.
Ms. Rabbit waved her hands and refused once again.
“I’m really not going! It’s fine. It doesn’t matter if my clothes are a little wet!”
That familiar voice left Xu Haoran with no more doubts.
Xu Haoran strode over, drew the sword at his waist, and set it directly against the Proprietress’s neck. “Let her go.”
Xu Haoran grabbed Ms. Rabbit by the wrist and pulled her behind him.
The Proprietress looked at Xu Haoran, who had stepped up for Ms. Rabbit, then glanced at the cold blade against her neck. She could only raise both hands and let out a guilty little laugh.
The Proprietress quietly stepped back, her expression awkward as she tried to smooth things over.
“All right, all right. I’ve already let go. You-you put the sword away first. I just saw that her clothes were wet, that’s all. I was doing it for her own good. Don’t get worked up…”
At that moment, Jiang Li also came up from behind.