"Folks, we're a merchant caravan from the Wu Family in Yongzhou, returning to the city. We usually rest here each time. Would it be convenient for you to let us join you in this dilapidated temple for the night?"
The speaker was a man with a square face, around his mid-twenties. He was dressed well, suggesting a certain status, not appearing as an ordinary person.
Being on the road, Shen Qing didn't want any trouble. He calmly said, "This is just an abandoned temple, make yourselves comfortable."
"Thank you." The man in his twenties glanced at Shen Qing and said with a smile, "From your accent, you don't sound local to Yongzhou. Are you from elsewhere?"
"From Taiping County."
"Oh!" The man's face showed a moment of realization and he said slowly, "Things haven't been peaceful there recently."
Shen Qing was taken aback, not expecting the man before him to know about Taiping County's situation.