After hearing this, Jiang Si felt inexplicably uneasy.

From the information she had gathered from the young novice monk, she suspected that the girl most likely related to the female corpse in Changxing Marquis’s garden was the daughter of Old Master Li from Dayang Town.

A Fei had found out that Miss Li came to offer incense at Lingwu Temple today, but the young novice said that Miss Li hadn’t been here for a while.

Did the young novice not notice Miss Li’s visit to Lingwu Temple, or was he intentionally concealing something? Thinking of the young novice’s innocent smile, Jiang Si shook her head slightly.

With so many visitors coming to Lingwu Temple, the young novice might not have noticed.

But the person she thought was most relevant was now connected to Lingwu Temple, and Lingwu Temple had just experienced a murder case—

Jiang Si pondered for a moment, then instructed A Man to call A Fei.

“Miss, what are your instructions?” A Fei slipped quietly into the inn.

“How many places did you inquire about today?”

“I inquired about two towns and five villages in total…” A Fei reported the places he had visited to Jiang Si, “I didn’t hear about any major incidents in any family.”

“Is Dayang Town far from here?”

“Not far, only a few li away.”

Jiang Si looked up at the sky.

The sun was about to set, dyeing the western horizon a warm orange-red. The whole sky was still bright, far from the time of light lamps.

“What does Old Master Li do?”

“Old Master Li is a well-known wealthy man in Dayang Town. They say he’s also a Xiucai…” A Fei eloquently recounted the information he had gathered.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, becoming a Xiucai was not easy. Many scholars spent their whole lives unable to shed the status of Tongsheng. Especially in such small towns, producing a Xiucai was practically a glory for the entire town.

Hearing A Fei’s explanation, Jiang Si understood that this Old Master Li had some prestige in Dayang Town.

“Has the news of the Lingwu Temple monk’s accidental death reached Dayang Town yet?”

“On my way back, I heard people discussing it on the road.”

The worshippers at Lingwu Temple came from all around, and news would spread at an astonishing speed.

Jiang Si furrowed her brow in thought.

A Fei observed Jiang Si’s expression, tactfully remaining silent.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jiang Si finally made up her mind: “A Fei, hire some idle men to go to Old Master Li’s house in Dayang Town and report that Miss Li was pushed into the well on the back mountain of Lingwu Temple and killed. If they don’t hurry to retrieve her, they won’t be able to seek justice for Miss Li…”

A Fei was stunned: “Miss, what evidence is there for this?”

Jiang Si pursed her lips: “In such a time of panic, if Old Master Li truly loves his daughter, this kind of rumor would be enough.”

She wasn’t sure if anything had happened to Miss Li. If her guess was right, at least it wouldn’t let a person disappear without a trace. If she was wrong, given the Li family’s reputation, they would at most be laughed at for a while, with no substantial loss.

Most importantly, she had a feeling that Miss Li might be the key to unraveling this mystery.

“A Fei, go now, don’t just stand there.”

A Fei hesitated unusually: “Miss, we’re outsiders after all. Who knows if those idle men can be trusted—”

Jiang Si smiled: “They can be trusted if given enough silver. If you still think they can’t be trusted, it means the money isn’t enough…”

A Fei slapped his forehead: “Miss is right!”

Wasn’t he once that kind of idle man himself? As long as he was paid, he would do anything, let alone just pass on a message!

A Fei cupped his hands and left. Jiang Si was about to return to her room when she saw Yu Jin approaching.

“You think that Miss Li is in the well?”

Jiang Si looked at him with a stern face: “Do you enjoy eavesdropping on others’ conversations so much?”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping, I just have good hearing.” Yu Jin smiled helplessly, “Miss Jiang, let’s not argue about this now. Let’s talk about the important matters.”

“Mr. Yu, this is my business.” Jiang Si said expressionlessly.

How could she shake off this nuisance?

Yu Jin stared at Jiang Si, suddenly smiling: “It’s not up to you to say. This is our business. Don’t forget that night—”

Jiang Si took a deep breath silently, deciding not to engage in a battle of wits. She turned the topic to the matter at hand: “The timing doesn’t match up.”

Yu Jin pondered briefly and understood: “Miss Li came to offer incense today, and the well water wouldn’t produce an odor so quickly. In other words, even if someone did die in the well, it’s unlikely to be Miss Li. That being the case, why did you instruct that boy to spread the message—”

“I just think that the cause of the well water’s odor probably isn’t closely related to Miss Li, but that doesn’t mean Miss Li, who hasn’t returned home, hasn’t met with trouble.”

Yu Jin nodded with a smile: “That’s true.”

Jiang Si looked up at the brilliant sunset, her voice softening: “Besides, isn’t Second Brother very eager to know if there’s a corpse in the well? This will set his mind at ease.”

Yu Jin rubbed his nose.

He hated sibling affection the most!

“Here, take this.” Yu Jin handed Jiang Si a folded square of paper.

Jiang Si looked at the paper without immediately taking it: “What is this?”

Surely it wasn’t some nonsensical note?

“If you’re afraid to look, I’ll put it away.”

Jiang Si glanced at him and said coolly: “Indeed, I don’t want to look. I’m leaving.”

Yu Jin grabbed her wrist, sighing: “Why are you always like a hedgehog, ready to prick others at any moment? Can’t you cooperate a bit?”

“Let go!”

“Alright, since you’re not interested in seeing if there’s any information about missing girls in the surrounding areas, I’ll just burn this paper.”

Jiang Si turned her head abruptly, staring at the neatly folded paper, unable to swallow her pride for a moment.

Yu Jin smiled and pushed the paper into her hand: “Alright, I’m begging you to look at it. Go ahead.”

Amidst his gentle, doting laughter, Jiang Si suddenly felt her face grow hot. She didn’t dare to look into his eyes and hastily opened the paper.

The paper was densely filled with information, including the names of several villages and towns that Jiang Si had heard from the young novice.

She couldn’t help but look at the young man before her.

Yu Jin didn’t keep her in suspense, smiling as he said: “I arrived a step ahead of you. While donating money for oil, I borrowed the register of donors and then sent people to investigate the names that appeared frequently. However, from the results, there doesn’t seem to be the information Miss Jiang is looking for within a thirty-li radius.”

The register recorded how much oil money someone donated, of course not just a name, but also where the donor was from, such as “Li’s daughter from Dayang Town” and so on.

Holding the paper in silence for a moment, Jiang Si finally spoke: “Thank you.”

The young man revealed a clear and bright smile: “No need for thanks. I said, this is our business.”

“I’ll study the information on the paper again first.” Jiang Si hurriedly left with the paper in hand.

Yu Jin stood alone for a while, the smile in his eyes deepening.

The people of Qingniu Town were still gathered in groups outside, discussing the accident that occurred in Lingwu Temple. At this time, a large group of people from Dayang Town was heading towards Lingwu Temple.