Since the mules needed rest, Luo Ren and the others stayed in Seven Raise Village for two days.

During those days, the news spread like winged messengers far and wide. Hunters and villagers from nearby settlements came to witness the excitement, dressed in festive attire, taking the opportunity to visit relatives and exchange daily necessities. Seven Raise Village became as lively as a marketplace. When houses could no longer accommodate everyone, people stayed in sheds or slept on open-air terraces.

As Cao Yanhua put it, even his Brother Luo and Little Master Sister couldn’t find a place for a proper, respectable private meeting.

Killing the wild woman had elevated Seven Raise Village to hero status, though it was unfortunate that after reporting to the township, officials would come to take the corpse away. Unlike usual, they wouldn’t be able to keep trophies like wild boar heads or wolf pelts that were typically gifted between villages.

Amid all this commotion, Yi Wansan remained the most dejected. Once, he asked Luo Ren, “Could we bury the wild woman?”

Bury her, like treating a deceased friend—plant grass on her grave, place incense before it, and have somewhere to pay respects when remembering her.

Luo Ren turned his head, looked at the bustling village, smiled, and said nothing.

Yi Wansan also smiled and didn’t mention it again.

The day they left was another market day. Zhama squatted on the cart seat, whip raised in the air. Many people loaded goods onto the vehicle, making it cramped for Luo Ren’s group.

Yi Wansan was preoccupied, frequently looking back. At the village entrance, a large cart was coming in, its passengers shouting greetings to Zhama—probably more people coming to see the novelty of the wild woman.

Yi Wansan turned away in disgust.

Then the carts passed each other—one heading out, one going in—gradually moving farther apart.

On that large cart, a young man with a wrapped cloth on his head looked disdainfully at the approaching Seven Raise Village, muttering: “Caught a wild person, what’s the big deal? Years ago, my father and his people dealt with even bigger ones…”

The mule cart reached the halfway point, arriving at where Luo Ren had parked his car. It was almost amusing because the place was so remote, the car had simply been left by the mountain with some branches placed on top as a “this vehicle has an owner” sign.

Mu Dai and the others got into the car. After Luo Ren made his final arrangements with Zhama, they drove away.

Everyone remained silent. Cao Yanhua initially wanted to lighten the mood, but as the words reached his lips, he looked around at everyone and swallowed them back.

Without conversation, varying shades of green passed by the car windows. Only once, when the car turned and kicked up dust, did Luo Ren ask, “Mu Dai, is your seatbelt fastened?”

Mu Dai was dozing in the passenger seat and instinctively felt for her seatbelt, responding with a murmured affirmative.

Then it was just driving, sleeping, and vaguely waking up.

Along the way, Cao Yanhua seemed to have offered to drive for Luo Ren, but Luo Ren declined, giving himself a fifteen-minute rest instead. Mu Dai fell completely asleep during those fifteen minutes.

When she woke again, it was because Luo Ren was gently patting her face, saying, “Come on, Mu Dai, wake up.”

Mu Dai opened her drowsy eyes.

The car door was already open, letting in the crisp, fresh morning air. Familiar vendor calls, gradually growing crowds, the click of camera shutters, and smooth flowing music filled the air. Looking up, she saw the eaves of old buildings in the ancient town, bathed in light and slightly upturned.

Mu Dai exclaimed, “Oh! We’re here!”

Stepping out of the car brought a dreamlike sense of unreality. Four Villages, the forest, the wild woman—all had become matters of another world far away.

No one was at Luo Ren’s home. Uncle Zheng had probably taken Pin Ting to the Gather and Scatter Bar. Everyone attended to the important matter first—fetching a basin of water and pouring in both the cinnabar amber from the water bag and the piece from the mineral water bottle that had been on the wild woman.

They quickly merged.

But the water’s surface was uneven, with countless ripples frequently appearing. Cao Yanhua asked Yi Wansan, “Can you draw the water shadow?”

Yi Wansan forced a laugh: “Am I a god? This is like trying to draw waves on the sea surface. Could you do it?”

Huo Zihong hesitated before suggesting they pour the cinnabar amber into the large fish tank to try.

There, the color of the Phoenix-Dragon Clasp had already turned light red, with the first two murder notes floating silently in the center of the water.

With a splash, the basin water was poured in.

Everyone gathered around to look.

Just like before, the amber sank to the bottom, and the third murder note began to take form.

It was the same length as the previous two, but noticeably different.

The first two were static, but this one kept moving.

The first two were completely straight, bamboo-slip shapes, but this one had rough edges, like a living creature, struggling and thrashing about.

Cao Yanhua’s eyes widened: “What does this mean?”

Unaware of Luo Ren and Mu Dai’s previous speculation, he moved closer to the fish tank, squinting: “Newly captured, with a particularly stubborn temperament?”

Yi Wansan muttered gloomily: “Perhaps it feels it’s unfair.”

Everyone turned to look at him. He jutted his chin defiantly, as if arguing with someone: “Isn’t that right?”

Luo Ren said, “Yi Wansan, the murder notes and wild people are two different things. You need to distinguish between them.”

Yi Wansan gave a cold laugh, paused for a moment, then suddenly swung his luggage bag and turned to leave.

Cao Yanhua called after him: “Brother San? Brother San?”

He thought Yi Wansan wouldn’t respond, but unexpectedly, Yi Wansan blurted out: “What’s there to keep looking at? You won’t see anything new! We don’t even know if we’ll have a place to stay tonight!”

Luo Ren was truly surprised to find Pin Ting helping Zhang Shu wash dishes.

Wearing an apron and looking the part, she stood seriously at the bar sink, water droplets splashing on her nose tip. She didn’t speak when she saw Luo Ren, but smiled happily upon seeing Yi Wansan.

“Brother Xiao Dao.”

Yi Wansan had stormed in looking furious, but suddenly encountering such a gentle smile left him momentarily at a loss. After a while, he put down his luggage bag and awkwardly adjusted his clothes.

Zhang Shu was carrying a box of liquor into the bar and saw Yi Wansan with displeasure.

“So you finally decided to come back!”

Cao Yanhua found it amusing, thinking the tone sounded like a young wife scolding her husband, who never stayed home.

But Zhang Shu quickly spotted him too.

“Little Fatty Cao! What am I going to do with you?”

Cao Yanhua hung his head, thinking, If you don’t know what to say, then don’t say anything.

Zhang Shu then looked at Mu Dai.

Mu Dai was holding Luo Ren’s arm, leaning her head against him.

Being the little proprietress with a boyfriend protecting her, Zhang Shu kept a stern face but said nothing to her.

Then he looked at Luo Ren, who was an outsider and deserved more courtesy.

He praised Pin Ting to Luo Ren: “The young lady is so well-behaved. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to do the work, but who knew—she learns each step as I teach her, taking everything seriously. I even told Old Zheng that I’d feel guilty if we didn’t pay Pin Ting some wages.”

He looked meaningfully at Mu Dai: “Better than some people.”

Mu Dai raised her chin as if to say: Say what you want, I have thick skin.

Luo Ren smiled: “Where’s Uncle Zheng?”

“Busy at Phoenix Pavilion,” Zhang Shu suddenly remembered something. “You’ve returned at just the right time. The grand opening is really in just a few days.”

Mu Dai took Huo Zihong to stay with her, leading her upstairs to prepare the room. Unfortunately, Yi Wansan and Cao Yanhua again had their beds moved by Zhang Shu, reportedly to a small warehouse for storing alcohol and supplies.

Luo Ren went to check on Phoenix Pavilion first.

He was quite surprised. In just these few days, the storefront had been completely renovated. Honestly, for a restaurant of this modest scale, the renovation was impressively conscientious.

Not only that, but the style had a certain… elegance to it.

A woman’s elegance.

Pin Ting hadn’t yet recovered, so it was unlikely she had provided ideas. Could it be…

Had Huo Zihong returned?

Pushing open the door, he realized his guess was wrong.

The person sitting at the front desk, looking down at something…

Luo Ren furrowed his brow.

The interior renovation wasn’t complete, with many packaging materials still on the floor. Uncle Zheng emerged from the back room, stepping over them, somewhat pleasantly surprised: “Little Dao, you’re back! Couldn’t you have called first?”

Cao Yanhua wasn’t present, but if he were, he would surely have muttered: These old men, always sounding like wives scolding their husbands.

Luo Ren said nothing, looking at Lian Shu.

Uncle Zheng remembered to introduce her: “This is Miss Lian, Lian Shu. She’s a neighbor, from the shop across the street, that shop…”

Luo Ren interrupted him: “I know.”

His tone wasn’t pleasant. Uncle Zheng felt somewhat awkward, hanging his hand and twisting Luo Ren’s arm, suggesting: Be polite to her.

Luo Ren barely acknowledged it: “How did you get acquainted with Miss Lian?”

Lian Shu stood up with poise, running her hand through the hair hanging over her chest.

Uncle Zheng quickly explained: “We were busy with renovations, selecting materials, and finding construction teams. I inquired at all the nearby shops. Miss Lian was helpful and gave me a lot of advice. Also…”

Suddenly remembering something, he hurried to the front desk, took a drawing, and showed it to Luo Ren: “Miss Lian drew this—a plan for the interior space, very detailed, much better than what I could come up with off the top of my head.”

Luo Ren glanced at it: “It’s well-drawn.”

Lian Shu smiled: “Many things in my shop are my designs. Drawing plans is a necessary basic skill.”

She smiled at Uncle Zheng: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back. There’s still one roll of wallpaper I need to get tomorrow.”

She came out from behind the front desk. Luo Ren watched her walk, and just as she neared the door, he said, “Wait.”

Lian Shu stopped and turned to look at Luo Ren. Luo Ren grabbed Uncle Zheng’s arm, pushing him toward the exit, saying, “You step out.”

Uncle Zheng was confused, yet seemed to understand somewhat.

It appeared that Luo Ren and Miss Lian already knew each other.

He understood Luo Ren’s temperament: “Little Dao, Miss Lian is just helping out of kindness. Be polite to her, Little Dao…”

His feet stumbled as he was pushed outside. He tried to approach again, but the glass door closed abruptly. He saw Luo Ren reach up to lock it.

This damned Little Dao, what was he doing?

Uncle Zheng was sweating profusely. He tried to gesture through the glass, but Luo Ren glanced at him with furrowed brows and pulled the cord.

With a few swift moves, the bamboo blinds used for summer shade lowered, blocking all visibility.

Uncle Zheng was furious and wanted to kick the newly painted storefront, but couldn’t bring himself to damage it.

He could only curse in his heart: That suicidal Little Dao!

Lian Shu hadn’t expected this situation and was both stunned and nervous.

Luo Ren turned around, pulled up a chair, and sat down in front of her. Though she was the one standing, when he looked at her, he somehow seemed to be looking down from above.

Luo Ren showed no expression: “There’s no one else here. We’re all adults, so let’s not beat around the bush. What’s your purpose?”

Lian Shu smiled, somewhat uncomfortable: “What do you mean, what purpose?”

“Don’t claim you’re just being kind-hearted and helpful,” Luo Ren smiled. “You’ve been asking about me quite a bit, haven’t you?”

Lian Shu felt her scalp tighten as she looked at his face, feeling both annoyed and suddenly relaxed.

So that’s what this was about.

She exhaled: “Yes, I have.”

“What did you find out?”

“Not that much. I know you have a sister named Pin Ting. Uncle Zheng initially wanted to match you two, but then learned you already had a little girlfriend.”

She pursed her lips, gesturing toward the bar: “The girl at the bar. I don’t know her well, but I’ve seen her.”

Luo Ren’s brows were knotted tightly.

Lian Shu, however, began to smile.

“Luo Ren, relax,” she said. “I’m just interested in you. Yes, I saw you enter this shop and took notice. Later, when Uncle Zheng was inquiring about things, I helped—partly for your sake. But I did help, after all. With all these matters, I’ve put in quite a bit of effort.”

Luo Ren remained impassive: “For effort, there’s payment. How much money would be appropriate?”

Lian Shu’s expression changed briefly before she forced a smile: “Not even a dinner invitation?”

Luo Ren reached for his wallet: “How much does a meal cost?”

Lian Shu’s temples throbbed with anger. She repeatedly told herself not to let him provoke her, but somehow, with just a few words, he could easily ignite her temper.

No, even if she lost to him, she wouldn’t lose her composure.

She took a deep breath and smiled nonchalantly.

“Luo Ren, don’t be so spineless. I’m interested in you and took the opportunity to learn about you while helping out. Isn’t that normal? I haven’t done anything wrong—no backstabbing, no stirring up trouble between you and your girlfriend. I’m admitting it openly and honestly. You’re a grown man; what are you afraid of?”

She turned to the door and unlocked it: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back. I have an appointment with Uncle Zheng tomorrow to look at wallpaper patterns.”

She opened the door and went out. Wind blew in, but the glass door quickly swung shut, cutting off the cool breeze.

Luo Ren tugged at his collar, feeling agitated. After a while, the glass door moved slightly. He thought Lian Shu had returned, and his expression immediately darkened.

The glass door opened just a hand’s width, revealing Mu Dai’s face and her bright, curious eyes.

Luo Ren couldn’t help but smile and said, “Come here.”

Mu Dai entered with a grin, approached him, and put her arms around him. She tilted her head up and said, “Uncle Zheng is complaining about you, saying you’re up to no good—pulling a pretty girl into a room, locking the door, lowering the blinds. What are you planning to do?”

Her expression turned serious as she looked around: “Where’s the pretty girl? Hmm? Where is she?”

Luo Ren said, “She’s in my arms.”