Couldn’t be explained clearly!

Zhang Xiaobai said earnestly, “If I had a brain like yours, I’d definitely write poetry until I died—it makes so much money!”

Making money.

It did make a lot of money.

But Song Zhi, this honest man, didn’t make money.

He curled his lips into a smile, as if unable to respond to Zhang Xiaobai’s words across from him.

The two fell into silence again!

After a while—

“You’re really not the murderer?” Zhang Xiaobai suddenly asked him very seriously.

Song Zhi said very sincerely, “I’m not.”

After a moment, Song Zhi asked him, “Then… are you the murderer?”

“Of course I’m not!” Zhang Xiaobai rubbed his slender hands. “The murderer tore off Wang Jun’s flesh and even dug out Boss Zhao’s white bones. Clearly it’s someone who’s extremely unclean. I would never do such perverted and disgusting things that would make my hands dirty.”

What he cared most about were his own hands!

Upon hearing this, Song Zhi lowered his head to look at his own hands, turning them over and examining them several times.

Only then did he realize his hands were actually quite slender and attractive too.

They were typical scholar’s hands!

He murmured softly under his breath, “Actually… my hands are quite nice-looking too.”

Zhang Xiaobai’s ears caught this, so he craned his neck to look at Song Zhi’s hands, but it was too dark over there to see anything.

So—

The two sat quietly again without speaking.

On another front.

At the inn.

Li Cheng had come back yesterday and slept straight through until noon before getting up.

As soon as he woke, he ran to find his elder sister.

Li Wenshu had been reading in her room the whole time.

Those books were all ones she had brought from the academy—each one was a collectible.

“Elder Sister, what are you reading?” Li Cheng plopped down across from her.

Li Wenshu didn’t even lift her head. “What time is it already?”

“I was too tired last night.”

Li Wenshu glanced at him. “Last night? Where did you go last night?”

“Nowhere, just stayed in my room reading.”

Reading?

Li Wenshu’s jaw nearly dropped. She raised her head to stare at him, questioning, “Reading?”

Li Cheng nodded vigorously. “Yes! I read many books.”

“I’d believe you if you said you drank wine in your room all night.”

The standard look of an elder sister disdaining her younger brother.

Li Cheng patted his chest and raised his chin. “Am I really that hopeless? I truly did read books in my room all night.”

“Then tell me, what books did you read?”

This…

Indeed put Li Cheng in a difficult position.

If you asked him to name different wines, he could definitely go for half a shichen without repeating any.

But if it came to books, that was simply asking for his life.

So he stretched his lips into a smile, quickly poured a cup of tea, and gulped it down, saying, “Let’s not talk about that. Elder Sister, have you eaten yet?”

Li Wenshu was speechless. “I have.”

“Then I’ll go down and eat something myself first.”

He was about to walk out.

Li Wenshu picked up her book to read again and tossed out a remark: “If you’re thinking of finding those young masters, forget it.”

Li Cheng’s feet came to an abrupt halt at the door.

He turned around and asked her, “What do you mean?”

“Early this morning, they went to the yamen.”

“What are they doing at the yamen?”

“I heard they’ve already found the murderer. I suggest you hurry up and pack your things. Once this case is closed, we need to leave Yiwu and rush back to Gaoding. If we delay any longer, even if I wanted to help you, you won’t be able to avoid being scolded by Father.”

Li Cheng thought, why didn’t those people call for him?

Disregarding Li Wenshu’s words, he hurried to find them.

But all the doors were closed—the people really weren’t there.

However, he saw Bai Yin sitting downstairs drinking wine, so he quickly went down to ask, “Brother Bai, did your young master go to the yamen?”

Bai Yin drank his wine, not wanting to talk.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Li Cheng complained.

Bai Yin said, “Young Master Shizi, my young master is very busy.”

“But you should have at least told this Young Master Shizi! Really.” Li Cheng was about to rush to the yamen.

Although Bai Yin wasn’t satisfied with him, he didn’t want him to make a wasted trip, so he called out to stop him, “Don’t go. The case was already tried long ago.”

“Already tried? Who’s the murderer?”

“I don’t know! My two young masters should be at the Zhao Family Theater Troupe now.” Bai Yin took a sip of wine, his expression still cold.

Li Cheng smiled and walked over, giving his shoulder a heavy pat.

“Thanks, Brother Bai.”

Then he headed toward the Zhao Family Theater Troupe.

At that moment at the Zhao Family Theater Troupe.

No sooner had the theater troupe members returned from the yamen than Ji Yunshu and Jingrong arrived right after.

“Who are you?” asked the troupe’s manager.

“This one’s surname is Ji. I’m the person investigating this case.”

That legendary expert who could sketch bones?

They were actually seeing him in person!

The manager said, “Young masters, the yamen people have already questioned us. What else do you want to ask? You’ve already arrested Zhang Xiaobai.”

Ji Yunshu and Jingrong exchanged a glance before saying, “I know, but there are some things that still aren’t clear, so I wanted to come in person.”

“Then… what do you want to ask?”

“I…” Ji Yunshu had just opened her mouth.

When they heard someone shout loudly, “Sister Xiao Qu is in trouble! Hurry and fetch a physician!”

Xiao Qu? That dan role actress who played the ghost bride.

The theater troupe members hurried toward Xiao Qu’s room.

Some went to fetch a physician.

The living quarters for the Zhao Family Theater Troupe members were behind the constructed theater stage.

The Zhao Family Theater Troupe was divided into front, middle, and back sections.

The front was the playhouse for watching performances, the middle was a courtyard where troupe members practiced, and the back was where everyone lived.

Ji Yunshu was about to follow everyone, but Jingrong suddenly grasped her hand and said, “You go ahead. I’ll go check the backstage of the theater.”

Ji Yunshu nodded.

Understanding his meaning.

So the two split up and went separate ways.

Jingrong went alone to the backstage.

Ji Yunshu followed everyone to Xiao Qu’s room.

Ever since Xiao Qu had seen that finger in the yellow earth, she had been bedridden with illness.

At this moment, she was rolling all over the bed, covered in sweat, her hands clutching the bed sheets tightly.

The maidservant beside her worriedly gripped her hands. “Sister Xiao Qu…”

“My head hurts so much!”

“Don’t worry, we’ve already sent for a physician. You’ll definitely be fine.”

“Ah!” Xiao Qu broke free from the maidservant’s hands and began forcefully pulling at her own hair, shouting, “It hurts so much, so much! Am I about to die?”

“You won’t! Sister Xiao Qu, you’ll be fine.”

The theater troupe members began discussing among themselves: “Did Sister Xiao Qu encounter a ghost?”

“It looks like it!”

“How terrifying! After all, Sister Xiao Qu was the first to see those white bones. She must have been greatly frightened.”

“Do you think… a ghost is causing mischief?”

“Don’t scare me! I’m most afraid of these things.”

…

The discussions continued endlessly.

Ji Yunshu watched Xiao Qu’s symptoms of clutching her head, her eyes tightening slightly. She walked out from the crowd, her footsteps landing beside the bed, and said to the maidservant beside Xiao Qu, “Go fetch a basin of cold water.”

Hm? Cold water?