Yiwu.

When Ji Yunshu, Jingrong, and Li Cheng returned to town from Zhao Zhuang’er’s grave site, the sky was already growing light.

In the early morning, thin mist floated over the early winter streets. The air carried a chill that pierced to the bone when breathed in.

Because Yiwu was a small town with the densest traffic of traveling merchants, even though the sky hadn’t fully brightened, there were already many carriages coming and going.

Vendors by the roadside were also successively setting up their stalls.

“Fragrant and hot beef noodles!” A vendor shouted at the top of his lungs while preparing noodles.

The three of them had been busy all night, leaving and entering the city, walking for so long—they were already exhausted.

So they sat down at that beef noodle stall.

“I’m dead tired.” Li Cheng plopped down on a bench and waved his hand, ordering the noodle stall owner, “Hurry up and get us some food, add extra meat.”

“Right away!”

The three of them sat around one table.

Li Cheng looked extremely weary, but Ji Yunshu and Jingrong were still quite energetic.

The owner brought the noodles. “Three guests, please enjoy.”

Li Cheng was starving, his stomach pressed against his back. He wolfed down the food, eating with great relish.

Ji Yunshu also began eating.

But Jingrong just quietly watched.

He had no appetite!

Instead, he transferred the beef from his bowl into Ji Yunshu’s bowl.

It looked very intimate!

This scene just happened to be seen by Li Cheng.

His curious gaze looked back and forth at them. Although with his extensive experience with women, he had long known in his heart that Ji Yunshu was actually female, he couldn’t figure out what their relationship actually was. Moreover, why would Master Ji, clearly a woman, disguise herself as a man?

The confusion in his heart grew larger and larger at this moment. He couldn’t help but ask, “What… is your relationship?”

Jingrong raised an eyebrow and lifted his cold eyes to look at him. “Very curious?”

He nodded vigorously!

Indeed extremely curious.

Jingrong said coldly, “Knowing too much about some things isn’t good for you.”

“The more you say that, the more curious this heir becomes!” Li Cheng’s interest was instantly hooked like a greedy worm. He narrowed his eyes and began guessing. “Looking at you, you don’t look alike, so you shouldn’t be brothers! Your behavior doesn’t seem like master and servant, nor like debtor and slave, and even less like close friends. But aside from these, there’s only…”

Li Cheng curved his lips, smiling extremely lecherously.

Hehe!

Jingrong’s cold eyes glinted. “Heir Cheng should stop guessing.”

But he wouldn’t.

He stroked his chin and continued guessing. “Setting aside your relationship for now, you say you came to Huyi to do silk business, but I haven’t seen you bring any goods. Instead, you have one carriage, several spirited horses, and several fierce-looking attendants. This formation—where does it look like you’re here as traveling merchants! In this heir’s opinion, you’re definitely using business as a cover to deliberately conceal something, just not wanting others to know your identities. Could it be… you’re notorious bandits? Or mountain thieves?”

Jingrong: “…”

Ji Yunshu completely treated him as air and continued eating noodles.

Li Cheng continued pulling the tiger’s whiskers. “You couldn’t have really done something shameful, could you? Is it because you killed someone? So you disguised yourselves as traveling merchants and fled to Huyi to take refuge?”

This was getting more and more outrageous.

What was all this?

Jingrong’s expression gradually darkened. He looked at the confused Li Cheng, cold intent rising in his eyes, and said, “Yes, we did indeed kill people. The lives stained on our hands are more than one, and even more—many people have died because of us.”

Extremely serious!

Uh!

At that moment, Ji Yunshu’s eating motion stopped.

She turned her eyes to look at Jingrong, understanding his meaning!

Li Cheng’s back went cold. “You’re joking with me, right?”

“Do you think I’m joking with you?” Jingrong asked in return, his cold eyes staring tightly at him.

Li Cheng’s palms tightened. He swallowed and smiled awkwardly. “Come on, you don’t look like that kind of vicious person.”

After speaking, he began burying his head in his noodles.

He should have known not to ask!

Jingrong hadn’t lied. He truly was a “murderer.”

Over these years, his hands had been stained with much blood, many lives.

And those dear friends who died because of them!

That feeling—Li Cheng wouldn’t understand.

Ji Yunshu broke the silence. “Let’s go.”

Jingrong nodded and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Li Cheng immediately raised his rear and followed.

Ji Yunshu: “Back to the inn.”

“You’re not investigating the case anymore? Didn’t you say Lord Zhuo gave you two days? And since you already know who the murderer is, you should quickly arrest him. As for whether there’s evidence, you can look for that later too. What if he escapes? Wouldn’t it be like looking for a needle in a haystack?”

“Heir Cheng can rest assured, the murderer won’t escape.”

Hm?

“What do you mean?”

Ji Yunshu didn’t explain too clearly.

On the way back to the inn, Ji Yunshu spoke to Jingrong in soft whispers about something.

Jingrong’s brows furrowed lightly, a trace of surprise flashing across his face.

But he immediately nodded in agreement.

After arriving at the inn.

Bai Yin hadn’t slept all night and had been sitting on the first floor waiting for them.

Seeing them arrive, he immediately stood up to greet them.

“Why were you gone so long?” he asked worriedly.

Ji Yunshu: “We’re fine, we just went to investigate some things.”

“Finished?”

Ji Yunshu was silent for a moment, didn’t answer his question, and only said, “I’m going upstairs to rest first.”

Then went upstairs.

“Wait…” Li Cheng intended to follow, but was immediately blocked by Jingrong.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Ji Yunshu went upstairs.

Li Cheng immediately pushed Jingrong aside. “Why are you blocking me?”

“She said she’s going to rest, didn’t you hear?”

“I heard, but how can you not be anxious at all?”

“Being anxious is useless!” Jingrong sat down at the table and began drinking the wine Bai Yin had ordered earlier.

Li Cheng was helpless. He waved his sleeve. “Fine, fine. You’re not anxious, so this heir is too lazy to worry needlessly. I’m going back to my room to sleep.”

Then he went upstairs.

Bai Yin sat down across from Jingrong and asked, “What’s going on?”

Jingrong frowned and said to him, “Go handle something for me.”

“What?”

After Jingrong whispered a few words to him, Bai Yin immediately left.

Who knew what he was going to handle?

…

Li Cheng went upstairs. Just as he pushed open his own room door, he saw Li Wenshu sitting upright inside.

And looking very displeased.

“Elder Sister.”

Li Wenshu looked at him sternly. “You still know to come back?”

“I…”

“Where exactly did you go? Do you know I was very worried? If something happened to you, how would I explain to Father?”

Li Cheng sat down across from Li Wenshu, smiling playfully. “What could happen to me!”

“This is absolutely nonsense.”

“Elder Sister, it’s not like you don’t know—I’m investigating a case now, I’m very busy.” He took a sip of water.

Li Wenshu was extremely helpless and said seriously, “We’ve stayed in Yiwu for so many days already. We can’t continue delaying any longer.”

“Elder Sister?”