Seeing that Ji Yunshu was ignoring her, Zhang Xinlan became displeased.

She pushed her with her hand.

“Hey, I’m talking to you—are you deaf? Or mute? Didn’t you hear me talking to you? If you heard me, why won’t you respond? Don’t you know that’s very rude?”

“You know that’s very rude?” Ji Yunshu spoke up, glancing at her sideways with a cold expression. “If you understood manners, you should sit properly and not disturb others.”

“Are you saying I’m being noisy?”

“Miss Zhang, I don’t wish to say much, nor do I want to waste words with you. I only hope you can understand that most people in this world who die early are those who are self-righteous.”

“You’re cursing me?”

“You misunderstand. I don’t curse people—I educate them. If you can’t control your temperament, whatever fate you meet in the end, you’ll have only yourself to blame. No one will pity you.”

“You…”

Zhang Xinlan’s face turned livid with anger!

She was speechless!

Meanwhile, Ji Yunshu continued, “Also, I solve cases not through luck, but through ability. If it were truly through luck, then today, I wouldn’t have encountered Miss Zhang.”

The words carried deep meaning.

Though Zhang Xinlan was spoiled and willful, she wasn’t stupid!

She understood the implication of those words.

Ji Yunshu was saying that meeting her was her own bad luck.

Her face flushed red with anger, but she couldn’t strike out physically. She only felt as if someone had grabbed her throat, rendering her unable to speak.

For the entire journey, she could only hold her anger in!

When they arrived at Water Moon Residence, she got off the carriage holding that scroll and immediately rushed inside.

Ji Yunshu also entered together with Constable Zhang.

Inside Water Moon Residence, what met the eye was a very large hall!

The surroundings were walls woven from bamboo, forming a square enclosure. Inside, there were many blankets laid out for resting, as well as small tables.

Some people were resting!

Some were eating!

At first glance, it looked rather like a dining establishment.

It had its own unique atmosphere.

“Are the three of you here to eat? Or to soak in the hot springs?”

A waiter came up to greet them.

Zhang Xinlan plopped down in a seat and waved her hand dismissively. “You, go inside and tell Scholar Wen that someone is looking for him.”

“Miss is looking for someone?”

“Didn’t I just say that?”

“Very well, I’ll go call him right away.” He then turned to look at Constable Zhang and Ji Yunshu, asking, “Then may I ask what Constable Zhang and this young master require?”

Ji Yunshu spoke, “I must trouble you to go inside and notify a young master surnamed Mo. He came with Scholar Wen. Tell him that it’s a matter of life and death, and he must come out.”

Having said this, she sat down in another empty seat.

The waiter was confused!

He scratched his head. What was going on here?

People who came here either came to eat or to strengthen their bodies through the hot springs. Why were they looking for people?

After being bewildered for quite a while, he finally shuffled inside to find them.

Constable Zhang stood in the middle, looking at Zhang Xinlan, then at Ji Yunshu.

Sigh, who should he sit with?

One was his younger sister, the other was someone highly favored by His Highness the Prince, and also the person Magistrate Fang had begged to come solve this case.

After struggling for a long while—

He simply found an empty seat for himself, ordered a bowl of water, and began gulping it down.

The three of them ignored each other, sitting quietly in a triangular formation.

Looking at them, there was something rather comical about it!

Meanwhile, inside the hot spring area!

Steam rose in billows, mist swirled about—it was like a fairyland.

The pathway was paved with pebbles, winding and extending all around, surrounding hot spring pools and artificial mountains.

Men walked back and forth wearing only towels wrapped around them, while others quietly enjoyed themselves in the hot springs.

In the highest-grade hot spring pool at the very back, there was an enormous pool surrounded by pebbles of various sizes piled up all around. Beyond that was a circle of exquisitely carved screens.

It was separated from the “public bathhouse” outside!

And it was extremely quiet.

Jingrong, Muruo, Wei Yi, and Wen Lingyang—all four of them—were soaking in the hot spring, in absolute bliss.

Rose petals floated on the surface of the spring water.

It looked very enjoyable indeed.

Because Wei Yi had been soaking for so long, he was sweating profusely. All the cells in his body had swelled up, and his body felt burning hot. With a swoosh, he stood up from the water, touching his arms and chest…

Then he said to Muruo beside him, “Brother Muruo, I’m so hot.”

Muruo had both hands resting on the pebbles around the outer edge of the pool, with a towel covering his face. He slowly removed it and glanced at Wei Yi.

“If you’re hot, go sit outside for a while.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll soak a bit longer.”

With that, he covered his face with the towel again.

Muruo’s handsome, fair face was flushed red. He glanced at Jingrong in the distance, then at Wen Lingyang.

As if possessed, he asked, “I remember when I was young, during New Year’s when they slaughtered pigs, Mother took me to watch once. Before killing the pig, they would put it in a large tub and soak it in hot water, then kill the pig. Are we just like pigs, being soaked like this, and then we’re going to be killed?”

He was both frightened and horrified!

His face was full of questions.

Uh!

All three of them simultaneously removed their towels.

Jingrong rolled his towel into a ball and threw it at him. Perhaps because he used too much force, it hit Wei Yi’s left arm. He staggered and tumbled headfirst into the hot spring.

Splash!

He swallowed several mouthfuls of water before his head emerged.

Coughing several times, he shouted loudly at Jingrong, “Why did you hit me?”

Jingrong looked at him coldly, turned his head away, closed his eyes, and said nothing.

This lord is aloof and doesn’t want to deal with you.

Instead, Muruo responded, “Little Wei, oh Little Wei, if you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“What do you think?”

Wei Yi completely forgot about having just fallen into the water. He sat back down in the hot spring and thought for a long time but still couldn’t figure out what he’d said wrong.

That’s exactly how it is!

Don’t you scald pigs with boiling water before slaughtering them at your house?

Wen Lingyang looked at him and smiled gently. “Young Master Wei is quite adorable. If one had such a person traveling alongside, one would never feel bored.”

Muruo said, “Scholar Wen doesn’t know how formidable this old ancestor of mine is.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Just ask him and you’ll know.” He tilted his chin toward Jingrong.

So Wen Lingyang directed his gaze to Jingrong beside him, waiting for him to say something.

But Jingrong found it hard to express!

At this moment, the waiter came running over and called out from behind the screen.

“Scholar Wen, someone outside is looking for you. There’s also a young master looking for Young Master Mo, saying it’s a matter of life and death.”

Hmm?

A matter of life and death?

Muruo raised his head and asked, “Who is it?”

“I don’t know them. They’re people Constable Zhang brought—one miss and one young master.”

Wen Lingyang was the first to react. “Most likely, Master Ji has arrived. It should be about the case. Young Master Mo, they probably need your help.”

Muruo nodded!

So all four of them climbed out of the pool wrapped in towels.

While drying their bodies, they dressed.

Jingrong had just grabbed his clothes to put them on when Wen Lingyang, who was facing away from him still drying his body, noticed a scar on his waist.

His eyes tightened.

“That scar on Scholar Wen’s body—judging by its appearance, it should be an old injury?”

He reached back to touch the scar on his waist and smiled. “Yes, it was left when I was very young. I was just being mischievous.”

Jingrong’s expression became grave, though he concealed it extremely well.

No one noticed.