Qiao Zihua sat slumped on the ground, crying out in pain.

Tang Si stood with her hands on her hips, laughing loudly several times.

She’d gotten revenge for being shut out, and the anger from being upset by Muruo today had diminished somewhat.

Looking now, Qiao Zihua’s nose ached painfully. Liquid flowed out. He quickly wiped it with his sleeve, only to realize it was nosebleed. Frightened, his eyes widened and his face stiffened.

“Blood… blood…” His voice trembled.

Tang Si glanced at it and said disdainfully, “A grown man acting like a woman. It’s just a nosebleed—it’s not going to kill you. How cowardly.”

“You…”

“You what? This young lady hitting you shows I think you’re worth it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even bother looking at you.” She was actually being righteous about it.

Qiao Zihua felt wronged. He turned his head toward the main hall, hoping his second uncle would quickly come out to rescue him. He didn’t want to stay in this place another moment.

Tang Si picked up the somewhat deflated cuju ball from the ground again, weighed it in her hands a few times. The corner of her mouth curved upward with ill intent as she approached him once more.

She wasn’t done bullying him yet!

A figure suddenly blocked her path.

Stopping her.

Without a word, Muruo reached out to help Qiao Zihua up, but the latter’s spine seemed to have truly fractured. When pulled up, he cried out in pain.

“It hurts… my waist is broken.”

“That’s not your waist, it’s your spine.” Muruo corrected him.

Lack of education could truly be frightening sometimes.

He didn’t dare move carelessly, afraid he might break in half. He could only rely on the strength from Muruo’s wrist to walk to the stone table.

“Lie down.”

“Huh?”

“I told you to lie down.” Muruo frowned slightly.

Though puzzled, he still complied.

His whole body lay on that stone table, like a dish laid out to be devoured.

Tang Si walked over and pulled at Muruo. “Hey, are you deliberately trying to oppose me? The matter between you and me isn’t settled yet, and now you’re interfering again. Are you doing this on purpose?”

“The matter between you and me? There is no matter.”

“You mean you won’t acknowledge it?”

“Never did it, so why would I acknowledge it?”

“You…” She was so angry her chest hurt. “Fine, anyway we have plenty of time to settle our business. Right now, I forbid you from helping him. He deserves it.”

Muruo was exasperated, dark lines appearing on his forehead. “Miss Tang, this is a matter of life and death. Don’t you know? Injuring the spine is like having one foot in the gates of hell. You want to punish someone, I won’t stop you, but if someone dies, it’ll implicate all of us.”

That serious?

Tang Si also knew the gravity of the situation. After hesitating a moment, she stamped her feet several times and sat down on the stone bench nearby.

“Fine, fine. Hurry up and treat him. After you’re done treating him, I’ll hit him again.”

Qiao Zihua expressed that he was truly heartbroken!

He’d been caught in the crossfire!

Muruo began pressing on his spine several times. His technique was quite skilled, though his force was rather heavy.

Only several “crack” sounds were heard as the somewhat dislocated spine returned to its original position.

“Get up and twist around.”

Qiao Zihua wiggled his bottom, carefully straightened his body, and twisted his waist. He discovered it didn’t hurt anymore.

Beaming with joy, “It really doesn’t hurt anymore, not one bit. You’re truly miraculous.”

“Good that it doesn’t hurt.”

“Many thanks, young master. May I ask your name?”

Muruo found this fellow rather interesting. No matter what, he couldn’t connect him to that perverted murderer.

Tang Si stood up abruptly and glared at Qiao Zihua again, preparing to strike.

He instinctively shrank behind Muruo. “Miss, we have no grievances or enmity. If I offended you before, I apologize. You’ve already hit and scolded me just now. Shouldn’t your anger have subsided?”

“It hasn’t!” She shouted loudly.

The next moment, she raised her hand, her palm striking out.

One would think she was hitting Qiao Zihua, but her palm was actually aimed at Muruo’s chest.

Fortunately, Muruo reacted quickly, dodging sideways, causing her palm to miss. That force could only strike limply at the air.

She didn’t give up. Striking while the iron was hot, she continued sparring with Muruo.

The two fought for several rounds without determining superiority. Finally, their strength exhausted, they stopped.

She glared at him, gasping for breath. “I’m not finished with you.”

“Not fighting anymore. This is truly boring.”

Muruo turned and left. Tang Si immediately followed.

In the end, only Qiao Zihua remained standing there alone.

As if the matter just now had never happened, he was somewhat dazed.

Muruo circled to the back courtyard, his steps quick. Tang Si hurried to catch up, following while speaking in his ear, “Beast! This young lady has never shared a bed with a man before. Don’t think just because our clothes were intact that nothing happened.”

He ignored her.

“Are your ears deaf? I’m talking to you!”

He continued ignoring her.

“Muruo, this young lady has a grudge against you now. If you don’t give me an explanation, I’ll pester you for the rest of my life. Let’s see what you’ll do?”

Suddenly—

His steps stopped. He turned to face her, slightly lowering his head to look at the woman before him who was so angry she was practically blowing her beard and glaring.

“Miss Tang, originally this was a very small matter. But if you continue stubbornly making a fuss, perhaps everyone will know we slept together last night. When that time comes, even if you and I are innocent, it won’t be clear. What will be ruined is your reputation. I’m a man—it doesn’t matter to me.”

The phrase “doesn’t matter to me” coming from his mouth truly sounded like a tone that didn’t matter.

Tang Si’s face flushed completely red. She looked around warily several times, lowered her voice, and said through gritted teeth, “If this were in Houliao, I guarantee you’d already be dead.”

“But this isn’t Houliao, this is Great Lin!”

“You…” She was so angry she clenched her fists.

Muruo had already left!

At the same time, Ji Yinshu sat in the courtyard, standing beside those skeletal remains, thinking about what Qiao Zihua had said earlier.

An open window!

A fallen screen!

A cup smashed on the ground!

A strangled cat!

In all this, there was one point she couldn’t figure out.

If Qiao Zihua had been knocked unconscious by someone, that meant the murderer had been hiding in the room all along. That opened window proved the murderer had left through the window. If that was the case, then where had that cat, which hadn’t appeared when Qiao Zihua entered, come from?

The key point was that cat!

She thought about it. It seemed tomorrow she’d need to make another trip to that brothel to look for more clues.

Granny Xie appeared at the courtyard entrance at some unknown time. She still held that grayish-white, yellowed bundle in her hands. Stumbling, she walked in, her gaze fixed on those skeletal remains covered with white cloth.

Tears glistened in her eyes, her steps difficult.

“Ye’er, Mother has come to see you.” She unwrapped the bundle, took out the cloth doll from inside, and with trembling hands placed it on the white cloth. Crying, she said, “Mother knows you loved this cloth doll. When the truth comes to light, I’ll burn it for you.”

“Granny Xie, please don’t be so sad.”

She wiped away tears. “Master, did people from the Qiao family come?”

“Yes.”

“What did that beast say?”

“Don’t worry. I will certainly give Miss Ye’er justice.”

“May I stay here and keep her company a while longer?”

“Of course.”

Ji Yinshu didn’t want to disturb them and returned to her room.

Faintly, she could still hear the sound of weeping coming from outside the door.