Just a beginner?

A beginner who could distinguish with the naked eye whether the jade inside that stone was real or fake—even better than experts. Simply incredible.

Jingrong looked at her with surprised and admiring eyes.

Thinking to himself, what exactly was inside this woman’s head?

Over there, Wen Xian completely ignored those experts’ attempts to dissuade him. In any case, he’d paid the money, so he had Old Zhao carry the stone to his residence.

Then he just left.

Yes, after buying a worthless stone he just left like that!

Those experts were still pointing and commenting behind him, all saying he’d been deceived by Old Zhao, spending money to buy a fake stone to take home.

“Master Wen spent money on a stone.”

“Exactly!”

“One hundred taels of silver, what a waste.”

…

They discussed in hushed tones.

Old Zhao just laughed at those people for not knowing good goods, even declaring that there was definitely top-grade jade inside that stone.

Everyone snorted and dispersed in a swarm.

Seeing everyone had left, Ji Yunshu asked Jingrong.

“Still following?”

He said nothing, his gaze looking down at the street below. Only after seeing Wen Xian leave Laihe Residence did he stand up and say.

“Of course we’re following.”

The two prepared to go downstairs. As they passed by Old Zhao, he happened to be holding that stone and preparing to go downstairs too.

So the three collided.

“Make way, make way…” Old Zhao called out loudly.

Then holding the stone, he hopped and skipped his way down the stairs ahead of the two of them.

Although Ji Yunshu’s shoulder was bumped, it was nothing serious.

“Are you alright?”

She shook her head!

The two went downstairs.

Quietly following behind Wen Xian.

Wen Xian indeed proceeded methodically. After leaving Laihe Residence, he turned down a street and went to a medicine shop. After entering, a young attendant at the shop came up to greet him, smiling at him politely.

“Master Wen has come to collect medicine.”

The manner of an old acquaintance greeting someone.

He nodded slightly and walked to the medicine counter, looking at the tall cabinet behind it divided into small medicine drawers, inside which were stored various medicinal materials.

Precious ones!

Common ones!

Extremely rare ones!

Everything was available!

He extended his finger and tapped on the counter several times, saying to the young attendant preparing medicine, “This time, prepare double the amount of medicine.”

“Certainly, Master Wen please wait, I’ll prepare it for you right away.”

The young attendant didn’t need to look at the prescription and skillfully prepared the medicine, tying up two packages of medicinal materials with thin string and handing them to Wen Xian.

Wen Xian then gave him the silver.

“Master Wen, take care.”

He just nodded with an expressionless face and left.

For these past few years, Wen Xian had come here almost rain or shine, every other day, each time only collecting one dose’s worth of medicine.

Today he collected double.

After coming out, he went directly toward his own residence.

Ji Yunshu wanted to go in and ask what medicine he’d collected, but was held back by Jingrong. “You and I are disguised right now. If you go ask like that, wouldn’t that attract attention? Moreover, those who run medicine shops have a rule—they can’t casually reveal patients’ prescriptions. If you go ask, they won’t tell you either.”

Because Muruo’s Yuhua Pavilion had this same rule!

Thinking about it, that made sense.

So she dismissed this thought.

They continued following.

Wen Xian’s residence wasn’t large or small, very elegant, all built from wood and bamboo. Its location was also very secluded and quiet, with a small river beside it, the clear water flowing, surrounded by mountains on three sides. By the river, there was even a small pavilion standing there.

This place was indeed a good location!

Even more suitable for cultivating body and mind than Teacher Yu’s Mingshan Academy.

After Wen Xian went in and put down the medicine he’d collected, he came out again carrying a pot of wine, going without pause to the lakeside outside the city. Sitting on that large stone, he drank wine while gazing at the rippling water surface in the distance.

This person was truly strange!

If you said he was a merchant, yet he didn’t manage his business.

Strange!

If you said he was an elegant and refined young master, yet he didn’t stay in his own elegant villa, spending all day either at wine houses or sitting here.

Strange!

Jingrong and Ji Yunshu followed him all day but didn’t notice anything particularly odd.

The two of them stood in a bamboo grove, looking from afar at that somewhat lonely figure.

“Sitting like this every day, is he waiting for someone? Or cultivating his temperament?” Jingrong muttered.

Ji Yunshu observed silently and began analyzing. “His behavioral patterns and routines are almost all repetitive. This kind of person, analyzed from a psychological perspective, must have suffered some injury before, or received some shock. And that matter must have made him very regretful, very guilty, so all these years he’s never been able to let it go.”

What was psychology?

Was there such a thing?

Jingrong didn’t understand what that was, but grasped the meaning of her words, and analyzed it in his own mind as well.

Finally reaching a conclusion.

“Ye’er’s matter!”

“Exactly.” Ji Yunshu said with certainty. “From beginning to end, he’s always worn that flute, and his palm occasionally protects that jade pendant. That jade pendant and the one in Miss Ye’er’s hand are actually a pair. If my guess is correct, the reason he comes here every other day is very likely because of Ye’er. Mm… it’s longing.”

“He’s an infatuated man.”

“Not necessarily. If he truly were an infatuated man, why didn’t he step forward after Ye’er became pregnant and gave birth to the child? Why did he just watch as Ye’er became a songstress? I think he might… feel guilty because of Ye’er’s death, so it’s also become a knot in his heart.”

Thinking about it made one feel somewhat pitiful.

The most painful thing in the world was love.

Jingrong suddenly thought of something, his deep eyes deepening as he narrowed them. “There’s one thing I couldn’t figure out before, but now it seems somewhat clearer.”

Hmm?

Ji Yunshu turned her head to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you say that the person who escaped through the window at that time was him? If it really was, think about it—when Ye’er was about to tell Qiao Zihua something, why would Wen Xian knock him unconscious? Could it be that what Ye’er wanted to say might be related to Wen Xian?”

“…”

Jingrong continued, “And matters related to Wen Xian are only about the disaster relief silver.”

Ah!

In that moment, Ji Yunshu was slightly shocked.

Her beautiful brow furrowed lightly, her thoughts sinking. “So what you mean is, Ye’er might have learned his secret and wanted to report it to officials, but perhaps for some reason couldn’t go herself, which is why she thought of Qiao Zihua? Wanting to tell him about it so he could report it to officials?”

“Possibly.”

“Actually Aunt Xie also said before that Ye’er came home very late one day, crying very sadly. Could that have been… about this matter?”

Jingrong curved his lips. “If that’s really the case, then all these matters could be connected.”

But—

“If that’s really the case, why would he steal the disaster relief silver? And how did he steal it? And why kill those officials, and try to kill you?”

All were points of suspicion!