The tavern in this small town was naturally not as refined as those in the capital, but it was no less lively.
The young man who had just entered was none other than A-Fei.
A-Fei entered the tavern, ordered some food and drink, and sat down in a corner to drink while quietly searching for his target.
On a bench by the window sat a man with his legs spread wide, gulping down alcohol with only a small dish of peanuts in front of him.
The man was drinking cheap wine.
A-Fei picked up his good wine and a newly served plate of marinated donkey meat, walked over to the man’s table, set down the food and drink, and smiled, “Drinking alone is too dull. I think we’d get along well, brother. Shall we drink together?”
The man glanced at A-Fei.
Judging by the bloodshot eyes and hazy gaze, A-Fei could tell this man had already had quite a bit to drink.
“If you want to drink, let’s drink.” The man was straightforward. Without hesitation, he raised his cup to clink with A-Fei’s, drained it in one gulp, and then picked up some donkey meat with his chopsticks.
The man chewed and swallowed the fragrant marinated donkey meat, then slapped the table, “Excellent! It’s been a long time since I’ve had their donkey meat.”
Once a ranked military officer, he had fallen into endless grief when his fiancée suddenly took her own life and soon lost his position. Now people still called him “General Qin,” but it was merely out of habit, and some even with a hint of mockery.
Not everyone admires a man’s undying love for his fiancée. Often, such behavior touched women, while most men would sneer at it.
To end up in such a state over a woman who hadn’t even become his wife yet was considered pathetic.
The man and A-Fei clinked glasses repeatedly, and the man devoured the heaping plate of donkey meat like a whirlwind. Wiping his mouth, he stood up, “I’m full. Thanks.”
Watching the man stagger towards the exit, A-Fei said nothing. He sat for a moment longer, paid the bill, and then followed him out.
“Why are you following me!” The man suddenly twisted A-Fei’s arm and pinned him against the wall.
A-Fei winced in pain but didn’t cry out.
After experiencing the pain from A-Man’s hairpin, ordinary pain seemed insignificant now.
“Who are you?” The man glared at A-Fei, his eyes regaining clarity.
This young man didn’t look like the usual spineless ruffian.
Some people get drunk not because they’ve exceeded their alcohol tolerance, but because they want to be drunk. The man before him was such a case.
A-Fei looked straight at the man and suddenly smiled, asking an odd question, “Can you read, brother?”
The man was taken aback but nodded.
A strange young man, a strange question. The man vaguely felt that his life, which had been painful and numb for over a decade, was about to change.
“That’s good.” A-Fei took a letter from his bosom and handed it over.
The man looked at A-Fei, took the letter, and held it up to the light to read.
Just one glance and the man’s expression changed dramatically.
He read the letter, trembling all over, then grabbed A-Fei’s collar, “Who exactly are you!”
A-Fei coughed a few times, “Brother, you’re about to choke me.”
The man loosened his grip slightly, but his lips continued to quiver.
Seeing the man’s expression, A-Fei felt a great fear rise from the depths of his heart.
He did not doubt that this man was truly capable of killing!
Miss Jiang’s money wasn’t easy to earn.
A-Fei felt like crying but had no tears. He silently comforted himself: I’ve already lost my savings, if I don’t risk my life to earn some money now, what will I do in the future?
“Speak, who exactly are you!”
A-Fei’s whole body was pressed against the wall, his back cold and hard.
“I’m just a messenger.”
“Then what about this letter? Who wrote it?”
A-Fei shook his head, “I can’t say, and besides, apart from counting money, I can’t read. But the person who wrote the letter has a message for you.”
“What did they say?” The man started to become agitated, “What did they say?”
The truth revealed in the letter was enough to drive a man who had been searching for answers for over a decade.
“Cough, cough… She said… believe it or not, it’s up to you. It’s been so many years, and she has no evidence. If you want proof, you’ll have to pry open the mouths of the key figures yourself…” After speaking, A-Fei nearly burst into tears.
He felt that delivering such a message was tantamount to seeking death.
But he really couldn’t read. Even if he had the guts to peek at the letter, he wouldn’t have known what it said, let alone understand what it was all about.
“Then why does she know?”
A-Fei rolled his eyes, “How would I know? If I were that capable, I wouldn’t be the one running errands, right, brother? She just said she’s not involved in this matter but learned about it by chance.”
The man lowered his head and read the letter again, word by word, several times. Suddenly, he stuffed the letter into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.
A-Fei’s jaw dropped.
“Come with me!” The man grabbed A-Fei and dragged him deeper into the alley.
The man’s home, though simple, was surprisingly clean.
“No matter what intentions the person behind you has, since they sent you here, I suppose you’ll have to wait for some kind of result before you leave, right?”
“Of course,” A-Fei replied without hesitation.
The man closed his eyes briefly, “Do as you please then. I won’t provide meals.”
He pushed A-Fei aside and stumbled out, not even closing the front door.
A-Fei sat for a moment, then got up, patting his backside.
This brother was straightforward. Of course, he would leave; Miss Jiang had other tasks for him.
But how did Miss Jiang know this man wouldn’t harm him?
How could A-Fei know that a person who had been obsessively investigating his fiancée’s death for over a decade would, upon learning the truth, have no attention to spare for others? His urgent desire would be to verify what the letter said.
Even if he ultimately couldn’t pry open the mouths of the victims or perpetrators, the detailed description in the letter had already convinced him beyond doubt.
Immortal Sister Liu’s fate was sealed at this moment.
If you asked who had been the most prominent figure in the past half month, eight out of ten people in the capital would say it was Immortal Sister Liu, who had cured Old Madam East Peace’s eye ailment.
Immortal Sister Liu’s invitations from noble households were booked solid for the next month. She was truly riding high.
On this day, it was time for her visit to the Marquis Yongchang’s mansion.
The Marquis Yongchang’s mansion was right next door to Duke East Peace’s, and the two families interacted frequently. Miss Xie Qing’ao from the Marquis Yongchang’s family was about the same age as Jiang Si, and the two were close friends.
When the servant from the Marquis Yongchang’s mansion came to invite Immortal Sister Liu, the gatekeepers at Duke East Peace’s mansion could see what kind of flowers the servant was wearing in her hair.
Being so close, any slight movement in one household was quickly known to the other. So when the servant sent by the Marquis Yongchang’s mansion ran back scared witless, Duke East Peace’s household immediately learned of the shocking news.
The divine Immortal Sister Liu had been hacked to death in her bed, blood soaking the bed and floor. She was long dead and cold!
Immortal Sister Liu, who had only enjoyed her fame for half a month, had met such a violent end!
Hurried footsteps echoed in Haitang Residence as A-Man rushed into the room, “Miss, something terrifying has happened!”
Jiang Si looked at A-Man calmly, then suddenly smiled, “What terrifying thing? Tell me about it.”
“Immortal Sister Liu has been murdered!”
“Is that so—” Jiang Si sighed softly, “How frightening indeed.”