The two men being held by Shi Yan were snoring in alternating rhythm.

Shi Yan hastily explained, “I didn’t use force!”

“Take them to the side room together,” Luo Sheng said flatly.

Most shops on Qingxing Street had a front shop, back courtyard layout. The tavern was no exception.

A row of three eastern side rooms—Xiu Yue was accompanying the dark-faced youth in the first one, while Luosai Huzi and Zhuang Han were placed in the last one.

“Pretty heavy.” Shi Yan tossed the two onto the bed like sacks. Their thunderous snoring continued, yet they didn’t wake.

Kou’er covered her mouth. “Sleeping like this—bandits these days really aren’t any good…”

Sheng Sanlang asked warily, “Cousin, you’re not planning to keep these two as well, are you?”

At least he could still work as a waiter. What could these two rice buckets do?

Luo Sheng didn’t respond to Sheng Sanlang’s question. Her gaze passed over Zhuang Han and paused on Luosai Huzi’s face for a moment before instructing Kou’er, “Shave his beard clean.”

Kou’er responded with a yes and ran to the back kitchen to find scissors, gesturing at Luosai Huzi’s face. “Miss, shave it all clean?”

“Yes, shave it all off.”

Sheng Sanlang and Shi Yan watched wide-eyed as the delicate, gentle Kou’er quickly shaved Luosai Huzi’s beard with such practiced movements.

The two shivered in unison.

This, this truly showed you couldn’t judge by appearances.

Shi Yan and Sheng Sanlang looked at each other and murmured, “I only thought Kou’er liked to talk…”

Never imagined she wielded scissors so skillfully.

Sheng Sanlang silently looked at the sky.

Who didn’t think that?

Soon a girl’s pleased voice rang out. “Miss, it’s shaved. Take a look at how this servant did? Pretty clean, right?”

Before Luo Sheng could speak, Sheng Sanlang and Shi Yan simultaneously gasped.

The man whose thick beard had connected with his sideburns now had a face like a peeled egg—smooth and clean, far whiter than his forehead and other parts that had never been covered by beard.

It looked quite strange.

Luo Sheng looked carefully.

Mm, still just as ugly.

She could confirm he wasn’t Xiu Yue’s fiancé.

After instructing Shi Yan to watch the two, Luo Sheng lifted her feet and went to Xiu Yue’s room.

Hong Dou stood at the door. Seeing Luo Sheng coming, she wanted to greet her but was stopped by a shake of the head.

Inside the room, Xiu Yue was gazing at the dark-faced youth, silently shedding tears.

“Xiu Gu—” Luo Sheng called out softly.

Xiu Yue hastily wiped her tears and turned around.

“Come with me.”

Xiu Yue looked back at the dark-faced youth, hesitating.

“Hong Dou is watching. He can’t run away.”

Only then did Xiu Yue stand up and follow Luo Sheng to the partition room.

“Sit first.” Luo Sheng pointed to a chair.

Xiu Yue sat down silently.

“Xiu Gu, are you really certain he’s your long-lost nephew?”

Xiu Yue’s whole body tensed as she nodded.

“Just based on one jade cicada?”

Excitement surfaced in Xiu Yue’s eyes. “That jade cicada was originally mine. There’s no mistake.”

“Don’t get excited.” Luo Sheng’s voice was calm, with a power to soothe hearts.

However, her next question made it impossible for Xiu Yue to stay calm.

“That youth is a mountain bandit. Haven’t you considered the jade cicada might have been robbed?”

Xiu Yue was suddenly stunned.

“This possibility isn’t small, is it?” Luo Sheng’s tone was calm, though her heart was not calm at all.

If the dark-faced youth was truly Xiu Yue’s so-called “nephew,” then he must be related to the Zhennan Prince’s Manor.

The more this was the case, the more cautious she needed to be.

“That can’t be. The jade cicada isn’t a precious object…” Xiu Yue’s expression was confused, looking deeply affected.

“For a group of low-class mountain bandits, perhaps it was very precious. Xiu Gu, don’t forget—when I forced them to leave behind valuables, altogether it wasn’t worth a hundred taels of silver…”

Xiu Yue naturally wouldn’t forget.

After all, counter-robbing bandits wasn’t common.

“Let’s wait until they sober up from the alcohol, then ask about it.”

This wait lasted until early the next morning.

The dark-faced youth woke first.

He opened his eyes in confusion to find an extremely beautiful face.

The dark-faced youth sat up with a start, completely frightened awake.

“What are you going to do? I, I have no money!”

The demon woman was too terrifying. Where was Big Brother? Where was Big Brother?

The dark-faced youth looked around in panic.

Luo Sheng opened her palm, her tone gentle. “Don’t be afraid. Look at what this is?”

The girl’s palm was fair and soft, with a small jade cicada resting quietly within.

The dark-faced youth became anxious at once, reaching out to snatch it while shouting, “Give it back, give it back to me quickly!”

Such urgency showed how much he cared about the jade cicada.

Luo Sheng’s fingers wound around the red cord, lightly holding the jade cicada as she said coolly, “Try to grab it again and I’ll smash it.”

The dark-faced youth was immediately too frightened to move, staring hard at Luo Sheng.

How could there be such a terrible girl!

“Feeling a bit calmer now?” Luo Sheng asked flatly.

The dark-faced youth nodded dumbly.

What else could he do if he didn’t calm down? The demon woman was going to smash his jade cicada!

“Good that you’re calm. Now answer a few questions for me.” Luo Sheng shook the jade cicada. “First, tell me how you got this jade cicada.”

The dark-faced youth’s eyes followed the jade cicada’s movements, fearing the utterly wicked girl in front of him might accidentally or deliberately drop and smash the jade cicada.

“Did you rob someone to get this jade cicada?”

Luo Sheng’s tone was light, yet it instantly made the dark-faced youth flush red with anger.

“The jade cicada is mine, not robbed!”

“Yours?” The girl raised her eyebrows, not hiding her contempt. “I don’t believe you.”

The dark-faced youth was both anxious and angry. “It is mine! I’ve worn it since I was small. My uncle said the jade cicada was a keepsake my parents left me, and no one is allowed to touch it. Give it back to me quickly!”

Luo Sheng scoffed. “Little mountain bandits love to lie. You clearly call that bearded man Big Brother, so how did he become your uncle?”

“Big Brother Du is indeed my big brother. My uncle is already dead—” The dark-faced youth said this, and tears began swirling in his eyes, yet he held them back forcefully.

He couldn’t cry in front of a girl.

“Wahhh—” The dark-faced youth started wailing at the top of his lungs. “Didn’t get to eat the beggar’s pork knuckle, and the money I’d saved for so long to buy candied hawthorn for little sister Chunhua was robbed, and now you’re robbing my jade cicada…”

The demon woman couldn’t even be counted as a girl!

“Cry more and I’ll smash the jade cicada.” Luo Sheng warned flatly.

The dark-faced youth’s crying stopped abruptly, and because he stopped so suddenly, he started hiccupping.

“When did your uncle pass away, what kind of person was he, what did he look like…” Luo Sheng asked a string of questions in succession.

The dark-faced youth belatedly sensed something wasn’t quite right, looking at Luo Sheng warily. “You, why do you keep asking about my uncle?”

Her pale hand shook the jade cicada, and the dark-faced youth immediately became obedient, lowering his head to answer questions.

“Uncle passed away seven years ago. Uncle didn’t like to talk much, but he doted on me and taught me to read and practice martial arts… Uncle was Black Wind Stronghold’s famous handsome man. You, what exactly do you want to do?”

Luo Sheng fell slightly silent.

A handsome man from Black Wind Stronghold who’d been dead for seven years—what exactly was this dark boy worried about?

She shouldn’t be that frightening, should she?

At that moment, a scream rang out from the next room. “My beard, where’s my beard?”