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Xing Ruyi made a gesture to calm Yunxi down and looked into the boy's eyes, asking, "That person has already approached you and told you not to disclose this matter. Why have you changed your mind and decided to tell us the truth? Are you not afraid that he will retaliate against you?"
"Is being afraid useful?" the boy retorted.
"Of course it is not useful. The best way to deal with fear is to face it directly and then overcome it."
"Sister Ruyi, you are really kind. If it were me, I would never have thought of such a thing. But I'm not foolish; after all these years by my foster mother's side, besides learning to be afraid and to escape, I have learned one more thing: to read people's expressions. Just now, when that person came to see me, I saw a fierce light in his eyes. I knew that even if I did nothing, once I stepped out of this courtyard, he would not let me go. My foster mother taught me that if you cannot kill someone, at least you should drag them down with you. I know this saying is not good, but it is very practical in the Luo residence."
When he mentioned the Luo residence, the boy instinctively glanced at Yunxi. He knew that Yunxi was the Young Lady of the Luo family, and Luo Ping doted on her greatly. Once Old Master Luo passed away, this Young Lady's status in the Luo family would likely surpass that of the late Matriarch. If he wanted to survive in the Luo residence, he had to rely on this Young Lady. What he just said came from his heart, but it did not mean he was not worried that Yunxi might overthink or be unwilling to listen.
Xing Ruyi initially thought this boy was just an innocent child in the Luo residence, but now it seemed she had underestimated him. No wonder the fox had arranged for Deer Lady to accompany her to the Luo residence; perhaps the fox already knew that everyone in the Luo family harbored secrets and was not simple.
Thinking of this, Xing Ruyi's gaze towards the boy changed slightly.
She stood up and first took Yunxi outside, checked her pulse, and found her pregnancy unstable. Secretly using her ghostly arts, she calmed the unborn child who had yet to take form. Although it had not yet transformed into a human shape, Xing Ruyi could still sense that Yunxi was carrying a girl.
"Young Lady, you must not be overly emotional for the sake of your child before three months."
"Thank you, Ruyi! It's just that seeing the murderer hiding in my Luo residence makes me uneasy," Yunxi said as she shifted her gaze back to the boy and asked, "Were you being evasive just now because that murderer is someone you cannot or dare not confront?"
The boy first nodded and then shook his head. "At first, I didn't dare. But now it's not about daring; it's about being afraid. You and Sister Ruyi do not believe me."
"Well, Sister Ruyi believes you."
Xing Ruyi looked into the boy's eyes and began to regret her earlier suggestion. If such a child remained in the Luo family and was nurtured by Luo Ping and Yunxi, it was likely that in the future this vast Luo family would be swallowed up by him. Not only the Luo family; even the child in Yunxi's womb might not escape.
She had thought that people like Mo Xuyou with inscrutable intentions were the most terrifying in this world; now it seemed there were many terrifying hearts she had never noticed before. She needed to find an opportunity to discuss this child's situation with Yunxi later. For now, what was most important was to find out who that murderer was—was it Old Master Luo?
"Now, can you tell Sister Ruyi and your Young Lady who exactly is the murderer that killed Grandma?"
The boy's eyes turned as he asked back instead of answering: "Earlier I asked Sister Ruyi if she noticed the puddle of water in front of the bed and told my sister that I heard my foster mother's ghost knocking on the door. When I went out, I saw a similar puddle of water at the door as well. But there is one thing I haven't told my sister and Young Lady."
"What is that thing?"
"Just now, Young Lady passed by. My adoptive mother only brings me back to the Luo residence during the holidays, and that's true."
"So, you mean to say that before these two murders happened at the Luo residence, you had already returned to the Luo family and were assigned by the butler to stand guard at the door?"
"Sister Ruyi is really smart!" The boy lowered his head, but couldn't hide his praise: "When my sister entered, she mentioned that she is a doctor. However, an ordinary doctor wouldn't come to this courtyard. So, I suspect that Sister Ruyi, your identity must be extraordinary. Even if you are not someone from the Government Office, you must be related to them."
"To put it mildly, I do have some connections with the Government Office."
"That's good. Then I can treat what I say next as a testimony, right?"
The boy raised his eyes, and Xing Ruyi thought for a moment before nodding: "If what you say is true and related to the case, it can indeed be treated as testimony."
"I'm still young; I'm not sure if it's related to the case. But you're different; you're not an ordinary Common People, so you should be able to judge whether what I say next counts as testimony."
The boy's attitude remained extremely respectful, but in Xing Ruyi's ears, it completely lost the pity she felt for him earlier.
Indeed, human hearts are fickle, including her own.
"In previous years, my adoptive mother would also bring me back to the Luo family. Although I lived in the Luo residence, most of my time was spent in this courtyard. My adoptive mother is the most trusted person by the Luo Matriarch. She receives a considerable monthly allowance and has no other expenses, so supporting me isn't difficult. During my time in the Luo residence, all my food and clothing were purchased from outside by my adoptive mother. Therefore, although everyone in the Luo residence knows about this matter, they can't find any fault with it. In previous years, the butler wouldn't assign me any tasks. This year was different; as soon as I entered the residence with my adoptive mother, the butler came looking for me because he saw that I was still young and wanted me to stay in the residence to help with some tasks and learn some manners. My adoptive mother was reluctant but didn't want to go against the butler's wishes. As for me, I couldn't have asked for more; I thought the butler was specifically coming to help me because he saw how much I suffered in previous years."
The boy paused here and suddenly shifted topics.
"By the way, I've been hearing strange knocking sounds at night recently from my adoptive mother's ghost, but I didn't tell Sister Ruyi or Young Lady. Actually, on the night my adoptive mother was harmed, I heard that sound and saw a puddle of water."
Xing Ruyi's eyes widened suddenly. She looked at the boy and felt a twinge of disgust.
Yin Yuan also had thoughts and schemes, but those thoughts and schemes could be laid bare; there was no intention to harm anyone (one could see from his eyes who he wanted to eat or kill; he just wouldn't admit it). However, this child before her had a depth of thought and schemes that sent chills down her spine. Fortunately, he was still young and couldn't fully suppress himself; after pretending to be innocent, scared, and helpless, he couldn't help but show off his cleverness now.
Although Xing Ruyi felt some disgust, she didn't show it. Instead, she followed along with the boy's line of thought and expressed great interest.
"What you're saying is that on that night, your adoptive mother came to your door seeking help, but you didn't open it!"
"Yes!" The boy admitted and looked directly into Xing Ruyi's eyes: "I was afraid of her; I feared her from the bottom of my heart!"
"I can understand. Although I haven't experienced what you have, I have been your age before. What happened next? Can you tell Sister Ruyi what happened after that?"
"Although I was scared, I didn't open the door. After Stepmother's voice disappeared, I quietly crawled to the window and took a look outside. Then, I saw someone carrying Stepmother away, disappearing into the night. At that moment, I realized something must have happened in the house, but I didn't dare to make a sound. I was afraid that person would come back, and I was scared that something might happen to me too. I hugged my legs and curled up in the corner of the wall, waiting quietly in the dark, just like every time I was punished by Stepmother.
I don't know how long it took—maybe a long time, or maybe it wasn't too long. I felt my mind was blank; besides fear, there was also a hint of secret delight. Finally, out of nowhere, courage surged within me. I got up, rushed to the door, and suddenly pulled it open. Then, I saw a puddle illuminated by the moonlight; it seemed to have some green things floating in it, and those green things emitted an unpleasant smell—whether it was fishy or stinky, I couldn't tell.
"You saw the murderer on the night your Stepmother was killed."
Xing Ruyi concluded, and Boy nodded.
"Secondly, before dawn, news of Lady Luo's suicide in the ancestral hall reached my ears. No! To be precise, it reached the ears of everyone in the Luo Family. The maids, servants, and even Grandma all rushed to the ancestral hall to see what was happening, but I did not go. Sister Ruyi, do you know where I went?"
"You returned to this courtyard because you thought about what you heard and saw at night. You were both worried and secretly hoped your worries would come true. In this turmoil of emotions, you returned to this courtyard. You knew that if your Stepmother hadn't had an accident, she would have heard the news and gone to the Luo Family ancestral hall by now. If something truly happened to her, then what you would see in this courtyard would only be a corpse—a dead person who could neither hit you nor scold you."
"That's right! That’s exactly what I was thinking at that time. But just when I ran there, I encountered someone!" Boy pointed to the courtyard entrance. "That person should have appeared at the Luo Family ancestral hall, yet he showed up here!"
"Luo Butler!"
Xing Ruyi softly uttered those three words.
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