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墨書 Inktalez
"Brother Chang's words have been noted by the Fox Demon."
Chang Tai's reminders were well-intentioned, but Xing Ruyi could not reveal the fox's true identity to him, so she obediently accepted them, which was undoubtedly the most prudent approach at the moment.
"Brother Chang, you came so early. Is there something you need?"
Xing Ruyi fiddled with the tea set on the table, but her peripheral vision remained on the fox. The fox seemed to be squinting and dozing off, yet its gaze was firmly locked on Chang Tai, as if it were not just listening to their conversation but also monitoring him. Both Chang Tai and the fox understood his feelings. Xing Ruyi did not want to expose this understanding because she cherished her friendship with Chang Tai, and she enjoyed the fox's concern for her, even feeling a hint of jealousy when Chang Tai showed care for her.
Ultimately, Xing Ruyi was still a commoner and could not escape the thoughts that came with that status.
Chang Tai's gaze fell on Xing Ruyi's hands. He had seen many young women, but aside from those who were suspects, he had rarely paid attention to any of them. Xing Ruyi was one of those few. The Fox Demon's hands were slender; if she had been born into a wealthy family, she would surely have mastered various arts such as music and painting. However, now those delicate fingers bore traces of herbs, and even calluses had formed on her fingertips. He had thought countless times that if the Fox Demon were willing to be with him, he would treat her well and never let her toil so hard again.
Unfortunately, his feelings had to remain hidden—not because he didn't want to express them, but because he could see that the Fox Demon was deliberately avoiding him. Since she did not want to confront it, why should he ruin the tranquility they currently shared? He was merely jealous—jealous of Young Master Yin, who had won the Fox Demon's heart yet failed to treat her well.
With a light sigh, he tucked away his swirling thoughts and looked into the Fox Demon's eyes. "I worry that you might go to the armory in the outskirts and get into trouble with Wei Shu."
"Wei Shu? How could that be?" Xing Ruyi smiled evasively. "Honestly, I did consider it for a moment, but as an ordinary citizen, how could I enter the court's armory? Besides, there are so many people there; as a mere maternal relative, even if I wanted to fight, who could I possibly contend with? So those thoughts were just fleeting ideas. The matter of the missing children is being handled by the officials; with excellent Constables like Brother Chang on the case, why would I need to join in on that commotion?"
"Now that I hear you say this, I feel relieved." Chang Tai exhaled lightly and continued, "That armory has some strange occurrences. During the New Year, I went there with my superiors; everything seemed normal then. But this morning when I took people back to check again, it had turned into a wasteland—there were no people or even any buildings left."
"Disappeared?" Xing Ruyi glanced at the fox. Although Yuan Gang had used illusions last night, she had spent the entire evening with the fox and hadn't seen it perform any spells or incantations. Could it be that all those bodies and buildings were cleared away by Yuan Gang?
The fox exchanged a glance with Xing Ruyi before looking away. Clearly, it was signaling to her that it had nothing to do with those disappearances.
Since everything had vanished, Xing Ruyi felt no need to pursue where it all went. Moreover, for her, this was somewhat good news.
Chang Tai was unaware of what had happened last night and thought Xing Ruyi was still concerned about the missing children. He reassured her: "Although people and buildings have disappeared, we are still investigating the missing children."
"After searching for so long without any news, it's likely those children are gone," Xing Ruyi said gently. She couldn't bear to reveal the truth and instead reminded Chang Tai from another angle: "Even if they are still alive, they will likely be hidden by those people. Finding them back may not be a matter of just a year or two. Have you made any arrangements for their parents?"
"I've sent Shengzi to comfort them. No matter if it's one year or two years or even ten or twenty years as long as I'm still in this position as Chang Tai, I will do my utmost to find those missing children."
"Brother Chang is a good Constable; this is something I've never doubted."
"There’s no need for such flattery between us. In fact, I've come today with another request for you."
"Brother Chang need not be so polite; just speak your mind. If there's anything I can help with as the Fox Demon, I will certainly not refuse."
"I know you, Fox Demon, often handle those herbs, so you must have some understanding of medicine. I have a case here and would like your help."
"To treat someone?"
"No!" Chang Tai shook his head. "It's about a child, a child who was burned to death by High Heat."
Upon hearing the word "child," Xing Ruyi's nerves instinctively tensed up. The hand that was moving the tea set suddenly stopped, gripping a teacup tightly, producing a faint cracking sound.
"Is it one of the missing children? Is it related to Wei Shu's arms factory?"
"It's not a missing child, and it has nothing to do with Wei Shu." Chang Tai reached out to pat Xing Ruyi's shoulder. However, just then, a White Shadow flashed by, and when he looked again, he saw the white fox that had been curled up on the windowsill had jumped over and was now habitually held in Xing Ruyi's arms. On the table, the teacup that Xing Ruyi had just held had developed fine cracks.
"Fox Demon, don't be nervous. The matter with Tiger has nothing to do with you, and those missing children are even less related to you."
"I'm fine; it's just that hearing your words stirred something in my heart. You know my heart isn't exactly hard, and after adopting Yin Yuan, I find it even harder to hear anything related to children. Brother Chang need not worry; please continue and let Fox Demon know how I can help."
"Actually, this case is quite simple. The fire occurred in Wuliuxiang, involving a family of three. The husband is surnamed Chen and teaches at a private school in the city, while the wife, Chen Li Family, stays home to take care of their child."
"The private school teacher named Chen?" Xing Ruyi suddenly recalled Mrs. Chen, who had come by in the morning to buy Rouge and Face Powder. The fox had asked her why someone so money-minded only charged that Mrs. Chen thirty coins. In truth, she had seen something in that lady's face. Mrs. Chen had a pale forehead, dark circles under her eyes resembling black crescents, and signs of impending death within seven days. When she got close to Mrs. Chen, Xing Ruyi could indeed sense an aura of death around her. Having just returned from the arms factory and witnessed so many dead bodies, she couldn't help but feel pained. Moreover, despite Mrs. Chen's deathly pallor, her eyes radiated happiness; inexplicably, Xing Ruyi wanted to fulfill her wishes and hoped she could face her beloved with her best appearance in her final days.
Now hearing Chang Tai's description, she instinctively linked this Chen Li Family with the Mrs. Chen from earlier.
"Was the child burned to death named Wanwan?"
"Fox Demon, how did you know? Do you know that family?" Chang Tai was taken aback when he heard Xing Ruyi mention "Wanwan."
"I don't know them; it's just that this morning a customer came into my shop claiming her husband's surname was Chen and that they had a daughter about half a year old named Wanwan. Coincidentally, that lady's husband is also a teacher at a private school."
Chang Tai's expression darkened instantly; even Xing Ruyi fell silent after this exchange.
After a moment, Chang Tai stood up: "The reason I came to find you today is that I feel there’s something suspicious about that child's death."
"In that case, I'll accompany you to the yamen to take a look."
Xing Ruyi picked up the fox as she stood up; her mood had just begun to improve but became heavy again due to this child's case.
The child was placed in an orphanage within the capital's yamen. The gatekeeper was a one-eyed man who nodded politely upon seeing Xing Ruyi. She returned the gesture. As they passed each other, he remarked, "That child is pitiful; she cries all night long. Young lady with a kind heart, perhaps you could send her off later."
Xing Ruyi looked at the old man's remaining half eye, which was murky and lifeless, yet it could see truths that others could not. She nodded and walked in holding the fox.
Inside the large mortuary, there was only one corpse, that of a child who was less than a year old. The child lay on the wooden bed, her body charred black. On the empty side of the bed, there was a faint white light, and in the center of that light, another child lay. Upon seeing this, Xing Ruyi was momentarily taken aback, then the child smiled at her.
Seeing that smile made Xing Ruyi's heart tighten, followed by a slight pain. The child was too young to speak, so she wouldn't understand that the charred little one lying on the wooden bed was herself. She was merely curious and frustrated—curious as to why this child always lay sleeping and frustrated that this child wouldn’t get up to play with her. She felt very lonely and isolated because in this vast mortuary, she was all alone.
Xing Ruyi released her grip, and the fox lightly leaped to the side.
The faint white light flickered; the child first stopped smiling, tilted her head to look at her, then tentatively reached out a hand to touch Xing Ruyi's. Seeing that she wasn't angry, the child giggled and crawled over to her. As she passed by the charred Child, she glanced down at her with chubby legs, deliberately avoiding looking at the blackened body.
Xing Ruyi's eyes glistened as she sniffed back tears. She reached out and picked up the child.
"Fox Demon, what are you doing?"
Chang Tai watched Xing Ruyi's strange actions with confusion. Although he had his suspicions, he did not voice them.
"I just wanted to hold her," Xing Ruyi said as she looked down at the glowing child in her arms, who was dozing off but stubbornly kept her eyes open. "Have her parents come to see her?"
"Her father has come twice, but until the case is clear, we are not allowed to let him see her. So even when he came, he could only stand outside," Chang Tai replied, glancing at the charred corpse. "As for her mother, she has never come."
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