Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Yes, they didn't account for the fact that a bug appeared in this whole situation, and that bug is the tomb raider. Tomb raiders usually have little credibility, so they tend to remain skeptical about promises made by others. Fearing that the victim might not adhere to previous commitments and report his private excavation of graves to the Government Office, he has been hiding in the shadows, watching the victim's every move. It seems that this tomb raider never expected to witness a murder firsthand. After much contemplation, he could only discreetly leak this information. Otherwise, how would the people at the Government Office know about the peculiarities involved?"
"This case is indeed strange!"
"Cases in this world are generally not particularly complex," Xing Ruyi said, resting her chin on her hand. "It's just that before the truth is revealed, people often overlook the various connections within a case. For instance, in this case, there are several key figures: the old woman who came to my Ruyi Rouge shop to buy Yurong Powder, the victim, and the ruffian who was innocently affected by the Yurong Powder after the victim collided with the old woman."
Xing Ruyi dipped her finger in tea and wrote down these key figures on the table: "If we look at it this way, it's difficult to connect these three individuals. Their lives are unrelated, they have no interactions in daily life, and there’s no motive for any crime. However, if you separate them and even include myself in the mix, the picture becomes much more interesting.
The old woman came to my shop to buy Yurong Powder; the victim knocked down the old woman; the Yurong Powder in her hands spilled onto the ruffian; and enraged, the ruffian beat up the victim. The victim suffered a severe blow to his chest, likely causing internal bleeding. Now let’s take a look at the next relationship diagram."
Xing Ruyi continued writing with her finger dipped in tea from a different angle: "The victim couldn’t work due to his chest injury, which led him to discover his wife’s affair. This caused him great distress and ultimately resulted in a feigned death. Subsequently, his wife and her adulterer held an extravagant funeral to cover their tracks and even borrowed a coffin from Gu's family funeral home. Little did they know that their actions caught the attention of a tomb raider. Under cover of night, this unfortunate thief dug up graves for treasure and accidentally saved the victim while reaching an agreement with him.
The tomb raider took the victim home, and in return, the victim helped conceal his crime. If this matter had ended here, it wouldn’t be a strange case but rather a strange coincidence.
Unfortunately, reality is often harsher than we imagine. The victim returned home after narrowly escaping death only to be met not with his wife's warm concern or joyous tears but with another murder. This time he truly died—not only did he die, but his wife also cut out his tongue, turning him into a wandering ghost of resentment.
Had it not been for the tomb raider discreetly exposing this matter and drawing attention from the Yamen officials, if those officials were also a bunch of fools, what we see now could have been another massacre of an entire family. At that point, aside from the tomb raider and the victim himself, no one would know the truth behind it all.
By chance, however, the tomb raider intervened; the Yamen officials got involved; I got involved too; thus everyone entangled in this case became part of an invisible circle."
Xing Ruyi pointed at the center of that circle: "You see, this whole affair can be traced back to my Ruyi Rouge shop. My involvement accelerated its resolution; I must believe that there is indeed some fate at play here."
"Perhaps there really is fate," said Fox with a pout as Xing Ruyi turned around to see a Yard Officer standing neatly in the courtyard.
"Who are you?"
"I was sent by Brother Chang. He asked me to inform you that the case has been resolved; that woman has admitted she conspired with others to murder her husband. Right now, Sheng Catcher is leading people to apprehend another criminal."
"You go back to Brother Chang; I already know about it. As for the traces found near the tomb outside the city, there's no need to present them to Lord Xie unless necessary. That person has likely left Luoyang long ago and won't leave any traces for at least ten or eight years."
"You knew about this, Miss?"
"Not exactly knew early on, just a bit earlier than you all." Xing Ruyi held up one finger. "Just relay what I just said word for word to Brother Chang; he will understand."
The Yard Officer paused slightly before stepping back out.
"Is this matter settled?" the fox asked softly.
"Settled!" Xing Ruyi rested her chin on her hand, looking at the puddle of tea on the table.
"Get ready; how about coming back with me to Qingqiu?"
"Now?"
"Aren't you eager to marry me? The sooner we get married, the sooner you can relax, right?" The fox lifted Xing Ruyi's chin, gazing into her eyes. "The Rouge shop can temporarily be left to Li Mao and Deer Lady; I believe that even if you're not here, they can take good care of it."
Xing Ruyi rubbed her chin against the fox's palm. "I don't have much to worry about with the Rouge shop; anyway, if I'm not here, there won't be much business to do. At most, I can let Li Mao and Deer Lady take a break, allowing those who want to return home to do so and those who want to visit relatives to go. Even if we're not around, with that fellow Xie Xuan here, no one would dare to vandalize or rob. If worse comes to worst, you can catch a couple of monsters and keep them inside; anyone sneaking into my courtyard will be dealt with!"
"This method is quite good, but there's no need for me to take action; let Yin Yuan handle it." The fox nodded in satisfaction, still looking into Xing Ruyi's eyes. "That being said, what were you worried about just now?"
"I'm not worried; I'm just not very satisfied—dissatisfied with what you just said!"
"Which sentence?"
"I am anxious to marry you," Xing Ruyi squinted her eyes and asked, "May I ask, Mr. Yin, when have I shown that I am anxious to marry you? Have I been that obvious?"
"I was wrong! It’s not that you are anxious to marry me, but rather that I am eager to marry you," the fox said with a calm smile. "After all, my Fox Demon is the only one of its kind in this world. If I don't act quickly, someone else might steal you away."
"You are the one who might get stolen!" Xing Ruyi slapped the fox's hand. "I am at least a normal-minded, principled young lady. It's true that someone might have their eye on me, but it’s not that easy to take me away. Do you think I'm foolish?"
"It’s not my Fox Demon who is foolish, but those who have their eyes on my Fox Demon—" the fox deliberately elongated the syllables and then lightly uttered one word: "foolish!"
"Stinky Fox, what do you mean?"
"I, beneath this sky, am the only one worthy of you, Xing Ruyi. If someone else has their eye on you, they are foolish because it’s obvious that you don’t look at them!"
The fox's clever words indeed turned the conversation around, making Xing Ruyi's previously angry face instantly blossom into a smile.
While the two were playfully bantering, Li Mao stood aside and gently coughed. "Shopkeeper, there’s a customer. It’s that old lady who came to our Xing before."
"The one who bought Yurong Powder?" Xing Ruyi casually asked.
Li Mao nodded. "Yes, that's her!"
Xing Ruyi straightened her expression and adjusted her clothing before taking the fox by the hand and heading to the front of the shop.
The old lady looked just as she did during her last visit, having not changed her clothes at all; however, she walked with a slight limp in her right leg. Remembering the murder case she had just learned about in the Yamen, Xing Ruyi asked with concern, "Did your leg get injured, grandmother?"
"Thank you for your concern, young lady. I tripped and fell while walking. You know, once a person gets older, their bones and muscles just don’t hold up anymore. Just a little fall can make my legs not very nimble."
“Fox Demon has some knowledge of medicine. May I help your grandmother? Perhaps I can alleviate her condition a bit.”
“No need! No need!” The old woman waved her hands repeatedly. “An old bone on the verge of death, whether my legs are nimble or not doesn’t matter much.”
“Don’t worry, grandmother. As you can see, this is Ruyi Rouge, so buying Rouge costs money, but seeing a doctor is free. Just consider it a favor and let me practice my medical skills.” Xing Ruyi said, motioning for Li Mao to bring over a more comfortable stool, and she squatted down in front of the old woman.
As soon as she got closer, Xing Ruyi felt a chill in the air, mixed with a sense of death. She turned to look at the fox, only to find its gaze was also dim, confirming that what she sensed was not just her imagination but indeed real.
Since the fox was right behind her and had not moved, it indicated that there were no evil spirits in the Rouge shop; rather, it was the old woman’s time approaching, inadvertently attracting some wandering souls.
In life, we often encounter such situations. When an elder in the family is about to pass away, they tend to mumble about having seen this or that person and chatting with someone. Almost all of these people are those who have already passed away. According to the words of a yin-yang master, these are friends and relatives from the underworld who have learned that this person is about to leave and come to accompany them so they won’t be lonely on their journey.
The old woman before her likely found herself in such a situation, which is why she carried some of that chill.
Xing Ruyi originally felt pity for the old woman, and now knowing she was about to depart made her heart ache a little. She lowered her head and cautiously rolled up the old woman's pant leg. What she saw was a large area of festering wounds, and at the deepest point, white bones were already visible.
“What is this—”
“Old age makes healing slow after injuries, and since I haven’t taken care of it properly, it has become like this.” The old woman hurriedly covered her leg with her hands. “I’ve startled you, young lady!”
“No! I’m not startled!” Xing Ruyi slowly stood up, her peripheral vision catching sight of the black necrotic spots hidden beneath the old woman's tattered clothing. “Grandmother’s injury is serious, but fortunately it’s something Fox Demon can treat. Don’t worry; your leg will be fine soon.”
Comment 0 Comment Count