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In the account of Lingxiang, her husband Su Guangcai absconded with Widow Liu Family, taking all her wealth and disappearing without a trace. To keep the inn running, Lingxiang had to change her business strategy, even resorting to selling her charms at the door to attract guests. This was confirmed by the Yamen's investigation.
As a wife, it was not a glorious situation for Lingxiang to have her husband run away with a Widow, especially since she had been hoping that Su Guangcai would return to her. For a long time after his disappearance, she had to pretend that nothing was wrong to cover for him. It wasn't until six months ago that someone discovered the box Su Guangcai took when he eloped with Widow Liu in the mountains east of town, along with some bloodstains and pieces of clothing nearby. Only then did Lingxiang hurriedly report to the Yamen.
As for why Lingxiang firmly believed that Widow Liu killed Su Guangcai, it was because the person who found the box told her that the pieces of clothing around it belonged to a man.
"Since the box and pieces of clothing were found, what about the Corpse? Was there any found?" Xing Ruyi pressed on the key issue.
Chang Tai shook his head. "I have reviewed the case files; the Yard Officer did not find any human Corpse at the scene. However, they did find an animal skeleton at the foot of the mountain, which appeared to have been dead for a long time."
"Given that it's a forested area, finding animal skeletons is normal," Xing Ruyi said as she folded the paper. "But I don't understand how Su Guangcai's elopement with someone relates to the disappearance case at Lingxiang's inn. Could this also be an incident caused by some evil spirit, which is why you thought of me, Brother Chang?"
"Not at all; there is no necessary connection between the two. It's just that Su Guangcai's elopement with Widow Liu has led to changes in how Lingxiang operates her inn. Originally, her inn only catered to traveling merchants, and most guests were from well-off families. But since her husband went missing, she had to start accepting a more diverse clientele to sustain the business. The inn now offers not just lodging but also meals and drinks. Overall, it seems like business has improved compared to before, but with more complex interactions among guests—many of whom only stay briefly—some even just stop in for a drink and leave right away. Thus, while there are reports of missing persons related to this inn, they are almost negligible compared to the total number of guests."
"I understand your point now, Brother Chang! After all this time, I still didn't know what kind of inn Lingxiang runs! Previously, when I passed by the paper shop, I didn't notice anything special about it."
"Oh, this inn was originally called Guangcai Inn but has since been renamed Dragon Gate Inn!"
"Dragon Gate Inn?" Xing Ruyi couldn't help but show a slightly surprised expression.
"Yes, it's Dragon Gate Inn! Fox Demon, have you heard of it before?"
"I have heard of a Dragon Gate Inn, but it definitely isn't this one. The one I know is located in the desert; its owner is an extraordinarily beautiful woman named Jin Xiangyu. However, that inn is notorious for being a black shop."
"A black shop?" Chang Tai was confused; although he was the top Constable in Luoyang City and had handled many cases, he had never encountered the term "black shop."
"Yes, a black shop! It's one where they poison guests' food and then take advantage of them while they sleep by using drugs to incapacitate them. They specifically target those who are plump and tender-looking—especially those with thick meat and lots of fat—and send them one by one to the kitchen for their meat to be extracted and made into buns for new customers."
Chang Tai's face involuntarily twitched; even Fox Demon frowned at this revelation. He looked at Xing Ruyi and asked, "Where did you learn about such an inn? I warn you not to go to places like that!"
Xing Ruyi lowered her head, stuck out her tongue, and quietly said, "I would like to go, but even if there really is an inn in the desert, there definitely won't be a beautiful innkeeper like Jin Xiangyu."
"What did you say?" The fox's ears perked up; he naturally heard Xing Ruyi's mumble. He was both angry and amused, but could only stare at her with his smiling eyes. "I won't allow you to go, but if you really want to, I can accompany you. If there isn't an inn there, we can build one. If there isn't a beautiful innkeeper, it doesn't matter if she has a bigger temper."
"Are you suggesting that I open a black market shop in the desert?" Xing Ruyi's eyes lit up; she thought this was a pretty good idea.
"Ahem! Ahem!" Chang Tai coughed three times from the side. "Can you two discuss these black market matters at another time? After all, I'm still receiving a salary from the court; I can't just pretend I didn't hear."
Xing Ruyi burst into laughter, bending her slender waist as she laughed. After a long while, she managed to stop and looked at Chang Tai. "Brother Chang, you're really interesting. Don't worry; if a Fox Demon really opens a black market shop in the desert, I'll definitely bring you and Shengzi along."
"Bring us for what?" Chang Tai asked in confusion, his face clearly showing the words: "Are you really going to take us to catch you?"
Xing Ruyi covered her mouth and laughed again. While laughing, she waved her hand at Chang Tai. "Brother Chang, you've misunderstood. I'm not bringing you along to watch me commit crimes and then get caught and sent to the magistrate. I'm not that foolish!
I'm bringing you to help me guard the shop. Just think about it: two former Constables from the capital helping me run a shop—how impressive would that be? And if we encounter some troublemakers trying to collect protection fees, you can show off your Constable skills and scare them off. If they still don't back down, we can just take them to the magistrate and earn some extra money!"
At this point, Xing Ruyi's eyes brightened as she leaned closer to Chang Tai and asked mysteriously, "Brother Chang, I just thought of an excellent profession that I think has more potential than being a Constable and sounds cooler too. Would you consider sending a resignation letter to Xie Xuan in Luoyang and rethinking your career plan?"
Chang Tai was completely baffled; he was so confused that his thinking ability seemed to be tied up in knots. He looked up at the fox and humbly asked, "Um, what is that Fox Demon talking about?"
"Lord Chang doesn't need to pay attention to her!" The fox covered Xing Ruyi's mouth and forcefully dragged her away from Chang Tai. "She's just talking nonsense!"
"I'm not talking nonsense!" Xing Ruyi pried open the fox's hand and excitedly said to Chang Tai, "Really! I've thought of a particularly good profession that not only suits Brother Chang and Shengzi but is also especially suitable for you. Hmm, if Li Mao and Yin Yuan are interested, they can give it a try too.
Let me think... how about we establish a 'Bounty Hunter Corporation'? Brother Chang and Shengzi would be responsible for capturing those notorious bandits. If we encounter particularly difficult ones, you can step in and handle them.
The bounties for these criminals should start at least at one hundred taels; anything less might not even be worth posting by the Government Office. It’s not too much either; over the course of a year, capturing over a hundred of them would earn more than what I make selling Rouge and Face Powder."
If we encounter those strange and particularly bizarre cases, you can take charge while Li Mao runs errands to catch them. Occasionally, we can let Yin Yuan practice a bit; it not only cultivates Yin Yuan's money-making skills but also hones his instincts for survival in the world, which will help him develop and grow freely in the future. The more bizarre the case, the more money there is to be made. Occasionally, we can also conduct some Water and Land Dojos to capture demons, exorcise evil spirits, and catch ghosts; we should be able to earn several thousand taels of silver from that.
Xing Ruyi increasingly felt that this idea was feasible. She simply pushed the fox aside, squatted down, and started calculating with her hands. The fox watched from the side and thought that Xing Ruyi was missing a golden abacus in her hands because at that moment, she had completely fallen into the trap of money.
Chang Tai was initially confused, but as he listened, he began to understand. It turned out that Xing Ruyi was better suited for a career as a bounty hunter. This was not unfamiliar to him since their Yamen also posted such strange notices, and there were indeed people who captured criminals and brought them to the Yamen to claim rewards. However, at that time, he did not know that such people actually had titles and laws governing them.
Setting aside the Fox Demon’s suggestion for him to become a bounty hunter, he found Xing Ruyi's ideas quite astute. Given time, this girl would undoubtedly become the richest merchant in Rouge Shop or even the wealthiest person around because she truly loved money—so much so that she was willing to send Young Master Yin out to earn it.
The fox knew that Xing Ruyi loved money and did not mind her obsession with it. He understood that as a human, one must have their own small dreams. Some people prefer power, some love beauty, and some are greedy for authority and want to become officials. Therefore, it was not surprising for someone like the Fox Demon to be greedy for wealth. Moreover, his wife seemed to be a woman who loved money but believed in earning it through proper means; he was not worried about her going astray.
Seeing that she had calculated enough, the fox bent down and pulled her up from the ground. "The ground is cold. If you want to calculate further, I can have Li Mao prepare some writing materials for you later. For now, I think you should accompany Lord Chang to Dragon Gate Inn. Perhaps there is more to the disappearance of those missing persons than meets the eye!"
"Do you think those missing people are related to Lingxiang's Dragon Gate Inn?" Xing Ruyi blinked her eyes, vaguely sensing that this fox knew something but had not shared it with her. That was fine; she was no longer interested.
The fox tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a faint smile. "Whether it's related or not will only be known after an investigation. You might discover something even more interesting at the inn!"
"More interesting than making money?" Xing Ruyi's eyes brightened even more as she tugged at the fox's clothing corner and asked with a smile.
The fox nodded, smiling without speaking; he simply extended his hand from under his sleeve and quietly held hers.
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