Chapter 157: Reunion of Good Friends

As Old Master Liu finished speaking, the room fell silent.

A few seconds later, Old Master Liu realized what he had just said. His eyes widened, and he drew in a sharp breath.

He was doomed. He'd gotten too carried away with his deductions.

He had completely forgotten that the person sitting in front of him was his young master.

"Uh..."

An awkward look crossed his face as he glanced at Yan Jing.

But a second later, Yan Jing abruptly stood up. His eyes shone as he looked at the old man.

"Well said, Master Liu!"

"..."

Old Master Liu blinked, unsure whether to agree or apologize.

Yan Jing took two steps toward the door, then turned back.

"Master Liu, if we follow your theory, the person trying to kill me shouldn't be anyone incredibly powerful."

"Am I right?"

Seeing no trace of anger on Yan Jing's face, Old Master Liu couldn't help but marvel. His young master was just as even-tempered as he had been three years ago.

His burst of murderous intent this morning must have been the result of holding everything in for too long.

"Right!"

Old Master Liu nodded.

"It definitely isn't a powerful figure. Even if a major faction is involved, the decision wouldn't have been made by its leaders."

"Good."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Then what were those other key factors you mentioned?"

"The next three points are usually examined together,"

Old Master Liu said.

"Method, time, and location of the crime."

"Young Master, have you noticed anything unusual lately?"

Yan Jing nodded.

"I have. Two days ago, I hired a rickshaw at the entrance to North Main Street. During the ride, something felt wrong. It felt like I was being watched."

"As we passed through East Main Street, I suddenly felt incredibly dizzy, to the point where I nearly passed out. Luckily, I had some medicine on me and managed to force myself to stay awake."

Everything Yan Jing described was the Young Master of the Luo Family's genuine experience. However, that "near pass-out" was actually the moment he had been killed.

He spoke slowly.

"I had my eyes closed at the time, so I didn't pay much attention to exactly where we were."

"East Main Street..."

Old Master Liu noted, "The killer was very meticulous. That area is a chaotic mix of people. Besides Boss Bai's properties, there are countless small vendors and peddlers."

He frowned.

"The time and location mostly make sense. But the method..."

Old Master Liu fell into deep thought for a long while before finally asking, "Young Master, did you eat anything before getting in the rickshaw?"

"No."

Yan Jing shook his head.

Eldest Young Master Luo had taken that trip to North Main Street solely to ask around for news about Big Landlord Lin.

Big Landlord Lin had already registered to run in the current election for county head.

He had no backing from any outside factions.

The sheer influence of controlling an entire street in Bianliu County gave him the weight to run as an independent candidate.

However, that day, Eldest Young Master Luo hadn't gathered a single piece of useful information about the election. He had only learned that Big Landlord Lin was currently in the market for a new batch of Living Human Legs seeds.

Living Human Legs was a bizarre, supernatural crop. Once planted, it would grow a pair of corpse-like legs. These legs would plunge their feet into the dirt and march back and forth to loosen the soil.

Rumor had it that this crop was only cultivated in the Crop Plains. Once mature, the legs reached a staggering five or six meters in length, allowing them to till deep into the earth.

After digging up that tidbit, he had decided to head home via East Main Street, planning to take in the sights of the eastern and western streets along the way.

Upon hearing Yan Jing's account of the events, Old Master Liu furrowed his brow.

He had a nagging feeling that he was overlooking something crucial, but he couldn't quite place it.

Lost in thought, he eventually crouched on the floor, smoking through several full bowls of tobacco.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he finally stood up in defeat.

"Young Master, I'm afraid this is as far as my reasoning goes. If only those close friends of mine were here."

He reached into his pocket and rubbed the Badge inside, letting out a long sigh.

He felt that if Yi Ji and the others were around, getting to the bottom of this would be child's play.

It was a shame their group wasn't together.

"Master Liu, if we managed to find your friends, would they definitely be able to solve this?"

Yan Jing spoke up, interrupting the old man's lament.

Old Master Liu's eyes lit up at the words.

But eventually, as if coming to a decision, he said:

"Young Master... never mind. Let's wait until this troubled period passes."

"It's too dangerous right now. We can't risk botching things."

To his surprise, Yan Jing let out a light chuckle.

"Master Liu, my life is the most important thing right now."

"How about this? I don't know where your missing friend ran off to, but as for the one captured by Big Landlord Lin, I might be able to figure something out."

"Really?!"

Old Master Liu was thrilled.

"Really."

Yan Jing smiled. "Master Liu, judging by your reaction, it seems you've made some true friends during your years away."

In Eldest Young Master Luo's memories, Old Master Liu had once shared a piece of wisdom with him during a chat in Bianliu County.

He had told the young master that he ended up in his miserable state because he trusted people too easily, warning Eldest Young Master Luo to keep his eyes sharp and not follow in his footsteps.

"Well... it's true."

Old Master Liu said with a sheepish look.

"Young Master, to be honest, I've been through a lot over these past few years. I... I almost didn't make it back."

At those words, Yan Jing stepped forward and patted Old Master Liu on the shoulder with a smile.

"Master Liu, I'm just glad you made it back!"

If he had been speaking as Yi Ji in that moment, the words would have been:

Lao Yezi, I'm glad you could come back.

Old Master Liu froze for a second at Yan Jing's words. Then, he cupped his hands in a deep salute.

"Young Master, I'm also grateful that I survived to return and see you again."

Back when he had exchanged that final blow with the Great Elder of Virtue Bridge, he had truly believed his life was over.

In that instant, his mind had flashed to his wife and child, before finally settling on the young man standing before him now.

It was this very person who had given him a second chance at life.

It was the only reason he had survived to meet everyone else later on.

[Loyalty Level +2]

...

...

That evening, Yan Jing carried armfuls of bags into the house.

The scent of woodsmoke still lingered in the air.

"Where did you go eat before coming back?"

Fei Yu was sitting in the middle of the room on a short stool, reading a book. When Yan Jing walked in, she stood up and began brushing the dust off his clothes.

Her fair hands meticulously patted down his outstretched sleeves. Her mouth, meanwhile, didn't stop moving.

"Even if you have money, you need to be frugal. You earned that cash by risking your life! Spending it on a woman's belly would at least be better than eating it all away."

"I haven't eaten yet."

Yan Jing smiled, his eyes crinkling into thin crescents.

The hand brushing off his thigh paused. Fei Yu looked up.

"Why haven't you eaten?"

"Even with money, one has to be frugal."

Yan Jing settled into the lounge chair. Looking thoroughly relaxed, he picked up the book Fei Yu had just tossed aside and began reading it with great interest.

"Xiao Yu, didn't you make food? Bring it out. Master Liu isn't coming back for dinner."

"Wishful thinking."

Fei Yu stood there with her arms crossed, not moving an inch.

Finally, when Yan Jing didn't reply, she muttered under her breath, "I didn't cook dinner."

Snap.

Hearing this, Yan Jing lowered the book, feeling a jolt of delight.

He'd finally caught an opening.

On the surface, he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I see! The maid's all grown up and doesn't take her young master seriously anymore!"

He let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Never mind, never mind. I'll just have to find a chance to look around for a suitable husband for you—"

"I stewed ribs for lunch! We couldn't just let them go to waste!"

Fei Yu argued, her face flushing red.

Yan Jing paused in surprise.

He hadn't expected that Fei Yu had made lunch and waited for him to return.

He quickly smiled and said, "Alright then. Just heat up the ribs and bring them out."

Fei Yu instantly scurried off to the kitchen.

Watching Fei Yu bustle about, and thinking of the intensely loyal Master Liu, Yan Jing couldn't help but sigh softly for the deceased Eldest Young Master Luo.

Just as he had said before, everyone's life was a book of its own.

Yan Jing hadn't lived through the things Eldest Young Master Luo had endured. If it were up to him, he would never have bothered running for some bullshit county head position. But Eldest Young Master Luo had genuinely lived through all of that suffering, which was why he had chosen a different path.

The thought brought his mind back to the Cameraman he had encountered before.

At the time, he had been furious at the man's spinelessness, entirely unable to put himself in his shoes after viewing those sickening memories. But thinking back on it now, given the environment, he couldn't completely blame the Cameraman.

In the end, it all came back to the same truth.

In many matters, there was no right or wrong. There was only winning and losing.

Soon, the ribs were served. As they ate together, Yan Jing learned that Fei Yu hadn't eaten anything yet either.

"I ate late at lunch, so I'm not hungry," she excused herself.

Fei Yu had found a good excuse.

After dinner, Yan Jing opened up the various bags he had brought back. Inside sat a massive pile of rouge, powder, and cosmetics.

Looking at the stunned Fei Yu, Yan Jing smiled and said, "Here, take them. A gift for you, Xiao Yu!"

"Why did you buy so much?"

Fei Yu stared at the unfamiliar, vibrantly colored bottles. She blinked rapidly, the two round hair buns on her head bobbing up and down.

"Did you try to give these to Miss Ruyan, and she rejected them?"

"Who is Miss Ruyan? Nonsense."

Yan Jing replied with a straight face.

"Then I'll go return them!"

Fei Yu scrunched the edges of the wrapping paper together, bundled the bags up with one hand, and made to walk out. "No amount of money can survive this kind of spending! If you were buying things for yourself, that'd be one thing—"

"The girl I bought them for this time was named Cuicui."

Yan Jing's words instantly stopped her nagging.

She froze in her tracks and stared back at him blankly. Yan Jing had already flopped back onto the lounge chair and was immersed in his picture book.

"Heh."

Fei Yu let out two cold sneers, suddenly feeling like her earlier concern had been fed to the dogs. Without another word, she swiftly hauled all the cosmetics straight into her room.

Yan Jing flipped through the picture book with relish. Surprisingly, the picture books in the Inner World were actually stories about cultivation, which made them quite an interesting read.

A short while later.

A knock sounded at the door.

"It's me, Young Master!"

Old Master Liu's voice echoed from outside.

"Xiao Yu, open the door!" Yan Jing called out.

He remained in his seat. The cultivation novel he was reading was an amalgamation of concepts, going on about the Four Divine Beasts and other grand lore.

Fei Yu emerged from her room and opened the front door. She looked at the excited Old Master Liu, and then at Tiger standing behind him. She gave Tiger a long, careful look.

"Did you fish this out of a creek?"

"I have to say, it's not looking too good."

"I doubt you'd fetch a good price for this."

Tiger genuinely did not look well. His previously untidy appearance now carried an aura of complete dejection. The folds of his tiger suit looked deflated, and the character for "King" on his forehead was crooked and fading. He was covered in mud and grime from head to toe.

"What do you mean 'fish out'? This is Mr. Tiger!"

Old Master Liu chortled before gesturing to Fei Yu.

"Huzi, this is Fei Yu, Young Master Luo Sheng's personal maid."

"Hello, Miss Fei!"

Tiger scratched his head and gave a goofy smile.

Fei Yu was quite surprised to hear that. No one in Bianliu County ever addressed her so formally.

Taking another look at him, she spun toward Yan Jing and exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Young Master! Come look! It's that tiger I told you about last time!"

Hearing this, Yan Jing put down his book and walked over. He cupped his left hand over his right fist in a martial salute and smiled.

"Mr. Tiger! I've heard a lot about you."

"Greetings, Young Master Luo! Greetings!"

Tiger did his best to return the salute, mimicking Yan Jing's form. Over the past two days at Landlord Lin's estate, he had managed to pick up a few local customs just by watching.

He actually hadn't been forced to do any hard labor. After realizing that the tiger suit couldn't be peeled off his body, Landlord Lin had simply treated him like a novelty ornament, sticking him in the reception hall for guests to gawk at.

"From now on, you'll be working for Young Master Luo, Huzi," Old Master Liu said. "I've known him for years, and he saved my life. You can trust him."

Old Master Liu patted Tiger on the shoulder.

"Alright, alright."

Tiger believed Old Master Liu unconditionally.

The last person Old Master Liu had recommended him to had given him the thrill of a lifetime—riding a motorcycle right through a pack of Third Tier experts. It had been so utterly badass that he felt the entire first half of his life had been lived in vain.

So, he trusted that this recommendation wouldn't let him down either.

He was only slightly worried about that man's whereabouts.

On the way over, Old Master Liu had already informed him that Yi Ji was missing.

Having witnessed how people operated in this world during his short stay at the Lin Family estate, he knew it was a far more terrifying place than Old Sin City.

It was no wonder the Old Man had always kept such a straight face back in Old Sin City.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Yan Jing looked at Tiger.

"I've eaten! I've eaten!"

Tiger nodded repeatedly. "The old man—Master Liu already took me out to eat!"

"Good."

Yan Jing smiled and nodded. "Mr. Tiger—"

"Just call me Huzi!"

Tiger quickly interjected.

He didn't like being called 'Mr. Tiger.' It kept reminding him of that man with a camera for a head.

"Alright then, Huzi."

Yan Jing nodded.

"I heard from Master Liu that you and his other friend are quite skilled at investigating. I'd like to ask for your help with a matter. I assume Master Liu has already filled you in."

"He did, he did!"

Tiger nodded with a laugh.

"I'm mostly just along for the ride. The real expert is Mr. Yi Ji..."

"I've heard tales of this Mr. Yi's abilities. How about this? I'll give Master Liu a few days off so the two of you can go track him down. What do you say?"

Seeing Old Master Liu about to protest, Yan Jing added, "Don't worry, Master Liu. I won't be going out for the next few days. I'll just stay inside the house."

"As long as you can track down the man trying to kill me, everything else can wait."

"Well... alright!"

Old Master Liu nodded firmly.

"Three days! Young Master, just give me three days! I'll come back after that, and Huzi can continue the search on his own."

"Deal."

Yan Jing nodded.

He then turned to Tiger.

"Huzi, we're out of spare rooms in the house. How about this? To make things easier for you and Master Liu to operate..."

...

Early the next morning.

A tiny sundries shop opened its doors on East Main Street.

Such a modest storefront drew absolutely no attention. Every day on East Main Street, all sorts of cultivators would open up shops for one reason or another. They might open today and go out of business tomorrow. Furthermore, you didn't need to pay protection fees to any local faction to set up shop here.

You only had to pay the land itself.

Literally, you paid money to the land.

The entirety of East Main Street lay within the Pathway Domain of a Wealth Cultivator. As long as you deposited your money directly into the corresponding domain, you would be granted permission to run a shop.

Every person was limited in the number of shops they could open.

Naturally, the owner of this new sundries shop was Tiger.

He was dressed in a long traditional robe, with a face mask and a hat pulled low.

The masks were apparently from a batch Young Master Luo had purchased while traveling abroad. Back here in Bianliu County, they were considered quite the novelty.

The store's shelves were practically bare, making it painfully obvious that this was a money-losing venture.

This, however, was exactly what Tiger and Old Master Liu wanted. Having no customers meant they were completely free to focus on their search.

And so, the intensive search for Yi Ji began.

One day passed.

Two days passed.

The two of them turned up absolutely nothing.

But just as they were ready to sink into despair...

On the final day, a turning point appeared.