Chapter 200: Solving a Case Is a Very Simple Matter

"So you're saying Boss Bi reported this to the higher-ups and called in the inspector?"

Yan Jing asked.

"Yes."

The old man took a fierce puff from his Smoking Pipe. "They just found the pit yesterday, and the inspector arrived this morning. To say it wasn't premeditated is utter bullshit!"

"Then Boss Bi must already have an idea who's behind it,"

Yan Jing said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked beating the grass to scare the snake."

"He has a target. Of course he has a target."

The old man grew agitated, fiercely waving the hand holding his Smoking Pipe. "You know Bai Qiu from East Street better than anyone! It's him!"

"Bai Qiu?"

Yan Jing nodded in sudden understanding. "So it's Boss Bai."

When Luo Sheng had run into trouble returning to Bianliu County, Bai Qiu had helped him.

Later, when he encountered massive resistance and faced threats from Lin Changgui, Bai Qiu was nowhere to be seen.

Logically speaking, Bai Qiu and Luo Sheng had a decent relationship.

"So did they confirm it was Boss Bai?"

Yan Jing asked.

"They couldn't," the old man said.

"That's exactly what's so strange about this whole affair!"

"The vast majority of the dead in that pit weren't even from Bianliu County. As for the missing people rumored to work under Bai Qiu, not a single one was among the corpses."

"The only evidence Bi Jie has is a witness who claimed to have seen Bai Qiu burying bodies in that area. With Bai Qiu denying it to the bitter end, the inspector has no immediate recourse."

"What about digging somewhere else, then?"

Yan Jing asked.

"Ah! You hit the nail on the head! That's exactly what the inspector thought, too!"

The old man tapped his Smoking Pipe.

"He figured that if Bai Qiu really buried this batch of bodies, maybe the other missing people were buried somewhere else. But even after sweeping the area with Anomalous Energy Detection and tearing up the ground with shovels and pickaxes... they found absolutely nothing."

"This whole thing... is truly bizarre."

As the old man spoke, his brow furrowed tightly. He puffed out smoke rings one after another.

"Are you planning to make the young master breathe the smoke from that Smoking Pipe of yours, too?"

Fei Yu commented lightly as she poured tea for the two of them.

The old man hurriedly knocked his Smoking Pipe upside down and stomped on the embers.

"My fault, my fault. I packed too much tobacco."

"Anyway, Young Master, there's definitely something fishy going on here. Don't you think?"

"I believe it. I couldn't believe it more," Yan Jing said. "What, do you want to investigate?"

"..." The old man scratched his head in embarrassment and chuckled.

"Young Master, this is why I say you understand me best."

Fei Yu set a teacup by Yan Jing's hand, then sat down between the two of them.

"You really are an interesting old man. You didn't want the young master to become the county magistrate, yet you sit around scheming all day. What, are you dissatisfied with the young master? Plotting a rebellion?"

"Hey! Xiao Yu! Watch how you speak!"

Holding his teacup, Yan Jing said to Fei Yu,

"Master Liu harbors grand ambitions! Just like me! Master Liu discouraging me from becoming the county magistrate was nothing but an excuse, a roundabout tactic. Right, Master Liu?"

"Right, right, exactly!"

Old Master Liu picked up his teacup and chuckled happily.

"But Young Master, about this county magistrate thing... we really shouldn't take the position..."

The old man's smile carried a hint of awkwardness. After all, in Minhu, speaking like this disregarded the boundaries between master and servant—it was an act of sheer insubordination. If Yan Jing were the type to take it seriously, he never would have dared open his mouth.

"See? Master Liu doesn't take you seriously at all,"

Fei Yu fanned the flames.

"No, no, no, Young Master, that's really not the case. Listen to me—"

The old man hurriedly tried to explain, but Yan Jing waved his hand.

"No need to say anything! Master Liu, I understand you!"

Yan Jing waved a hand dismissively. "What does a little girl like Xiao Yu know? Go boil some bathwater for your young master."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Fei Yu pushed off her knees and stood up. "Oh, you understand so much, alright. Out of all that rouge and cosmetic powder you bought last time, there wasn't a single one you didn't overpay for."

Yan Jing was taken aback.

"How did you know?"

"Next time you give someone a gift, remember not to leave the receipt tucked inside."

Fei Yu picked up a wooden bucket and headed outside. "You thought you spent a thousand yuan on a gift, but Miss Ruyan only received something worth two hundred. When she saw that, of course she wouldn't accept it."

Yan Jing opened his mouth, at a loss for words.

Seeing that Fei Yu had already left the cave, he flew into a flustered mock rage, shouting at her vanished silhouette:

"I already told you, that girl's name was Cuicui!"

Immediately after, he turned back around. Pretending nothing had happened, he said,

"Master Liu, let's continue!"

"Where were we?"

The old man blinked.

"You were saying that you understand me..."

"Right!"

Yan Jing clapped his hands together forcefully and pointed his index finger at the old man. "I understand you! Master Liu!"

"Who among us from Minhu doesn't want to carve out a piece of the world for ourselves? Tell me, am I right or not?"

"You are."

"So you definitely hope I carve out my own territory, and you want to carve out your own, too. Right?"

"Right."

"But you don't want me taking action personally! Because you're worried about my safety. Tell me, am I right?"

Yan Jing looked at the old man.

The old man's eyes lit up.

"Right!"

He hadn't expected Luo Sheng to actually understand him.

"Then Master Liu, of the territory you conquer, can I get a ten percent cut?"

Yan Jing looked at the old man.

Unexpectedly, the old man flashed a hand gesture.

"Ninety percent! Young Master, I'll give you ninety percent!"

He let out a long breath. "Young Master, honestly, I had this idea when I left last time, but I didn't know how to say it, or whether I even should. After all, you are the young master, and I am the steward."

"For you to understand me, Liu Fu... I really..."

It was as if the rest of his words were caught in his throat. His face flushed bright red, and he gestured helplessly with his hands.

[Loyalty Level +5]

Finally, Yan Jing reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Master Liu, I know you harbor grand ambitions, and I know you're concerned for my safety. But there are some things that not only I must know, but you must know as well. Even if you don't know now, you'll have to know later."

"What things?"

Doubt flickered in the old man's eyes.

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself." Yan Jing played the riddler.

The old man was slightly bewildered, but since Yan Jing refused to explain, he decided not to press the issue.

"So you're saying you agree to let me investigate the case?"

"I agree."

Yan Jing smiled and nodded.

"Good. Then rest well, Young Master."

The old man immediately stood up and ran out of the cave, vanishing in a flash.

"You're going right now?"

Yan Jing shouted toward the cave entrance, just as he had done a moment ago.

"..."

There was no response from outside.

Yan Jing smiled.

He stared into the campfire, lost in thought.

A while later, Fei Yu returned carrying the freshly drawn water.

"Are you really letting Master Liu go?"

"Yeah."

Yan Jing kept his gaze fixed on a spot in mid-air. He conjured his Paintbrush and painted illusory strokes as if a canvas stood before him.

"Aren't you worried he won't come back? The last time he went out, he was gone for three whole years."

"What are you talking about?"

Yan Jing snapped out of his trance a little, though he continued to paint. Judging by the strokes, he was painting a human face.

"Master Liu just went to draw water. Once the bucket is full, he'll naturally return."

Fei Yu stared blankly for a moment, then said,

"Then last time... Master Liu also went to draw water? Drew water for three years?"

"The bucket wasn't full! No matter how long it takes, he has to fill it before he comes back!"

Yan Jing said.

Hearing this, Fei Yu actually felt that her young master made some sense.

...

...

"Kid Yi, you have to do me a favor!"

The old man looked at Mr. Yi Ji, who was sitting in the shop roasting osmanthus sugar, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Could I refuse a favor from you, old man?"

Yan Jing took the spoon of osmanthus sugar off the fire, fanned it a bit, and offered it to the old man.

"I just don't get it. Why do you want to investigate this case so badly? Is your addiction to solving cases acting up again?"

"What addiction to solving cases?"

Old Master Liu accepted the sugar, immediately handed it to Tiger—who was playing Pai Gow by himself nearby—and sighed.

"That old friend of mine promised that as long as I crack this case, he'll send the inspector away so he won't make trouble for my young master anymore."

At this point, he looked at Yan Jing, sighing incessantly.

"I don't mean to scold you, kid, but you really shouldn't have given that Pathway Seed to my young master. The people in my family all have massive ambitions. If something goes wrong with him, I won't be able to forgive myself."

"Can you blame me?"

Yan Jing asked in surprise.

"Young Master Luo was the one who asked me for it. You didn't say no at the time, either."

"Because I had absolutely no idea at the time!"

The old man rubbed his face agitatedly with both hands, then turned toward Tiger, employing his favorite crowd-pressure tactic.

"Huzi, you be the judge."

Eating the osmanthus sugar, Tiger froze in surprise, dropping his Pai Gow tiles onto the ground.

He hadn't heard a single word of their conversation, so he merely blinked.

"I think... actually... how should I put it... you both make sense... but... maybe Mr. Yi Ji makes a little more sense..."

"A fair judgment!"

Yan Jing gave Tiger a thumbs-up.

"It's a total waste that I teach you Pai Gow every day, Huzi!"

The old man blew his beard and glared in anger, then immediately started acting shameless.

"Whatever, I don't care. Kid Yi, you tell me where we should start investigating."

"I think, since the suspect is that Boss Bai, we should start with those missing people who worked under him."

Yan Jing raised his head.

"But the inspector already searched for them. He cast his weird energy out to sweep the area, and found absolutely zero traces inside the city. Even if the bodies were destroyed to eliminate evidence, there should at least be something unusual left behind, right?"

The old man said.

"Then it's very simple. They aren't in Bianliu County anymore."

"You mean the other Domains nearby?"

The old man asked in confusion. "That's similar to my old friend's theory. Tomorrow, he and the inspector are going to search those Domains thoroughly."

"Are they going to check the train station?"

Yan Jing asked.

"The train station?"

The old man was stunned. "You mean..."

"Don't they all say this Mr. Bai is incredibly resourceful, and that he knows the destination of all the opium in all of Minhu?" Yan Jing smiled.

"Since the people aren't inside the city, it's entirely possible they left on a train."

"Right!"

The old man's eyes lit up.

The inspector couldn't possibly check the train station, because if he did and it turned out the missing people really left from there, it would prove his own dereliction of duty.

Because the inspector was the one in charge of the train station!

Early the next morning, the three of them departed, heading straight for the only train station in Bianliu County and the surrounding region.