An Xin said, "Dewdrop, it's time to collect the money."
Dewdrop stared in shock at the three neatly arranged dice, and couldn't help but exclaim, "My God!"
An Xin casually pocketed the silver, turned around and said, "A bet's a bet, An Daming, come with me!"
An Daming suddenly shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "Impossible! This is impossible!" How could there be three sixes! He had been a casino patron for so many years and had never seen three sixes before!
An Xin stopped in her tracks, then turned her head slightly to the side, her eyes narrowing almost dangerously.
She despises all cheating and dishonest behavior. If this jerk keeps causing trouble, she'll beat him up!
"An Daming, you lost. Come back with Miss now!" Dewdrop said confidently and triumphantly. "Are you trying to cheat?!"
An Daming's face suddenly darkened. He had lost his only three taels of silver. He hadn't expected An Xin to be so skilled. However... she had won quite a bit of silver this time. If only he could keep it for himself...
Thinking of this, An Daming chuckled and said, "Little sister, it's not safe for a young lady to carry so much silver. How about I keep it for you?" As he spoke, An Daming grabbed An Xin.
Dewdrop angrily retorted, "An Daming, you're shameless!"
An Xin, her patience exhausted, stared at the outstretched claws reaching for her. She grabbed his wrist and then executed an over-the-shoulder throw—
"Smack!"
The sound of the human body in close contact with the earth.
Everyone shuddered – this guy knows kung fu!
"Ouch!" An Daming felt dizzy and his body almost fell apart. He struggled to his feet, slipped and fell again, and then got up again. He pointed at An Xin through gritted teeth and said, "You dare to hit me!"
An Xin delivered a spinning kick!
"Bang!" The sound of the fleshy ball flying out and hitting the wall.
The entire audience was stunned, shocked, astonished, and incredulous. All sorts of gazes shifted from the lifeless An Daming to An Xin—this girl is just too formidable!
The most shocking thing is the dew!
She'd been following her mistress for so long and had no idea she knew kung fu! Good heavens! What kind of kung fu was this?! Why were every movement so clean and efficient, without any hesitation? Even when her mistress struck her, she still looked so dashing and cool!?
An Xin stepped forward, grabbed An Daming's ear, and lifted him up, saying, "Do you think I dare?"
An Daming coughed up blood. You've already hit him, and you're still asking if he dares!
An Xin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you leaving or not?"
An Daming looked at An Xin in fear, feeling that the woman's eyes were as cold and deep as an icy pool, chilling to the bone. How could this be? How could that weak and useless girl have become so strong?
An Daming, who was used to being bullied by the weak and afraid of the strong, dared not hesitate any longer and nodded hastily.
An Xin then stood up and kicked him, saying, "Stop dawdling and keep up!"
Even those with ulterior motives were startled by An Xin's move. Some even went behind An Daming and touched the wall, finding fine cracks. They felt sorry for An Daming; how hard must that kick have been!
An Xin was extremely dissatisfied. This body was far too weak. If it were before, she could have kicked that wall to pieces with one kick!
Looks like my slacking off will have to be postponed again; I need to get back in shape as soon as possible.
From the second-floor window of the inn directly opposite the gambling den, a purple light shone through Hua Jin's eyes. Her embroidered folding fan formed an exquisite arc, and her voice lazily carried a hint of interest: "Yi'an County, it's really small."
"...My lord, Yi'an County is very small." A head peeked out from the window. It was the man in blue who had put silver ingots into the copper basin that day. He craned his neck and watched An Xin's departing figure. "Also, I have some bad news to report to you."
He paused slightly with the folding fan, then said, "Speak."
"Shui Yue Rou, the most beautiful woman in Yi'an County who was to be selected to enter the palace, committed suicide!"
"...What kind of job does the magistrate of Yi'an County do?" The voice was lazy, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of pressure.
"I find something suspicious, so I have come to report to you. Shui Yue Rou said she committed suicide by poisoning, but strangulation marks were found on her neck! You came here to welcome her into the palace, but now that something has happened to her, you may have to bear some responsibility. I think it would be better to investigate more thoroughly."
He slowly closed the folding fan, tapped the table lightly for a long time, and said, "Minghe, tell that magistrate to give me a definite answer in three days, or else he will bring his head to me."
Minghe solemnly replied, "Yes."
---Aside---
Collecting is important, girls, please collect these carefully, love you all~
Chapter 11 The Beauty's Murder
The news of Shui Yue Rou's suicide, the most beautiful woman in Yi'an County, spread like wildfire throughout the town. An Xin, who was selecting fabric, heard it all clearly.
"Have you heard? The beautiful Shui Yue Rou committed suicide in her room! Good heavens, she was the most charming flower in our Yi'an County! It's said that the Emperor wanted to select her to be a concubine! I heard that people from the palace came to pick her up, but I never expected that such a perfectly healthy person would die like this!"
"I heard she committed suicide by poisoning herself, but why would she do that? She was on the verge of rising to the top and becoming a phoenix! Once she entered the palace, she would enjoy endless wealth and glory. How could she just die like that?!"
"The doors and windows of that room were all locked from the inside, which shows she was determined to die. Otherwise, why would she have locked them so securely?"
"It's said that a suicide note was found in her room. She must have been in great pain before she died, after all, she committed suicide by poisoning herself, leaving such deep marks on her own neck..."
...
An Xin narrowed her eyes.
After taking poison, a person will experience an extremely painful process. Usually, the person who has taken poison will pinch their chest or stomach area due to the pain. Why would they pinch their own neck?
But the doors and windows were all locked from the inside. If the murderer wasn't herself, who could come and go without a trace in a sealed room?
As soon as doubts arose, An Xin's demeanor became silent and focused. Dewdrop, standing to one side, cautiously observed her young mistress, then glanced at An Daming, who was obediently following behind, looking utterly disheveled and carrying things. It seemed that her young mistress had summoned him here to do hard labor. An Daming was naturally unwilling, and tried all sorts of tricks to slack off, but the result was always the same: he would be met with his young mistress's powerful fist. Finally, An Daming's courage was shattered, and he had no choice but to obediently submit.
Miss is really surprising her more and more!
At that moment, Dewdrop felt that Miss was such a stranger.
"Uh, young lady, do you want this fabric or not..." The cloth shop owner saw An Xin staring blankly at a piece of cloth. She didn't seem like she didn't want it, but staring at a piece of cloth like that made him feel very strange, so he had no choice but to ask.
An Xin paused for a moment and then said, "This is not suicide, it's homicide!"
Her sudden remark stunned everyone.
Dewdrop opened her eyes wide and said, "Miss, what did you say?"
An Xin suddenly snapped out of her daze, glanced at the bewildered fabric shop owner, and asked, "What did you just say?"
"I said..."
"I'll take all of these bolts of cloth!" An Xin interrupted the shopkeeper, not intending to listen to him any further, and turned to leave.
Dewdrop hurriedly paid the bill, looking silly. An Daming carried the heavy load on his shoulder pole, feeling utterly miserable with nowhere to vent his frustrations. What bad luck he must have had in his past lives to have offended this female devil!
As they passed the official notice board, a crowd gathered around it, discussing animatedly. An Xin squeezed in for a peek and discovered that the government also suspected the case was suspicious, but was at a loss for clues. They were recruiting someone capable of solving it, but only had three days. Failure would result in punishment! Further, several large characters were added in vermilion ink: "Anyone who can solve this case will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver as a commendation!"
An Xin was interested in the case; as for the money, it would be good to get it, as she did need it.
An Xin withdrew from the crowd, pondered for a moment, and then looked up at An Daming.
An Daming was afraid of An Xin. He shivered immediately when she looked at him so suddenly, and hurriedly took two steps back, asking, "What are you going to do?"
An Xin smiled slightly and said, "Go and take down that notice."
An Daming craned his neck to take a look, and his face immediately changed drastically. He was so shocked that he kept backing away, saying, "If you can't solve the case by posting the official notice, you'll be punished! I don't want to go to jail!"
An Xin clenched her right fist and pressed it against her left palm, her knuckles cracking. She shook her wrist and said, "You only have one path to take!"
An Daming was on the verge of tears, and said, shrinking back, "Fine, I'll go!"
As expected, An Daming was arrested by soldiers as soon as he tore down the official notice. An Daming shouted, "I didn't want to tear it down! You can't arrest me!"
Everyone stared at him in astonishment. One of the soldiers said, "If you take down the official notice, you must solve the case, or you can expect to go to jail!"
An Xin then stepped forward, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and said, "Brother Daming, solving the case will earn you a hundred taels of silver! It's a blessing for us common folk to be able to share the burdens of the county magistrate!"
One of the soldiers gave An Xin an approving look and said, "Your sister is much more likable than you. Come on, come on!"
Just as An Daming was about to struggle and scream, An Xin grabbed his wrist and said with a smile, "Officer, my brother is timid and can't solve cases without someone by his side."
The officer glanced at An Xin and saw that she was still a young girl with delicate features. She was neither as frail as a woman nor as adorned with cosmetics. Yet, just one glance in the crowd was enough to make her unforgettable!
The officer was immediately impressed and smiled slightly, saying, "You can go with him! But a murder scene is different from other places, so it's best if the young lady isn't frightened!"
An Xin immediately said cheerfully, "Thank you, officer, but..." An Xin hesitated for a moment, looking troubled. The officer glanced behind An Xin and saw Lu Zhu looking at the carrying pole, which was full of goods. He waved his hand and said to the soldiers behind him, "You guys take these things back!"
An Xin raised the corners of her lips slightly, turned around and glanced at the dew, saying, "Tell my parents that I went to the government office and will be back soon, so they don't need to worry."
Dewdrop didn't understand why her mistress wanted An Daming to take down the official post. She was scared but dared not ask any questions. Seeing that An Daming was ashen-faced, while her mistress looked normal and even seemed to have a pleasant smile on her lips, Dewdrop had no choice but to agree.
The young lady's temperament is becoming more and more unpredictable. Others would run away as fast as they could when they see a murder, but the young lady insists on going there. Aren't young ladies usually afraid of these kinds of things?
An Daming's wrist trembled uncontrollably. Heaven knows that this female devil, who seemed to be holding his wrist intimately, was actually about to break his bones!
At this moment, An Daming really wanted to curse. He was living a carefree life, so what sins did he have to provoke this woman!
"Officer Yang, the magistrate is urging you to return home immediately after making an important discovery," a constable reported as he ran up.
An Xin's heart skipped a beat, and she stepped forward, saying, "Brother Yang, take us to the crime scene."
Yang Hu paused for a moment and then nodded.
Chapter Twelve Mystery
An Xin stopped in her tracks before even reaching the crime scene. According to Yang Hu, the body died around 11 p.m., which is the time of death in ancient times. Because it had rained lightly the night before, the road was a little muddy, and the path leading to Shui Yue Rou's room was covered with footprints.
An Xin did not rush directly into the room. Shui Yue Rou's body had probably already been collected and the scene had been disturbed. She needed to collect the few remaining clues.
As soon as Yang Hu arrived, the magistrate of Yi'an County came out to greet him. His face was covered in cold sweat, and he hurriedly said, "Has anyone answered the call to action yet? Time waits for no one!"
"He's the one who took the challenge." Yang Hu shoved An Daming forward. An Daming, his face bruised and swollen, was cowering in pain. Naturally, these injuries were all thanks to An Xin.
The magistrate of Yi'an County was named Wang Baishi. He was not a bad person, but he was cowardly, afraid of the powerful and influential, rarely took big steps in his work, and was petty. He only put on airs in front of his subordinates.
Seeing An Daming's disheveled and wretched appearance, he immediately flew into a rage, glaring at him and saying, "Is this all the useless person you are? Yang Hu, Yang Hu, the orders from above are that we only have three days to solve the case, or we'll both lose our heads!"
Yang Hu looked at An Daming with difficulty and said, "Sir, this case is strange. I waited all afternoon but no one came to take up the challenge. Finally, someone did, and I can't just turn him away. Now I'm desperate and I'm just trying anything."