A smile can topple a city

Chapter 2

Xiao Xun hesitated for a moment, then shook his head hesitantly: "No... it's just... I can't tell you this yet..."

The young woman sized up the big, seemingly simple-minded man in front of her, a thought suddenly forming in her mind: "I know even if you don't tell me. Last month, the Shen family, together with the Martial Arts Alliance, issued a notice to all heroes in the world, proclaiming that anyone who could solve the case and catch the murderer would not only be personally received by the Alliance Leader and become famous throughout the land, but would also receive a reward of a thousand taels of silver. Moreover, the daughter of that great beauty, Shen Rujun, would be offered her marriage... You, either you're thinking of becoming famous, or you're after money, or you're after that great beauty!"

Xiao Xun was taken aback: "Is that so?"

The girl scoffed, "No need to pretend to be high and mighty. Men are all the same. Shen Wan is a famous beauty in the martial arts world... Didn't you see? When this news spread, how many men flocked to this town? From seventy-year-old white-haired old men to seven-year-old toddlers..."

Xiao Xun said "Oh," and then added, "No wonder this town is so crowded. If I hadn't paid a few extra silver ingots, I wouldn't have been able to find a place to stay..."

"Still pretending!" The girl was clearly even more disgusted with Xiao Xun's dishonesty and turned her head away, ignoring him.

"You definitely shouldn't be interested in this because of the Shen family's daughter. Why are you so interested in this matter?" Xiao Xun quickly changed the subject.

The girl tilted her head: "Me? I think it's fun... Don't you think the whole thing is strange and interesting? Besides, this is a great opportunity to become famous... and you can also make money. Only a fool wouldn't be interested."

It was strange, but why didn't he find it interesting at all? It had made him travel all the way from the Western Regions to Jiangnan... Xiao Xun scratched his head, annoyed, and asked again, "How exactly did this ship dock?" Xiao Xun got back to the point.

The girl gave Xiao Xun a sly look: "You really want to know?"

Xiao Xun nodded solemnly: "Please enlighten me, young lady."

The girl's eyes darted around: "I've basically found some clues about this matter, but as you know, solving this case can bring both fame and fortune. We shouldn't let the benefits go to outsiders; how can I easily tell an outsider about this crucial point and let him get away with it? Unless... you're one of my own brothers."

Xiao Xun was stunned, then immediately became very annoyed: "Your own brothers? You only told your older and younger brothers? So that they'll marry that great beauty?"

The girl coughed, almost choking on her saliva: "Uh... I'm an only child... However, I started wandering the martial world when I was ten years old, and founded the Hu Nong Sect. I'm the sect leader. Anyone who's willing to join our Hu Nong Sect is one of my own brothers!"

Xiao Xun's mouth dropped open in astonishment! This little girl was actually the founder of a sect! A sense of reverence welled up within him, and his heart warmed. He shouted, "I'm willing to join the Hu Nong Sect!" "Then you have to call me Boss..." The girl was overjoyed that she had successfully fooled him.

“Boss? You look younger than me…” Xiao Xun muttered.

"The capable are respected! I'm smarter and more capable than you, and I'm the sect leader! Naturally, I should be the boss. All the brothers call me Boss!"

Brothers... Hu Nongmen already has so many brothers? That's impressive! Finally, I willingly called him "Boss!"

The girl's big eyes immediately narrowed into slits with laughter, and she slapped Xiao Xun's shoulder hard: "Good bro! Your boss's name is Ye Xiao!"

Xiao Xun nodded: "My name is Xiao Xun!"

Ye Xiao quickly lowered his head, put his hand in the water, and began to explain to his brother with great professionalism: "I've also been curious about why that boat was able to dock at Shenjia Wharf by itself. I carefully examined the wharf and found something underwater on this stone step... I haven't had time to remove it yet. Feel it..."

Xiao Congyi reached down and touched it, just like she had done: "Is it a piece of sheet metal that's sticking up and riveted to the stone?"

The girl shook her head: "They were two pieces of sheet metal riveted to the stone. Later I discovered that it was originally a pulley system, but the wheels have been removed. Feel this area again; I copied it and made a pulley myself..."

Xiao Xun touched it again and sure enough, not far away underwater, he found a small, assembled pulley with a thin but very strong rope threaded through it.

A thought struck him, and he suddenly understood: "I get it! The murderer used a rope to pass through a pulley, then connected it to the awning boat, and then hid somewhere to pull the rope through the pulley to bring the awning boat to Shenjia Wharf!"

Ye Xiao smiled and nodded: "That's clever! Actually, this rope is connected to a buckle on the bottom of the awning boat. I've already checked that awning boat! There's a buckle on the bottom of the boat, and there's a small section of rope cut off, just like this rope. That way, the whole rope and pulley are underwater, making it difficult for people to find."

Xiao Xun's heart skipped a beat again: "Could it be that the murderer was nearby at the time?" He turned his head and carefully examined both sides of the river. They were flat stone-paved streets with no obstruction. How did the murderer hide at that time?

Ye Xiao seemed to know Xiao Xun's suspicions: "I asked carefully. At that time, there were several boats moored not far away. I guess the murderer must have been hiding in the cabin and pulling the rope to pull the awning boat onto the dock."

Xiao Xun said admiringly, "Boss is truly meticulous..."

Ye Xiao became even more smug: "More than that! Actually, the rope couldn't have been that long. Originally, there should have been a boatman on the awning boat. One person rowing such an ordinary awning boat would not attract attention in the fog, so no one noticed him at first. When he rowed the boat around that corner, the corner where you saw me fall into the awning yesterday... that corner..." He glanced at Xiao Xun somewhat embarrassedly, and continued, "...then he quietly dived into the water and boarded another nearby boat to meet him."

"But...why does killing someone have to be so complicated?"

Ye Xiao's smug smile vanished: "That's the most terrifying part of this case. Why would they go to such lengths and make such a fuss just to kill Shen Rujun?"

Xiao Xun was also taken aback, and muttered to himself, "Why?"

Ye Xiao raised her head and smiled: "The Netherworld City has always loved to play tricks and create a stir, just to shock people and intimidate the martial world. They're planning to make a big show of it." Taking a deep breath, she raised her arms and shouted: "The Netherworld City really is planning to make a comeback!"

Xiao Xun was stunned, and whispered, "Impossible..."

"What did you say? How dare you interrupt the boss? Do you even dare to say anything more?" Ye Xiao glared at Xiao Xun with her large, narrow eyes. Xiao Xun quickly tried to appease her, "No, the boss is always right… If the boss isn't right, then his reasoning is flawed…"

Ye Xiao was taken aback, then his anger turned to joy: "Although you're a bit slow, you've said a few nice things! I really like them, boss!"

At the corner of the alley, a man in black wearing a straw hat watched the two with concern the whole time, but disappeared in a flash the moment they turned around.

Xiao Xun scratched his head and asked curiously, "Boss... how many brothers do we have left?" Ye Xiao remained silent, seriously counting on his fingers in thought. Xiao Xun was overjoyed; there were already too many brothers to count? Suddenly, he heard Ye Xiao say seriously, "Two." Xiao Xun was greatly shocked. "Besides you, I only have two?" Ye Xiao shook his head seriously, "Two in total. You and me."

He'd been tricked... Xiao Xun's legs buckled, and he almost collapsed.

Ye Xiao was obviously very happy to be the boss, and ignored Xiao Xun's dejection at all. He laughed spiritedly and said, "Second brother! Do you want to solve this case?" Xiao Xun's eyelids twitched: "Can I give you a suggestion?" Ye Xiao nodded.

Xiao Xun lowered his eyes and said dejectedly, "Don't call me Second Brother."

"I'm the boss, you're my brother, what else would we be but second in command?"

"Call me... Third Brother, okay?"

Ye Xiao nodded in surprise, "Third brother it is..."

Suddenly, a low shout came from the side: "Who's up there! What are you doing, sneaking around like that!"

The two furtive figures turned around and saw a short, stocky man standing in the street, head held high and chest puffed out, like a perfectly square mahjong tile. He certainly exuded an aura of righteous indignation and overwhelming righteousness.

"And who are you? What are you doing so brazenly?" Ye Xiao asked.

"I am Hua Jiu, a subordinate of the Martial Arts Alliance. Recently, a major incident has occurred in the martial arts world. The Alliance Leader has ordered us to strengthen patrols here and check suspicious persons... to prevent evil forces from taking advantage of the situation..." the man said loudly and proudly.

“We are not heretics,” Xiao Xun replied earnestly.

"Third brother, this Hua Jiu is really smart... almost as smart as you..." Ye Xiao whispered to him. Xiao Xun rolled his eyes: "I'm much more handsome than him..."

Hua Jiu said "Oh" and then asked, "Really not? Then which sect do you belong to?"

Xiao Xun said smugly, "We are the Hu Nong Men, and this is our boss!"

"Hu Nong Men?" Hua Jiu felt the term sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place where she had heard it before. Still uneasy, she pressed further, "What is your mission?"

Xiao Xun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stretched out his right middle finger and jabbed it into the sky, shouting, "Middle finger? This is my middle finger!" Hua Jiu sneered and twisted her thick waist, laughing so hard that she shook her whole body.

Ye Xiao quickly rushed over to save the day, lest he tarnish the reputation of his sect: "Uh, what my brother means is, our motto is..." He also stretched out his right hand, raised his middle finger high, and suddenly pointed it towards the sky, "Standing tall and firm, with unyielding spirit!"

Hua Jiu then stopped laughing: "Yes, it really isn't some kind of evil or heretical practice. Oh, you all need to be careful lately. Alliance Leader Huang has ordered that no one other than members of the Martial Alliance is allowed to approach the Shen residence. Anyone who violates this order... will be arrested..."

Ye Xiao nodded repeatedly, watching Hua Jiu walk away, before asking in surprise, "Huh? Didn't they announce to all the heroes in the world that there would be a reward for solving this mystery...? Why are outsiders not allowed to approach the Shen family? Is it because they want to keep the good stuff within the family?"

Suddenly, Xiao Xun asked ingratiatingly, "Boss, why are we called Hu Nong Men? Why not Nong Hu Men?"

"Farmers? So unsophisticated!" Ye Xiao scoffed, dipped his finger in water, and made a series of elegant hand gestures on the ground.

The sunlight had dispelled the thick fog, and on the stone steps, three large, scrawled characters gleamed in the sunlight: "Fooling the Door."

Xiao Xun gasped, realizing he'd been tricked once again!

Tianbao Inn

The following day, Ye Xiao, dressed as a man, followed Xiao Xun to the Shen residence, pretending to be a close friend of Shen Rujun, there to offer their condolences. The gatekeeper sized them up several times and asked, "Friends despite the age difference?" Ye Xiao nodded repeatedly, and only then did the gatekeeper let them in. The two were fortunate enough to meet Shen Wan, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, and after a brief exchange of questions, they bowed and took their leave.

After walking about a mile, the two heard shouts behind them, stopped and turned around.

Several men rushed up behind them and surrounded the two, greeting them all at once: "Who are you? What brings you to the Shen residence?"

Xiao Xun smiled and said, "We are a family..." Before he could finish speaking, Ye Xiao pinched his arm hard, the pain piercing his heart, and tears immediately streamed down his face.

“We are subordinates of the Martial Arts Alliance. I am Hua Shiyi, and he is Hua Shisan.”

The group of people were slightly taken aback: "You're also from the Martial Arts Alliance? How come we've never seen you before?"

Ye Xiao smiled ingratiatingly and said, "We were just transferred here from out of town. Alliance Leader Huang said we're short-handed. By the way, we have an older brother named Hua Jiu... He arrived a bit earlier. I wonder if you gentlemen know him?"

Surprisingly, someone recognized Hua Jiu, who looked just like a mahjong tile. One of the burly men immediately became enthusiastic: "So you're Hua Jiu's brother!"

The other person wasn't having it, glaring at him with wide eyes: "Hua Jiu? Who's Hua Jiu?"

The burly man who knew Hua Jiu laughed heartily, "That treasure under Brother Hu, the one who's the same length from side to side..."

Everyone present let out a soft "oh," chuckled, and began reminiscing about Hua Jiu's heroic deeds. The tense atmosphere immediately eased; clearly, Hua Jiu had brought them immense joy.

Ye Xiao quickly seized the opportunity to pull Xiao Xun out of the encirclement. Xiao Xun whispered, "Boss, how did you know they were subordinates of the Martial Alliance?"

Ye Xiao said smugly, "I guessed. Didn't Hua Jiu say yesterday that the Martial Alliance doesn't allow anyone else to approach the Shen residence?"

Xiao Xun responded with an "oh," his respect growing even stronger. Suddenly, he heard a burly man call out from behind, "Hey! You two brothers! When are you going to Hongfu Inn?"

Ye Xiao paused slightly, then turned around and said, "Not going... what would we do there?" She immediately noticed everyone had stopped laughing and were staring at her suspiciously, realizing she'd messed up. She reached out and tugged at Xiao Xun, saying curtly, "Run!" and dashed off for her life.

The burly men immediately realized, "Something's not right! Today, the leader summoned all the brothers to the Hongfu Inn for a meeting and a speech. We've been tricked!" They immediately sprang into action and quickly gave chase.

After running for several miles, Ye Xiao finally collapsed from exhaustion. Xiao Xun, still with the light steps of a deer, skipped ahead, unaware that Ye Xiao had fallen to the ground.

Ye Xiao, panting, opened her mouth to call him, but suddenly heard the sound of wind behind her. She pulled a short stick from her pocket and went to meet him.

With a clang, the stick in Ye Xiao's hand was cut in half by the steel knife.

"Ah! My golden pestle! My gold!" Ye Xiao blinked and wailed loudly.

The man was slightly taken aback, but quickly snatched the broken piece of the pestle from the ground, bit it in his mouth, and exclaimed with delight, "It's really gold!" Before he could react, he was struck on the back of the head and passed out.

Ye Xiao retracted the broken pestle from his hand and struck him hard with it again: "Hmph! You money-grubbing idiot! Luckily, my weapon is made of gold... It's a pity it broke again... I'll have to find someone to repair it."

He craned his neck and looked back, seeing no one else chasing after him, and smiled happily. Looking ahead, Xiao Xun had already disappeared from sight. He snorted in dissatisfaction, "Donkey!"

Not far from where Ye Xiao could see, around a corner, several burly men who had been chasing Ye Xiao lay sprawled on the ground, with a man in black wearing a straw hat standing nearby.

The man in black raised his dark, deep eyes, glanced quickly in the direction Ye Xiao and the others had gone, turned a corner, and disappeared without a trace.

"Third brother!" Ye Xiao entered with a cheerful laugh, calling out as soon as she stepped inside, "Third brother, what are your thoughts after returning from the Shen family?" Xiao Xun sighed deeply, "Nothing much." Ye Xiao leaned down, whispered mysteriously in Xiao Xun's ear, "Is that great beauty Shen Wan really that beautiful?"

Xiao Xun sighed in frustration, the case was still nowhere in sight: "Beautiful? I didn't notice. I have an absolutely stunning beauty in my family, so I don't have any feelings for ordinary beauties."

"Average beauty! Shen Wan is an average beauty? Then am I an ugly woman?!" Ye Xiao's eyes widened, looking like a curious pigeon. Xiao Xun immediately shook his head like a rattle drum, "The boss is the boss. As long as the boss is strong enough, he doesn't need to be pretty."

Ye Xiao felt a pang of sadness, but quickly recovered from the blow: "You got married? Your wife is very beautiful?"

Xiao Xun shook his head: "She's not my wife. She's my mother."

"Mother? Your mother must be very old." Ye Xiao still didn't quite understand.

"There is a kind of beauty that can transcend time and remain fragrant forever..."

"Your mother...is a brewer?" Ye Xiao's curiosity was strong.

Xiao Xun: "..."

"According to Shen Wan, Shen Rujun was killed by a single blow from the Netherworld Heart-Shattering Palm, one of the Eighteen Forms of the Netherworld." Ye Xiao pondered.