A smile can topple a city

Chapter 4

Ye smiled and said, "Great minds think alike, Mr. Hu!"

With a swift movement of her small hand, the gold leaf disappeared into Xiao Xun's bag, and she called out, "Third brother, let's go!"

With a flourish, he turned and strode away, leaving poor Boss Hu heartbroken and nearly fainting.

Xiao Tian was indeed bedridden and on the verge of death.

However, upon seeing Jin Yezi, he immediately perked up and his voice became booming.

"Master Shen? Yes, yes, he's on my pleasure boat returning home. The wind was favorable that day; we set sail at Shenshi (3-5 PM) and arrived at Xushi (7-9 PM). I watched him board the dock and disappear into the night..."

"Did Master Shen do anything unusual that day?"

“Unusual…no, oh, he’s been sitting in his room the whole time, hasn’t come out, seems to have something on his mind…for two whole hours…but that’s not really unusual…I heard that Master Shen was originally a man of few words…”

"Think about it again..." Ye Xiao was very patient.

Xiao Tian thought for a long time but still couldn't recall anything suspicious. However, he did remember something else.

"To be honest, it's strange. Master Shen originally planned to set off at noon, so he could get home before sunset. But on the day of his departure, someone came to change the time... So, he arrived in town late at night. It was late autumn, and the weather was quite chilly... Luckily, he was well-prepared, wrapped up like a dumpling... Otherwise, he might have caught a cold... and then..."

Xiao Xun gave a strange smile: "Even if you don't catch a cold, you still die, right?"

Xiao Tian then remembered that the person was already dead, and shuddered in fear.

I took a few more glances at the golden leaves to cheer myself up.

Ye Xiao's eyes lit up: "You mean, the day Master Shen was wrapped up like a rice dumpling? What was he dressed like when he boarded the ship?"

Xiao Tian was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then laughed, "When we came, we were also bundled up tightly, wearing a big hat. It was a cold day, and quite windy, but luckily the wind was favorable... After seeing off Master Shen, we moored in town for the night, and the wind died down the next day..."

"Have you met him before?" Ye Xiao asked, her eyes gleaming.

Xiao Tian shook his head: "No... He's a regular customer of the shipping company, but I'm new here..."

Did you get a good look at his face that day?

Xiao Tian thought about it carefully: "I did look, but... I didn't really look closely... To be honest, an old man isn't worth looking at... It's not like you, young lady... or this young master, are so pleasing to the eye..."

"You've never seen him before, nor have you looked closely. How do you know that person is Master Shen? Aren't you afraid someone might be impersonating him?"

"How could that be? He said he was Shen Rujun, and the person who booked the pleasure boat personally brought him here... He even paid for it. Who else could it be but him? Does someone want to be a sucker?"

"Do you know the person who booked the pleasure boat?" Ye Xiao's eyes shone even brighter.

"That man? It's Boss Wan from Tianbao Inn... Master Shen is very generous; he probably gave quite a lot of money. Even Boss Wan personally served him... The reward Master Shen gave us brothers that day was also very generous..."

"Mr. Wan..." Ye Xiao said thoughtfully, "Was he the one who made the reservation the first time?"

"The first time? It doesn't seem like it... It was a waiter at Tianbao Inn..."

Xiao Tian's family lived in a beautiful and quiet little village on the outskirts of Suzhou, quite a distance from the city. By the time the two wanted to go back, it was already dusk.

After happily accepting the gold leaf, Xiao Tian invited the two of them to stay at his house for the night.

"If we head back now, we'll definitely reach Suzhou around midnight, and the city gates will be closed. We won't even have a place to stay then. It'll be better if we stay at my place for the night and head back to the city early tomorrow morning, which will be more relaxed..."

To everyone's surprise, both of them said they wanted to return to Tianbao Inn as soon as possible.

He had no choice but to bid a reluctant farewell to the two, watching them jump onto the carriage and speed away.

"Boss, do you think there's something wrong with that Boss Wan?" Xiao Xun had a sudden realization.

"According to the Shen family, they did not see Shen Rujun return home. There are two possibilities: either Shen Rujun did return to the town safely, but was murdered in town before he could get home; or he was murdered in Suzhou, and the person on the pleasure boat was actually someone else in disguise, diverting the attention of the martial arts world... If you were a villain from Youming City, which possibility would you choose?"

“Boss, you have a prejudice. Not everyone in the Netherworld City is evil... just like how even reputable sects have their good and bad members…”

"...Naturally, we choose Gusu. Shen Rujun is a celebrity in the town; almost everyone knows him, and he's familiar with the terrain, making him difficult to target. Gusu, on the other hand, is different... The murderer from Youming City can act with impunity..."

"Boss, you have no evidence, so how can you be so sure that it was someone from the Netherworld City who killed them?"

"You dare question my authority? Xiao Xun! Have you forgotten who's in charge?"

Xiao Xun sighed with worry: "I'm just afraid that our eldest brother will go astray..."

Ye Xiao sneered: "Third brother! You should be careful driving the carriage, lest you go astray..."

When we arrived in Suzhou, it was indeed close to midnight, and the city gates were already closed.

Xiao Xun said smugly, "Luckily, we found a luxurious carriage, spacious and soft, so we can sleep comfortably for the night... Sleeping outdoors is no fun after all... We can enter the city as soon as the city gates open tomorrow morning..."

"You're only so thoughtful that you're not completely useless..." Ye Xiao muttered, then, overcome with drowsiness, lay down and fell asleep.

"That's all the cleverness you have. Otherwise, why would I be willing to follow you around like a servant..." Xiao Xun grinned at her and made a face, then whispered.

Ye Xiao groaned in her sleep and turned over.

Startled, Xiao Xun quickly lay down in the corner and remained motionless.

However, Ye Xiao did not wake up.

After a long and tiring day, Xiao Xun finally fell into a deep sleep.

midnight.

Xiao Xun, who was sleeping soundly, was woken up by being shaken violently.

"What is it?" Xiao Xun was very unhappy when he finally recognized Ye Xiao in front of him. Disturbing someone's sleep is not something to be liked.

"Look up at the sky, what comes to mind?" Ye Xiao's voice was somewhat exasperated.

Unfortunately, Xiao Xun, still half asleep, didn't understand his boss's intention and tried to open his eyes wide: "The sky is full of sparkling stars...it's so beautiful...romantic...If you stare at the stars without moving for a long time, you'll feel like they're rushing towards you...Boss, look...that's the Big Dipper over there, and can you see the Milky Way? There's a star over there, and two smaller stars next to it. My mom told me about them when I was little, they're called 'treading on water stars'...there's a legend about them...Ouch, boss...why did you hit my head?!"

Ye Xiao smacked him hard on the head, exasperated: "Stupid! Our carriage has been stolen!"

"What!" Xiao Xun finally jumped up in anger, fully awake, and touched his waist. "My package, the package full of gold leaves..."

"That's not all! Look at your clothes!"

"Ah! My coat is gone too! It was made of purple brocade, which cost fifteen taels of silver per foot... Who? Who did this?"

Ye Xiao suddenly bent down and picked something up from the ground.

"A faint fragrance?"

"A Fragrance of Fragrance is a female thief who has risen to prominence in the martial arts world in recent years. It is said that her thieving skills are superb, and she has never failed to steal anything she sets her sights on. It is also said that after she succeeds, she will leave the victim with a silk flower that exudes a delicate fragrance."

"Too arrogant! A thief is a thief, to be so blatant... Boss, do you even know who she is?"

Ye Xiao sighed and shook his head: "I've been following this matter for a long time, but I haven't had time to figure it out... It's said that no one has seen her face yet, and they don't even know her real name..."

"So I can't get my things back?" Xiao Xun looked miserable, now that he was truly the victim.

"This matter can only be discussed in detail... Let's solve Shen Rujun's case first..."

“My mother said, you can’t do anything without money…”

Ye Xiao suddenly stopped and stared at Xiao Xun, making him feel uneasy.

Before Xiao Xun could ask a question, Ye Xiao asked, "What material is your undergarment made of? It looks quite nice."

The mantis stalks the cicada

Xiao Xun emerged from the pawnshop looking utterly dejected.

"I was only wearing a thin shirt, and it was made of hemp, which made my whole body itchy..." Xiao Xun complained softly as he touched the tattered clothes he had just changed into.

"Afraid of the cold? It'll get hotter and hotter soon... Wearing linen clothes will keep you cool..." Ye Xiao rolled her eyes.

"Why are you my clothes... You have more clothes than I do..."

Ye Xiao touched the few loose silver coins on his body: "You're a man, what does it matter if your clothes are good or bad? How can I just take off my clothes like that?"

Xiao Xunmo sighed softly, "That's true."

The two pitifully bought two meat buns, wolfed them down, and finally arrived at Tianbao Inn.

Ye Xiao peered out for a long time until Xiao Xun became anxious: "Boss, if you hadn't rushed back yesterday, my things probably wouldn't have been lost. Now that you're back, you're so calm and collected! Poor gold leaf..."

Ye Xiao scoffed, "A mere wisp of fragrance will inevitably get what it sets its sights on... sooner or later... as for why I don't go in, there are reasons for that..."

Suddenly his eyes lit up, he pinched the loose silver in his hand, and went inside.

For the first time ever, Wan San wasn't at the counter.

Only the easy-going young man, Ahua, was doing the chores.

Ye Xiao walked over with a smile: "Ahua is very efficient."

Ahua was delighted to see the generous old customer and waved to greet him.

Ye Xiao asked casually, "Ahua, big shops bully their customers, and big customers bully their shops. Especially those from the martial arts world, they're all arrogant, it must be very difficult for you, right? Wouldn't it be a bit too much for a chivalrous person like Shen Rujun to personally accompany him to the boat shop?"

Ahua paused for a moment, nodded, then shook his head, lowering his voice to say, "Who says otherwise... These days, there's a big fight every three days and a small fight every two days, all because these customers pick fights for no reason. It's really tough being a waiter... But Master Shen has always had a reputation for chivalry... He's exceptionally generous and kind to people... And his rewards are generous... He left alone the day he went home..."

"He left alone? No one with him? Isn't he the kind of person who likes to make a big show of things?" Ye Xiao's eyes widened, and he casually stuffed a piece of silver into Ahua's hand. "Thanks to you for taking care of him these past few days, young man..."

Ahua secretly tucked the silver into his sleeve and whispered, "That's right, it's quite strange... He probably made an appointment with the shipping company early this morning and left without us seeing him. He even said he'd give me something as a reward before he left, but he didn't have time... I've been upset about it for days..."

Ye Xiao gave a nonchalant "Oh": "So early in the morning? Didn't anyone see?"

"Hmm. I didn't see him that day, but I heard from Boss Wan that the bill had already been settled... The boat he booked was also in the morning... It was A-Fei who booked it, I know... Master Shen rewarded A-Fei with a large silver ingot... That kid flaunted himself in front of me all day..."

"Which room is Master Shen staying in? Could it be a haunted house? Is it close to our room?" Ye Xiao shrank his shoulders, pretending to be scared.

"Young Miss, please don't be afraid... He didn't die in our shop! It's not a haunted house... Besides, Room A in the Heavenly tier is a million miles away from the side room where you're staying..."

"Then I'm relieved!" Ye Xiao patted her chest with a grin.

"When will Miss Ye settle the bill?" A gloomy voice suddenly rang out from behind. "The east wing room is in use recently and needs to be vacated!"

Ye Xiao turned around and saw Boss Wan, who looked like a chubby Maitreya Buddha. Unfortunately, his expression was even more gloomy than his voice, ruining his originally kind appearance.

"That's about Xiao Xun... He doesn't seem to be back yet..." Ye Xiao touched the small piece of silver and smiled obsequiously.

Wan San sneered: "When you see him, tell him to change inns."

Ye Xiao nodded repeatedly in agreement.

...

Night falls.

Ye Xiao quietly climbed up from the east side room.