Although Qiao Laosan still regretted not being able to witness the splendor of the world's number one swordsman, he had already benefited greatly from watching the three-day competition without spending a penny, and felt that he had made a great deal. He then watched the competition with great interest and went with the crowd to Xiao's residence to collect his ticket money. Along the way, all he heard were words of praise for Young Master Xiao.
Upon arriving at the Xiao residence, they found only two servants in blue robes inside the gate, with a stone path behind them. The path was lined with green bamboo and red flowers, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere, completely unlike the bustling crowds and long queues they had imagined.
Where did everyone go? Just as Qiao Laosan was wondering, several smiling maids in purple robes stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Please come with us in groups of ten."
Qiao Laosan, who was fond of women, secretly found the most beautiful maid to follow him. They walked along the path through flowers and willows until they arrived at a small courtyard with bamboo and a spring, where they sat down in a side room.
The maid in purple said, "Please wait here a moment," and turned to leave. A man in a blue robe hurriedly called out to her, "Please wait, young lady. May I ask where this place is?"
Although the maid was young, she was very articulate and replied, "This place is called 'Fenglin Residence,' and it is the courtyard of my second young master. My eldest young master said that the sword-testing competition has been plagued by unexpected events, causing all of you distinguished guests to leave disappointed, which is very impolite. Therefore, he has decided to personally apologize to you and refund your ticket money. However, there are so many people that we can only arrange for the guests to stay in the side rooms of each courtyard first, and then receive them in batches."
Upon hearing this, everyone praised Xiao Mo for his magnanimity and ability to persuade with reason. The man in the blue robe exclaimed, "Young Master Xiao, you are too kind. Madam Xiao is seriously ill, and we should not disturb your peace and quiet."
The maid in purple smiled and said, "My lord took his wife to the villa to rest last night and is not at home at the moment, so you can all rest assured..."
Just then, a soft female voice called from outside the door, "Xiao Wan?"
The maid in purple went out to take a look and saw that it was You Li, Xiao Jian's personal maid, who was carrying a tea tray. She hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Let me do it, Sister You Li. It wouldn't be good if the Second Young Master had something to do and you weren't there."
You Li said softly, "It's alright, we're all in this courtyard anyway, he can hear us if he calls out. Our family has never hosted so many guests before, we're probably short-handed, why don't you go help out in the other courtyards?"
The maid in purple hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright. The Third Young Master's courtyard has the most side rooms and the most guests to be accommodated. I'll go there now."
"Go ahead, I'll take care of things here." You Li smiled at her, turned around and went into the room. She first curtsied to everyone, then raised her face and said, "Please have some tea, everyone."
The sunlight shone on her beautiful face; though not particularly radiant, it possessed a unique gentle and graceful charm.
The guests' eyes lit up, especially Qiao Laosan, whose eyes practically popped out of their sockets. He jumped up and rushed over, exclaiming, "Beauty, I've finally found you!"
You Li was taken aback. Seeing that his face was clearly unfamiliar, she said, "You must have mistaken me for someone else."
"No, no, even if I mistook Mom for someone else, I wouldn't mistake you!" Old Qiao stared at her lecherously, leaning closer and saying, "Beauty, I've been dreaming about you these past three days, searching everywhere for your whereabouts. I never expected to meet you here. We're really destined to meet, aren't we?"
As his words became increasingly absurd, You Li's face darkened, and she said coldly, "Have you lost your mind, sir? How dare you spout nonsense in the Xiao residence! Don't you want your head?"
After saying that, he put the tea tray aside, flung the curtain shut, and went out.
Those around them laughed, "Old Qiao, your methods for pursuing women are too outdated. She doesn't even know you!"
"Yes, Qiao Laosan. You're overestimating yourself. She's a maid from the Xiao family. Do you think you can get your hands on her?"
Qiao Laosan originally didn't dare to be too presumptuous in the Xiao residence, but after being ridiculed by everyone, he lost face and angrily said, "I did see that woman. She even bumped into my arms in a panic!"
"Is that so?" one voice drawled. "With such a beautiful woman in your arms, no wonder you can't forget her. But why doesn't she remember you at all?"
"How would I know? Damn it, would I lie for a stinking old woman?" Qiao Laosan cursed. Seeing the mocking looks on everyone's faces, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "You don't believe me? Fine, I'll go find her and bring her back, and show you bastards who's lying!"
"Forget it, forget it. This is the Xiao residence. If you anger them, they'll complain to the master and you'll be in deep trouble." Someone deliberately provoked him.
Qiao Laosan sneered, "I am a person of some standing in the martial arts world, while that woman is nothing but a servant. Young Master Xiao is such a reasonable person, I don't believe he would make things difficult for me for the sake of a servant!"
Having said that, he lifted the curtain and immediately saw You Li feeding birds under the eaves not far away. He rushed over, grabbed her wrist, and said, "You woman, we clearly met at the Sword Testing Platform three days ago, but you pretended not to know me and deliberately made me lose face in public, didn't you?"
You Li never expected him to chase after her. She tried to shake off his hand, but he held her tightly. She was angry, ashamed, and annoyed. She said sternly, "Please have some self-respect. My second young master is resting in that room over there. If you wake him up, he won't survive!"
Qiao Laosan hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm only going to reason with you. Don't try to intimidate me by bringing up your master."
As she said this, she finally let go of her hand. You Li immediately turned and left. Qiao Laosan was anxious, but dared not grab her again. He could only follow her step by step.
Yu Li, thoroughly annoyed, turned her head and glared at him fiercely, saying, "What exactly do you want?"
Qiao Laosan said, "As long as you come back with me and publicly admit that you have met me, this matter will be over. Otherwise, I will follow you wherever you go."
You Li had never seen such a persistent and obstinate person before. Her face turned pale with anger, and she said in a trembling voice, "I did go to the Sword Testing Platform three days ago, but I never saw you. If you keep pestering me like this, I'll take you to see the young master!"
"Fine, I'll go!" Old Qiao San declared, "That day you were in such a hurry that you bumped into me! I had just come out of the outhouse, and there were other people around, but they all saw it!"
You Li's expression changed immediately. She looked up and examined him carefully for a few moments, her eyes gradually revealing fear.
Qiao Laosan sneered, "Well, do you remember now?"
You Li was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile and softened her voice, saying, "Oh, it's you, sir. I... I just remembered, that day..."
How was that day?
"I did bump into the old man that day, and he was the one who helped me up."
Qiao Laosan snorted and said, "It's really not easy, you finally remembered! Those people in the room are all waiting to see me make a fool of myself!"
You Li smiled apologetically and said, "Don't be angry, sir. I will go with you to explain. I hope you won't spread this matter around."
Qiao Laosan glanced at her a few times: "This is not difficult. I never like to argue with women. As long as you admit that you have seen me, this matter will be over."
Youli hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, I'll go with you."
As they spoke, the two walked towards the side room together. Qiao Laosan looked smug, while You Li was pale. No one noticed that behind a large tree about two zhang away, there was another person hiding, watching their departing figures with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
What do you think?
Feng Chenxi tucked a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind and looked calmly at Xiao Nuo beside her.
Because his own courtyard was now filled with martial arts figures, losing its former tranquility, he led her to Xiao Zuo and Gong Feicui's residence. At this moment, this was the only courtyard in the entire Xiao mansion without any guests. Climbing the small building and gazing into the distance, they saw picturesque scenery and heard no worldly noise; it was indeed a perfect place for conversation.
Xiao Nuo rubbed his eyes, which were fogged up by the wind, and said, "The underwater passage is only used during the Sword Trial Tournament. Maids are always sent to clean it. It's not surprising that Sister You Li appeared on the Sword Trial Platform."
Feng Chenxi said, "If it's really nothing to be surprised about, why would she beg Qiao Laosan not to make this public with such a terrified expression?"
Xiao Nuo blinked and said, "Maybe you're mistaken. Why would she be afraid? Look, there's a list of maids assigned to clean the rooms every year. Sister Youli knows that, and even if she's stupid, she should understand that this can't be kept secret."
Feng Chenxi smiled faintly and said, "What if she went to the Sword Testing Platform not to clean her room?"
"Then what is she going to do?" Xiao Nuo thought for a moment and exclaimed, "That's right! She must be going to watch my second brother's martial arts competition."
“Yes.” Feng Chenxi agreed. “At that time, only she knew that your second brother was taking Cold Medicine, so of course she was worried that he would suddenly have a drug addiction and lose to Lu Shuang.”
Xiao Nuo glanced at her sideways and said, "Sister, you seem to be implying something in your words."
“It’s not that I was implying something…” Feng Chenxi glared at him, “You’re just pretending not to understand.”
Xiao Nuo chuckled and said, "I didn't understand it anyway."
For some reason, Feng Chenxi suddenly found his idiotic smile extremely irritating. She straightened her face and said, "Don't understand? Fine, I'll explain it more clearly—You Li likes your second brother, and a woman will do anything for the person she likes. Your second brother is addicted to cold-natured powder and is worried about losing to Lu Shuang in public, so he instructed You Li to put Lei Jun (a type of fungus) into Lu Shuang's incense under the guise of cleaning. Unexpectedly, in his panic, he bumped into Qiao Laosan..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Nuo had already covered her ears tightly and shouted with her eyes closed, "No, no, that's wrong! My second brother is a good person, he wouldn't be so despicable as to use a woman! No, no, no..."
At this point, he actually resorted to shameless behavior. Feng Chenxi really wanted to just leave, but even she couldn't explain why. Ever since Xiao Zuo took Gong Feicui to Tianshui Yixian Pavilion to recuperate, she would immediately think of discussing any clues she obtained in this case with Xiao Nuo. Take today for example. Originally, she went to Fenglin Pavilion just to check on Xiao Jian's situation, but unexpectedly witnessed You Li and Qiao Laosan arguing. She immediately went to find Xiao Nuo, knowing that he was fickle, sometimes clever and sometimes foolish, knowing that he didn't believe Xiao Jian was the real culprit, which went against her own stance, but she still came to find him... Now that she was here, was she going to just walk away again?
Of course not!
So she stood to the side, staring at Xiao Nuo without saying a word, until he took his hand off his ear and opened his eyes, then coldly asked, "Have you shouted enough?"
Xiao Nuo didn't speak, but glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he sighed and said, "You're angry, but you didn't leave. It seems you're really confident in your judgment."
Feng Chenxi said, "I have always been very confident in myself."
“My second brother is too,” Xiao Nuo said.
Feng Chenxi understood what he meant—confident people are usually not too despicable because they disdain using tricks. But… she looked at Xiao Nuo and slowly said, “Don’t forget, confident people are usually afraid of losing because they can’t afford to lose. The Cold-Tasting Powder can not only erode a person’s will but also destroy their body. Your second brother has never suffered a defeat since he started out, so isn’t he afraid of losing to Lu Shuang?”
“I’m afraid,” Xiao Nuo said, “but only if he knows he will lose.”
Feng Chenxi frowned and said, "You mean..."
Xiao Nuo quickly added, "What I mean is, my second brother didn't know he would lose to Brother Lu because he had no idea he was addicted to drugs."
Feng Chenxi shook her head and said, "That might just be a facade he put on for us."
“It’s not an illusion!” Xiao Nuo retorted decisively.
"What makes you say that? Just because he's your second brother?" Feng Chenxi looked at him disapprovingly.
“No, because he has never asked me to borrow anything,” Xiao Nuo replied. “That day when he woke up from the poisoning and asked me for medicine powder, it must have taken a lot of effort for him to ask.”
"Why?" Feng Chenxi asked.
Xiao Nuo didn't answer, but lowered her head and gave her a big smile—a genuine, cheerful, and silly smile.
Feng Chenxi rolled her eyes at him, then burst out laughing.
Xiao Nuo chuckled and said, "Look, I'm a notorious idiot and troublemaker, while my second brother has always been proud and arrogant. If he didn't really believe he was drugged, he probably would never have said this to me, even if it meant his death."
Feng Chenxi stopped laughing and said, "Your reason is a bit far-fetched. Your second brother is so smart, how do you know he didn't do it on purpose?"
Xiao Nuo paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "That's right! He probably thought of that, so he deliberately asked me to borrow the powder to make us believe that he didn't know he was addicted to drugs."
Feng Chenxi immediately added, "Therefore, it is highly likely that Lei Jun was also instructed by him to release You Li."
“Mmm.” Xiao Nuo nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. “Then, after everyone was dead, he suddenly realized: Oh no! Rai mushrooms only come from Changbai Mountain, and I just happened to come back from there. Isn’t this an admission of guilt? Hey, my second brother is really smart.”
"Xiao Nuo!" Feng Chenxi glared at the sly-looking boy in front of her. She knew he was trying to annoy her, but she couldn't find the words to refute him. After all, she had just said that Xiao Jian was smart, but would a truly smart person do such a thing?
Seeing her face gradually turn pale, Xiao Nuo knew she was truly angry, and quickly said, "Sister, don't be upset. Although we each have our own version of events, we are both proving one thing..."
Feng Chenxi asked with a stern face, "What is it?"
"There are many suspicious points in this case."
"nonsense."
“That’s not nonsense,” Xiao Nuo said seriously. “If the murderer has been found, there shouldn’t be so many doubts left.”
No matter how convoluted or bizarre a case may be, once the real culprit is brought to justice, all doubts can be explained; otherwise, it is highly likely to be a wrongful conviction.
Feng Chenxi naturally understood this principle.
Seeing that she did not refute, Xiao Nuo continued, "Moreover, we overlooked one thing—after the incident, we were only focused on finding the poison that killed Brother Lu, but we didn't investigate in detail how this poison was put into the incense. To prevent cheating, such as smuggling deadly hidden weapons or taking some kind of drug that can temporarily enhance one's skills, all participants in the competition are not only subject to strict checks, but all their belongings are also checked. Moreover, the room numbers are also temporarily determined by drawing lots, in order to prevent anyone from hiding cheating items in the room beforehand."
Feng Chenxi said, "So, the incense Lu Shuang used was non-toxic before she entered the room?"
Xiao Nuo nodded and said, "Definitely not."
"But Lord Xiao clearly asked the gatekeepers and they said that no one else went into the room after Lu Shuang entered."
“Sister,” Xiao Nuo looked at Feng Chenxi with a half-smile, “you suspect my second brother, you suspect Sister Youli, but you haven’t considered whether the words of those two people are also suspicious. Why is that?”
Feng Chenxi was taken aback. Yes, why was that? After a long pause, she finally found the reason: it was simply because... because even someone as shrewd as Xiao Zuo hadn't doubted what those two people said, so naturally she hadn't either...
Actually, not to mention her, among everyone except Xiao Nuo, no one has suspected the gatekeeper yet. Isn't it all because of Xiao Zuo's unwavering belief?
This is human nature, and it also illustrates the profound and far-reaching influence of leaders, which is enough to sway people's thoughts and judgments. Unless you are born a leader, it is really difficult to get rid of this influence.
Feng Chenxi shook her head and said with a wry smile, "I was negligent. I really should have checked on those two gatekeepers."
"Now?" Xiao Nuo looked at her, and the two of them shook their heads at the same time.
If we investigate now, we'll have no evidence. Not only will the two gatekeepers not tell the truth, but they could also alert the murderer, leading to their murder to silence them.
At that moment, Feng Chenxi suddenly realized and blurted out, "City Lord Xiao is indeed exceptionally intelligent!"