For a moment, only our whispered laughter echoed in the hall.
"Hey, haven't you ever had pickled vegetables before? Leave some for me!"
"That's right! I've never eaten it before, I just want you to drink porridge!"
"Hehe, you're clearly forcing me to use my ultimate move..."
"Afraid of you? Bring it on, whatever tricks you have!"
"Alright! Let's play rock-paper-scissors! Whoever loses gets nothing but porridge!"
Rock-paper-scissors? How despicable! How could a young lady like me know how to do that? Besides, is there even such a thing as playing rock-paper-scissors while drinking porridge?
I glared at Xiao Zuo with all my might, but he pretended not to see me and said with a grin, "Scared now? I knew you wouldn't! Here's what we'll do: you can have the big pieces of these pickled vegetables, and I'll keep the small ones..."
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the second floor all the way to the hall. Looking up, one could see the well-trained Iron Cavalry rushing over and shouting, "Young Miss! Something terrible has happened! Mr. Baili, he—is dead!"
A sharp "bang" came from behind; Feng Qiansu had accidentally dropped and shattered the porridge bowl.
My first reaction was to quickly turn my gaze to Xiao Zuo.
Xiao Zuo was smiling at me when the bad news came so quickly that he only had time to withdraw the gentleness from his face, but the smile remained on his lips—a smiling face, a momentary blank look in his eyes... it was terrifying.
"you……"
I had just reached out to shake him when I heard a sudden gust of wind behind me. Feng Qiansu stood up abruptly and rushed up to the second floor without saying a word. Halfway up the stairs, she suddenly stumbled and fell heavily to the ground.
After all, we grew up together, and this was the first time I had seen her so distraught. I couldn't help but feel some pity for her and subconsciously called out, "Sister Qiansu." Before I could finish speaking, Xiao Zuo flew away like an arrow... I thought he would help Feng Qiansu up, but who knew he would disappear into the stairwell without stopping at all.
Feng Qiansu struggled to her feet, holding onto the railing, and immediately ran upstairs without stopping.
Seeing two of the most composed people lose their composure made me a little panicked. I recalled the way Baili Chenfeng rode his horse to the Gong family gate that day, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow... But as sad as I was, someone had to take care of the aftermath.
Our journey was already tense, and the enemy was relentlessly pursuing us. If we were to alert the authorities now, the situation would be truly dire!
Fortunately, the incident happened so suddenly that the innkeeper and his staff were still stunned. Since it was still early and the other guests had not yet come downstairs, if they didn't make arrangements now, when would they?
I waved to the leader of the cavalry and whispered, "Make sure to keep these people calm, especially the innkeeper. We absolutely cannot let him report to the authorities. We can't afford to waste any more time, understand?"
"Don't worry, Miss."
I nodded to him and hurried upstairs. I stopped outside Baili Chenfeng's room and unconsciously let out a deep sigh... I pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Feng Qiansu stood blankly by the bed, her face so pale it was almost bloodless. Her deep-set eyes were slightly glistening with tears. She didn't react when she sensed someone entering the room, only her body trembled slightly, her gaze still fixed on the bed.
Following her gaze, I saw a person lying stiffly on the bed, his head blocked by Xiao Zuo, who was kneeling beside the bed. But I could tell from the black boots on his feet that the person was Baili Chenfeng.
I lowered my eyelashes and took a few steps forward. I saw Xiao Zuo gripping Baili Chenfeng's shoulders tightly, so tightly that his knuckles were white and his hands were trembling slightly. I blinked and looked again. Yes, Xiao Zuo's hands were shaking.
I couldn't bear to look at those trembling hands anymore, and my gaze shifted upwards... Even though I was mentally prepared, my body still trembled suddenly.
Baili Chenfeng, it really is him—he really is dead.
His lifelike face was right before my eyes, so peaceful, as if he were asleep, but his heart had stopped beating. He could no longer breathe freely, nor fight alongside us against the enemy.
A small wound between his eyebrows was the cause of his death.
The wound was very narrow, indicating that the killer used a sword, not a knife.
There wasn't much blood around the wound, indicating that the weapon was extremely sharp.
However, a single sword is not enough to kill Baili Chenfeng in one move—the murderer must be a top-notch master, especially in swordsmanship, which may have reached a state of perfection.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through my mind, which I quickly grasped. I looked up and exclaimed, "The Yaga Bottle!"
Feng Qiansu's expression suddenly changed drastically, and she repeated, "The Ega Bottle..."
That's right! It's an Arga vase!
Yesterday, before Xiao Zuo and I left, we entrusted the treasure bottle to Baili Chenfeng. Now that he has been killed, the treasure bottle must also be gone...
“The arga vase is here.”
I was stunned, looked down at Xiao Zuo, and asked incredulously, "What did you say? The Ega Bottle wasn't lost?"
Xiao Zuo remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up. Noticing the wrinkles he had made on Baili Chenfeng's shoulder, he reached out and patiently smoothed them out before turning around and pointing to a cabinet in the corner of the room. He said, "It's there. Go get it, Chen..."
When he mentioned Baili Chenfeng's name, his voice choked for a moment, but he quickly continued, "Chenfeng is also a follower of the Tantric religion, so we can use the 'Yaga' bottle to perform a ritual for his soul."
Two other iron-clad cavalrymen were inside the room. Upon hearing this, they opened the cabinet door and indeed brought out the Eka bottle.
I had just breathed a sigh of relief when Feng Qiansu asked in a very grating voice, "You were the first one to rush into the room just now, just to find this?"
"Sister Qiansu!" I exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean by that?"
Xiao Zuo gestured for me to be quiet. When I looked up, I noticed that his expression was also very bad, almost exactly the same as when he received the news of the Dragon King's death. The only difference was the addition of an unspeakable sense of guilt—why was he blaming himself? Did he know all along that someone would harm Baili Chenfeng?
I looked at him, utterly bewildered, but he slowly turned to Feng Qiansu and said slowly, "It's quite interesting that Steward Feng would say this at this time. Is Steward Feng blaming me for being too concerned about the Ega Bottle, or is he blaming himself for neglecting it? Speaking of which, this murderer, like Steward Feng, forgot about this treasure, killing Chenfeng but leaving the bottle behind. Steward Feng, why?"
"Young Master Xiao is asking me?" A sharp, indescribable sneer suddenly appeared on Feng Qiansu's pale face. She looked coldly at Xiao Zuo and said coldly, "This question should really be asked of Young Master Xiao!"
Xiao Zuo stared at her quietly for a long while, then said, "Ask me?"
"Of course I'll ask you!" Feng Qiansu's tone became fierce. She suddenly raised a hand, pointed at Xiao Zuo, and said sharply, "Because—you are the murderer! You are the murderer!"