Amidst the crowd of onlookers, someone questioned the two men emerging from the inner city, their appearance battered and worn.
Unaware of the current situation, the onlooker casually mentioned, "They say they stole something in the inner city and were personally executed by the Warden."
Another theft? Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged glances, a shiver running down their spines.
They had been arrested on similar charges of theft.
The uproar surrounding the woman's death diverted most of the attention from the two emerging from the inner city.
Most people coming and going from Eternal Dawn City were just inhabitants passing by.
Those who saw the two arrested had already moved on, with hardly anyone waiting for them to emerge.
Nobody was here just for them anyway.
"Oh, Big Boss Shi, you're out now? Everything okay?" Someone asked in surprise, pretending to be concerned.
Shi Chun recognized the face but couldn't place the person, so he merely shrugged and gave a helpless gesture, signaling Wu Jinliang, equally tattered, to leave with him.
He spotted Lan Qiaoyan in the crowd.
Lan Qiaoyan, protected by a group from Bowang Pavilion, also noticed the two and turned to leave first, with Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang following her.
As they left, someone remarked to another, "They actually got out alive. Lucky we didn't gloat in their faces earlier; otherwise, they'd have surely caused trouble for us."
The other person replied, "Now that they're fine, we probably won't see them again. They won't return to the Eastern Nine Plains. Once Eternal Dawn City is unsealed, they should be leaving the Exile Lands."
The first speaker, rubbing his chin, nodded in agreement.
Inside Bowang Pavilion, as Lan Qiaoyan and her group entered, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang trailed behind them.
Passing through, a young boy sitting in a corner with a stack of account books brightened up at the sight of them and quickly ran over to inspect them.
Wu Jinliang chuckled, "Sand Candy, did you miss us?"
As he spoke, he unburdened himself and fished out a multi-layered colorful stone from his bag, handing it to the boy.
It was a habit of theirs to bring strange stones as gifts to this young boy whenever they came to see Miss Miao.
Their initial contact with Miss Miao had been smooth, thanks to "bribing" the boy.
"Sand Candy" was a nickname Miss Miao had given the boy, since his surname was Sha and he loved sweets.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang followed suit and called him that too.
Seeing the distinct layers and colors of the stone, which were visually striking, the boy held it happily.
He took another look at them and said, "Glad you're okay. I knew with the boss lady entering the inner city, you'd be fine."
Hearing this, Shi Chun's eyes gleamed.
He had suspected the change in interrogation might have been due to the boss lady's intervention when he cried out for her during their capture.
Old Tan's voice interrupted, "Little Sha."
The group turned to see Old Tan emerge from the back hall, giving a warning look to the boy, clearly displeased with his loose tongue.
For those at Bowang Pavilion, they did business here but didn't interfere with Exile Lands' matters—a tacit rule.
The boy realized his slip, stuck out his tongue, but seemed unafraid of Old Tan, quickly returning to his account books.
Shi Chun approached Old Tan, intending to request an audience, but Old Tan nodded slightly, saying, "Come on."
Shi Chun hurriedly thanked him with a cupped fist, while Wu Jinliang hesitated, before steeling himself to follow.
They passed through the back hall and took the stairs to the second-floor hall where they found Lan Qiaoyan elegantly enjoying tea, a sight that invoked only envy among the Exile Lands inhabitants.
"Thank you, boss lady, for saving our lives."
Shi Chun stepped forward, clasping his hands, but Lan Qiaoyan waved a hand, preventing him from bowing further, "I don't understand what you're saying. Has the theft been cleared up?"
Realizing she wouldn’t accept their gratitude, Shi Chun inferred her intentions.
It was enough to keep her kindness in their hearts, so he refrained from bowing, shaking his head, "It hasn't been resolved."
This statement left both Lan Qiaoyan and Old Tan momentarily stunned.
Old Tan interjected, "How were you released if it wasn’t resolved?"
Shi Chun helplessly sighed before composing himself, "I killed the accuser."
He believed his eloquence and refined demeanor, distinct from those rough individuals, had made Lan Qiaoyan more willing to assist him over time.
"Ah?" Wu Jinliang exclaimed, dumbfounded—how had he not known?
Now he understood what the city guards meant when they said the owner of the reported stolen goods was dead.
Both Lan Qiaoyan and Old Tan were taken aback.
Old Tan, puzzled, asked, "You killed the claimant in the inner city?"
His words hinted at another question: how had he not been killed for such recklessness?
Shi Chun clarified, "It wasn’t like that. It was a duel. They said someone above made the decision to avoid further hassle. We dueled, and the loser would be executed while the winner set free. I won, so we were released."
The hall fell silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Lan Qiaoyan murmured to herself, "So arbitrary?"
Inwardly, she pondered, realizing her intervention may not have been as pivotal as she thought—it turned out they fought their way out.
Shi Chun, with a hint of melancholy, continued, "Even so, the case isn’t over. They said since I killed the accuser, the case remains unsolved. We were released temporarily, but if new evidence arises, we could be recalled for another trial."
He couldn’t help sighing, feeling a lingering unease.
Unlike others who gained freedom by leaving the Exile Lands, he left shackled by unresolved issues, a latent threat that could resurface anytime, weighing heavily on his mind, making it hard to feel truly free.
"Is there such a thing?" Lan Qiaoyan was taken aback.
She turned to Old Tan, "Old Tan, can the Warden release people this way?"
Old Tan, equally puzzled, shook his head, showing he had never seen or heard of such a process.
After silence settled again, the matter was temporarily set aside, with questions left for later investigation.
Lan Qiaoyan shifted topics, asking, "What's the story about Qi Yueru stealing and getting killed by the Warden?"
Shi Chun, though sensitive to the Qi surname, had no clue who Qi Yueru was.
His only understanding was from the context of the "Warden," prompting him to ask rhetorically, "The one hanging at the city gate?"
Lan Qiaoyan cryptically replied, "She's Shen Youkun's mother, didn’t you know?"
"Ah?" Wu Jinliang reacted first, and the two exchanged stunned glances.
Shi Chun, equally baffled, asked, "How could Shen Youkun's mother be caught stealing in the inner city?"
Seeing their genuine confusion, Lan Qiaoyan didn’t press further.
She took a sip of tea and then calmly stated, "Qi Yueru ended up in Eternal Dawn City and was supposedly killed for theft by the almighty Warden. I don’t buy it; she must have done something else that angered the Warden.
With her son and brother dead, and now her own death, perhaps she and her group did something secretive in the Exile Lands. I don’t know how deeply you're involved or what you know, but the Qi family surely understands.
Offending Shen Youkun isn’t a secret, and now the Warden's direct action against Qi Yueru suggests that those clued-in know the real investigation is underway. The Qi family, guilty, might dare only to seek surface justice without linking themselves to the darker deeds any further.
Given the dubious nature of your arrest and release, the Qi family likely won’t risk further involvement with you two. I don’t know if you grasp my words fully, but in short, the Warden's bold move has inadvertently resolved a major trouble for you."
(End of chapter)