"What are you thinking?" In the room, Liu Su asked Qin Yi in disbelief, "When did you become so curious about investigating cases?"
Qin Yi leaned against the windowsill, leisurely sipping his drink. "You seem to be mistaken. The Li siblings want to come and take a look. Can I really refuse to join them? We haven't even started our official collaboration yet, and you're worried about these trivial matters?"
Liu Su paused, realizing he had a point. It seemed that after not interacting with people for so long, she had forgotten some basic social skills.
"It's strange that Li Qinglin would come. Normally, he wouldn't have the leisure for this," Qin Yi said, looking out at the night sky, deep in thought. "If I were him, I'd want to get a skilled practitioner to help and rush back to the capital. How could he let me ride my old horse slowly without even urging me? And now, he's even getting involved in this investigation."
Liu Su replied, "Maybe he sees your unusual temperament and doesn't want to stir up trouble. Li Qinglin is very steady; do you think he's as naive as Li Qingjun?"
"Maybe," Qin Yi chuckled. "Anyway, this matter seems unrelated to us. That lady's gaze could practically swallow Li Qinglin whole."
Liu Su laughed too. A young man like Li Qinglin, clearly from a wealthy family, could indeed be quite appealing to a married woman.
"Hey, do you think that lady might have murdered her husband to seize the family fortune?"
"I don’t know; I can’t read minds."
"Then do you sense any demonic energy in this manor?"
Liu Su lazily replied, "I told you before about the spider demon. I'm too weak now, with very low soul power. Being able to see and transmit sound is already good enough. Sensing demonic energy is too much for me."
"You can't even sense demonic energy but claim to teach others how to cultivate..."
"… I'm weak, not incapable!" Liu Su retorted through gritted teeth.
"Then how can you tell if someone is human or a demon?"
Liu Su replied confidently, "If you cultivated with me, there would be countless ways. But now, I have no way!"
Just as Qin Yi was about to speak, footsteps were heard outside the door, and he quickly shut his mouth.
There was a knock, and when Qin Yi opened the door, it was Li Qingjun.
"I'm here to discuss how we should investigate tonight," Li Qingjun said, looking a bit excited.
Qin Yi sighed. "Why are you asking me? Your brother is such an important person; shouldn't you be discussing this with him?"
Li Qingjun glanced around and lowered her voice. "Let me in first."
Qin Yi stepped aside, and Li Qingjun slipped in and closed the door.
"We can't be sure yet if this is caused by humans or demons. If it's humans, my brother can investigate, but if it's demons, we need your input," Li Qingjun explained. After a pause, she added, "Besides, my brother might not be able to join us tonight."
Qin Yi chuckled. "Is it because Madam Zhang might go looking for your brother?"
"Exactly. So, my brother will stay in his room tonight. He might find something, and the investigation will be up to us."
"From your tone, it sounds like you're supportive of your brother having an affair?"
"Why shouldn't I be?" Li Qingjun looked at him strangely. "My brother is a prince with countless concubines; what's wrong with him having a little romance? If this woman has nothing to do with the case, and my brother likes her, it's perfectly normal for him to take her home. But I think she's a bit promiscuous, so my brother won't be interested."
She spoke as if it were obvious. Ah, the ancient world...
Qin Yi thought about it and smiled a little ambiguously. Li Qingjun looked at him with disdain. "Men."
"Hey, isn't that a double standard? Your brother can take someone home, but I can't even smile without being looked down upon?"
"Because your smile is disgusting."
"Why do you care how I smile? It's your brother who's having an affair, not me. Aren't you worried he might be enchanted by a woman?"
"That's impossible," Li Qingjun replied casually. "That wouldn't be Li Qinglin."
Qin Yi nodded. Even though they didn't spend much time together, he had confidence in Li Qinglin.
Li Qingjun then asked casually, "You seem so indifferent about everything. Why are you interested in this trivial matter?"
Qin Yi replied, "Seeing injustice and wanting to right it, I have dreams of the rivers and lakes too."
Liu Su really wanted to hit him with her club. Didn't he just say something different?
Li Qingjun seemed unsure if she believed him but smiled slightly. "Alright, let's take action tonight. Do you have any suggestions?"
Qin Yi thought for a moment. "I think we should go see the manor owner's body. They say the mourning period is seven days, right? It should still be in the mourning hall."
Li Qingjun nodded. Checking the body should be the most straightforward way. When someone dies mysteriously, isn't there always some clue?
Under the dark moon and gusty winds, the two quietly approached the mourning hall. Looking in from the window, they saw candlelight still flickering inside, with a few people keeping vigil. One of them, dressed as a filial son, seemed to be the young manor owner, but his face was pale and his lips white, looking very weak. This young manor owner appeared to be about the same age as that lady... It seemed the so-called lady was just the manor owner's second wife.
The young manor owner was discussing the autumn harvest with a few manor workers. The two listened for a while but gained nothing. Li Qingjun leaned in and whispered, "Hey, do you have any special methods to make them sleep?"
Qin Yi's ears tingled, and with the fragrance of orchids nearby, he momentarily froze, unable to say anything. Li Qingjun noticed that their position was too ambiguous, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she quickly urged, "Stop being coy; just tell me if you have a way!"
"I do." Qin Yi took out a packet of powder. "If you blow this powder into the air, they'll fall asleep."
Over the past two months, he had done many basic medicine-making experiments to improve his alchemy skills, and he had brought a lot of them with him. It turned out they were useful everywhere. Li Qingjun moved half a step away from him, looking down on him. "Making this kind of drug secretly, what are you trying to do?"
Qin Yi couldn't help but laugh. "You need this drug but look down on me for having it? Are you having a split personality?"
Li Qingjun huffed, snatched the powder from him, and was about to use her energy to blow it inside.
At that moment, the conversation inside wrapped up, and the manor workers began to bid farewell to the young manor owner. Li Qingjun was surprised. Aren't these people supposed to keep vigil with him?
Just as she was wondering, she saw the young manor owner standing alone in the center of the mourning hall. In the dark night, with the flickering candlelight, his pale face looked ghostly, sending chills down one's spine.
The young manor owner stood quietly for a moment before suddenly speaking, "Why did you leave those three guests?"
In the empty mourning hall, his voice sounded eerily like a ghost's.
A figure in mourning clothes slowly walked in from outside, speaking softly, "That young man has inner strength, which is very important to me... Perhaps from now on, I won't need anyone else's help. You don't like me being with others either..."
The young manor owner's tone remained firm but somewhat helpless. "With inner strength, don't get hurt! And judging by his demeanor, he's either rich or noble. Don't cause any big problems."
"As long as we do it without anyone knowing, what problems could there be?" Madam Zhang said, her delicate hand resting on the young manor owner's chest, speaking softly. "Don't be afraid of those so-called ghost catchers. There aren't any real practitioners among them; they're just con artists..."
The young manor owner huffed in anger. "So those three today were the same?"
"Not exactly..." Madam Zhang hesitated slightly. "One of them is a young lady, so I won't mention her. The two young men seemed quite clear-headed. The one named Li might be used to seeing beautiful women from a wealthy family, but that young man named Qin, dressed in rough clothes, seemed calm and composed, not ordinary at all..."
Qin Yi felt speechless. Sometimes, normal behavior seemed like a flaw to those with ulterior motives. Lesson learned.
The young manor owner said, "So you're not afraid they really came to catch ghosts?"
Madam Zhang shook her head. "I didn't sense any magical power from them, just martial artists' inner strength. Even if they really came to catch ghosts, it wouldn't be a problem."
"You like that Young Master Li, don't you?" The young manor owner angrily shook off her hand and turned to leave.
Though he seemed angry, he actually allowed her to pursue Li Qinglin. Madam Zhang stood there for a moment, smiled slightly, and then turned to leave.
Qin Yi and Li Qingjun exchanged glances. Suddenly, the mourning hall was empty...
"Let's go; we won't need the sleeping powder anymore." After waiting for the people to leave and confirming no one else was coming, Li Qingjun thought she was being cautious enough and climbed through the window.
"Hey, wait!" Before Qin Yi could shout, he saw her rush to the coffin and reach out to lift the lid.
With a "crack," it seemed like she triggered some switch, and the ground beside the coffin suddenly split open. Li Qingjun was caught off guard and fell in.
"This foolish woman!" Qin Yi rushed over, trying to pull her back, but he only managed to grab her hand. The force of her fall pulled him in as well.
"Thud!" Fortunately, the trap wasn't too deep. Li Qingjun landed at the bottom of the pit, sprawling out, while Qin Yi landed on top of her, pinning her down.
(End of Chapter)