Chapter 48 A sudden murder occurs, and Qingyu learns a lesson...

On the daytime of August 21st, Gao Da and Gao Er, servants of the Jizhou Governor's Mansion, were eating at the Xichun Inn. According to the innkeeper, they were privately discussing Qing Yu and his companions who had just arrived at the inn. The young men were all dressed in an extraordinary manner, and one of them even carried a knife, undoubtedly a cultivator.

In the early morning of August 22, Gao Da and Gao Er climbed over the wall into the backyard of Xichun Inn, intending to damage the boys' carriage. However, they were murdered midway through their mission and died a gruesome death. The innkeeper discovered the bodies at dawn and immediately reported the incident to the police.

After reviewing the case, the judge confirmed that at the time of the murder, the teenagers were—

The owners of the Nuannuan Dumpling Restaurant on North Street, who ate dumplings and watched the sunrise, and the subsequent neighbors can all testify that the five people and the chicken all had alibis, and the suspicion was no longer there. However, the timing was too coincidental, so the case remained unsolved, and the teenagers could not leave Jizhou City.

It is worth mentioning that among the young doctors, one male and one female have special identities, or rather, all five of them have somewhat special identities.

In the morning, the case was reviewed. At noon, the magistrate went to the Demon-Suppressing Pavilion in Jizhou. After learning that the Demon-Suppressing Envoy was not there, he turned around and went into the governor's mansion.

The backyard of the Governor's Mansion of Ji Province.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and the tall osmanthus trees exuded a rich, sweet fragrance. The delicate white-gold blossoms shimmered in the sunlight, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance throughout the courtyard.

It smells so good! Besides osmanthus, there are all kinds of brightly colored and fragrant flowers in this yard, such as crape myrtle, lantana, and butterfly bush. Beautiful flowers are everywhere.

Li Xianyue sat on the stone bench, with a few books on the stone table, but she had no interest in flipping through them, only staring blankly at the flowers and fragrance filling the courtyard.

She thought to herself, "As expected of Li Xianyue's man, he said he wanted to grow flowers, and he managed to make the governor's mansion fragrant with flowers all year round."

"lady."

A gentle male voice sounded from behind her, and Li Xianyue turned her head with a smile.

Chen Huai wore a wide black robe embroidered with exquisite and intricate gold patterns. His face was somewhat pale, but his temperament was calm and gentle. Coupled with his slender figure, he had an air of refinement. Even before he approached someone, he gave off an aura of unparalleled nobility.

Chen Huai, the governor of Jizhou, took up his post as the chief of the Jizhou government in Shengjing in the tenth year of Tianchen. He worked diligently and conscientiously for the people. In the thirteenth year of Tianchen, he became the governor and was praised by the people of Jizhou.

However, this governor's offspring were not fortunate. He married young, but his wife gave birth to a child last year. Unfortunately, his wife was short-lived and passed away a few days after giving birth to the young master.

At that time, the governor specially hired three wet nurses to take care of the young master. However, within a few months, the wet nurses died one after another, and rumors began to circulate that the young master of the governor's mansion was too lucky.

The governor was deeply saddened by this matter and specially invited a fortune teller to find a woman with a strong destiny and good fortune to be his second wife—Li Xianyue, the daughter of a blacksmith in Jizhou City.

The people of Jizhou City sighed with admiration, some praising the governor's beloved son, others saying Li Xianyue was lucky, and still others remarking that Li Xianyue was indeed resilient.

She lost her mother at a young age and grew up with Li the blacksmith. But after Li Xianyue married the governor, even a strong man like Li the blacksmith fell ill and died. Before long, everyone knew that there were two people with strong lives in the governor's mansion of Jizhou.

Despite the many rumors circulating outside, the governor's mansion was filled with the fragrance of flowers.

Li Xian Yue stood up, smiled, and ran to Chen Huai, hugging him tightly. The woman's eyes crinkled as she looked up at him, "Husband, aren't you busy today? Didn't you say that Si Zheng wanted to see you?"

Chen Huai looked down at Li Xian Yue and smiled. He gently tidied his wife's stray hairs and said in a gentle voice, "It's just a small matter, nothing at all."

Li Xianyue nodded obediently, then looked up and said, "Rang'er slept after lunch and should be waking up soon. Let's go check on it."

Chen Rang is Chen Huai's only son, the child left behind by his late wife. He is only a little over a year old and is a child who only knows how to eat, drink and sleep all day long.

Chen Huai frowned slightly; he disliked Li Xian Yue talking about Chen Rang all the time.

Li Xianyue seemed to sense his emotions, but she really liked little Chen Rang, and Chen Huai just didn't like children crying. Chen Rang was his own son, so how could Chen Huai really hate him?

Li Xian Yue shook Chen Huai's sleeve, "Little Rang'er walks so steadily now, and speaks so sweetly. Shall we go and see him, husband?"

"Husband?"

"Husband?"

"My husband!"

Li Xianyue looked up at Chen Huai and recited the words one by one, with the coquettish manner of a young girl—until she called him impatiently at the end. Chen Huai always liked to do this, and he would only respond after Li Xianyue took the initiative to say a lot of things.

Chen Huai raised an eyebrow at the end, clearly enjoying the moment.

Li Xianyue glared at him.

Chen Huai wanted to speak, but then coughed softly a few times. Li Xian Yue looked at him with some concern, feeling that Chen Huai seemed to be sick recently, and his complexion was even paler.

Chen Huai patted her head, his voice gentle but tinged with helplessness, "It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that there really is something going on at the yamen. Some special people have recently come to Jizhou City, and I have to go and see them."

Li Xian Yue tilted her head and frowned. "A special person?"

What kind of special person is he that he has to trouble the governor of a whole prefecture?

Chen Huai smiled and changed the subject. He kissed Li Xian Yue's forehead and said, "Go see Rang'er. I have something to do."

Li Xianyue pursed her lips. If she didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't. She wasn't that interested anyway.

Chen Huai turned and left. Watching his retreating figure, Li Xianyue breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a breeze picked up, and Li Xianyue turned to leave. As her skirt swayed, a petal fell onto her shoulder. She lowered her eyes and brushed the petal away.

...

The next morning.

Xichun Inn has been closed for the past few days due to the murder case, and it's estimated that the inn won't reopen until the case is solved.

However, Qingyu and the others continued to stay here as usual because of their special status as "suspects".

It was early morning, and only the boss was downstairs; everyone else was asleep.

Qingyu strolled leisurely downstairs. The girl was dressed in red, with a wooden carving around her waist. Her black hair was tied up with several wooden flower hairpins. Upon closer inspection, the flower shape was that the petals were round like fans and the stamens protruded like claws—resembling butterflies in flight, and it was made of the finest red sandalwood.

Most of her dark hair flowed down her neck, and her silver-red skirt billowed in the breeze. The young girl's bright beauty was tinged with a natural languor and elegance.

The shop owner, who was organizing the ledgers behind the counter, glanced at her and then greeted her warmly, "Good morning, Miss Qingyu."

Good morning, Mr. Wang.

Qingyu walked to the table, poured herself a glass of water, and replied with a polite smile.

The innkeeper was quite a character. He was usually very tactful and considerate, but when a murder occurred, he immediately explained the situation, even describing everything that had happened to them the day before in great detail, saying exactly what needed to be said.

Even though the inn is closed for the day and the waiters and cooks have all left, he still gets up early to do the accounts, his face serene.

Qingyu watched as Boss Wang calmly did his accounting, and suddenly became curious, "Boss, aren't you scared?"

Mr. Wang looked up, somewhat puzzled. "Why do you say that, young lady?"

Qingyu: "A murder has occurred at the inn, and no guests dare to stay. The murderer is still unknown. As the owner of this inn, aren't you worried or afraid?"

Qingyu was genuinely curious. She had always been an impatient and somewhat impulsive person since childhood, so she always admired those who were unhurried and serious in their work. Therefore, she would sometimes take the initiative to ask them to understand their thoughts—Grandpa Huai Shu had said that many things are better left unsaid.

Mr. Wang was taken aback when he heard this. He was almost fifty years old and always greeted customers with a smile. Customers said he was honest, reliable, and hospitable, while his rivals said he was opportunistic and good at getting along with everyone. His wife laughed at him for always smiling like a flower at his age. There were both praises and criticisms, but very few people asked him anything with such an inquisitive look and attitude.

He smiled, a faint yet genuine smile.

“Young lady, you’re wrong. Who wouldn’t be afraid when a murder case comes out? I’m just old and I trust the authorities to solve the case quickly.”

Qingyu nodded thoughtfully, "Age, trust..."

Although ordinary people are weak and powerless, with experience and trust in the government, they can calmly face many things. So that's how it is.

Mr. Wang chuckled at the sight of the young girl, then shook his head with a kind smile.

"You can't generalize like that. The girl is still young. She'll understand as she meets more people. The world is vast, and everyone has a different personality. I've run an inn for many years and have seen a lot of things, so I'm naturally more composed. Besides, although I'm just a mortal, I have so many employees working for me. If I panicked every time something happened, how could the employees and guests trust me?"

Qingyu then asked, "So, if you become someone who manages others, you have to be a trustworthy person."

Government officials, who govern the common people, must earn the people's trust; similarly, innkeepers, who manage their innkeepers, must earn the innkeepers' trust.

If she truly becomes the Demon Lord of Qishan in the future, she must also become a great demon whom all the demons of Qishan can respect.

"How can one become a trustworthy person?" Qingyu pondered, and asked Boss Wang.

In an ordinary inn in Jizhou City, Mr. Wang, who was always buried in accounting and had to look up to greet customers, seemed to be stumped by this problem.

He frowned and thought for a moment, then casually said, "Just like how the yamen does its job of solving cases, I do my job of accounting, and the employees do their daily work—if we do what we're supposed to do, then we can be considered trustworthy people, right?"

Qingyu received instruction.

Mr. Wang chuckled. Although he didn't know why the girl in front of him was thinking about these things, she was still a child. She could learn whatever she thought of—at fifteen or sixteen, she was still learning everything.

"By the way, young lady, why are you up so early today?"

Boss Wang noticed that only Qingyu had come down; the young men who had accompanied her were probably still asleep.

“Oh,” Qingyu responded, then added naturally, “Someone challenged me to a fight, so I got up early to stretch my muscles.”

"ah?"

Mr. Wang was taken aback; this answer was indeed something he hadn't expected.

Qingyu smiled unconsciously. The girl raised her eyebrows slightly, her eyes smiling, her tone leisurely.

"I'm a cultivator. Just like a business owner serving customers, it's normal for cultivators to fight."

"So that's how it is; I just didn't understand."

Boss Wang nodded. He really didn't understand cultivation. Perhaps Miss Qingyu was just being a bit too straightforward.

"Are you hungry, young lady? The kitchen usually prepares porridge in the morning. Let me serve you a bowl."

Qingyu's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Boss Wang: "Yes, but... those two died in the backyard yesterday, which is actually quite close to the kitchen. I don't know if you cultivators avoid these things."

Qingyu shook her head. "How could that be? Life and death are preordained by Heaven. How can we create all sorts of strange taboos because of these?"

As she spoke, Qingyu looked around, and the girl whispered, "Boss, I heard that you were the one who saw the bodies yesterday. Do you know how those two people died?"

Mr. Wang was speechless for a moment; it really was hard to say.

Upon seeing this, Qingyu immediately waved her hand, "I was just asking casually. If it doesn't work, then forget it."

It's likely that the government wouldn't allow such details of a murder case to be revealed directly.

Mr. Wang smiled and went to the kitchen. Before leaving, he paused and said, "It's hard to say, but I was definitely startled at the time."

After saying that, he went to the kitchen, leaving Qingyu alone to think.

Boss Wang meant that the deaths of the tall and second-ranked man were unusual, but Qingyu and the others did not sense any demonic or spiritual energy. Therefore, if it was not the work of a mortal, it must have been committed by a highly skilled cultivator or a powerful demon.

A great demon!

The girl in red was lost in thought when, unbeknownst to her, light and shadow streamed through the window, and the fragrance of flowers wafted through the air.

She hurried upstairs.

Soon she emerged from another room and hurriedly left the inn.

When Boss Wang returned, he saw Zhang Xuan and Lin Fanxiang on the first floor.

"Has Miss Qingyu gone out?" Is it time for a fight?

Zhang Xuan: "Yes, before she left, she said that you had heated up the porridge and she didn't want to let you down, so she specially woke us all up."

In fact, Qingyu was calling for Wen Chuan, and Wen Chuan was calling for Qin Tianshu. Qin Tianshu grabbed Zhang Xuan, who was holding the dozing Cai Cai and whimpering in front of Lin Fanxiang's door, finally managing to wake her up.

Alright, everyone's up, rested, and had their fun. Let them see what's going on in this case.

Cai Cai: "Oh~ Oh~ Cry—Coo coo coo."

Yes, the chicks have woken up too.