Lin Zhenzhen knew that this group of people would not let her leave easily. She also remembered that she had heard these people say privately before that her brother Lin Feng was usually very cautious. Thinking that there might be some secret passages or doors in the house, she began to search the house.

But this time, it was obvious that she was wrong. There was no secret passage inside. The only thing that could be used now was the half-closed window: "You want to lock me up? No way, I'll go through the window!"

Lin Zhenzhen was just about to open the window and slip away when he opened it. An unpleasant face appeared in front of him: "Miss, there will be someone guarding this place for twelve hours until the master returns. You can tell us if you need anything."

Lin Zhenzhen's eyes swirled around, and a light bulb suddenly lit up in her head. She put her hands on her hips and angrily shouted, "...you old men, do you know what I need? Can you satisfy me?"

This person seemed to have anticipated all this. He slightly turned his body, and a well-dressed, capable woman whom he had never met before appeared in front of the window. "Miss Zhenzhen, my name is Hua Ji. Until Master Lin Feng returns, I will take care of your food, clothing, shelter, and transportation."

"You guys, humph!"

On the other side, Lian Xin prepared nervously for a whole night. After packing up early the next morning, she actually forgot to say hello to Qinghe and the others. Seeing that it was almost time, she walked out.

Qinghe had just been pushing Ouyang Ming out to absorb the morning's essence of the sun and moon. Seeing Lian Xin walking out with her head down and a heavy heart, she hurriedly called out, "Lian Xin, where are you going dressed so formally?"

Lian Xin froze in her tracks, turned around nervously, and said with her head down, "No, I'm not going anywhere..."

Qinghe asked with a smile, "Tell me honestly, girl, do you have an appointment with anyone? I heard them say that the light in your room was on last night."

Lian Xin's cheeks flushed slightly. This was the first time she'd formally become friends with someone. After Lian Qiao's passing, she hadn't met anyone she could talk to this well. Therefore, she absolutely couldn't be late today. "I have an appointment. Don't worry, Princess. I'll be back soon."

Ouyang Ming's faint smile actually eased Qinghe's worries. "Alas, a girl can't be kept at home when she grows up. I never thought I'd see the day when our hearts finally connect. Go ahead, and be careful on your way. I have to go thank the gods first."

"Princess..." Lian Xin was about to explain something, but Qing He didn't let her finish and hurriedly urged her, "Come on, aren't you in a hurry to keep the appointment? Go quickly and don't keep me waiting."

When Lian Xin ran to the agreed location, there was still some time before the agreed time, so she bent down, picked up a few small stones and skipped them on the calm river surface.

Time passed, but Lin Zhenzhen still hadn't appeared. Lian Xin was a little worried about her. Just as she was about to take the risk and go to Qinghe County to get some information, she suddenly saw some blood-stained rags floating over on the river. "What is this?"

Lian Xin, curious, found a long branch and picked up the strange rags. After observing them for a moment, she didn't find anything strange. "Where did these rags come from? Why are there traces of blood? Could it be that thing?"

Thinking of this, Lian Xin's face flushed red, and she quickly threw the rag back into the river, pretending that nothing had happened and that she hadn't seen anything. However, the next second, these rags suddenly increased in number, and a number of unidentified objects that looked like human figures suddenly floated on the surface of the river: "......!"

"Master, something big has happened!"

Qinghe was talking to Ouyang Ming about Lian Xin, and was just discussing how she would handle her future marriage when Lian Xin came running back in, yelling in a hurry, "Why are you back so soon? What happened? Slow down, don't fall!"

Without even a moment to breathe, he hurriedly told them everything he had seen by the Ming River. Qinghe and Ouyang Ming's expressions grew increasingly heavy as they heard this. They said it resembled a human figure, but without a closer inspection, no conclusion could be drawn. The residents along the Ming River relied on its water for food, drink, and defecation. If something happened upstream, polluting the river would be a serious matter.

"Why haven't I heard the brothers from the Canal Transport Department mention this matter?"

Lian Xin explained, "Most of them went downstream to gather food and fodder today. Judging by the current, they should have known by now."

Ouyang Ming hurriedly said, "Lianxin, take us there. Qinghe, bring more people. Lin Feng has been out of town for a while, so our movements shouldn't be discovered for a while."

"Lian Xin, quickly give the order and call in some capable men."

...After the Cao Gang members salvaged all the suspicious objects from the river, just as Lian Xin had worried at first, they were not drifting wood, but corpses in miserable shapes.

Lian Xin returned with a large amount of ginger slices and distributed them to everyone. Qing He then asked her to prepare some clean clothes for the brothers to wear. Then, with a serious expression, he asked, "How is the situation?"

The transporter sighed and said, "It looks like there are no more. We've salvaged about ten bodies. Mr. Ouyang said most of them died of poisoning. Master Zhang, it's best not to get close."

These people looked really strange. It was so strange that Qinghe suddenly remembered something: "...Lian Xin, do you remember that haunted incident in Xiaoshan?"

Lian Xin said, "Of course I remember. The ghost in Xiaoshan was originally rumored to be Miss Xihe."

The more Qinghe thought about it, the more strange it seemed to him. According to Xihe and Wang Ruo, the incident in Xiaoshan should have been caused by Yaochen for drug testing. However, Yaochen was now imprisoned in the East Palace by Tianshu Tower and was isolated and helpless. Wang Ruo's secret cave was also cleared out by Xiahou Qing, along with all the people and belongings.

Could there be some hidden secrets about the Xiaoshan incident that even the parties involved are unaware of? "Lian Xin, please contact the people at Liuxiang Tavern later, especially those who took over the disposal of the bodies after the Xiaoshan explosion."

"clear."

Lian Xin was also a man of action. After receiving the task assignment, she was about to take action when Qing He suddenly seemed to remember something and called her back: "By the way, are you meeting that person you agreed to meet today?"

Speaking of this, Lian Xin shook her head helplessly and said, "She has always been very punctual. I don't know what happened today. After she hurried back to report the news, I have been guarding here the whole time, and I haven't seen her come in."

Qinghe Zhan Yan comforted him, "Don't worry, I guess something happened that delayed you. Was this forbidden step also given to you by him?"

"Um."