Chapter 68 is full of cunning and scheming.
As soon as Lu Yinzhou said this, Xie Ji was immediately in an uproar.
He jumped up from the stone bench, his voice booming: "Hey, hey, hey! Master Lu, please don't!"
We went to great lengths to lure you here, and now that you've had your lightness skill contest, your regrets are over.
How could you suddenly turn your back on me?
Oh dear, you didn't see how miserable Yu Hu Chun was back then.
Mr. Xu and Butler Chen were smashed...
And those few seriously injured ones, one of them was only in his early twenties, and he'll never be able to stand up again!
If they can't find the murderer, won't they die with their eyes wide open in disbelief?
He gestured wildly as he recounted the horrific events of that day, nearly knocking over a wine jar in his excitement, before quickly regaining his balance.
Lu Yinzhou held his wine glass, his fingertips lightly tracing circles on the rim, without even lifting his eyelids: "To die with one's eyes open is the government's business, the villain's business."
"If the authorities can't find the person, it only means they're not capable enough. What does it have to do with me?"
He tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass, then held the glass up to examine it in the moonlight.
"I've been in the underworld for so many years, and I never get involved in government cases. This is a rule that cannot be broken."
Xie Ji wanted to argue with him further, saying that one shouldn't act like that, rules are rigid, but people are flexible, and one shouldn't let themselves be held back by their own bladder.
But suddenly someone tugged at my arm.
He turned around and saw Pei Zhiwei sitting behind him, gently shaking her head.
"Young Master Xie, don't be in a hurry." She softened her voice.
"Grandpa Lu is right, this is actually the same principle as the rules of the Thieves' Guild."
If you can't steal what you want, you can only blame your own lack of skill. Are you suggesting the owner hid the treasure too well?
These words not only stunned Xie Ji, but also made Lu Yinzhou raise an eyebrow.
He put down his wine glass, his gaze falling on Pei Zhiwei, a hint of inquiry in his eyes: "Oh? This little girl knows about this?"
"Ever since I learned that Grandpa Lu and my maternal grandfather were old friends, I've been pestering my mother to tell me about Grandpa Lu." Pei Zhiwei poured Xie Ji a glass of wine, pushed it in front of him, and gestured for him to drink first and not rush.
Xie Ji couldn't figure out what she was up to. Looking at her, he sat down stiffly, picked up the wine, and sipped it slowly.
“My mother said that Grandpa Lu entered the palace three times and always managed to escape unscathed, relying on the rule of ‘if you have the ability, take it; if you don’t, accept it.’”
"Of course, Grandpa Lu has the 'ability' to enter the palace three times, but what prompted you to enter the palace was the chivalry of the Jianghu people."
After listening for a while, Xie Ji felt that Pei Zhiwei was just using fancy flattery.
He mumbled indistinctly, his lips resting on the rim of the cup: "But this is a case investigation! Why are you rambling on and on?"
"You didn't win the competition and get so excited that you've neglected the investigation, did you?"
Pei Zhiwei ignored him and turned to Lu Yinzhou, a sly smile in her eyes.
"Grandpa Lu, I know you don't want to deal with the government."
You are the grandmaster of the Thieves' Sect. Over the years, apart from that old portrait in the palace, few people in the martial arts world have seen your true face.
If you become a key witness and identify the murderer in court, the entire city of Yangzhou will be watching you from now on.
There might even be people wanting to learn your skills or cause you trouble. How could you possibly have a peaceful day then?
As she spoke, she deliberately shuddered, as if she had really imagined the scene: "Just thinking about it terrifies me."
"You're followed everywhere you go. Even buying a bowl of wontons means being surrounded and bombarded with questions. It's so uncomfortable!"
"Hahahaha!" Lu Yinzhou suddenly burst into laughter, which startled the birds that had just returned to rest and scattered them away again.
"You little rascal, you really are just like Brother Yan!"
Not only is he good at light footwork, but he's also quick-witted, much more to my liking than your two stubborn parents!
He pointed at Yan Jinghong, "Back then, your mother said all sorts of heartless things to keep me out of the Yan family's business."
When pushed to the limit, they even tried to cut me with a knife.
"And your father, not to mention, is completely focused on investigating the case. Asking him to practice a few martial arts moves is a waste of time; he'd rather spend more time reading case files."
Yan Jinghong felt a pang of sadness as she recalled the scene. She picked up her wine glass and said solemnly, "Uncle Lu, I was young and naive back then, and my family went through a major upheaval. My words and actions hurt you."
My niece is here to apologize to you.
Lu Yinzhou snorted at her, "Stop imitating your bookish husband and using all those outdated tricks."
How could I not know that everything you did back then was for the sake of my life, Uncle Lu?
Why would I take it to heart?
Xie Ji sat to the side, watching them chat enthusiastically, but not a single word was related to the case, which made him anxious and scratch his head.
He secretly winked at Xiao Yunzhan, mouthing, "Really not going to investigate?"
Xiao Yunzhan slowly took a sip of wine.
He couldn't guess what Pei Zhiwei was going to do next, but he wasn't flustered at all.
Based on his understanding of Pei Zhiwei, the Yu Hu Chun case involved two lives and so many injured people; she would never let go of any clue that could lead to the real culprit.
She must have had ulterior motives when she said those things.
Sure enough, Pei Zhiwei changed the subject, leaned forward, and lowered her voice: "Grandpa Lu, we don't need you to identify the murderer in court."
I just wanted to ask you about a question.
If you think you can offer some advice, please give me a few pointers.
If you feel it's something you shouldn't talk about, let's just pretend we never mentioned it and continue drinking and chatting, how about that?"
Looking into her bright eyes, Lu Yinzhou suddenly laughed and tapped the stone table. "Just like Brother Yan, you're full of cunning schemes."
"Alright, tell me. Whether I answer or not depends entirely on my mood."
Pei Zhiwei was secretly delighted; as long as he was willing to listen, there was hope.
"When we were in Suzhou, we encountered a case."
Shen Chengzhang, the manager of Suhetang, the largest pharmacy in Suzhou, was poisoned to death.
It was later discovered that it was his stepson, Shen Yizhi, who was responsible.
Someone wanted to take over Suhetang, so they instigated Shen Yizhi to add Hanshisan (a traditional Chinese medicine) to the medicinal wine.
He intended to indiscriminately poison the pharmacy and ruin its reputation, but unexpectedly, Shen Chengzhang drank the wine himself and eventually died from the poison.
Regarding the Yuhuchun case, we suspect that someone wanted to take over the restaurant, so they deliberately collapsed the decorations and committed indiscriminate killings to disrupt the situation.
Could you please guide us? Is it the right direction to investigate in this way?
Lu Yinzhou replied with certainty, "That's not right!"
Pei Zhiwei stared intently at Lu Yinzhou's expression. Seeing his confident reply, she rested her knuckles on her chin, pondering as she spoke:
"Grandpa Lu's certainty that this was not indiscriminate killing means that you are very sure that this was a murder targeting the two victims."
Why are you so sure? It can only be because you know the perpetrator.
And you know he has connections with Master Xu and Butler Chen, and that he has a reason to kill?
As she spoke, she didn't miss any of Lu Yinzhou's subtle expressions. Seeing that he didn't show any obvious change, she continued to make bold guesses.
"If it's about murder, then the murderer must be someone close to Master Xu or Steward Chen."
After all, only those close to them know when they will visit Yuhuchun, and where they will be standing when the decorated scaffolding collapses.
Lu Yinzhou paused, his hand holding the wine glass, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
He turned to look at Pei Lin, then at Pei Zhiwei, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
Pei Lin sat to the side, and when he saw Lu Yinzhou looking over, his pride was not concealed at all.
Pei Zhiwei knew from Lu Yinzhou's expression that she had definitely guessed correctly.
Just as she was about to ask further, she saw Lu Yinzhou pick up the wine pot, pour himself a cup of wine, and then fill Pei Zhiwei's cup as well. "Little girl, would you like to learn the skills of the Thieves' Sect from this old man?"
Pei Zhiwei's eyes lit up instantly. The skills of the Thieves' Guild, especially lock picking and solving puzzles in locked rooms, are so useful when investigating cases!
But the light didn't last long and slowly dimmed again.
Seeing her expression change, Lu Yinzhou raised an eyebrow and asked, "What? You don't want to?"
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to learn skills.” Pei Zhiwei shook her head, her tone tinged with regret.
"I just prefer investigating cases and don't want to join the thieves' gang."
If you join the thief's gang, will you end up like Grandpa Lu, unable to deal with the government?
But how can an investigation not involve dealing with the government?
"Who told you to join the thieves' gang?" Lu Yinzhou laughed and tapped her forehead.
"I'm just teaching you skills, not making you join the thief's gang."
If you want to learn how to pick locks, I'll teach you.
If you want to learn how to solve puzzles, I'll teach you.
These skills will be useful when investigating cases later. What does it have to do with whether you're a member of the thieves' guild?
Pei Zhiwei's eyes lit up again, and her tone became much lighter: "Really? Then I'll definitely study hard!"
Last time I rescued those girls in the secret passage, I spent ages cutting through the chains, wasting so much time. If I knew how to pick locks, I could have rescued them much sooner.
"You're such a good girl." Lu Yinzhou liked her more and more as he looked at her, but Yan Jinghong interrupted him just as he was about to say something more.
"Uncle Lu, you can't teach her like that."
Yan Jinghong stretched out her arm and blocked Pei Zhiwei's way. "If you teach her skills, she'll have to call you master, right?"
But you are my father's friend, and according to seniority, she should call you 'Grandpa Lu'.
If someone becomes an apprentice, won't the family hierarchy get messed up?
Lu Yinzhou rolled his eyes at her and waved his hand dismissively: "I've lived this long, why would I care about such trivial things as seniority?"
As long as my grandniece is willing to study hard, that's better than anything else.
Besides, I'm teaching her skills, not making her become my apprentice. She can still call me "Grandpa Lu" as usual; it won't cause any problems.
Pei Zhiwei quickly nodded: "Yes! It won't delay anything! I will definitely study hard and never let Grandpa Lu down!"
Lu Yinzhou couldn't help but laugh when he saw her like this.
He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and then slowly said, "Alright, I like your quick wit."
"Although I can tell you who the culprit is, there's one condition: you can't let anyone know it was me who told you."
“No problem!” Pei Zhiwei immediately agreed, feeling relieved.
"As long as you can tell us who the murderer is, I guarantee I will find concrete evidence besides yours and bring him to justice."
Lu Yinzhou put down his wine glass, dipped his fingertip in the wine, and wrote a name on the table—Xu Ren.
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