Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Speak, how many more of you are there in this inn?” Lonemoon questioned directly.
“No… No more!” The waiter replied while shivering. “There are only three of us in total here, I was forced by the two of them too!”
Lonemoon naturally did not believe that and was about to question further when they suddenly heard a scream. It sounded like a lady’s voice. Lonemoon glanced at Chef. “It’s coming from downstairs!” He was about to head down, when he instructed, “Bring Shen Ying along.”
With that said, he went downstairs with the waiter in tow. The door to a room downstairs was wide open, there was a girl seated on the ground, facing towards the interior of the room with a terrified expression. Seeing him walk over, she screamed again and crawled backwards while shrinking away. “Don’t… don’t kill me!”
Lonemoon ignored her and directly walked into the room for a look. He then realized that the bed was covered in blood. An elderly person laid on it, no longer breathing with slash wounds all over her body. There was even a bundle that had been ransacked scattered open on the floor.
He instantly understood what those two people with the swords had been doing downstairs. Lifting his hand, he threw the waiter over. “You lot did this!”
“No… it’s them! They killed her… I only drugged her, it has nothing to do with me!” The waiter hurriedly argued. Lonemoon was too lazy to listen on and knocked him out before looking towards the young girl on the ground.
She seemed to be frightened out of her wits, her gaze towards Lonemoon became increasingly guarded and terrified. Until Chef walked in with Shen Ying, did she seem to come back to her senses. Perhaps because they had the same gender, she crawled towards Shen Ying and held onto the corner of her sleeve tightly, her expression looking like she was still badly shaken.
“Eh?” Shen Ying faltered for a moment.
“What’s the matter?” Yi Qing asked.
“Someone was killed.” Lonemoon replied, glancing at the girl on the ground. “She probably knows the person in the room, let’s go out to talk!”
Yi Qing nodded, evidently also smelling the thick stench of blood in the room. Looking at the girl who was still holding on to Shen Ying tightly, he explained, “We’re also guests staying in the inn, we won’t hurt you.”
The girl was dazed for a moment, before she regained some sense and followed them out, still pale with fear.
The few of them sat down on the chairs in the yard, the girl grabbed the teacup before her tightly, finally recovered but her hands continued to tremble. After a moment, she glanced at them with gratefulness. “Thank you… for saving me!” She’d also understood that they weren’t evil people and she’d escaped harm.
“No worries, it’s a small matter.” Lonemoon frowned, he’d originally found it interesting but his mood was a little heavy now that someone had been killed. “You also a guest staying in this inn.”
“Yes…” She nodded, sipping a mouthful of tea that was almost completely spilled from her trembling before explaining, “I was from Southern City and came with Grandmother Wang from the same village to find my family. I only found out after coming here that my family had already moved away, we were intending to spend a night here before setting off on our return journey. I didn’t expect that in just one night, Grandmother Wang…” Tears started to fall as she spoke.
Lonemoon’s expression darkened, he’d never thought that this inn was devoted to cheating foreigners.
“Th… Those few culprits…” The girl seemed to be suddenly reminded of something as she shivered again.
“Don’t worry.” Lonemoon replied. “They won’t wake up before dawn. That waiter said it was only three of them in this inn, they shouldn’t have any other accomplice.”
She then heaved a sigh of relief, turning to glance in the direction of the room, she immediately turned back in fright, asking with some hesitation. “This is a murder, are you all planning to notify the local government?”
“Notify the government?” Lonemoon faltered before remembering that they had to inform the authorities when such things happened in the mortal realm. “You are right, we do have to. Only we’re not too familiar with this place, I don’t know where to report it.”
“Of course you have to report it to the City Lord’s Abode.” The girl glanced at him with slight astonishment, as if surprised that he did not know something this simple. She stood up and pointed in the direction of the East, saying, “The City Lord’s Abode is in the Eastern region, there’s still time before the curfew, we ought to go quickly,
Lonemoon thought for a moment before standing up and saying, “I’ll go alone.” Then turned back to look at Chef, instructing, “Keep an eye on Shen Ying.”
“Mm.” Chef nodded.
He then turned and walked out.
Whereas that girl was taken aback for a moment and glanced at the three of them back and forth. Shouldn’t he be keeping an eye on those unconscious culprits? Why was he keeping an eye on this lady?
***
Father Niu left for more than four hours, Shen Ying got hungry as she waited. Chef was bored of idling around and went into the kitchen to make supper.
All at once, it was only Shen Ying and the girl who survived. It was instantly quieter in the yard, only left with the sound of a certain person crunching on fruits and occasional clatters of cooking utensils in the kitchen.
“Want one?” Shen Ying handed a fruit out.
The girl faltered and hesitated for a moment before taking it. “Thank you.” Perhaps because of the fright from earlier, there was still a trace of terror in her eyes as she asked carefully, “May I know how to address you?”
“Shen Ying.”
“So it’s Miss Shen, my name is Fang Fang.”
“Mm.”
“May I ask what you and your companions are in Wu Ling City for?”
“I don’t know.”
“Huh?” Fang Fang was stunned, what was I don’t know? She paused for a moment, but was nonchalant about it and continued to make some casual conversation. Seeing that Shen Ying was focused on eating her fruit, she felt too awkward to ask anything else. Things turned cold at once. She instantly felt restless and said after some thought. “It is cold tonight, why don’t… I go brew a pot of tea.”
“Sure,” Shen Ying answered while nodding.
She then stood up and walked towards the front yard.
Shen Ying was the only person left in the big yard, Chef wasn’t done with the supper and she was slightly bored from waiting. On top of that, this city was built beside a river and connected to the sea, the other side of this yard was a riverside view, and a breeze would blow occasionally, faintly bringing a sharp whisper, as if someone was singing softly.
Shen Ying was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked back, a figure had dubiously appeared on the rocks by the river. It was a man with dark green hair, his features were beautiful, wearing nothing on the top, but his bottom half was a huge fish’s tail. He was seated on a rock beside the river, singing in a low voice while throwing charming smiles at her.
Shen Ying only took a glance, then turned back and continued to nibble on her fruit.
The man faltered for a moment, as if surprised by her reaction. Following that, he opened his mouth and sang even louder than before, his voice touched one’s heart and made one lose their reason like an enchanting song.
Shen Ying fell into a momentary daze and turned back to dart a look at him before continuing to eat her fruit.
