“Where did you go?” Murong Wanyin’s tone was calm, revealing nothing, as if she were merely asking in passing. However, it was already close to early morning, and she had waited through the entire night.
Ye Wudu truly hadn’t expected that she still hadn’t slept.
“I went to kill someone.” He had been gone all night, and there was no good excuse. Besides, there were still faint bloodstains on him, so he simply admitted part of the truth.
Murong Wanyin noticed the blood on him and asked, “Are you hurt?” Although she was curious about who he had killed, her concern leaned more toward his condition.
Ye Wudu walked to the bedside and sat down, letting out a soft laugh. “Naturally, it was that toad who dared covet my wife.”
A trace of surprise appeared on Murong Wanyin’s face. “You killed Liu Long?”
Ye Wudu nodded.
Hearing this, joy flickered deep within her, though her expression remained as cold as ever. “Didn’t you say before that you would avoid taking action as much as possible to prevent exposure? The Liu family has some influence in North Desolation City.”
Ye Wudu took her hand. It was soft as if boneless, yet chillingly cold. “I was too cautious before. From now on, I won’t let my wife suffer even the slightest grievance. If we’re exposed, then we’ll die together. What is there to fear?”
His gaze was steady, filled with sincerity and unwavering resolve.
“Mm.” Murong Wanyin nodded lightly. “If we’re exposed, I’ll die with you.”
[Ding! Murong Wanyin’s favorability increased by 2 points. Current favorability: 25.]
For the past nine years, Murong Wanyin had lived in suffocating restraint. She could not reveal anything, and whenever something happened, she could only endure it.
The only time she had acted was when Liu Long had sent people to harm the original host. After discovering it, she had quietly eliminated those men.
At all other times, she had remained obedient, strictly following the rules set by the original host.
But in truth, she detested it. Living in such oppression… she would rather have died.
Now, however, Ye Wudu had changed his way of thinking. He no longer hesitated or weighed every possibility, instead placing her feelings first. That alone satisfied her deeply.
Ye Wudu, meanwhile, was quite pleased as well. After roaming all night, he returned, soothed her a little, and even gained 2 favorability points.
Suddenly, he remembered something… he had forgotten to give Zhou Yuanyuan any silver tael.
The feeling of getting something for free… was really not bad.
“Why do you smell fragrant?” Murong Wanyin sniffed lightly and suddenly asked.
Ye Wudu’s heart sank. He should have bathed the moment he returned. That scent must have come from Zhou Yuanyuan’s sachet. His experience in such matters was still lacking… to think he would leave behind such an obvious flaw.
His mind spun rapidly. “It must be that effeminate Liu Long. Though a man, he liked carrying a sachet. When I killed him, I must have picked up some of the scent. I’ll go wash.”
Without giving Murong Wanyin any time to respond, he immediately stood up and left the main room, heading toward the bath on the second floor.
Murong Wanyin remained half-convinced. Thinking back carefully, she recalled that when Liu Long had come to buy nougat before, she had never smelled any fragrance on him.
Something was wrong.
He lied.
At once, Zhang Douhua’s words surfaced in her mind… men are all base creatures. Even if they have a heavenly beauty at home, they will still go out to sleep with some stray.
If not Gu Shuang’er, then who else could it be?
By the time Ye Wudu finished bathing and returned, Murong Wanyin was already lying down.
He let out a quiet breath of relief, thinking he had managed to hide it.
He lay down gently beside her, careful not to disturb her sleep. After a night of exhaustion, with all his energy spent, his mind emptied, and he quickly fell into deep sleep.
Murong Wanyin, however, became even more certain of her judgment. This dog hasn’t held me for two nights… there must be someone outside.
She slept for only about 2 hours before getting up and went out to set up her stall as usual.
Ye Wudu was still fast asleep, and she did not disturb him.
Arriving at Locust Tree Street, she took the initiative to greet Zhang Douhua. “Aunt Zhang, good morning. Please watch my stall for a moment, I have something to do.”
Zhang Douhua naturally agreed, inwardly surprised. It was rare for this girl to greet her first.
“Have you heard? Young Master Liu was killed last night!”
“What? You mean Liu Long, the eldest son of the Liu family?”
“Of course! Who else? He went to the Drunken Flower Pavilion last night and was murdered on his way back.”
“I heard he even had two cultivator retainers with him. The killer must also be a cultivator.”
“In our small North Desolation City, it’s been a long time since something this big happened… what a pity, the number one talent of the North Desolation.”
“…”
Murong Wanyin didn’t even need to ask. Nearly everyone was discussing it.
After all, Liu Long was a well-known figure in North Desolation City. His sudden death was naturally major news.
She quickly arrived at the place where Liu Long had died. A crowd had already gathered, making it easy to find.
Members of the Liu family were inspecting the body and reporting to Patriarch Liu Yu.
“Master, the killer’s cultivation is unknown, but must be above the 2nd stage Qi Refining Realm. The two retainers had almost no chance to resist.”
“The killer crushed the young master’s manhood and severed both his legs. He died from excessive blood loss. Such methods suggest deep hatred.”
“Most likely a revenge killing. We must first investigate whether the young master recently made enemies.”
“…”
Upon hearing this, veins bulged on Liu Yu’s forehead, his anger surging to his head.
He could imagine how much pain his son had suffered before death.
He would tear the killer into countless pieces.
Murong Wanyin had excellent hearing. Even though the report was spoken softly, she heard everything clearly.
A faint smile curved at the corner of her lips. Such ruthless methods… it seems he truly cares about me.
She felt no sympathy for Liu Long. Instead, she was very satisfied with Ye Wudu’s actions.
Without lingering, she headed straight for the Drunken Flower Pavilion.
The scent on him… came from the Drunken Flower Pavilion.
Last night, he went to the brothel, yet he hid it from her.
That meant something must have happened.
When Murong Wanyin arrived at the Drunken Flower Pavilion, members of the Liu family had already arrived and were conducting inquiries.
The pavilion naturally did not operate during the day; this was when the women slept.
But with Young Master Liu dead, they had no choice but to cooperate.
Even so, the Liu family behaved with restraint. They did not smash anything, nor did they kill anyone. They merely questioned them normally.
Murong Wanyin sensed that the background of the Drunken Flower Pavilion was not simple. Otherwise, the Liu family would not act this way.
She hid in the shadows, quietly listening to every conversation.
Soon, a conversation within one of the chambers caught her attention.
“Miss, something terrible has happened. Young Master Liu is dead!” A maid hurried into Zhou Yuanyuan’s room, her voice kept very low.
Zhou Yuanyuan was still asleep. After being thoroughly exhausted by Ye Wudu the previous night, she opened her eyes groggily.
When her muddled mind finally processed the maid’s words, she froze for a moment.
After a pause, she asked, “He didn’t die here in the Drunken Flower Pavilion, right?”
The maid replied, “No, but…”
Zhou Yuanyuan frowned impatiently. “But what? Just say it.”
The maid stammered, “I… I took 10 silver tael from Young Master Ye Yuan. He asked me to keep an eye on Young Master Liu, and if he left, I was to knock on your door…”
Zhou Yuanyuan thought back and indeed remembered someone knocking on the door last night, after which Ye Yuan had left immediately.
At the time, she thought he simply didn’t want to stay the night. She had been too exhausted to think much of it.
Then… did that mean the killer was…
Her face turned pale. Wouldn’t that mean they were now connected to the murderer of Young Master Liu?
Hidden in the shadows, Murong Wanyin thought to herself… at least he knew to use a fake name, not entirely foolish. But his handling was still somewhat rough.
She had already recognized the scent on Ye Wudu. She could be certain that he had spent the night with this Courtesan Queen.
Just as Zhou Yuanyuan and the maid trembled in fear, unsure of what to do…
A graceful figure in white suddenly slipped through the window without a sound.
Zhou Yuanyuan looked at the newcomer, her face filled with shock and confusion. Then a flicker of recognition appeared.
This… isn’t that nougat beauty?
What was she doing here in the Drunken Flower Pavilion…