The shopkeeper was overjoyed. He had never expected this little girl to actually bring a person back to life. If it hadn’t been for her today, he would have been severely injured if not dead. The little girl was like a savior sent by heaven to rescue their restaurant!
Filled with gratitude, he immediately said, “Young lady, thank you so much for today! You are truly our restaurant’s savior!”
Seeing that the Eldest Young Master had not yet arrived, the shopkeeper was about to take it upon himself to have someone fetch five hundred taels of silver for the little girl. However, she spoke up, saying, “Shopkeeper, although the poison has been neutralized, wouldn’t you like to know who planted it?”
As the saying goes, “If you’re going to help someone, help them all the way.” Since she had already gotten involved in this matter, she might as well help him root out the culprit. After all, exposing the poisoner was a matter of minutes for her—an absolute walk in the park.
“If you can expose the culprit and clear our restaurant’s name, young lady, our master will surely reward you handsomely,” the shopkeeper said. He now harbored no doubts whatsoever about her words.
Having witnessed the little girl’s capabilities, if anyone dared to look down on her now, he would be the first to lose his temper with them.
Just then, a waiter rushed inside frantically and announced, “Shopkeeper, Young Master Liu has arrived with a doctor!”
Following the announcement, a refined, elegant gentleman dressed in a moon-white robe stepped into the room, followed closely by a physician.
“Eldest Young Master, you’re finally here! The poisoned guest has already been saved and revived by this young lady. If she hadn’t lent her helping hand this time, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be seeing me alive right now,” the shopkeeper said, his eyes rimmed with red.
Liu Yan was utterly astonished. A little girl this young actually knows how to neutralize poisons? Am I hallucinating? Pointing at the men groaning on the floor, Liu Yan asked, “And who are these people?”
“They came together with the poisoned guest. Not only did they smash up our property, but they also tried to physically harm us. If the young lady hadn’t stepped in to save me, the one lying on the floor right now would be me,” the shopkeeper said, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
“Are you saying this little girl possesses not only extraordinary medical skills, but also formidable martial arts? And that she single-handedly resolved this entire crisis for our restaurant?” Liu Yan was deeply surprised. What on earth was this little girl’s background? To be this accomplished at such a tender age was truly remarkable.
“Yes, Eldest Young Master. Just now, the young lady even said she would help us find the true culprit,” the shopkeeper nodded.
“Little girl, you can help us find the true culprit, is that right?” Liu Yan gazed at Shen Danyun with an inquiring look in his attractive, almond-shaped eyes, though his tone remained exceptionally gentle.
“Mmhmm,” Shen Danyun nodded. Taking a few strides on her short little legs, she walked over to one of the men sprawling on the floor. Seeing her approach, the man began crawling toward the door in sheer terror.
Shen Danyun squatted halfway down in front of him, looking directly at him. “Are you going to hand it over yourself, or should I help you?”
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The man’s eyes darted around, yet he still stubbornly refused to admit anything.
Shen Danyun reached out her small hand, grabbed his collar, and yanked it forcefully. A small cloth pouch instantly tumbled out.
The man’s face drained of color at the sight of the pouch. He lunged forward to snatch it back, but Shen Danyun beat him to it.
Dangling the pouch by its strings, Shen Danyun swung it back and forth and asked, “What’s inside this pouch that made you so eager to snatch it back?”
With flickering eyes, the man stammered, “Nothing! It’s just something my wife embroidered with her own hands. Give it back to me quickly!”
Shen Danyun opened the cloth pouch, retrieved a small vial from inside, uncorked it, and took a brief sniff. Then she said, “The poison that man took is inside this vial. How incredibly foolish—carrying the evidence right on your person, just waiting for someone to search you.”
The man felt both angry and helpless. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have thrown the vial away amidst the chaos! I was just about to do it when I got beaten to the ground. How do you have the nerve to ask? This is all thanks to you!
“Speak up. Who instructed you to poison someone and frame Zuixian Restaurant?” Shen Danyun asked coldly.
“I didn’t poison anyone! Don’t you dare think you can force a false confession out of me, you witch!” the man barked, though his heart was pounding with anxiety. If his master found out the plot had been exposed, would he be silenced forever?
Who could have anticipated that such a foolproof, deadly plot would be completely ruined by a wet-behind-the-ears brat?
Just then, a chaotic clatter of footsteps echoed from the stairwell. A squad of government officers rushed up and surrounded the private booth. Several officers marched inside and barked, “We heard that Zuixian Restaurant has poisoned someone to death. Since we happened to be patrolling nearby, we cannot ignore this. Men, arrest everyone from Zuixian Restaurant and take them back to the yamen to await trial!”
The men lying on the floor were overjoyed. They immediately began shouting, “Help, Officers! Not only did Zuixian Restaurant poison someone, but they are also trying to murder us to silence the witnesses! Please save us, Officers!”
“Officers, the poisoned victim has already been saved, and the person who planted the poison is right here. This is a classic case of a thief crying thief. Wouldn’t you like to hear the full story, Officers? That way, you won’t fall for the villains’ ruse, arrest the wrong people, and allow the true culprit to go scot-free,” Liu Yan stepped forward and saluted.
“Where is the poisoned person? Who neutralized the poison?” A menacing glint flashed through the lead officer’s eyes for a split second as he demanded harshly.
“You seem rather upset that the poisoned victim has been cured, Officer. May I ask why that is?” Liu Yan asked with absolute composure, a playful smirk dancing across his face.
“You…” Bristling with hostility, the officer was about to step forward when his companion pulled him back. The companion said, “Young Master Liu misinterprets us. We are merely handling the case in accordance with the law and are not targeting anyone. Once it is proven that the poisoning was not the restaurant’s doing, we will certainly clear your name.”
“Very well. Officers, look over there—that is the poisoned victim. Our restaurant has already found someone to neutralize his poison. Right now, we are about to uncover the perpetrator and the mastermind behind the scenes. It is perfect that you are here to witness this firsthand and clear our restaurant of these false accusations,” Liu Yan said.
“Where is the perpetrator?” the officer asked.
“Right here. We just discovered a vial on his person containing the exact poison the victim took. You can have Physician Lin verify it immediately, Officer,” Liu Yan said, pointing at the poisoner, showing no doubt whatsoever in Shen Danyun’s words.
Physician Lin stepped forward, accepted the vial, uncorked it, and took a sniff. He then nodded and said, “I have just examined the black blood vomited by the victim. It is indeed the exact poison contained in this vial.”
“Speak! Who ordered you to poison someone and frame Zuixian Restaurant?!” Liu Yan bellowed at the man.
“I’ve been wronged! I didn’t plant any poison, that vial isn’t mine…” The man opened his mouth to quibble further, but Shen Danyun seized the opportunity to flick a pill straight into his mouth.
The pill melted instantly upon contact, sliding smoothly down his throat. Sensing that something was terribly wrong, the man tried desperately to cough the pill out, but his efforts were entirely futile.
“Who are you?” Shen Danyun asked, her large eyes blinking innocently.
“I am Zhang San,” the man replied listlessly as the drug took effect.
“Who ordered you to poison someone and frame Zuixian Restaurant?” Shen Danyun asked again.
“It was Master Qian, the charitable master and owner of Juxian Restaurant, who instructed us. Zuixian Restaurant’s business was too good, stealing more than half of Juxian Restaurant’s customers. Master Qian couldn’t tolerate it, so he had us plant the poison,” the man continued mechanically.
“Weren’t you afraid of killing the man and taking a life?” Shen Danyun asked, a trace of anger in her voice.
“For someone who has signed a contract of indenture, the master can beat or kill them as he pleases. That is just his fate,” the man finished delivering his confession, his head lolling to the side as he lapsed into a brief unconsciousness.
Shen Danyun clenched her fists tightly. Although a pitiable person often had detestable qualities, the fate of the poisoned victim made her realize one thing deeply: in this world, if you do not possess the power to protect yourself, you will be left entirely at the mercy of others.
There was no fairness to speak of here; those in power held the absolute right over life and death, and a single whim of theirs could end a person’s existence.
This realization kindled a fierce determination within her—she needed to cultivate and establish her own faction. She had never been someone who would willingly allow herself to be slaughtered, and she would certainly never hand her life or the lives of her loved ones over to those in power.