Reborn as Lin Pingzhi, starting from escorting Daiyu to the capital.

"I have never been particular about pomp and circumstance. On the day I came to Yangzhou, apart from the steward, Daiyu and her two maids who accompanied her, there was no one else."

Seeing Lin Pingzhi deep in thought, Lin Ruhai comforted him, saying:

"Nephew, don't put too much pressure on yourself. These things can't be rushed. Take it slow."

Lin Pingzhi outwardly agreed, but inwardly he was constantly reviewing the results of the investigation over the past few days.

"Based on the results of the investigation over the past few days, the housekeeper, Xueyan, and others have not shown any signs of 'acclimatization problems,' meaning there are no signs of poisoning."

"So it seems the murderer was only targeting Lin Ruhai and Lin Daiyu."

"No, Lin Daiyu lived a secluded life in her boudoir and had no conflict of interest with these people."

"The murderer's target should be Lin Ruhai; Lin Daiyu was just implicated by chance."

"Therefore, we only need to start by investigating the shared eating habits of the two people."

"Kitchen and well water can be ruled out."

What dietary habits did Lin Ruhai and Lin Daiyu share?

At this time.

The maidservant brought tea.

Lin Ruhai advised, "Nephew, don't overwork yourself. Have some tea first."

Lin Pingzhi picked up the teacup, the aroma of tea wafting towards him. A thought struck him, and he asked:

"Uncle, do you and Lin Daiyu usually enjoy drinking tea?"

Lin Ruhai said, "Yes, Daiyu and I both have the habit of drinking tea after meals."

Lin Pingzhi asked, "I wonder what kind of tea Uncle usually drinks?"

Lin Ruhai laughed and said, "I'm not particular about tea, but when I left the capital last time, my brother-in-law Jia She gave me a few catties of Biluochun tea. I thought it was quite good, so I've been drinking it recently."

Biluochun tea? Or was it a gift from Jia She?

Lin Pingzhi's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Uncle, could you send me some of these Biluochun teas?"

Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "Nephew, if you want it, you can come and get it anytime. You've been under a lot of pressure lately, so drinking tea is a good way to relax."

Lin Pingzhi took the tea that Lin Ruhai had given him and examined it carefully. Apart from the more exquisite packaging, there was nothing unusual about it.

He ordered his men to catch a few rats, brew some tea, and mix the tea into their food before feeding it to the rats.

"Brother Rat, Brother Rat, being able to drink top-quality Biluochun tea, your life has been worthwhile."

Lin Pingzhi deliberately increased the dosage of the medicine and fed it to the rats several times in a row.

At first, the mouse was lively and energetic.

Two days later, he gradually became listless and his appetite worsened.

"There's definitely something wrong with this tea."

-----------------

"The tea is poisonous!"

After hearing Lin Pingzhi's account, Lin Ruhai was utterly astonished.

This tea was a gift from Jia She. Could it be that Jia She wanted to harm him? Upon closer inspection, it seemed unlikely.

Lin Pingzhi slowly said:

"It is currently unclear whether the tea leaves are the same as before, or whether they were replaced later."

"However, the person who poisoned you must be extremely familiar with your lifestyle."

Considering Bei Haishi's words, the tea leaves are likely to have been replaced.

He couldn't figure out what motive Jia She would have to harm Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai sighed, "Pingzhi, it's fortunate you discovered it, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Lin Ruhai breathed a long sigh of relief.

Now that the source of the poison was known, he and Daiyu were temporarily out of danger.

After that, Lin Ruhai and Lin Daiyu continued to drink tea every day, but the tea leaves were changed to those brought from Fujian by Lin Pingzhi.

-----------------

The next day.

Lin Pingzhi was having breakfast at the Lin residence when Guo Yanzhi rushed over and said:

"Young Master Escort, something's up. A tall, thin middle-aged man just entered He Garden looking flustered."

Since joining the Fuwei Escort Agency, Guo Yanzhi has often received guidance from Lin Pingzhi, which has greatly improved his martial arts skills and made him much more composed.

Lin Pingzhi's eyes lit up: Could there be a clue?

Immediately, he followed Guo Yanzhi to He Garden.

Upon arriving near the entrance of He Garden, Bai Er whispered:

"Young Master Escort, that man just went in..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bei Haishi walked out with a tall, thin man.

The two looked anxious, so something important must have happened.

Two servants from Heyuan led over two horses, and the two mounted them and galloped off toward the distant street.

Lin Pingzhi knew something big was about to happen, and without hesitation, he said:

"Yanzhi, tell Chief Escort Cui and the others to make sure Lord Lin is well protected. Bai Er, you continue to keep an eye on He Garden. I'll be right back."

Having said that, he mounted his horse and chased after Bei Haishi and the other man.

Bei Haishi and his companion went straight out of the city gate and headed south.

Lin Pingzhi followed behind, and because he was riding a horse, he did not encounter too much hindrance.

Fearing being discovered by the two, he could only follow from a distance.

Fortunately, Bei Haishi and his companion were in a hurry to get on their way and kept flattering the horse, so they didn't notice what was behind them.

About half an hour later, as they got further and further away from Yangzhou, Lin Pingzhi became increasingly surprised:

"The most important thing for the Chang Le Gang right now is dealing with Lin Ruhai's investigation. Is there anything more important than that?"

In the distance, many boats were moored. The skinny man was talking to the boatman, and then he and Bei Haishi boarded a small boat.

Bei Haishi had seen his own face. Lin Pingzhi was afraid of being discovered, so he quickly took out his disguise tools from his pocket (he had always carried these tools with him since he learned how to disguise himself) and began to put on makeup.

Fifteen minutes later, he transformed into the appearance of a young boy.

Compared to before, his complexion is now rounder and darker, making him look honest and kind.

He straightened his clothes slightly and strode towards the ferry.

When the boatmen saw the guests arrive, they all crowded around to solicit business.

Lin Pingzhi cupped his hands in greeting and asked politely, "Brothers, have any of you been boarding a boat here before us?"

Lin Pingzhi gave a general description of the appearances of Bei Haishi and the other person.

A dark-skinned boatman replied, "Yes, there are these two friends. May I ask what their relationship is with you, young man?"

Lin Pingzhi sighed and said, "To be honest, the tall and thin man is my friend. He owes me five hundred taels of silver. I just asked him for it, but not only did he not pay it back, he also rode off on one of my horses."

"I see, no wonder those two left in such a hurry."

The boatman said sympathetically.

Lin Pingzhi asked earnestly, "Where are my two creditors headed?"

One of the boatmen replied, "I just overheard them talking; they said they were going to Zhenjiang."

"Zhenjiang?"

Lin Pingzhi was taken aback, then realized that Zhenjiang was the headquarters of the Chang Le Gang.

It seems something big must have happened within the Chang Le Gang.

Without further hesitation, he hired a boat and had the boatman give chase.

"Young man, you have a good eye. My boat is famous for its speed."

The boatman knew Lin Pingzhi was going to collect a debt, so he rowed his oar with all his might.

After an unknown amount of time, the ship finally arrived at a dock.

Apart from a few boats moored at the dock, Bei Haishi and his companion were nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately, since we know that the other party's destination is the headquarters of the Chang Le Gang, it is not difficult to find out.

Lin Pingzhi paid the boat fare and stepped ashore from the bow of the boat.

Just now.

Suddenly, with a loud "bang," a large hole appeared in the top of a nearby awning boat. Amidst flying wood chips, two figures darted out and pounced on Lin Pingzhi from the left and right.

Lin Pingzhi was taken aback and recognized the two as Bei Haishi and the tall, thin man he had been chasing earlier.

He dodged Bei Haishi's grab with a lazy roll, but the tall, thin man followed, his five fingers like bird claws reaching for him.

Caught off guard, his left wrist was grabbed by the other party, and a surge of energy came from the other party's hand.

Lin Pingzhi's heart stirred, and he simply gave up resisting, letting the other party grab him, while secretly channeling his Frost True Qi.

He wanted to see what kind of conspiracy the other party was plotting.

The tall, thin man wasn't surprised to see that he had caught Lin Pingzhi. He laughed loudly and said, "Doctor Bei is really amazing. He predicted that this kid would definitely come along."

The shell-like stone surface looked pleased:

"I kept hearing the sound of horses' hooves along the way, and something felt off. Finally, I found out who this kid was."

Lin Pingzhi felt secretly ashamed.

I was being very careful the whole way, but I still got discovered.

This Bei Haishi is indeed a seasoned veteran; not only is he highly skilled in martial arts, but he is also extremely vigilant.

Fortunately, I had already disguised myself, so the other party couldn't recognize me.

"Hey kid, what's your name? Why are you following us? Tell us!" the tall, thin man asked menacingly.

At the same time, he channeled his inner strength, and a piercing pain shot through Lin Pingzhi's wrist.

Fearing his strength would be exposed, Lin Pingzhi dared not use his internal energy to resist, and could only feign fear, trembling as he said:

"Great hero, spare my life! My name is Kou Zhong."