It's clearly a crossover game, but the system insists it's a pirate game.

Zhou Ye's original intention was to ignore Lin Xian'er and the Plum Blossom Thief, not to comment on them, and not to get involved. After all, their trip was solely to fulfill the girls' wish to meet their idols. To put it simply, they came to chase after their idols.

Which idol's fans would solve crimes while chasing their idol?

When they arrived at Li Garden, Zhou Ye exclaimed repeatedly, "Seven Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from one family, and three Tanhua (third-place winners) from father and son—look at Li Garden, our family can't even compare!"

Before even meeting the person, Zhou Ye had already set his sights on their house...

There's nothing that can be done about it. The Li family has been officials for generations, and their background is something that a young man like him, who has only been here for a few years, can't compare to. Even if he has money, it won't help.

The enormous carriage stopped directly at the entrance of Li Garden. The guards at the gate did not dare to approach and drive it away. They could only watch helplessly as one beautiful woman after another stepped out of the carriage. Finally, a tall and strong young man emerged.

"Is Young Master Li at home?"

The man and three women remained silent; it was the old man driving the carriage who spoke.

The gatekeeper quickly nodded, "Yes, yes."

Huang Rong smiled and said, "Lead the way."

After they entered Li Garden, the driver moved the carriage to the side, but he did not get off. Instead, he sat down to rest because Zhou Ye had said that they would not be staying for very long.

The Li Garden was bustling with activity. Long Xiaoyun had given his good brother Li Xunhuan the identity of the Plum Blossom Thief, and the "renowned figures of the martial arts world" he had invited around the area had genuinely accepted it.

But just then, Zhou Ye arrived with his men.

"It's quite lively, but please stop for a moment. We need to do a brief interview with Li Xunhuan first..." Zhou Ye immediately recognized Li Xunhuan. He was the most dejected and sickly-looking among the crowd, so he said to Li Xunhuan, "Li Xunhuan, this way please."

This attitude of being completely oblivious to others...

Someone couldn't help but speak up, but was stopped by the person next to them: "Don't be impulsive. I don't know the other two, but those two women are Yaoyue and Lianxing from Yihua Palace."

As notorious female villains in the martial arts world, Yaoyue and Lianxing are extremely famous. At least for now, the only one in this room who is confident that he can fight them is Li Xunhuan, whom they have falsely accused of being the Plum Blossom Bandit.

But judging from their appearance, they're also after Li Xunhuan?

Long Xiaoyun's eyes darted around, and he stepped forward with a smile, saying, "My name is Long Xiaoyun. May I ask who this young hero is...?"

Zhou Ye ignored him, Huang Rong ignored him, and Yao Yue and Lian Xing treated him as if he were nothing. He was not someone of any caliber, yet they could strike up a conversation with him.

Within the Zhou residence, they can be ordinary young women, but when they go out, they are the First and Second Palace Masters of the Yihua Palace, and must be aloof and cold!

Li Xunhuan saw no hostility in Zhou Ye's eyes, so he actually sat down on a chair to the side. But the person sitting opposite him was not Zhou Ye, but Huang Rong. But as soon as she spoke, Li Xunhuan's expression changed, and Long Xiaoyun's expression also changed. Zhou Ye was recalling the sad things from his previous life over and over again to keep himself from laughing.

"Li Tanhua, when you gave Li Garden away, did you ask your brother for his consent? You should know that Li Garden is your family's ancestral property, and your brother owns half of it. Did you think of him when you gave it away?"

Li Xunhuan: ...

"Li Tanhua, when you went to the borderlands, why didn't you take your fiancée with you? With your strength, even if you were fleeing, you should have been able to guarantee her safety, right?"

Li Xunhuan had no choice but to speak up: "Back then, I didn't have the strength I have now."

Huang Rong was somewhat displeased: "You're back safe and sound, aren't you? If your enemies might implicate her, you could protect her while you were here, but without you, wouldn't she be doomed?"

Li Xunhuan: ...

Seeing his silence, Huang Rong continued, "Li Tanhua, do you have any regrets? Back then, you gave him property and a wife, but now that you've returned, you've been falsely accused of being a notorious bandit by your supposed best brother. What are your thoughts now?"

Li Xunhuan glanced at Long Xiaoyun, but the latter didn't have the courage to meet his gaze.

"Li Tanhua, you achieved the highest rank of Tanhua, which suggests you are very capable in your studies. But why don't you know the meaning of 'a small favor is appreciated, but a large favor is resented'?"

Li Xunhuan: ...

Huang Rong did not lower her voice; her clear voice could be heard by everyone in the room, but it was precisely because they could hear it that the room became so quiet.

Actually, they also really wanted to know, or perhaps even wished to have, a good brother like Li Xunhuan.

Li Xunhuan took a deep breath and looked at Long Xiaoyun again, saying, "He and I are sworn brothers who would entrust their wives and children to each other."

"Now that you know you've entrusted yourself to the wrong person, why do you still choose to give up?" Huang Rong continued, "You're not doing this for your fiancée's sake, are you? Do you know that for women, wealth and power are not the most important things? What a woman truly yearns for is to marry the right person."

"That's enough!"

Long Xiaoyun couldn't hold back any longer. If Huang Rong continued like this, he would completely lose face!

However, Huang Rong ignored him completely. Lianxing shifted her feet and instantly appeared in front of Long Xiaoyun, then struck him in the chest with a palm.

This palm strike was neither too light nor too heavy, but it was enough to make Long Xiaoyun vomit blood and become completely immobile.

"Anyone who makes another sound will die!"

Yaoyue was very dissatisfied with Lianxing's leniency, but since her sister had already taken action, it would be inappropriate for her to do so as well. Therefore, she turned her attention to the others.

Zhou Ye, from beginning to end, only said one sentence, then sat quietly to the side drinking tea. When Lianxing made her move, he didn't even lift his eyelids.

Seeing his sworn brother's miserable state, Li Xunhuan was about to make a move when he suddenly felt a pang of fear. An inexplicable pressure suddenly appeared on his body. He turned his head sharply and focused his gaze on Zhou Ye.

Zhou Yechong smiled slightly at him: "Li Tanhua, the interview time is not yet over, please do not move around."

At this point, Zhou Ye glanced at the others again: "Li Xunhuan is the Plum Blossom Bandit, you guys really dare to challenge him. Didn't you see the couplet when you entered? 'Seven Jinshi from one family, three Tanhua from father and son.' Putting aside others for now, what will happen to you people if Li's relatives and friends in the court find out?"

After speaking, Zhou Ye fell silent, while Huang Rong continued with her question:

"Li Tanhua, now that you've returned from beyond the Great Wall, you must be longing to return to your roots, right? You should know that what you have isn't some incurable disease; it's treatable. So what is it that you don't want to live?"

The look in Li Xunhuan's eyes when he looked at Huang Rong was incredibly complex!

He could hardly answer any of the questions the little girl asked, yet they all hit the nail on the head.

Seeing that he was about to answer again, Huang Rong looked at Zhou Ye indifferently and said, "I've already asked all my questions."

Zhou Ye nodded, put down his teacup, stood up, and looked down at Li Xunhuan, whose expression was changing, saying, "Thank you, Li Xunhuan, for accepting our interview. Goodbye."

After saying that, he turned and walked out, with Huang Rong, Yaoyue, and Lianxing following behind him. But before they had even left the courtyard, a pretty figure appeared: "Young hero, please wait."

hum!

A sudden, inexplicable pressure appeared, and before Lin Xian'er could even react, her eyes rolled back and she fainted. Then, Zhou Ye and the others simply stepped over her without any hesitation.

"You scoundrel, how dare you!"