Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

The food and drinks were served, and the three of them ate and drank.

It was rare to eat so well, so Lin Yuan didn't stand on ceremony.

All three of them were hungry and kept their heads down eating, not paying any attention to talking. Their main interaction was clinking glasses.

Peach Blossom Wine is a low-alcohol, slightly sweet wine, brewed with spring water from nearby Peach Blossom Mountain.

After several rounds of drinks, Lin Yuan, who was drinking this for the first time, became somewhat drunk and stopped drinking, saying, "I can't hold my liquor, I can't drink anymore."

"It's alright. If you're drunk, I'll have Gou'er carry you home," Li Shi said warmly.

"My master didn't call me here just to drink. If I mess things up, I'm afraid I'll be punished by him." Lin Yuan gestured with his eyes and then looked at Zhao Gou'er.

Zhao Gou'er had served as a foot soldier under Li Shi for several years and had some sense of propriety. Knowing that the two had something to discuss, he immediately wiped his mouth, stood up, and said, "I'll go make a pot of tea!"

"Go ahead." Li Shi nodded to Zhao Gou'er and left, then apologized, "My third uncle sent someone to invite me a couple of days ago. I was planning to go after I finished these last few days. As you know, the pavilion has been too busy lately, so I've been delayed. I really feel bad for troubling Brother Lin to come in person today. I'll visit my third uncle to apologize tomorrow."

"Constable Li, you flatter me. I heard from my master that there is still a vacancy for a pavilion assistant at Carp Water Pavilion. I wonder what you are thinking?" Lin Yuan smiled slightly.

Li Shi had always admired his resourceful third uncle, and seeing that Lin Yuan knew about such a private matter, it was clear that this was at his third uncle's behest. He immediately perked up:

"To be honest, Brother Lin, I do have some ideas. Although the county government has the final say on Lishui Pavilion, it has always been the Zhang family's private domain. It won't be easy to handle this matter without the Zhang family's approval. However, the Zhang family is pressuring us to solve the case, and Pavilion Chief Zhang has been extremely stressed. If I can help the Zhang family solve the case, I think the Zhang family won't stop me from taking over."

Lin Yuan asked earnestly, "What was the outcome at the pavilion?"

"What good will come of it? Those notorious bandits have already escaped since they succeeded; they wouldn't wait for us to catch them."

Lin Yuan revealed the truth step by step, while simultaneously distancing himself from the situation: "My mentor thinks Instructor Zhang is right. The methods used in this case were so sophisticated that only someone familiar with the situation could have done it; it doesn't seem like it was done by an outsider!"

"I know what he's saying. But who is this acquaintance? It can't be someone from the Zhang family, can it? There's no way to find out." Li Shi didn't dare to easily touch the servants of the Zhang family.

"There are many kinds of people on our side. One kind is those inside the manor, and the other kind is those outside the manor. You definitely can't investigate the people inside the manor. But can't you handle the people outside the manor?" Lin Yuan left the last word out.

"Outside the mansion? That's what my third uncle said?" Li Shi asked, slightly agitated. Seeing that he neither confirmed nor denied it, he continued, "But there are so many people outside the Marquis's mansion, how can we tell them apart?"

Lin Yuan changed the subject: "I heard that people from the Marquis of Duting's residence have come to the pavilion?"

"Indeed, Brother Lin, you know about this too? The Zhang and Li families have always been on good terms. Taoli Township is the ancestral home of Lord Li, and the Li clan has more members there than the Zhang clan. The Zhang family wants to solve the case as soon as possible, so they've dragged the Li family into it as well. Today, both the Zhang and Li families told Zhang Tingzhang that anyone in Taoli Town, whether from the Zhang or Li family, can be questioned directly without needing permission. This case must be thoroughly investigated."

"It seems the Marquis's mansion is very determined! No wonder even notorious bandits are quite wary of the Marquis's mansion; such a behemoth is not to be trifled with. What did the county government say?" Lin Yuan was overjoyed. The more attention the case received, the greater the benefits would be after it was solved.

Since there are so many benefits, it's time to get a share of the pie.

"The county government is just like us, like ants on a hot pan. They're still trying to find someone to report back to, but they got a severe scolding from the Marquis Guo's family, which was incredibly embarrassing! Now the county magistrate has called them all back, dumping this hot potato on the county constable, who's still dawdling around in the county office, who knows when he'll arrive. Anyway, nobody wants to get involved in the Marquis's mess..." Li Shi laughed heartily as he recounted the constables' embarrassing incident.

Lin Yuan laughed along, but seeing that he was going off on a tangent and not mentioning any benefits, his excited heart cooled down.

"Those bastards do nothing but cause trouble all day long. How can they still get by in the county government? It's outrageous... Sigh!" Li Shi lamented the injustice of fate.

Seeing that his words were off-topic, Lin Yuan had no choice but to give up the benefits and first fulfill Zhang's promise of revenge: "Who in our town are there outsiders who are acquainted with Zhang and know some martial arts?"

Without a second thought, Li Shi immediately cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Please teach me, Brother Lin!"

Seeing that he had given up thinking, Lin Yuan was somewhat taken aback and had no choice but to ask directly, "I heard that the Black Snake Gang has been working for the Zhang family?"

"The Black Snake Gang did this? But Liu Tianxing is just an entry-level martial artist, and a cripple at that. Otherwise, a dignified martial artist wouldn't have fallen to this state. His few henchmen are not even as good as me. Only Wu Datou can fight. Even if you tied them all up, they couldn't possibly kill the Zhang family's martial artist!" Li Shi couldn't believe it.

Even if a martial artist can't defeat eight body-tempering martial artists, they can at least escape.

"How much of their strength can a martial artist exert after smelling the incense? Moreover, they know a lot about pharmacies, so they can take advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack..." Lin Yuan almost blurted out the truth.

"I've used that sleeping potion from the Black Snake Gang before. It's hard to even get a martial artist under its skin, let alone me." Li Shi may be reckless, but he's not stupid.

"What if it's someone you know well?"

"This?" Li Shi seemed to have grasped the key point and fell into deep thought.

Lin Yuan continued to raise his banner to increase persuasiveness, "My esteemed teacher has been doing the accounting for the pharmacy for so many years, and has known Manager Zhang for many years. He knows a great deal about the pharmacy's affairs, and he also has a good understanding of many things happening in the county..."

"Really!" Li Shi was overjoyed. In his opinion, Master Xu was ill, which was why he sent Lin Yuan to deliver the message. Therefore, he treated Lin Yuan as an honored guest.

He believed the same words when they were relayed by his third aunt's husband. At this moment, he didn't want to think about it anymore; he only wanted the answer: "Did my third aunt's husband say who it was?"

Lin Yuan was speechless. You can only eat if you have to be fed into your mouth?

"Among the Black Snake Gang's branches in Taoli Township, there are only so many people who have practiced martial arts. Who among them has the best personal relationship with Manager Zhang? If Officer Li just asks a few questions, he can always find out the answer."

"Third Uncle didn't know either? Does Manager Qian know?"

"Manager Qian is the second young mistress's man, and Manager Zhang is the first young mistress's man. They don't get along, so you can't ask them randomly," Lin Yuan said helplessly.

"Chief Zhang is acquainted with Liu Tianxing, he should know!" Li Shi's eyes widened. "Could it be that Chief Zhang and his group double-crossed us?"

Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised by his startling words, so he asked with a smile, "If Constable Li is afraid, just leak the information to the Zhang family or the county government and let them investigate themselves."

"No need! Zhang Tingzhang has been a Tingzhang for so many years, he's earned enough, it's time for him to retire." Li Shi smiled silently, his expression slightly crazed. "This time, the Marquis's Mansion and the Earl's Mansion are working together to investigate the case, he, a mere Tingzhang, can't stop them."

Lin Yuan was taken aback by his bold move; it was completely unlike Li Budao, who was afraid of ghosts.

Li Shi grasped Lin Yuan's hand, panting heavily with the smell of alcohol, and said, "Brother Lin, could you please tell me the detailed plan?"

Seeing that he was unwilling to investigate the case personally and only wanted answers, Lin Yuan was amused and annoyed. He casually made up a lame excuse: "That day, when I was using the restroom at the pharmacy, I heard Manager Zhang mutter something under his breath, 'Let's drink, Zhao Jingang...'"

"It's true!" Li Shi's eyebrows shot up, and he stood up, leaning on the table. "So it was Zhao the Bold!"

Lin Yuan quickly gestured for him to speak softly, and then shook his head in denial, mimicking Master Xu's words: "I didn't hear clearly at the time, maybe I misheard. You might as well investigate him first, find evidence before taking action, so as not to mistake the wrong person."

"Since it's him, there's no need to investigate. The Black Snake Gang has gone too far these past few years, even daring to touch the Li family's business. The Li family is looking to teach them a lesson. This is a perfect opportunity for me to capture him, give him a good beating, and he'll confess. Even if I'm wrong, as long as I don't kill him, with the Li family protecting me, Liu Tianxing and the village head won't dare to touch me..."

Li Shi clenched his fist and said fiercely, "If I get hold of something against them, I'll make them all move out of the Li family's place!"

Li Shi was originally cultivated and supported by the Li family, so while seeking personal gain, he naturally had to do things for the Li family as well.

"Killing two birds with one stone, brilliant!"

Lin Yuan thought to himself, "You're a real talent."