That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Upon hearing his question, the woman's tears flowed like a burst dam, as if the grievances she had suffered over the past few days had finally found an outlet.

It turns out that this woman was originally a villager from the neighborhood, and later married a peddler named A-Da.

After getting married, A-Da no longer wanted to live the life of hardship he had before. He used the money he had earned from traveling all over the country to buy a piece of land in the suburbs. The two of them made a living by farming and herding cattle. Although their life was poor, they were happy.

Now that the child is older, A-Da said he must save some money to send him to school and teach him to read and write, so he went to work for Master Fu in the city.

Unexpectedly, after only three days, the Fu family accused Ah Da of stealing money and threw him into jail.

The woman was both disbelieving and extremely anxious. She took out all her savings, just to see her husband once.

However, the reply they received was that the criminal had hanged himself in prison, committing suicide out of fear of punishment.

Before she could recover from the grief of losing her husband, servants from Master Fu's household came knocking on her door again, saying that although the man was dead, the money he had stolen had not yet been found, so the only option was to use the child to pay off the debt.

The woman pleaded desperately to no avail, so she had no choice but to run away with her child, which led to the scene we see today.

"..."

Jiang Jingming suddenly felt a little uncomfortable with the knife in his hand, as if he had to cut something today.

Ah Qing's expression remained calm as always, but the murderous aura emanating from her was already icy cold.

Jiang Jingming let out a long breath, calming himself down.

Although I really wanted to set off immediately to cut off that Master Fu's head and hang it at the city gate to keep the bandits company, this was not a good idea.

With the Divine Capital Guards here now, it won't be so easy to commit murder and arson.

The most urgent task is to get the mother and daughter away first to avoid retaliation later.

In addition, we should investigate the truth of the matter further before taking action.

Jiang Jingming glanced at Aqing, knowing that she had also figured out the reason, and nodded to her.

Aqing took out a one-hundred-tael silver note, squatted down, and handed it to the woman.

"My benefactor! What... what is this?"

"Take the children and leave Shulan City. Go anywhere you like. Everything that happens here from now on is none of your business."

Jiang Jingming's tone was indifferent.

"My benefactor! That Master Fu is not someone to be trifled with. I have absolutely no intention of putting you in danger; I only wish for the child's safety..."

The woman shook her head, her eyes filled with tears.

"It's alright."

Jiang Jingming shook his head.

He didn't know if what he was doing counted as chivalry, but it certainly didn't seem like something a young master of a demonic sect would do.

However, he knew very well that no one from the Moon Crossing Cult would ever leave this matter unattended.

Jiang Wuwang wouldn't care about the Divine Capital Guards at all; he would immediately draw his sword and rush to that person's house, kicking even the passing dogs.

If it were Lady Song, she would probably take advantage of the night to tie up Master Fu and hang him at the city gate, and write his crimes in large characters on the city wall for the Divine Capital Guards to see.

Aqing remained half-squatting as she handed the child a piece of candy, a slight smile appearing on her face.

Jiang Jingming looked at her while holding the knife, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Aqing rarely smiles, so when she does, it's like the moon rising above the willow branches, so gentle it's captivating.

The child stared blankly, eyes wide open, and for a long time didn't think to reach out and catch it.

In the end, the woman took his hand and handed it to him, and the two of them bowed and thanked him again.

"By the way, does this Mr. Fu you mentioned have any favorite places to go?"

Jiang Jingming's knuckles tapped lightly on the scabbard, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

Chapter Nineteen: The Detective

Living year-round in a remote and quiet place like Mangya makes one feel that the bustling city of Shulan is almost unreal.

But it wasn't until he entered the inner city area that Jiang Jingming learned why Shulan City was called a "money pit".

A long street that seems to stretch on forever, with gambling dens on the left and brothels on the right.

These two industries have surprisingly formed a delicate cycle.

After winning money at the gambling den, of course you'd want to go across the street and find a beautiful dancer for a night of passion.

After losing money at the gambling den, he would go across the street to find a middle-aged woman to vent his anger.

If they get carried away and spend a lot of money on a top player, the first thing they'll do afterward is head straight to the casino, hoping to recoup their losses with a bit of luck.

Even if you're penniless and get a dirty look from the madam, you should still go all in with the rage of "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," ready to use the money you win to crush those bitches.

No wonder He Quan was in such a hurry to catch them and bring them back when they sneaked out to play back then.

Fortunately, he was so focused on taking Ah Qing to see the merfolk that he didn't notice what everyone else was busy with.

Night had not yet fallen, but the long street was already bustling with activity.

Inside, laughter and toasts filled the air, while outside, gamblers who had lost all their money and prostitutes who had gone to prostitutes gathered in a circle, squatting by the roadside smoking cigarettes and eyeing passersby with lecherous intent.

"Eight Immortals Restaurant..."

Jiang Jingming looked up at the magnificent golden signboard at the entrance of the shop.

The woman had just said that Master Fu usually loved to hold lavish banquets at the Eight Immortals Restaurant, and according to the waiter, there seemed to be one today as well.

The interior decoration of the restaurant was even more extravagant than its signboard, with candlelight reflecting off the jade, creating a dazzling effect.

Jiang Jingming and A Qing took their seats in an inconspicuous spot on the second floor, from which they could see the grand banquet about to begin on the first floor.

"Gentlemen, what would you like to eat today?"

The waiter came forward, bowed, poured tea, and diligently wiped the table again.

He could tell that these two men were definitely not ordinary people. Young masters from prominent families like them had a calm and collected demeanor, and were not simply wealthy.

For example, the way he looked at the menu, with his brows furrowed, clearly showed a sense of weariness from having eaten so many delicacies!

In fact, Jiang Jingming couldn't understand the menu of the Eight Immortals Restaurant at all.

The beacon fires blaze, camel bells jingle, the long river boils... Who could know what would be served after ordering these dishes?!

There's a sense of helplessness, like a country person moving to the city.

Let's say goodbye at Yanmen Pass.

Jiang Jingming pointed to the last line of the wooden sign.

"Sir, 'Farewell at Yanmen' is a little song sung by our courtesan..."

The waiter wore a forced smile.

"Oh."

Jiang Jingming remained expressionless and casually poked at the wooden sign a few times.

"These will do, and another pot of Amber Light."

"okay!"

The waiter went downstairs.

"Ah Qing, if you want to laugh, just laugh. Why are you covering your face with the menu?"

Jiang Jingming looked at the slightly trembling shoulders of the person opposite him and was about to get up to pinch her face when the table was suddenly slammed heavily.

"Snapped!"

The chopstick holder flew up instantly, but Jiang Jingming quickly caught a glimpse of a pink skirt in his peripheral vision.

"Well done, you two! I've been looking for you all this way!"

Jiang Jingming looked up and saw those bright peach blossom eyes again.

At this moment, a hint of anger flickered in his eyes, which shimmered with light.

"The crime was committed in the middle of the city, and there are witnesses and physical evidence to prove it. What else do you have to say?"

The girl stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him defiantly.

"Where are the witnesses? Where are the physical evidence?"

Jiang Jingming propped his chin up and slowly asked in return.

"The witnesses have all gone to the clinic for treatment."

The girl choked for a moment before continuing.

"Physical evidence: Based on my on-site investigation, those four tongues clearly did not belong to the same person!"

"......Then what?"

He's a real detective!

Jiang Jingming raised an eyebrow.

"The wound was clean, as if it had been cut off in one swift motion with an extremely fast knife, and witnesses at the scene testified that she was wiping the knife with complete confidence!"

The girl pointed at Aqing, her expression menacing.

Ah Qing drank her tea as if she hadn't heard anything and didn't even look up at her.

"But I don't think there's any necessary connection between these two things."

Jiang Jingming spread his hands innocently.

"We were just passing by, and then it suddenly occurred to us that we were cleaning the knife."

"you you you!"

The girl was furious and about to retaliate again when someone suddenly grabbed her wrist and shoved her under the table.

"oops!"

She accidentally bumped her head on the corner of the table, and in pain she held her head and groaned.

What are you doing?!

"Shhh."

Jiang Jingming raised his index finger to signal her to be quiet, and then pointed to the entrance of the restaurant.

The girl covered her head with her hands and immediately leaned forward to look, but was pulled back by someone.

"Don't make it too obvious."

Jiang Jingming held a teacup in one hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I don't need you to teach me!"

......

A portly middle-aged man walked in through the door, his entire body adorned with glittering gold ornaments that swayed with his fat as he moved.

The shopkeeper led the waiter forward, bowing and scraping to greet them.

"Greetings, Master Fu! The food and wine are ready, please take a seat!"

Master Fu twirled the two gems in his hand, a contemptuous smile on his face, ignoring him and listening to the servants behind him talking.

"It's him!"

The girl crouching under the table spoke very softly.

It was the same servant who had luckily escaped disaster today and begged her for help.

"Master! These brothers have suffered for nothing; we can't let them off so easily!"

The servant said bitterly that his younger brother was among the four people whose tongues were cut out today.

Master Fu sat down at the head of the table and comfortably squinted his eyes.

"Shulan City is only so big. Unless those two have wings, they can't fly out. By the way, what does that woman you mentioned who claims to be a member of the Divine Capital Guard look like?"

"He is very handsome, but he acts recklessly and viciously, not at all like a member of the Divine Capital Guard."

The servant stood beside him, bowing as he spoke.