As he entered the room, Hu Li saw a group of Liu Datou's cronies surrounding Jiang Yu, pushing and shoving him around. Jiang Yu looked impatient, but being surrounded by five or six strong men wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

Hu Li was pleased to see Jiang Yu in a tight spot, especially since it gave him a chance to divert attention away from himself. Once friends and family were all busy dealing with Jiang Yu, Hu Li could make his move.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Hu Li moved closer to the door. On the bed lay the same person he had seen the previous day—Mr. Liu, the foolish spender.

He was dead.

Hu Li had intended to target him, trying to figure out his identity and what made him spend so recklessly. But the next day, he was found dead in bed.

Mr. Liu's face was livid, his neck bruised. His expression was twisted in agony, his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling, his hands clenched like claws, tendons protruding from his body.

He must have endured unbearable pain before his death.

Hu Li tapped his chin with his index finger.

If someone had endured such immense pain, how could they not have made a sound?

Furthermore, with so many people in the inn, including Jiang Yu in the next room, how did no one notice?

Finally, Mr. Liu's entourage noticed the stranger in their master's room and rushed over, pushing Hu Li aside, shouting, "Who are you sneaking around like a ghost?"

One of the strong men glared at Hu Li, brandishing his large knife threateningly.

"I'm investigating," Hu Li said calmly, sidestepping the man's attack effortlessly. "If you don't believe me, you can give it a try. At worst, you'll end up like your master."

Hu Li had only glanced at the body briefly. Mr. Liu's livid face and twisted expression indicated that he had died from poisoning. But it was too soon to determine the exact cause.

If the poison had been ingested with food, the corpse wouldn't harm anyone else. But if it was elsewhere, that was uncertain.

Although he was only 60% sure, Hu Li's confident demeanor turned it into 100% certainty, intimidating the five strong men and the others outside.

"If you don't believe me, touch him," Hu Li continued, confidently including Jiang Yu, reminding everyone that they were in the same boat. "My friend here is kind-hearted, but if he can't save you, he might as well help you end it sooner."

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"You..." the strong man was enraged.

Hu Li's words left the strong man speechless. Four of the men who were about to move the body also stopped.

"If you touch him and get poisoned, I won't be responsible," Hu Li continued nonchalantly, even including Jiang Yu in his words, indicating that they were both in this together. "My friend here, Jiang, is kind-hearted. If he can't save you, he might as well help you end it sooner."

"You really can see something?" the strong man said, glancing at his dead brother.

Hu Li turned his head, a smile playing on his lips.

He hadn't been sure before, but now his heart was at ease.

"Yes," Hu Li said confidently, still holding his long knife. "My friend and I came from the capital by chance and happened to pass through here."

The strong man looked them up and down.

The young man still had some innocence in his face, but there was also determination. He held a five-foot-long knife, and although he was relaxed, the weight of it was evident. The other young man, referred to as Jiang, hadn't spoken since entering the room, with an air of unease around him.

Shangyong City used to be the fiefdom of the Prince of Liang. After the prince's defeat, the court sent a few officials to oversee it, but eight out of ten were corrupt, and the other two were just greedy.

The emperor had them all executed, and since then, Shangyong City had been without a proper government office.

So it was not surprising that the bandits from the mountains and those interested in the treasure would come to Shangyong City for business.

The door to the room was closed.

One of the five strong men stayed inside to guard.

Hu Li approached Mr. Liu's body, trying to find a clue, but he couldn't see anything. He glanced at Jiang Yu, who was covering his nose and mouth, but otherwise stood calmly by. Hu Li leaned close to Jiang Yu and asked, "Aren't you afraid after seeing so many corpses?"

Jiang Yu didn't respond to Hu Li, but glanced at the grimacing corpse.

Hu Li couldn't find any clues on the body, so he turned to the strong man inside the room and asked, "Did your boss eat anything unusual these past two days?"

The strong man carefully recalled, afraid of making a mistake. After a while, he answered, "We arrived in the city the night before last, so we ate dinner on the road. The past two meals were at the inn, just like you. Last night, Blind Xu provided the food. We all had the same as our boss."

Hu Li nodded.

That ruled out food poisoning for now.

He then saw Jiang Yu reach out and touch Mr. Liu's wrist, but he quickly pulled back. Hu Li turned to look at him, but Jiang Yu ignored him, stooping down to sniff at the body.

Hu Li was surprised to see Jiang Yu, who had covered his nose and mouth just moments ago, now showing no aversion. It seemed Jiang Yu was unaffected by the sight of death.

Jiang Yu reached out again, this time grasping Mr. Liu's wrist.

Hu Li was about to stop him, but Jiang Yu glanced at him and Hu Li backed off. Hu Li watched as Jiang Yu touched the body and then withdrew his hand.

Hu Li straightened up and took five steps back from the corpse before Jiang Yu spoke.

"This garment is suspicious," Jiang Yu said, standing up straight.

He was truly fearless.

Hu Li had seen it all now.

"How could that be?" the strong man exclaimed in horror. "This garment is sold only once a year, and there have been no incidents before. Even if there were, it was just jealousy from the people in the Jianghu, killing for treasure."

The strong man's argument made sense.

"Have you touched your boss's garment?" Hu Li asked.

The strong man hesitated for a moment before responding, "Of course not."

Of course not.

A garment worth five thousand taels, with the secret of the Prince of Liang's treasure hidden within it. These men were clearly not in the same league as Mr. Liu. Even if they called him 'boss', they couldn't touch the priceless garment.

"In the past two days, you've eaten and stayed together. The only thing you haven't touched that he did is this garment," Hu Li stated confidently.

The strong man opened the door and left the room.

Hu Li and Jiang Yu didn't linger either and left the room.

They stood by the window on the second floor of the inn, watching the five strong men disappear into the distance toward the east of the city.

Mr. Liu died because of this garment.

The person who had handed the garment to Mr. Liu was Blind Xu from the east of the city.

"What could Blind Xu gain from killing someone?" Hu Li pondered aloud.

He could afford five thousand taels this year and at least twenty-five hundred taels tomorrow, enough to start a business. If this incident spread in the Jianghu, how could he continue to prosper?

Moreover, the garment had been sold for many years without incident. It was only this time that something had happened.

Was it because the buyer was this man named Liu?

"If there's no profit, there's revenge."

"Do you, as members of the Jin Yiwei, not intervene in this?" Hu Li asked, watching the strong man disappear.

"Jianghu disputes are not our concern," Jiang Yu replied.

They were already involved, yet he still said it was not their concern. Jiang Yu, Jiang Daren, was truly stubborn.

Hu Li chuckled and bowed, "Then please indulge my curiosity for a few more days, Jiang Daren."