Hu Li and Jiang Yu exchanged a glance. When in doubt, consult the experts.
"Then I'll trouble Master Han to take a look at this fabric and see if there's any problem," Hu Li said, and he saw Han Xiao fearlessly grasp the piece of cloth in his hand.
Both Hu Li and Jiang Yu were startled.
Han Xiao glanced up and gestured for them not to worry. "The ingredients for making the Deadly Poison are quite precious, and just half a teaspoon of it is enough to kill seven or eight people. The person who poisoned him wouldn't have soaked the poison into his clothes."
Han Xiao flipped the fabric back and forth a few times before placing it on the low table, looking calm.
"Then why did he die? Food and drink were ruled out that day, and there's no poison on the clothes," Hu Li frowned and tapped his head, "Where did things go wrong?"
"Hu Li," Han Xiao suddenly called out.
"Yes?" Hu Li responded, puzzled.
"Show me what you have in your arms," Han Xiao reached out, indicating towards Hu Li's arms.
In Hu Li's arms was the long box that held the clothes from that day.
The long box was quite valuable due to its owner's high status, and its intricate patterns made it look much better than the ordinary clothes.
Hu Li handed the long box over.
Instead of opening it, Han Xiao tapped each corner of the long box.
When he tapped the third corner, the sound was much crisper than the others.
It was empty inside.
"It's here," Han Xiao placed the long box down and took a small block from it.
The long box was missing a corner, and this block was placed there afterwards.
On the two sides facing inward and the top side, there were tiny holes.
With a slight movement of his thumb, one side of the block became hexagonal, while the side acting as the corner of the long box remained unchanged.
"Take a look at these small holes, both of you. The Deadly Poison is hidden in this block," Han Xiao said, "The master of the Valley of Yin and Yang is also familiar with mechanical arts, and all the containers for poisonous items from the Valley are made by him. Although this one looks similar, it's crudely made and lacks the finesse."
Hu Li stared at the small object for a long time.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
In the end, he had to admit that as someone who didn't understand these things, he couldn't see any finesse or lack thereof.
Hu Li could only watch as the object returned to its original state.
"This thing is for you two," Han Xiao handed the object to Hu Li, "Don't put it back on the long box, the poison inside is still active."
Although there was nothing suspicious on the clothes, the long box was given to Liu Datou by Xu Xiazi.
What deep grudge did Xu Xiazi have against Liu Datou?
And how did the Deadly Poison end up in Xu Xiazi's hands?
Hu Li bid farewell to Han Xiao and left.
When Hu Li and Jiang Yu returned to the inn with the long box, it was already noon. Several tables in the inn's lobby were enjoying their lunch. Hu Li scanned the lobby and didn't see the group of burly men.
"Have those people returned?" Hu Li asked the waiter who approached them.
The waiter shook his head. "They left earlier but haven't returned yet."
"Go to the east side of the city," Jiang Yu said, turning around.
The waiter was puzzled and took a few steps to chase after him but couldn't catch up. He scratched his head, unable to understand the thoughts of the guests. He glanced at the people in the lobby and couldn't help but think that people who traveled often had great courage.
They were used to seeing dead bodies, so they weren't easily surprised.
On the east side of the city.
It wasn't as lively as it was on May 5th. The door of the unnamed shop was tightly closed, and the table in front of it had been removed, along with the red flowers that adorned the signboard.
There was a stack of broken straw hats placed deliberately at the door.
"This was where it happened yesterday," Hu Li turned to Jiang Yu and asked, "What should we do now?"
Jiang Yu glanced at the shop, his voice heavy. "Break in."
With that, Jiang Yu kicked the door of the shop open with force.
The door fell with a loud bang, indicating the strength of Jiang Yu's kick.
Hu Li followed into the shop.
The shop looked ordinary from the outside, but once the door was open, it revealed a different world inside.
The front hall was still relatively normal, maintaining the appearance of an ordinary household.
But once they entered the inner courtyard, it immediately revealed its arrogance.
Selling one piece of clothing a year could make a fortune.
There was no one inside all the way.
It was strange.
Both of them were cautious, but when they reached a fork in the road, they didn't say much and went in separate directions.
Hu Li held his long knife in front of him and searched through the rooms one by one along the stone path.
Most of the rooms showed no signs of being lived in, but each room had famous calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls. Hu Li thought to himself that Xu Xiazi's hobbies were quite similar to Han Xiao's from Qinglong Temple.
Until the last room, Hu Li still found nothing and had to return the same way.
He had waited in place for a while and then saw Jiang Yu coming back.
Jiang Yu didn't find anything either.
Xu Xiazi had completely disappeared.
Accompanying him were those few burly men.
Perhaps they had been trapped here because of Xu Xiazi's actions? Or maybe they were already dead.
And Xu Xiazi, knowing he had been discovered, had fled.
The two of them had run a trip for nothing, and there was no appetite for dinner when they returned to the inn.
Hu Li poured a cup of tea for Jiang Yu. "Jiang Daren, have a cup of tea."
Jiang Yu glanced at him and didn't reach out to take it. But Hu Li pushed the cup towards Jiang Yu and said, "Didn't we miss a cup of tea at Han Xiao's place?"
Han Xiao had poured two cups of tea.
But neither of them took a sip.
Ultimately, it was a lack of trust.
Jiang Yu picked up the teacup and took a sip. After running around all day, it was still comfortable to have a cup of tea.
Hu Li also poured himself a cup and drank it in one gulp, suddenly saying with interest, "Jiang Daren, why do you seem to bring death wherever you go?"
Jiang Yu didn't agree with Hu Li's words and said, "I'm a member of the Jin Yiwei. Wherever there's trouble, the Jin Yiwei will be there."
"The court always separates big and small matters. If a commoner is killed, will the Jin Yiwei be there?" Hu Li asked.
"I'm here now, aren't I?" Jiang Yu didn't directly answer the question but responded vaguely.
Hu Li didn't pursue the matter further and changed the subject, "How come you always end up wherever there's trouble?"
Jiang Yu loosened his wrist and suddenly said, "Let's see how many fish you can catch."
Jiang Yu was still not letting go of the matter where Hu Li treated him like a target.
In the lobby of the inn, Xu Cheng and four others finished their meal and went upstairs.
Hu Li leaned over to pay attention to the movement outside the door.
The waiter led the four people to the end of the corridor.
Xu Cheng's steps were unpredictable, and the waiter wanted to stop him but couldn't. He could only watch as Xu Cheng kicked open the door.
The waiter was stunned.
Xu Cheng sneered, "Haven't you seen anything before? Why are you so startled?"
With that, Xu Cheng swaggered into the room. The waiter stood at the door, stuttering, "There's... there's..."
After a moment, Xu Cheng came out of the room and patted the waiter's shoulder, saying, "I thought there was a beauty in the room, but there's not even a ghost. Why are you scared?"
With that, he walked out of the room.
The waiter stood at the door for a long time, trembling, then stumbled backward and fell outside the door.
A pair of hands supported him.
Trembling, he turned his head back and didn't see anyone. He spoke continuously, "It's haunted! It's haunted!"