Inside Qinghe Forging Shop, morning light was just beginning to dawn, filtering through the lattice windows,
slanting into the forge's main hall, yet unable to disperse the gloom on Shopkeeper Li's face.
He stood blankly behind the counter, his fingers unconsciously stroking an unsharpened short sword. He was half a beat slow in responding to the assistants' greetings and customers' questions.
"What's wrong with the shopkeeper? He looks like his soul's wandered off."
"Yeah, like he's lost his wits. He's gotten the abacus wrong several times already."
The assistants whispered among themselves, casting him curious yet worried looks.
Shopkeeper Li turned a deaf ear to the discussion around him. His heart had long since been filled with regret and fear.
The brief yet bloody scene in last night's alley kept replaying in his mind, along with the incredulous, horrified look in Hong Gu's eyes before she died.
"Hong Gu, Hong Gu... you've truly dragged me into hell!"
He practically squeezed the mutter through clenched teeth, his wrinkled face full of bitterness.
After returning last night, he had tossed and turned, unable to sleep for the entire night.
Report the matter truthfully to the owner? The owner would surely fly into a rage. At best, his position as shopkeeper would be finished.
More importantly, Hong Gu had close ties with Black Tiger Hall, especially that young hall master, Li Wuhen... Given the vicious temperaments of Black Heart Tiger and his son,
if they learned that he had been present when Hong Gu met with trouble yet stood by and did nothing, perhaps even indirectly causing her death, then his fate...
He shuddered and did not dare think any further.
"Fortunately... fortunately, I was quite discreet when I went to find Fang Yuan yesterday. Not many people saw me."
Paper could never