Nine Truths and a Lie, a Story Just Made Up

Night had just fallen. In the courtyard.

Zhou Ming warmed a pot of clear wine, handed Lu Xiaofeng a cup, and prepared to share the story he had just made up over the past two days.

"Are you kidding? These past two days, all I saw was you eating and drinking around the manor. How could you possibly know the Plum Blossom Thief's true identity? And didn't you say you weren't interested?"

Zhou Ming said, "I did say I wasn't interested, but that person was simply too clumsy. Lu Xiaofeng, you should know that when I wrote that Detective Novel, I read through countless strange and major criminal cases in the Ministry of Justice. I even had in-depth exchanges with several Gold Medal Constables from Six Doors, and even the Four Great Constables.

Even if I've never eaten pork, haven't I at least seen pigs run? When it comes to knowledge of criminal cases, even you are far inferior to me!"

Lu Xiaofeng had no reply.

But Lin Xian'er, standing by the entrance, clenched her teeth as she listened.

For the past two days, she had been preparing to deal with Li Xunhuan while also dividing her attention to monitor Lu Xiaofeng.

She truly had not paid much attention to Zhou Ming.

She had not expected this man to be the truly formidable one.

She did not know what a Detective Novel was, but she understood that this man seemed to have used his father's position as Minister of Justice to study criminal case files extensively.

"Could he truly have seen through my identity? Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Lin Xian'er refused to believe it, but she knew she could not simply walk in.

Otherwise, whether the two men in the courtyard knew her true identity or not, they would immediately stop their conversation.

She quietly moved to one side and listened carefully.

"Young Hero Zhou is actually this capable? Then tell me, who exactly is the Plum Blossom Thief?" Lu Xiaofeng asked.

Zhou Ming said, "Though everyone now claims that the Plum Blossom Thief is Li Xunhuan, most people are merely shouting along with the rumors of the martial world. They have no brains at all.

According to my investigation, the Plum Blossom Thief is not Li Xunhuan. In fact... the thief is not even a man! She is right here in Xingyun Manor, yet almost everyone has overlooked her!"

"You really do have some skill!"

Lu Xiaofeng put down his wine cup. "So the Plum Blossom Thief is..."

"Lin..." Zhou Ming softly uttered a single word.

"Lin!" Lu Xiaofeng's eyes lit up. It really matched his own answer.

"Lin Shiyin!"

"That's right... no!"

Lu Xiaofeng nearly failed to react in time. He slammed a hand against the table and sprang to his feet, angrily saying, "How could it be Lin Shiyin? It's obviously Lin... In any case, it can't be Lin Shiyin! Don't make wild guesses, all right? If such speculation got out, it would harm Madam Long's reputation!"

Outside the wall, Lin Xian'er nearly ground her silver teeth to pieces.

When Zhou Ming said Lin Shiyin's name, she had still felt fortunate. But Lu Xiaofeng's following words sent a chill through her entire body.

She knew that despite all her precautions, this famed hero had still seen through her true identity.

"No! I have to find a way to resolve this!"

Take action?

How could she, merely at the acquired realm, possibly be a match for Lu Xiaofeng, who was at the innate realm?

Her beauty and body?

Before, she would have been utterly confident. But after suffering defeat before Li Xunhuan, she had come to understand that even her strongest weapon would not always work.

"What exactly should I do..."

In the courtyard, Zhou Ming said, "Don't get worked up. Since I made this deduction, I naturally have my reasons!"

"What kind of nonsense reason?" Lu Xiaofeng rolled his eyes. "Leaving aside that Madam Long is a woman, she has never practiced martial arts. How could she be the Plum Blossom Thief? Besides, the Plum Blossom Thief committed dozens of crimes, all to plunder wealth. Madam Long lacks neither food nor clothing and comes from a wealthy household. Why would she rob people for money?"

Zhou Ming smiled. "That only shows how little you know. Do you know that there was once an extraordinary man in the martial world named Wang Lianhua?"

"Of course. More than ten years ago, he was famous throughout the martial world. Legend said his martial arts were formidable, and that he was proficient in astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, astrology, and every sort of miscellaneous art. His skill at disguise and changing his appearance was unmatched in the world, which was why he was called the Thousand-Faced Wonder.

But at the time, there was also a famed hero in the martial world named Shen Lang. The two clashed several times, came to admire one another, and became confidants. Later, Shen Lang decided to journey overseas, and Wang Lianhua vanished with him."

Zhou Ming said, "But what you do not know is that before Wang Lianhua left, he deliberately compiled all the skills he had learned in his life into a book called the Treasured Mirror of Lianhua, so that his knowledge would not be lost. At the time, Little Li Flying Dagger was gaining fame throughout the martial world, so Wang Lianhua had someone deliver the book to Li Xunhuan, hoping Li Xunhuan would help him find a fine disciple to inherit his teachings.

But when the book arrived, Li Xunhuan happened to be away, while Lin Shiyin was there. Thus, the book fell into Lin Shiyin's hands. At that time, however, Lin Shiyin happened to be in conflict with Li Xunhuan.

Because Li Xunhua had made a group of dubious friends in the martial world and had no time to keep her company, Lin Shiyin secretly grew angry and always believed it was all Li Xunhuan's fault for practicing martial arts. So she hid the Treasured Mirror of Lianhua and kept Li Xunhuan from learning of it!"

Lu Xiaofeng had never heard such a rumor and asked suspiciously, "You didn't make this up, did you?"

"Why would I make up something like this? It's all true!"

Zhou Ming said, "So with that book in hand, Lin Shiyin could not only practice martial arts to strengthen herself, but might also be highly skilled at disguises and changing her appearance. The book itself contained techniques for concealed weapons, and she had been familiar with Li Xunhuan back then. Perhaps she had heard quite a few of his methods. With all that combined, she became capable of the Plum Blossom Thief's powerful concealed-weapon techniques!"

"Even if that were true, she wouldn't need to become the Plum Blossom Thief!"

Zhou Ming said, "You have been here for several days as well. You should have noticed that Xingyun Manor has quite a few shabby and dilapidated areas. Long Xiaoyun has considerable fame, but he is all show and no substance. With such an estate in his hands, he has managed it poorly. It is very possible that his expenses already exceed his income.

Lin Shiyin may be doing this to plunder wealth and supplement the household income!"

"Your deduction..." Lu Xiaofeng truly had nothing to say.

Because Xingyun Manor indeed had many rundown places, while Long Xiaoyun had always been praised in the martial world for his towering generosity.

What did towering generosity mean?

Put simply, it meant throwing money around like an idiot!

Using money to make friends naturally counted as towering generosity.

The result was soaring fame, but it was not very friendly to one's finances.

"Then by your reasoning, the current rumors that Li Xunhuan is the Plum Blossom Thief are also being manipulated in secret by Lin Shiyin?"

"Of course not. Lin Shiyin is only one person; she does not have that kind of ability. But Long Xiaoyun does!"

Lu Xiaofeng rubbed his teeth.

Because this deduction also matched his own thoughts. He too believed Long Xiaoyun was the one spreading the rumors, though he should have nothing to do with the Plum Blossom Thief. He merely wanted to exploit the matter of the Plum Blossom Thief.

"However, Lin Shiyin should know about this as well. Not only did she not stop it, she has even been secretly guiding and pushing it along."

"Why would she do that?"

"What do you think?"

Lu Xiaofeng was speechless. "Don't tell me Lin Shiyin is taking revenge over what happened ten years ago? That was already ten years ago!"

"But she has not been happy during those ten years either!"

Zhou Ming said, "Think about it. Lin Shiyin came from a scholarly family and loved literature rather than martial arts. She hid the Treasured Mirror of Lianhua back then because Li Xunhuan diligently practiced martial arts and associated with people from the martial world because of it.

But Li Xunhuan was at least accomplished in both literature and martial arts. Long Xiaoyun, by contrast, understood martial arts but not literature, and to maintain Xingyun Manor's holdings, he had made friends far and wide among martial artists.

Every one of those things happened to touch upon what Lin Shiyin hated most. Do you think she willingly married such a man? After living with someone like that for ten years, do you think she was happy?

Even if she said nothing during those ten years, that did not mean she had no resentment in her heart. It was like a sharp stone falling into a river and gradually becoming smooth. It was not that it had never been sharp, but that the river water wore it away bit by bit!

So do you think the process of changing from sharp to smooth was something that stone wanted?"

Lu Xiaofeng fell silent.

Zhou Ming continued, "During these days in the manor, have you seen Long Xiaoyun's son?"

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head.

"I'll tell you. That boy looks obedient and sensible on the surface, but his heart is as vile as a demon's. Though he is not even ten, his hands are already stained with the blood of dozens. You have not seen him because that boy has been running wild outside these past few days!"

"What?" Lu Xiaofeng said. "A child with dozens of lives on his hands? Impossible!"

"That is the truth! If you do not believe me, go investigate!"

Zhou Ming spread his hands. "And the result of your investigation will surely be exactly this! If a child is not properly taught, it is the father's fault! I need not say much about how this child became what he is.

The key is that Lin Shiyin, a woman raised in a scholarly family steeped in poetry and books... would she be happy to see her son grow into such a beast?"

Lu Xiaofeng fell silent.

Zhou Ming continued, "The four most important men in a woman's life are her father, her beloved, her husband, and her son!

She lost her father early in life and experienced little fatherly love.

She spent several years with her beloved, only for him to abandon her.

She married a husband, but he worked in the profession she hated most and did the things she hated most.

She gave birth to a son, but like his father, he loved violence and fighting. Though still young, he already killed without blinking and had a heart as vicious as a serpent's.

This was Lin Shiyin's life... Do you think she could be happy?"