Chapter Twenty-Six: Orphan and Widow

What's wrong with him?

Lin Shu frowned slightly.

Although his mental state was poor, he still caught the trace of worry Chang Yi was trying hard to conceal on his face.

Something is not right.

Collecting his thoughts, Lin Shu stepped out of the dilapidated Firewood Courtyard under the curious gaze of the young widow.

Chang Yi squeezed out a somewhat stiff smile at Yun Niang before closing the courtyard gate.

"What exactly is the matter?"

Black Charcoal's abnormal behavior made Lin Shu perk up for the moment.

"Follow me."

It wasn't enough to just close the gate; the constable led Lin Shu through several twists and turns until they stood under an old tree at the corner of the street.

Chang Yi looked left and right before finally fixing his gaze on the young man in front of him.

His lips parted as if he were organizing his words: "You asked me to keep an eye on your family members that day..."

"It's the courtyard," Lin Shu corrected him.

"Whatever, it's all the same." Chang Yi sighed.

He clearly had no heart to dwell on such trifles: "I was worried that if I were away, the Cunning Fox Hall might take advantage of the situation, so I mentioned it to a colleague who patrols the street with me. Guess what he said?"

"Can you stop beating around the bush?" Lin Shu cast a speechless glance at Black Charcoal.

"The owner of the Firewood Courtyard is called Old Woman Chen. She was originally from the South Suburb. Her husband passed away early, and she raised her only son alone."

As Chang Yi spoke, his pace gradually quickened: "Later, that son accidentally found a broken bowl. Relying on the immortal aura remaining on it, he successfully stepped into the Qi Refining Realm. Not only did he become a Purple Flood Dragon Constable, but he also settled his mother down in the West City."

"..."

Lin Shu's eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but connect Black Charcoal's words with the immortal aura inside the Firewood Courtyard.

He felt as if he had heard this story once before.

Just as he thought Chang Yi was about to continue talking about the broken bowl, the other man changed the subject.

"That constable predecessor was a newcomer who offended the Blackwater Gang. Because he was too inexperienced, he was lured into an ambush. Even though the yamen investigated for a long time, they found no evidence, and the matter was eventually dropped."

"After this incident, Old Woman Chen went crazy."

Speaking of this, Chang Yi's expression dimmed.

People are forgotten once they are gone, let alone when they are dead.

Furthermore, since that predecessor came from the South Suburb, he didn't even have two acquaintances in the West City, let alone relatives.

At first, the yamen helped pay to take care of the Crazy Old Woman.

But as time passed and the old woman moved elsewhere, people gradually stopped paying attention.

"But none of this has anything to do with you."

Chang Yi composed himself, his gaze turning strange once more: "The key point is that the predecessor had only been in the West City for half a year and was busy with his duties, so..."

"He never had time to marry."

If he wasn't married, how could there be a widow!

And where did the children come from?

Chang Yi had already investigated the matter thoroughly, yet even after recounting it, he still felt a sense of horror.

A crazy old woman had her nest occupied by magpies.

The retirement money her son had traded his life for, along with her very life, were now controlled by two strangers.

It was as if robbers had broken into a home, yet the victim was unable to call for help, and the neighbors all assumed they were her kin!

"Hey, aren't you surprised?"

Chang Yi suddenly noticed the calm expression on the young man beside him.

"I am surprised." Lin Shu nodded slightly.

"Not a word of truth out of your mouth!" Chang Yi clearly didn't believe him. No one would be this calm when surprised; it was a waste of his effort to rush over and report the news the moment he found out.

"Hoo."

Lin Shu was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath.

He was actually telling the truth.

It was just that the two of them were surprised by different things.

When someone died in the courtyard, the young widow's first reaction was to dispose of the body rather than tend to the children.

Combined with the elegant handwriting on that note, and the way the woman handled things in an orderly and measured manner, making it very comfortable to be around her.

All these manifestations made Lin Shu realize that the widow's identity was unusual.

He had never interfered, simply because he couldn't be bothered to meddle in other people's business.

As long as it didn't affect him, he didn't care.

To put it bluntly, even now, Lin Shu hadn't even asked the widow for her name.

Perhaps it was the influence of the memories left behind by his predecessor.

He had seen with his own eyes the worry on the old woman's face for her grandson.

Because of this, Lin Shu had guessed that this family might have had an unusual background in the past.

He just never expected that even the fact that they were a "family" was a lie.

"I'm telling you this so you'll be careful. That girl is no simple character; don't go getting yourself lost in a bed of silk."

Chang Yi shook his head with feigned maturity, taking the opportunity to sneak a pat on Lin Shu's shoulder, hoping to regain some face.

But upon noticing the young man's complete lack of reaction, he suddenly panicked: "Wait, you aren't actually planning to kill them, are you?!"

Since he had already inquired about Old Woman Chen, Chang Yi naturally knew about the theater troupe as well.

This was also the reason his attitude toward Lin Shu had shifted once again today.

To stand up for the Crazy Old Woman and ruthlessly slaughter four bastards—even if he were a fox, he was a fox with a sense of chivalry!

But the problem was...

"Old Woman Chen was beaten to death by Liu San from the South Suburb."

Chang Yi recalled the brutal way the man before him had acted and hurriedly added: "Even if this orphan and widow aren't exactly good people, they haven't reached that point yet. Don't you dare—"

"I'm telling you, if those two die, I'm definitely pinning it on you!"

He had come over out of kindness to offer a warning, not to cause anyone's death.

If those two died, Chang Yi would surely be so remorseful he wouldn't be able to sleep for a fortnight.

"Do I look like I have a screw loose?"

Lin Shu rolled his eyes at him, turned, and walked toward the street, saying lazily: "Going back."

He acted as if he had just finished listening to someone else's story, offering no commentary throughout, his emotions showing no significant fluctuation.

He returned to the courtyard just as quietly.

Inside the courtyard.

A smile bloomed on Yun Niang's obedient face, and she said crisply: "Master Lin is back. What would you like to eat tomorrow morning?"

It was far better for her benefactor to associate with a constable than with that bunch of foxes.

"Anything is fine, you decide."

Lin Shu responded as usual, his expression and gaze showing nothing out of the ordinary.

He paced into the side room and pulled the door shut behind him.

The same scene had played out countless times recently.

The two had developed a certain tacit understanding, always ending with Yun Niang saying, "Please rest."

But this time, the young widow stood where she was, a hint of hesitation gradually appearing on her face.

Inside the side room.

Lin Shu lowered his eyes and tried to tug at the corners of his mouth.

It was just like when he had been beaten half to death and was leaning against the woodshed in the South Suburb.

This was his habit.

When in an extremely unpleasant mood, he would adopt a relaxed posture to allow himself to temporarily calm down.

But this time, it didn't seem to be working.

Even if his experience was richer than his predecessor's, he was, after all, only human.

And humans get tired.

A deep sense of exhaustion welled up in Lin Shu's eyes as he sat on the bed, expressionless.

If he remembered correctly.

It had been nearly half a month since he first opened his eyes in the South Suburb, and he hadn't had a single full night's sleep yet.

Most of the time, he just leaned back in the armchair at the Magpie Nest, closing his eyes for a light nap.

First, he had taken the money, so he had to see the job through.

Whether it was the prostitutes or the madams, they were far too fragile in the face of a martial artist; if he wasn't careful for even a moment, they might stop breathing.

Secondly, Lin Shu didn't like the smell inside Green Willow Alley.

It was a sickening stench filled with the Cunning Fox Hall's scams, coercion, and lures, all converging into a street of flesh and blood.

He was accustomed to keeping his work and his life separate.

Relatively speaking, this dilapidated Firewood Courtyard was much cleaner, which put Lin Shu's mind somewhat at ease.

He and that pair of orphans and the widow kept to themselves, and living like this was perfectly fine.

But now...

That sense of ease had been snatched away.

The dilapidated Firewood Courtyard was no cleaner than Green Willow Alley.

In comparison, even those courtesans—whether they were snobbish or fearful, pleasantly surprised or relieved—at least the expressions on their faces were real.