Yin, Fair, Rich, and Beautiful

Liu Laodao had been living quite comfortably these past few days. The temple had incense offerings coming in, and there were more silver coins in his purse, so he could do whatever he pleased. Thus, when Li Yunxin saw him like this now, he knew Liu Laodao was not putting on airs or playing coy. Something had truly happened.

The old Daoist was filled with worries, as though Li Yunxin was the only person in his eyes. He actually ignored Miss Yin's presence entirely and blurted out, "Brother Xin, an old friend of mine has been thrown into prison. He's the old servant from the Qiao Household across the street... I heard he's been tortured beyond recognition by now... Brother Xin, you're capable. Think of something for me..."

Only after saying this did he realize someone else was nearby, and he hastily fell silent.

Miss Yin had already heard it all. She looked at Li Yunxin with curiosity and surprise.

So he... wasn't the old Daoist's disciple? And from the sound of it, not only was he no disciple, he was someone Liu Laodao had to beg for help. Miss Yin thought of this, but did not dwell on it further. Instead, driven by the subtle feelings unique to a young girl toward someone she fancied, she gave a light cough and said softly and gently, "Daoist sir, don't panic. Has your friend been taken by the authorities? Since he is from the Qiao Household, it must have been Nanhe Prefecture here in the city that took him, right? My uncle works at the prefectural office. Though he is only a constable, he can still put in a few words. If it isn't anything major..."

The old Daoist sighed deeply. "Ah, Miss Yin. Many thanks to you, Miss Yin... ah. But it isn't a small matter. The master's family accused him of murder—of trying to kill the mistress. They said Prefect Li was furious and personally ordered his arrest. I went to see the Qiao Household, but they would not even open the door. I also heard that three people truly were killed... ah... How could Lao Meng do such a thing? I don't believe it, ah..."

Miss Yin raised a hand to cover her mouth and let out a soft "Ah." She wanted to say, "Daoist sir, how could you have such a vicious friend?" But after glancing at Li Yunxin, she swallowed the words. In the end, she only said regretfully, "Ah... it was Prefect Li..."

The old Daoist bowed to her with a mournful face.

...She returned the courtesy with a demure bow.

What the old Daoist had actually wanted to say was, "Ah, then thank you, but we still have matters to discuss, so please be on your way, no need to see you out." Who would have thought that this well-bred girl would return the bow yet not leave, merely looking at Li Yunxin?

She was curious. Liu Laodao did not care much for someone as important as her uncle, yet he wanted "Brother Xin to think of a way"—just who was Brother Xin? What could he possibly do?

Could he be the son of some noble family?

But then why would he be living in this little temple?

Li Yunxin, however, now understood why this girl had so much leisure and money. Weicheng... in his former world, it would probably have been a municipality directly under the central government. The four prefectural divisions within Weicheng were roughly equivalent to prefecture-level cities where he came from. Miss Yin's uncle was a constable in Nanhe Prefecture, which made him something like the chief of police of a prefecture-level city. In any city, he would be a figure who could summon wind and rain—though at present all real authority was in the hands of the chief official, he still counted as a "high-ranking government official" in the eyes of ordinary folk.

Her uncle's "constable" and Constable Xing's "constable" were entirely different concepts...

Li Yunxin frowned slightly and thought for a while. Then he raised his head, looked at Miss Yin, then at Liu Laodao, and gently shook his head. "Something... isn't right."

An old servant killing his mistress, and already having killed three household servants—no matter the country or era, that should have been a case that shook the whole region. Yet even a fair, rich, beautiful girl like Miss Yin, who loved wandering about and gossiping, had only learned of it now. Clearly, the matter had been kept secret before this.

Even a dull-witted person would feel that the Qiao Household, murder, Liu Laodao, and an old servant did not quite fit together. Much less someone like Li Yunxin. He spent five seconds sorting out his thoughts, then another fifteen seconds deducing the whole sequence of events. In the end, the truth had already become one of several possibilities he had pieced together.

There were many clues to follow.

For example, the words Qiao Jiaming had spoken when they first met—his aim had only been to splash filth and ruin his cousin's reputation.

In an age where cousins were a match made in heaven, his intentions were obvious at a glance.

Later, when Li Yunxin spoke with the elder and younger Madam Qiaos, he had clearly seen the wonderfully subtle expressions on the younger Madam Qiao's face. Who would have thought that even within the not-so-large Qiao residence, there would be such filthy affairs?

But those were other people's affairs, and he was not some hot-blooded hero bursting with righteousness. It was enough to know a little; he had no wish to dig deeper. Yet he had not expected that now...

After asking a few more questions, he became even more certain of his deduction. The news had only been released today. No wonder Liu Laodao did not avoid Miss Yin—she would soon learn of it anyway.

For such an unusual case, she had not even heard of it from her uncle. That too showed how thorough the secrecy had been. There was something fishy going on.

Hmm. It seemed they had set their sights on him.

Psychopaths.

Why not just scheme properly for your family fortune and fight among yourselves behind closed doors?

Why insist on seeking death?

With a soft sigh in his heart, he turned to Miss Yin and said, "Miss, let me show you something."

The topic changed so quickly that both the girl and the old Daoist froze slightly. But Li Yunxin had already taken her hand and drawn several lines on her palm. Smiling, he said to her, "Feel carefully. What did I draw?"

Then he let go.

The old Daoist and the girl were even more stunned. Miss Yin held her mouth slightly open, saying "Ah" for quite a while before remembering that it was improper. She hurriedly lowered her head. What is wrong with him...? Why did he suddenly take my hand? What did he write? Heavens, does he perhaps... What he just wrote on my hand was...

Mm... what was written on my hand... mm? What hand? Who? Ah... what just happened?

Miss Yin slowly raised her head and saw Liu Laodao.

As if startled, she covered her mouth. "Ah, Daoist sir, when did you come back? Mm... Brother Xin, I'm leaving."

After saying that, she hurried out through the temple gate—even she did not know why she felt so flustered.

As though something terribly important had just happened.

Liu Laodao blinked for a long while. "This..."

"Mind-Loss Talisman." Li Yunxin clapped his hands. "A little trick from the Dao Tradition's Talisman Arts. It does nothing to people like you, only ordinary people. And it cannot be used often. Close the door. We are not receiving visitors today. Tell me in detail what happened."

Upon hearing this, the old Daoist hurried to close the temple gate.

He had thought it was only because of his old friend's matter, but he had not expected Li Yunxin to care so much. He had believed that this master of unknown origin was merely staying in his little temple to experience life's joys and sorrows, avoid certain troubles, and steer clear of worldly entanglements.

He simply had not expected... that Li Yunxin intended to help.

Thus, gratitude quickly filled his heart, and he felt steady and at peace.

Yet by nightfall, that bit of "peace" in Liu Laodao's heart had vanished without a trace.

Welcome, dear readers. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all here! Mobile users, please read on mobile.