Street vendors had never seen much of the wider world, but they were experts at reading faces.
The dessert stall owner caught the flicker of embarrassment on their faces at once and took an aggressive step toward the people behind him.
His beady eyes brimmed with accusation. "An assassination?"
It was midsummer, and he wore loose, lightweight clothes. The dessert stall owner briskly rolled up his sleeve, exposing a soft mound of flab on his arm. With a smack, he slapped it, sending ripples through the fat.
He pointed at the Assassin who had been killed nearby, even some of his fear fading. "Me?!"
Are you saying I tried to assassinate someone?
With this body?!
The Assassin lying lifeless on the ground nearby had a lean, powerful build, in stark contrast to the dessert stall owner's physique.
The little stall suddenly fell silent.
Liaochen: "..."
Zhong Chengwang: "..."
The assembled officials: "..."
They had obtained information from the little one's inner thoughts so often and so easily that their first reaction upon hearing them had been to assume something was wrong with this vendor, instinctively overlooking all the holes in that conclusion.
For instance, the stall owner was pale and plump, without the slightest sign of martial training.
For instance, their group had been sitting here for quite some time, yet the stall owner had completely failed to recognize who they were.
And for instance... the sweet soups here were actually quite delicious.
Still, the court officials who had not managed to speak cast condemning looks at Liaochen and Zhong Chengwang.
They had not said those words, after all. They remained upright, spotless officials who had never falsely accused an innocent citizen.
Liaochen, who had only thrown one bucket of dirty water, gave a light cough and shifted his feet,