"Young Master Wuyou, this is the place."
At the doorway of a room where the Gathering Wind Teahouse's staff rested, Fang Lian'er pointed into the empty room, then nervously hid behind Xu Taiping.
"Miss Lian'er, you saw the attendant walk inside with your own eyes, and he never came out afterward, correct?"
Xu Taiping scanned the room as he asked Fang Lian'er.
"Yes, young master."
Clutching Xu Taiping's arm, Fang Lian'er nodded repeatedly.
"Then I'll go in and have a look first."
Xu Taiping gently patted the hand Fang Lian'er had clasped around his arm, signaling for her to let go.
"Young Master Wuyou, I... I'll come in with you."
Fang Lian'er mustered her courage.
"Then hold Ping'an."
Xu Taiping took Little Monkey Ping'an out of his sleeve and placed him in Fang Lian'er's hands.
"Oh... oh!"
Fang Lian'er froze at first, then her eyes lit up, all fear vanishing from her gaze.
"Young master, the attendant who lives here is named Sun Wang. He enjoys listening to Grandpa's storytelling, so he's always looked after us."
"I happened to run into him when I was heading downstairs just now. When he heard Grandpa was injured, he insisted on coming downstairs with me to the inn to visit him."
"He also said he wanted to bring Grandpa some wound medicine from his hometown."
"So he asked me to wait at the door while he went back inside to get it."
"But I waited for ages, and he never came out. That was when I pushed the door open to look, only to find there wasn't a single person in the room..."
As Xu Taiping searched the room, Fang Lian'er followed behind him and recounted what had happened earlier.
"That is strange indeed."
Xu Taiping nodded at her words, then transmitted his