Lin Yuan stopped and slowly turned around.
"What happened to Xiao He?"
Wang Ruogu's words were startling.
"She's dead!"
"She and her mother, both members of the household, died horribly in their home last night."
"The coroner and constables investigated. There were signs of a search inside the house. From the preliminary examination, the killer probably murdered them for their money."
Murdered for money!
Hearing those words, Lin Yuan's heart clenched hard.
His throat felt bitter.
"How much commission did she get yesterday?"
Wang Ruogu held up nine fingers.
"Nine hundred taels."
The courtyard fell silent.
Lin Yuan stood there without a word for a long time.
Nine hundred taels was indeed a heaven-sent fortune for an ordinary family.
He had merely seen that the little girl was sensible and kindhearted, and shown her a little kindness.
Just a tiny bit.
Yet that kindness had instead pushed mother and daughter down a road with no escape.
The frail girl and her bright, lively smile surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
Seeing something wrong with Lin Yuan's expression, Wang Ruogu cautiously edged half a step closer.
"Young Master Lin, the county office only traced this back to you by following the money."
"So I hurried over to ask whether you had any leads."
Lin Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood and Qi.
"Have you found anything?"
Wang Ruogu shook his head, his face full of bitterness.
"No."
"But the only people who knew she had such a large sum were those inside the Treasure Pavilion. Still..."
Before he could finish, Lin Yuan abruptly raised his head.
His expression turned icy, and he headed straight for the Treasure Pavilion.
Wang Ruogu froze, looked at Lin Yuan's retreating figure, then turned to Shen Qing.
"Commandant Shen, what is Young Master Lin..."
Shen Qing's brow furrowed tightly.
"Follow him, quickly! Something serious is about to happen!"
Though she had only known Lin Yuan for a few days, she knew this young man's temperament all too well.
Right now, he probably harbored a towering inferno of rage.
Eastern district, Treasure Pavilion.
More than a dozen saber-bearing constables guarded the entrance.
Seeing Lin Yuan approach with a dark expression, they all cupped their fists in greeting and made way of their own accord.
"Greetings, Young Master Lin!"
Without even lifting his head, Lin Yuan stepped straight over the threshold and went inside.
In the first-floor hall, more than a dozen attendants stood trembling in a row.
The older female steward paced back and forth with her hands behind her back, her eyelids twitching incessantly.
At the sight of Lin Yuan, she swiftly plastered a flattering smile across her face and hurried over.
"Oh, Young Master Lin, what brings you here?"
Although she did not know this young man's precise identity, the respectful manner of the constables outside alone told her he was a harbinger of calamity she absolutely could not afford to offend.
Lin Yuan ignored her completely.
His cold gaze swept across the attendants standing in a row.
The attendants he looked at felt chills down their backs. Their faces paled, and they instinctively shrank into their shoulders.
Just then, Wang Ruogu followed him inside, panting.
He moved close to Lin Yuan and lowered his voice.
"Young Master Lin, the constables have already questioned everyone in this pavilion thoroughly, one by one."
"They all have alibis for the time of the crime last night."
At this point, Wang Ruogu gave two dry chuckles, a trace of difficulty appearing on his face.
"You see, I opened this Treasure Pavilion together with several prominent families in the city. Perhaps we could let them resume business first?"
Lin Yuan turned his head and gave him a cold glance.
Wang Ruogu shuddered all over. Recalling Lin Yuan's terrifying strength, he immediately shut his mouth and took a step back.
Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze and walked toward the row of attendants.
The hall was so quiet that only his footsteps remained.
He circled the dozen or so attendants twice.
The attendants did not even dare raise their heads. Several timid ones had already begun trembling at the knees.
At one point, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
Lin Yuan stopped before the attendant in green.
The green-robed attendant kept her head lowered, both hands clutching the corners of her clothing in a death grip, not daring even to look up.
The next second.
Lin Yuan suddenly reached out, seized a fistful of the green-robed attendant's hair, and yanked her out!
"Ah!"
The green-robed attendant cried out in pain as he forcibly dragged her from the line and she fell to the floor.
Holding her by the hair, Lin Yuan silently dragged her toward a quiet room at the side.
"Young Master Lin! What are you doing? Let go of me!"
"Help! Steward, save me!"
The green-robed attendant clutched Lin Yuan's wrist, kicking wildly as she struggled and wailed frantically.
The female steward's expression changed. She was just about to speak up and stop him when Wang Ruogu shot her a fierce glare.
The other attendants were even more terrified, their faces bloodless as they clamped their hands over their mouths.
Shen Qing stood nearby with her arms folded, quietly watching without intervening.
Bang!
Lin Yuan kicked the door shut.
Inside the quiet room.
With a casual fling, Lin Yuan hurled the green-robed attendant to the floor.
Before she could climb up, Lin Yuan stepped forward and planted his foot heavily on her back.
The immense force pressed down until her chest felt stifled.
"Tell me, how did you get Xiao He killed?"
Lin Yuan looked down at her, his voice low.
The green-robed attendant twisted desperately, her features contorted with pain, tears and snot smearing her face.
"Young Master Lin, I'm innocent! I really didn't kill her!"
"I had an alibi last night! Have you got the wrong person?"
Lin Yuan wasted no more words.
He raised his other foot and stamped down hard on the woman's right palm, grinding it forcefully beneath his sole.
Crack!
"Ah!"
A piercing scream instantly rang throughout the quiet room.
The green-robed attendant convulsed in agony, her left hand desperately slapping the floor as cold sweat instantly soaked her clothes.
Lin Yuan crouched and leaned close to her ear.
"Xiao He was so young. She never even dared speak loudly."
"Why did you have to kill her?"
Under the excruciating pain, the green-robed attendant instead found a measure of viciousness stirred within her.
Her head drenched in cold sweat, she turned back and glared savagely at Lin Yuan, snarling through gritted teeth.
"You have no evidence! What gives you the right to say I did it?"
"Evidence?"
Looking at her face, Lin Yuan suddenly began to laugh in a low voice.
The laughter echoed through the room, making one's hair stand on end.
After laughing for a while, Lin Yuan abruptly raised his head, his expression bordering on madness.
"Xiao He is dead. I no longer have the heart to distinguish right from wrong."
With those words, he stood up.
Shing!
His saber left its sheath, its gleam reflecting on the green-robed attendant's deathly pale face.
Feeling that utterly undisguised murderous intent, the green-robed attendant's mental defenses collapsed completely, and she instantly panicked.
Ignoring the agonizing pain in her palm, she hastily scrambled onto her knees and kowtowed desperately.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! I really didn't mean it!"
Lin Yuan held his saber without a word.
Trembling all over in terror, the green-robed attendant sobbed out the truth.
"I... I have an older cousin named Liu Meng. He's a hall master in the Wild Dog Gang in the western district."
"Yesterday, Xiao He got nine hundred taels in commission. I was green with envy, so I sent word to my cousin."
"Who knew he would be so ruthless that he'd actually kill both mother and daughter!"
"Young Master Lin, this really has nothing to do with me! My cousin killed them! Please, spare me!"
Lin Yuan listened silently, his chest heaving violently despite himself.
Just as I thought!
Seeing that Lin Yuan still showed no intention of sheathing his saber, the green-robed attendant gritted her teeth.
She hurriedly climbed up from the floor and swiftly undid her sash with her only remaining hand, her left.
Her green outer robe slipped off, revealing...
Weeping, she pressed herself against him, took Lin Yuan's hand, and desperately pushed it into her bosom.
Lin Yuan stood where he was without moving, letting her do as she pleased.
Seeing that Lin Yuan did not push her away, a glimmer of hope instantly rose in the green-robed attendant's heart.
Sure enough, men were all the same!
She followed the motion and crouched down, tilting up her pitiful face, like pear blossoms drenched in rain.
Lin Yuan lowered his head and looked at her quietly.