Minglong

Chapter 18 Clues
In Qingquan Lane, the two-story mansion was silent.

Lin Wanyi sat upright on the bed, the sickly blush on her cheeks gradually fading. Because her skirt was wet and warmed by her body temperature, a light mist appeared on it, and her gold-rimmed glasses became foggy.

Coal Ball squatted at the head of the bed. Because the waiting time was a bit long and Xie Jinhuan didn't let it jump around, it fell asleep and completely turned into a pile of black coal ball.

Xie Jinhuan sat on the bedside stool, holding a martial arts book in his hand, seizing every spare moment to improve his martial arts.

She waited in silence for who knows how long. Before Lin Wanyi could completely refine the poison, there was a sudden knock on the door outside the yard:
dong dong dong~
"Have fun? Have fun?"

……

Lin Wanyi immediately became alert, calmed her mind and suppressed the poison, then raised her eyes and said:
"who?"

"Captain Yang, I think he's here to ask about the case just now."

When Lin Wanyi saw the people from the yamen coming, she naturally became nervous.

After all, as a witch from the witch cult, she must not be seen in public, but if she stops refining now, she will be injured by the blood clotting poison. Isn't this blocking both ends?

Xie Jinhuan knew that Lin Wanyi needed time, so he put away the booklet and stood up:

"I'll go get them out of the way."

But when he stood up, the ghost who was following him like a shadow suddenly reminded him in his ear:

"You're being targeted, and they might know where you live. She's powerless to protect herself, and it's unsafe for her to be left alone. I'll protect her for you, and you go get rid of the officers."

After a moment's thought, Xie Jinhuan finally believed the ghost's lies and took off the Zhenglun Sword, keeping it at home to protect the house.

"You carry this sword for self-defense. If you are bored, talk to Coal Ball."

"Guji~"

Meiqiu muttered something with his eyes closed, and then fell silent again.

Lin Wanyi was still refining the poison, so she didn't say much. After nodding in thanks, she continued to meditate.

……

squeak~
Soon, the heavy door opened from the inside.

Three figures stood outside the door, Linghu Qingmo in white clothes as white as snow was in the middle, Yang Dabiao who looked like a double-door refrigerator and the black-armored warriors were on the left and right.

Xie Jinhuan walked out the door with a normal expression and bowed:
"Miss Linghu, Brother Yang. Who is this gentleman?"

Liu Qingzhi was just talking about Xie Jinhuan, and he felt very sorry for his difficult life. He responded:
"Guard Liu Qingzhi greets Master Xie."

When Xie Jinhuan heard the name, he felt familiar. After a moment's recollection, he remembered that it was the brother who 'played the game that made Nong Yu fall asleep'. He could not help but say in surprise:

"It turns out to be Lord Liu. I've heard of you for a long time!"

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan wasn't being polite, but genuinely had heard of your name for a long time, Liu Qingzhi looked puzzled:
"Sir, have you heard of my name?"

Xie Jinhuan still remembered it clearly, but it was difficult to bring up what happened in the bedroom. He was just thinking about how to explain it when Mo Mo in the middle spoke:

"We'll talk about the politeness later."

Linghu Qingmo looked around the house:
"I heard that Doctor Lin was poisoned by the Blood Coagulation Powder. How is his condition?"

Xie Jinhuan said calmly, "Miss Lin is a doctor. She has a way to detoxify. She is recuperating now. Let's go out and talk if you have anything to say."

"Blood Coagulation Powder is not an ordinary poison. I brought an antidote pill."

Linghu Qingmo said this and walked towards the main house, wanting to see what was happening with Lin Wanyi.

But Xie Jinhuan definitely didn't dare to let her in, and stood in front of her:

"She's really fine. She was sweating and her clothes were all wet. She took them off and it was inconvenient for her to meet guests."

Naked?
Linghu Qingmo paused, half believing and half doubting:

"You just came to Danyang yesterday, and today you and Doctor Lin..."

Xie Jinhuan knew it was a bit abrupt, but luckily his hometown was also in Beijing, so he explained with a smile:
"I live in the capital. I used to go to the Lin family clinic quite often. I knew them before."

That's my old lover...

Linghu Qingmo frowned slightly, and his eyes probably meant - You have a lover and yet you touch my breast, you are a scumbag, right?

At this time, Lin Wanyi's voice was heard from the inner courtyard:

"Lord Linghu, I'm fine. I've taken the detoxification pill and am practicing my internal energy to heal my wounds. I'll be fine after a short rest. I'm injured and can't come out to greet you. Please forgive me, Lord Linghu."

Linghu Qingmo felt relieved when he heard that the person didn't seem to be seriously injured. He turned around and went back to the alley.
"I heard that Fu Dongping was hired by the bandits yesterday. Did you get any clues?" Xie Jinhuan closed the courtyard door and walked out of the alley with the three of them.
"I just got here yesterday, and I didn't expect Fu Dongping to come and kill me. He was so brutal that he was already dead before I could ask him more."

Linghu Qingmo was secretly worried when he saw this and sighed softly:

"Although slaying demons and monsters is a good deed, it's also appropriate to leave some alive, otherwise it will be difficult for the government to investigate the case."

Didn’t I leave anyone alive for the government yesterday?
Who knew that the government was so useless that it didn't even try to stop the bleeding of the thieves or give them any help?

Xie Jinhuan couldn't complain about Yang Dabiao, so he could only nod:
"My father always said that if you encounter a demon bandit, you should kill him if you can, and never rely on luck. I've gotten used to it, so I'll be more careful next time."

Yang Dabiao failed in his duty yesterday and interrupted:
"That's right, but being ruthless doesn't necessarily mean beating him to death. Next time, you can leave him alive and directly shatter his Qi Sea, then chop off his hands and feet, turning him into a human stick. I guarantee he won't be able to bite back, and the yamen can continue the interrogation."

Xie Jinhuan frowned, "This is too cruel. Killing is killing, but torturing for pleasure is an evil method."

"brutal?!"

The three of them looked back at the same time.

This time even Liu Qingzhi couldn't hold it anymore and reviewed the situation seriously:

"Yesterday, the monk was beaten to pieces, his flesh and blood covering half the alley. The yamen runners still haven't finished cleaning up the mess. Today, Fu Dongping's intestines were pulled out and thrown on the ground..."

"Okay!"

Linghu Qingmo was discussing the case. He raised his hand to stop the gossip and asked:
"How did these demon bandits find you?"

Xie Jinhuan spread out his hands: "I don't know. I stayed here last night and didn't go out all night. This morning, after having breakfast with Brother Yang, I went to the clinic and was met by the killer when I came out. Counting the time spent hiring the killer and following him, I should have been targeted last night."

"last night……"

Yang Dabiao crossed his arms and thought seriously:

"They were able to figure out your whereabouts in such a short time. There must be someone inside the government."

Xie Jinhuan sensed an insider trick, but was still puzzled:
"They have accomplices in the government office. They know I killed everyone in the warehouse in revenge. How could they not know my strength? Sending a worthless person like me here for nothing is a bit unreasonable."

Linghu Qingmo also felt that this matter was strange and thought about it:
"Maybe the insider doesn't know much. He only knows that you slaughtered the warehouse staff, but he doesn't know the specific circumstances. Fu Dongping is not a bad fish or shrimp. If it were any other twenty-year-old, he would have died eight times over."

As the four of them were discussing this, a constable suddenly ran over from the street:
"Master Yang! Master Yang!"

Yang Dabiao frowned: "What? Is there trouble in the city again?"

"No."

The constable came up to the four people and handed them a bottle:
"We were just collecting a body on Jinmen Street and found a bottle at the scene. Sir, take a look."

Xie Jinhuan glanced at the black bottle and said, "It's something from Fu Dongping. I saw it just now. It should contain blood coagulation powder."

Linghu Qingmo took out his handkerchief, took the empty bottle, examined it, and carefully smelled the scent:

"It is indeed the container of blood coagulation powder. Is there something wrong with this bottle?"

Yang Dabiao often visits the market, and now he frowns as he thinks:
"This bottle...wasn't this the same bottle used for the 'Dengxian Powder' that was seized by the government?"

Liu Qingzhi touched his chin and said, "It seems to be true. I caught a few poisonous insects in the Beggar's Kiln before. They had this kind of bottle on them. It is said that they bought it from Sanhe Building."

Xie Jinhuan had heard of "Dengxian Powder", which has hallucinogenic effects and makes people feel euphoric when taken, but it can damage the mind and is difficult to get rid of the addiction. It was banned when the Daqian Dynasty was founded, and his father used to check this out often.

Seeing that Liu Qingzhi knew the source, he asked in confusion:
"The government knew there was a place selling Ascension Powder, but they didn't send people to clean it up?"

Liu Qingzhi looked embarrassed. "I'm not sure if Sanhelou is selling this privately. The owner of Sanhelou is the Li family from Wencheng Street. The Li family is a relative of Li Gongpu, the Huangmen Lang, and a favorite of the current emperor..."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan nodded slightly and understood the reason.

Because Li Gongpu was always fawning around the emperor, he was secretly called "Eunuch Li" by court officials. Although his reputation was not very good, he was a second-rank official and was deeply trusted by the emperor. It was difficult for even the county government and the King of Dan to offend such a person, let alone offend him, so it would be strange if the government dared to investigate.

Linghu Qingmo thought carefully for a moment and asked:

"Is there a herb called 'Dragon Beard Grass' in the Dengxian Powder?"

Yang Dabiao was stunned and his expression became serious:

"Dragon's beard grass has a cold and yin nature, and can cause confusion. It seems to be found in the Ascension Powder. Could it be that Sanhelou secretly colluded with the demon bandits to collect dragon's beard grass, and when their warehouse was raided, they secretly hired thugs to retaliate?"

Linghu Qingmo found some clues and acted decisively:

"We can't ignore any clues. Let's go to Sanhe Building first."

Xie Jinhuan also wanted to know who was hiring someone to kill him. Lin Wanyi had Coal Ball and Pia to protect her, so it wasn't a problem. He immediately followed behind...

(End of this chapter)