Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Ji Nuan and Song Jinbai looked at each other, and their hearts tightened.

Song Jinbai pretended to be calm and said, "Master, is there something wrong with my wife's fate?"

The abbot contemplated her intently for a moment before speaking slowly, "This female donor's fate indicates an early death. She is clearly doomed. Yet, she is standing before me alive and well. This truly is beyond my comprehension!"

Song Jinbai's face suddenly changed, and a strong sense of uneasiness suddenly surged in his heart.

A sign of premature death? A person destined for death?

How could this be possible! Nuan'er was the one he wanted to spend his whole life with!

Song Jinbai was in a state of panic and asked anxiously, "Master, is there any way to resolve this?"

Ji Nuan heard some clues and guessed that what the master saw should be the fate of the original body.

She gently held Song Jinbai's trembling hand and soothed him softly, "Don't worry, my husband. My fate has already changed. The master just said that he can't see through it."

After saying that, Ji Nuan winked at Song Jinbai playfully and scratched his palm twice with her fingers.

A light bulb went off in Song Jinbai's mind, and he suddenly remembered the magical things about Ji Nuan, and his tense nerves relaxed instantly.

How could he forget about this? Nuan'er is a flower demon. How could such an extraordinary being die so easily?

Blame him, blame him. I was so concerned that I forgot about it.

After lunch, the four of them went down the mountain to retrieve the carriage from Zhang’s house and headed straight for Shuangxi County without stopping.

This time I still chose to stay at Hongfu Inn.

Coincidentally, the shopkeeper still remembered Song Jinbai and his group. As soon as they entered the door, he smiled warmly and was extremely enthusiastic. He quickly arranged the best room in the inn for them.

Just as everyone had settled their luggage, An Wu, a subordinate of Shadow who was assisting with the case at the county government office, hurried over to report.

Song Jinbai left Ji Nuan in the room to wash up, and he met An Wu in Song Huai's room.

An Wu looked guilty. He knelt on one knee after entering the room, clasped his fists and said, "Sir, I failed in my duty and let Ruan Niang escape."

Song Jinbai frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is going on?"

An Wu didn't dare to hide anything and quickly reported everything: "Sir, the two men we captured in Zhangjia Village and the tea vendor, Hua Pozi, have all confessed. Hua Pozi explained that they would deliver the abducted girls every seven days, bringing them to the abandoned City God Temple in the east, where Ruan Niang would pick them up."

"In order to apprehend Ruan Niang and the others as quickly as possible, the county government deployed personnel around the City God Temple in advance and had Hua Pozi contact Ruan Niang to meet at the City God Temple. However, they didn't expect that Ruan Niang was actually a martial artist, and the two servants she brought with her were also experts. In the fierce battle, many of the yamen runners were injured, and one was even killed. Although my subordinates tried their best and seriously injured Ruan Niang, they still let her escape."

Song Jinbai's face was solemn. "Have you found out who Ruan Niang is?"

It was originally thought that this case might be related to Prince Qi, but unexpectedly, it also involved people from the underworld. The matter seemed to become more complicated and difficult.

You must know that most of the underworld forces are entrenched in the Dongzhou area, and have always maintained a delicate balance with the imperial court, and have not interfered with each other.

The Dongzhou martial arts world belongs to the Dongchu territory and is directly governed by the Dongzhou City Lord.

During the reign of Emperor Taizu, he established rules with the martial arts community, explicitly stipulating that the various factions within the martial arts world must not interfere in court affairs, collude with court officials, or participate in power transitions within the imperial family. For many years, this established rule has been adhered to by all parties.

But now the appearance of Ruan Niang seems to break the original peace.

An Wu: "My Lord, the apparent identity we've discovered is that Ruan Niang is the shopkeeper of Yanliu Pavilion. However, the news from the county magistrate is that the concubine of the second master of the Liu family's branch in the capital is the shopkeeper of Yanliu Pavilion."

Song Jinbai frowned and asked sharply, "Which Liu family?"

An Wu secretly raised his eyes and quickly glanced at Song Jinbai's face. Seeing that the adult's mood was relatively stable, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's the Liu family, the Minister of War."

Song Jinbai nodded slightly, and after a moment's thought, he asked, "How are the arrangements made at the county government office?"

"The county government is already searching for Ruan Niang's whereabouts with all its might, but we're currently severely short-staffed."

Song Jinbai flicked his right index finger lightly on the table. After thinking for a moment, he called out in a deep voice, "Shadow."

As soon as he finished speaking, a shadow suddenly appeared from somewhere, bowed, clasped his fists, and said loudly, "Your subordinate is here."

"The people you brought will be transferred to the county government office to help search for Ruan Niang's whereabouts." Song Jinbai gave the order decisively.

Now that Ruan Niang is injured, she will definitely not be able to leave Shuangxi County in the short term. This is the perfect time to look for her.

Shadow, however, showed hesitation and tried to dissuade him, "Your Excellency, please do not do so. My duty is to protect you. If we withdraw all our men, what if something happens to you?"

Song Jinbai spoke again without question: "Okay, no need to say more, just follow my orders."

Seeing the master's firm attitude, Shadow knew that it was useless to persuade him, so he immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and accepted the order: "Yes, sir!"

After saying that, he exchanged a glance with An Wu, and the two of them flashed and disappeared from the spot in an instant, leaving only the ripples of their clothes slightly floating in the air, indicating that they were still there.

In the guest room, Ji Nuan had already changed into a refreshing outfit. The loose dress made her look even more lazy and leisurely.

She was leaning on the couch, rewatching an old movie on her cell phone with great relish.

When Song Jinbai pushed the door open, a look of surprise appeared on his face for a moment.

Just now, outside the door, he clearly heard several different voices, but Ji Nuan was the only one in the room.

"How is it? Have they caught everyone?"

When Ji Nuan saw Song Jinbai coming back, she moved inward, patted the seat next to her, and motioned him to come and sit down.

Then she waved her hand lightly, and a plate of golden and crispy fried chicken and fragrant French fries appeared out of thin air on the small table, as well as two glasses of juice.

Song Jinbai sat down next to Ji Nuan, took the wet towel she handed him and wiped his hands carefully. Then he picked up a French fry and fed it to Ji Nuan, saying, "She ran away. This Ruan Niang is a martial arts expert. She injured many yamen runners. Even though she was seriously injured by An Wu, she was able to escape in the end."

Ji Nuan's cheeks were bulging with fries, and he mumbled incoherently, "Why are you involved with the underworld again? Do you know which force is behind this?"

Song Jinbai shook his head, confused for a moment.

Ji Nuan was holding a half-bitten French fry in her hand, dipping it carelessly into ketchup and unconsciously drawing circles on the table.

Suddenly, she looked up, her eyes clear.

"When An Wu was fighting them, did you notice what kind of martial arts Ruan Niang was using? Each sect in Dongzhou has its own unique skills. Maybe we can find clues from them."

Song Jinbai raised his hand and gently stroked the loose hair on Ji Nuan's temples. "Nuan'er and I have the same idea. Eat quickly if you're hungry. Others will take care of these things."