Reborn and married in a swapped marriage, my aloof husband is too ruthless.

The innkeeper's expression changed, his eyes flickered, and he chuckled dryly, "Talk? Talk about what? If you two gentlemen would like some tea, I would naturally welcome you, but if..." As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the door, as if he wanted to take the opportunity to slip away.

Su Jinxin reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist and saying coldly, "Mr. Zhang, you know perfectly well why we're here. Why pretend to be stupid?"

The shopkeeper was grabbed by her and couldn't move, as if he were being clamped in pliers.

He forced a smile, but couldn't hide the panic in his eyes: "Madam is joking, I don't understand..." Before he could finish speaking, Yan Cheng'an stepped forward, and the chill emanating from his body silenced the shopkeeper instantly.

Yan Cheng'an looked at him coldly, his thin lips slightly parted: "Boss Zhang, we know that the rumors about the Yan family in the city recently have all started from your teahouse."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the shopkeeper's forehead. His eyes darted around, and he dared not look Yan Cheng'an in the eye.

"This...this is just guests chatting, how could I possibly control them?" He tried to defend himself, but his words sounded weak and ineffective.

Su Jinxin sneered, "Boss Zhang, do you think we're three-year-olds? This teahouse is yours. Can't you hear what the customers are saying? Or are you deliberately letting these rumors spread to profit from them?"

The shopkeeper's face grew even uglier. He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but dared not.

Just then, the teahouse door was suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang.

The shopkeeper's face turned deathly pale instantly. He looked toward the door in horror and saw two burly men guarding the entrance, their faces fierce and menacing.

Su Jinxin frowned slightly. She hadn't expected the shopkeeper to be so timid and cowardly. It seemed that it would take some effort to get him to talk.

She secretly regretted that she should have just arrested the shopkeeper to avoid all this trouble.

Yan Cheng'an looked at the shopkeeper and said in an icy tone, "Boss Zhang, do you have anything to say now?" The shopkeeper trembled all over. He looked at the burly man at the door, then at Yan Cheng'an and Su Jinxin in front of him, and knew that he was doomed today.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision, and slowly began to speak: "I...I'll talk..."

Yan Cheng'an stared intently at Manager Zhang, his voice as cold as winter ice: "Manager Zhang, confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely. Confessing now might save you a way out."

Shopkeeper Zhang trembled with fear, but he still gritted his teeth and dared not speak.

He knew that if he revealed the mastermind behind it all, he would be in deep trouble.

Seeing this, Su Jinxin chuckled, took out a heavy bag of silver from her sleeve, and placed it on the table, making a crisp sound.

"Mr. Zhang, a wise man submits to circumstances. As long as you tell us everything you know, this money is yours."

The gleaming silver shimmered under the lamplight, dazzling Manager Zhang.

He swallowed hard, his mind in turmoil.

Faced with the threat from the mastermind on one side and the lump sum of money on the other, he hesitated.

Su Jinxin noticed his wavering and added fuel to the fire: "Mr. Zhang, you should know that the Yan family is not to be trifled with. If we find out that you were involved, the consequences will be more than you can bear."

These words completely shattered Manager Zhang's psychological defenses.

He reached out with trembling hands and grabbed the bag of silver, his voice shaking as he said, "It was... a man in black who gave me a large sum of money to spread these rumors."

"Men in black?" Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

"Yes, the man in black. He always wore a mask, so I couldn't see his face or hear his voice," Zhang recalled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"What else did he say?" Yan Chengan pressed.

Shopkeeper Zhang thought about it carefully and said, "He also said... he also said that as long as I do as he says, I can get more money and my safety will be guaranteed."

Su Jinxin sneered: "Guarantee your safety? He can't even protect himself, how can he guarantee your safety?"

Manager Zhang dared not speak, but simply lowered his head and clutched the bag of silver tightly.

"Besides these, what else do you know?" Yan Cheng'an continued to press.

Shopkeeper Zhang hesitated for a moment and said, "He also gave me an address and told me to go there to collect the money every night."

Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan had a sudden realization; this might be an important clue.

"What address?"

Shopkeeper Zhang stammered out a location: "West of the city...the abandoned dye house in the west of the city..."

Yan Chengan and Su Jinxin exchanged a glance and got up to leave.

"Wait!" Manager Zhang suddenly called out to them.

Su Jinxin turned around and looked at him coldly: "Is there anything else?"

Shopkeeper Zhang swallowed hard, his eyes darting around. "I...can I go with you? I...I'm scared..."

Su Jinxin sneered: "You're scared? Now you know what fear is? If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place!"

Yan Chengan pulled Su Jinxin back and said calmly, "Bringing him along might be useful."

Su Jinxin glanced at Yan Chengan and finally nodded.

The three walked out of the teahouse. Night had fallen, and the western part of the city was utterly silent… A cold wind blew past, and Manager Zhang shivered. He pointed ahead, his voice trembling, and said, “It’s…it’s right there…”

The abandoned dyehouse in the west of the city, in the darkness of night, resembles a menacing monster, exuding an eerie atmosphere.

Manager Zhang followed closely behind Su Jinxin, trembling and almost afraid to take a step.

Yan Cheng'an walked ahead, observing the surroundings discreetly, holding Su Jinxin's hand tightly, offering her silent support.

Su Jinxin grasped his hand in return, feeling the warmth from his palm, which brought her a sense of peace.

Inside the dyehouse, a pungent musty smell permeated the air. The dilapidated dye vats lay scattered about, telling tales of the place's former prosperity, now reduced to a desolate silence.

Yan Cheng'an drew his sword and looked around warily, while Su Jinxin carefully observed the marks on the ground.

“Someone has been here.” Su Jinxin pointed to the messy footprints on the ground, her tone certain.

Yan Chengan followed her gaze and indeed found some fresh footprints. These footprints were of different sizes, indicating that there was more than one person.

"It seems that this is not only where Manager Zhang takes money, but also one of their secret hideouts." A shrewd glint flashed in Su Jinxin's eyes.

Following the footprints, they arrived at the backyard of the dye house and discovered a hidden door concealed behind weeds.

Yan Cheng'an stepped forward and forcefully pushed open the hidden door. A putrid stench wafted out, making him want to vomit.

Behind the hidden door is a passage leading underground.

Yan Cheng'an raised a tinderbox and lit the oil lamps on both sides of the passage, the dim light illuminating the dark passage.

Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan exchanged a glance and went inside without hesitation.

At the end of the passage was a spacious basement.

Several tables were placed in the basement, piled high with ledgers and letters.

Su Jinxin picked up a ledger and flipped through it, finding it recorded a large number of monetary transactions, as well as some names and locations.

“These ledgers record all their transactions.” A cold glint flashed in Su Jinxin’s eyes. “It seems we’ve found crucial evidence.”

Yan Cheng'an picked up a letter, quickly glanced through it, and his expression turned serious. "This letter... mentions an organization called 'Shadow'."

“Shadow?” Su Jinxin’s heart tightened; she had never heard of this name before.

"It seems there's an even bigger conspiracy behind this," Yan Chengan said in a low voice.

Su Jinxin put away the account books and letters, and said to Yan Chengan, "Let's go back first and study these things carefully."

Yan Chengan nodded, and the two turned to leave.

Just then, a soft footstep came from the entrance of the passage... Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan exchanged a glance, a sharp glint in their eyes, "It seems that someone doesn't want us to leave here alive..." The footsteps grew closer, and the person making no attempt to conceal their presence.

Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan quickly hid in the shadows, holding their breath.

Three men in black filed in, each carrying gleaming swords.

They looked around, and one of them whispered, "Strange, we clearly saw them come in, but where are they?"

Another man snorted coldly, "They must be hiding. Search them!" The men in black dispersed and began to carefully search every corner of the basement.

Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan exchanged a glance, preparing to make their move.

The next day, in the bustling teahouse, Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan sat in an inconspicuous corner, observing the customers coming and going.

Manager Zhang stood nervously to the side, occasionally stealing glances at Su Jinxin's expression.

"Manager Zhang, don't be nervous." Su Jinxin took a sip of tea, her tone calm. "Tell me, what have you been hearing lately?"

Shopkeeper Zhang wiped the sweat from his brow and hurriedly said, "I...I've heard that there's been a lot of talk in the city lately, saying...saying that you, Madam..."

He paused, not daring to continue.

Su Jinxin raised an eyebrow: "What did you say about me?" Manager Zhang trembled with fright and stammered, "You...you said that you and...and that young master Xu..." Yan Chengan clenched his fist, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Su Jinxin simply smiled faintly and said, "Continue."

Manager Zhang took a deep breath and said, "They said...they said that you and Young Master Xu rekindled your old flame, and...they even met in private..."

"Oh? Meeting in private?"

Su Jinxin put down her teacup, her gaze sharp. "Did they say where they would meet?"

Manager Zhang's expression changed, and he stammered, "This...this...I...I don't know..."

Su Jinxin smiled slightly, but there was a hint of coldness in her smile: "Manager Zhang, it seems you're hiding something from me."

She took a silver ingot from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and slowly said, "I think this silver ingot is enough to remind you of some things."

Manager Zhang stared at the silver ingot, his eyes gleaming. In the end, he couldn't resist the temptation and tremblingly reached out his hand... "Wait!" a sharp voice suddenly rang out.

A richly dressed woman walked over, her eyes sweeping contemptuously over Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan, and she sneered, "Su Jinxin, what tricks are you playing now?"