The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chapter 114 Imprisoned

"Yu Niang—"

—

Young Master Shen stood there stunned, while the man who had led the way hurriedly went to help Yu Niang and reached out to check her breathing.

"No, she's not breathing anymore—"

Someone's dead—

A commotion instantly erupted around them as the opera troupe members gathered around. The man playing the scholar rushed over and pulled Yu Niang into his arms, crying, "Yu Niang, Yu Niang, wake up! You were fine just now, how come—"

He was in tears and couldn't continue speaking.

The onlookers, who had already planned to leave, heard the commotion and gathered back around.

"Make way, make way." The troupe leader squeezed in with a round-faced man, his brows furrowed.

"Master Zhou, Yu Niang suddenly became like this."

The troupe leader glanced around, then his expression darkened when he saw Young Master Shen: "How did he get in?"

"Master, I—" the man leading the way stammered.

The scholar suddenly looked up, staring intently at Young Master Shen, and interrupted, "It was you! You were the only one who came in!"

"What does this have to do with me?" Young Master Shen asked gravely. "I was two or three steps away from her just now, and I didn't touch her at all. This matter is suspicious and should be reported to the authorities so that they can investigate the truth."

"Report to the authorities! Of course we'll report to the authorities!" The scholar suddenly stood up, grabbed Young Master Shen by the collar, and said, "You're not leaving! Come with me to see the officials!"

"Let go, I won't run away. I'll go to the county government and explain things to you."

"Explain yourself? You were just in the audience, and now you've followed me here. What are you up to? Who knows!"

'

The troupe leader watched this scene, his gaze shifting. He saw the round-faced man shaking his head, and after hearing the guide's explanation again, he made up his mind.

"Alright, let go. This young master doesn't seem like a murderer."

The scholar gritted his teeth and reluctantly let go.

The crowd grew larger and larger, with all sorts of people talking about it.

"This young master isn't from our county, is he? The opera troupe said he was the one who killed someone?"

"What a wonderful girl she was, with such a figure and such a voice, just gone like that?"

"You can know a person's face but not their heart."

Young Master Shen listened to these gossips without uttering a word. Although he believed he had nothing to do with the matter, under the influence of the crowd's anger, nothing he said would make a difference.

After a while, Little Stone led several constables through the crowd and came in.

"Take them all away." The head constable didn't say anything more, just waved his hand.

Afu sat in front of Hu Nianshuang and relayed Young Master Shen's meaning.

Hu Nianshuang listened quietly, then smiled and said, "Young Master Shen is very kind."

She got up and walked to the dressing table, took out a small box, inside which was a handkerchief folded up, embroidered with several fox tail-like patterns. She pondered for a moment, then put it away, and took out a jade pendant, which she handed to Afu.

"Please take this back and give it to the young master. Tell him that I thank him for his care during this time and wish him a safe journey. There is no need to bring any gifts."

She looked up and met the fox's bright eyes. After a few moments, she changed the subject: "Just bring some more spices."

"So those spices that the fox couldn't smell came from the south," the fox thought to himself.

Afu solemnly accepted the jade pendant, then stole a glance at Hu Nianshuang's expression, and immediately his face lit up with joy: "Don't worry, young lady, I will definitely deliver it."

He put the jade pendant away, glanced at the fox beside him, then slightly raised his chin, straightened his back, snorted coldly, and left.

The fox was baffled.

Hu Nianshuang's gaze followed Afu until he left, then she sighed, "Fortunately, I still have my brother to keep me company."

The fox-like creature sidled up: "Where is Southern Xinjiang?"

"From Yunling Prefecture, we went south, passing through Lanchuan Prefecture and Heng Prefecture—then crossed the Five Ridges, and continued south until we reached the border of Daxuan."

"You're from southern Xinjiang?"

"My younger sister grew up in the Wuling Mountains before she entered this world."

"Oh. Young Master Shen can travel to such a far place?"

"His family had some dealings with merchants in the south, giving them more connections than the average person."

"Oh." The fox finally got to the point, "What good things did he bring you?"

Hu Nianshuang realized what was happening and teased, "Brother wants it too? If you do, I'll have Huan'er call Afu back."

"Yes, the fox is your brother now, so isn't he your elder? If he wants to marry you, shouldn't he have to worship the fox and give it some fun things?"

The fox seized the initiative with just one sentence.

Hu Nianshuang was stunned, and stammered, "Brother, what are you saying? I'm a fox, he's a human, I'm the most beautiful courtesan in this brothel, and he's the young master of the Shen family—"

"What does it have to do with anything?" the fox asked, looking puzzled.

Hu Nianshuang was speechless for a moment.

"How come this little fox's every word is so unanswerable? And how does it know so much at such a young age!" Hu Nianshuang gritted her teeth and retorted, "Brother, how do you know so much? Have you taken a fancy to some girl? Do you need your little sister to play matchmaker for you?"

"The fox isn't interested, and besides, the fox is a matchmaker herself," the fox said honestly. "The fox can also be a fortune teller, and the fox has even been a master of ceremonies."

"Oh, and there are also people playing the suona and drums—"

Hu Nianshuang stood frozen in place, unsure of what to say for a long time.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Afu rushed in, covered in sweat: "Miss Hu, something terrible has happened! My young master has been arrested!"

Hu Nianshuang was initially relieved, but then a sense of unease crept in: "What happened?"

Afu explained the situation in a few words and then hurriedly took his leave. He was on his way to the county government office, but when he passed by, he desperately sought medical help.

"Huan'er, go and prepare more money, and tell your mother I'm going out!"

Huan'er responded and left. Hu Nianshuang looked at the fox and saw it already standing at the door: "Let's go."

"Is my brother willing to help me?"

"It's all foxes, it's only right." The fox paused, "Besides, foxes have already done it once, and don't want to act as matchmakers for ghosts again."

"what?"

A life for a life, and the one who pays the price becomes a ghost. When a ghost wants to get married, a fox acts as matchmaker.

Foxes are known for their agile thinking.

The backyard of the county government office.

The coroner closed the courtyard gate, shutting out all the sounds coming from the main hall. Yu Niang lay on a wooden table, covered with a white sheet.

He gently lifted the white sheet, his gaze sweeping over the body. Footsteps approached from behind him, but without turning around, he said, "Note: The corpse is wearing a theatrical costume, the clothes are intact, and there are no signs of tearing."

"it is good."

The coroner opened the eyelids and examined the mouth and nose, saying, "No foreign objects were found in the mouth and nose, and the silver hairpin did not turn black when inserted, so oral poisoning can be temporarily ruled out."

"it is good."

The coroner examined each patient one by one: "No strangulation marks on the neck, no bruising, ruled out—"

"The spine is not misaligned or bent, and external forces have been eliminated —"

"All four limbs are intact, and there was no struggle."

"I've noted it all down—um, who are you?"

The fox did not answer, but mimicked the coroner's tone, saying, "The body is unharmed, the pupils are scattered and not focused, and the skin retains warmth. It is neither fully alive nor fully dead; this is a sign that the soul has left the body."

"Have you written everything down?"

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