Chapter 147

Sharing a Quilt and a Bed

At this moment, Liu Fuquan spoke out loudly and casually. As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but grin on his bloated face. Seeing him laugh, the two yamen runners who had come with him couldn't help but laugh and chime in.

"Hehe~, the Magistrate is right! You wouldn't know, Miss, but the situation back then was truly terrifying. But that person was even more interesting; he came along with us, and then the moment he saw the corpse, he let out a shriek in fright..."

"Exactly, exactly! At the time, he almost gave us a fright. We were thinking, isn't it just a dead person? Was there any need for that..."

The two slightly older yamen runners spoke one after another. Hearing this, Liu Fuquan laughed even more heartily, but then his expression suddenly stiffened, and he glared at the two of them.

"Go, go, go, get aside, don't run your mouths. Is there any place for you two to speak here?"

Liu Fuquan scolded in a low voice, then smiled ingratiatingly at Nie Jinxuan. But at this moment, listening to their words, Nie Jinxuan's eyes flashed in an instant.

"It's fine, Magistrate Liu. But since you and these two brothers just mentioned it, was there really another person following those two scholars on the day the incident occurred?"

"Yes, there was one!"

"Then may I ask, Magistrate Liu, do you know what that person did for a living?"

"Hmm... I don't actually know what he did, and I didn't ask. But looking at his attire and appearance, if I'm not mistaken, he should have been a servant. Because on the first day when I brought people over, that person was the one holding the boat, standing on the shore. It's just that I was in a hurry to save people at the time, so I didn't pay him much attention..."

"Oh, I see. Then, Magistrate Liu, do you still remember what that person looked like?"

"His features are a bit blurry... but I remember he wasn't very old, just in his early thirties, looking honest and simple. Anyway, he looked very timid, not as spirited as the average young man!"

Liu Fuquan could not describe the man's appearance. However, just as Liu Fuquan's voice faded, the two yamen runners who had interrupted earlier could not help but step forward to chime in again.

"Magistrate, you don't remember, but I do... That man wasn't tall, he was a bit thin. Rather than calling him honest, I felt he was just too timid..."

"Yes, I remember too. I also remember that on the first day we arrived, that man was standing to the side, looking all trembling and fearful. I originally wanted to ask him some questions, but before I could even open my mouth, he was so scared he ran off to the side..."

The two yamen runners were quite talkative, vying to tell the story of that day. Seeing this, Liu Fuquan hurriedly glared at them and scolded them repeatedly. But while the three of them were making a scene on the side, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but frown, then turned to look at Yin Fengzhan.

Neither Yin Fengzhan nor Nie Jinxuan had expected that there were not just three people who came with Huang Hu and the others that day, but a total of four.

Regarding this unexpected news, Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but feel a sense of alarm. But just as Nie Jinxuan was about to say something to Yin Fengzhan, and while Liu Fuquan and his two subordinates were arguing incessantly, a shout suddenly came from the forest path.

"Master, Master... it's, it's bad... it's bad..."

The person who came in a panic was the Assistant Magistrate of the yamen. After the Assistant Magistrate arrived and explained, it turned out that just a moment ago, several cows belonging to a family on the hillside at the east end of town had been startled and were now running toward the town. If they reached the town, it would surely cause trouble. That was why the Assistant Magistrate, upon hearing the news, had rushed here to find Liu Fuquan.

Clearly, it was not the first time that family's cows had been startled. So, upon hearing this, Liu Fuquan, who had previously been annoyed by the Assistant Magistrate's recklessness, was suddenly startled. He then turned to explain the situation to Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan. At this point, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan, who were already standing nearby, understood the ins and outs of the matter without him needing to say more, and they didn't say anything. After another round of apologies, Liu Fuquan led his subordinates and hurried down the mountain... Watching their retreating backs, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but find it amusing, but she still let Zhongli follow them, and instructed Zhongli to lend a hand if there was anything he could help with!

Afterwards, Zhongli nodded in acknowledgment and followed them down the mountain. Thus, in the blink of an eye, the once noisy lakeside was left with only Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan.

With no one else around, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but let out a breath. She then turned to look at Yin Fengzhan beside her.

"Yin Fengzhan, what do you think?"

Nie Jinxuan asked in a low voice. As she finished, she raised her eyes to meet Yin Fengzhan's gaze. But upon hearing this, Yin Fengzhan only pursed his lips and said expressionlessly:

"Now we can be absolutely certain that the deceased from back then was indeed Jin Jingyuan! And we can also confirm that Jin Jingyuan's death definitely has something to do with Huang Hu and Wang Fang!"

Yin Fengzhan said this with certainty. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan also nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that is indeed the case! Just as you said last night, if Huang Hu and Wang Fang had really wanted to save Jin Jingyuan, they would have certainly sought help from the nearest people immediately. And Magistrate Liu just said that there are households living in this vicinity. Even if Huang Hu and Wang Fang didn't know at the time, if they had called out for help loudly, it should have attracted the attention of the surrounding residents. Therefore, from this perspective alone, whether Jin Jingyuan accidentally fell into the lake or was pushed, Huang Hu and Wang Fang never intended for him to live!"

"Furthermore, one thing that concerns me even more is that when the body was discovered the next day, the abdomen was ripped open, and the body had multiple injuries... I would like to make a bold speculation: were these also intentionally arranged by Huang Hu and Wang Fang? Because if the body was damaged so severely, wouldn't it be impossible to accurately determine the cause of death? Even if Jin Jingyuan had been killed by them in some other way, it wouldn't be discovered by others!"

Narrowing her eyes, Nie Jinxuan suspected the possibility of this situation from a forensic perspective. But then, Nie Jinxuan paused slightly before continuing:

"However, what I didn't expect was that there was actually a fourth person who came with Huang Hu and the others that day... Yin Fengzhan, who do you think this fourth person could be?"

"I don't know! But it must have been a servant, that's for sure! But now, more than two years have passed; whether this person can still be found is hard to say!"

"Hmm, that's true. After all, if that servant had really seen something back then, Huang Hu and Wang Fang would certainly not have let him go..."

Nodding in agreement with Yin Fengzhan's words again, Nie Jinxuan suddenly stopped. As if remembering something, her eyes flashed, and she instantly looked up at Yin Fengzhan.

"Wait, perhaps that servant is still alive!"

Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but exclaim. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan frowned and glanced at her. At this moment, Nie Jinxuan's expression turned stern as she said:

"Think about it: Huang Hu and Wang Fang intended to kill Jin Jingyuan. The servant couldn't have known nothing. Under normal circumstances, to cover up the truth, Huang Hu and Wang Fang should have silenced the servant... But if that happened, Yin Fengzhan, think about it: if three people went boating and one suddenly died, and now the only servant who went with them is also dead, wouldn't that arouse suspicion from others?!"

"... Are you saying that Huang Hu and Wang Fang didn't kill the servant to silence him?!"

"Why? Do you think it's impossible?! After all, only if that servant is still alive can it be thoroughly proven that Huang Hu and Wang Fang had absolutely nothing to do with that incident, right?"

Listening to Nie Jinxuan's words, Yin Fengzhan's brows twitched slightly, and he looked up at the expanse of green water before him... At this moment, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.

"And, listening to the description by Magistrate Liu and those two yamen runners just now, I suddenly remembered someone..."

"Hmm? Do you know that person?"

"Not only do I know him, you should know him too~!"

"Who?"

Nie Jinxuan's words successfully piqued Yin Fengzhan's curiosity. He then withdrew his gaze and looked directly at Nie Jinxuan beside him. Meeting Yin Fengzhan's eyes, Nie Jinxuan raised an eyebrow and slowly uttered two words:

"Zhou Si!"

Nie Jinxuan had spoken a name that was not entirely unfamiliar. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan's expression was indeed shaken, and he instantly narrowed his eyes.

"... Are you saying that person is the third victim who already died?!"

"Yes! It's him!"

Nodding in response, Nie Jinxuan slightly withdrew the smile from her lips, her expression turning stern.

"I examined Zhou Si's body before. I remember that Zhou Si's appearance and physical characteristics were similar to what Magistrate Liu and the two yamen runners just described. Furthermore, I remember Young Master Mo once told me about Zhou Si's basic situation... that Zhou Si had a timid and cowardly personality and had never made enemies with anyone. So, other than Zhou Si, I can't think of anyone else!"

"Hmm~, put that way, it is indeed so... By the way, I remember that when Zhou Si died, his eyes had been gouged out by the murderer, right!"

"Yes! His eyes were gouged out! And it is precisely because of that that we can be more certain that the person who came here with Huang Hu, Wang Fang, and Jin Jingyuan was indeed Zhou Si... Because in the murderer's eyes, since Zhou Si came with them, he must have seen exactly how Jin Jingyuan died. Yet, despite that, Zhou Si said nothing, which is why the murderer gouged out his eyes. It was to express his meaning: You, Zhou Si, are blind; you saw it, so why didn't you speak up? Then what use is there in keeping your eyes!"

Nie Jinxuan did not know much about criminal psychology. But from her contact with such work in her past life, she had heard a thing or two. So, when Nie Jinxuan instantly deduced that Zhou Si was the fourth person who had come with Huang Hu and the others, she immediately understood the underlying reasons!

Yes, the murderer had hatred in his heart!

He hated Huang Hu and Wang Fang, which is why Huang Hu died so miserably! And now that Wang Fang's whereabouts are unknown, he is surely in grave danger... But besides those two, the murderer also hated Zhou Si. After all, even if Zhou Si, as a servant, could not stop Huang Hu and Wang Fang's evil deeds, he could at least have told the truth afterward!

But the cowardly Zhou Si said nothing and just hid in his own home... So, although Zhou Si was not the murderer, his actions made the murderer intuitively feel that he deserved to die!

In this way, it can basically be confirmed that among the five victims discovered so far, excluding Wang Fang, two are related to the death of Jin Jingyuan more than two years ago. Does that mean the remaining three are also related to this matter?!

It seems that after returning, I must immediately verify the detailed circumstances of the remaining three victims—Wang Erqiang, Chen Xin, and Zhao Liang. I estimate that I will be able to find some clues...

Lowering her eyes, Nie Jinxuan thought to herself. At this moment, hearing Nie Jinxuan's explanation, Yin Fengzhan was slightly stunned and then frowned as well...

The case had seemingly taken a big step forward. Afterward, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan discussed a few more things. Then, for the sake of caution, Nie Jinxuan thoroughly searched the surroundings of the lake, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon.

Nie Jinxuan checked carefully, not missing a single detail. She even found the creek where Jin Jingyuan's body was discovered. But Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan, who were only focused on the case, forgot that the weather in the mountains is the most changeable. So, just as Nie Jinxuan finished her inspection and intended to go down the mountain with Yin Fengzhan, it suddenly started to rain in the forest.

The rain came down in torrents. The sky had been fine just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, after a few flashes of lightning, it began to pour. Thus, before Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan could figure out what was happening, they were already soaked to the bone.

The rain showed no signs of stopping; instead, it grew heavier. Seeing this, Yin Fengzhan pulled Nie Jinxuan and ran toward a dense forest nearby, and soon they saw a house.

It was an extremely simple farmhouse, with a fence around it to ward off wild beasts, and hunting and household tools placed in the yard. But at this moment, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan no longer cared about these things and hurriedly went under the eaves of the house to take shelter from the rain... But just as the two of them wiped the rain from their faces, they heard a voice from inside the room.

"Who is it?"

The speaker was a woman, and judging by her voice, she shouldn't be very old. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan, who were standing outside, were taken aback. But before the two could speak, the door creaked open, and a young woman in her twenties poked her head out and said:

"Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, big sister. We got lost in the mountains and suddenly ran into the rain, so we came over here to take shelter~!"

At this time, one shouldn't expect that taciturn man Yin Fengzhan to say anything, so Nie Jinxuan directly responded and struck up a conversation with the farm woman. Upon hearing that they were sheltering from the rain, the woman suddenly realized and called out:

"Oh my, so you're sheltering from the rain! Then come in quickly, why are you standing outside? Come on, come in quickly~! Look, you're all wet, hurry up and come in!"

Women in the mountains are the most simple and kind-hearted; her loud voice made one feel a warm sense of hospitality. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan naturally couldn't refuse, so she walked into the house with Yin Fengzhan...

This was a most simple farmhouse. After Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan entered the house, the enthusiastic woman immediately brought over some clean cloth towels and found two sets of clothes.

"Little sister, we don't have any good clothes in this small place. Although they aren't as nice as what you and your husband are wearing, they are clean. If you don't mind, just change into them. The rain outside won't stop for a while, it wouldn't be good if you caught a cold~!"

Speaking with a smile, the farm woman handed the clothes to Nie Jinxuan. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan naturally thanked her repeatedly.

"Then thank you very much, big sister~!"

"Oh, what's there to thank? It's not anything valuable, I was actually afraid you might mind~. Alright, alright, you two husband and wife hurry up and change, don't get frozen~!"

After saying this, the farm woman turned and went out, closing the door. Once the woman was gone, Nie Jinxuan immediately handed the set of clean men's clothes to Yin Fengzhan, who had remained silent throughout.

"Here, hurry up and change."

"..."

Nie Jinxuan spoke in a low voice, but Yin Fengzhan just looked at her silently. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan didn't care whether he was willing or not; she shoved the clothes into his hands and turned to change out of her own wet clothes.

The weather in the fourth and fifth months is the most fickle, and with the low temperature in the mountains, Nie Jinxuan did indeed feel a bit cold. Although the clothes the farm woman brought were a bit coarse, they were thick, so after changing into them, Nie Jinxuan felt much warmer!

But by the time Nie Jinxuan had finished tidying herself up, even letting down her hair and wiping it clean with a towel, she turned around... but upon turning, Nie Jinxuan was stunned and couldn't help but exclaim:

"Hey, Yin Fengzhan, what are you doing? Why haven't you changed yet?"

Staring, Nie Jinxuan felt a bit baffled. But hearing this, Yin Fengzhan only raised his eyes to glance at Nie Jinxuan for a moment, then cast his gaze back onto the bundle of clothes in his hands.

Yin Fengzhan didn't say a word, but looking at his expression and demeanor, Nie Jinxuan suddenly understood and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Alright, so they're a bit coarse, but the big sister meant well. Besides, even if the clothes are a bit coarse, they're still better than your wet ones!"

"..."

Nie Jinxuan lowered her voice to persuade him, but Yin Fengzhan still didn't react. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan felt an invisible flame rise in her heart. She stepped forward, grabbed the clothes, set them aside, and reached out to strip Yin Fengzhan's clothes!

Because she had changed Yin Fengzhan's dressings before, Nie Jinxuan's movements were exceptionally deft. Before Yin Fengzhan could recover, Nie Jinxuan had already stripped off his wet clothes in a few quick motions.

Then, Nie Jinxuan tossed the wet clothes aside, picked up the coarse cloth clothes, and helped Yin Fengzhan put them on.

But as she put them on, Nie Jinxuan realized that because Yin Fengzhan was tall and his limbs were too long, the clothes were clearly a bit small, making him look somewhat comical the moment he put them on. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan was stunned for a moment, but then couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hehe..."

Nie Jinxuan's laughter was not loud, but it made Yin Fengzhan's expression darken instantly.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Hehe... nothing, nothing at all..."

Although she said it was nothing, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but look at Yin Fengzhan again and laugh out loud. Seeing Nie Jinxuan laughing, Yin Fengzhan immediately reached out to take off the clothes without a second thought.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan was stunned and grabbed him.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking them off!"

"You're wearing them just fine, why take them off? Do you want to freeze to death?"

Staring, Nie Jinxuan pulled Yin Fengzhan's arm down and gave him a sharp look.

"There's no one else here, who's looking at you? Just wear them! I'm wearing them too, aren't I? What's the big deal? Are you the only one who's delicate?"

Unable to stand Yin Fengzhan's temper, Nie Jinxuan reached out and pulled him to a seat nearby.

"Sit down, your hair is still wet, I'll dry it for you!"

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan reached out to take off the purple jade dragon crown from Yin Fengzhan's head, let down his long, damp hair, and began to carefully dry it... Yin Fengzhan, who had been acting up just a moment ago, stopped moving, but his deep eyes remained fixed on the woman with the earnest expression before him, and he remained silent...

After quite a bit of fuss, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan finally came out. Having changed into new clothes, although they weren't as comfortable as silk and satin, they were fortunately very warm. The farm woman even brought over two bowls of ginger soup for them to drink; her enthusiasm made Nie Jinxuan feel flattered.

Just like that, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan stayed temporarily at the farmhouse. As time passed, dusk arrived, but the rain outside showed no signs of stopping.

Not long after, the woman's husband, who had been out hunting, finally returned. Upon entering and seeing people in the house, he was stunned at first, but after hearing his wife's explanation, he understood and hurriedly came forward to chat enthusiastically.

Both the woman and her husband were warm-hearted. Seeing that it was late, they began to prepare dinner. Although it was a farmhouse, because they lived by hunting, they made a lot of game, and Nie Jinxuan ate her fill.

After dinner, it was completely dark outside, and the rain was still falling. The woman and her husband enthusiastically asked Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan to stay the night, suggesting they leave the next morning, as it was not only difficult to walk in the forest in the dark but also dangerous. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan thought it made sense and agreed.

Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan stayed at the farmhouse. People in the mountains always followed the practice of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, so as soon as it got dark, the woman led Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan to a room next door and said:

"Little sister, we are just simple country folk, I'm sorry you have to suffer. This room used to be my mother-in-law's, but she passed away last year, so it's been empty. So tonight, you and your husband will have to make do here~"

With a smile on her face, the farm woman spoke softly. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan hurriedly replied with a smile:

"Not at all, big sister, you're too kind. We're already eating and staying here, how could we complain? It's fine, this place is great, there's no suffering as you say~!"

"Hehe~, you really know how to talk. Alright, since you don't mind, that's good. Here, this is the quilt. It's cold in the mountains at night, don't catch a cold~!"

Saying this, the farm woman handed the quilt to Nie Jinxuan and turned to leave.

The night was pitch black, and the room was silent.

On the simple wooden table, a lamp flickered like a bean, dispelling the darkness and casting dim shadows in the room.

At this moment, after the woman left, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips slightly, set the quilt aside, and began to look around. But upon seeing the room, she couldn't help but frown.

It turned out that in the small room, there was only a simple wooden table, and a wooden bed that wasn't very large against the wall. Besides these two things, there was nothing else!

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan felt anxious. After all, there wasn't even a chair in the room, and there was nothing on the floor to make a bed... how was she supposed to stay here?!

Nie Jinxuan was worried, but Yin Fengzhan, after scanning the room's furnishings, took the quilt, went to the bed, and lay down, stretching out his body... Seeing Yin Fengzhan lie down, Nie Jinxuan's eyes widened, and she hurriedly rushed over.

"Hey, Yin Fengzhan, you slept on the bed yesterday, today it should be my turn!"

"Who says?"

"Who... Yin Fengzhan, do you understand the principle of fairness? Even if you don't yield to me, we should be fair! Why do you have to sleep on the bed every time?"

"This Prince is the principle!"

"You..."

With his eyes closed, Yin Fengzhan spoke loudly without a second thought. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan was so angry she wanted to pounce on him and bite him hard. But she calmed herself down, glanced at Yin Fengzhan lying on the bed, gritted her teeth, climbed onto the bed, and pulled the quilt over herself.

At this moment, feeling another person beside him, Yin Fengzhan opened his eyes. But before he could speak, Nie Jinxuan preempted him:

"Shut up! Go to sleep! Don't make me angry!"

"... This Prince didn't say anything!"

"Then don't even say that!"

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan turned to look at Yin Fengzhan beside her.

"Don't get any crooked ideas, or I won't be done with you!"

Lowering her voice, Nie Jinxuan said with a threat, then turned her head and closed her eyes...

Actually, Nie Jinxuan was relatively at ease with Yin Fengzhan. After all, in her eyes, Yin Fengzhan had never been a lecher. But at this moment, although Nie Jinxuan spoke fiercely, she felt a bit nervous inside. After all, although she had shared a bed with Yin Fengzhan before, they had never shared a quilt, and the bed was so small that even though Nie Jinxuan was already pressed against the edge, she could still feel the touch of his arm against her, as if it were there and yet not...