Chapter 12 - Miss Lin
Lin Residence.
The lanterns hanging at the gate of the residence swayed gently in the cool breeze.
Perhaps due to prolonged exposure to candle flames over many months and days, or perhaps due to the servants' laziness, the red silk covers had a slightly scorched appearance.
Li Nan Ke stood in front of the gate, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
If not for his female superior's forceful command, he wouldn't want to come to this place.
Although he had tried to erase Lin Jiao Yue's memory of him in the Red Rain dream, a woman's sixth sense was often terrifying. It was possible that the girl would see through his identity.
Then, because of the 'hero saving the beauty' scenario, the girl would fall head over heels in love with him, becoming inseparable.
And then pester him to have a brood of children.
And then her mother would develop improper feelings for her son-in-law.
And then—
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
A voice interrupted Li Nan Ke's troublesome fantasies.
He turned his head to see Iron Ox and Guo Gang walking towards him, but their superior, Leng Xinnan, was nowhere to be seen.
Li Nan Ke bowed.
"Greetings, my lords. I'm here to assist Lord Leng with the investigation."
"What?"
Iron Ox looked at him strangely, a smile gradually spreading across his face.
He slowly approached Li Nan Ke, waving his folding fan and mocking him.
"Not bad, brother. You're quite clever, already thinking of currying favor with my superior so quickly?"
He obviously mistook Li Nan Ke for an opportunistic person.
As a lowly coroner, it was quite difficult to get ahead in life. Taking advantage of the good impression he left yesterday and hoping to latch onto a powerful figure was understandable.
Unfortunately, Leng Xinnan was different from other officials. This kid was bound to be disappointed.
Guo Gang stood aside, silent.
Li Nan Ke said with an expressionless face, "Lord Leng specifically invited me to assist her with the investigation."
Iron Ox froze. "Is there another dead person here?"
Li Nan Ke shook his head.
"No, Lord Leng wants me to help her capture the Grave People, He Qing Yu."
Iron Ox couldn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter.
Afraid that his laughter would attract attention, he forced himself to suppress it, his shoulders shaking as he whispered,
"Brother, you do have some skills in examining corpses. But to say that Sister Leng specifically invited you to capture the Grave People is a bit too far-fetched. Sister Leng doesn't have such poor judgment."
"It's true, I'm not lying to you," Li Nan Ke said helplessly.
"I don't know why she invited me either. Maybe her subordinates are incompetent."
Iron Ox's smile froze. He glanced around and pointed his folding fan at a pile of fresh dog droppings beside the stone lion statue at the gate.
"Let's put it this way, if Sister Leng really invited you to capture the Grave People, I'll eat this—"
"Sister Leng!"
Guo Gang suddenly called out.
At the corner of the alley, a familiar graceful figure appeared in sight.
The woman was still in her familiar black attire, which accentuated her fair neck. She looked both capable and aloof.
"Sister Leng."
Iron Ox greeted her with a smile.
Leng Xinnan's beautiful eyes swept over Li Nan Ke, her tone brisk and efficient.
"We met yesterday, so there's no need for introductions. I've asked him to assist with the investigation, hoping to find the Grave People He Qing Yu as soon as possible."
"So he really was invited to help with the case?"
Guo Gang said in surprise.
"What do you mean by that?"
Iron Ox flicked his folding fan and said angrily,
"This little brother is obviously a man of talent, with an extraordinary aura. He will surely rise to prominence in the future and shine brightly! If it weren't for this little brother yesterday, a disaster would have already occurred. How dare you question him? Guo Gang, oh Guo Gang, you've disappointed Sister Leng, you've disappointed me!"
After spitting out a mouthful of saliva, Iron Ox snorted coldly and turned to Leng Xinnan, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Sister Leng has good judgment. I was planning to recommend this capable little brother to you today, but I didn't expect Sister Leng to invite him first. Impressive, impressive."
"Have you had breakfast?"
Leng Xinnan ignored him and asked Li Nan Ke.
Li Nan Ke replied respectfully, "Reporting to my lord, I have already eaten."
"You don't have to be so formal with me."
Leng Xinnan frowned slightly at the man's deliberate distance, then instructed Guo Gang behind her.
"Go buy two vegetarian steamed buns."
"My lord, I really have eaten already," Li Nan Ke said quickly.
"I haven't."
The woman turned and walked towards the gate.
"......"
Li Nan Ke's expression was awkward. He pursed his lips, wanting to complain, but held back.
Seeing the unconcealed fatigue in Leng Xinnan's eyes, he could guess that the woman was troubled by the case and probably hadn't rested well all night.
"Sister Leng, I haven't eaten either. I've been busy," Iron Ox complained, following behind her.
Leng Xinnan glanced at the dog droppings beside the stone lion. "Isn't that saved for you? It looks quite fresh."
Iron Ox was speechless.
…
Led by Landlord Lin, they arrived at the living room.
The wealthy merchant, who was quite renowned in Dongqi County, personally poured them expensive tea and then stood aside anxiously.
"Lord Leng, have you made any progress in the investigation?"
Landlord Lin's heart was in his throat, his voice trembling as he spoke.
The 'Red Rain' matter was a matter of life and death. Judging from the heavy dark circles under Landlord Lin's eyes, he probably hadn't slept well these past two days either.
"Sit down."
Leng Xinnan gestured for him to relax and said calmly, "The investigation is still ongoing. I presume you've been discreetly inquiring about its progress."
"Yes, yes," Landlord Lin said, forcing a smile.
After all, it was a matter of life and death for his entire family. He was naturally concerned and paying close attention. Especially since Dongqi County was under lockdown yesterday, everyone understood the gravity of the situation.
"I'm here to inquire about someone."
"He Qing Yu, right?"
Landlord Lin didn't dare feign ignorance at this point.
Leng Xinnan said, "I heard that on the fourth of eighth, the day your daughter was attacked by the Demonic Creature, He Qing Yu climbed over the wall around the Hai hour (9-11 PM), trying to visit your daughter, but was discovered and driven away by the servants."
"That's right, it happened," Landlord Lin nodded and said with bitterness,
"It was also from that time that I learned that the scoundrel He Qing Yu had been harassing my daughter."
"Did your daughter have any interactions with He Qing Yu?" Leng Xinnan asked.
"No! Absolutely not!"
Landlord Lin's face suddenly flushed red, and he raised two fingers, declaring loudly.
"I swear on my life, my daughter is absolutely innocent. She would never have any interactions with such a lecherous rogue!"
It was evident that Landlord Lin was agitated, afraid that his daughter's reputation would be tarnished.
Leng Xinnan looked at him with scrutiny.
"They've never met before?"
"Well, they have."
Landlord Lin didn't dare conceal anything and answered honestly.
"He Qing Yu is a talented man and a skilled musician. Wan Ying Ying, the daughter of the owner of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, once studied music under him. My daughter and Wan Ying Ying are good friends and often visit each other, so she has met He Qing Yu a few times..."
He paused and continued,
"But they only met a few times. There has never been any improper relationship between them. It must be that He Qing Yu, seeing my daughter's beauty, became infatuated with her and started harassing her."
"A father like you can't possibly understand a young woman's heart," Iron Ox suddenly sneered.
He Qing Yu was indeed handsome and a scholar. Although he was already over thirty years old, such a man with a touch of maturity had a unique charm that could attract innocent young girls.
Especially since he was also a musician, casually plucking the strings a few times... it was easy to stir a girl's heart.
Lin Jiao Yue was just past her prime, the age when love first blossomed.
It was normal for her to fall for him.
"And you understand a young woman's heart?"
Suddenly, a sweet and slightly annoyed voice rang out.
A graceful figure appeared at the entrance to the hall.
It was Lin Jiao Yue.
The young woman's eyes were frosty. She wore an expensive pearl satin dress, looking both noble and beautiful. The pearl necklace around her neck shimmered softly in the morning light, making her skin appear as white as snow.
"Why aren't you speaking anymore?"
Seeing that Iron Ox was silent, Lin Jiao Yue walked into the hall and pressed him.
"Are you only brave enough to gossip behind people's backs? What kind of man are you!"
"Yue Er!"
Landlord Lin shouted, signaling his daughter to stop.
Looking at the young woman's beautiful and charming face, Iron Ox smiled.
"Miss Lin, don't be angry. I didn't say anything unreasonable. It seems you're a bit too agitated. Sometimes, the more sensitive a person's reaction, the more it reveals the issue."
"Hmph, as a man, how can you understand how important a woman's reputation is? If I were to spread rumors about your mother, would you—"
"Yue Er!"
Landlord Lin was troubled by his daughter's temper.
Although he was also dissatisfied with Iron Ox's random speculation, Leng Xinnan and the others were officials from the Night Patrol, and offending them wouldn't end well.
Lin Jiao Yue snorted coldly and turned her head away.
Landlord Lin forced a smile and apologized to Iron Ox.
"I apologize, my lord. My daughter is usually spoiled and has a bit of a stubborn temper. Please don't take offense."
"It's alright, I was just joking."
Iron Ox unfolded his paper fan with a landscape painting on it, a strange smile playing on his lips.
Leng Xinnan looked at the sulking Lin Jiao Yue and asked,
"You must have heard about He Qing Yu's death, right?"
"Yes."
Although she dared to talk back to Iron Ox, Lin Jiao Yue didn't dare to show her displeasure towards Leng Xinnan, the imposing and cold beauty. She responded with a muffled "yes."
"How do you feel?"
"What do you mean?"
Lin Jiao Yue furrowed her delicate eyebrows, about to lose her temper, but meeting Leng Xinnan's cold gaze, she immediately lost her momentum and muttered in a low voice.
"Whether he's dead or alive has nothing to do with me. If it were Ying Ying, I might be sad, because she..."
Thinking of her deceased friend, Lin Jiao Yue's expression turned gloomy.
Leng Xinnan said, "So, Wan Ying Ying had an affair with He Qing Yu?"
"No, they didn't!"
Lin Jiao Yue quickly defended her friend.
"Ying Ying only liked him, but they didn't have an intimate relationship."
"What about Wen Jin Er?" Leng Xinnan asked again.
Lin Jiao Yue was startled. After a moment of silence, she shook her head.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Yes, her thoughts were hard to read. Maybe she liked him, maybe she didn't. But even if she did, she didn't have an affair with He Qing Yu."
Lin Jiao Yue continued to defend her other friend.
Even though her friend was dead, she still wanted to protect her reputation.
Leng Xinnan stopped asking questions and pursed her red lips, glancing at Li Nan Ke, who had been drinking tea with his head lowered, sitting across from her.
"Li Nan Ke, what do you think?"