Before long, the casino was bustling again.
The fat-bellied master and his servant stood in a corner, staring at each other in dismay.
Their hair had been yanked into a tangled mess, and their clothes were torn here and ripped there. They looked hardly any different from the beggars outside.
“Completely uncivilized! No manners at all!”
The fat-bellied master gritted his teeth as he cursed. That female bandit had no rules whatsoever when she fought. She was simply reckless!
The servant beside him glanced at him and asked cautiously, “Master, are we supposed to wait here?”
“Wait my foot. We’re going back!” the fat-bellied master roared irritably.
The servant helplessly wiped the spit from his face.
Sigh…
As soon as the door to the private room on the second floor closed, the din of the casino was shut out. A faint fragrance lingered in the air. The room was not decorated with any of the gaudy ornaments found elsewhere; only several landscape paintings hung on the walls.
The attendant lowered his head as he poured tea for Ji Zhaoxi and the others. Ninth Master lowered his eyes to drink his tea, a faint smile always resting on his face.
“I’m sorry that today’s events frightened you, honored guests.”
Xu Ancheng raised his teacup and lifted it toward Ninth Master. “You’re too kind, Ninth Master. We merely had a small misunderstanding with the fat-bellied… with Master Liu.”
Ninth Master let out a low chuckle. “You didn’t have a very pleasant time here today. As the owner, I ought to apologize to you all.”
Ji Zhaoxi had already emptied her teacup. The attendant beside her immediately refilled it.
The moment it was filled, Ji Zhaoxi downed it again.
She looked at the attendant seriously. After a moment of silence, he filled it once more.
Staring at the teacup, she sighed. “This cup is much too small.”
It wasn’t even half the size of her palm. One sip and it was empty. She had been exhausted from beating people up and was terribly thirsty.
Looking at the dejected Ji Zhaoxi beside him, Fu Xianyan let out a muffled laugh.
While Ninth Master and Xu Ancheng exchanged their roundabout remarks, Ji Zhaoxi couldn’t understand a word of it. She began tying Fu Xianyan up with a length of rope again.
Fu Xianyan resisted to the death. Sometimes he drank tea, and sometimes he poured it, doing everything he could to keep her from grabbing his hand.
Ji Zhaoxi glared at him. Fu Xianyan sighed, leaned back in his chair, and handed her his hand.
This woman was truly overbearing.
“Anyone can come through these doors when one runs a business,” Ninth Master said, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Constables, merchants, traders…”
Qin Qiwu’s lashes flickered. “Constables come to Ninth Master’s establishment too?”
Ninth Master did not answer. The smile on his face became somewhat meaningful.
The number of people involved was growing larger and larger, and the expressions on Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng’s faces turned solemn.
Xu Ancheng tried to coax a few more words out of Ninth Master afterward, but Ninth Master casually deflected every question. The group chatted briefly about a few other matters before finally leaving the private room.
As they were descending the stairs, a woman suddenly came rushing up and collided with them. She was about to fall.
Xu Ancheng’s expression sharpened, and he immediately caught her. “Careful!”
When Ji Zhaoxi saw this from behind, she instantly panicked and hurriedly shoved her sword into Fu Xianyan’s arms.
She skirted around gamblers, pushed past attendants, and leaped over servants, charging toward Xu Ancheng and the woman with a solemn expression.
By the time she finally reached them, Xu Ancheng had already let go of the woman.
“Please be careful, miss,” Xu Ancheng said politely.
The woman glanced at the hand Xu Ancheng had just used to steady her, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Xu Ancheng followed her gaze. His face flushed with embarrassment, and he bowed to her. “I apologize for offending you just now.”
He had not meant to take advantage of her.
The woman raised her brows and gave a soft laugh. Xu Ancheng’s face turned an even deeper red, and he became completely flustered.
Qin Qiwu came down the stairs and leaned against the railing, her lashes trembling despite herself.
The woman was about to say something more when Ji Zhaoxi hurriedly stepped between them.
“Young Master Xu, let’s go.”
The woman tried to lean her head to the left to look at Xu Ancheng behind Ji Zhaoxi, but Ji Zhaoxi smiled and blocked her view. When the woman leaned to the right, Ji Zhaoxi blocked her again.
The woman: …
Watching the familiar scene unfold, Xu Ancheng’s heart suddenly tightened. He immediately looked toward Qin Qiwu behind him.
He remembered that the last time, he had argued with Miss Qin because of his cousin…
Qin Qiwu did not look at him. Her expression was perfectly calm, as though she had seen nothing at all.
Xu Ancheng hesitated. Should he explain himself to Miss Qin? But if Miss Qin had not thought anything of it, would explaining now only make him seem unnecessarily anxious?
Qin Qiwu took Ji Zhaoxi’s hand and lowered her head as they left the casino.
It was completely dark outside. Not far from the casino stood a large group of beggars, all of them staring eagerly at the passersby.
Qin Qiwu sighed. “Ninth Master is far too cautious.”
She had thought they would be able to draw out more information.
Xu Ancheng quickly moved to her side and comforted her softly. “It’s all right, Miss Qin. We still uncovered quite a few clues today.”
Qin Qiwu managed a faint smile.
She had thought this matter would not be difficult to resolve, but now that they were actually dealing with it, she realized how complicated it was.
The evening wind was somewhat chilly. Qin Qiwu lifted her head and looked at the outline of Xu Ancheng’s profile. A sudden tightness pressed against her chest.
Forget it. She would rather not ask…
Just as they were about to leave the alley, a beggar suddenly fell to his knees in front of them, sobbing and muttering incessantly.
Although Ji Zhaoxi could not understand a single word, based on her experience, this beggar was definitely recounting his tragic life story.
The silent alley at night, the chilly breeze, and the beggar kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly…
Ji Zhaoxi’s kindhearted side was unusually awakened.
“Go buy yourself something to eat.” Ji Zhaoxi placed a small piece of silver in front of him and gave him a gentle smile.
Xu Ancheng and Qin Qiwu looked deeply moved, while Fu Xianyan’s usually calm face now held an expression of astonishment.
The beggar stared at the silver on the ground. After a moment of silence, he looked pitifully at Ji Zhaoxi. “This humble one would like gold…”
The air fell silent.
Seeing Ji Zhaoxi’s expression grow darker and darker, the beggar swallowed and hesitantly picked up the silver.
Well… silver was silver.
Before he could even warm it in his hand, Ji Zhaoxi snatched it back.
“Give that back!” Ji Zhaoxi snapped furiously.
It had taken so much for her to be kind just once!
The other beggars stared at Ji Zhaoxi in stunned silence, then immediately hid the bowls in their hands behind their backs.
The beggar watched Ji Zhaoxi’s retreating figure with a mournful expression.
She was the least kind person he had ever encountered in his entire life!
If only he had held on to that piece of silver. At least he could still have gambled a few small rounds with it…
The inn was still lit, and several servants stood guard at the entrance, yawning from time to time.
Ji Zhaoxi and the others had returned far too late. There were hardly any dishes left, so they could only have plain noodles in broth. Xu Ancheng had cooked them himself.
“Miss Qin, you’ve worked hard these past few days.” Guilt colored Xu Ancheng’s voice.
Before they had set out, he had promised to take good care of Miss Qin. Yet now, all he could give her was a bowl of noodles.
As Miss Qin drank the broth, her face flushed slightly. She said softly, “It’s no trouble. The noodles are delicious.”
Xu Ancheng stole a glance at her, then immediately looked away. His throat suddenly felt tight, and he answered with some difficulty.
Normally, Ji Zhaoxi would have been thrilled to see such a scene, but now she was unusually quiet.
Fu Xianyan glanced at Ji Zhaoxi beside him, somewhat puzzled.
Ji Zhaoxi was leaning silently against the pillar, looking utterly exhausted. She seemed like a completely different person from the lively girl she had been during the day.
Fu Xianyan raised an eyebrow and poked her hand with a small wooden stick. She drowsily glanced at him, then tucked her hand away without saying a word.
It was the first time Fu Xianyan had ever seen Ji Zhaoxi behave so obediently. Unable to resist, he poked her hand again with the little stick.
Across from them, Qin Qiwu watched the scene, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back.
How did Young Master Fu become so childish too…?
Ji Zhaoxi opened her eyes, her face full of sleepiness, and gently caught Fu Xianyan’s hand.
The moment Fu Xianyan felt the warmth of her palm, his hand froze.
Ji Zhaoxi took the little wooden stick and placed it in her arms. She was so sleepy that she no longer even had the energy to get angry.
Fu Xianyan lowered his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against one another.
“Miss Ji, are you tired? Why don’t we go upstairs first?” Xu Ancheng finally noticed the drowsy Ji Zhaoxi beside him.
Although Ji Zhaoxi was tired, she still hadn’t forgotten her mission.
“No, you two can keep talking for a while.”
A little more conversation could help them grow closer.
Xu Ancheng understood what she meant and waved his hands, blushing. “Miss Ji, if you’re tired, let’s go upstairs.”
Some of Ji Zhaoxi’s drowsiness faded. She looked at him with complete sincerity. “But you two seemed to have had a little misunderstanding tonight. Are you really finished talking about it?”
This was very important to her!
Xu Ancheng and Qin Qiwu exchanged a glance, their faces turning even redder than the lanterns outside.
Xu Ancheng summoned his courage. “Miss Qin, when we were coming downstairs earlier…”
“I know!” Qin Qiwu hurriedly interrupted him. In a small voice, she said, “Young Master Xu, you don’t need to explain… I know.”
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat romantic.
Xu Ancheng scratched the back of his head and said softly, “Miss Qin, once the case is over, would you like to go see the lantern festival? Um… Young Master Fu and Miss Ji can come too.”
Xu Ancheng’s eyes shone brightly. Looking into them, Qin Qiwu’s heart began to race. She bit her lip and gave a gentle nod.
Watching the two flushed figures across from her, Ji Zhaoxi excitedly shook Fu Xianyan.
Fu Xianyan spoke helplessly.
“What a perfectly matched couple.”
Ji Zhaoxi became even happier when she heard that.
Fu Xianyan did have a pretty good eye for these things sometimes.
