Upon these words, Dong Liangyi's gaze flickered briefly towards Shi Chun.

And Shi Chun, through the corner of his eye, was also observing her in secret. Although he didn't see it directly, based on this family's character, he had a pretty good guess who sent the fruit platter.

He had considered silencing someone before, but the sudden appearance of such an act around Fan Wuzhe could arouse suspicion.

Apart from weighing the pros and cons, when faced with this ordinary family, he was genuinely hesitant about whether to silence them or not.

But precisely because of that moment of hesitation, it indeed kept him tense now, unexpectedly the matter had come knocking so quickly.

The young Dong Liangze was the first to shake his head, saying: "We had guests at home today, no one went out."

Dongliang Ying shook his head indicating he didn't go out.

Dong Liangyu also shook his head.

Fan Wuzhe chuckled and said, "Didn't go out."

Dong Liangyi was visibly hesitant.

Her hesitation made Shi Chun's heart leap to his throat, somewhat regretting his moment of softness.

Fortunately, at the next moment, under the concentrated gaze of everyone, Dong Liangyi also shook her head.

So Shi Chun immediately pointed to the bedding on his shared table to shift everyone's attention, "I was at the hall, didn't see anyone go out."

The words were carefully said, not claiming he didn't go out in front of Dong Liangyi.

The leading member of the inspecting team said, "It's best if no one went out, but remember, you're responsible for your words. That bounty in Dazhi City is unprecedented, and many want that money. If someone points you out, the outcome goes without saying. If you really went out, it's not too late to regret now and explain everything. If verified, it's no problem. Are you sure you want to insist that no one went out?"

Dong Liangyi's brow furrowed slightly, her lips tensed, not wanting to betray Shi Chun but fearing that not telling the truth might implicate her family later.

Dong Wenshu said, "The family rules of Chao Yue Hall have always been upright. If they say they didn't go out, no one is lying."

Upon hearing this, the leader felt it made sense. The family rules of the Dong Wen family were well-known in Dazhi City, so he bowed slightly and said, "If that's the case, then we won't disturb you anymore. If any of you discover anything suspicious or find any suspect clues, you may report it, and the reward will be substantial."

Having said that, he gestured to his team, and they turned and left.

This inspection method was not even expected by them to yield much; it was simply to inform everyone.

As these people left, Dong Wenshu signaled Shi Chun to close the gate and told everyone, "Alright, it's none of our business, let's all return to our rooms and rest early."

The group immediately began heading toward the back courtyard.

Shi Chun, after closing the door, turned around and saw Dong Liangyi glancing back as she walked.

As their eyes met, Dong Liangyi turned back with deep silence.

With her demeanor, Shi Chun was already a hundred percent sure that she was the one who sent the fruit platter.

After extinguishing the lamp at the counter, Shi Chun fell into silence in the darkness, not leaving the counter for a long time.

Logically, as long as Dong Liangyi didn't expose him on the spot, the chances of repeating it later would be slim, but Dong Liangyi was not alone, which made him slightly uneasy.

However, this was not a big issue for him. Instead, it was the billion-dollar bounty that made him feel something was amiss and created a sense of urgency.

Returning to the sleeping mat next to the shared table, he turned sideways, lay down, and covered himself with a quilt, then pulled out the Mother-child Talisman, sending another urging message to Lou Xiu: Have you got the thing?

Shortly after, Lou Xiu replied: Are you aware that the City Lord has issued a billion bounty?

Shi Chun was slightly puzzled but replied: I know.

Lou Xiu: A billion bounty for providing a clue, do you think that's normal? I know her better than you do; she's already suspecting internal personnel and is determined to dig them out. Do you think retrieving A Xun's body will be easy? I need time.

Shi Chun: My patience is limited, don't keep me waiting too long.

Lou Xiu, trapped in the dark room, slammed a fist on the table, face twisted, breathing heavily.

A Xun's body had already been transported back to the mountain, but as he himself stated, the City Lord seems suspicious of the internal personnel, posting her own people for strict surveillance, saying they are waiting for someone from the Divine Mountain to handle it; he dared not approach easily, let alone obtain A Xun's relics.

But the issue was, if he couldn't retrieve A Xun's relics to explain to the mysterious person, the latter might expose him instead.

Even worse, if the people from the Divine Mountain arrived and took A Xun's body away, he'd have no chance at all.

At this moment, he was filled with both anger and intense anxiety.

Shi Chun, lying in the book hall, again pulled out the Mother-child Talisman to contact Lao Changtai, sending a message asking: Did the City Guards inspect the Treasure Hunting Pavilion?

Lao Changtai quickly replied: They've already inspected, I heard they deployed dozens of teams for examination in various streets.

Shi Chun didn't want to digress and directly sent a message: Secretly deliver a letter to Bai's Rice Shop…

Inside the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, Lao Changtai, having clearly understood his task and put away the Mother-child Talisman, immediately found paper to write a letter.

Afterward, he disguised himself, stuck on a fake beard, and called Xiao Sheng to accompany him. The two quietly left from the backyard of Treasure Hunting Pavilion.

They wandered and wound their way through paths, expending effort until they found Bai's Rice Shop, saw the door was closed, and following Shi Chun's instructions, Lao Changtai went to deliver the letter while Xiao Sheng lingered nearby to observe.

There were no other tricks, just directly going to the door and knocking.

Honestly, he was not used to such a straightforward secret letter delivery method. Wasn't the technique too crude? Can this even be considered secret letter delivery?

But Shi Chun said that dropping it into the mail was even less secure, and instructed him to deliver it directly like this.

The door opened, a clerk poked his head out from the door gap, rubbed his eyes, and said a bit groggily, "We're closed. If you want to buy rice, wait until tomorrow's daylight."

Lao Changtai directly handed over the letter, "Encountered someone on the road who asked to deliver this letter to the lady boss here."

The clerk holding the letter was startled, and asked, "Who was it?"

Lao Changtai said, "Wearing a veil, couldn't see clearly. They gave two coins, and I'm just running an errand, couldn't care less who's who."

Saying this, he turned around and left, quickly withdrawing into the alley behind.

The clerk, after a moment of hesitation, placed the letter in his chest pocket, also left, locked the door, and hurried away.

Xiao Sheng, observing nearby, immediately followed behind until he reached the foot of the mountain in the city center, saw the clerk went up the mountain from afar, and seeing he couldn't follow further, he finally turned back, transmitting news to Shi Chun in a discreet corner en route, reporting the related situation.

Amidst the pavilions and towers on the mountaintop, Mrs. Bai from Bai's Rice Shop and City Lord Li Xianghong were seated face to face, sipping tea.

As they looked below at the myriad lights, Li Xianghong suddenly felt contemplative again, "I still don't understand to this day why you would accept someone like Huang Yingying in marriage. What on earth did catch your eye?"

Bai Qiru puffed on her smoke pipe and said, "Individual matters are clear to the individuals themselves; no need for others to figure it out for them. You just help me get the person back."

Li Xianghong: "The envoy from Divine Mountain is dead. Now, this matter is no longer something I can decide alone. Divine Mountain on that side will certainly send people to investigate. Huang Yingying's kidnapping and Lord A Xun's death seem hard to give a definitive statement. Hopefully, you're not hiding anything from me, and hopefully, Huang Yingying was merely kidnapped, otherwise, even you might find it hard to escape."

Bai Qiru said nothing, blowing smoke.

At this moment, a maid stepped quickly over and reported, "City Lord, the clerk from Bai's rice shop is here, claims to have an urgent matter and requests to see you."

Bai Qiru was slightly stunned. What urgent matter came up on the mountain? Her first thought was that it concerned Huang Yingying.

Li Xianghong's eyes flashed, having the same thought, promptly said, "Let him come."

After the maid left, Bai Qiru also stood up, walked to the steps outside the pavilion, and stood ready. She didn't want her own clerk to see her on equal standing with the City Lord.

Soon, the clerk arrived quickly, bowed, and only then took out a letter, detailing the situation of letter delivery.

Bai Qiru immediately opened the envelope and took out the letter to read, and the contents left her astonished. She said to the clerk, "You may return now."

Once the clerk had departed, she returned to the pavilion, directly placing the letter on the table in front of Li Xianghong, said, "This letter says it's for me, but it seems you'll have to make the decision."

Li Xianghong's eyes showed confusion, picking up the letter to read, only to see two sentences written: Lou Xiu is scheming against A Xun's corpse, seems to be negotiating with kidnappers.

The brief sentences caused her to be lost in thought for a while, her cherry lips pinched into a little red dot.

After a moment of silence, she slowly muttered, "Why would Lou Xiu scheme against A Xun's corpse; what's there to scheme with a corpse? Could it possibly be trading the corpse? Are the kidnappers those who captured Huang Yingying? What are the sender's motives?"

Bai Qiru asked, "Could Lou Xiu be the mole you're suspecting?"

Li Xianghong picked up the letter again, holding it to the light to check, "Given the intel of your situation, the mole in Dazhi City should be of a higher power level, at least someone acquainted with your strength. Lou Xiu could be possible, but he has an alibi for when the incident occurred."

Bai Qiru said, "How about showing this letter to Lou Xiu directly?"

Just as she finished speaking, the maid stationed outside suddenly appeared again, respectfully reporting, "City Lord, Inspector Luo is here, says he has something to report."

Li Xianghong nodded.

After the maid left, Bai Qiru stood aside once more.

Soon after, Lou Xiu came quickly from afar. He saw Li Xianghong holding a piece of paper against the lamp but before he could get closer, Li Xianghong casually placed the paper on the table.

When he arrived outside the pavilion, he bowed and greeted, "City Lord."

Inside the pavilion, Li Xianghong glanced at him sideways and asked, "What's the matter?"

Lou Xiu, bowing and not letting go, reported, "Reporting to the City Lord, from the intelligence gathered from various teams, there's currently no substantial progress. This matter seems unlikely to progress in the short term. I was thinking, if we only investigate within the city, it might not be the only solution; we might have to visit outside the city as well. Additionally, should we not seek some experts to carefully examine Lord A Xun and the other deceased bodies once more to see if any clues can be found."

As he finished speaking, the eyes of the two women in the pavilion instinctively met briefly.

Li Xianghong was silent for a moment, her gaze falling on the paper on the table. She picked up the letter and folded it, putting it away, saying indifferently, "Since you have the idea, the reexamination of the bodies is entrusted to you for arrangement."

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