Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 62 Notorious Criminal Forces

The three men inside the room all focused their gazes on the doorway. Ye Zi, with her back against the door frame, naturally joined in the conversation.

The problem is that anyone can say these things, but when she says them, it makes others feel a little strange.

After all, before this, Ye Zi was Mu Li's maid. It can be said that if Mu Li hadn't helped and assisted Liu Niang, the madam of Rouge Pavilion, Ye Zi would probably have been forced to serve customers like those other brothel girls—she was disabled and wouldn't even have had the chance to be a servant.

Of course, the leaf that remained in Yun Luobai's house at this moment was not a real leaf, but of the three people in the house, only Yun Luobai was aware of this.

Ning Qi and Qing Chuan exchanged a glance, but neither of them immediately responded.

"Young Master Qing, I heard from Young Master Yun that you were indifferent to Mu Li's death because you didn't like her. If that's the case, why did you give her such an expensive gift? A jade hairpin worth 100,000 taels of silver—I'm afraid many women in the world couldn't resist such a temptation."

Yun Luobai picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, clicked his tongue in disgust, and then casually replied.

"Actually, I didn't give her that jade hairpin; I lent it to her."

"Lent to her?"

"That was sent back from the border by my father. Of course, the main thing he sent was a letter from home, along with some rare and precious items, including that jade hairpin. I happened to have the jade hairpin in my pocket when I went to the Rouge Pavilion that day and forgot to take it out, so I took it out to show Mu Li. She seemed to like it very much, and when she heard me say that this jade hairpin was rare in the Central Plains and very valuable, she hurriedly wanted to return it to me, but she was also a little reluctant to part with it."

"So our young master, upholding the principle of cherishing beauty, lent that jade hairpin, symbolizing mutual affection, to the courtesan Mu Li? Luckily, he wasn't blinded by beauty. I thought young master was simply giving that jade hairpin as a token of love to win the beauty's smile."

Yun Luobai said sarcastically, but Qingchuan was not angered by it.

"I didn't say I was borrowing it. I just said I'd leave it with her temporarily and pick it up whenever I remembered."

"So you never even considered taking it?"

"I didn't even have time to think about her before she died. She's already dead, so even if that hairpin is worth 100,000 taels of silver, it's still a bad omen in my eyes. I can't possibly get it back anyway, so I might as well bury it with her."

Ning Qi shrugged, looking helpless.

"It's no use burying her with her. The second brother has already pointed out the value of that hairpin in the Rouge Pavilion. I think even if we bury that hairpin with Mu Li, it will definitely be dug up by someone with evil intentions."

"Then you'll have to ask Yun Luobai. He's the kind of person who loves to attract attention. He has to say whatever he knows, as if he's afraid others won't know how knowledgeable he is."

Qingchuan retorted to Yun Luobai in the same sarcastic tone, but the latter's attention was not on him.

Noticing Yun Luobai's gaze, Ye Zi paused, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

Why are you looking at me like that?

How do you know I'm looking at you if you're not looking at me?

"you……"

The leaves, too lazy to argue with the falling clouds, simply turned their heads away.

However, Ye Zi also realized that the jade hairpin of mutual affection in Mu Li's hair was quite valuable. Now that it was coveted and could not be buried with her, and Qing Chuan had said that it was a loan to her rather than a gift, she might as well strike first rather than let it fall into someone else's hands...

After all, she's a professional in this area.

As for whether it's unlucky or not...

The priceless treasures that tomb raiders find while searching for dragon veins and dividing gold have been buried with the tomb owners for hundreds or even thousands of years, and no one feels it's bad luck...

"Second brother, I came here to ask you something. If it really was Ma Ben who killed Mu Li, even if you asked me to hint to him that I knew about the murder, the problem is there's no evidence. How can we convict him then...?"

Although Ning Qi's ideas were not as quick as Yun Luobai and Qingchuan's, he was a government official and was very familiar with the entire case-handling process. He naturally knew very well that without evidence of Ma Ben's murder, even if he had killed the person, he could not be convicted.

Yun Luobai has his own explanation for this.

"Why don't you just ask Young Master Qing next to you? Young Master Qing is a notorious gangster in Ningzhou Prefecture. It would be a piece of cake for him to frame such a poor jailer for murder."

"I'm being serious."

"I'm being serious."

Yun Luobai rested her hands on the edge of the table, smiling as she looked at Ning Qi and Qing Chuan in front of her.

Ning Qi paused for a moment, then looked at Qing Chuan beside him. When he realized that the latter did not react or even refute him, he looked at Yun Luobai's extremely familiar face again.

For some reason, in that instant, he felt that his second brother, who had grown up with him since childhood, was a complete stranger.

"Brother, if Ma Ben really did kill him, shouldn't he confess and accept the punishment?"

"That's only natural."

"Isn't it reasonable to create evidence when there isn't any?"

Yun Luobai smiled, and Qingchuan, who had been staring at the teacup on the table, suddenly looked up at Yun Luobai.

Yun Luobai and Qingchuan's eyes met, but he quickly looked away.

"I was just joking."

Yun Luobai straightened up and slowly walked towards the door.

The afternoon sun was already slanting, dividing the ground in the courtyard into two sides, one yin and one yang.

Yun Luobai stood in the shadows, leaning against Ye Zi by the door, so close to him that she could clearly see his expressionless face.

"If the person was indeed murdered, there must be a way to make him confess."

"Let's just take it one step at a time. Ugh, I feel like I have so much to do lately. I wonder if that monk is even in Xichuan Prefecture. I hope he's not..."

Hearing Ning Qi's sigh, Yun Luobai turned around and looked back.

"A monk?"

"He's a greedy monk who murders people for money. He's already robbed several money shops scattered around the area. The criminal I mentioned earlier who led the search team is him."

As Ning Qi spoke, he took down the notice that was tied to his waist with a thin rope. Yun Luobai unfolded the notice, glanced at the portrait on it, and silently memorized it.

"Be careful when you go out these days, and try to stay in crowded places."

"Brother, he robbed the bank, not me."

"What if you happen to be passing by and he gets desperate and hurts you?"

"That's such a coincidence..."

"Alright, Lao San and I will head back first. We'll meet at the usual place for the Chun Ning Lantern Festival tonight. As for whether Ma Ben didn't come to work because he asked for leave, you can ask Uncle Yun later and he'll know."

"My dad said he's going to the Wen Family Escort Agency tonight to drink with Uncle Wen. I don't know if he'll stay overnight there. If he does come back, it'll probably be very late."

"We'll see, no rush. Ah, it's a pity that Fourth Sister hasn't come back yet. If she knew you were still alive and well, she'd jump for joy."

"Yes, and then she'll start crying her eyes out, and no one can stop her. She'll have snot and tears all over you, and she'll make you take your clothes off. She'll insist on washing you clean, and you can't refuse."

Qingchuan chimed in, making Ning Qi burst into laughter.

"Alright, you don't need to see us off anymore. We're not outsiders."

After Ning Qi finished speaking, he stood up immediately. Qing Chuan followed Ning Qi and stood up, obediently like a little follower.

The two walked out of the door one after the other, and then walked side by side out of the courtyard.

Yun Luobai and Ye Zi watched the two figures leave, then exchanged a glance, remaining silent for a moment.