Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu followed Qin Feng into the small cabin he lived in, and as soon as the door was shut, Qin Feng lowered his voice and said,

"Who exactly are you? Mr. Qin has had no descendants in Yuchang County for a long time."

Ma Lu said, "But didn't you have a friend before, a Yaren from Yuchang County, nicknamed Liu Huozui?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng was startled. "Liu Huozui died three years ago."

"Then do you know how he died?"

Qin Feng's gaze became wary as he heard this. "What is your relationship with him?"

"His son suspects that he didn't die from illness, but was murdered, so he asked me to investigate. He also said that a month before his father died, you happened to return to Yuchang County, and after that, his father was always restless."

Qin Feng shook his head, "Those are old events, what's the use of uncovering them now? Moreover, there are some things that are better left unknown."

Ma Lu raised an eyebrow, "So, the person who killed Liu Huozui is powerful, huh? How did you know that someone was going to target Liu Huozui?"

"You needn't try to extract words from me," Qin Feng said sternly, "Although Liu Huozui was my friend, I know he was no good person. His death was his retribution.

"As for you, coming to Crouching Tiger Hill to dig up a three-year-old case is unwise. While Dalang is not yet back, you should leave the hill early."

Ma Lu said, "Don't be in such a hurry to send us away, there's another matter. About half a month ago, a fake monk named Guang Yin arrived on Wolong Ridge. Do you know in which village he is staying?"

Qin Feng frowned, "Aren't you here on behalf of the Liu family to investigate the death of Liu Huozui? How did monks enter the conversation? Is this person also involved in that past murder case?"

"No, this is another matter. Crouching Tiger Hill is full of bandits, not an easy place to visit frequently. Since I came all this way, I definitely need to accomplish a few things before I can go back," Ma Lu said firmly.

"..."

After remaining silent for a while, Qin Feng finally said, "I indeed heard that a monk had come to Crouching Tiger Hill. Recently someone died in Xinghua Village, and they had a big deal that wasn't going smoothly.

"They met with a tough opponent, and altogether, seven or eight people died, so Hong Xinghua went to seek a monk to come to the village to perform rituals to dispel the bad luck. After the rituals were complete…"@@novelbin@@

"They detained the monk?"

"No, Hong Xinghua is quite trustworthy. She paid the monk as they agreed beforehand, but after the monk saw Hong Xinghua's appearance and fell in love with her, he refused to leave and did not want the silver, just staying in Xinghua Village.

"Whether that monk is Guang Yin whom you mentioned, I don't know."

"Ah?"

Ma Lu hadn't expected that Guang Yin had stayed on his own. Such a bold move by the fake monk to covet the attraction of a bandit leader.

Nevertheless, this managed to fulfill the task entrusted by Shopkeeper Wan.

Afterward, Ma Lu looked around, noticed the cabin was quite rudimentary with only a wooden bed and a table, and nothing much else.

Qin Feng's clothes were tattered, and he was thin, not like the three robust bandits from Black Tiger Village he had encountered at the foot of the mountain, prompting him to ask curiously,

"Have these years on the mountain been tough for you?"

Qin Feng sighed, "In my early years, I was a constable and found the officialdom perilous and full of too many dirty dealings unfit for public view. Later, when someone hijacked a prisoner I was escorting, the superior wanted me to bear the blame, so I ran away to Crouching Tiger Hill to become an outlaw.

"Back then, I thought being a Green Forest hero, free from constraints, wouldn't be bad. But after entering Black Tiger Village, I realized that being a bandit had its own intricacies, not at all less than those in officialdom. Not only do the four major villages on Crouching Tiger Hill openly and secretly fight every day, but the internal dynamics inside the villages are also turbulent.

"Even with brothers, it's the same—guarded and calculating. When I first arrived, I knew nothing, placed my trust in the wrong people, and since I had been a government official, they might have called me 'brother,' but they never truly trusted me, only assigning me the menial tasks of guarding and patrolling."

"Would you like to come down the mountain with me?" Ma Lu said, "I can take you with me when I leave."

Qin Feng shook his head again, "When I was a constable, I escorted criminals and even became a bandit myself. Even if I leave the mountain, there's nowhere for me to go. I might as well stay here in the village.

"Although the Du Brothers are greedy and lustful, they treat the elderly in the village well. Staying here, at least I won't starve and might even live a few more years."

As he spoke these words, he noticed the young man opposite him looking at him with a very strange expression, prompting him to ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Your face looks a bit off."

When Ma Lu first saw Qin Feng, he noticed his cheeks were red, but since it was night, he did not see it clearly and thought he'd been drinking.

But now, Qin Feng's face had grown even redder, turning the color of a liver, red blending into purple. It was then that Ma Lu realized something was wrong.

However, there was no mirror in Qin Feng's small cabin, and he hadn't noticed anything amiss, continuing to speak.

"I'm fine. I've said all there is to say, and you should leave now. If you stay any longer, Zhang Yuan might start to suspect."

"But your complexion is really odd. Did you meet any strangers today?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Qin Feng panted heavily. It was already deep into autumn, and though he was dressed in just a thin garment, he still felt unbearably hot and thirsty, wanting nothing more than to send Ma Lu away quickly so he could drink some water.

Yet Ma Lu didn't move, continuing to speak, "You've been poisoned. Is there a doctor in the village? I can help you call for him."

By then, Qin Feng had also begun to sense that something was abnormal. He spoke with difficulty, "The doctor in the village...is a fraud. He was just a peasant fleeing famine, caught and pretending to be a doctor out of fear of death. He… he can't cure my poison."

"I don't know how to treat poison either, but you can tell me who wants to kill you, and maybe, depending on the situation… I can help you seek revenge."

"No, no need."

Qin Feng's face had turned from red to dark, and his breathing grew more laborious. With his remaining strength, he said, "You need to be cautious… about the… fish…"

"Fish? Be careful of what fish?" Ma Lu asked, but by then, Qin Feng could no longer speak. His face turned pitch black as if painted with ink, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Ma Lu frowned at his body. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire

He didn't believe Qin Feng's death was a coincidence. Clearly, the mastermind behind the scenes had realized they were tracking the Liu Huozui lead and thus silenced Qin Feng, who knew too much.

But the problem was that this place was Black Tiger Village, strictly guarded, and normally difficult for outsiders to enter. Ma Lu and Gu Qingyi had also had to pretend to become bandits to infiltrate the place.

Even so, the people in the village were still cautious around them.

It wouldn't be easy for an outsider to commit murder unnoticed in Black Tiger Village. Could it have been someone close to Qin Feng?

However, Ma Lu considered and quickly dismissed this possibility. If it had been someone close to Qin Feng, there was no need for poison. They could have simply ambushed him during patrol, which would be much less noticeable.

This person used poison, and a slow-acting one at that, clearly hoping that Qin Feng would die slowly.

Following this line of thought, Ma Lu considered, what benefit did a slow death provide the perpetrator?

Well, it must have been to buy time to leave Black Tiger Village.

With this realization, a face came to mind in Ma Lu's thoughts.