13th Break: Test

At Huichen.

"Boss." Qiu Yi called as he walked inside the pavilion where Meng Xing is staying. "Qiu Liu already went to the people on the list that you gave him. Qiu Qi also followed since she felt bored." He spoke as he sat across Meng Xing. "They brought some people with them, while Qiu Liu had the beggars watch over the houses of those people." He told Meng Xing as he poured Meng Xing's cup with tea.

Meng Xing nodded.

"Boss. Lin Ze even managed to get this list… this shows that he really has some ability." Qiu Yi said. "And means." He added.

"Yeah." Meng Xing answered as he sipped his tea. "He is not the number one of jianghu if he can't even do this." He said.

Qiu Yi's eyes flashed, seeming to understand something. So their boss did this as a test of Lin Ze's abilities. He sighed in admiration to their boss.

"Right. Is there any client the past days?" Meng Xing asked. Since Lin Ze doesn't want to take him with him, he has nothing to do. He felt stuffy in the Meng family's house so he asked someone to impersonate him there while he goes out to play.

"Yes." Qiu Yi answered. "There is a client who asked us to investigate the cause of his son's death since she isn't convinced of the verdict of the official." He said.

Meng Xing raised his gaze. "Why? Did this son have a conflict with someone before his death?" He asked. "Or that this son has offended someone, or he had enemies, thus his mother is unwilling to accept the verdict?" he said.

Qiu Yi chuckled. "Boss, you really have a discerning eye." He said.

"It is 'eyes'. I have a pair of them." Meng Xing said and ate his snack.

Qiu Yi laughed. "Yes, yes, the boss have a pair of discerning eyes." He said and smiled.

"So?"

"Yes, Madam Liu's son really have enemies because of his bad temper." Qiu Yi spoke. "He also has offended someone, to which he had argued with recently." He told Meng Xing.

"Oh. I am not interested in this." Meng Xing said. "This is just an interrelationship problem. Just check the people, the time of death and the people's alibi, as well as the murder method." He said.

Qiu Yi nodded in understanding. "Thank you for the guidance, boss. I will arrange someone to handle this." He said.

"Yes. Is there anything else?" Meng Xing asked.

"There is another one." Qiu Yi answered. "It is a ghost." He said.

"Cough!" Meng Xing choked on his food and Qiu Yi immediately handed him his drink. Meng Xing immediately emptied his cup. "You… how can you believe in such things?!" he asked. Even if his transmigration itself is something supernatural, but he still doesn't believe in ghosts.

"Boss. There are many kinds of beings in this world, and we are just a small part of them – oww!" Qiu Yi cried when Meng Xing hit him in the head. "I was just joking. I also don't believe it." He said.

"Huh." Meng Xing scoffed.

"But, boss. This is what the client said." Qiu Yi said. "That there is a ghost in their inn. One of the rooms as being used and their food were reduced." He said. "Also, there were voices that can be heard in that room during night. But, every time they check, there was no one." He told him.

"Oh." Meng Xing muttered indifferently.

"Boss. I know that you don't believe it, but Mr. Yang has already asked someone to watch over to find out who is playing pranks on them, acting as a ghost." He said. "But, even the officials whom he asked to investigate after their inn lost all of its customers, they couldn't find anything." He told Meng Xing.

"Do you believe that this is a work of a ghost?" Meng Xing asked.

Qiu Yi didn't answer.

"Speak." Meng Xing said.

"It is." Qiu Yi answered. Then, he took a deep breath. "If jianghu doesn't exist." He added.

Meng Xing's lips curled up.

"Boss." Qiu Yi called. His face is serious. "Mr. Yang said that this happened only last week." he told Meng Xing.

"Do you believe it?" Meng Xing asked.

"If it was a ghost, then I will (believe it)." Qiu Yi answered. "But, if it is a practitioner…" his voice lowered. "I am afraid that they had been here in the capital longer than what Mr. Yang stated." He said.

Meng Xing didn't speak.

"The capital.. I am afraid…" Qiu Yi lowered his head. "I thought that things seemed to become chaotic after Mr. Wen's death. However…" he looked at Meng Xing. "It is earlier than that." He said.

"Mr. Wen's death is just the fuse, or – " Meng Xing stared at the tea in his cup.

Qiu Yi waited for Meng Xing to continue. But, he didn't hear Meng Xing say anything else. So, their boss might be thinking something.

Meng Xing blinked as his expression returned to normal. "Have Qiu Si take Mr. Yang's case." He told Qiu Yi.

Qiu Si has the strongest martial arts among his subordinates.

"Yes, boss." Qiu Yi nodded and then left.

Meng Xing stared at the lotus flowers floating on the clear water. The still surface of the water rippled after a dragonfly landed on the lotus flower.

Meng Xing's eyes flashed. "A mountain can carry heavy rocks even the longest of time – " he muttered. " – that is, given that nothing would tip these rocks to tilt, causing them to roll down the slope, creating large cracks and deep pits on the ground wherever they hit, and so the old mountain finally breaks." He smiled.

The empire is like this mountain, and the rocks are the people. As long as no one, or nothing, would stir the sh*t up, everything will remain calm and peace will continue. Just like the water and the lotus flower. As long as no one moves the lotus flower like the wind or the dragonfly, the surface of the water would remain still.

"I am afraid… the calm of these past five years now has been broken."