27th Break: Find

At Huichen.

"Boss, are you alright?" Qiu Yi worriedly asked when he saw that Meng Xing woke up. He just left for a short while yet when he returned he heard that their boss fainted again!

Looking at Meng Xing's morbid pale face, he felt extremely distressed.

"En." Meng Xing nodded, then saw that it was already dark outside. He hasn't returned to the Meng residence today. "Where is Lin Ze?" He asked when he didn't see the other around. Or else, Qiu Yi won't call him 'boss' with Lin Ze around.

Everyone knows that Meng Xing is hiding his identity as the boss of Huichen.

"He already left." Qiu Yi answered. "Did he anger you again?" He asked as he wrung the towel to squeeze out the water before he wiped the sweat off Meng Xing's forehead.

"It was just my act." Meng Xing answered. "Where is Qiu Wu now?" he asked.

"He is collecting herbs in the mountains." Qiu Yi answered. "I heard that he found a teacher to teach him medicine." He said.

Meng Xing's eyes brightened. "I thought he only returned to his hometown? How did he bump into a teacher?" he asked.

"Qiu Wu said that he saved this old man who fell from a cliff, then he helped the old man to pick herbs." Qiu Yi answered. Then, he looked at Meng Xing. "Boss. Are you trying to find a master in both medicine and poisons?" he asked, guessing Meng Xing's thoughts.

Meng Xing didn't hide it from him. "En." He answered. "But, since Qiu Wu could learn... it is better to cultivate him who is our own." He said.

Qiu Yi nodded in agreement. "Yes. This way, he could also immediately attend to you." He said and softly smiled as he looked at Meng Xing's face.

Meng Xing, however, didn't notice Qiu Yi's expression since he is absorbed in finding a poisons master. "We still have to find an expert in poisons." He said.

"I will tell Qiu Ba to find one." Qiu Yi said.

Qiu Ba is the best person in this area since he is skilled in socializing, and so he knows many people, and of course, knows information about them, too.

"Yes. You may go now." Meng Xing said.

Qiu Yi then excused himself and closed the door.

Meng Xing heaved a sigh, then stared at the ceiling as he pondered over life. "Either Qiu Liu or Lin Ze finds Xu Ran first... that still would count as me solving the case." He muttered. "That leaves the Yang family's inn..." he muttered as his face turned serious.

Fortunately, they discovered that the Yang family's inn case actually involved the jianghu since the 'ghost' might be another martial arts expert. So, he already had the rumors about the 'ghost' of the Yang family inn to be suppressed since this involves the jianghu, which had never intersected with the capital which is under the palace's authority. Thus, this matter is very complicated, as well as very sensitive.

So, Meng Xing had to suppress the matter of the 'ghost' inn's case, or else the emperor would be unhappy since Wen Liao's case almost made the citizens find out that there might be some unrest coming to the capital, which would affect the emperor's image.

Meng Xing sighed. "I hope they all return to jianghu and never come to the capital again!" he said, feeling pissed. Then, he closed his eyes to sleep.

...

Lin family.

"Ze-er?" Lin Hao called in surprise. He was about to go back to his room after speaking with their father who talked with him about his work when he saw his younger brother drinking in the courtyard.

"Brother." Lin Ze nodded at him as he turned.

"Why are you drinking?" Lin Hao asked as he walked towards Lin Ze.

"Just thinking something." Lin Ze answered.

Lin Hao's eyes narrowed. "Can't you tell me?" he asked as he sat across Lin Ze. Did Meng Xing do something to his younger brother again?! He thought and frowned, inwardly cursing Meng Xing – this sly fox spirit!

Lin Ze didn't want to talk about Meng Xing, since he would just feel depressed again. "Do you know Jin Peng?" he asked.

Lin Hao's face turned serious. "That owner of a floating brothel?" he asked. "Didn't he die yesterday at dawn?" he asked. He already has heard about this when he was still in the palace. After all, there were also some ministers who were visiting the floating brothel.

"En." Lin Ze nodded in affirmation. "I was there." He told Lin Hao.

Lin Hao's eyes widened in surprise. "You were there?!" he exclaimed. "Ze-er, I heard that Jin Peng was killed by someone from jianghu, who he had a conflict with." He said as he looked at Lin Ze.

"I know." Lin Ze muttered. "I had fought with the person who killed Jin Peng." He told Lin Hao.

Lin Hao froze. "Were you hurt?!" he asked as he immediately looked at Lin Ze up and down.

"I wasn't." Lin Ze answered. "The murderer was." He said.

Lin Hao sighed in relief. "That's good." He said and smiled. After all, his younger brother is the number one in jianghu.

"What I want to tell you is…" Lin Ze looked at his elder brother. "Jin Peng… he was mother's younger brother." He said.

Lin Hao was stunned.

"His name was Fang Bozhi, and he was removed from the Fang family tree when grandfather disowned him after he killed second uncle." Lin Ze explained.

"Didn't second uncle die of illness…?" Lin Hao asked when his voice trailed off. He finally realized it.

"En. Grandfather covered up an even bigger scandal of the family." Lin Ze sighed. "Fang Bozhi never repented, though, after he was thrown to the countryside. Instead, he even committed more crimes." He told Lin Hao. "Later, he has joined a mercenary group." He added.

Lin Hao's expression is extremely ugly. "Did mother… know this?" he asked.

Lin Ze nodded in affirmation. "I told her." He said.

Lin Hao sighed with a heavy expression on his face. No wonder their mother was silent tonight.