"Then was there any mention of Bai BaoShi before Bai Yaling's death?"
Fan Xue shook his head, "There wasn't. Her appearance was quite unexpected."
Jie Fu Lian gulped as he heard this and suddenly had a crazy thought as he asked, "What about Bai Guanyu? When he married Bai BaoShi, was there anything odd about him?"
Since it was suspected that Bai BaoShi was a demon, Jie Fu Lian couldn't help but wonder if the woman had tricked Bai Guanyu into marrying her or not. After all, the sweet words of a demon were hard to ignore and Bai Guanyu was just a normal man, how could he not fall prey?
Fan Xue thought about it for a moment before he shook his head with a sigh, "Except for his impulsive decision, there wasn't anything else out of the place. His behavior was quite normal."
Jie Fu Lian frowned as he heard this and was about to ask another question, but before he could say anything, Fan Xue clicked his tongue as he suddenly added.
"There was one thing that I found odd!"
"What was it?"
"He wasn't sad."
"Huh?"
"Madam Bai Yaling had just died and yet he didn't even shed a single tear over her death," Fan Xue spoke, feeling a bit unhappy as he continued, "I had always thought he was an admirable man for the love he had for his wife, but when I saw him not even shedding a single tear over her death bed, it made me feel as if the person I had known had suddenly changed into a treacherous scumbag."
Jie Fu Lian opened his mouth and closed it just as fast. He tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together but couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something missing.
"Did you talk to him about it?"
Fan Xue shook his head with a scoff as he questioned back, "How could I? I was nothing more than a financial minister. It wasn't my business to meddle into his personal affairs."
"Then let me ask you this," Jie Fu Lian gulped as he slightly leaned in and carefully questioned, "Is it possible that somebody else was pretending to be Bai Guanyu or did it look like Bai Guanyu was under somebody else's control?"
Fan Xue looked to be a bit taken back as he heard this question and he hesitated for a long time before answering, "It doesn't sound possible but if it were the case then a lot of things could be explained."
Jie Fu Lian took a deep breath in and picked up the porcelain tea cup before bringing it near to his mouth and taking a sip.
His eyebrows that were creased together hadn't loosened up just yet. He was deep in thought and felt like he shouldn't have locked Hua Tianshu away in the dungeon. Two heads were better than one. If he had Hua Tianshu, the two could work together and come up with more ideas.
"What about when Bai LiuXian died?" Suddenly, Duan Luoyang decided to break his silence as he questioned, "What was the reaction of Bai BaoShi and Bai Guanyu?"
"Bai Guanyu was just a bit shocked and Bai BaoShi was deeply shaken," Fan Xue sighed as he revealed, "Around that time, Bai BaoShi kept making trouble and eventually, Bai Guanyu also got tired of it and let her go."
Both Jie Fu Lian and Duan Luoyang caught a word and immediately felt as if they had gained a hint.
"What type of trouble?" Jie Fu Lian was the first to ask.
"The investigation pointed at Jie Fu Lian. There was both evidence and witness testimonies proving that he was the culprit, but Bai BaoShi didn't believe it."
"Huh?" Jie Fu Lian's eyes widened with surprise and he suddenly felt that this Bai BaoShi had quite an accurate intuition. While everyone else was blinded by evidence, she could think for herself and accurately guessed Jie Fu Lian's innocence in the case.
"She kept blabbering nonsense."
"What nonsense?" Jie Fu Lian asked with great interest that could hardly be hidden.
Since there was another person who believed in his innocence, he naturally wanted to know more about that person and her thoughts on the case.
"She kept repeating the same thing everyday," Fan Xue sighed with annoyance as he recalled, "She kept claiming that it was a ghost."
"A ghost?!" Both Jie Fu Lian and Duan Luoyang reacted together, looking like two dumbfounded fishes.
"She kept repeating it everyday. At night, she would often scream, saying that the ghost was coming after her next," Fan Xue rubbed his forehead as he spoke.
Jie Fu Lian gulped as he looked at Duan Luoyang who looked back at him with the same incomprehensible expression, they nodded at each other with an understanding.
"Whose ghost was it?" Jie Fu Lian and Duan Luoyang turned to look at Fan Xue at the same time as they asked in unison.
"Madam Bai Yaling."
"!!!"
Fan Xue sighed as he continued, "She had never even met the woman before nor had she ever mentioned that name before it. Suddenly, her son died and she kept claiming that madam Bai Yaling had come back as a ghost and was trying to kill her."
"Is there any reason why she might have believed something like that?" Jie Fu Lian asked with a small frown, "Perhaps she had seen something that made her believed that Madam Bai Yaling had come back as a ghost?"
"It was all because of a nightmare," Fan Xue answered with a sigh, "After her son's death, she claimed to have seen Madam Bai Yaling in her nightmare. Madam Bai Yaling was laughing and cursing at her in the nightmare. Even going as far as to threaten her by saying she was next. After that, Bai BaoShi didn't even dare sleep."
Jie Fu Lian no longer knew if this piece of information was even relevant or not.
There was clearly no way the murderer was a ghost.
In the memory, they had come face to face with the murderer and not only was the murderer not Madam Bai Yaling's ghost, but it was a man that was most probably a half demon.
The nightmare was probably just induced from the guilt and anxiety buried in Bai BaoShi's heart after her son died.
He would be a fool if he were to take nightmares as proof.
"If she truly feared for her life, shouldn't she have stayed?" Duan Luoyang slightly frowned as he questioned, "It would be safer for her to stay here. Why did she decide to leave?"
"Like I said, she had already gone insane and could no longer think straight. She started blaming everything on Bai Guanyu and in the end, she left."
"Uncle Fan Xue, This Bai Guanyu..." Jie Fu Lian gulped as he suddenly spoke up, feeling as if he was seeing something but at the same time, being unable to grasp the core of it, "Why did he collapse?"
"Aiya, isn't it because of loneliness?" Fan Xue clicked his tongue as he shook his head in disappointment and spoke, "His first wife died, his second son died and then his second wife also went insane and left him. Bai YiJun was the only one left in his family but he was a cripple and a lunatic so how could Bai Guanyu look at him for comfort. In the end, it was as if there was no one left by his side and he eventually suffered from the loneliness."
Jie Fu Lian slightly raised his eyebrows as he heard this and asked, "Bai YiJun is a cripple and a lunatic...? Uncle Fan Xue, why is he still pretending? If Bai BaoShi is gone, shouldn't he also be able to leave that roll behind?"
It was a question that Jie Fu Lian had wanted to ask for quite some time but the one he wanted to ask this question to was originally Bai YiJun, however, he had missed his queue and ended up facing Fan Xue with this question.
Fan Xue looked to be a bit shocked as he heard the words of Jie Fu Lian and immediately clenched his jaw as he glared at the man and unhappily asked, "You know?"
Jie Fu Lian was a bit tongue-tied when he suddenly heard this question. He couldn't just blurt out that he had always known it since he was Jie Fu Lian. Bai YiJun was a careful person so it was also unlikely for him to come out and reveal his true nature to someone he hardly knew.
In the end, Jie Fu Lian could only remember that Hua Tianshu also seemed to have already known about Bai YiJun and although he didn't know what the relationship was between Hua Tianshu and Bai YiJun, he still decided to use the man as an excuse.
"Brother Hua seemed to be acquainted with Bai YiJun so I also got to meet him. Although he looked like he couldn't use his legs anymore, there were no issues with his head. It felt unlikely for him to be a lunatic."
Surprisingly enough, Fan Xue believed his words without any hesitation.
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"So it's like that," Fan Xue muttered as he sighed and nodded his head in understanding.
Jie Fu Lian didn't bother blurting out too many words, afraid that if he spoke too much, his lies would be uncovered.
Fan Xue was a quick-witted person so it was hard to lie to him and even harder not to be suspected by him.
"The reason why Bai YiJun started pretending to be a lunatic wasn't simply because of Bai BaoShi," Fan Xue spoke as he answered Jie Fu Lian's previous question, "The main reason was simply because he did not wish to be the next city head. It was too much responsibility and he was afraid of being targeted by people. His legs are already like this so if he were to become the next city head, he would look like an easy target and be eyed by many who'd want to kill him and take his position."
Both Jie Fu Lian and Duan Luoyang frowned as they heard this.
"Uncle Fan Xue, I have another question," Jie Fu Lian quickly spoke up and didn't even let Fan Xue respond as he asked, "Are his legs really destroyed for good? Can his condition never improve?"
Jie Fu Lian had asked this same question years ago and at that time, he had gotten an ambiguous answer which was simply wrapped up in a single sentence, 'Heaven's will is unpredictable.'
Fan Xue blinked as he stared at Jie Fu Lian and it looked like he was both surprised and a bit confused as he heard this question that he remembered hearing years ago.
He opened his mouth to say something but soon closed it like a fish, not wanting to say the words 'Heaven's will is unpredictable' again.
After a short pause, he calmly took a sip of the tea as he spoke, "So far, there hasn't been any progress. Even if there was, it is unlikely that he would tell me about it. Bai YiJun feels quite comfortable in the position he is currently in so there is nothing he wishes to change."
Jie Fu Lian couldn't help but sigh as he heard this.
Fan Xue's words really matched with Bai YiJun.
Bai YiJun didn't want to improve his condition and even if it improved, it was unlikely for him to share it with others.
It seemed that Fan Xue still knew Bai YiJun quite well.
"This might sound like a random question but I want to ask," Jie Fu Lian took a sharp breath in as he spoke, "The reason why Bai YiJun opened the information guild... Was it because the city was lacking funds or was there another reason behind it?"
Bai YiJun was quite the business mind. A profitable organization like the information guild was definitely his idea. However, Jie Fu Lian knew his friend the best and hence, he couldn't help but wonder why Bai YiJun, a lazy person who didn't even want to stand up and walk, would actually open such a troublesome business which didn't even have a permanent location or building.
"You've guessed it right," Fan Xue let out a dry chuckle as he replied, "Bai YiJun started the information guild because of his brother's death. He had deeply cherished his brother and he refused to believe that his brother had been killed by Jie Fu Lian. He thought opening an information guild would help him broaden his reach and he could gain any hint or information crucial to his brother's murder. However, I'm afraid his brother's death was truly planned with perfection. All evidence pointed at Jie Fu Lian and there was no trace of the original murderer."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Duan Luoyang's ears perked up and he enthusiastically asked, "Minister Fan, do you also believe that Jie Fu Lian wasn't the real murderer?"
Jie Fu Lian gulped as he heard this and secretly looked at Fan Xue with an expectant gaze. He already knew there weren't many that believed in his innocence but he also didn't want to hear Uncle Fan Xue also blame him for something he never did.
"At first, when the evidence was presented, I was a bit taken back and in disbelief but I eventually accepted it and thought to myself, 'not everyone who smiles is a good person'. There's no guessing what evils one is capable of behind the other's back."
Jie Fu Lian's heart quickly dropped.
"But after discussing it with GuiYing, my thoughts were changed and I could no longer stand by and believe that the boy I knew would be capable of something like that."
Jie Fu Lian's dropped heart was restored to its previous status and he looked at Fan Xue with sparkling eyes filled with admiration.
"Whether he was guilty or not, I decided to let time decide. I was no one to judge something I didn't see. What I saw was the Jie Fu Lian who would visit my house with a box of Osmanthus cakes and a wide grin. He was a warm and caring person so I can only believe in the 'him' that I saw and got to know."
In Jie Fu Lian's heart, he felt a little touched and the admiration he held for Both Fan Xue and Fan GuiYing dramatically increased.
He had never known that Fan Xue saw him under such a good light. He suddenly didn't want to correct the man and tell him, 'I actually brought those osmanthus cakes for Fan GuiYing and he is so handsome that I can't help but smile!'
Now that the name 'GuiYing' was brought up, Jie Fu Lian felt a little sad that he was yet to see the man again so he decided to take the opportunity and asked, "Fan GuiYing should be your husband, is he not?"
The answer was obvious but he still asked in order to not look odd.
When Fan Xue heard the name, he lips tugged up in a genuine smile and he nodded his head, "That's right."
Jie Fu Lian opened his mouth and let out a 'Wow~' with admiration and excitement as he immediately spoke, "I have heard about you two a lot."
Fan Xue smile slightly faltered as he heard that comment and he instinctively replied, "Not good things, I'm guessing?"
"What do you mean?" Jie Fu Lian slightly frowned as he immediately responded back, "They were all good things! There were some nonsensical rumors mixed in the bunch but I did not want to pay too much attention to that. In reality, I quite admire both of the elders. You were once a part of the phoenix sect, were you not? And Fan GuiYing was even an elder in the sect. How can I not feel impressed by such a man."
Fan Xue was a bit taken back by the man's words and looked at him with his eyes wide open as he had a feeling of Deja-Vu.
The more he talked to this man, the more this man reminded him of Jie Fu Lian.
From the way he called him 'Uncle Fan Xue' to the way he spoke the same words and asked the same questions, it was all hard not to notice.
Fan Xue lightly chuckled as he asked, "Daoist Fu, I am glad to hear your encouraging words. If you would like it then you can come over to my house for dinner today...?"
At first, Fan Xue had no intention of inviting the man over, but now, he felt that he wanted this man to meet his husband. After all, Fan GuiYing had a much better intuition and was able to predict things better than Fan Xue.
If Fan Xue felt that this man was Jie Fu Lian, there was a chance that he would be wrong, but if Fan GuiYing felt that this man was Jie Fu Lian, there was no way it could be anything other than that.
Jie Fu Lian failed to guess the real intention behind this invitation and without knowing that he was going to be tested, he gave a toothy grin as he nodded his head and agreed to accept the invitation.
"If it isn't much trouble then I would love to join you guys for dinner."
Duan Luoyang was still worried about his master who was locked up in the dungeon but when he heard about this dinner plan, he only thought of two things: Food and Fan GuiYing. He loved food and he was curious to see the so-called unearthly handsome face of Fan GuiYing so he naturally felt happy to accept this dinner invitation along with Jie Fu Lian.
Originally, Hua Tianshu had thought Jie Fu Lian would soon return for him and get him out of the dungeon but almost half a day passed and there was no sign of Jie Fu Lian. Eventually Hua Tianshu realized that he had been abandoned and would have to stay in this dungeon for a day or two.
He didn't hold any grudges against Jie Fu Lian for this.
His reaction was perfectly along the lines of 'It is what it is and accept it as it is.'
Not wanting to waste time, he crossed his legs and decided to peacefully meditate. This dungeon was quite silent and surprisingly, good for meditation.
In the next chapter, we'll get to meet the beauty Fan GuiYing (;
Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote, comment, and support the author by adding this novel to your library!~
Take care and have a great day <3
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