Squeak---
The door of the Sword Pavilion was opened from the inside. Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu, who were still staring at each other outside the door, quickly turned their heads to look.
Seeing Ye Anping coming out, Yun Yiyi hurriedly picked up the tea she had just asked the Flowing Water Peak disciples to brew and greeted him. "Young Master Ye, this is the Sword Sect's Pure White Tea. It has a calming effect on the mind and heart. You've been inside for so long; drink some to ease your mind."
Ye Anping politely took off his face scarf and blood-stained gloves, received the teacup, and took a small sip. Indeed, he felt that the sweet aftertaste of this tea overwhelmed the previous strong smell of blood, soothing both his body and mind.
"Thank you for your trouble, Miss."
"How could it be considered trouble helping my husband pour a cup of tea?"
The two people behaved very affectionately, glowing as if they were in love. Yun Jiujiu, who was watching from the side, was full of disgust, but there was also a little dissatisfaction mixed in.
Seeing that Feng Yu Die had also come out, she looked around and realized there wasn't any tea prepared. In the end, she simply picked up the jade gourd hanging from her waist, stepped forward, and grabbed Feng Yu Die's mouth.
?
"Uh?"
Feng Yu Die hadn't recovered yet when Yun Jiujiu stuffed the jade gourd into her mouth and shook it vigorously.
"Here! I have also prepared something to soothe your mind. This is a twenty-year-old rare wine! It's good stuff; even I can hardly bear to drink it normally."
Gulp, gulp, gulp---
The wine went down her throat, strong and spicy. Feng Yu Die choked and rolled her eyes as wine gushed through her nose. She held her breath and forcefully pushed Yun Jiujiu away, looking for a way out.
"Cough cough--" Feng Yu Die wiped her nose and mouth and couldn't help cursing. "Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Ah..." Yun Jiujiu was stunned. "Aren't you used to drinking?"
On the other hand, Yun Yiyi couldn't take it anymore. She sighed softly, then waved her hand, gesturing to the waiting disciples to bring Feng Yu Die a cup of tea.
"Master Feng, how about a cup of tea to calm down?"
Yun Jiujiu immediately frowned and glared at them. "Who wants to drink your lousy tea? Brother Yu doesn't want it..."
Yun Jiujiu was about to send the teacup flying with a wave of her hand, but Feng Yu Die was a step ahead of her. She protected the teacup in her hands, tilted her head, and quickly drank it in one gulp. Then, she let out a burp. "Thank you, Miss Yun, you saved my life... Phew..."
"You're welcome."
Yun Yiyi smiled and nodded, then glanced at her second sister, who was now staring down at her toes, biting her lip in embarrassment. Feeling somewhat relieved, she decided to take advantage of the situation. "Master Feng, if you are following my second sister for spirit stones, you might as well come to my Flowing Water Peak . Whatever she gives you, I'll give you double."
Feng Yu Die's eyes instantly lit up when she heard about her allowance being doubled, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed by Yun Jiujiu.
Yun Jiujiu shielded Feng Yu Die behind her and glared at Yun Yiyi. "Damn it, Yun Yiyi!! Do you believe that I will beat you up..."
"So what if you beat me up? Second sister, from Mr. Feng's accent, I can tell that he came from the Western Region . I guess he came here to make a living. Shouldn't we bid fairly? Should he stay at your Sword Wine Peak or come to my place? Let Master Feng decide for himself."
"You..."
As the two were arguing, Feng Yu Die suddenly caught a glimpse of Ye Anping giving her a signal with his eyes. She immediately came back to her senses and interrupted them. "Eldest Miss Yun, I am grateful for your kindness, but I had already promised to Second Miss, so I cannot refuse her."
Hearing these words, Yun Jiujiu's worries instantly dissipated. She was really afraid that "Feng Yu'' would be taken away by her sister. She patted Feng Yu Die's back, laughing heartily. "Hmph! Brother Yu is a discerning person who can tell who is good and who is bad."
Yun Yiyi forced a smile and set up the steps for a smooth retreat. "Since this is Mr. Feng's answer, I won't say anything more, but Mr. Feng, if you want to reconsider later, you can always..."
"Brother Yu won't go with you!!" Yun Jiujiu directly ruined the steps she had built. "He is mine! Hmph!"
"..."
Ye Anping, who had watched the two sisters quarrel the entire time, sighed and took a step forward to steer the topic away. "Let's talk about the case. This murder is suspicious. The twenty-seven people who died were moved here after their deaths, and there are clear signs of deliberate arrangement at the scene. It seems that there is more than one culprit."
Yun Yiyi lowered her head and pondered for a while before speaking. "Deliberate? So, there is a group of people acting in secret, and the purpose should not be to kill the Sword Sect's inner disciples but to get something from them?"
"Yes, but I don't know exactly what they want."
"In that case..."
Yun Yiyi thought and prepared to instruct the disciples of the Flowing Water Peak on how to handle the matter.
However, she had just faced the steps of the Sword Pavilion and was about to open her mouth when Yun Jiujiu forcefully stomped on the stone tiles under her feet and shouted with great vigor. "I have an objection!"
Yun Yiyi looked at her with a raised eyebrow, indicating: Speak.
Yun Jiujiu looked at Feng Yu Die next to her and said, "Whatever this little sissy next to you says, does it have to be so? My brother Yu hasn't spoken yet!"
?
Feng Yu Die looked at her confused, her eyes full of doubts: What do you want me to say?
"Brother Yu! Tell us, what's going on with this case?"
Feng Yu Die hesitated for a moment, then cupped her hands. "I think the same thing as Young Master Ye."
"Ah..." Yun Jiujiu pouted, full of embarrassment. "... So, you think the same way, Brother Yu. Well then... that's probably how it is."
Yun Yiyi rolled her eyes at her second sister and approached the five disciples from the Flowing Water Peak who were standing below the steps. She raised her voice and commanded, "You five, go to the Hall of Fame to find out the names of these twenty-seven, then interrogate each person that was closest to them, ask--"
At this point, she paused and looked towards Ye Anping, silently asking him with her eyes.
Ye Anping understood and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "The time of death is basically within five days."
Yun Yiyi nodded and continued, "Ask about their activities in the past five days -- where each person went, who they visited -- everything must be thoroughly investigated. You have two days."
"Yes, Miss..."
"Now..." Yun Yiyi paused, turned to look at the gold-lettered sign board that said, " My Heavenly Sword Pavilion ," and asked, "Where is Master Xue of My Heavenly Sword Pavilion ?"
"Eldest Miss, we haven't been able to locate Master Xue. We asked the surrounding shopkeepers earlier. They said that no one had seen Master Xue since yesterday afternoon."
"Hurry up and send people to find him. You must bring him to me today. Who discovered the scene?"
"It was the alchemy shop owner across the street."
"Well... lead us there."
Yun Yiyi nodded, then led Ye Anping down the stairs toward the alchemy shop opposite the Sword Pavilion .
Watching them go downstairs, Yun Jiujiu took a deep breath and grabbed Feng Yu Die's wrist, asking, "Brother Yu, they've left. Where should we go?"
"Huh?" Feng Yu Die tilted her head. "Let's follow them."
Yun Jiujiu puffed up her cheeks. Although she was not very bright and didn't quite understand what had happened, she knew that if she followed Yun Yiyi, she would always be one step behind.
"Don't you have a way to find the criminal faster?"
"..."
Yun Jiujiu straightened up and patted her chest.
Boom boom---
"The people of the Sword Wine Peak listen to me, and I listen to you! You can do whatever you want. Whatever you ask me to do, I will do it! Anything!"
"Well, now that the marketplace is under martial law, I have a feeling that the culprit may be still inside, hiding. How about we go to the market and search around?"
"Okay! I'll listen to you!"
Yun Jiujiu grinned at Feng Yu Die, then grabbed her wrist, and they ran down the stairs, sprinting toward the street.