Chapter 75: Forbidden Paths of Ancient Martial Arts

Miao Ruolan didn’t notice the strange look in his eyes and hurried down the stairs. “You’re back!”

“Yes…”

“Have you eaten?”

“I have.” Lin Xiaosu averted his gaze from her. “These past few days, I handled a major case.”

“A big case? What kind of case?”

“The Daier Company case—have you heard about it?”

Miao Ruolan’s mouth fell half open…

Who in Phoenix City hadn’t heard about the Daier Company?

The city’s pharmaceutical giant, at its peak, was trampled into the mud, ruined beyond redemption.

He had been the one handling that case.

“Remember how we got fined the other day? There was someone behind that. The person who directed the City Security Bureau to drive our detective agency out of Phoenix City was none other than Du Lifeng, owner of Daier Company!”

Miao Ruolan’s heart pounded. “So you brought him down too.”

Lin Xiaosu straightened with pride. “Exactly. Whoever dares offend our agency, no matter how far, must be punished!”

Miao Ruolan couldn’t help but laugh, lowering her head…

As she did, her cheeks flushed. She realized she’d been standing before him in her ultra-short nightdress for quite some time, and his gaze had been a little odd…

With a whoosh, she darted back into her room, acting entirely on instinct.

That night, Miao Ruolan drifted into dreams with a curious mix of thoughts. In her dreams, she seemed to play out a whole melodrama inspired by that scene—the plot jumbled and chaotic…

Lin Xiaosu, by contrast, slept soundly.

Ever since the day the City Security Bureau fined them, he had been working tirelessly for days, taking down corrupt officials, maneuvering against Daier Company, tracking Dongzi to another province, uncovering and destroying the ant’s nest, setting his trap for Daier, and finally, striking the decisive blow…

Tonight, he could finally let it all go and give his mind a chance to rest.

The next morning, when Lin Xiaosu opened his eyes, he truly felt a sense of ease and rejuvenation.

He got up, went downstairs—the detective agency was already open. On the table sat a plastic bag with a bowl of beef and scallion noodles, steam still rising from it.

Breakfast brought by Ruolan. It was almost a routine now.

As he ate, Lin Xiaosu asked, “Ruolan, have any cases come in these past days?”

“Two, both minor. I’m already working on them. One’s settled; the other should be wrapped up today.”

Lin Xiaosu said, “Don’t you think it’s time we hired someone?”

Hire someone?

Miao Ruolan had considered it. Lin Xiaosu was rarely at the agency during the day—either out on cases or reading at the library. That left her alone in the shop. If she had to go out for a case, the agency would be empty.

Especially lately, with her out every day, the agency was often closed. They really did need to hire someone, at least so that when she and Lin Xiaosu were out working, there would be someone at home to answer calls or settle payments.

But she hadn’t brought it up, because hiring someone meant spending money—and when it came to spending, Miao Ruolan was always frugal.

Now, Lin Xiaosu had raised the topic…

“Do you have anyone in mind?” Miao Ruolan asked.

“At the moment, no. What about you?”

“I don’t either… How about you set a salary standard, and I’ll try to find someone?” she suggested.

“If it’s just office work, four thousand should be enough, right?”

“Four thousand isn’t low here in Phoenix City. Civil servants only take home three or four thousand, though their benefits are better. We can’t provide the five insurances and one housing fund, after all.”

“Let’s set it at four thousand: start at eight, finish at five, weekends off, national holidays observed. If anyone volunteers for overtime, we’ll pay double.”

“Weekends off and overtime pay? That’s… those are generous terms.”

Lin Xiaosu laughed. “When I was job-hunting, I despised those bloodsucking capitalists. Now the roles are reversed—are we supposed to become the very people we despised?”

Miao Ruolan giggled. “Back when I was earning fifty per lesson and had to watch people’s faces, why didn’t I have a boss like you?”

“Lucky you didn’t. Otherwise, you’d have followed your boss around, and where would I have met you?”

Where would I have met you?

Those words, coming from him, sent a ripple through Miao Ruolan’s heart…

Indeed, as people walk through life, who knows whom they’ll meet around the next corner?

If she hadn’t met him, how dull would her life have been?

Thank goodness fate didn’t let her meet a kind-hearted capitalist…

“Today marks our agency’s first full month in business,” Miao Ruolan said.

“Really? I hadn’t kept track.”

“We’ve got a hundred and eighty thousand in the account! Do you need any of it?”

“Are all the taxes, rent, and expenses settled?”

“All paid. That’s net profit.”

“All right, keep twenty or thirty thousand as a reserve fund. The rest, let’s split fifty-fifty. We’ll do this every month from now on…”

“Xiaosu, I still think… I’ll just take a salary. Eight thousand a month is enough for me.”

“What are you saying? I just said I can’t stand those heartless bosses. Worse than them are those who cheat their partners. Do you really want to force me to become what I hate? We split the profits, as agreed.”

“But… if I bring home seventy or eighty thousand at once, my mom might think I’m someone’s mistress… Seriously, don’t laugh…”

The agency’s door opened.

A girl walked in.

She wore glasses, her face pale, eyes bloodshot—as if she had just endured the greatest ordeal of her life.

“Excuse me, which one of you is Detective Lin?”

“I am. And you are…?”

“I’m from Xiangxi. I’d like to ask your help with a case.”

Xiangxi—a small township north of Phoenix City, now merged into Fengshan Town. All that remains is the creek itself—Xiangxi.

The water of Xiangxi has a mysterious fragrance, and the women of Xiangxi carry a special, natural scent.

That is perhaps the most enduring impression the township left on Phoenix County.

Lin Xiaosu truly detected a unique scent on her—not perfume, but something lingering and fresh…

“What kind of case?” Lin Xiaosu asked.

Miao Ruolan stood and poured her some tea.

The young woman slowly lifted her gaze. “A murder.”

Murder?

The teacup trembled slightly in Miao Ruolan’s hand…

Lin Xiaosu’s brows drew together. “A murder? Shouldn’t you call the police?”

The woman shook her head gently. “It’s useless. From all appearances, my parents’ deaths in the house collapse look like an accident. Even if the police come, all they’ll do is file an accident report—they won’t treat it as a criminal case.”

“Why do you think it’s a case?”

“Because I know exactly what kind of place Baiyangchong is, and I know that just before my parents died, the main suspect had a heated argument with them. And I know that the house collapse perfectly served that person’s interests…”

Lin Xiaosu’s eyes lit up…

This woman’s thinking was remarkably clear…

She seemed to have a good grasp of how cases worked…

Clients like this were rare.

Miao Ruolan handed her the tea. “Tell us more…”

The young woman took the cup, thanked Ruolan, and began her story…

Her name was Zhou Xi, from Baiyangchong Village.

Her parents were farmers, supporting her through university with a few acres of fields and woodland. She was just a month from graduation, planning to find a good job to provide for her parents, when tragedy struck—her family home suddenly collapsed, killing both her father and mother.

She rushed home overnight from River City, buried her parents, but the more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong. She suspected the Liu family had murdered her parents.

After the funeral, Liu Yuanchang—the Liu family patriarch—produced a document: an agreement, allegedly signed by her late parents, selling their ancestral house to him for thirty thousand yuan.

Now the house had collapsed, her parents were dead, and Liu Yuanchang wanted to level the land to expand the mining road…

Miao Ruolan’s face changed at the name. “Liu Yuanchang of Baiyangchong? Heir to a martial arts family?”

There were countless Lius in the county, but the one she was most familiar with was this Liu family.

They, too, were a martial arts lineage.

But unlike the Miao family, who deliberately blended into ordinary society and often avoided the label of “martial arts heir,” the Liu family did the opposite—constantly reminding everyone of their heritage.

They used this reputation to dominate the countryside and build the largest quarry in Phoenix City, amassing a fortune…

“That’s them!” Zhou Xi said. “Just half a month ago, my parents called me. They never mentioned selling the ancestral home. I told them I didn’t need their financial support—they had no reason to sell. Besides, I heard from neighbors that just before the house collapsed, Liu Yuanchang came to our home and argued violently with my parents. In such a situation, how could they have reached an agreement to sell the house?”

“You said… the agreement only had fingerprints, no signatures?” Lin Xiaosu asked.

“Yes. Both my parents were literate. The absence of signatures is suspicious. I even suspect he forced their fingerprints onto the paper.”

“And another thing…” Lin Xiaosu asked, “Was your house crucially located?”

“Yes, the mining road runs right outside our yard. The road’s too narrow for large trucks, and below it is a cliff. Only by demolishing our house could they open up the passage… The Liu family has a history of seizing land and trampling villagers for the mine—not just once or twice.”

“Not just once or twice?” Lin Xiaosu exhaled softly…

“It’s true. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, you can’t imagine how vicious and brazen those people are…”