Jianghu Is Not Solitude

Du Jiangsheng thought for a bit and then laughed, "That's unlikely! Because the murderer had entered and exited your house as if it was a deserted place. If it was the old master's enemy, killing him would only last for an instant.

"Who could it be?" Chen Prefect was so anxious that his face was dripping with sweat, "This sort of thing is not afraid of the opponent's sharp weapons, only afraid that he will secretly do something. It's really hard to guard against!"

"Lord, don't worry, I have already promised you that I will do my best to retrieve the lost item!" Meng Chun said.

"Then, what ingenious plan does Mister have?" Chen Prefecture asked.

Meng Chun Lou gave a faint smile and said, "Those of us who roam the martial arts world naturally have our own methods. Lord, there is no need to ask." Now that we understand the situation, if Master trusts this lowly one, please let us go so that we can make the arrangements early. "

Prefect Chen hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How should I contact you when Sir is about to go?"

"Isn't there an auspicious cloud inn in Yangzhou? We will stop there! " Meng Chun said.

"Mascot Cloud Inn?" Isn't that too much of a grievance to you, Mister? " Prefect Chen forced a smile.

"We who roam the martial arts world have long been accustomed to living in the open. Now that we have a place to stay, we are satisfied!" Meng Chun Lou laughed.

"Alright, since that's the case, I will let Housekeeper Chen use my palanquin to escort the two of you back. But, what is Mister's name? Can you tell me your name?" Chief Steward Chen asked with a look of anticipation.

"My name is Du Chun Restaurant, and my apprentice's name is Meng Jiangsheng!" Meng Chun said.

"Alright, I'll remember it!" "If there's any news, please come to my residence and inform me at any time!" Chief Steward Chen said with a sincere expression.

"Of course!" Meng Chun said.

Prefect Chen immediately led Meng and Du out of the secret room, then called over the housekeeper, Chen Lu. He immediately sent the two of them back to the Mascot Inn using an official sedan, but secretly told Chen Lu that he must make sure Meng and Du were truly settled there.

After a while, the palanquin was ready. Meng and Du got on it, and with a shout, Chen Lu led the crowd towards the Mascot Inn.

Everywhere they passed, they saw many happy refugees running back and forth. The smile on their faces, which they had not seen for a long time, was very touching under the scorching sun. If it were not for the fact that they were dressed in rags, they would have thought that they were ordinary citizens of the city.

Meng Chun Lou lifted the sedan chair's curtain and looked at them as they walked back and forth. She couldn't help but ask Chen Lu, "Butler Chen, these people are so crazy. Could something have happened to them?"

"Just you wait, I'll ask for you!" While Chen Lu was speaking, he stopped a running youth and asked, "Little brother, in such a hot weather, you are running with your life on the line. Could it be that you have picked up a gold ingot?"

"This is even more delightful than picking up a gold ingot! Let me tell you, Boss Zhao Dexing, from the city, posted a notice saying that anyone who was a refugee could come to his house to eat and drink, and even provide shelter. Moreover, anyone who was willing to return to their hometown to do business would have to pay a fee of twenty silver taels. "How can I care about the heat right now? I have to spread this news to the entire city as soon as possible so that everyone can get a better look of it!" The youth said with a happy expression.

"Is that so?" Chen Lu pouted. "Could it be that this Zhao Dexian has turned around?" It can't be that you have been possessed, right? "

"Who cares if he is possessed or not, as long as there is a steamed bun to eat, I will be satisfied!" I won't tell you anymore, but I need to hurry up and send a message! " With that said, the youth stretched out his hand to wipe the sweat on his face. He flung away his arms and continued running forward.

Meng Chunlou heard their conversation. He couldn't help but think, "This Zhao Daxing seems to have really put in a lot of effort. Unfortunately, the loss this time is too great. He'll probably cry for three days and three nights!"

Chen Lu turned around and told Meng Chunlou everything that had happened. Meng Chunlou immediately smiled and said, "Boss Zhao being so magnanimous in his kindness is truly a blessing to all the people!"

"I would believe it if a beggar was willing to part with the food for the victims, but if Zhao Dexing is willing to part with his family property and let the refugees eat and drink for free, I feel that there must be a hidden trick!" Chen Lu smiled wryly, "After all, if we were to pluck the feathers from him, we might as well kill him!"

Meng Chunlou gave a faint smile and said, "Perhaps everyone has a kind heart. Zhao Dexian probably did this for the sake of doing good deeds!"

"Humph!" Chen Lu smiled wryly, "Difficult, difficult, difficult!"

As the two spoke, they had long since arrived at a secluded area. Chen Lu pointed forward and said, "Mister, two more streets and we'll arrive at the Mascot Inn!"

"No rush, let the sedan bearers take it easy. If they were to walk too fast in such a hot day, they would get sick!" Meng Chunlou instructed.

"It's fine, these people are all laborers, their bodies are very strong!" Chen Lu laughed.

The sedan bearers would not listen to his words, but due to his status, they did not dare to get angry. They could only secretly curse Chen Lu's eighteen generations of ancestors.

However, the business here was very good because the prices of the stores were cheap. Moreover, there were all kinds of services here, and many projects were completely outside of the scope of the regular inn. Therefore, as long as a guest came to the north and south, they would definitely choose this place as long as they heard of the name of the Xiang Yun Inn.

The palanquin should have stopped at the intersection, but Chen Lu was not allowed to do so, so they only stopped when they arrived at the entrance of the Xiangyun Inn. Meng and Du got off the palanquin and saw the guard running towards them.

Towards his enthusiasm, Meng Chunlou felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He thought to himself, "No wonder this Mascot Cloud Inn is so remote but full of business. I can't believe I'm so enthusiastic!"

Wang San led Meng and Du into the main entrance and asked with a smile, "I wonder if you two are here to stay or to fight?"

"Residence!" Do you have a room? " Meng Chun Lou asked.

"Yes, yes! There are upper, middle and lower class rooms as well! " Wang San said with a smile.

"Then let's have a high-class room!" Meng Chun said.

"Alright, come with me!" As Wang San spoke, he led the way and led Meng Li and Du up the stairs. He saw Chen Lu standing guard at the door. He turned to Meng Chun Lou and asked, "Dear guest, do we also need to see the person at the door?"

Meng Chun Lou turned around and glanced at him. Chen Lu quickly retracted his neck and shouted to the sedan bearers, "Don't bother resting, return to the mansion immediately!"

When the sedan bearers heard this, they didn't dare to say anything. They immediately carried the sedan back to their homes. When Meng Chun Lou saw this, she smiled and said, "He won't stop!"

"Alright!" Wang San let out a professional smile and led Meng and Du both forward, just in time to meet a beautiful woman walking leisurely down the stairs. She used her hand to wipe the hair at the sides of her temples, but her pair of eyes only shifted from Wang San's face to hers.

Wang San immediately had an evil smile on his face. He reached out his hand to touch her waist and said, "Let's talk later!"

The corner of the beautiful woman's mouth curled as she sneered, "Look at your appearance. If you really had the guts, would I have spared your money now?"

When the beautiful woman's words reached this point, she no longer looked at Wang San. She twisted her slender waist and walked down the stairs. However, she heard Du Jiangsheng call out, "Stop!"

When the beautiful woman heard the cry, she turned to look at Du Jiangsheng and immediately pursed her lips into a smile, saying, "Child, are you calling me?"

"That's right!" "Where did your scent come from?" Du Jiangsheng asked.

"Hur Hur Hur Hur!" The beautiful woman covered her mouth and laughed. Then, her eyebrows twitched as she said, "Child, your nose is really sharp. It's a pity that you're still young and can't understand the situation. Otherwise, this old lady will definitely let you smell it!"

"Since she's still a child, you started to hook up with her! Why aren't you leaving? If you scare my guests, be careful that the boss will seal your door! " Wang San cursed.

"Pfft!" I haven't told your boss about you secretly watching me take a bath, but you're pretending to be a good person instead! " The beautiful woman's voice was filled with anger, but her pair of eyes continued to size up Meng Chunlou. She was obviously afraid of his beard, so she dejectedly turned around and went downstairs. She hatefully scolded, "Damned Wang San. How could you bully me like this?"

Meng Chunlou watched as the beautiful woman left the room. Then, he turned to Wang San and asked, "Lad, what is the background of that woman?"

Wang San's face was filled with awkwardness. He immediately laughed, "Dear guest, don't listen to her blabbering. I am such an upright gentleman, why would I peek at her taking a bath? She was a prostitute that could marry anyone nearby, she did not have much of a background! "What, the guest has taken a fancy to her?"

"That's not it, I just smelled her scent and felt that something was off!" Meng Chun said.

"That's coquettish!" Wang San pursed his lips into a smile and said, "However, to a man, it's better than nothing!"

He wanted to argue with him, but felt that there was no need to lower himself to the likes of Wang San, so he could only shut his mouth and not speak. Wang San was a shrewd person, of course, he could see the displeasure on Meng Chun Lou's face, so he immediately stopped smiling and very humbly led Meng and Du.

Wang San only stopped when they reached the third floor. He pointed to both sides of the corridor and asked, "Dear guests, there are rooms on both sides of the corridor. Which side would you prefer?"

"To the left! It's quieter there! " Meng Chun said.

"Customer, you have good eyes! The people living over there are all merchants of the martial arts world. They are all afraid of the walls having ears, so when they talk, they would whisper softly. As a result, it is very quiet! " As Wang San explained, he led Meng and Du to a room. He opened the door and entered: "This is the room. It's very comfortable!"

Meng and Du walked in slowly and looked around. The house was rather simple and crude, and apart from the two beds and some chairs, there was nothing else, especially the furniture. It seemed like it had been there for a long time, and the furniture was heavy and clumsy.

"This is a high-class room?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

Wang San nodded and smiled, "That's right! This is the best room in our store, specially designed for elegant people! "

Du Jiangsheng laughed as he walked to the table and kicked the square table made of black wood. There was a muffled bang, but the table did not move at all. "That table is for someone to kick. You can kick it however you want. If it's broken, our store will not take a single cent!"

Du Jiangsheng immediately revealed a wry smile and said, "Whoever can break this table, will be able to kick a person to death!"

"Little bro sure knows how to joke, this is exactly like me!" Wang San pulled the sweat towel from his shoulder and wiped off some sweat from his face. "Esteemed guests, are you all satisfied with this room?" "If you're satisfied, then this little one will go downstairs and register it for you. What do you think?"

"How much does this room cost per day?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"Thirty coins!" The lowest level in the entire city! " Wang San said with a smile.

"Alright, let's do it here!" Meng Chun Lou nodded.

"How long are you planning to stay?" Wang San asked.

"Not necessarily." Meng Chun said.

"What is your name?" Wang San asked.

"My name is Du Chun Lou, and his name is Meng Jiangsheng." Meng Chun Lou replied.

"Good!" The two of you should rest for now. I will go down to register the rooms to the two of you. Wang San asked.

"If you need me, I'll call for you again!" Meng Chun said.

"Alright, I will take my leave!" Wang San smilingly left the room and casually brought the door with him.

Du Jiangsheng poured two cups of tea and indicated for Meng Chun Lou to drink it. He said, "There are two kinds of fragrance on that woman's body. One of them is the faint fragrance of orchids."

"What do you suspect?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"She's a prostitute with a faint scent of orchids. What if she was infected by someone else …"

"You suspect that the owner of the orchid fragrance is also here?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

Du Jiangsheng nodded his head, took a sip of tea and said, "Do you remember that after we escaped from the Chen Mansion's secret chamber for the first time, we smelled the faint scent of orchids?"

"Not only there, but also in the treasury of Prefecture Lord Chen." Meng Chun said.

"I didn't care too much about it at the time, but now that I think about it, how could it be orchid fragrance?" Du Jiangsheng asked with a puzzled expression.

"You mean the one with the orchid smell?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

Du Jiangsheng nodded his head and said, "Other than this, there is no other reasonable explanation!"

"But I don't understand. Before we entered the secret room, we didn't smell the scent of orchids, so how come we could smell it after we left the secret room?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"Do you remember when someone turned off the mechanism?" Du Jiangsheng asked.

"You mean the person who turned off the mechanism was the murderer?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"That's right!" That's why we smell the scent of orchids! " Du Jiangsheng said.

"But in the treasury, why does it smell of orchids? According to what Master Chen said, the murderer must have stolen the pearl for a period of time, so the smell shouldn't have lasted that long, right? " Meng Chun Lou asked.

"The treasure trove is tightly sealed, and the air isn't flowing fast enough. Naturally, the fragrance will last for a long time. This isn't hard to explain!" Du Jiangsheng said.

Meng Chunlou nodded and said, "According to your speculation, as long as we can find someone with the scent of orchids, we will be able to catch the killer."

"That's not the case! Although the fragrance of orchids is very common, it's not the same. This time, what we smell is the fragrance of Spring Orchid! " Du Jiangsheng said.

"Can you tell we smelled the same scent three times?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"Sure!" Du Jiangsheng smiled bitterly. "I remember that I used to smell this in my foster mother's arms when I was very young, so I'm very familiar with it. "Speaking of my foster mother, she really likes to raise orchids and often uses orchids to make spices. Thus, not only can I distinguish one type, I can also use my nose to sniff out the differences between the common orchids in this world!"

Meng Chun Lou thought for a while and said nothing. She picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

"It's a pity that the fragrance is still here, but my old friend is already dead. From now on, there will only be memories!" Du Jiangsheng smiled bitterly.

"How did your foster mother die?" Meng Chunlou frowned and asked.

"I don't know either!" I only know that after I woke up, my home was no longer there! I can't find anything other than a floor full of rubble and charred walls. " Du Jiangsheng smiled bitterly, "Being able to live is actually a miracle!"

Meng Chun Lou fell silent. After a long time, she said, "Do you know who did it?"

Du Jiangsheng shook his head and said, "If I knew, I would have definitely gone all out looking for them, but no one knows who they are!"

"Then how did you escape the calamity of extermination?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"Because of my mischievous nature, I secretly ran out to catch fireflies. However, because I was too sleepy, I slept outside. Because of this, I was able to escape calamity!" "All these years, the thing I heard most about my family was that they were burnt because of a fire, but I knew that was impossible, because my foster mother's family had always been diligent and thrifty. They turned out the lights early in the evening, so I was wondering what the reason for the fire was."