Miss Truth
Chapter 273 - 172: It’s Been a Long Time Since I’ve Received Corpse Energy_2

Chapter 273: Chapter 172: It’s Been a Long Time Since I’ve Received Corpse Energy_2

Ran Yan lazily glanced at him and moved her lips, not answering but counterasking, "Are you giving me the hairpin as a token of our love?"

Ge Lan and Wan Lu had just experienced the shock of "Receiving Corpse Energy," their souls not yet settled, when Ran Yan fiercely struck again.

With such a direct question right out of the gate, Xiao Song was also a bit stupefied, stupefying for a moment before saying, "It was just a gift I wanted to give."

Ran Yan refused the cloud hairpin, so Xiao Song knew she was not yet at the point of confirming their love, and naturally, he would not bash his head against the wall.

"Hmm, I think so too, but it’s better to ask clearly, to avoid any confusion later on," Ran Yan said slowly.

Xiao Song lifted his robe and sat sulkily in front of the couch, "Must you make things so clear? It ruins the mood."

Seeing his sulky demeanor, Ran Yan immediately felt much more spirited and eagerly asked about the case, "Was Zhuang Yin caught? Is the case solved?"

Xiao Song sighed helplessly in his heart and followed her line of thought, "Yes. I set a trap, originally just to verify if Ze Pingzhi, the innkeeper of Yue Lai Inn, had a motive for murder, but I didn’t expect an unexpected gain. Also, a piece of paper was found in the beggar Liu Wen’s room."

Xiao Song spread out the paper in front of Ran Yan, on it a few blurred characters: You all deserve to die.

"We also found a portrait of a woman in his room, which upon identification, is of an embroiderer named Luo Ling." Xiao Song folded the paper, wrapped it in white folded cloth, and stuffed it back into his sleeve pocket. This was important evidence.

"Embroiderer Luo?" Ran Yan had always vaguely felt that Luo Ling and Liu Wen couldn’t have been strangers to each other, "So, are they lovers? In that case, doesn’t she become a major suspect?"

If Liu Wen knew of the unsavoury affairs of Zhuang Yin and his peers in the past and was persecuted by them, for the sake of avenging Liu Wen, it wasn’t impossible for Embroiderer Luo to have gone mad.

Xiao Song nodded.

Recalling the timid yet resolute-eyed Luo Ling who had said: He felt that he had become useless, not wanting to drag me into it, he vowed to never marry, so I too decided to never marry; that way, we would still be together in a sense.

"I want to meet this Embroiderer Luo," Ran Yan stared at Xiao Song. She knew her request was excessive and wouldn’t have made such an indecorous demand under normal circumstances, but she knew Xiao Song would agree.

"Alright," Xiao Song agreed immediately without a second thought.

Ran Yan was not a person of boundless generosity, utterly wounded, she would not let go of either Zhuang Yin or that heinous murderer. Additionally, she had her own self-reflection to do.

After a short pause, two Government Officials pressed a woman into the room.

Through the bamboo curtain, one could vaguely see that she was tall and slender, with a long, thin face, curved willowleaf eyebrows over two pools of autumn water, a slightly long mid-face, and somewhat thin lips. Her hair was styled in a simple bun, with not a single ornament on her body.

Luo Ling’s gaze immediately fell on Xiao Song, who was leaning by the table, thinking she was brought in for interrogation, and knelt outside the curtain.

"Rise, someone is here to seek justice for you, come in and answer," Xiao Song said.

Luo Ling paused momentarily, making sure she hadn’t misheard, then got up, pushed the curtain aside with her head bowed, and cautiously entered, standing in the corner farthest from Xiao Song, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Ran Yan couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Song, "How did you persecute that girl?"

Xiao Song’s eyes were innocent.

"Luo Ling, please have a seat," Ran Yan said softly. She considered herself to be very gentle, but unbeknownst to her, to others, it still appeared cold.

Faced with a fierce god, an iceberg, how could Luo Ling dare to say no? When Ran Yan told her to sit, she obediently sat down on the farthest mat.

"Can you tell me, what is your relationship with Liu Wen?" Ran Yan asked.

Luo Ling lowered her eyes, her voice thin and trembling, "I do not know. When he was still a student at the State school, he said that after he finished the imperial examinations, he would come to my home to propose marriage, but after a catastrophe, he just pretended not to recognize me."

Ran Yan continued to inquire, "What kind of person do you think Liu Wen is? It is said that he is brilliantly talented, do you think he would have kept his promise if he had ranked high in the imperial examinations?"

"He always kept his word," Luo Ling said with a sob in her voice. Speaking of Liu Wen, her heart filled with overwhelming sadness, and she forgot her fear, "I have known him for thirteen years. He is a good person, often coming over to take care of my grandmother. He took on all the heavy chores in the house..."

Ran Yan interrupted her, "If that is so, why do none of your neighbors recognize him?"

"He... he was afraid of being punished by his family, so he only came over secretly," Luo Ling said with endless sorrow. Liu Wen, although born a concubine’s son of the Liu Clan, was valued by the clan for his talent, and his status was naturally worlds apart from hers. After the sudden misfortune, she thought they could marry, but he was already in despair.

"Do you know what happened to him?" This was the most crucial question.

Luo Ling shook her head, tears falling drop by drop to the floor, blooming into little flowers before her.

Outside, rain had started to fall at some point, as if to mirror Luo Ling’s mood, and the room gradually darkened. One could barely see figures, only hear Luo Ling’s suppressed crying.

"Somebody, let her go," after a while, Xiao Song’s voice broke the silence.

Ran Yan looked at him somewhat surprised, Xiao Song did not appear to be a person swayed by sentiment, and could not have been overwhelmed with sympathy just by hearing a difficult story. But upon reflection, she understood. Luo Ling was so genuinely emotional, with not a single inconsistency. If she insisted that she did not know what had happened to Liu Wen, then she had no motive for murder.

Xiao Song stood by the window, watching the figure of the Government Official taking Luo Ling away and whispered, "Bai Yi, follow her."

A voice from the corridor responded, "Yes."

"Do you think she’s the murderer?" Ran Yan asked.

"I do not know, without a definitive conclusion, anyone involved could potentially be the murderer. I just felt her emotions were considerably more agitated just now than they were at the County Government," Xiao Song replied, turning back.

Ran Yan pondered for a moment, then said, "Could it be that you’re too intimidating? She might find it easier to relax in my presence?"

"You?" Xiao Song looked at her serious expression, realizing she was not joking, and couldn’t help but say, "How can you condemn others when just now Sang Suiyuan was terrified by you."

(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your monthly ticket and recommendation ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)