’What’s wrong with him?’
Lin Shu frowned slightly.
Despite his poor mental state, he still caught the flicker of worry Chang Yi was trying desperately to hide.
’Something’s not right.’
Collecting his thoughts, Lin Shu walked out of the Old Woodshed under the curious gaze of the young widow.
Chang Yi forced a rather stiff smile at Miss Yun, then closed the courtyard gate.
"What is it?"
Blackhead’s unusual behavior managed to snap Lin Shu out of his stupor for a moment.
"Follow me."
Closing the gate wasn’t enough. The constable then led Lin Shu on a winding path, finally stopping under an old tree on a street corner.
Chang Yi glanced around before finally looking at the young man before him.
His lips moved as if he was organizing his thoughts. "The other day, you asked me to keep an eye on your family..."
"The courtyard," Lin Shu corrected him.
"Whatever," Chang Yi sighed.
He was clearly in no mood to argue over details. "I was worried Cunning Fox Hall might take advantage when I wasn’t around, so I mentioned it to a colleague I patrol with. Guess what he told me?"
"Can you just get to the point?" Lin Shu shot the Blackhead a speechless glance.
"The owner of the Woodshed is named Mrs. Chen. She was originally from the South Suburbs. Her husband passed away early, and she raised her only son by herself."
Chang Yi’s speech quickened as he continued, "Later, her son happened to find a broken bowl. Using the lingering Immortal Aura on it, he successfully entered the Qi Cultivation Realm. Not only did he become a Purple Flood Dragon Constable, but he also settled down in West City with his old mother."
A glint appeared in Lin Shu’s eyes. He couldn’t help but connect Blackhead’s words with the Immortal Aura inside the Old Woodshed.
’I feel like I’ve heard this story before.’
Just as he thought Chang Yi was about to continue talking about the broken bowl...
The man changed the subject.
"That senior constable was new here and ran afoul of the Black Water Gang. Lacking experience, he was lured into an ambush and killed. Even though the Government Office investigated for a long time, they couldn’t find any evidence, so the case was eventually dropped."
"After that, Mrs. Chen went mad."
At this point, Chang Yi’s expression darkened.
Out of sight, out of mind, as they say—and he was dead.
Besides, that senior constable was from the South Suburbs. In West City, he didn’t just lack relatives; he barely had any acquaintances.
At first, the Government Office even paid for the mad old woman’s care.
But after some time, once the old woman moved away, people gradually stopped paying attention.
"But none of that has anything to do with you."
Chang Yi composed himself, his gaze turning strange again. "The key point is, that senior constable had only been in West City for half a year and was busy with his duties, so..."
"He never had time to get married."
’If he never married, how could there be a widow!’
’And where did the children come from?’
Chang Yi had already figured this all out, but retelling the story still sent a slight shiver down his spine.
A mad old woman, her home usurped just like that.
The retirement money her son had bought with his life, and even her life itself, were now controlled by two strangers.
It was as if robbers had broken into her home, but she had no way to call for help, and the neighbors all thought they were her family!
"Hey, aren’t you surprised?"
Chang Yi suddenly noticed the young man’s completely unfazed expression.
"I am," Lin Shu said with a slight nod.
"Not a single honest word out of your mouth!" Chang Yi was clearly unconvinced. Who would be so calm when they were surprised? And here he was, rushing over to tell him the news the moment he’d found out.
Lin Shu let out a soft sigh.
He fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath.
He was actually telling the truth.
It was just that they were surprised by different things.
When someone died in the courtyard, the young widow’s first reaction was to deal with the body, not care for the children.
Then there was the elegant handwriting on the note, and the woman’s methodical and proper way of doing things, which made her very pleasant to be around.
All these things had made Lin Shu suspect there was something strange about the widow’s identity.
But he hadn’t done anything about it because he couldn’t be bothered to meddle in other people’s affairs.
’As long as it doesn’t affect me, it’s fine.’
To put it bluntly, even now, Lin Shu had never asked for the widow’s name.
Perhaps it was the influence of his predecessor’s memories.
He had personally seen the worry for her grandson on the old woman’s face.
Because of that, Lin Shu had guessed that this family might have had an unusual background.
He just never expected that the "family" part itself was a lie.
"I’m telling you this so you’ll be careful. That woman is not simple. Don’t let yourself get caught in a honey trap."
Chang Yi shook his head, feigning a worldly-wise air. He took the chance to sneak a pat on Lin Shu’s shoulder, trying to regain some face.
But when he saw the young man didn’t react at all, he grew inexplicably flustered. "Wait, you’re not planning to kill them, are you?!"
Since he had investigated Mrs. Chen, Chang Yi naturally knew about the incident with the theater troupe as well.
This was also why his opinion of Lin Shu had changed again today.
To stand up for a mad old woman and decisively kill four bastards... even if he was a fox, he was a fox with a touch of chivalry!
But the problem was...
"Mrs. Chen was beaten to death by Liu San from the South Suburbs."
Chang Yi recalled the man’s ruthless methods and quickly said, "Even if that mother and her children aren’t good people, they haven’t done anything deserving of that. You’d better not—"
"I’m telling you, if they die, I’m holding you responsible!"
He had come with good intentions to give a warning, not to get someone killed.
If those two died, Chang Yi would definitely be too consumed with regret to sleep for half a month.
"Do I look like I’m crazy?"
Lin Shu shot him a look, then turned and walked back toward the street. "I’m heading back," he said lazily.
He was like someone who had just listened to a story about strangers, offering no comment and showing no great emotional fluctuation.
And just like that, he quietly returned to the courtyard.
Back in the courtyard.
A smile blossomed on Miss Yun’s sweet face. She said in a clear, bright voice, "Lord Lin is back. What would you like for breakfast tomorrow?"
’It’s much better for my benefactor to associate with a constable than to deal with that pack of foxes.’
"Anything is fine. You decide."
Lin Shu replied as he always did, his expression and gaze completely unchanged.
He ambled into the side room and closed the door behind him.
The same scene had played out countless times recently.
The two had developed a sort of tacit understanding, which always ended with Miss Yun saying, "Please get some rest."
This time, however, the young widow remained standing in place, a hint of hesitation slowly appearing on her face.
Inside the side room.
Lin Shu lowered his gaze and tried to pull at the corners of his mouth.
It was just like back then, when he was beaten half to death and leaning against a wall in a woodshed in the South Suburbs.
This was a habit of his.
When he was in an extremely foul mood, he would adopt a relaxed posture to temporarily calm himself down.
But this time, it didn’t seem to be working.
Even with more experience than his predecessor, he was, after all, only human.
And humans get tired.
Deep exhaustion filled Lin Shu’s eyes as he sat down on the bed, his face expressionless.
’If I remember correctly...’
It had been nearly half a month since he first woke up in the South Suburbs, and he still hadn’t had a single full night’s sleep.
Most of the time, he just leaned back in the grand chair at the Magpie’s Nest and dozed off with his eyes closed.
First, he had taken the money, so he had to do the job right.
Both the Brothel Madams and the Madam were far too fragile in front of a Martial Artist. If he let his guard down for even a moment, they could end up dead.
Second, Lin Shu didn’t like the atmosphere of Cyan Willow Lane.
The disgusting stench of Cunning Fox Hall’s scams, deceit, threats, and temptations, all coalescing into a street of flesh trade.
He was used to keeping his work and personal life separate.
In comparison, the Old Woodshed was much cleaner, which put Lin Shu’s mind at ease.
He and the mother and her children kept to themselves, and it was nice living that way.
But now...
That sense of peace had been snatched away.
The Old Woodshed was no cleaner than Cyan Willow Lane.
In fact, by comparison, whether the Brothel Madams were snobbish or fearful, surprised or relieved...
At least the expressions on their faces were real.

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