I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 22 This child must not be kept
Xie An carefully considered the matter of redeeming himself.

Before, Xie An had no savings, no financial resources, and was old. It was really hard for him to live without the Li Mansion.

Now, after more than half a year of hard work and health preservation, especially with the help of Tang Qingfeng's unique prescription, Xie An's bones and body have greatly improved. He believes that he has the strength to easily defeat a warrior who has just entered the Bronze Skin Realm.

In the past few months, every time Xie An went to the black market in disguise, Zhang Lin treated him warmly and repeatedly extended olive branches, and his desire to recruit him became stronger and stronger.

Now that Xie An's strength has increased, he thinks it should be no problem for him to become a deacon in Baiyu Hall.

With an annual income of 240 taels, plus various generous benefits for martial arts training, not only did it solve the problem of making a living, but it also provided the resources for martial arts training.

Just as Xie An was thinking, there was a commotion in the living room.

"Deacon Zhang, you are a rare guest. Welcome."

Li Ru, wearing a bright red festive robe, hurriedly stood up and warmly welcomed a burly man in his forties into the living room.

Even Li Shaoyun, the eldest son of the Li family, stood up to greet him, "Deacon Zhang, welcome, welcome."

The man, known as Zhang the Steward, entered the house carrying large and small packages of gifts. As he handed them to the maidservant, he said with a smile, "I, Zhang Biao, also graduated from the County Military Academy. Shaoyun is like a half-brother to me. Now that Shaoyun has passed the imperial examination, it's only natural for me, as his elder brother, to come and congratulate him."

"Deacon Zhang's presence alone has brought honor to our humble Li residence. Why did you bring a gift? You are so polite. Please take a seat."

"Master Li, please."

……

Xie An sat in his seat, not in the mood to eat, and looked at Zhang Biao, who was in the chief position.

This is the deacon Zhang Biao that Zhang Lin mentioned.

It is said that only when Zhang Biao leaves will the position of deacon become vacant...

Xie An pondered for a while, then whispered to Chunlan beside him, "Miss Chunlan, are Deacon Zhang and the master very familiar with each other?"

Facing Xie An's question, Chunlan did not hide anything. "I wasn't very familiar with him at first. Later, after the death of Zhang Wei and my eldest brother-in-law, Deacon Zhang came here more frequently."

"Why?"

Chunlan glanced around and found that no one was paying attention to this side, then she leaned over to Xie An and whispered, "It is said that Zhang Wei is Zhang Biao's nephew. Zhang Biao has come to the Li Mansion many times just to exchange information and has been secretly investigating the murderer."

Hearing this, Xie An was shocked and glanced at Zhang Biao in the distance without any expression.

It turns out that Zhang Wei is his nephew, and he is secretly investigating the murderer?

Xie An lowered his head and thought... Originally, Xie An did not have much obsession with getting rid of Zhang Biao, and Xie An did not want to get too involved in the grudges in the martial arts world.

But if that's the case, then...

At the dinner table, Master Li naturally couldn't help but brag about how promising his son was at such a young age, and then distributed some silver and money.

After an hour or so, the banquet ended.

Xie An and others, who were slaves, were the first to leave.

Xie An found Chunlan privately and said, "Miss Chunlan, I want to trouble you for something."

Chunlan was quite casual, "Thank you, Master. Just say whatever you want to say."

Xie An said, "I am old and my energy is not enough. I am afraid that I will delay the pawnshop's business. In addition, my two disciples are ready to become apprentices. I want Miss Chunlan to help me find out what Mr. Li is saying and whether he will allow me to redeem myself and support me in my old age."

Mrs. Li was considerate, but the master of the Li family was stingy and mean. This was evident from the last time he stopped taking his own medicine. To avoid embarrassment, Xie An still felt it would be more appropriate to ask Chunlan for advice.

Chunlan was very surprised when she heard this.

These days, slaves are humble.

Especially when they are old, being able to rely on the master's family for retirement is undoubtedly an excellent destination for slaves.

It is rare to see an old man still thinking about redeeming himself.

"Master Xie, you're leaving the Li Mansion at your age. There's chaos and turmoil outside. You really need to think things through."

"I've figured it out."

Chunlan stopped trying to persuade him. "Okay. Then wait for me outside. I'll go find Madam now. Today is New Year's Eve, a festive occasion. Maybe Madam will agree if she's in a good mood."

"Thank you, Miss Chunlan."

After seeing Chunlan off, Xie An went to the gate of Li's mansion alone and waited.

In the cold winter, there is continuous wind and snow.

Passersby were wearing thick cotton jackets, and they kept rubbing their hands and breathing out hot air to keep warm.

Xie An stood upright in the snow, letting the falling snow fall on his shoulders, not feeling the cold at all. The warm current in his lower abdomen continued to generate heat, flowing through his limbs and bones. This is the ability of a warrior at the Bronze Skin Realm.

"You are Xie An, the clerk of the Li's Pawnshop, right?"

A lukewarm voice interrupted Xie An's contemplation. He looked up and saw Zhang Biao and Li Shaoyun walking out side by side.

The person asking the questions was Zhang Biao, who looked condescending.

Xie An: "Exactly."

Zhang Biao said with an arrogant attitude, "I heard that Zhang Wei and you had an argument in the pawnshop before. Is that true?"

Xie An calmly recounted what had happened, then said, "I have been a pawnbroker in the shop for many years. I have always been diligent in maintaining the business of the pawnshop, trying my best to find ways to make more money for the pawnshop, and I never dared to make the slightest mistake."

Li Shaoyun was satisfied with Xie An's words, so he pulled Zhang Biao's shoulder and said, "Brother Zhang, Old Xie has been a servant in my Li Mansion for thirty years, and he has always been sensible. The pricing of antiques fluctuates, so it's normal to have some disputes. Let's go quickly, business is important. There's no need to waste energy on a servant."

"I'd better think too much!" Zhang Biao snorted coldly, then followed Li Shaoyun away.

Only after the two of them walked away did Xie An slowly raise his head.

He asked himself if the murders of Zhang Wei and Lu Wei had left any traces that could reveal his identity. No matter how hard Zhang Biao investigated, he could not find any evidence.

But being watched all the time is always a hidden danger.

Just like a murder case in the previous life, in addition to collecting evidence at the scene, the police will also focus on investigating people who had conflicts with the deceased.

The idea of ​​getting rid of Zhang Biao began to take root in Xie An's mind.

Not long after, Chunlan came.

"Madam Li said that this matter still needs to be discussed with the master. She asked you to come to the Li Mansion in three days."

After saying that, Chunlan added, "In my opinion, Madam Li is sympathetic to you and wants you to redeem yourself. But it seems that Master Li is unwilling to let you go."

"Thank you, Miss Chunlan."

Xie An understood, thanked him and left in a hurry.

Today was New Year's Eve, and Xie An did not return directly to the pawnshop. Instead, he bought some gifts and went to visit Chen He at the Chen Clan Martial Arts School.

After living in Wuqiao Town for thirty years, Xie An had only a few close friends.

Chen He is one of them.

Xie An certainly did not fail to observe all the necessary etiquette.

After having a few drinks with Chen He, Xie An declined Chen He's invitation to stay overnight to celebrate the New Year and left.

It was late at night when I returned to the pawnshop.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard bursts of crying coming from inside.

problem occurs?
Xie An hurriedly pushed the door open and walked in, only to see He Chunli lying on a bench, his pants stripped off, revealing his battered buttocks. Han Li was applying a hot towel to the wound on his buttocks.

"what happened?"

Han Li said angrily, "Just now, Constable Liu took Xiao He away for questioning and wouldn't let me go. And now Xiao He is like this."

In these troubled times, it is common for police to arrest and torture people.

Xie An vaguely realized something and asked He Chunli seriously, "What did Liu He ask you?"

He Chunli held back tears while feeling the pain, and gritted his teeth to remain silent. "Nothing, just some common questions."

Xie An snorted coldly: "You treat the master as an outsider, right?"

He Chunli panicked immediately, and finally said with tears in his eyes: "I, I didn't mean to hide it from Master, I just didn't want to make Master worry."

"If you don't want me to worry, just tell me everything."

He Chunli then said, "A few months ago, when Zhang Wei came to the pawnshop, we had an argument. Constable Liu asked me if I was holding a grudge and seeking revenge... I said no, so Constable Liu tortured me severely, trying to force a confession out of me. Finally, seeing that I was stubborn, he let me go."

Xie An's eyes darkened.

He abused his private power and used it on his own disciples.

Thinking back to what Zhang Biao said to me at the gate of Li's house during the day...

It must be Zhang Biao's doing...

This child cannot be kept!

(End of this chapter)