A master of comedy!

Chapter 192 The Only Survivor

After an unknown amount of time, with a loud fart, everything went smoothly again.

The old man forgot to remind her, but luckily Bao Ying dodged quickly, only getting a little dirty.

Seeing this shocking scene, Zhou Sheng silently took a few steps back. He was suddenly very glad that he hadn't eaten anything earlier.

The footsteps were not deliberately concealed, so Bao Ying noticed them immediately.

When he saw Zhou Sheng, his eyes lit up with surprise. He clearly hadn't expected to see Zhou Sheng on the second day.

He was about to step forward to pay his respects with great joy, but Zhou Sheng quickly stopped him.

"No need for formalities, um, let's throw away the branch first."

……

After settling the old man in, he carefully washed up and changed into new clothes that were exactly the same as his old ones. Then he invited Zhou Sheng into the inner room for a detailed talk.

"I apologize for making a fool of myself, Mr. Long. The Yijian Zhi records that 'if one eats three persimmons a day, one's feces will be as hard as a stone. One must use lard to make an enema and use a wooden branch to clear the blockage.'"

"If Lao Guo ate an unripe persimmon, it would be even more serious."

Zhou Sheng looked at Bao Ying, who was speaking eloquently. Even when it came to such sordid matters, he didn't shy away from the slightest bit of embarrassment, which was somewhat like that of a doctor.

"Do you often come to places like this to volunteer?"

Zhou Sheng suddenly asked, "The reason I call him a volunteer is because, given Bao Ying's status, the people here dare to order him around and call him 'Little Bao' all the time."

Therefore, Bao Ying must have been hiding his identity.

"I wouldn't say I come here often; it depends on how many cases I have. I can only say that in the gaps between cases, I try to take some time to do what I can at the almshouses in various places."

Just then, his men brought him food. It was noon, and he was starving, but Zhou Sheng couldn't eat a thing.

On the contrary, Bao Ying ate heartily, devouring the food in a whirlwind, and even licked the last grain of rice clean from the bottom of the bowl.

"admire."

Zhou Sheng couldn't help but praise Bao Ying, saying that he was truly an extraordinary person.

"There's nothing to admire about me, because I actually have my own selfish motives, and I even abused my power for personal gain."

After Bao Ying finished eating, he felt ashamed and unworthy of Zhou Sheng's praise.

"Self-interest?"

"Yes, that old Guo just now is actually Guo Xu's father."

"Guo Xu—"

Zhou Sheng's heart skipped a beat as he remembered who it was. It turned out to be the first victim in the case file, the soldier who had been shot through the head with an arrow at the city gate.

"Guo Xu's mother died early, and he was raised by his father from a young age. After his father's death, Guo's father couldn't bear the blow and became somewhat mentally impaired. The only thing I could do was to arrange for him to be placed in a nursing home and take care of him from time to time."

Zhou Sheng finally understood what the so-called abuse of power for personal gain meant.

Over the years, Bao Ying has probably taken care of the families of the victims quite a bit. Since he can't close the net for the time being, he can only make up for his guilt in these ways.

"These past ten years have probably not been easy for Brother Bao."

Zhou Sheng toasted him with a glass of wine, sighed softly, and unconsciously changed his address to Brother Bao.

"The hardest part is for the families of those victims. To be honest, I really thought there was no hope for this case until Boss Long gave me hope."

"I?"

Zhou Sheng asked, somewhat puzzled, "How did I give you hope?"

He was merely an unborn Yin Opera Master. Even if his cultivation was somewhat high, there were still many experts above the fourth level in the Xuanqiong Division.

At this, Bao Ying's eyes lit up, becoming bright and alert, and even his dark skin seemed to glow.

"Boss Long, you don't know, because of you, this case has taken a major turn and changed dramatically!"

He paused, then said, word by word, "Not long ago, among the many victims who died unexpectedly, one person finally emerged... who was lucky enough to survive."

In an instant, Zhou Sheng's eyes lit up.

Someone actually... survived?
"Who is she? Where is she?" "Her name is Xiao Ning, she is a thirteen-year-old girl, and she is in this almshouse in Xunyang City. The reason she is able to survive is all thanks to Boss Long."

Zhou Sheng said in surprise, "But I've never heard of this name before."

Bao Ying smiled and said, "More than half a month ago, Boss Long, together with the local city god and the heroes of Juxianlou, successfully killed the general who had dominated Ghost City for many years, which led to the appearance of the city lord and the Yinshan Ghost King. It was a brilliant and ingenious plan."

"And it was on that very night that Xiao Ning, who should have died in an accident, survived because of the Xunyang Incident. She told me herself that on that night, she smelled a strange floral fragrance and saw a woman dressed in red."

The woman whispered in her ear, making her dizzy. When she regained consciousness, she found herself unknowingly standing by the river, and a carriage wheel was rolling towards her not far away...

Zhou Sheng felt a chill run down his spine. If things continued this way, the girl named Xiao Ning would undoubtedly be hit by the carriage wheels and fall into the water.

"She couldn't swim, and there was no one else around. If she fell in, she would have certainly died."

A hint of relief flashed in Bao Ying's eyes: "Fortunately, she woke up in time and managed to escape in time."

"Based on my repeated deductions, Xiao Ning should have woken up at the moment the city lord appeared. After that, the red-clothed ghost disappeared and probably left Xunyang City."

Zhou Sheng nodded and said, "It seems that He is wary of the City Lord or the Yinshan Ghost King."

At the same time, he felt a sense of emotion. He never expected that his plan that night would inadvertently save an innocent little girl, making her the only person to survive such a murder case in all these years.

"Can I go see Xiao Ning?"

Zhou Sheng suddenly asked.

"Of course, but..."

Bao Ying hesitated for a moment, then whispered something.

……

In a courtyard, Zhou Sheng saw the little girl sitting in a wooden wheelchair, covered with a blanket, looking up at the falling osmanthus blossoms.

She had an ordinary appearance, but a pair of very beautiful eyes. She seemed to have some Western Region ancestry, and her pupils shone with a bright blue luster in the sunlight, like gemstones.

A kitten was lying at her feet. She wanted to pet it, but she was too careful and only dared to touch it with her fingertips.

"That night, although she avoided the wheel hub, she accidentally fell into a deep pit on the other side and broke both her legs."

"In addition, I was also greatly frightened. It was only after a period of treatment that I finally dared to go out."

"She was the only one in the entire nursing home who knew my identity."

As he spoke, Bao Ying walked over, deliberately making his steps heavier.

Xiao Ning suddenly turned around like a startled wildcat. She relaxed when she saw that it was Bao Ying, but she became nervous again when she saw Zhou Sheng standing to the side.

"Uncle Bao, you, you've arrived."

"Have you...have you found my brother?"

Despite being somewhat afraid of the handsome stranger, she asked the question immediately, a hint of anticipation appearing in her beautiful eyes.

"There's no news yet, but we're already looking."

"By the way, let me introduce you to a new friend today, Mr. Zhou, who is your savior."

"Savior?"

"Yes, that night Boss Zhou happened to be slaying demons in Xunyang City, and the commotion he made scared the woman in red away, which is why you were able to survive."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ning's gaze towards Zhou Sheng immediately turned to one of shock.

"Brother Zhou, you, you're so amazing!"

The woman in red, who seemed like a nightmare to her, was actually scared away by the other party.

In an instant, Zhou Sheng's figure seemed to grow exceptionally tall, and dappled sunlight filtered through the osmanthus branches, casting a golden glow upon him.

Bao Ying's face darkened. We're only eight years apart, so why do you call me uncle but him brother?
Unfortunately, his face was naturally dark, so no one noticed anything amiss.

……

(End of this chapter)