Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

Chai Xiaomi found Jiang Zhiyu in the warehouse downstairs.

He was talking to Yan Xingxiao about the matter of adding corpse bones to rice wine.

The warehouse was neatly stacked with the goods that Yan Yun Escort Agency had transported this time—three wooden crates with seals affixed.

Several bodyguards were carefully inspecting the exterior of the box. It was not convenient to open the customer's goods without permission, so they could only check for any abnormalities from the outside.

With such a horrifying incident occurring in this eerie inn, Yan Xingxiao was naturally worried about the shipment.

The reward for this escort mission is extremely high; a single mission will earn a hundred taels of gold, enough for the brothers to rest and recuperate for a while.

After listening to Jiang Zhiyu's account, Yan Xingxiao frowned and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he looked up and asked, "Young Master Jiang, the rice wine the waiter brought last night, both Yue Niang and I drank it. It was clear and free of impurities, and had no strange smell. How did you know that it was mixed with bones?"

"The rat I mentioned earlier that died after stealing rice wine had grayish-red eyes and its limbs were curled up and stiff. This kind of death can only occur after drinking corpse water that has been cursed for years. The curse in the corpse water is used on humans, so livestock will die if they drink it." Jiang Zhiyu had already buried the rat's carcass and could only describe the death he had seen.

"What remains of corpses after many years is either refined corpse oil or white bones. The corpse oil is yellow, while the rice wine is milky white, so I speculate that it is due to the decomposition of corpse bones."

"Outrageous!" Yan Xingxiao roared in fury, slamming his fist against the wall. "How dare they give us this stuff to drink? I'll skin that fatso alive!"

The shopkeeper was a big, burly man, and Yan Xingxiao was so angry that he directly called him "fatty".

Jiang Zhiyu took out a folding fan and fanned himself with a couple of gentle breezes, also creating some wind to cool down the person next to him.

Before the truth came out, he never made hasty judgments, but gently advised, "Chief镖燕, please calm down. This matter still needs to be investigated. Whether there are really bones in the rice wine can only be determined after careful examination."

Hearing this, Chai Xiaomi quickly stepped forward and hurriedly reminded him, "Brother Yu, the wine in that earthenware jar that the waiter was carrying might be problematic. Why don't we start our investigation from there?"

Seeing that Xiao Mi was no longer nauseous and her expression had returned to normal, Jiang Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing her worried expression, he couldn't help but smile: "You and Yao Yao are thinking the same thing. She just went to ask the waiter for that jar of wine."

Not long ago, the two found a dead rat in the room. Song Yueyao immediately thought of the earthenware jar in Xiao Er's hand and turned around to find someone to get the wine.

But why haven't they come back yet after so long?

Jiang Zhiyu couldn't help but look outside, a sense of unease rising in his heart. Given Yao Yao's fiery temper, if he couldn't get what she wanted in a few words, she would probably resort to violence.

"I'm going to find Sister Yao, you two continue." Chai Xiaomi noticed his worry and cleverly turned and ran outside.

"Hey, Xiaomi, slow down, watch your step!"

Jiang Zhiyu followed closely behind, offering words of advice that sounded like those of an elder.

Yan Xingxiao asked with a puzzled look, "Young Master Jiang, is this Miss Xiaomi your sister?"

Having traveled the world for many years and seen all sorts of people, he considered himself to have a good eye. Upon closer inspection, he felt that the two men did indeed have some resemblance in their eyes and brows, and he was quite certain of it when he asked the question.

Although she was just a younger sister he had met along the way, Jiang Zhiyu didn't explain much, only replying, "Yes."

Rather than treating them as casual acquaintances, it would be better to treat them as siblings, which might bring her more peace of mind.

His guess was confirmed, and Yan Xingxiao shook his head and laughed, "As an older brother, you really worry. He's such a grown man, how could he possibly trip and fall while walking?"

It's not just that I'm worried about her alone, but also about her current health.

His swift and agile movements were truly frightening to behold, making one fear that something bad might happen to him.

*

Song Yueyao has a quick temper, and Chai Xiaomi naturally thought of the situation that Jiang Zhiyu was worried about.

So when she saw Xiao Er lying prostrate at Song Yueyao's feet with a mournful face, she wasn't surprised at all.

This is a cold, dark underground wine cellar.

Chai Xiaomi was able to find this place entirely thanks to Song Yueyao's extremely penetrating voice, which came from the ground entrance and was comparable to an underground megaphone.

She climbed down the wooden ladder.

"Where did you hide that jar of rice wine?" Song Yueyao cracked her knuckles, threateningly demanding, "Still won't tell? Let's see if your mouth is tougher than my fist!"

"Please spare me, ma'am! I really didn't know..." the waiter pleaded repeatedly. "The manager told me to put it back in the wine cellar, and I clearly put it here, but... it's gone!"

"Who are you trying to fool! That guilty look on your face when I questioned you earlier, were you just pretending? Do you think a clay pot can grow legs and run away?"

Song Yueyao was furious.

The waiter was incredibly tight-lipped, refusing to utter a single word.

You won't eat hard food?

Okay, then let's go for something even tougher.

Song Yueyao casually picked up a wine jar from the ground and pretended to smash it on the waiter's head.

Chai Xiaomi was briefly startled by her strength, but seeing that she didn't really intend to smash it, she calmly called out, "Sister Yao."

Then he stepped onto the creaking wooden ladder and landed.

Putting yourself in the shoes of a working stiff, this might be an important task assigned by the boss, involving business secrets, and he was instructed to keep it well hidden.

If someone comes to inquire, you can't easily give an answer, otherwise you'll lose your job.

Therefore, Chai Xiaomi guessed that he should not know the strange things about the rice wine. If he really knew about the inn's shady dealings, why would he bring up the rumors of the haunting yesterday?

What if we scare away the customers? Wouldn't that be shooting ourselves in the foot?

Chai Xiaomi immediately cleared her throat.

Then she pouted, hugged Song Yueyao's arm, and her voice suddenly softened, choked with sobs, "Sister Yao... let it go, don't make things difficult for him... it's all my fault, if I hadn't been so greedy and insisted on drinking that wine, none of this would have happened..."

As she spoke, a few crystal-clear tears slid down her cheeks and landed on her clothes.

Song Yueyao was deeply shocked, "Xiao Mi, you..."

How did you do that?

Tears, as big as beans, came without warning.

Chai Xiaomi blinked at her quickly, but tears streamed down her face.

Her eyelashes trembled violently, and the corners of her eyes were red, perfectly embodying the phrase "pitiful and charming."

Song Yueyao fell silent for a moment and quietly put the wine jar back on the ground.

What, what kind of show is this?

Chai Xiaomi slowly walked up to Xiao Er, squatted down, and looked at him with her tearful eyes: "I'm sorry... my sister was just too worried about me, that's why she acted so impulsively, please don't blame her."

Her voice was soft, slightly hoarse from crying: "I lost my parents when I was young, and my sister and I depended on each other for survival. When we were almost dying of thirst on the street, we were fortunate that a kind person gave us a bowl of rice wine... Yesterday, I drank the rice wine at your inn, and the taste was exactly the same as it was back then. I drank it all in one go."

"Today is my birthday, and my sister wanted to ask me for another bowl... If it's really inconvenient, then forget it."

She lowered her head, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

The cellar was dark, but a ray of light shone through the entrance, illuminating her wet eyelashes.

"I...I promise I won't crave it anymore..."

As soon as she finished speaking, another tear fell perfectly at the right moment.

As the saying goes, a gentle knife can be deadly.

"Actually," the waiter stared at her frail and pitiful appearance, feeling a pang of heartache. He hesitated for a moment, closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "it wouldn't be a problem to pour some more for you, miss."

I'm going all in; as long as I can keep it from the shopkeeper.

Song Yueyao: "???"