Martial Saint through Reading

Chapter 358: Chapter 275: Master of North Snow, King Shuo of Qin (Part 3)

"Where’s the wine?! Why is it not here yet?" Zhuge Rui shouted angrily.

Fortunately, the restaurant was nearly empty in the morning; otherwise, encountering a nobleman or a wealthy young master in a bad mood could have added a lot of trouble.

Chu Ming set down the wine and sat across from him.

Seeing the person he was waiting for had arrived, Zhuge Rui’s eyes flashed with resentment, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Lord Chu, you arrived quite early."

Chu Ming didn’t answer. He poured a glass of wine for the other party before asking, "Did Guard Zhuge find anything while investigating last night?"

"Hmph!" Upon hearing this, Zhuge Rui’s contained anger became even more agitated. "Lord Chu now remembers the case, does he?"

Clearly, he was still angry about Chu Ming wasting a full day.

If it weren’t for the Martial Immortal Alliance’s orders that the case must be led by the First-Grade Cold Family, he wouldn’t even be waiting here.

"Only two of the ten days have passed; perhaps Lord Chu plans to continue strolling around this vast Qin Capital for a few more days?"

"A culinary restaurant with mountain delicacies, or a brothel with dancers in splendid dresses, does Lord Chu not want to experience these?"

"Investigate the case? No rush."

"..."

The resentment was still significant.

Chu Ming remained calm, unaffected in the slightest.

Upon taking a closer look, Zhuge Rui’s urgency was understandable.

Being poisoned, with his brother suffering the same fate, their lives were in others’ hands. Anyone would be anxious.

"Shouldn’t Guard Zhuge have investigated Cui Ye from the Ministry of Industry’ Repair Department?" Chu Ming asked.

Zhuge Rui gulped down a mouthful of wine, initially unwilling to waste words, but upon reconsideration, he decided completing the task was more important.

"I have investigated. What does Lord Chu wish to know?"

"How many concubines does Cui Ye have?"

"Thirteen or fourteen."

"Are you aware of the eighth and ninth concubines?"

"The eighth and ninth concubines are sisters, from the wealthy Yux Family in Qin Capital."

"However, in recent years, the Yux Family suffered a series of robberies by mountain bandits, affecting their business and leading to their decline."

"Do you know the Yux sisters have a brother?"

"Yux Cheng, who currently manages the Jiping Cloth Shop for Cui Ye."

"Where is the Jiping Cloth Shop located?"

"Fifty miles north of Qin Capital."

Chu Ming nodded, deep in thought.

Zhuge Rui looked at Chu Ming’s pondering expression, and a shiver ran through his heart.

"Is Lord Chu implying there’s something wrong with the Jiping Cloth Shop?"

"Perhaps," Chu Ming lifted his gaze and asked with a smile, "Guard Zhuge, the restaurants with mountain delicacies and brothels with splendid dances you mentioned earlier, which ones are they?"

"You?!" Zhuge Rui’s newfound favor vanished instantly.

"Investigating a case, ten days are ample, could Guard Zhuge show me around?" Chu Ming said again.

Ten days are ample? Show around?

"Hmph!" Zhuge Rui stood up in a rage, threw down some silver, and left the restaurant directly, heading for the northern city.

Where he went needed no explanation.

"Waiter, bring some dishes."

Chu Ming smiled and began to eat leisurely.

Half an hour later, he too left the restaurant and exited through the north city gate.

...

Fifty miles north of Qin Capital, Jiping Cloth Shop.

Like a small town, the estate was filled with colorful fabrics drying everywhere.

In the center of the estate, a lavish mansion.

"Master Yux, Lord Cui sent this gold and silver."

Over a dozen boxes of gold and silver jewelry shimmered brightly.

"Haha, thank you, Housekeeper Cui." Yux Cheng picked up two silver ingots and handed them to the person delivering them. "You’ve worked hard, the meal is ready, please, come in."

Meanwhile, in the deep courtyard.

Zhuge Rui, disguised as the Silver Moon Thief, was rummaging through boxes and cabinets.

"Nothing... nothing..."

He practically turned the entire courtyard where Yux Cheng lived upside down but couldn’t find any evidence.

"This Jiping Cloth Shop is just one of Cui Ye’s insignificant properties, and the sisters are merely the eighth and ninth concubines. If there is something important, it’s probably not hidden here..."

Calming down to reflect, the more Zhuge Rui thought, the more foolish he felt he’d become.

"A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, indulged in merrymaking, anything said was likely nonsense, how could it be a clue..."

"It’s still necessary to investigate the Mei’an Mountain Stone Factory!"

"There’s definitely something wrong with the stone factory, otherwise Cui Ye wouldn’t have gone there overnight, using private torture to interrogate people."

"..."

As he thought about this, Zhuge Rui frowned deeply.

Last night, already alerted the enemy, even if there are issues at the stone factory, they’ve likely been handled by now.

Quietly clenching his fists, he moved to another room to search.

Having come this far, he was unwilling to leave empty-handed.

In shadow.

Clad in black, Chu Ming stood unnoticed, with the Sword Gourd Spirit covering the entire estate.

His target was a locked box or something like account books.

Soon, he detected Zhuge Rui who was also searching for something.

After a brief pause, the Sword Gourd Spirit continued to search.

The pavilion, rockery, main hall, bedroom, tables, chairs, bookshelves, walls, everything was checked without exception.

Suddenly, Chu Ming’s eyes narrowed, and he disappeared.

He reappeared in a large factory filled with dyed fabrics.

There were many workers inside the factory, either stretching or rolling fabrics.

Chu Ming quietly passed through layers of cloth to the inside of the factory.

He felt along the hidden wall, pulling out two bricks to extract a locked metal box from within.

Inside the box was what he was looking for: account books and several letters.

The Sword Gourd Spirit delved into the lock core to understand the lock pattern, then used tools to craft a key over some time.

To think that Cui Ye was quite cautious, hiding the key in the Cui Mansion, placing items in a box crafted from special metal, and then hiding it in an inconspicuous cloth shop under his brother-in-law’s care.

Using normal methods to investigate would indeed be challenging.

The key was inserted into the golden lock and turned slightly.

Click!

The metal box opened accordingly, revealing three account books and five letters before his eyes.