"No fooling?"
"No fooling..."
Chu Chu thought for a moment, then furrowed her brow. "No, that won't do. You're always telling lies... You have to write it down, black ink on white paper, and then press your fingerprint on it."
Xiao Jin Yu felt he would never understand the workings of her little mind in this lifetime, sighing helplessly. "I'm afraid I can't write today..."
Chu Chu's misty eyelashes fluttered a few times. "Then... then let's pinky swear."
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback. "What kind of ditch..."
So this person didn't even know about pinky swearing—no wonder he was always deceiving people!
Without explaining, Chu Chu grabbed his still-weak hand, hooked her right pinky finger around his, and spoke with the solemn seriousness of a Taoist priest performing rituals and chanting spells: "Pinky swear, hanging high, no changes for a hundred years. Whoever changes is a turtle's egg."
Xiao Jin Yu choked on a cough, his heart taking a long moment to recover.
"Are you reassured now... Stop crying..."
☆、27 Sweet and Sour Ribs (Seven)
Chu Chu quickly wiped away her tears and looked seriously at Xiao Jin Yu. "This still isn't secure enough."
He, a Wang Ye (Prince) above ten thousand people, had already been called a turtle's egg by her—what more did she want for security...
Then she saw Chu Chu carefully take out a small object from her bosom and solemnly place it in his hand. "Keep this safe."
Xiao Jin Yu brought it close to his eyes, frowning as he examined it carefully. What Chu Chu had pressed into his hand was an ordinary dark red small brocade pouch. It felt like there was something inside, but just as he was about to open it, Chu Chu urgently stopped him.
"You can't open it! If you open it, everything will escape!"
Xiao Jin Yu gave the pouch a deep look, gently closed his fingers and silently squeezed it, confirming there were indeed no living creatures inside before looking at Chu Chu in confusion. "What will escape?"
Chu Chu answered with complete seriousness. "The immortal energy."
Xiao Jin Yu felt his brain had stopped working, because thinking about it was useless anyway. "What exactly is this..."
Chu Chu smiled with a sense of accomplishment. "It's an Amulet I requested for you at Guanyin Temple."
Xiao Jin Yu was stunned for a moment. This wasn't the first Amulet he had received, but generally no one would give him such things for two reasons: First, those who knew him slightly understood he was someone who would kill gods and slay ghosts when encountered—he didn't believe in this stuff at all. Second, most people who cared about Xiao Jin Yu were practical types. Rather than praying to gods and bodhisattvas, they would prefer to stand guard with swords by his side, or simply eliminate threats for him directly.
The last person who gave him an Amulet had soaked the Talisman paper in a colorless, odorless poison. Ye Qian Qiu had worked hard for half a month to pull him back from the King of Hell.
Xiao Jin Yu lightly furrowed his brows, looking at this small Talisman with some caution. "Why?"
"Yesterday was your birthday! I originally wanted to host a birthday banquet for you, but you said even the Governor wasn't qualified, so I'm even less qualified... I also don't have money to buy you any grand gifts, so I followed the custom in our town. On your birthday, I went to the nearest Guanyin Temple, knelt before the Imperial Concubine Guanyin and recited the Scripture of Peace for an hour. The Amulet requested at this time is the most effective, able to protect you safely for an entire year."
Xiao Jin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You knelt for an hour for this Talisman..."Chu Chu said cheerfully, "Yes, you have to kneel for a full hour, otherwise it won't work! There were so many people praying for peace talismans yesterday, and by the time I finished kneeling, there was only one left. You're really lucky!" After speaking, she looked at Xiao Jin Yu's still deeply ill face, pursed her lips, and added with great certainty, "Your illness will definitely get better soon."
Xiao Jin Yu managed a pale smile and gently clasped the small brocade pouch in his hand. "Thank you..."
"You're welcome!"
After taking his medicine, Xiao Jin Yu fell into a drowsy sleep and woke up to find the sun setting in the west. Chu Chu was still sitting by the bed watching him.
As soon as Xiao Jin Yu opened his eyes, Chu Chu leaned closer. "You're awake?"
"Mm..." If he didn't find something for her to do, she would probably keep watching him like this. "Chu Chu, has the body been retrieved..."
Chu Chu nodded, then shook her head, replying obediently, "Only that plate of sweet and sour ribs... I mean, sweet and sour ribs. The clerk from the Prefect Magistrate's Office said there are more stored in the butchery's ice cellar, but the meat has been cut up and mixed together, so they can't identify them. You said earlier that no one should handle anything related to this case without your orders, so I didn't know if I could go and identify them. I wanted to ask you first."
Xiao Jin Yu smiled faintly. If her being this well-behaved was because he was ill, he wouldn't mind being sick a little longer.
"Go ahead... I'll go with you."
Seeing Xiao Jin Yu try to get up, Chu Chu panicked and pressed both her small hands against his chest. "No, no! The physician said you need to rest properly and mustn't overexert yourself!"
Pinned down in such a position, Xiao Jin Yu could neither laugh nor get angry. "Which physician said that?"
"The old physician Lord Ji brought!"
"Didn't you say... everything he said was nonsense and you didn't believe a word of it..."
Chu Chu froze—she had indeed said that.
Xiao Jin Yu made the final decision. "Go and prepare... and, while you're at it, call the guards for me."
When Chu Chu followed Xiao Jin Yu to Full Fragrance Butchery, a row of people stood neatly in the front hall. Leading them was Tan Zhang in plain clothes, who bowed deeply to Xiao Jin Yu, his round face crinkling into a smile like a pleated bun. "Prince An, all persons related to this case are gathered here. We humbly await your judgment and disposition."
Xiao Jin Yu merely nodded and turned to whisper to Chu Chu, "Go ahead, examine everything carefully, don't miss anything... and be cautious."
"Okay."
Chu Chu went to the ice cellar accompanied by a Royal Mansion guard and an officer from the Prefect Magistrate's Office. Only after the three had completely disappeared from view did Xiao Jin Yu scan the room full of people and fix his gaze on the only woman in the row. "Are you the proprietor of Gathered Fragrance Pavilion?"
The woman in green hurried forward a few steps and knelt gracefully before Xiao Jin Yu. "This humble woman, Wan Niang, proprietor of Gathered Fragrance Pavilion, pays respects to Prince An, may you live a thousand years."
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