"I asked him if he could recall any suspicious individuals. He pondered for a long time before vaguely mentioning that a popular male courtesan named Gu Yao in the establishment had been acting rather furtive lately. But then he immediately added that these courtesans weren't engaged in honorable professions to begin with, so it wasn't unusual for them to be somewhat secretive."
Xiao Jin Yu remained with closed eyes, nodding faintly.
"Then... I came back after finishing my meal."
Xiao Jin Yu opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed, and his originally weak voice suddenly turned cold and stern. "Why didn't you investigate Gu Yao?"
Jing Yi silently took a step back to put some distance between them before daring to retort, "Xu Ru Gui hasn't spoken a single truthful word. He kept beating around the bush trying to lead us toward that Gu Yao. Why waste time on his fabricated nonsense?"
"Even if it's not the truth, it doesn't necessarily mean it's complete fabrication..."
"What do you mean?"
Xiao Jin Yu pressed firmly against his stomach, gritting his teeth through a prolonged wave of intense pain. He could clearly feel his inner garments soaked through with cold sweat. He truly had neither the mood nor strength to explain things to Jing Yi at this moment. "Find Gu Yao... investigate yourself..."
Before Xiao Jin Yu's words had fully faded, while Jing Yi was still debating whether to immediately rush out to work or risk his life by staying to care for him first, the door was suddenly knocked three times in urgent succession.
A guard stood at the foot of Xiao Jin Yu's bed, covered in snowflakes with a grim expression, bowing his head as he reported, "Wang Ye, I... have found a corpse."
Watching as all color drained from Xiao Jin Yu's gaunt, sharply defined face, Jing Yi hurriedly asked, "Whose corpse?"
"It's a naked male corpse, identity unknown. I have brought it back and placed it in the side hall."
Xiao Jin Yu let out a deep sigh, supporting himself on the edge of the bed as he endured a wave of dizziness. After a long moment, he finally spoke in a heavy voice, "Any news of Miss Chu?"
"Someone saw Miss Chu leaving As Returning Pavilion alone. I followed the footprints, which led all the way toward the cliff, but they disappeared near this corpse."
"Continue searching..."
"Yes."
After the guard left, Jing Yi remained motionless. Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly. "Aren't you going to investigate Gu Yao?"
Jing Yi was taken aback. "Don't you need to examine that male corpse?"
"I do..."
"Then shouldn't I return to the city to summon a coroner?"
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head gently. "There's no time... I will examine it myself."
A hundred responses rushed to Jing Yi's throat all at once. After gaping for a long moment, he finally managed just one sentence: "If you die, does that mean I don't have to submit those case files?"
"Hmm... just burn them for me."
"..."
☆、15 Jujube Ginger Soup (Fifteen)
When Xiao Jin Yu arrived at the side hall, Xu Ru Gui had already been pacing circles outside the door for quite some time.
"Wang Ye!" Xu Ru Gui hurried forward to meet him as soon as he saw Xiao Jin Yu. "I was careless, allowing such an incident to occur right under my nose... I will fully assist Wang Ye in uncovering the mastermind and providing you with an explanation!"
Enduring another wave of nausea, Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly while looking at Xu Ru Gui, whose complexion wasn't much better. "Are you referring to the drug in the tea... or the person in the room?"
Xu Ru Gui was startled, looking toward the tightly shut side hall that showed no light from within. "There's someone inside?"
"Manager Xu, did Lord Jing send you here?"
Xu Ru Gui quickly turned back. "Exactly. Lord Jing said... Wang Ye was giving me an opportunity to atone for my mistakes, and asked me to wait here for you."Xiao Jin Yu let out a faint, silent sigh. "You flatter me, Shopkeeper Xu... May I trouble you to prepare a basin of charcoal fire and a basin of clean water for me?"
"I will attend to it at once."
Jing Yi believed there were few in the entire capital who had seen more beauties than he had, yet the moment he laid eyes on Gu Yao, he was momentarily dazed.
It wasn't that he had never seen handsome men—it was just that he had never seen one so strikingly beautiful, so captivating that even the most ordinary room seemed to glow with the same allure as the person within it.
While Jing Yi's eyes wandered appreciatively around the room, his words remained focused on the man. "Young Master Gu Yao truly lives up to your reputation for beauty."
Gu Yao stood opposite Jing Yi, gracefully pouring tea, a soft smile gracing his lips. "You flatter me, my lord."
Jing Yi shook his head, his eyes still narrowed as he meticulously studied the room. "A man's quarters that carry the fragrance of a woman—I hardly think my praise is misplaced."
Gu Yao's smile stiffened slightly, but he steadily handed a cup of fragrant tea to Jing Yi. "Forgive my impertinence, my lord, but I suspect you are not here for pleasure."
Jing Yi accepted the teacup, only to set it back on the table. "I am here to find someone."
"There is only Gu Yao here."
"You are the one I seek."
Gu Yao froze, and before he could react, a gentle force wrapped around his waist, pulling him unexpectedly into a broad embrace.
Jing Yi lifted him horizontally, smiling down at the flustered figure in his arms. "Since you seem eager, I won't stand on ceremony."
"My lord..."
"Shh... Save your energy. It's not yet time to cry out."
Gu Yao's cheeks flushed crimson as he gazed into Jing Yi's tender eyes. "You... you should drink that tea first..."
"Save it for the next guest. I have no need for it."
Jing Yi gently laid Gu Yao on the bed, his hands gliding over the contours of Gu Yao's body through his clothes, alternating between light and firm touches. A faint smile played on his lips as he watched Gu Yao's breathing grow increasingly rapid and heavy under his ministrations.
"My lord..."
Jing Yi pressed down on Gu Yao's hand as it crept toward his belt, whispering softly into the beauty's ear between ragged breaths, "Don't move."
"My lord..."
"Be patient. Let me."
While intensifying his stimulating caresses, Jing Yi leisurely studied the simple fastenings of Gu Yao's robes. Each time Gu Yao attempted to undo them himself, Jing Yi gently restrained him. By the time Jing Yi loosened the first tie, Gu Yao was already drenched in sweat, barely holding back.
Gu Yao was on the verge of tears—never before had a stranger reduced him to such a state of disarray...
"I told you not to move..." Jing Yi frowned slightly, his voice calm but tinged with a hint of displeasure. "If you won't listen, you leave me no choice."
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