Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 8 The Human Heart is Malice and Unpredictability

Ning Qihui calls Yun Luobai "Second Brother" because the two were childhood playmates.

Even among children, there is the concept of sworn brotherhood.

The children often played together, and according to their ages, Ning Qi was the eldest, making him the eldest brother of the others.

Yun Luobai was second only to Yun Luobai, hence Ning Qi referred to him as the second oldest.

Childhood jokes are often forgotten by everyone after they grow up, but Ning Qi always considers himself the elder brother of everyone.

This was neither beneficial nor harmful to Ning Qi.

Ningzhou Prefecture is not a remote place. On the contrary, due to its geographical advantages, it is frequently visited by merchants and martial arts practitioners.

With the constant flow of people from other places, Ningzhou Prefecture became increasingly prosperous. Business was good and people could make money, so the people were naturally happy.

Ning Qi and Yun Luobai left the yamen and walked side by side on the street.

The cries of street vendors filled the air; the sun was blinding, and the temperature was very high.

Considering Yun Luobai's purpose for this trip, Ning Qi naturally brought up the matter of Rouge Pavilion to him.

Yun Luobai had been away from Ningzhou Prefecture for three years. In those three years, Ningzhou Prefecture had not undergone earth-shattering changes, but there were always some details that Yun Luobai, who had been away from home for many years, was unaware of.

"The Rouge Pavilion is a well-known place in Ningzhou Prefecture. Every visitor goes there for entertainment. Its daily profits are staggering. Now that this has happened, they won't be able to open again until the murder case is solved."

Yun Luobai didn't care whether Rouge Pavilion could continue operating normally; he wasn't concerned about such things.

"Any progress in the investigation? Have the suspects been apprehended?"

"No. The one who died was Mu Li, the most beautiful courtesan in the Rouge Pavilion. She was the Rouge Pavilion's most sought-after woman, and countless men would come from far and wide, spending fortunes just to win a smile from her. I heard that the madam of the Rouge Pavilion fainted from shock upon hearing the news of Mu Li's death. Even if the real culprit is found, it won't bring Mu Li back to life, nor can it make up for the enormous loss the Rouge Pavilion has suffered without her."

"Isn't a courtesan just the most beautiful woman in a brothel? If one dies, just find another to be the courtesan, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Qi turned his head to look at Yun Luobai, his expression showing some surprise.

Yun Luobai noticed the change in Ning Qi's expression and immediately smiled.

"Big brother, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I was just thinking that you used to be so kind-hearted, you would even let a mouse go if you caught it at home, but now you talk about human lives so casually."

Yun Luobai blinked lightly and gazed ahead.

"Is my older brother implying that I've changed?"

"No, I meant that you've grown up and no longer see everything in the world as so wonderful."

"Everyone dies eventually. I will, and so will you, brother."

Ning Qi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Second brother, you're getting better and better at joking."

Yun Luobai tilted his head and looked up at Ning Qi, but this time he didn't smile.

Rouge Pavilion is located in a bustling area, making it even noisier.

Although a murder had occurred, and the nearby residents were terrified of the story, people are naturally curious, and when they saw the constables return, they would spontaneously gather together to speculate wildly.

The discussion mostly focused on how the courtesan was promiscuous and seductive, ultimately bringing trouble upon herself because of her dissolute nature.

Before Yun Luobai and Ning Qi even arrived at the Rouge Pavilion, they had already overheard many passersby—groups of women dressed in very ordinary clothes, just ordinary people—speaking ill of the courtesan named Mu Li in the Rouge Pavilion.

Jealousy can completely change a person...

Yun Luobai sighed softly.

Ning Qi glared at the women nearby, and when they saw that more officials had arrived, they dared not make any more noise with their tongues.

"Given their family background, their men shouldn't have been able to afford to visit brothels for pleasure."

"Human hearts are wicked and unpredictable; you should have known this long ago, brother."

Yun Luobai looked up at the signboard of Rouge Pavilion, muttering something to himself, lost in thought.

Before the two could even enter the Rouge Pavilion, two constables quickly approached, one in front and one behind, carrying a corpse covered in a white cloth.

Ning Qi immediately recognized the two as Wu Bing and Feng Yue, constables who worked with him in the Ningzhou Prefecture government office.

"What are you doing? The body was lying properly in the morgue, why did you bring it back?"

"It's because Officer Ning said that having the body at the scene makes it easier to examine the circumstances of the crime, which helps to speed up the investigation..."

Wu Bing forced a smile, referring to Ning Qi's father, Ning Mu, as the "Ning Constable" she mentioned.

The temperature was very high, and the two men carrying the corpse all the way from the government office had their foreheads covered in sweat.

Ning Qi shook his head helplessly upon hearing this. He knew that his father was under pressure from above and was probably under great stress and eager to solve the case, which was why he was doing all this futile work...

Could it be that the courtesan in the Rouge Pavilion could come back to life and identify the murderer in front of a group of officials?

The morgue in the government office is a cool place to store corpses. Relying on manpower to move corpses back and forth would not only exhaust the constables, but also cause the corpses to emit a distinct odor due to the high temperature.

When the crowd gathered around saw Wu Bing and Feng Yue carrying the body over, they started talking amongst themselves again.

Seeing this, Ning Qi didn't delay any longer and quickly gestured for the two to carry the body back to the crime scene.

"Second brother, let's go in too. My father's probably frowning inside..."

Hearing Ning Qi's helpless words, Yun Luobai nodded slightly, her gaze following the two constables who carried the corpse into the Rouge Pavilion.

He hadn't seen the body's condition at the yamen, but Ning Mu's actions had saved him a lot of trouble; otherwise, he would have had to make another trip to the morgue.

"You haven't seen my dad since you came back, have you? This is a good opportunity to meet him. He used to talk about you all the time, saying you were incredibly perceptive and intelligent, all because when we were little you helped him identify who the thief was in a crowd. So many years have passed, and he still remembers that..."

As Yun Luobai stepped into the Rouge Pavilion, he listened to Ning Qi nagging beside him.

Rouge Pavilion was, after all, a place of pleasure, and its decor was naturally brightly colored.

The lively atmosphere of the past was nowhere to be seen. The girls, dressed in brightly colored clothes, gathered downstairs. They, who should be most adept at dealing with men, appeared timid, or more accurately, fearful and uneasy.

The death of courtesan Mu Li seemed to have made everyone in the Rouge Pavilion feel uneasy, and the atmosphere became somewhat eerie.

Yun Luobai took a deep sniff; the air was filled with a rich fragrance, which became somewhat pungent after a while.

"They said Mu Li died because she was tainted by evil spirits."

Ning Qi said calmly from the side.

A slight smile flickered across Yun Luobai's lips, but he didn't say anything more.

Has it been tainted by evil spirits...?

interesting.