65th Break: Not Worthy

"Mr. Xu died?" Lin Ze frowned after he heard what Lin Yao said when Lin Yao finally woke up.

"Yes." Lin Yao nodded in affirmation. His face looked pale and his expression is heavy because he saw how Mr. Xu died.

Being a witness, especially of murder, has never been a good thing. It could leave you a trauma, especially if you have never seen something like that before. More so when it is something so stimulating.

"How were you knocked out?" Lin Ze asked. Since Lin Yao saw the killer, then the killer would also have been killed.

"Someone knocked me from behind." Lin Yao answered. His hand holding the cup is still trembling and he almost spilled the water.

"How about the killer?" Lin Ze asked.

"He left after he killed Mr. Xu." Lin Yao answered.

"The one who knocked you out must not be with the killer." Lin Ze spoke. "That killer escaped, not left." He added.

Lin Yao nodded in agreement. He also knows this. Or else, he wouldn't have just been knocked out. And that he won't wake up again. "The Huichen?" he guessed as he looked at Lin Ze.

"Yes." Lin Ze answered.

The Huichen is the eyes and ears of the emperor in the capital. So they must have noticed the practitioner who arrived in the capital and then killed Mr. Xu later.

But why it is Mr. Xu... Lin Ze's eyes narrowed. As far as he knows, Mr. Xu's family has been chefs for generations, thus they own a restaurant that has been passed down for generations, too. Some of their ancestors were even imperial chefs before.

So, how could Mr. Xu have any intersection with this practitioner? Was he killed as a passer-by? Or....?

Lin Ze pressed down his thoughts for now. "It was someone from Huichen who sent you back. You thank them later." He told Lin Yao.

Lin Yao nodded in understanding. "I know." He answered. If it wasn't for Huichen's timely arrival, he might have been killed, too, like Mr. Xu.

Thinking this, Lin Yao shuddered. It has to be said that being nosy could also be life-taking. Helping others or saving lives is not wrong. But you have to exercise caution. Never overestimate your abilities. But think before you act. Always call for help from those around you.

Suddenly, they heard hurried footsteps from the outside in the hallway. Lin Ze was about to go and check who it was, but suddenly stopped when Lin Ze recalled something. Qiu Si told him earlier that the Huichen has already called for Meng Xing's friend to look after Meng Xing. Then, that person must be the one running down the hallway.

"Cousin?" Lin Yao called when he saw that Lin Ze is silent. He thought that Lin Ze would see who was it that is noisy.

Lin Ze didn't speak and lowered his gaze. He recalled that man was hostile to him. It was because Meng Xing fainted when he was with him (LZ). It shows that the man cared so much for Meng Xing. And now, it confirmed his thoughts just by listening to the man's rushed footsteps outside, as if hating that he has no pair of wings to fly to his destination.

"… you go rest first. I will buy you some food." Lin Ze told Lin Yao and fixed his clothes before he went out of the door, hearing the door next room close at the same time.

Lin Ze glanced at the closed door next to his before he retracted his gaze, then left. He doesn't deserve to take even just a glance of that door, since he isn't worthy of Meng Xing.

...

Meanwhile, in the next room, Meng Xing – who Lin Ze is not worthy of, is having a warm bath after his clothes were soaked in his sweat. He sighed in satisfaction when he felt the heat touched his skin, then penetrated his muscles and bones. He felt like melting. But, he didn't since Qiu Si is waiting outside the folding screen for him, along with Qiu Yi who finally arrived bringing with him a towel and a set of clothes for Meng Xing.

"How is the boss?" Qiu Yi anxiously asked Qiu Si as he stood outside the folding screen while fidgeting. He dropped everything he was doing in Huichen when a beggar kid came in and told him that Meng Xing had another poison attack. He immediately had someone call for the doctor and Qiu Wu.

When he ran out, he ran into Qiu Liu, who looked beaten up. His clothes were even stained with blood. When he saw Meng Xing, Meng Xing was alone while Qiu Si left to send the unconscious Lin Yao to Lin Ze. While Meng Xing explained to him what happened to Mr. Xu, Qiu Wu, the doctor, and the group who will clean up the scene have finally arrived. When Qiu Si returned, Meng Xing told Qiu Yi to bring him clothes on the sixth room of the left side of the second floor in the Yang family's inn.

Seeing Meng Xing's pale face, he didn't disobey him and immediately left to return to Huichen, before returning to the Yang family's inn to bring him clothes.

Qiu Si looked at him. "Boss tried using his qigong to suppress the poison." He answered.

Qiu Yi clenched his fists and fell silent. When he worked for Meng Xing, he wanted to become a practitioner, too, so that he could help Meng Xing in more things. But, Meng Xing told him that he (QY) doesn't need to train in martial arts for his sake. Qiu Yi wanted to insist, but then stopped when he saw Meng Xing's firm gaze. So, Qiu Yi had to give up.

"Don't worry." Qiu Si spoke when he saw Qiu Yi's expression. "That doctor created a new medicine for the boss to try and gave the boss some amount of it. He also made some medicine for the boss to mix with the water for him to bathe." He told Qiu Yi to reassure the other.

Qiu Yi heaved a heavy sigh and looked at Meng Xing's dirty clothes placed on a chair on the side. He saw the black clothes mixed with the other clothes and know that Meng Xing tried to help Qiu Liu, but also wanted to try fighting, too. Unfortunately, he failed to do so since the poison attacked again.