Without missing a beat, Liu Rumei turned and headed for the wine shop across the street.
The waiter, thinking a large group had come to dine, eagerly rushed out to greet them. Liu Rumei, however, pointed at the inn opposite and asked with a smile, "There were some people from Da Lin Kingdom staying opposite. They came here to eat every night. Do you remember them?"
The young waiter was stunned. So they weren't here for a meal. His expression immediately soured, and he shook his head coldly.
"I don't recognize them. I don't remember."
As soon as he finished speaking, the young girl rushed forward, grabbing the waiter by his collar.
"Speak up, or I'll beat you." The waiter was terrified and waved his hands frantically. "Miss, please let go. I really don't remember, I swear."
The young girl raised her fist to strike, but her wrist was suddenly gripped.
Lin Yang appeared in time, stopping the girl's action.
"Junior sister, no need for rough tactics. I'll ask."
Reluctantly, the young girl let go.
Lin Yang smiled faintly at the waiter. "I am Lin Yang from the Lin Family Escort Agency. Could you please call your shopkeeper?"
Upon hearing Lin Yang's name, the young man's face lit up. "Oh, it's Young Master Lin! Please wait a moment."
He then turned and ran inside. Moments later, a slightly portly middle-aged man emerged, accompanied by the waiter.
"I am Han Qianli, the shopkeeper of this establishment. Greetings, Young Master Lin."
Lin Yang nodded. "Shopkeeper Han, a few people from Da Lin Kingdom stayed at the inn opposite a few days ago. I heard they frequented your establishment every night for drinks. Do you recall them?"
"Yes, yes, I remember. Young Master Lin, please have a seat, and I'll tell you everything," Han Qianli invited them to sit and ordered the waiter to serve dishes.
Lin Yang waved his hand. "Thank you for your hospitality, but we have urgent matters. We need to get to work once you've finished speaking."
Han Qianli had no choice but to comply. He then instructed the waiter to prepare some tea and bring it over quickly.
"Young Master Lin, it's like this. Those people from Da Lin Kingdom came to my place every night and occupied the private room on the second floor."
"My waiters don't understand Da Lin Kingdom's language. I was afraid of misunderstandings and causing trouble, so I personally delivered their food and drinks every time. At first, they were wary of me. When I entered, they would fall silent. Later, as we became more familiar, they no longer minded my presence. They would talk as usual when I entered!"
"Oh, did they mention the name Chen Xiaobei?" Lin Yang pressed, his gaze sharp.
"They did, they did. They only started mentioning this name a few days ago. Oh, and once they said they were going to lock Chen Xiaobei up somewhere."
"Right, they became much more cautious when they said these things. I overheard this before I entered the room, as their voices would get louder after a few drinks."
"Is that so? Did you hear clearly where they intended to lock Chen Xiaobei?"
The shopkeeper shook his head again. "I didn't hear that clearly."
At this point, Liu Rumei, who was standing nearby, spoke up. "Did they mention any other places in the capital, or did they have other residences?"
Shopkeeper Han Qianli tilted his head, thinking carefully. "Now that you mention it, I do recall. A few days after they first arrived, they mentioned needing to clean out an old residence in case of emergencies. They also said the house hadn't been occupied for a long time and was likely deserted."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chun tapped the table lightly with his fist. He seemed about to speak but stopped, giving Lin Yang a meaningful look.
Lin Yang smiled at the shopkeeper again. "Can you think of anything else?"
Han Qianli shook his head again. "No, no. That's all they said. Besides, I have so many customers, and they were just ordinary patrons to me. I couldn't possibly keep an eye on them all the time."
"If that's the case, thank you. If you remember anything else, please feel free to inform the escort agency," Lin Yang said, standing up and cupping his fists politely at the shopkeeper before signaling for everyone to leave.
Outside the wine shop, Liu Rumei couldn't wait to ask, "Brother Yang Chun, what did you mean just now?"
Yang Chun looked at Lin Yang and said excitedly, "Brother Yang, you must be thinking we should search for deserted residences in Wannian City, right?"
Yang Chun gave Lin Yang a thumbs-up. He marveled at how quickly the young escort understood his intention.
"Brother Lin is right. Since they mentioned cleaning out an old residence, we should search for houses that are not usually occupied. I imagine this won't be difficult for you."
"Not difficult at all, this is much simpler. I'll make arrangements immediately," Lin Yang said, bowing to everyone before parting ways. Yang Chun also had things to do. He needed to inform Lamo to adjust their search direction, as they also had to look for these unoccupied old houses.
Zhou Quan, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
If he had been in charge of this investigation, he might not have achieved the same results as Lin Yang. As the saying goes, each to their own path. For instance, Han Qianli might not have revealed so much to him.
Some things, it seemed, were not easily accomplished by official means.
However, there was one thing they could do. The current search for deserted residences was not particularly difficult for the authorities, as the Ministry of Finance likely had records of such properties.
With a three-pronged approach, the deserted residences in Wannian City were quickly identified.
Further inquiries with neighbors about these old houses, and whether anyone had visited recently, soon narrowed down the list to several suspicious locations.
By this point, it was past midnight, but the investigation had to continue, and thoroughly.
Soon, they arrived outside the courtyard where Luo Xi and his group had previously hidden.
Yang Chun leaped onto the wall and shone his torch into the courtyard. It was filled with dead leaves and branches, fitting the description of a place that hadn't been lived in for a long time.
The young girl also jumped up to look and then sighed.
"Alas, it looks like no one has been here. Let's go."
Yang Chun nodded.
Just then, a gust of wind blew, rustling through the leaves, and a few withered leaves fell to the ground.
As Yang Chun turned to leave, he suddenly sensed something was amiss.
Something about the color of the dead leaves in the courtyard seemed inconsistent.
A thought flickered through Yang Chun's mind. He leaped into the courtyard and crouched down to examine them closely.
The lighter-colored dead leaves in the courtyard were significantly more broken, fractured, and even crushed, while the leaves from the nearby trees were much more intact, creating a color difference.
Yang Chun gently peeled back these damaged dead leaves. The ground beneath was dry, not damp.
This was wrong. Normally, if dead leaves had covered the ground for an extended period, the earth would be quite moist.