Chapter 487: Known

This was why Chu Jingting and the others found it suspicious that Huang Yingying, despite having no money, went to see 'Death-Defying Incense,' and why Wu Jinliang immediately dismissed their suspicions. The truth was, the old man truly had this peculiar failing.

Of course, Wu Jinliang had no concern for the man's odd habit. Too lazy to bicker with the old fellow, he simply asked, "How should I know? You've taken the money, now stop playing games. Who is it?"

Huang Yingying, covering his mouth conspiratorially, said, "It's the second miss's cousin from the library, the one she's marrying, the one we saw shopping today."

Although he had already made an educated guess based on their previous conversation, Wu Jinliang was still vaguely surprised after the confirmation. "Are you saying that cousin is marrying the second miss because of the library?"

Huang Yingying countered, "Do you think not?"

Wu Jinliang pondered for a moment, smacking his lips. "Dong Wenshu has several children. Can marrying off just one of his daughters, the second miss, mean the library is essentially handed over?"

"Heh, Xiao Gao, you're such a smart person, how can you be so confused?" Huang Yingying lightly hit Wu Jinliang's arm. "Think about it, why couldn't they do anything to Dong Wenshu? It's because there was no way to start. And what does a tax supervisor do? If he wants to target the library, he'll naturally use his power. Think about it again, isn't it obvious?

"Since they couldn't find any leverage against Dong Wenshu's family, they could 'mix in sand'—get someone corrupt inside. If dirty dealings in taxation were uncovered, Dong Wenshu would have no choice but to compromise."

Wu Jinliang mused, "So, that cousin, after marrying the second miss, won't leave the library but will stay there. Otherwise, it would be difficult to manipulate things."

Huang Yingying chuckled, "That dilapidated library doesn't bring in much income, and expenses are tight. Under the guise of filial piety, there are too many excuses to stay and 'help out.' That's not a problem. But then again, once you know what they're up to, it's simple to deal with it. Xiao Gao, if you turn the tide at the crucial moment and win the beauty's heart, wouldn't those hundreds of gold coins be worth it?"

He poked Wu Jinliang's chest with his finger as he delivered the last sentence, an expression of utter triumph on his face.

Wu Jinliang was indeed thrilled by the thought of his heroic rescue, but the other man's smugness snapped him out of it. Suddenly, he grabbed the poking finger and twisted it.

"Ow! You ungrateful wretch! That hurts, it's going to break, let go!" Huang Yingying shrieked, twisting his body.

Twisting his finger, Wu Jinliang sneered, "Old Huang, you're quite agile with your reactions. I have a feeling this isn't your first time selling information for money. Are you really just curious, peeking around everywhere like that?"

He had already found the man's method of satisfying his curiosity a bit excessive.

"Ga..." Huang Yingying's voice distorted with pain. His eyes darted around, and he forced a dry laugh, twisting his body. "That's not important, is it? Not important, not important. We both get what we need, and I didn't cheat you, did I?"

Wu Jinliang tightened his grip and twisted the finger further.

"Ow!" Huang Yingying shrieked again, sucking in a sharp breath. "Ow, ow, ow! I said, go easy! You know my situation, don't you? I'm a live-in son-in-law, working, serving people, and getting no wages, just that pitiful allowance every month. If I don't find a way to make some extra cash, how am I supposed to live? Gathering information, finding people who need it, dealing honestly with everyone – that's not a crime, is it?"

So his guess was right; this was indeed the man's true nature. Wu Jinliang chuckled and released his hand.

Free, Huang Yingying shook his finger, hissing with pain, and glared at Wu Jinliang indignantly.

Wu Jinliang, however, reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. "Just a joke, don't be mad. I already gave you the money, didn't I? No wonder you're so familiar with things in this city. I heard you've been a live-in son-in-law for the Bai family for thirty or forty years. So, you've been selling information for many years then, haven't you?"

Speaking of his decades as a live-in son-in-law, Huang Yingying sighed. "It's been quite a few years, hasn't it? Guarding the shop and doing business, I heard so much chatter from customers coming and going. Slowly, I realized something: some seemingly useless bits of information hold unusual value for certain people. Once, I carelessly gave a tip to a customer, and it turned out to be a huge help to them. Later, they gave me ten gold as a reward. From then on, I completely understood. I started gathering information everywhere, and whenever someone needed it, it was money! Honestly, it was out of necessity. If my wife had given me even a little more, I wouldn't have had to skulk around everywhere. My life is hard, truly pitiful."

Wu Jinliang patted his back reassuringly. "Don't worry. With your habit of going to brothels, your wife definitely won't give you any extra money. You can give up on that idea."

Since the man seemed to possess a lot of information, Wu Jinliang wanted to inquire about 'Death-Defying Incense' and how much he knew about the corpse transformation that happened in Dazhi City many years ago. However, the words died on his lips; he felt it would be too direct and inappropriate to ask now, so he held back, deciding to wait for a more opportune moment.

Huang Yingying, finding this sort of 'comfort' unacceptable, quickly shook off his arm and strode away.

Wu Jinliang called out to his retreating back, "Old Huang, you wouldn't sell information about me to others, would you?"

Huang Yingying said nothing, just kept walking with his head down.

Wu Jinliang then fell silent, deciding it would be necessary to visit Shi Chun after finishing work.

Meanwhile, a pair of eyes, quietly hidden deep within the foliage, had fixed on Huang Yingying's departing figure.

It was none other than Lao Changtai, who had been transferred here from the Mingshan Sect. He took out his mother-child talisman and sent a message to Shi Chun: "Old Huang just met the tall herdsman in the grasslands outside the city."

Of course, he didn't report every minor detail. Knowing Shi Chun might be busy, he only informed him when he discovered particularly significant developments; otherwise, he would simply report the results later.

Shi Chun quickly replied with a single word: "Understood."

Clearly, it meant "already known."

Putting away his mother-child talisman, Lao Changtai quietly followed Huang Yingying's departing figure.

Wu Jinliang was unaware of Lao Changtai's surveillance of Huang Yingying.

The reason for this was that Chu Jingting and the other two had clearly voiced their suspicions about Huang Yingying, but Wu Jinliang had directly dismissed them.

However, the crux of the problem was that while the Mingshan Sect group called Wu Jinliang "Boss Wu," it was merely a title; they didn't truly see him as their leader. Wu Jinliang hadn't yet established sufficient authority to command everyone's respect, at least not to the extent that his words would be blindly followed.

Furthermore, Wu Jinliang had never properly cultivated the prestige of a leader, often frequenting brothels and getting lost in revelry. Who could truly trust him?

A leader lacking self-discipline would inevitably lose credibility.

Although the three didn't argue with Wu Jinliang at the time, they immediately reported their suspicions directly to Shi Chun, leaving it to him to decide.

There was no other way; they now had the financial means, and all possessed mother-child talismans allowing direct contact with Shi Chun.

When the incident occurred, after Shi Chun understood the situation, he knew that if Wu Jinliang dared to dismiss Huang Yingying's suspicion, Wu Jinliang must have his reasons. However, as someone who had led so many brothers in Dongjiuyuan, he understood the importance of maintaining his subordinates' enthusiasm for their work; they needed encouragement, not discouragement.

Mutual supervision and plugging loopholes weren't bad things either; it was better than having nothing to do. Moreover, according to their account, the situation was indeed suspicious, so he wouldn't directly suppress Chu Jingting's suspicions. As long as they could manage their tasks, he would grant them a certain degree of autonomy and allow them to fully exercise their individual abilities, which would also make everyone feel his trust in them.

He believed that these individuals' abilities should not be limited to mere obedience, as his own abilities were, after all, limited...

As Huang Yingying traversed the city, his mood was cheerful. Passing by a lively district, he subconsciously touched his money pouch. Thinking of the fifty Tan Gold inside, the smile on his face became increasingly unsettling.

He glanced at the sky. It was broad daylight. "Never mind," he thought, "I'll wait until tonight."

Bai's Rice Shop had been established when Dazhi City was founded, making it one of the oldest businesses in the city and a witness to its long history.

As soon as a cheerful Huang Yingying returned, a shop assistant with a wry smile came over and whispered, "The boss's wife came out. She saw you weren't here and got angry. She said to come to her immediately when you arrived."

Huang Yingying's expression stiffened. He quietly asked, "Didn't you tell her I went to collect a debt?"

The assistant replied, "I did. Whether she believed it or not, I wouldn't know."

Huang Yingying's face immediately showed distress, but he still braced himself and went to the grain storage room at the back.

Inside the grain storage, where sacks of rice were piled like mountains, a plump, beautiful woman with a moon-like face sat behind a desk. Her skin was fair and soft, and dressed in snow-white robes, she was truly radiant and captivating. What seemed incongruous was the tobacco pipe she held, puffing on it occasionally, while her other hand turned through ledgers, occasionally flicking the abacus beads.

This was Bai Qiru, the owner of 'Bai's Rice Shop.'

To be realistic, in terms of looks, few women in Dazhi City's brothels could compare to her.

Many people found it incomprehensible that Huang Yingying would ignore such a beautiful wife at home and still frequent brothels.

Even more baffling was why such a jade-like beauty would choose an old man like Huang Yingying as her husband. Even for a live-in son-in-law, his appearance was rather poor. People truly couldn't see what qualities Huang Yingying possessed that would attract Bai Qiru.

However, the fact remained, and neighbors could only gossip behind their backs.

Huang Yingying approached cautiously, then brazenly smiled in front of the desk. "Madam, I went to collect a debt. Is something wrong?"

Bai Qiru took a puff from her pipe, adding an air of inscrutability to her face behind the smoke. She cast him a cold glance, said nothing, and continued to move the abacus beads and turn pages in her ledger.

Alright, Huang Yingying said no more. He took a few steps back, then dutifully plopped down onto his knees, dejected, simply waiting to be reprimanded.

Just then, a shop assistant suddenly ran in, oblivious to the kneeling figure. Excitedly, he informed Bai Qiru, "Boss's wife, a big customer has arrived! They want a thousand sacks of spirit rice and want them delivered to the Zhelanpo crossroads outside the city before dark. They've already paid a seventy percent deposit; the remaining thirty percent will be paid upon delivery."

As he spoke, he placed a money pouch on the desk.

Bai Qiru opened the money pouch, poured out a pile of burning Tan Gold, counted the amount, and put them away. She took another puff from her pipe, exhaling a long stream of smoke directly into Huang Yingying's face. "What are you dazed about? Hurry up and load those thousand sacks of spirit rice onto the carts and deliver them! Bring back every single coin. If you have an excuse for even one less coin, I'll break your legs!"

Huang Yingying immediately perked up, stood, and patted his chest. "Madam, rest assured, I guarantee not a single coin will be missing!"

Then he immediately went to rally people to work.

Before long, two cargo carts pulled by fine-scaled horses appeared, piled high with spirit rice. Two assistants drove the carts, while Huang Yingying and another assistant each sat atop the high piles of sacks on their respective carts, personally escorting the two loads of spirit rice out of the city.