Chapter 32: Lin Baiwei's Identity
Chapter 32: Lin Baiwei's Identity
As dusk fell, Shen Yi knocked and pushed open the door as usual.
Lin Baiwei, as always, was hiding in the backyard and only poked her head out when she heard his voice.
Unlike her wet appearance yesterday, today the woman had changed into a white outfit—a fitted long shirt that billowed gracefully, giving her an otherworldly air. If only her exquisite face could rein in its greedy impulses and stop salivating at the sight of food, she would truly be a celestial beauty.
"Heehee, I smell meat!"
"Did you get your salary?"
She reached out to take the clay pot and lotus leaf packet from Shen Yi's hands and eagerly placed them on the table to uncover the treats within.
Shen Yi watched her profile, feeling a twinge of envy.
Whether it was eating baked buns or delicacies, she could always wear the same smile. If he had had such an attitude in his past life, perhaps he wouldn't have had to live so painstakingly.
"You have bloodstains on you again. Where do you go every day..."
Lin Baiwei teased casually, but as the lotus leaf and clay pot were opened, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her face turned cold.
Shen Yi noticed the change in her expression and wondered what had happened.
But he didn't bother to inquire further; she could eat or not, it was up to her.
He sat down at the table, grabbed a goose leg, and savored the burst of flavors as the crispy skin and juicy meat released their aromas on his tongue, masking the slightly bland taste.
Lin Baiwei's nostrils flared slightly, and she closed her eyes, hugging her arms tightly. "It's so greasy! It's putting me off my appetite."
Shen Yi shot her a glance and took a gulp of rice wine directly from the jar.
Lin Baiwei opened her eyes a slit, her eyelashes trembling as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Her teeth bit into her red lips, and she said, "If you don't like the baked buns, I can buy some raw meat and soy sauce tomorrow and cook it for you. There's no need to rob others..."
"Can you cook?"
Shen Yi looked up, surprised.
"If I didn't know how to cook, I would have starved to death by now. There aren't eateries everywhere... Are you even listening to me?"
Lin Baiwei fiddled with her fingers. "A pound of pork costs about twenty coppers. If you save up your monthly salary and budget carefully for food and other necessities, you can almost eat meat every day. I also know how to sew, so if your clothes or shoes get torn, you won't need to buy new ones."
In the dim room, Shen Yi fell silent, watching her rattle off these facts, and then he thought of Elder Lin casually giving him eight hundred taels of silver.
"Are you really Miss Lin?"
"Are you deaf?" Lin Baiwei huffed, frustrated that he seemed to be deliberately ignoring her.
A clean and honest government employee, either mixing with demons or bullying commoners—what a waste of his talent.
If it had been her in the past, she would have definitely twisted his ear off.
The woman's angry pout was rather adorable, and Shen Yi averted his gaze. He took out a few pieces of broken silver from his waist and tossed them onto the table, interrupting her incessant chatter. "From your father."
Upon hearing this, Lin Baiwei froze, her eyes darting between the silver and the bloodstains on Shen Yi's body.
"You went to see her?"
Without waiting for a reply, she suddenly stood up, leaned forward, and brought her face close to the young man's, her voice anxious. "Do you know how serious the problem is? They're not as simple as you think. There's an elder from the North Cliff Fox Demon clan traveling in this area. The reason they haven't entered the city is that they're wary of my identity! But if you really kill their junior and thoroughly anger them, no one can protect you!"
She was clearly genuinely worried.
Shen Yi felt the fragrance wafting towards him and remained calm. "So, what is your identity?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Baiwei fell silent, her words trailing off. After a long pause, she mumbled, "You managed to catch that important detail."
Shen Yi also stood up, his expression neutral as he ruthlessly suppressed the strange emotions that had sprouted in his heart.
Sensing his detachment, Lin Baiwei sat back down as well, poking at the yellow fish with her chopsticks.
This time, she truly lost her appetite. After a long while, she murmured, "Is my father alright?"
"For now," Shen Yi replied, understanding her current mood. "The fox demon isn't at your home, but they've brought other yaomo into your house."
"Thank you."
The bloodstains on the young man's body and the silver on the table told her everything she needed to know.
Lin Baiwei tried to steady her trembling hands as she hugged the clay pot, sipping the fish soup little by little.
She calmed her breathing, and her emotions gradually stabilized.
Shen Yi recalled what she had said earlier—she had to stay alive... It now seemed that the more precise meaning was that even if her parents' lives were uncertain, she had to survive.
According to Lin Baiwei, the so-called fox demon elders actually feared her identity and dared not enter the city.
"I want more money," Shen Yi said.
"What?" Lin Baiwei exclaimed in surprise.
Ignoring her astonished gaze, Shen Yi took a cloth and carefully wiped the sheath of his sword. "I said two beginner-stage martial arts manuals aren't enough. I want two at the Jade Liquid stage, and I want to receive one in advance as a deposit."
Now that her identity had changed, the price had to change as well.
Lin Baiwei stared at him silently, accepting this "extortion." She picked up her chopsticks again and began eating the fish. "I can only memorize one. Get me some paper and a brush, and I'll give it to you in three days."
The woman chewed the fish meat vigorously, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes.
She wasn't used to showing weakness in front of anyone.
Suddenly, that indifferent and annoying voice sounded in her ear again.
"Is what you said earlier still valid?"
"What did I say?" Lin Baiwei stuffed her mouth with the tender fish meat, her cheeks puffed out. The corners of her lips were stained with oil, and she didn't want him to hear the trembling in her voice.
"Cooking."
Shen Yi hung the now-clean sword sheath back on the wall.
Even though she spoke in riddles, he had managed to piece things together.
The fox demons feared her identity and didn't kill her, but they casually handed her over to his predecessor, a woman with no martial arts skills. No matter how powerful these foxes were, they couldn't watch her day and night.
They probably intended to use his predecessor's hand to get rid of this woman.
So, what was so special about him? After much thought, Shen Yi could only attribute it to his identity as a runner. This easily allowed him to deduce the truth that Lin Baiwei had been trying to hide.
Tsk, so the Lin family sent their only daughter out to apprentice, only to end up sending her to the Demon Suppression Division.
What she feared the most wasn't the fox demons but him.
If she were harmed by the Demon Suppression Division, it would allow the fox demons to easily withdraw from this matter and wash their hands clean.
If his predecessor's thoughts had strayed even slightly.
If he had truly killed this woman with his own hands, he would have killed someone from the Demon Suppression Division.
Just the thought of being wanted by the entire Da Qian Dynasty made Shen Yi's back turn cold. He couldn't help but curse his predecessor in his mind for being such a lecherous fool.
You dare to touch any woman!
"... "
Lin Baiwei had no idea what Shen Yi was thinking. She swallowed the fish meat and sniffed lightly, her fair nose turning slightly red. Her voice was hoarse as she said, "Fine! I'll do it!"
So what if it's cooking? I'll stuff you until you burst!
She gripped her chopsticks so tightly they creaked. Once she got through this month, she would find a way to lift the seal.
At that time, she would definitely prepare a big basin of water to scrub the pot and force it down his nose.
Thinking of this, Lin Baiwei felt slightly better. She picked up the wine jar and guzzled its contents.
(End of Chapter)
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