Suddenly, Jin Shi turned his head and gnced at them.

  That one gnce was enough.

  Everyone immediately felt the sharp intensity in his eyes—it was almost like the gaze of a lion. Even the color of his iris was a striking yellow.

  Their voices had already been low, but now they lowered them even further.

  Guo Dalu asked, “What does this guy do?”

  Yan Qi replied, “He′s a constable. Two years ago, he was a constable in the capital, but recently, I heard he was promoted to Chief Constable of the Nine Northern Provinces.”

  Guo Dalu said, “Judging by the way he dresses, he looks more like a pyboy than a famous constable.”

  Wang Dong added, “He certainly doesn′t look like a pauper either.”

  Lin Taiping asked, “So what′s his special skill?”

  Yan Qi replied, “His nose.”

  Lin Taiping asked, “His nose?”

  Yan Qi replied, “His nose may be big, but it′s not just for show. It′s said that his sense of smell is even sharper than a dog′s. Once he picks up a person′s scent, no matter how well they disguise themselves, they won′t be able to escape him.”

  Lin Taiping nodded. “That′s quite an impressive skill.”

  Yan Qi continued, “These two men are among the top experts in the Six Major Sects. If it weren′t for a major case, they wouldn′t have been deployed. So…”

  (T/N: 六门局; Liù mén jú, means Six Major Sects)

  Wang Dong finished his thought, “So you′re wondering why they suddenly showed up in a pce like this?”

  Yan Qi nodded. “I do find it strange. If they′re here because of st night′s case, how could they have received the news so quickly?”

  Just then, a sharp scream rang out from the street—piercing and shrill, like someone had stepped on a chicken′s neck.

  A disheveled woman suddenly burst out from a house across the street, her hair wild and untamed. A short, chubby man was desperately trying to hold her back, but he couldn′t.

  In the end, the woman simply threw herself to the ground, wailing uncontrolbly. As she sobbed, she shouted, “Even my funeral savings were stolen—why shouldn′t I speak up? I will speak up!”

  The more she cried, the more agitated she became. She began banging her head against the ground, wailing, “Heavens! You heartless thieves! How could you be so cruel? Couldn′t you have left me something? Three thousand taels of gold—gone! And all my jewelry too! If any kindhearted person helps me get it back, I′m willing to give them more than half.”

  The man′s face alternated between red and pale as he struggled with all his strength to drag her back inside. Finally, after much effort, he managed to pull her away. In between his struggles, he even turned his head and forced a stiff smile, saying, “Three thousand taels of gold? We never had that kind of money to begin with.”

  Guo Dalu and Yan Qi exchanged a gnce and were just about to ask Mai Laoguang, “Who is that woman?”

  But Jia Gun beat them to it.

  His voice was deep, and he spoke slowly, as if every word took great effort to say. That gave people the impression that they had better listen carefully to every single word he uttered.

  Mai Laoguang said, “I heard that this couple came from Kaifeng. They used to run a cotton business and managed to save over a thousand taels of silver. They came here hoping to live frugally for the rest of their lives. If their household really had three thousand taels of gold stolen, now that would be truly bizarre.”

  He wasn′t usually a talkative man, but now it was as if his lips had been greased—his words flowed smoothly, and even his Mandarin sounded more precise than usual.

  Jia Gun was listening.

  He spoke slowly and listened even more carefully, as if he had to chew every word thoroughly before swallowing it. And once he had swallowed it, he would never spit it back out.

  When Mai Laoguang finished speaking, Jia Gun asked, “What are their names?”

  Mai Laoguang replied, “The husband′s surname is Gao. The wife′s maiden name, I think, is Luo.”

  Jia Gun suddenly stood up and strode out.

  The man in bck had been silent the entire time, but now he suddenly asked, “Has noon passed?”

  Mai Laoguang answered, “Just past noon.”

  The man in bck said, “Bring it.”

  Jin Shi hesitated and asked, “Is this pce suitable?”

  The man in bck said, “That will do.”

  Jin Shi let out what sounded like a sigh. He reached into his robes, took out an ingot of gold weighing about twenty taels, and pced it on the table, gently pushing it forward.

  The man in bck accepted the gold without another word.

  Jin Shi let out a long breath, gazed at the sky outside the window, and murmured, “The day passes so quickly.”

  But for some people, this day felt like it would never end.