One cannot entirely think that way.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox both felt that things still needed to be carefully investigated. These rumors often exaggerated and were incredibly outlandish. By the time they reached the end, it was basically impossible to see the true nature of the events, let alone the complete picture.
Speaking of which, let's talk about that already incredibly outlandish rumor.
Compared to that rumor, the one about Lin Yanqin eloping here with her lover seemed much more normal and reliable.
Those spreading this particular rumor had expressions of deep secrecy, yet insisted on making it sound like everyone knew about it, and the more outlandish and bizarre they made it, the better.
According to them, the current head of the Lin family and his sister, their mother was someone their father married from overseas. The reason he married a foreigner was not only because the woman was extremely beautiful, but also because of the secret of immortality.
As soon as this rumor was uttered, everyone gasped.
Who would believe such nonsense?
However, such story-rich rumors, whether true or false, were always enjoyed by many. Watching the excitement wouldn't hurt, and it was also a chance to hear a story. Regardless of truth, it at least provided entertainment.
What a novel thing it was! Where else could one hear such strange and peculiar stories?
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox also felt that the talk of immortality was utterly absurd. Since ancient times, many people had harbored desires for immortality. Weren't many emperors fond of taking elixirs, all in pursuit of eternal life?
Behind the four words "eternal life," lay countless absurd stories and mountains of bones.
But how could such preposterous things be easily achieved?
Even cultivators like them dared not make such bold claims. In cultivation, in the end, it was merely about having a longer lifespan than ordinary people. The higher the realm, the longer one lived. However, immortality was absolutely impossible.
Everything in this world would eventually perish.
Yet, such an outlandish rumor had still surfaced. A small portion of people claimed that the Lin family head and his sister's mother was an overseas noble, and their family possessed secret methods for immortality. Therefore, after the woman married into the Lin family, some servants heard that she never aged.
Furthermore, the woman died too quickly, leading them to claim that the cause of her death was mysterious and highly suspicious.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox harbored doubts about this.
As far as they knew, wasn't Lin Yanqin's mother supposed to have died of depression due to factors like her living environment and her husband's infidelity?
It shouldn't have come to the point where someone directly caused her death.
Whether it was Father Lin or his adversaries, they had no direct conflict with Lin Yanqin's mother. As long as Lin Yanqin's mother did not directly target any party, no one would move against her.
And Lin Yanqin's mother, in order to maintain her status and protect her children, had always been very well-behaved, even after discovering her husband's infidelity.
Unless the information extracted by the innkeeper was incorrect.
This point could not be ruled out.
The information the innkeeper knew was only what he had extracted from Lin Yanqin. However, this did not mean that Lin Yanqin wouldn't lie.
Moreover, it was necessary to know how unreliable the innkeeper was.
Therefore, the innkeeper's words also needed to be questioned.
Ye Tiancheng and the others recalled the innkeeper's inexplicable fanaticism when they apprehended and interrogated him before his death. What had he said?
...Right, it seemed to be related to immortality.
Thinking of this, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox became somewhat apprehensive again.
Could it be that behind the Lin Yanqin incident, there was indeed some connection to this damned immortality?
And the people who spoke these unclear, incredibly outlandish rumors, which hardly anyone would believe, did not focus their attention on Lin Yanqin's mother. The focus of their words was still on Lin Yanqin.
But then again, Lin Yanqin's mother was now just a dead person.
The dead cannot speak, nor can they be threatened, nor are they to be feared. Only the living are worth remembering.
Those people finally shifted their focus and talked about Lin Yanqin running away from home.
They said that when Lin Yanqin left home, she took with her the things her mother had left her regarding immortality, which was why Lin Yanqin's brother, Lin Yanshu, was so anxious to come looking for her himself.
Some also said that it was because Lin Yanqin's other half-brother, who had been helping the Lin family with business outside, was away on a trip. Since his sister leaving home alone was a major event, it was only natural for her own brother to personally seek her out. Others were just gossiping and didn't allow for good sibling relationships.
Then someone retorted, saying that in those prominent families, where were the sincere sibling affections?
Did one not see that Father Lin had so many lovers and concubines, and a multitude of children? Now, look at how many of Father Lin's children, with names and reputations, remained after the eldest son inherited the family business?
However, some also said that after all, Lin Yanqin was Lin Yanshu's biological sister, with a closer blood relationship, and more importantly, they were born of the same parents.
Not to mention, Lin Yanqin was a girl.
Girls were meant to be married off and wouldn't pose a significant threat. Lin Yanshu might not be wary of his sister. It was also possible that the siblings truly had good feelings for each other?
After all this talk, some people grew impatient.
They emphasized, wasn't the point that Lin Yanqin took away the secret of immortality?
Many people burst into laughter, saying that such nonsensical matters were just to be heard as stories, and who would truly believe them?
Moreover, weren't there rumors that Lin Yanqin was likely staying at the inn that had previously caught fire?
With such a huge fire, even if there were any secrets, wouldn't they have been reduced to ashes long ago?
In any case, very few people actually took the so-called secret of immortality seriously.
As the conversation progressed, there were no more novel developments.
Ye Tiancheng pretended to search his pockets and actually took out paper and pen from his spatial storage.
He said to the little fox, "Keep an eye out for me. I'll write a reply to Nie Chongyang and the others. We'll find an opportunity to deliver the letter later."
Hearing these various bizarre stories, Ye Tiancheng felt it was necessary to record them immediately. Otherwise, when he reviewed and recalled them later, he might forget certain details or misremember things. It was better to record them now and reply to the letter at the same time.
Once Nie Chongyang and the others knew these stories, it might even help them with their actions over there.
The little fox quickly agreed and said, "I'll watch, Brother. You write."
In a place like this, in a tea shop, someone engrossed in writing was indeed quite noticeable, but not overly so. Some people who saw it might be curious but wouldn't investigate further or casually approach to look.
It wasn't uncommon for people like Ye Tiancheng to order a pot of tea, perhaps bring some snacks, and sit for a long time, so the tea shop staff generally wouldn't rush them away.
If Ye Tiancheng and the others didn't call for them, they wouldn't easily approach or interfere.
The little fox only needed to remind Ye Tiancheng when someone happened to be too close, to prevent the letter from being accidentally seen.
Ye Tiancheng wrote a lot of things, using several sheets of paper, and then put the thick, written letter back into the envelope and tucked it away.
Coincidentally, they had also finished their early meal, leaving only a large pot of tea on the table.
Neither of them had touched a drop.
After Ye Tiancheng put away the letter, he said to the little fox, "Let's go."
The little fox nodded and got up with Ye Tiancheng, leaving the tea shop.
After the two left, the tea shop attendant saw the table was cleared and immediately went to clean it. However, when he picked up the teapot, it felt extremely heavy. He couldn't help but be curious, opened the lid, and saw a full pot of tea, not a single drop missing.
The tea in the pot had also cooled completely.
The tea shop attendant was baffled, scratching his head, not understanding what had happened.
Did someone pay for a pot of tea and sit there without drinking a single cup? What were they here for?
Ye Tiancheng and the others didn't know, nor did they care about the tea shop attendant's reaction upon discovering a full pot of tea left in the teapot.
As the little fox walked back with Ye Tiancheng, she asked, "Are we still going to leave the letter at night?"
Hearing the little fox's question, Ye Tiancheng shook his head and said to her, "Let's see how things go today. There's no rush to leave the letter."
The little fox looked at Ye Tiancheng with some confusion.
"Hmm?"
Ye Tiancheng explained to the little fox, "Didn't those people say that Lin Yanshu was looking for her?"
"We don't know if they will continue to investigate the matter over there, or if they will rummage through things, especially since that was Lin Yanqin's place. If Lin Yanshu really intends to act, he will definitely search that room."
"So, leaving the letter here at this time is really not safe."
The little fox thought about it and agreed.
"That's true, but I don't know how long it will take to deliver the letter if we delay it like this."
Ye Tiancheng could only say helplessly, "We don't have any other options. Isn't this out of necessity?"
The little fox said, "I understand the reasoning, but I'm always worried that staying here for too long is ultimately not a good thing. We need to find a way to leave as soon as possible."
This was a truth everyone understood, but they just couldn't leave.
Both of them felt a bit heavy-hearted. Their progress was extremely slow, and if this continued, they didn't know how long they would be delayed here.
If not for their good心态, Ye Tiancheng and the others would have been anxious long ago.
In reality, they were a bit anxious now, but they could still manage to calm themselves down, remain composed, and act steadily. However, this did not mean they were completely unaffected.
Anyone in this situation would not be able to remain entirely calm.
That night, they went to the ruins of the inn again. Upon checking the traces, they discovered that not only Lin Yanqin's former room, but many other rooms there showed signs of being searched.
Looking at this, and thinking about it carefully, it seemed quite reasonable.
After all, for Lin Yanshu to have found out that Lin Yanqin had come here and stayed at this inn was already considered remarkable. To then be able to accurately know which room Lin Yanqin was staying in would be quite outlandish.
This was clearly a difficult thing to achieve.
If the fire hadn't occurred, it would have been much easier to find out this information, and it was even possible that Lin Yanqin was still staying at the inn and hadn't moved out when Lin Yanshu came looking.